The Black Hills Conference, in name, has sent a team to the WPIAL final in 6 of the last 7 years. Of course, 5 of those trips were when Clairton played in the conference and it might as well have been named the “Black and Orange Hills” Conference. Last year, most expected the defending State Champion CWNC Trojans to make the WPIAL final, but they were upset by conference foe Avonworth. That was the 3rd time in the last 7 years the Antelopes knocked the Trojans out of the playoffs, and those two should be right at the top of the conference once again this year.
Make sure to bookmark my WPIAL Standings Page (the only one available with all tiebreakers listed!). I should note that teams are organized in this preview based on my predicted order of finish.
You can check out all of my WPIAL Conference Previews here.
All helmet images are courtesy of the PA Helmet Project.
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Avonworth
@AvonworthFB
The Antelopes reached the WPIAL Final for the first time since 1959, but return a number of players this season. QB Zach Chandler returns for his senior season after he injured in Week 3 last year, but threw for 742 yards in just 3 games. all-around threat Jamal Hughley also returns for his senior season after leading the team in rushing with 818 yards and receiving with 449 yards and 17 total TDs. Senior WR Cole Jenkins and junior Garrett Day also return, giving the Antelopes one of the tallest skill position lineups in the entire WPIAL (Chandler is 6’4″, Hughley is 6’2″, Jenkins is 6’1″ and Day is 6’0″). The Antelopes return starters along the offensive line and will make their 8th straight playoff appearnce and should be right in the mix for the conference title once again.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic
@CWNCTrojans
The 2013 State Champs rode an undefeated record through the 2014 regular season but were upset by conference rival Avonworth in the semifinals. Much of their senior-dominated team graduated but sophomore speedster Mario Latronica ran for 772 yards and 11 TDs and figures to step into the lead back role. Latronica has already rushed for 1338 yards and 19 TDs in two years as the #3 option in the Trojans running game. His numbers could explode this season with more touches after he ran for a team-leading 10.6 yards per carry last year. Leading receiver Vashon Graham returns for his senior season after recording 315 yards and 1 TD. Despite graduating a number of talented players and the departure of coach Bob Ravenstahl, CWNC will be right in the thick of the race for the conference crown with former Steelers outside linebacker Jason Gildon at the helm.
Brentwood
The Spartans have made the playoffs in each of the last 7 seasons and in 11 of the last 13. That streak was in a bit of doubt last season after a 2-3 start but they rebounded to win all 4 October outings before falling to Jeannette in the playoffs. Junior Ricky Gralish figures to take over at QB after getting a handful of snaps last season. He will have the advantage of returning the top 4 receivers from last year who all had over 250 receiving yards. Dorian Bowie led the team with 346 yards as a sophomore, followed closely by fellow sophomore Tayron Kyser’s 343. Rising senior Nick George was the fourth-leading receiver and gives Gralish plenty of targets. Pat Carr was an absolute workhorse as a junior, rushing for 1280 yards and finishing second in receiving with 278 yards and scoring a team-leading 16 TDs.
Fort Cherry
@FCPride123 & @FortCherryPride
The Rangers had a disjointed 2014, going 3-6 and missing the playoffs for just the 2nd time in the last 9 years. Fort Cherry’s season could have gone very differently as they lost 3 games (Brentwood, Northgate and Chartiers-Houston) by 3 points or fewer. Nick Cook led the team in rushing with 1041 yards and 9 TDs as a sophomore and should make up a solid backfield tandem with fellow rising junior Devon Brown. Brown figures to take over at QB for the Rangers who have produced some explosive offenses in the past.
Chartiers-Houston
@CHSDBucs
The Bucs have made the playoffs in 10 of the last 14 years but have not won a postseason game since 2000. Junior Spencer Terling led the team in rushing with 468 yards and 4 TDs last season. Fellow rising junior AJ Myers was Char-Houston’s leading receiver with 303 yards and 6 TDs. Offense was the biggest issue for the Bucs last year as they averaged just 16.4 points per game, 5th worst in Class A.
Bishop Canevin
@bishopcanevin
The Crusaders got off to a 2-1 start last season but dropped their last 6 games to fall into last place in the conference. They were competitive in September with their 3 losses all coming by less than 14 points. The bottom fell out in October when they scored 20+ only once and gave up 39+ in all 4 games. A 1100-yard passer graduated, so there will be a hole to fill at quarterback, but thankfully Bishop Canevin has a number of returning skill position players. Rising senior Amaan Bridgett had 730 yards of total offense and 10 total TDs last season to lead the way. Leading receiver Sean Fitzgerald had 339 yards and 1 TD last year as a sophomore, averaging over 13 yards per catch. Third-leading rusher Hason Woodson and third-leading receiver Dom Palmosina also returns for their senior years.
Northgate
@FlamesNorthgate
After a slow start to the season, the Flames rebounded to win 3 of their last 5 games but come up just shy of the playoffs. Northgate graduated most of their backfield. Sophomore Surron Adams figures to take on a feature role at running back after rushing for 384 yards and 3 TDs as a freshman. Whoever becomes the Flames quarterback will have the advantage of returning the top two receivers, rising seniors Xavier Rowsey (404 yards, 2 TDs) and Rodney Burrow (486 yards, 7 TDs). Northgate actually had the 4th best defense in the conference last season, but their offense only managed 22.1 points per game.
OLSH
@OLSH_HighSchool
The Chargers had the worst offense and the worst defense in the conference last season, but managed a win over Bishop Canevin in Week 7 to prevent their season from being a total loss. Billy DePaul split time at QB as a sophomore last year and threw for 433 yards while rushing for 137 and recording 236 receiving yards. DePaul accounted for 7 total TDs. Leading rusher John Truskowski returns for his senior season while second-leading receiver Nick Gamick will be a junior. OLSH is still searching for their first playoff berth in school history but will need to improve drastically on both sides of the ball to make a run this season.
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