84 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
MAC • BEAVER FALLS
Coach: Nick Nardone
2019 record: 8-3, 5-2 in
Class 3A Tri-County West
All-time record: 666-414-52
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Riverside* 7
9.18 Laurel* 7
9.25 at Ellwood City* 7
10.2 New Brighton* 7
10.9 at Mohawk* 7
10.16 at Freedom* 7:30
10.23 Neshannock* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Jaren Brickner
32-58, 479 yards, 4 TDs
Receiving Albert Harper
11-188 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Josh Hough
135-1,273 yards, 18 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• No. 4 Derry defeated No.
5 Beaver Falls in overtime in
the playoffs last season on an
extra point after Beaver Falls
missed a point-after attempt
in overtime.
• Beaver Falls starting quarterback
Jaren Brickner is the
younger brother of former
Beaver Falls quarterback
Daylyn Brickner. The younger
Brickner started the second
half of the season last year
and threw for 479 yards and
four touchdowns.
• Shileak Livingston and Josh
Hough were the only teammates
to both rush for more
than 1,000 yards last season.
• Last season’s playoff appearance
was Beaver Falls’
second since winning WPIAL
and PIAA titles in 2016.
TYLER JONES (LEFT) AND SHILEAK LIVINGSTON
RUNNING BACK TANDEM
TO LEAD BEAVER FALLS
When it comes to describing a
running back tandem, most football
coaches normally stick with
the age-old phrase of “Thunder
and Lighting.”
One back normally has the power
and strength to run between the
tackles and ram defenders over,
while, in a change of pace, the
other has the speed and agility
to break a play to the outside and
make defenders miss.
Beaver Falls coach Nick Nardone
likes to say he has “Thunder and
Thunder” in his backfield, otherwise
known as the running back
tandem of Syracuse recruit Josh
Hough and Shileak Livingston.
“They are everything you want
when you are an I team or a full
house team and a hit-you-inthe
mouth team,” Nardone said.
“That’s what we are going to do.
Good luck trying to tackle those
two for four quarters because it’s
going to be one and then it’s going
to be the other.”
Last year, Hough (6-3, 240) and
Livingston (5-11, 230) ran for a
combined 2,380 yards and 35 touchdowns.
After leading the team to a
record of 8-2 in the regular season
and a WPIAL Class 3A playoff appearance,
the pair is ready to take
another step this season.
“Josh and I are going to be really
dangerous this year,” Livingston
said. “With our power and our
speed, a lot of people can’t really
tackle us, so they have to keep that
in mind.”
Behind Hough and Livingston,
the Tigers were on the verge of
making a playoff run last season
but suffered a difficult first-round
loss to Derry, 28-27, in overtime. Before
that loss, the Tigers had been
on a roll, winning their final five
regular season games while scoring
34-plus points in each contest.
That loss was a tough one for
the Tigers, but with a good portion
of that team coming back, their
expectations have reached a new
level this season.
“I thought we underachieved
last year for sure,” Nardone said.
“But, with how many guys from
that team that came back, and we
have a great core from last year’s
team, I don’t see any reason why
we can’t compete for a championship
this year.”
Beaver Falls won’t be playing
against typical competition this
season though, as they’ll be dropping
down a classification after
PIAA realignment. Beaver Falls
will join the Class 2A Midwestern
Athletic Conference with Ellwood
City, Freedom, Laurel, Mohawk,
Neshannock, New Brighton and
Riverside.
They enter the season with a
chance to capture a WPIAL title
given their success in Class 3A.
Since winning WPIAL and PIAA
titles in 2016, the Tigers have been
building toward another run.
The core group of Tigers has
been with the team since they
were freshman and endured a 1-8
season. Since then, the team has
been improving, getting stronger
and smarter, and the growth
that Nardone has seen has been
exponential.
“The expectations this year are
extremely high, and that is all
because of how these kids have
developed over the past few years,”
Nardone said.
“To be just thrown in the fire as
freshman and watch them grow
over the years is impressive. Not
just physically grow, but their understanding
of the game, different
situations, and when you see them
understand the mental part of a
game, it makes for a tremendous
football player.”
As the Tigers enter this season,
they are hoping to capitalize on
their talents and play the only type
of football they know.
“We want to play both sides, we
want to score points, and we want
to shut teams out,” Livingston
said. “We just want to go out and
play smash-mouth football.”
by GREG MACAFEE