TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 119
LANDAN STEVENSON (LEFT) AND MAX VANATA
MAPLETOWN MAKING
PUSH FOR IMPROVEMENT
As Mapletown coach George
Messich and his staff gathered at
his home on Friday nights last season,
watching video of the game
their team just played, a thought
often occurred to them.
“We have a really, really great JV
football team,” Messich said with
a laugh. “They just happened to
play varsity football. They were so
young as ninth and 10th graders. If
we played a JV schedule, we might
have been undefeated.”
Messich isn’t exaggerating.
Mapletown started a sophomore
and two freshmen in the backfield.
A freshman and two sophomores
started on the offensive line.
Even by the standards of Class A
football, where lineups filled with
underclassmen are the norm, the
Maples were a young team last year.
They suffered growing pains,
but they showed improvement.
After the previous season saw no
wins, nine losses and a forfeit, the
Maples banked a couple of confidence
building victories.
“Both of those groups had a lot
of success when they were playing
seventh and eighth grade football,”
Messich said. “They want to
win, they’re competitive, and they
work. I give them a lot of credit.
They really push themselves every
day we’re out there.”
Tailback Landan Stevenson was
the breakout freshman last season,
racking up 1,357 yards from scrimmage
and 18 touchdowns.
“He’s going to be a really great
running back,” Messich said. “Our
seniors took him under their wing
and thought the world of him being
our running back as a freshman.”
Junior quarterback Max Vanata
and sophomore fullback Cohen
Stout also started last season.
“I’m really impressed with that
backfield,” Messich said. “They’re
good kids. They’re tough kids.
They really work.”
Wide receiver Lance Stevenson
and right tackle Blake Holbert will
provide senior leadership.
Sophomore guard Levi Howard,
junior guard James Thompson and
junior center Riley Franks are also
returning starters. Junior Gaige
Shaw is penciled in at left tackle.
Messich said he expects his linemen
to take their biggest strides
defensively this season.
“Being a year older, our defense
is going to be a lot better,” he said.
Messich, meanwhile, is entering
his fifth decade coaching at
Mapletown. His enthusiasm has
never waned.
“That time has flown by,” he said.
“It’s amazing. It’s not like it’s a job.
I’ve always believed that. I’ve seen
times where we tried to get some
people to coach and they said, ‘I’m
not doing it for that amount of
money.’ I thought, ‘If you’re doing
it for that reason, I’m glad you’re
not coaching.’ It’s a lot of fun. I’ve
really enjoyed going to practice.
When it becomes a job, I think
that’s when you have to get out.”
Despite his extensive experience
on the sidelines, Messich has never
seen a season anything like
this one. There is no playbook for
preparing a football team to play
during a pandemic.
Messich said he used the extra
time to work on technique.
“I’m a firm believer you win
and lose football games because of
technique,” Messich said. “In the
old days, it was just a real physical,
tough match. I don’t think a lot
of people realize how much technique
is involved today.”
Among the many safety procedures
teams have put in place this
season, social distancing was not
a problem with a roster the size of
Mapletown’s.
“I got a real kick when they first
started talking about this virus,
they said teams that have 70 or 80
kids, they can’t take them all to
road games. You can only take half
of them,” Messich said. “I told my
wife, ‘We only have 61 boys in 10th,
11th and 12th grade. We don’t have
to worry about it.’”
by JONATHAN BOMBULIE
Coach: George Messich
2019 record: 2-8, 1-6 in
Class A Tri-County South
All-time record: 324-473-39
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at West Greene* 7
9.18 at Carmichaels* 7
9.25 California* 7
10.2 at Monessen* 7
10.9 Avella* 7
10.16 at Jefferson-Morgan* 7
10.23 Bentworth* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Max Vanata
42-100, 571 yards, 4 TDs
Receiving Landan Stevenson
19-370 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Stevenson
186-987 yards, 15 TDs
FAST FACTS
• George Messich is the dean
of WPIAL football coaches.
He has been head coach at
Mapletown from 1978-81 and
1987 to present.
• Mapletown’s last playoff
berth was in 2016 when the
Maples went 5-6 overall but
4-3 in the Tri-County South,
finishing in fourth place.
• With 64 boys in Grades 10-
12, Mapletown is the smallest
public school in WPIAL football.
Avella is second-smallest
with 67. Mapletown’s two wins
last year both came in matchups
against Avella.
• Mapletown and Avella were
scheduled to meet twice again
this year, but coronavirus-related
schedule changes canceled
the Week Zero matchup.
COHEN STOUT
MAPLETOWN • TRI-COUNTY SOUTH