TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 49
CLAY ROSENSTEEL
RINGGOLD • BIG 8
DARWIN MANGES
UNDERCLASSMEN SHOW
GROWTH FOR RINGGOLD
It’s been a rough few seasons for
the Ringgold football program —
winless in 2018 and two wins, one
by forfeit, in 2019.
But second-year coach and Ringgold
alumnus Darwin Manges is
starting to see some light at the end
of the proverbial tunnel.
“It’s encouraging because now
we have players ready to step up
and play football at a varsity level,”
Manges said. “We were forced
to use a lot of underclassmen the
past two seasons and were not
ready. Now we have players who
know what is expected. We haven’t
stopped working since the end of
last season.”
The only time workouts were
interrupted was in the spring because
of the covid-19 pandemic.
Since the return in the summer,
Manges said 40 or more players
have shown up for workouts.
Manges is a 1985 graduate of
Ringgold and a member of the
1982 WPIAL championship team.
He graduated from Edinboro and
coached in Delaware, where he
won a state title.
Ringgold returns seven players
on offense and seven on defense.
The offense line is nearly intact.
Back is senior center Julien Altamare,
junior guards Jacob Meyer
and Jacob Frahlich and junior
tackle Dante Campagni. Sophomore
Logan Simko is expected to
be the new left tackle.
Junior Donte Kinds returns at
running back and John Polefko is
back at fullback. Deondra Dotson
will also run the football.
Seniors Jacob Walsh and Wyatt
Nicklow will battle for the quarterback
job, and junior slot back
Braydon Fine could also line up behind
center. Manges runs a Wing-T
offense, but calls it his Southwestern
Pennsylvania version.
Senior Logan Wellington is
slotted at tight end with Dotson,
Fine and senior Tanner Smith at
receiver.
Ringgold’s offense only scored
four touchdowns in 2018 and more
than doubled that count in 2019.
Senior kicker Clayton Rosensteel,
who Manges said is receiving
Division I offers, ended the
school’s 18-game losing streak by
booting a game-winning field goal
to beat Beaver, 16-13.
Manges likes athletes on defense,
so he’s gone to a 3-5-3 look that West
Virginia used when Jeff Casteel
was the defensive coordinator.
Altamare is the nose tackle while
Frahlich and sophomore Jacob
Pehowic are the ends. Sophomore
Cameron Smith is expected to spell
Altamare.
Polefko, junior Landon Oslowski
and sophomore Kevin Willis are
the inside linebackers, while Fine
returns on the outside.
Lining up in the secondary are
Kinds at safety and junior Jacob
Walsh and Marlos Johnson at cornerback.
“Things are starting to click for
the players,” Manges said. “They
understand the schemes we’re using.
They’re ready to take it to the
next level. The team is coming
together.”
Ringgold’s conference — the
Class 4A Big Eight — got a lot
tougher with the addition of McKeesport
to join powers Thomas
Jefferson and Belle Vernon. West
Mifflin, Laurel Highlands, Uniontown
and Trinity are the other
teams in the conference, though
Uniontown has opted not to play
football this fall.
“It’s a strong conference,” Manges
said. “But it’s a conference that
will make us better. We want to
be able to compete at the level of
Thomas Jefferson, Belle Vernon
and McKeesport.”
by PAUL SCHOFIELD
Coach: Darwin Manges
2019 record: 2-8, 1-6 in
Class 4A Big Eight Conference
All-time record: 245-260-12
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Trinity* 7
9.18 at Laurel Highlands* 7
9.25 at Albert Gallatin 7
10.2 McKeesport* 7
10.9 at Belle Vernon* 7
10.16 Thomas Jefferson* 7
10.23 West Mifflin* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
FAST FACTS
• Ringgold is a merger of
Donora and Monongahela in
1969.
• The most famous football
player to play at Ringgold was
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback
Joe Montana.
• Former Minnesota Vikings
kicker Fred Cox played at
Monongahela.
• Donora won the WPIAL title
three times.
• The last time Ringgold
played in the WPIAL playoffs
was in 2016. The Rams defeated
Mars, 42-31, but fell to
New Castle, 38-17, in the Class
4A semifinals.