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Seniors will lead the way for Bethel Park

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By Eleanor Bailey

Brian DeLallo converses with his players after a workout. DeLallo replaces Jeff Metheny as head coach at Bethel Park. Metheny coached 25 seasons, amassing 205 wins, 18 playoff appearances and one WPIAL championship.

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Brian DeLallo

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Bethel Park linemen practice an agility drill.

BETHEL PARK – When Brian DeLallo attempted to change the logo on the Bethel Park football helmets, the new head coach learned quickly that the Hawks’ former mentor, Jeff Metheny, indeed had left a legacy beyond his 205 victories and 18 postseason appearances, one of which culminated in the school’s only WPIAL championship.

“We’ve had that logo for 25 years,” DeLallo explained. “When they heard about the change, I heard from so many alumni and fans. So we are keeping it. Jeff did that. He left this program with a proud tradition.”

Metheny, who moved on so he could watch his son, Levi, play linebacker for Albany University, also left the football team in great shape. With 25 seniors, the Hawks will look to improve upon last year’s 6-4 playoff record and contend for a conference championship.

“We have a great group of seniors who possess excellent leadership. That is something we haven’t had to coach,” DeLallo said. “It’s a talented but grounded group that’s showing signs of having a good season.”

In the Allegheny Eight Conference, that won’t be easy. Peters Township and West Allegheny return as the defending co-champions. Baldwin, Chartiers Valley and Moon are expected to be much improved while Upper St. Clair and Woodland Hills produce perennial winners.

“Peters Township has to be the favorite because their skill players are very, very good. It’s hard not to be good when you return that much from a championship team,” DeLallo predicted.

“In this conference, you can’t exhale because each week is a challenge. You can see why the winner goes so far,” DeLallo added, noting PT was a touchdown away from competing in the WPIAL 5A championship game.

The Hawks should go far, DeLallo predicts, because they exhibit qualities from previous teams he has coached. DeLallo was an assistant at Upper St. Clair and at Montour. DeLallo said this year’s BP team reminds him of Montour’s 2017 squad. With DeLallo as offensive coordinator, coach Lou Cerro guided Montour to the WPIAL Quad-A championship game at Heinz Field, where the Spartans lost to Thomas Jefferson.

“Lou made sure the kids had fun and he also believed that you can’t win the race if you don’t get the horses to the gate. So he worked with a great deal of multi-sport athletes. He got something out of everyone and we bonded so well. I see that camaraderie among my players. They hang out together. They care about each other and they want each other to succeed.”

All the Hawks are rooting for Anthony Chiccitt. Having received a clean bill of health in June after his battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the senior returns for his third year as the starter at quarterback. He has passed for nearly 1,000 yards in his previous seasons.

“The players have galvanized around him,” DeLallo said. “Anthony will be, first and foremost, a team leader. He is an extension of the coaching staff on the field. He will have a lot more responsibility because he has demonstrated he is capable. While stats will take care of themselves, Anthony will make good things happen because he is in the right spots and he makes the right play calls.”

If, for some reason, Chiccitt can’t make the plays, juniors Jason Muench and Jake Ackerman can command the offense. Sophomore Max Blanc, who excels at volleyball and plays basketball, can also fill a void at QB but he is tabbed as an outside linebacker on defense and tight end on offense. Cooper Shoemaker and Sean McGowan, as well as freshman Jason Nuttridge, give the Hawks’ plenty of depth at the position.

McGowan, however, is expected to be Chiccitt’s top target along with Jehvonn Lewis. He had 15 grabs for 247 yards last season while Lewis had 13 receptions. McGowan and Lewis also rushed for 749 and 605 yards, respectively. Each scored 11 touchdowns.

Expect Troy Volpatti to be the workhorse in the backfield while seniors Jack Evans and Ben Opie fill the fullback slot.

“Troy runs like his brother. He’s hard to tackle. Tough and strong,” DeLallo said.

McGowan, Lewis and Volpatti expect to make contributions on defense, too. McGown and Lewis are returning starters in the secondary. Fred Sauer and Zach Comella, along with Jared Miller, will be utilized at the corner spots with Ackerman, Muench and Will Patrizio join McGowan at safety.

Shoemaker anchors the linebacker corps, though he moves from the inside to the outside. Zac Cashman will hold down the other slot while Blanc, Zach Maddox and Joey Fertal give BP depth on the outside.

Tyler Thimons has dominated the inside. BP also has depth there with Opie, Dylan Fusca and Larry Kusan. DeLallo also expects freshman Gavin Moul to push for playing time.

Seniors dominate both sides of the line. Volpatti,is the only non-senior on offense.

All-conference linemen Nathan Currie, A.J. Dudowski (center) and Brandon Cole anchor the O-Line with Thimons and Austin Cortopassi filling the gaps at the other spots. Fertal, Anthony Celletti, Haddox, Larry Kusan and Mark Pesci are also tapped as linemen.

“Depth is a concern,” DeLallo said. “If we get someone hurt up front that could be troublesome and the wear and tear on two-way players is tough. We need some of our younger guys to step up. We need to develop a couple of linemen so we can get to a platoon system and not worry about conditioning late in the games.”

With DeLallo’s emphasis on defense, there will be no rest for opposing offenses. He said it is “tough to say” whether the Hawks will be better on offense or defense but to him a high school football team needs to play great defense.

“Offense can be vanilla, which we are not going to be,” DeLallo said, “but the lesson I have learned from the places I have coached is that defense comes first. You build from there. Though my mentors have been offensive guys and they all wanted to seem like O-guys, the emphasis was defense.

“Great high school teams do three things: One, play great defense and don’t give up big plays. Two, they avoid penalties and turnovers. Three, they make the big plays. High school football is all about penalties, turnovers and big plays.

“So for us to achieve our goals of qualifying for the playoffs, and vying for a section title, we have to do those things. We want to make a run in the playoffs. Bethel Park, though, will always be competitive.”

That’s tradition.

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