26 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
Coach: Sam Albert
2019 record: 5-6, 4-3 in
Class 5A Northern
All-time record: 302-280-7
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.21 at Connellsville 7
9.26 at Penn Hills 7
10.2 North Hills* 7
10.9 at Fox Chapel* 7
10.16 Shaler* 7
10.23 Pine-Richland* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Lebryn Smith
20-40, 230 yards
Receiving: Kenny Blake
14-144 yards
Rushing: Blake
168-980 yards, 11 TDs
FAST FACTS
• The Cavaliers have made the
playoffs for the past two years.
• The Cavaliers have made the
playoffs for the past two years.
• In Blake’s first start at running
back against North Hills in
Week 2, he ran for 104 yards
and one touchdown. He went
on to run for more than 150
yards four times last season
and scored three touchdowns
in three of those four games.
• Kiski Area will have a quarterback
battle heading into this
season between sophomore
Lebryn Smith and Logan Johnson.
Smith was Kiski Area’s
DEFENSE, RUNNING GAME
leading passer last year with
230 yards, but didn’t throw
any touchdowns. SET TO LEAD KISKI AREA
Teams are always in search of their identity,
and it took the Kiski Area Cavaliers a little
longer than expected to find theirs in 2019.
But as the Cavaliers get ready for the 2020
season, they have a better idea of what that
identity is going to be, and they are excited
to be able to take advantage of it this season.
“We felt that after our third year here, the
kids were starting to buy into the program so
we are hoping that continues to grow,” Kiski
Area coach Sam Albert said.
At the beginning of last year, Kenny Blake
was lining up at wide receiver but, after three
games, Albert moved Blake into the backfield.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound running back went on
to carry the ball 168 times for 980 yards and 11
touchdowns in seven games.
Throughout the second half of the season,
Blake was the cog that made the Cavaliers’ offense
go. He helped them capture back-to-back
wins over Mars and Armstrong at the end of
the season to secure a spot in the WPIAL playoffs.
In those two games, he carried the ball 70
times for 407 yards and four touchdowns.
Now, the talented two-way senior who has
Division I offers from Albany and Army is
ready to capitalize on a full season in the
backfield.
“It’s cool, because if I would’ve started
back there from the beginning, we probably
would’ve started 3-0 or 2-1,” Blake said. “So, it
will be good to start with a set offense this year,
and I think it will help us out a lot throughout
the season.”
The Cavaliers also will feature a strong defense
that returns two of its top three tacklers
and a solid secondary. Senior defensive end
Jack Dilts, who has several Division I offers,
is one of those returning along the line after
tallying two sacks and 43 tackles last season. He
believes the defense is going to be a backbone
for the team.
“Our whole defense is solid,” Dilts said. “Our
defensive line, our linebackers, our secondary,
I think we’re really strong there.”
Last season, Kiski Area showed promise with
a team that included only a few seniors in key
positions across the field.
The Cavaliers started a freshman at quarterback
and had five underclassmen in the receiving
corps. They also had several underclassmen on
the defensive side.
With that young roster, the Cavaliers went on
to lose to defending PIAA Class 5A champion
Penn Hills by three points and also defeated
a strong Mars team in order to punch their
ticket to the playoffs. Blake said gaining that
experience last year will be a big piece of this
season’s success.
“Last year, we were young, so there wasn’t
that experience really, so we were kind of
experimenting,” Blake said. “But now, since
we have that experience, we’ll know what to
do when the lights come on, so we’ll be good.”
The Cavaliers will have a new opponent this
year. Through PIAA realignment, Pine-Richland
dropped down a class and into the Class 5A
Northeast Conference. The Cavaliers are looking
forward to the challenge of taking on the
2018 WPIAL Class 6A champions.
“Any time you get to play a team like
Pine-Richland, it’s a win-win.” Albert said.
“If they win, you say, ‘OK, we were supposed to
lose.’ But if you win, that sets the tone for you.”
As the Cavaliers head into their fourth season
under Albert, they are ready to take the
turn. The longtime coach said his team is starting
to look like a Class 5A football team, and he
said he’s excited for what is to come this season.
by GREG MACAFEE
NORTHEAST • KISKI AREA LEBRYN SMITH
KENNY BLAKE