30 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
Coach: Jim Ryan
2019 record: 4-7, 3-4 in
Class 5A Northern
All-time record: 361-424-30
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at North Hills* 7
9.18 West Allegheny 7
9.25 at Penn-Trafford 7:30
10.2 Fox Chapel* 7
10.9 at Pine-Richland* 7
10.16 at Kiski Area* 7
10.23 Penn Hills*
NORTHEAST • SHALER JOSH MILLER
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Darin Mizgorski*
185-280, 1,741 yards, 11 TDs
Receiving Joey Impavido*
53-739 yards, 8 TDs
Rushing Jake Miller*
150-854 yards, 15 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Jim Ryan begins his fourth
year as head coach at Shaler
after graduating from the
school in 2000 and serving
as an assistant coach for the
Titans since 2004.
• The Titans are hoping to
make the WPIAL football
playoffs for a third straight
year. The last time Shaler
qualified for the postseason in
three consecutive seasons was
2007-09.
• That 2009 postseason was
the last time Shaler won a
playoff game. The Titans beat
Mt. Lebanon, 23-21, in a Class
AAAA first-round game before
losing to defending WPIAL
champion Bethel Park, 32-14,
in the quarterfinals.
• Twenty-two years ago,
Shaler enjoyed it’s most successful
football season. The
1998 Titans won the Quad
North Conference with a 6-1
record, a game ahead of North
Allegheny and New Castle. The
team cruised past Ringgold,
31-6, in the first round but
was stunned by Quad East
third-place finisher Penn Hills
in the district quarterfinals,
19-7. Ryan was a sophomore
lineman on that Shaler team.
ZACH VALENTINE
SHALER LOOKS TO TAKE
NEXT STEP UNDER RYAN
What a difference a couple of
years make.
For most of this recent decade,
the Shaler football team entered a
season just looking to win a game
or two.
From 2012-17, fans were forgetting
the Titans as they struggled
to a 2-56 overall record with five
winless seasons.
However, the last two seasons
have produced a pair of 4-7 records
with both teams ending their season
in the playoffs.
The man behind the turnaround
is Jim Ryan. While he is glad Shaler
is once again competing, just
making the playoffs is no longer
the goal.
“Playoffs of course were our
goal,” Ryan said. “There were a
couple of missed opportunities
throughout the season that could
have put us in a better position in
our first playoff game.”
The Titans opened up on the
road at Gateway in a Class 5A firstround
playoff game last season.
Shaler hung tough, but eventually
fell to the eventual district champion,
35-21.
“The growth of our team allowed
us to perform against Gateway in
the manner that we did,” Ryan
said. “Unfortunately, we came up
short.”
It’s back to the lab for the Titans
as they return only four starters on
both sides of the ball.
“I would say there is most definitely
a lot of pressure after losing
some of the big name seniors
we lost,” senior lineman Brandon
Schweinberg said. “We are putting
guys in who will hopefully have big
plays that will keep the program
on track.”
Up front, Schweinberg will be
joined by senior Zach Valentine.
Both were second-team all-conference
selections as a year ago.
“Our line is going to be one of
our biggest advantages as we have
played together before,” Schweinberg
said. “We think this is going
to be one of the top lines Shaler has
seen in recent years.”
Another returning starter is
junior Josh Miller, who no longer
has to play in the shadow of his
‘bigger’ brother Jake.
Jake Miller led the Titans in
rushing with 854 yards and 15
touchdowns last fall. Josh Miller
was second on the team with 328
rushing yards.
Senior Roman Tortorea also will
help the Titans ground game. He
earned a starting spot at linebacker
a year ago and will help lead
the defense.
Junior Dominic Rossi will take
over the quarterback duties from
Darin Mizgorski. Rossi tossed a
pair of scoring passes in limited
action last fall.
As preparations continue for a
new season, all teams will be challenged
to stay healthy.
“We are excited about getting
an opportunity to play this year
given the obvious circumstances,”
Ryan said. “Being able to do the
things we need to do to win games
given the restrictions this year (is
a concern).”
The Class 5A Northern Conference
has shrunk from eight
teams to six teams this season
and has changed to the Northeast
Conference.
Familiar faces Fox Chapel, Kiski
Area, North Hills and Penn Hills
are also back in the conference
after realignment, joined by perennial
power Pine-Richland. The
Rams had been in Class 6A the last
four years and replace Armstrong,
Hampton and Mars.
“We don’t see much difference
in our new conference,” Ryan said.
“We think the WPIAL did a good
job realigning. We look forward to
facing Pine-Richland again.”
Schweinberg believes while the
conference is tough the Titans are
ready to throw their hat in the
contending mix.
“Our conference has always been
tough with the 2018 state champs,
Penn Hills, in it,” Schweinberg
said. “Adding Pine-Richland is just
one more tough game. Although
this is probably one of the hardest
conferences in the WPIAL, there is
no clear cut conference champ. We
hope we can be that by the end of
the season.”
by DON REBEL