New rivals, same expectations for Burgettstown
Mark Marietta/Observer-Reporter
Middle linebacker and fullback Alex Mitko leads his Burgettstown High School teammates through agility drill during preseason camp. Burgettstown plays at Our Lady of Scared Heart tonight in a pivotal Class A Big Seven Conference game.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Running back Shane Kemper will be counted on to do the heavy lifting for the Burgettstown Blue Devils’ offense.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown lineman Johnny Baronick powers through agility drills as the Blue Devils prepare for the season.
By Chris Dugan
Sports editor
dugan@observer-reporter.com
BURGETTSTOWN – There are plenty of reasons to believe this could be a very good year again for Burgettstown. Some of those reasons are rooted in the past, others in the present.
Over the past two seasons, the Blue Devils have won 14 consecutive conference games, 18 straight regular-season games and two conference championships while playing in highly competitive Class 2A.
This fall, Burgettstown drops to Class A.
Should be a smoother road to the postseason for the Blue Devils, huh?
Don’t tell head coach Mark Druga or running back Shane Kemper that anything will be easier.
That’s because Burgettstown has landed in the Big Seven Conference, which includes Our Lady of Scared Heart and Rochester, two programs that met for the WPIAL Class A championship in 2018 and have combined for seven district titles since 1991. Also in the conference is Cornell, a nine-win team a year ago.
“I’ve coached in Single-A and I know the conference we’re in. It’s the most competitive Single-A conference from top to bottom,” Druga said. “OLSH and Rochester played for the WPIAL title two years ago, we’re dropping down from Double-A, we saw Shenango a lot on film exchanges and they’re good and Cornell did a nice job last year.
“The bottom line is, there are no easy ones.”
That’s why Kemper says the Blue Devils’ commitment to hard work and preparation hasn’t changed, even if the competition has.
“The drop to Class A doesn’t change anything. We are approaching things the same way we did in the past,” he said. “We have the same outlook we always had. The goal is to win the conference title and to keep on winning once in the playoffs.”
The playoffs were unkind to Burgettstown last year when they were upset at home in the opening round by Riverside. It was the only blemish on a 9-1 record and has served as a motivational tool for the Blue Devils’ returnees.
Burgettstown’s strength the past two years has been its massive linemen who paved the way for a strong running game and formed a stout defensive front. The Blue Devils won’t be as big this year but have several experienced linemen in Johnny Baronick and Turner Lehman.
Lehman plays on the offensive line and will be a three-year starter at inside linebacker. Baronick plays guard on offensive and can usually be found in the opponent’s backfield when playing defense.
“As a nose guard, we rely on Baronick to attract double teams to free up our linebackers, but he still makes plays all over the field,” Druga said.
The defense has playmakers at many spots. Senior inside linebacker Alex Mitko, who doubles as the team’s fullback, was an all-conference player last year after moving from safety. Senior safety Cole Shergi has two nine career interceptions, including six as a sophomore.
“We want to continue the tradition we’ve created, which is to get after it on defense. I want to have six helmets going to the ball on every play,” Druga said.
On offense, Kemper will have a bigger role in the offense, as will Shergi, who is back at wide receiver.
“This is the fastest team we’ve ever had,” Kemper says. “We are a little smaller, but we’re not small by any means. Nothing is changing. It’s all about reloading.”
The Blue Devils lost a valuable weapon in kicker Seth Phillips but Druga likes the potential of Mitko and Will Crago.
“Two guys could make up for losing Seth,” Druga said. “We believe in taking advantage of special teams. It’s not an afterthought. On offense, we’ll have to change up to meet our strengths.
“We lost a phenomenal cast from the last two years. But the guys we have coming back have bought into the lifting and conditioning. They realize we haven’t missed the playoffs in five years.”
And those seniors who have known nothing but playoff football have learned how to get to the postseason. They have taught some talented underclassmen that there are no shortcuts to success.
“We have good senior leadership. That’s a strength,” Baronick said. “We don’t have as many, but we do have great senior leaders. We have a lot of young kids, about 10 or 12 freshmen, but they can play.
“A key for this team is we have to look at each game individually, one at a time. That’s the way it has to be. In the playoffs last year, maybe we didn’t do that. We’re a lot smaller this year, but we’re quicker and more athletic. We’re going to have to win with our defense.”