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Rockets taking aim at improvement

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Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

The tackle wheel is part of the Jefferson-Morgan workout routine.

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Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

Jefferson-Morgan’s Owen Maddich hits the blocking bag during drills.

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Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

Jefferson-Morgan’s running backs hope to be a step above opposing defenses.

JEFFERSON – Frustrated is a nice way to describe how Jefferson-Morgan High School football coach Aaron Giorgi feels about how things have gone for the Rockets over the past few years.

Giorgi is undaunted in his quest to bring once-proud Jefferson-Morgan football back to solid ground and WPIAL playoff contention.

The 2019 Rockets might be a bit young and inexperienced to contend for one of the two postseason berths available in the Class A Tri-County South Conference or the two wild-card spots in the WPIAL, but Giorgi is certain Jefferson-Morgan will be trending upward at some point this season.

“We are preaching team unity and a strong work ethic throughout the summer workouts,” Giorgi said. “If you’re talking wins and losses, I don’t know. We are awfully young, and we have very few juniors and seniors. We want to win the ones we are supposed to win and be competitive in the rest of the games we play.

“The last few years have been frustrating, and it isn’t because of the kids and not necessarily the losses. We either win or get blown out. That has to stop. We need to be competitive all the time.”

Giorgi said the Rockets’ offensive line returns four starters. He said the team has more depth at the skill positions this season. Those are reasons to be optimistic.

Jefferson-Morgan, which was 2-8 overall and 2-5 in the conference last season, is looking to three-year starter Jonathan Wolfe, a 5-11, 220-pound junior fullback and linebacker, and all-conference returnee Liam Ankrom (5-7, 150), a sophomore linebacker, to lead the way for his young squad. Wolfe has a nose for the end zone as he scored five touchdowns in a game against Avella last season.

Sophomore Colt Fowler 6-4, 170) and freshman Cole Jones (5-10, 170) are competing at quarterback.

Owen Maddich (6-5, 180), a junior, will be depended on to be productive at receiver.

“He’s another guy we will depend on,” Giorgi said. “The rest of the receiving corps will be by committee. The quarterback position is a good competition.”

Last season, Jefferson-Morgan scored only 12.8 points per game and finished in sixth-place in the Tri-County South Conference.

“We are more of a team this year,” Giorgi said. “We bring back three or four linebackers, and in the secondary we have experience.”

The Rockets lost their final five games last season. They yielded 36.9 points per game in 2018 and allowed at least 43 points six times. They gave up 50-plus points four times.

Jefferson-Morgan has had six consecutive losing seasons. The Rockets have only one winning season (2012) in the past nine and their last postseason win was in 2006.

Jefferson-Morgan opens with rival Waynesburg in a nonconference game and meets Chartiers-Houston in the conference opener a week later.

The Rockets’ wins last season came against Avella and Mapletown.

Previewing the conference, Giorgi said, “You have to respect the top dogs,” referring to West Greene, Monessen and California.

“Until they are beaten, and it’s proven otherwise, they are the best teams. I think there are a whole lot of teams that are in the same situation. Almost all of the rest could make a move up. We are all in a similar situation, inexperienced but with expectations to be better. Those all should be competitive games.”

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