TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 27
NORTH HILLS • NORTHEAST
CURTIS FOSKEY
NORTH HILLS WILL RELY
ON DEEP SENIOR CLASS
North Hills enters the fall with
a football team that’s senior-heavy
but light on experience.
The way to fix that problem is to
let them play.
“We need to get this rolling a
little bit and see what we have,
because we do have to mature over
the season,” coach Pat Carey said.
“Hopefully these guys can gain
game experience real quickly.”
This senior class waited its turn
to get onto the field, including
first-year starting quarterback
Ethan Marker, but Carey said he
sees potential in them nonetheless.
They’ll determine whether North
Hills improves on last season’s 6-5
record.
“They’ve got some stuff to
prove,” Carey said, “but I like the
class.”
There are several guys with
experience. Senior running back
Curtis Foskey was the team’s
leading rusher last season with
685 yards and eight touchdowns
on 104 carries. Foskey is the between
the-tackles runner in North
Hills’ offense.
Carey installed the new offense
last season, employing a system
based on multiple backs and misdirection.
The concept was new
to them last summer, but now the
players had an entire year to learn
it.
“The ground work has taken
place and our kids know the
schemes,” Carey said. “We have a
year of experience under our belt.
Now we can grow from there and
expand the playbook.”
The other rushers are senior Tyler
Tomasic (78 carries, 410 yards)
and juniors Liam Tracey and
Chase Foskey. They’re called into
action for jet sweeps and counter
plays, but Curtis Foskey is the key.
“In our offense, you kind of have
to establish the fullback,” Carey
said. “That’s Curtis’ role. If we can
get him going, I think the offense
will kind of run through him.”
North Hills plans to throw a few
new wrinkles into the offense. That
could include some plays for second
quarterback, John Green, an
athletic sophomore. But the majority
of the snaps belong to Marker,
a 6-foot-1 passer with a strong arm.
Marker made one start last season
at Penn Hills, a 21-7 loss when
the starter sprained an ankle in
practice.
“He’s got a nice arm and he’s refined
his game,” Carey said. “He’s
worked a lot over the quarantine
getting stronger. He’s a bigger,
stronger kid than he was last year.
We like his potential. It’s just a
matter of putting that on tape and
doing it on Friday nights.”
That applies to a number of his
teammates as well. Carey sees potential
but not experience in tight
end T.J. Legler, guard Nate Brackman,
wide receiver Max Sharp
and outside linebacker Bill Fonzi.
Inside linebacker Tanner Illnicki,
a junior, could also be added to
that list.
“The inexperienced guys have to
grow up quickly,” Carey said.
With Tracey at safety, Alec Apodaca
at linebacker and Chris Copp
and Curtis Foskey at defensive end,
North Hills’ defense might give the
offensive time to grow.
“I like our defense,” Carey said.
“As long as we can play defense
and keep us in the game, I think
we can do enough athletically on
offense to have some success. It
will be down to those guys getting
game experience.”
North Hills returns two starting
linemen from a team that went 5-2
in the conference and reached the
WPIAL Class 5A first round. Copp,
a 6-3, 200-pound junior, returns at
guard and senior Matt Hummel
(6-5, 235) is back at tackle. A third
would-be starter, senior Nick Peterson,
will miss his senior season
after a motorbike accident.
Overall, the line is a concern,
Carey said.
“We’re not big and we’re not
deep,” he said. “Obviously, sometimes
that’s where the games are
won, so we’ve got to be careful
with how we deal with the kids.
We’ve got to be smart about it and
hopefully design some schemes
that can use our speed and lack of
size to their advantage.”
North Hills has a new rival in
the conference this year since
Pine-Richland joined. The Rams
reached the WPIAL Class 6A finals
three years in a row, and Penn Hills
hasn’t lost a conference game in
two seasons.
Still, North Hills is aiming for a
top-two finish.
“There are some pretty good
teams in this league this year,”
Carey said. “Not only the
teams that are expected to be at the
top, but I think some of the others,
the Kiskis and Fox Chapels of
the world are going to be tough
to play.”
by CHRIS HARLAN
Coach: Pat Carey
2019 record: 6-5, 5-2 in
Class 5A Northern Conference
All-time record: 499-307-27
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Shaler* 7
9.18 Moon 7
9.25 Woodland Hills 7
10.2 at Kiski Area* 7
10.9 Penn Hills* 7
10.16 at Pine-Richland* 7
10.23 at Fox Chapel* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Dylan Pawling*
30-75, 480 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Tom McDonough*
15-218 yards, 1 TDs
Rushing Curtis Foskey
104-685 yards, 8 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• North Hills has played in the
WPIAL championship game
eight times, going 3-4-1. The
wins were over Butler in 1982,
Mt. Lebanon in ‘87 and Upper
St. Clair in ‘93. The losses
were to Mt. Lebanon in 1981,
Gateway in ‘86, Upper St.
Clair in ‘89 and West Allegheny
in 2002. The tie was
against Gateway in 1985.
• North Hills was streaky last
season, winning its first four
games and losing its next
three.
• Coronavirus-related schedule
changes took away nonconference
matchups against Mars
and Plum.
ETHAN MARKER