Aug 26, 2014 4 min read

On various occasions, the town of Monessen launches itself into the national spotlight. Native son Michael Moorer spearheaded such a charge in the 1990s while donning the heavyweight boxing championship belt. Native daughter Frances McDormand continues to do so with her acting prowess, which features an Academy Award for the movie, “Fargo.”

Then there is the Monessen football team, a talented group of young men who did the town proud Sept. 20 of last year. That’s when the Greyhounds authored the signature win of the high school football season, a 42-24 upset of Clairton. The victory ended the nation’s longest winning streak at 66 games and catapulted Monessen into the national headlines.

No, it wasn’t a WPIAL championship – the Greyhounds ended a stellar season with a quarterfinal loss in the WPIAL Class A playoffs – but it made an indelible impression in football circles.

“Interestingly, it was bittersweet,” said coach Andy Pacak, who enters his 11th season. “It was an honor for our kids, our community and our school. But at the same time, you almost hated to see the fairy tale end at Clairton. It was amazing what those kids did at that school, winning so many games. That winning streak was the greatest single thing I’ve ever seen in high school sports.”

The win over Clairton started an 8-game winning streak for Monessen – during which the Greyhounds won by an average score of 44-12 – and included a playoff victory against West Shamokin before a 35-6 loss to Neshannock. Monessen finished 10-2 overall, 8-1 in the Black Hills Conference. The Greyhounds have since moved to the Class A Eastern Conference, joining former Black Hills members Clairton and Serra. The Eastern Conference features Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Riverview and Wilkinsburg, among others.

As usual, Monessen is expected to contend for a conference title this season, but the task was made more difficult with the graduation of 13 seniors, 11 of whom were starters. That group included star running backs Clintell Gillaspie and Javon Brown and linebacker-defensive end Justice Rawlins.

To his credit, Pacak appears to be undaunted by the changes.

“I look at it and say, ‘We lost 11 starters – so that means we get 11 back.’ Now, let’s go play some football,” said Pacak, who’s led Monessen to six conference titles and four runner-up finishes in his career. “We’re awfully young this year. But I tell those kids that you’re a Greyhound now. That’s what they hear from their dads, their uncles, the people in this community.”

A key returnee is senior quarterback Noah Rullo, who threw for 1,308 yards and 19 touchdowns last year. He also oversaw an offense that scored 40 or more points six times. A skilled athlete, Rullo will be asked to run the ball more this season because of the graduation losses of Gillaspie and Brown. Pacak added that Rullo is a tone-setter for his team.

“He’s a smart kid, and he works very hard,” Pacak said. “He’s kind of the complete package. He can do it all. And he’s emerged as a team leader. I feel really good about him.”

The backfield will feature a number of versatile talents in juniors Demond Jordan and Lavalle Rush and senior Brandon Lenhart. Pacak described Jordan as shifty and fast and Rush as a complete package.

“We’re going to rotate them a lot,” Pacak said. “And you’ll see them in a lot of different places. For example, Rush could be at running back on one play and receiver on the next.”

Rush will serve as Rullo’s deep-ball threat when at wide receiver, because of his great speed. Sure-handed senior Mark Blatnik, who missed much of last season with an ankle injury, will start opposite Rush.

On the offensive line, Pacak is high on sophomore tackle Marc Gibson. “I’m looking for big things from him, the potential is there,” Pacak said.

Senior Zach Wheeler and junior Nate Ciepley will rotate at guard and center, while the other spots are still up in the air. Senior Tyler McKita will start at tight end.

The Monessen defense, which held seven opponents to two touchdowns or less last season, features a number of potential playmakers. Most of the offensive starters will play defense, notably McKita at linebacker, Rush at safety – he was all-conference last season – and Jordan in the secondary.

“We have some talent on the defensive side,” Pacak said. “We need to have some guys step up on the defensive line, but I think we can be OK. We have a lot of youth, but they know what the standard is here at Monessen. We’ll be ready to go.”