Young Freeport looks to outslug opponents in defense of conference title

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 | 11:19 PM

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Freeport doesn’t have the largest linemen in Class 3A.

The Yellowjackets don’t have a bevy of skill players committed to Power 5 programs.

With 39 players, they also don’t have the biggest roster in the Allegheny 6 Conference.

None of that matters to veteran coach John Gaillot as long as his players are better than the opponent in one area — physicality.

“I always tell the kids, no matter what, when we are done playing, we just want to be more physical than the opposing team,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done. This is my 16th year. It’s always the same. You make sure you outhit everyone else and see what happens. It’s ingrained in them. It’s that culture. We just have to get the young kids believing.”

That mentality paid dividends last season when Freeport outhit every opponent in the Allegheny 6 en route to a 5-0 record and conference championship. The Yellowjackets finished 10-2 overall after beating West Mifflin, 42-6, in the quarterfinals and falling to eventual WPIAL and PIAA champion Belle Vernon in the district semifinals.

That team was led by a slew of upperclassmen who have since graduated after earning all- conference honors, including RB/DB Ben Lane, FB Zach Clark, WR/DB Brady Stivenson, G/DE Jacob Bollinger and ILB Jacksen Reiser, the Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year and co- conference defensive MVP.

Lane, the conference’s offensive MVP, led the team in rushing with more than 1,100 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 72 tackles and two interceptions. His production, and that 14 other graduates, will be tough to replace, Gaillot said.

“It’s tough when you have caliber like that to replace,” said Gaillot, who was the conference coach of the year in 2022. “We focus on the individuals we have, and we adapt our style. It might not be the same. It’s what we have. If we have that speed, we’re coming after you.

“We tweaked the offense to give our kids the best opportunity to be successful. It’s going to be similar, but it’s not going to be identical to what we did last year. We just don’t have those type of caliber kids, those older kids. We have quite a few that I’m really happy with coming back.”

Freeport’s primary backs will be senior Justin Jack and sophomore Dawson Gaillot, the coach’s nephew, along with senior Colton Otterman.

“Justin has really come along. He’s stronger, thicker. He has some speed, too,” Gaillot said. “Dawson does too. He is taller. He did really well for us last year.”

The receiving corps will be led by senior Brady Sullivan, who had eight catches for 200 yards and three TDs, and senior Cyp Selinger, who added five catches for 63 yards and two scores. Senior baseball player Malik Febinger also has joined the team this season, and Gaillot likes his athleticism on the outside.

A trio of quarterbacks are vying for the starting job behind center – junior Sean Selinger, sophomore Drew Ross and freshman Danny King.

“They all do amazing things and then they have some hiccups too,” Gaillot said.

The team’s strength is in the trenches with seniors Brady Paga and Isaac Woods, juniors Matt Wallisch and Sam Austin and sophomore Wade Potocnak. Paga was an all-conference tackle in 2022.

“Those guys played a lot last year,” Gaillot said. “That’s our strength — we can control the ball and take time of that clock.”

Gaillot cited sophomore Colton Mellish as a dominant addition to both lines.

Otterman, who was named all-conference last season, will anchor a young linebacker group. He finished with more than 90 tackles in 10 games, including 12 against East Allegheny and Knoch. He had 21 tackles for a loss, including 12 sacks. Otterman also picked off three passes and returned one of them for a touchdown.

“He’s hungry. I expect big things,” Gaillot said. “All three years, I think he has three pick-6s. It’s unbelievable what he’s accomplished.

“His size isn’t huge for an outside linebacker. He’s just so smart and he’s deceiving. He has that ability to bait people. He’s tough. He’s a hard-nosed kid. He’ll hit you.”

Sullivan, a second-team Valley News Dispatch all-star last season, and Cyp Selinger return to anchor the secondary. Several underclassmen will also be filling roles in the defensive backfield.

“We have our veteran cornerback, Cyp. We’re relying on him there, and then we have some young guys coming up,” Sullivan said. “I’m just trying to teach them, and hopefully they can pull through for us. They have a lot on their shoulders. But we have good coaches. We’ll be fine there.”

The Yellowjackets’ underclassmen will play a key role in their quest to defend the Allegheny 6 Conference title, which won’t come easy with Shady Side Academy, East Allegheny and Deer Lakes in the hunt along with improved Knoch and Valley teams.

“We never say rebuilding, but there’s going to be a lot of young kids. That’s the core,” Gaillot said. “This season will depend on how fast they grow up.”

Freeport

Coach: John Gaillot

2022 record: 10-2, 5-0 in Class 3A Allegheny 6 Conference

All-time record: 579-388-47

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.25 at Indiana, 7

9.1 South Allegheny, 7

9.8 at Quaker Valley, 7

9.15 Armstrong, 7

9.22 at Mt. Pleasant, 7

9.29 Shady Side Academy*, 7

10.6 at East Allegheny*, 7

10.13 Knoch*, 7

10.20 Valley*, 7

10.27 at Deer Lakes*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Gavin Croney*

73-140, 1,001 yards, 11 TDs

Rushing: Ben Lane*

102-1,075 yards, 23 TDs

Receiving: Brady Stivenson*

21-422 yards, 3 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Freeport is the only A-K Valley school to make the WPIAL playoffs at least once in seven consecutive decades (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s). Freeport has been to the playoffs 32 times, most of any local school, all coming in the last 60 seasons.

• The Yellowjackets outscored conference opponents 193-49 last season. The most narrow victory was a 12-7 triumph over Shady Side Academy.

• Freeport averaged 32.67 points per game last season. They scored the fourth-most points among WPIAL Class 3A teams with 392, behind Belle Vernon (484), Elizabeth Forward (435) and Avonworth (416).

• Last season’s offensive coordinator, Dave Leasure, left to become the head coach at Fox Chapel.

ROSTER

No., Name, Pos., Ht./Wt., Cl.

1, Brady Sullivan, WR/DB, 6-1/150, Sr.

2, Bryson Paga, WR/DB, 5-9/130, Fr.

3, Taylor King, HB/LB, 5-9/180, Sr.

4, Cyprian Selinger, WR/DB/K, 5-10/145, Sr.

5, Sean Selinger, QB/TE/LB, 6-0/185, Jr.

6, Owen Neistein, WR/DB, 5-9/140, So.

7, Anthony O’Donnell, HB/LB, 5-8/145, So.

8, Danny King, QB/WR/OLB, 6-0/170, Fr.

9, Braydon Pomaybo, RB/DB, 5-8/130, Fr.

10, Gavin Moyer, RB/DL, 5-7/155, Fr.

11, Drew Ross, QB/DB, 5-9/145, So.

12, Zach Sheldon, WR/DB, 5-10/125, So.

13, Madden Wisniewski, WR/DB, 6-1/170, So.

14, Camdem Schlegel, WR/DB, 5-11/135, Fr.

15, Carson Kane, WR/DB, 5-11/150, So.

16, Holden Palisin, TE/OLB, 5-11/170, Sr.

18, Johnathan Campbell, WR/DB, 5-10/160, Sr.

20, Conner Patterson, WR/DB, 5-7/155, Sr.

21, Justin Jack, HB/LB, 6-0/170, Sr.

22, Chase Flynn, WR/LB, 6-1/165, Fr.

23, Dawson Gaillot, HB/LB, 5-11/170, So.

24, Eli Perroz, WR/DB, 5-6/115, Fr.

25, Judah Thompson, WR/K, 5-5/115, Fr.

26, Colton Otterman, HB/OLB, 5-11/170, Sr.

28, Amos Glenn, HB/DB, 5-7/130, So.

33, Malik Febinger, RB/WR/DB, 6-0/160, Sr.

51, James Stephenson, OL/DL, 5-7/140, Fr.

53, Joe Menzietti, OL/DL, 5-9/230, So.

55, Brady Dodds, G/DL, 5-11/230, Sr.

56, Isaac Woods, G/DL, 6-0/230, Sr.

57, Mason Lowes, G/DL, 6-1/180, Sr.

59, Brady Paga, T/DL, 6-3/230, Sr.

61, Kaiden Spahr, OL/DL, 5-9/165, Fr.

62, Cameron Manke, C/LB, 5-11/165, Fr.

63, Karter Kemp, G/DL, 5-7/170, Fr.

64, Cole Troutman, OL/DL/K, 5-11/205, So.

67, Sam Austin, OL/DL, 6-0/240, Jr.

68, Salvatore Coppola, OL/DL, 6-1/210, Jr.

70, Hunter Frantz, T/DL, 6-0/130, Fr.

71, Matthew Wallisch, OT/DL, 6-4/210, Jr.

72, Colton Mellish, OL/ILB, 6-2/210, So.

76, Hunter Lang, T/DL, 6-1/290, Sr.

77, Wade Potocnak, C/DL, 6-0/225, So.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport