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FOOTBALLRIB OTAL EDIA
Sunday, August 24, 2008

“
WHATWhen
IS weYOUR FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL MEMORY?
defeated Uniontown last season and captured our third consecutive
Keystone Conference title. It was very exciting because the team bonded together

”
and we played well. Afterwards, we celebrated.
— JEFF WELC, Mt. Pleasant senior wide receiver

theTRIBfives
NO EASY VICTORIES
INTERSTATEconference · Class AA
2008 season preview · By PAUL SCHOFIELD

5MUST-SEE GAMES
EAST ALLEGHENY at JEANNETTE
7:30 p.m. · Friday · McKee Stadium
Jeannette tries to stop running back Monte’ Ashby. Interstate Conference champ will have to be at the top of its game
WASHINGTON at MT. PLEASANT
he Class AA Interstate
7:30 p.m. · Sept. 5 · Mt. Pleasant Vikings Stadium
These two teams will be vying for playoff berths. T Conference may be the toughest
in the WPIAL.
With Jeannette — which won its first
GREENSBURG CC at MT. PLEASANT PIAA title and second consecutive
7:30 p.m. · Sept. 19 · Mt. Pleasant Vikings Stadium WPIAL crown last season — and
Mt. Pleasant will renew an old rivalry against GCC. Greensburg Central Catholic tradition-
ally going deep in the playoffs, it’s hard
MCGUFFEY at WASHINGTON to disagree.
7:30 p.m. · Oct. 24 · Washington Stadium And with the addition of Mt. Pleasant,
An interesting rivalry that could decide a playoff berth. Charleroi and South Allegheny, the con-
ference got even stronger.
JEANNETTE at GREENSBURG CC Brownsville
6 p.m. · Oct. 25 · Brownsville coach Andy Assad said
William Abraham Field at Spartan Stadium he’s looking forward to the season with
This game decided the conference title the past 6 seasons. 16 returning starters.

5
With the return of J.J. Stoken, Mike
PLAYERS TO WATCH Bennett and three offensive linemen,
look for Brownsville to run the ball.

MONTE ASHBY Charleroi

East Allegheny, Sr., RB · 5-foot-11, 190 pounds
Ashby rushed for 1,763 yards and
19 touchdowns last season and
was the only running back to rush
for more than 100 yards against
Jeannette.
CHRIS HALL
Jeannette, Sr., G/DT · 5-foot-10, 225 pounds
He is a three-year starter
on the offensive line,
the past two as the starting center.
NICK KARABIN
Greensburg Central Catholic, Sr., LB · 6-foot-1⁄2, 215 pounds
He was an all-conference
linebacker and one
of the team’s top tacklers
last season.
ADAM PALCIC
Greensburg CC , Sr., WR/DB · 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
Started two seasons as
Centurions quarterback,
but will move to wide receiver.
ELI OBADE
Charleroi, Sr., TE · 6-foot-7, 245 pounds
The senior is getting
Division I interest after
moving from tackle to tight end.
Second-year Charleroi coach Luke
Mollis will be rebuilding his program.
“We were in a lot of games last year;
we just didn’t have enough to get over
the hump,” Mollis said.
Mollis must replace his entire back-
field. Fullback Scott Weaver, who
played behind David Grillo the past
three seasons, will be counted on to
gain important yards.
East Allegheny
Running back Monte Ashby returns
to lead East Allegheny. The senior
rushed for 1,763 yards and 19 touch-
downs last season.
Junior Trevor Morris will get the
nod at quarterback.
Greensburg Central Catholic
Greensburg Central Catholic coach ERIC SCHMADEL/TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Muzzy Colosimo calls the linebacker
Jeannette quarterback Cameron Baradziej takes a snap during the first day of practice
corps of Nick Karabin, Zach Wilson, earlier this month at McKee Stadium in Jeannette.
Mark Hornfeck and Ed Day the finest
unit he’s ever coached.
The Centurions are expected to chal- “I believe our niche will be running
lenge Jeannette for the conference title. the football, and that is what I’m lean-
The emergence of junior quarterback PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH ing toward,” Ruffner said. “We have a
Trent Hurley has allowed Colosimo to couple young quarterbacks who, I
Team Last year’s record
move two-year starter Adam Palcic to expect, will develop into good
wide receiver. 1. Jeannette 16-0 passers.”
2. Greensburg CC 7-3
Jeannette 3. East Allegheny 6-4 South Allegheny
Former Duquesne High School coach
Jeannette returns numerous starters 4. Mt. Pleasant 7-3
from last year’s WPIAL and PIAA Pat Monroe takes over at South
5. Washington 6-3 Allegheny, and he becomes the school’s
championship team, but lost Terrelle 6. McGuffey 4-5
Pryor to graduation. Running back third coach in the past four years.
7. South Allegheny 2-7 Monroe will be counting on line-
Jordan Hall, who already has commit-
ted to Ohio State, guard Chris Hall, run- 8. Waynesburg 0-9 backer Tom Vasilich to be a team leader.
9. Brownsville 1-8
ning backs James Derry and Dane Washington
Vaughan are back. 10. Charleroi 2-7
Washington finished fourth in the
“We return most of our offensive
conference. The Prexies — hard hit by
line, and our defense might be quicker graduation — will be led by seniors
than last year’s group,” Jeannette Mark Wise at free safety and Bryan
coach Ray Reitz said. “We have the fill. He’ll be counting on junior fullback
Nick Shuman and junior halfback Thomas at defensive end.
potential to be a very good team.”
Trent Bedilion. Waynesburg
McGuffey

5
THINGS TO KNOW McGuffey coach Derek Bochna said
he’s been pleasantly surprised with his
2 team’s progress. With only 10 starters
Consecutive WPIAL Class AA titles won by Jeannette. returning, Bochna has some holes to
Mt. Pleasant Second-year coach Scott Orndoff will
count on running back Nick Patton,
First-year coach Bo Ruffner, who who played quarterback last season,
coached at Hempfield previously, will and Jacob Butcher to carry the ground
be install the Wing-T offense. game.

3
Consecutive WPIAL Class AAA Keystone Conference titles won
by Mt. Pleasant before dropping to Class AA.
860
The amount of points Jeannette scored last year
in setting a state record.
28
The amount of points Waynesburg scored in the conference.
The points all came during the final three games of the season.
578
The amount of yards Jeannette gained in only 25 plays against
Southmoreland. Jeannette also scored nine touchdowns.
TAKEfive
with JORDAN HALL
Question: If you were the coach of a National
Football League team and could have any
player past or present on your roster, who
would it be and why?
Answer: Barry Sanders (former Detroit Lions
running back). Because he’s small like me.
Jeannette Q: If you could have two tickets to any sport-
Running back ing event, what would it be and who would
you invite to accompany you?
A: The NBA All-Star Game because of all the
celebrities who are there. I’d take my cousin
Chris (Hall).
Q: You have verbally committed to attend
Ohio State and join the football team next
year, but if that doesn’t work out, what would
be your dream job?
A: I’d be a boss in an office, so I could order
people around.
Q: If you could be a comic-book hero and
have one supernatural power that would set
you apart from mere mortals, what would it
be?
A: I’d like to fly.
Q: If you could take a trip anywhere in the
world, where would you go?
A: Bahamas.

Simply Italian

GOOD LUCK JAYHAWKS!

And good luck to all local teams!
from 511 Clay Avenue
Jeannette
1199771

724.523.3233

JAYHAWKS Your hometown

GO Pharmacy wishes our

hometown team a
!

501 Harrison Avenue • Jeannette, PA 15644

PHONE: (724) 523-3550
great season!