TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 77
CLASS 2A BREAKDOWN
THE FAVORITE
1. Beaver Falls (8-3)
The Tigers have been an elite
Class 3A team over the past few
years. In 2016, they won WPIAL
and PIAA titles. Last year, their
only regular-season losses were to
Aliquippa and Central Valley, the
teams that played in the 3A title
game. Syracuse recruit Josh Hough
and Shileak Livingston combined
for 2,380 rushing yards and 35
touchdowns last season. It would
be tough for a Class 6A defense
to stop them, let alone Class 2A.
Preseason rankings
2. Washington (13-1)
3. McGuffey (9-3)
4. Riverside (8-4)
5. Freedom (8-4)
*RECORDS FROM 2019
THE STARS
DAKARI BRADFORD
Western Beaver, sr., WR
A Lincoln Park student who
plays for Western Beaver via a
co-op, Bradford is a big red zone
target at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds.
He is returning after missing last
season with a torn ACL.
DIONTAE GIVENS
Sto-Rox, sr., LB
Givens is a bit of a throwback, a
physical inside linebacker who can
stop the run and deliver attitude
adjusting hits to ball carriers.
He has committed to Duquesne.
NYASANU GREENE II
New Brighton, sr., RB
Greene is a big back (6-3, 230)
who likes to hit the hole quickly
and run downhill. His first
Division I offer was an intriguing
one — from Montana.
JOSH HOUGH
Beaver Falls, sr., RB
Hough, Greene’s cousin, is
6-foot-2, 245 pounds. After running
for 1,273 yards and 18 TDs
last season, he committed to
Syracuse.
MITCH MILES
Laurel, sr., OL/DL
The 6-4, 295-pound Miles
has put together a 20-minute
highlight reel that shows off his
athleticism and mean streak.
DON’T MISS
9.11 Washington at McGuffey
Washington simply doesn’t lose
conference games, but the Prexies
are breaking in several new
starters while McGuffey is bringing
back an experienced team.
9.11 Ligonier Valley at
Apollo-Ridge
The Rams’ first game back in
the WPIAL is against all-around
playmaker Klay Fitzroy and the
Vikings. Apollo-Ridge easily could
emerge as the favorite in the
Allegheny Conference.
10.23 Neshannock
at Beaver Falls
Neshannock is the defending MAC
champ. Beaver Falls is the highly
touted new kid on the block.
Brandon Patterson and Washington averaged 48.3 points per game last season and finished 13-1.
TITLE CHASE OPENS UP
With Avonworth gone,
Beaver Falls, Washington
among teams to beat
Most Class 2A coaches who
hope to win a WPIAL championship
this season were probably
thinking it.
Leave it to irrepressible Seton
LaSalle coach Mike Zmijanac to
say it out loud.
“Avonworth, thank God, went
to Triple-A,” he said.
The Antelopes were a true
juggernaut last season, rolling
through the Allegheny Conference
undefeated and crushing
four playoff foes, including
also-unbeaten Washington in the
championship game, to claim
a WPIAL title. Avonworth is a
growing district, however, and
realignment sent the school to
the Class 3A ranks.
Burgettstown, which went undefeated
en route to the Three
Rivers Conference title last season,
also vacated the classification,
bumping down to Class A.
Add in the fact that perennial
contender Washington, the
defending Century Conference
champion, lost a tremendously
accomplished class to graduation,
and the door is open for a
number of teams to make a run
at a championship.
How many teams could reasonably
kick off their opener
thinking a trophy
might be in their
future? A dozen?
Maybe more?
All those teams
won’t make the
playoffs, however.
Because of
coronavirus-related schedule
changes, the 16-team playoff field
in Class 2A has been slashed at
least in half. If the PIAA elects to
conduct a state tournament, the
top two teams in each of Class 2A’s
four conferences will qualify for
the postseason. If there is no
state tournament, only the conference
champs will advance to
the WPIAL playoffs.
“If we end up with only one team
from each conference in the playoffs,
there are going to be some really
good teams sitting out,” South
Side coach Luke Travelpiece said.
“Even if you get two from each
section, you’re going to have good
teams sitting out this year.”
While the promotion of Avonworth
had a profound effect on
the Class 2A playoff picture, a
pair of new arrivals might end
up making a significant impact.
Beaver Falls joins the Midwestern
Athletic Conference after
going 8-2 in the
regular season
in Class 3A last
year. The Tigers
are led by the
backfield tandem
of Josh Hough
and Shileak Livingston.
Both ran
for 1,000 yards last season. Both
are at least 230 pounds. Would-be
Class 2A tacklers might be in for
a long season.
Ligonier Valley also is a newcomer
to Class 2A, rejoining
the WPIAL after a 50-year absence.
All the Rams did the past
four seasons was go 51-4 with
four consecutive trips to the
District 6 championship game,
winning twice.
The Rams suffered massive
losses to graduation — 11 of last
year’s seniors are going on to
play college ball — but their arrival
will give the Allegheny Conference
a fresh new look.
“They have a good program up
there,” Steel Valley coach Ray
Braszo said. “It’s never going to
be an easy game.”
Paying too much attention
to the shiny new additions to
Class 2A might do a disservice to
some of the teams that have been
perennial contenders, though.
Washington, for example, was
just as much of a juggernaut as
Avonworth last year before the
WPIAL championship game. In
the regular season, the Prexies
averaged 48.3 points per game,
and a handful of dangerous skill
players return.
McGuffey, meanwhile, has an
experienced team that just might
have what it takes to end the
Prexies’ run of six straight conference
titles.
Beyond Beaver Falls, the MAC
looks like it will be a battle royal
for limited playoff spots. Six
of the conference’s eight teams
finished with winning overall
records last year, and there’s no
reason to think this season will
be different.
Neshannock, Freedom, New
Brighton and Riverside will fight
it out with Laurel, another dangerous
newcomer jumping up
from Class A.
by JONATHAN BOMBULIE
“Avonworth, thank God,
went to Triple-A.”
MIKE ZMIJANAC
SETON LaSALLE COACH