TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 13
Coach: Brian DeLallo
2019 record: 7-4, 5-2 in
Class 5A Allegheny Eight
Conference
All-time record: 463-379-31
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Upper St. Clair* 7
9.18 at Gateway 7
9.25 Franklin Regional 7
10.2 at West Allegheny* 7
10.9 South Fayette* 7
10.16 at Peters Township* 7
10.23 Moon* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Anthony Chiccitt*
96-135, 1,082 yards, 8 TDs
Receiving McGowan*
28-336 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Seam McGowan*
186-956 yards, 9 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Brian DeLallo’s coaching
career started as an assistant
at Hamilton High School in
Chandler, Ariz.. There he coach
future NFL All-Pro Terrell
Suggs.
• In the WPIAL, DeLallo
coached with Jeff Metheny,
Jim Render and Lou Cerro.
• Bethel Park’s first-round
playoff victory (45-16 over Kiski
Area) last season was the
team’s first since 2015.
• The Black Hawks have
reached the WPIAL finals
three times. They were champions
ZACHARY HADDOX
in 1980 and 1946. BETHEL PARK UNFAZED
BY LACK OF EXPERIENCE
in 2008 and runners-up
TROY VOLPATTI
Bethel Park graduated all 11
starters on offense and 10 on defense,
but coach Brian DeLallo
won’t call this a “rebuilding” year.
“I don’t like using the R-word,”
he said. “We’re not building in excuses
and saying we’re rebuilding.
We’re going to try to reload and
get after guys. If you sit around
feeling sorry for yourself in our
conference, you’re going to get
drilled. There’s no time for that.”
The only returning starter is
sophomore linebacker/fullback
Gavin Moul, who’s a team leader
and makes the Black Hawks’
defense go, DeLallo said. Senior
lineman Zachary Haddox, who
rotated in at guard last season, also
has some experience.
But beside them, there are firstyear
starters covering the field.
“We’re young, but we’ve got a
really enthusiastic group,” DeLallo
said. “They don’t care that they’re
young. I love the way they play. But
in terms of guys who’ve played, we
don’t have too many.”
That’s led to competition for
starting jobs this summer. The hottest
could be behind center, where
the team has two good options in
Max Blanc and Jason Nuttridge.
“It’s probably the most excited
I’ve been to watch a position battle
between two kids,” DeLallo said.
Blanc is a 6-foot-5 junior with a
big arm. Nuttridge is a 5-11 sophomore
who runs well. They’re competing
to replace Anthony Chiccitt,
who passed for 1,000 yards last
season.
“They both have a little different
skill set,” DeLallo said. “They’re
both playing well, so they’re making
the decision tough. We’ve got
these next couple of weeks to get
it sorted out.”
DeLallo isn’t a two-quarterbacks
coach and never used a platoon
system at the position, but said
that’s a possibility this year.
“They’re neck and neck,” he
said. “If nobody separates themselves,
we’re going to have to give
them both some reps. We’re hoping
that somebody just takes the
job, but right now they’re both
doing a really nice job. They both
bring something a little different to
the table, which can be an advantage,
giving defenses two different
things to prepare for.”
Some of the other skill positions
on offense are set. The top running
back is junior Troy Volpatti, with
senior Jason Muench and junior
Jack Kirchner the top wide receivers.
The defense is wide open. The
team has depth at linebacker and
in the secondary but needs to solidify
its line, DeLallo said.
“We have a lot of depth and a lot
of young guys,” he said. “We play
two strong safeties in a lot of our
defense. We were rotating three
pairs through and each pair I liked
better than the last.”
Bethel Park went 7-4 overall last
season, 5-2 in the conference and
reached the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals.
DeLallo said that teams
returning an abundance of starters
could have an advantage this
fall since the pandemic disrupted
offseason workouts.
But they won’t use that as an
excuse either.
“They have a great attitude,”
DeLallo said. “They play with an
edge and most of them are very
coachable. Let’s go have a great
year this year and set ourselves up
for the future.”
by CHRIS HARLAN
BETHEL PARK • ALLEGHENY 6