TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 59
KEYSTONE OAKS • NORTHWESTERN 6
LOGAN SHRUBB
KO READY TO TACKLE
NEW-LOOK CONFERENCE
Since expansion to six classifications
four years ago, Keystone
Oaks has had four winning seasons
playing against elite teams from
Beaver County in Class 3A.
The Golden Eagles have a combined
record of 26-14 since 2016
but have only one playoff trip to
show for it. The combination of
Gardner points or just missing
out has kept Keystone Oaks in a
spectator role for the last three
WPIAL postseasons.
That appears to be ready to
change, and quite possibly in a
big way.
Change has come to the conference,
changing from the Tri-County
West to the Northwestern Six
this season as three playoffs teams
from 2019 in Aliquippa, Beaver
Falls and South Park have moved
out while defending district 2A
champion Avonworth is moving
on up and in to join Central Valley,
Hopewell, Quaker Valley, KO and
newcomer Ambridge.
“Obviously Central Valley is
loaded and has great chance to
win states,” Keystone Oaks coach
Greg Perry said.
Golden Eagles senior quarterback
Logan Shrubb can’t wait for
conference play to begin.
“The thing I’m looking forward
to the most this year is to play all
the different teams due to the conference
change,” he said. “You got
to love new competition.”
Now in his seventh season at
Keystone Oaks, Perry admits his
team should be in the hunt in both
the conference and the classification.
“I think this is one of our best
teams coming back since I’ve been
at KO,” Perry said.
Leading the way is the four-year
starter Shrubb, who is one of the
top quarterbacks in the district.
“I have very high expectations
for the season,” Shrubb said. “I
know we fell short in the past few
years (of) the playoffs, but I really
feel we have a squad here that can
go do some good things.”
Last season, Shrubb connected
on 113 of 209 passes for 1,590 yards
and 14 touchdowns, plus he led the
team in rushing with 1,231 yards
and 14 more TDs.
“I feel he is the one of the best
kids coming back in the WPIAL,”
Perry said. “He is a two-time first
team all-conference quarterback
in a loaded conference and was the
offensive MVP in the conference.
He just competes his (tail) off and
wants to win.”
The Golden Eagles return four
linemen to help protect and open
holes for Shrubb. They include seniors
Connor Brown, Dana Shores
and Zach Taylor and junior Luke
White. All four start up front on
defense as well.
Seeing time at the skill positions
for Keystone Oaks will be junior
Tyler Perry at running back and
senior Mark Hutchin and juniors
Owen Minford and speedster Sadeq
Watts at wide receiver.
“We have seven or eight kids
that have started games on offense
coming back and with Logan, we
should put up some points,” Perry
said.
Shrubb will get a chance to play
outside linebacker on defense this
season.
“I couldn’t afford to get him
banged up, but with this being
his senior season, we are all a go,”
Perry said.
Hutchin, Perry and junior Kevin
Drew all return as starting linebackers
for the Golden Eagles.
“Our linebacker crew should
carry us with a lot of experience,”
Perry said.
Keystone Oaks even returns its
kicker in junior Rutger Randall.
“He’s a big-time soccer player
who does a good job for us,” Perry
said.
Perry believes his team grew
a lot last year and hopes those
building blocks from 2019 help
build a championship-caliber team
in 2020.
“(Last year) was a learning experience
for us,” he said. “We played
well at times and played inexperienced
at other times. We were
young across the board, which led
to mistakes at crucial times which
cost us. In 2020, I think we reap the
rewards of that inexperience.”
by DON REBEL
Coach: Greg Perry
2019 record: 6-4, 3-4 in
Class 3A Tri-County West
All-time record: 435-436-37
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Ambridge* 7
9.18 at Steel Valley* 7
9.25 Montour 7
10.2 Avonworth* 7
10.9 at Central Valley* 7
10.16 Quaker Valley 7
10.23 Hopewell* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Logan Shrubb
113-209, 1,590 yards, 14 TDs
Receiving Mark Hutchin
45-744 yards, 7 TDs
Rushing Shrubb
198-1,231 yards, 14 TDs
FAST FACTS
• Since expansion to six
classes in 2016, Keystone
Oaks has four straight winning
records but hasn’t reached
the playoffs since 2016. The
Golden Eagles haven’t suffered
a losing record since finishing
3-6 in 2014.
• Greg Perry is preparing for
his seventh season as head
coach of the school on the
left side of McNeilly Road
coming from Route 88. Perry
was a longtime assistant and
head coach at Seton LaSalle
before moving across the
street to Keystone Oaks.
• In passing for 1,590 yards
and rushing for 1,231 yards,
Logan Shrubb joined a list of
less than a dozen quarterbacks
from the WPIAL this past
decade that both threw and
ran for over 1,000 yards in a
season.
• Keystone Oaks has never
won a WPIAL football championship,
but old Dormont High
School won or shared four
championships in a seven-year
period in the late 1930s and
early 1940s. Dormont’s last title
came 75 years ago when it
won the 1945 Class AA championship,
30-19, over Derry.
ZACH TAYLOR