Young Indians hungry to build championship tradition
Ethan Anderson, safety, works the corners practicing his cutting ability during practice.
Starting quarterback Corey Owen, right, works on a three-step drop with freshmen quarterbacks during practice.
McMURRAY – Under head coach Rich Piccinini, Peters Township’s football program has been a model of consistency.
The positives include three straight playoff appearances out of WPIAL Quad-A’s toughest conference – the Southeastern – but the one negative about its consistency is lingering on the minds of Indians players as they prepare for the 2014 season.
Peters Township did not win a playoff game or conference title during that span and most importantly, the school has never won a WPIAL Championship in football.
Piccinini and his players are well aware of the history. It’s spoken about daily.
“This team is going to be a younger and dynamic team,” Piccinini said. “We have been in the playoffs all three years we’ve been here and we talked about our goal being advancing in the playoffs this year. This team wants to fit in with the tradition we built here. This is a very athletic team and we want to build on that. “
The Peters Township coaching staff has a nice foundation to work with. Senior quarterback Cory Owen, who has five Division I scholarship offers, paces the Indians’ pro-style attack and is hoping to build on a season in which he collected 1,263 total yards with 11 touchdowns.
Owen’s supporting cast looks different from a year ago. The Indians lost 22 seniors from last season, including starters at tight end, running back, wide receiver and the offensive line.
As a senior, Owen is prepared to guide an offense that averaged more than 25 points per game and was a key component in the team’s five wins in 2013, which ended with a 5-5 overall record and a first round playoff loss to McKeesport.
“You take that leadership role with the other seniors,” Owen said. “There’s a lot of talent here and it’s obviously a learning experience for them, but it’s going really well. They have been learning a lot and have been progressing over the summer. They are going to be the future of this program. “
Seniors Tim Swoope and Connor Freely take over as Owen’s top targets and sophomore TJ Kpan is expected to receive the majority of carries for the team’s run-heavy offense. Swoope caught seven passes for 79 yards as a junior and Freely had six catches for 122 yards.
The skill positions are the least of Piccinini’s concerns.
Senior Christian Phelps is the lone starter returning on the offensive line; turning the job of keeping PT’s weapons unscathed over to a group of underclassmen.
“It’s all about the offensive line,” Piccinini said. “We need them to step up and we are a run-first team that focuses on ball control. It all starts with a running game and offensive line before you can do anything.”
A youth movement is also the biggest question mark surrounding Peters Township’s defense, which is led by senior outside linebacker Jake Uhler, who was the team’s most valuable player last year after leading the Indians in tackles.
Swoope will work as the Indians’ other linebacker, Phelps is the lone returnee on the defensive line and three linebackers will compete for the inside spot. Seniors Nick Kirsch and Ethan Anderson will start in the secondary.
Like Owen on offense, Uhler is settling in as a leader.
“You have to try to lead by example,” Uhler said. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year so we have a bunch of young guys, but they are ready to play, they want to play and they want to win.”
The Indians’ young players won’t have long to adjust to game action. They face WPIAL runner-up Woodland Hills at home Aug. 29. Much like the youth movement underway in McMurray, Piccinini is very familiar with the “grind” that is the Southeastern Conference.
“It never changes. The conference is always good,” Piccinini said. “Anyone can beat anybody, any week in this conference. In Quad-A and our conference, there are no down weeks. We’ll be ready.”