TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 21
GATEWAY • BIG EAST
DERRICK DAVIS
GATEWAY FOCUSED ON
CHAMPIONSHIP GOALS
Gateway captured a WPIAL
championship last year, its second
district football title in three years
and seventh in the storied history
of the program.
The Gators return this season
with similar intentions, and they
also hope to make another run to
Hershey after falling in the state
semifinals a season ago.
“We were so close to playing for
the state title again,” Gators senior
standout Derrick Davis said.
The Gators, who finished 12-3
overall in 2019, clipped Peters
Township, 21-20, in the WPIAL
Class 5A title game before coming
up short against eventual state
champion Archbishop Wood, 24-21,
just one step from Hershey.
The game was a rematch of the
2017 state title contest, also won by
Archbishop Wood.
“It was frustrating losing to the
same team twice,” Davis said. “It
was more motivation for what
we’ve done in the offseason. It
put us in a different mindset. The
goal always is the same — to win
championships.”
Gateway coach Don Holl said
he likes the way his players are
coming together as they continue
to get ready for the season.
“We did a little bit of catching
up when we returned to workouts,
like everyone was doing, but
we got in good workouts from the
start,” Holl said. “Our older guys
like Derrick, (senior Chamor Price
and senior Jacques Taylor) know
everything that we’re doing, and
the younger guys have really been
picking things up.”
When the WPIAL made coronavirus
related changes to the schedule,
Gateway lost a scrimmage
against Belle Vernon and a Week
Zero game against Maryland’s
Archbishop Spaulding. A nonconference
game with defending
WPIAL Class 4A champion Thomas
Jefferson scheduled for Sept. 4
became a scrimmage.
The Oct. 30 conference game
with Franklin Regional is the new
opener Sept. 11, and a nonconference
game with rival Penn Hills
has been eliminated.
Because the Gators play only
five conference games, nonconference
contests with Bethel
Park (Sept. 18) and Pine-Richland
(Sept. 25) remain.
“It’s not the way we would’ve
hoped with the premium schedule
we had in place and a great opener
against a team from out of state,
but everyone is just happy to still
have something to look forward to
and prepare for,” Holl said. “We
still have a very challenging schedule,
no doubt.”
Davis, rated four stars by Rivals,
earned all-state honors last year
at running back. He totaled 30 offensive
touchdowns. The safety on
defense owns nearly three dozen
Division I offers.
“Derrick is an elite athlete with
an elite work ethic and a great attitude,”
Holl said. “We expect him
to have nothing less than another
great season for us. He’s a generational
talent who comes along once
in a great while. Before he is done,
he’s going to have a lot of career
records.”
Price hauled in five touchdowns
last year as a junior, including a
crucial catch in the rainy WPIAL
championship contest at Norwin.
Taylor, a first-team all-conference
pick last year, is back to anchor
the offensive and defensive
lines.
Junior Patrick Body (wide receiver/
defensive back) has garnered
Division I attention. He
caught key touchdown passes in
WPIAL playoff wins over Bethel
Park and Peters Township.
Other veteran players back to
help lead the team include seniors
Jayden Hurt (wide receiver/defensive
back), Kelvon Nelson (offensive
line/defensive tackle), Shane
Thrift (wide receiver/defensive
back) and Jason Jenkins (place
kicker); and junior Aiden Smith
(running back/linebacker).
Holl said junior Carsen Engleka
and senior Bonzi Parks have been
competing to see who will take
over at quarterback for the graduated
Bryson Venanzio.
“Both are looking good,” Holl
said.
Holl expects senior tight end/defensive
lineman/linebacker Diego
Bledsoe to make an impact. Bledsoe
was ruled ineligible for last
season by the WPIAL and PIAA after
transferring from Steel Valley.
Others hoping to raise some eyebrows
in increased roles are junior
Jermir Harber and sophomores
Malachi Moore and Demetrius
Harper.
“We have a lot of good kids
who have worked really hard for
their opportunity and are ready
to shine,” Holl said. “We love the
competition. Iron sharpens iron.”
by MICHAEL LOVE
Coach: Don Holl
2019 record: 12-3, 5-1 in
Class 5A Big East Conference
All-time record: 437-215-13
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Franklin Regional* 7
9.18 Bethel Park 7
9.25 at Pine-Richland 7
10.2 at Latrobe* 7
10.9 Penn-Trafford* 7
10.16 at Woodland Hills* 7
10.23 at Connellsville* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Bryson Venanzio*
179-299, 2,616, 27 TDs*
Receiving Derrick Davis
36-547 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing Davis
176-1,527 yards, 26 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Chamor Price owns 14
Division I offers, including
ones from schools such as
Cincinnati, Syracuse and Wake
Forest.
• Gateway is 12-4 in playoff
games in Class 5A since the
PIAA went to six classifications
in 2016.
• Don Holl is 45-11 overall in
four years as Gateway’s head
coach.
• Gateway finished third in
Class 5A in scoring average
last year at 31.3 points
a game. Only Penn-Trafford
(36.0) and Peters Township
(32.0) scored better.
CHAMOR PRICE