The Big Nine Conference produced two semi-finalists in Thomas Jefferson and Ringgold last season. Both teams lost some of their best players to graduation but should be right back in the thick of the conference race this year. Yough was moved into the Big Nine from the Greater Allegheny Conference after Armstrong joined the GAC.
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.
All helmet images are courtesy of the PA Helmet Project.
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Thomas Jefferson
@JagurarNation
Another year, another conference championship and semi-final appearance for legendary coach Bill Cherpak and the Jaguars. TJ has made the playoffs in 20 consecutive seasons and have reached the semi-finals in 16 of the last 17 years. Their ground-and-pount approach dominated the Big Nine last season to the tune of putting up the second-most points in AAA and allowing the fewest. Leading rusher Austin Kemp graduated but Quinton Hill ran fro 711 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore while rising seniors Ryan Scanlon and Braden Pahanish both ran for over 400 yards. Junior QB Bobby Kelly only averaged 2 pass attempts per game last season as a sophomore and will complete an experienced backfield that will be the focal point of the Jaguars attack once again.
Ringgold
@RRams_Football
Dual-threat QB Nico Law led the Rams to their first semi-final appearance since 1987 last season, but his graduation leaves the Rams with a lot of offense to replace. The burden figures to fall on senior RB Chacar Berry, who rushed for 1392 yards and 23 TDs last season. Junior George Martin saw mop-up duty at QB last season and figures to take over under center this year. He will have some help in the backfield with Berry and sophomore Brenden Small who ran for 722 yards and 5 TDs as a freshman. Ringgold rode their explosive offense last season, finishing 4th in AAA at over 39 points per game. The talent is there for them to be right in the tick of the Big Nine race once again.
West Mifflin
Dual-threat QB Karlyn Garner will be the focal point of the Titans offense after 1700-yard rusher DiAngelo Mitchell’s graduation. Garner accounted for over 1000 yards of total offense and 11 TDs last season. Garner will lose his top three receivers from last season and rising senior Maryce Johnson figures to take on a bigger role in the backfield. The Titans had some defensive struggles last season, allowing 27+ points in 7 of their 10 outings. Luckily, their offense was good enough to make up the difference.
Belle Vernon
@BVAHS
The Leopards have made the playoffs in 8 of the last 9 years but have not advanced past the first round since 2000. Belle Vernon ended 2014 strong, winning their last 3 games to reach the playoffs. Junior Mike Fine figures to take over at quarterback after seeing spot-duty last season. His second and third-leading receivers, Derek Verkleeren and Phil Taylor both return. Taylor showed the ability to be a big play threat, averaging 12.6 yards per carry out of the backfield last season. Second-leading rusher Luke Dirigon also returns after rushing for 700 yards and 4 TDs last season. The Leopards should be good enough to be right in the mix for a playoff spot once again.
Elizabeth Forward
@EFWarriors
After a 3-2 start, the Warriors dropped their last 4 games and tumbled out of playoff contention. After averaging over 25 points per game in September, Elizabeth Forward managed just 6, 6, 0 and 11 in their four October outings. Despite graduating their leading rusher, a lot of young players saw significant playing time last season. Dual-threat QB Steve Mayernik accounted for 738 yards of total offense and 6 total TDs as a sophomore. Second-leading receiver Jon Devine was also a sophomore and third-leading rusher Brian Malloy was just a freshman.
Laurel Highlands
@LHHSFootbal
The Mustangs rode a 1-point victory in Week 1 over Elizabeth Forward all the way to a playoff spot last season. Dual-threat QB Jimmy Pierce returns for his senior season. Leading receiver Chad Livingston also returns for his senior season. Laurel Highlands was good enough on offense against the bottom-feeders of the conference to mask their horrendous defense last season, which was the 5th-worst in AAA. Once again, their games against Elizabeth Forward and Trinity will probably determine the final playoff spot in the conference.
Uniontown
The Red Raiders salvaged a bright spot for their 2014 season with a Week 8 win over Albert Gallatin. On the whole, it was a season to forget as Uniontown’s defense gave up nearly 39 points per game. Ariene Washington returns for his senior season after serving as the workhorse back last year, finishing with 975 yards and 6 TDs. Rising senior Phil Mosely figures to take over under center after seeing spot duty last season.
Trinity
@Trinity_Hillers
The Hillers pulled a shocking Week 8 upset of West Mifflin that capped a 4-1 run in the middle of the season. Unfortunately they came up just short of the playoffs. Senior RB Sam Trapuzzano figures to be the focal point of the offense after most of the other offensive skill players graduated. Their 2014 offense improved by 19 points per game over the 2013 version, but with 18 graduating seniors, it will be back to the drawing board in 2015 for Trinity.
Albert Gallatin
@agcolonials
The Colonials suffered through another winless season at the bottom of the Big Nine Conference last season and enter 2015 with a 15-game losing streak. Albert Gallatin had the 2nd-worst offense in AAA and third-worst defense. The Colonials need help on both sides of the ball after failing to score more than 21 points in any game last season and giving up 38+ in every game except one (a 19-7 loss to Uniontown). Fortunately for Albert Gallatin, Yough (who had the worst offense and defense in AAA last year) was added to the Big Nine Conference this year. The Colonials have only made the playoffs once since 1981.
Yough
@Yough_Cougars
Moving up to AAA was not kind to the Cougars, as they posted the worst offense and worst defense in the classification last year. They averaged just 6.4 points per game and allowed 46.1 in the Greater Allegheny Conference where no team averaged more than 32 points per game. Yough will move to the Big Nine this season. Traditionally, the Big Nine has had some of the worst teams in AAA, but Yough was pounded 63-20 by Trinity last season. The Cougars graduated 14 players from their winless team and will likely slog through another season at the bottom of AAA. Their best chance for a win will likely be their Week 1 game against Albert Gallatin.
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