TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 85
RYAN GIBBONS
GROWING ELLWOOD CITY
EMBRACES OBSTACLES
Coach Joe Lamenza read a book
over the summer that he found useful
when preparing for the Ellwood
City football season.
Called “The Obstacle is the Way,”
it explores the philosophy of stoicism,
the wisdom of Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius and the
idea that struggles are a necessary
part of success.
Lamenza found the book pertinent
when facing the challenges
that come with preparing a high
school football team to play in the
middle of a pandemic.
“We have to be a little more agile
in our response to things,” Lamenza
said. “Figuratively speaking,
we have to be able to put our foot
in the ground and go in a different
direction and make the best of
those circumstances. I bring this
up to the team almost every day.
Circumstances can change in an
instant without any warning.
“The obstacle becomes the way.
This is new territory for all of us,
and we have to chart the way as
we go as we work through all the
obstacles.”
Frankly, the lessons learned
from the book might prove useful
on the football field as well.
Ellwood City, which went 0-10
last season, has faced its share on
obstacles between the white lines.
When Lamenza took over at the
beginning of last season, he was
the team’s fourth head coach in as
many seasons.
“It was no one’s fault. It just
was a crazy set of circumstances,”
Lamenza said.
As a result, numbers waned.
“I can’t quantify it, but it had
to have affected the numbers. I’m
sure there weren’t any positive effects,”
Lamenza said. “So we had a
smaller roster last year in terms of
veteran leadership. We had three
seniors. They did a great job. They
helped steer the ship. They were
positive. And we played a lot of
young guys, whether they were
ready or not.”
As Lamenza prepares to begin
his second season, numbers are
up, freshmen have become sophomores
and sophomore have become
juniors.
“There’s no substitute for that,”
Lamenza said. “We can’t replicate
that in practice, as much as we try.
There’s no substitute for Friday
nights. We want to capitalize on
that experience if we can.”
Ellwood City will have returning
starters all over the field. Threeyear
starter Ryan Gibbons is back
at quarterback and leading rusher
Tyler Powell returns in the
backfield.
Senior Sammy DiCaprio is a
versatile performer on both sides
of the ball. At tight end, Lamenza
said he can block or line up as a slot
receiver, and at defensive end, he
can stop the run, rush the passer
or drop back in coverage.
The entire offensive line also
returns, including seniors Cam
Rennels and Andy Vrabel as well
as Donovin Stiffler, Ben Bobbert
and Anthony Baird.
Lamenza said he has depth in his
group of wide receivers and defensive
backs. Junior Ashton Wilson
is a playmaker. Anthony Spadafore
and Carter Lutz are experienced
safeties.
Another obstacle that will have to
become the way for the Wolverines
this season is their schedule. The
addition of Beaver Falls and Laurel
should make the Midwestern Athletic
Conference as tough as ever.
“One of the challenging things
about our conference is you have
different styles of play,” Lamenza
said. “You see it all in our conference.
We see the traditional Wing-T
offense. We see the spread. We see
traditional two-back, three-back
offenses. There’s definitely some
challenges there. The conference
is strong top to bottom.”
by JONATHAN BOMBULIE
Coach: Joe Lamenza
2019 record: 0-10, 0-7 in
Class 2A Midwestern Athletic
Conference
All-time record: 430-557-44
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Mohawk* 7
9.18 at New Brighton* 7
9.25 Beaver Falls* 7
10.2 at Neshannock* 7
10.10 at Freedom* 7
10.16 Riverside* 7
10.23 Laurel* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Ryan Gibbons
59-136, 572 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Tyler Powell
184-733 yards, 5 TDs
Rushing Ashton Wilson
30-324 yards
FAST FACTS
• Ellwood City’s offense improved
in the second half of
last season. The Wolverines
scored a total of 14 points in
their first six games. They had
55 points in their final four
games.
• Ellwood City’s last playoff
appearance was in 2011 when
the Wolverines went 7-4 overall,
5-3 in the Class 2A Midwestern
Athletic Conference.
• This season marks the 95th
anniversary of Ellwood City’s
lone WPIAL football championship.
The school went
undefeated and was declared
champion in 1925.
• Ellwood City went 0-10 last
season, but its losing streak
doesn’t extend any longer than
that. The Wolverines defeated
Brentwood in three overtimes
in the 2018 season finale.
ZACH GATTO
ELLWOOD CITY • MAC