With experience, Upper St. Clair ready to grab brass ring (copy)
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mike Junko and several of his players applaud a successful completion during a passing drill. Junko enters his fourth season as the Upper St. Clair coach with 18 returning starters – 10 on defense and eight on offense – from a team that posted a 6-5 record and runner-up showing in conference play.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mark Banbury, front, Aiden Besselman (4) and Jamaal Brownwill be key components of the Upper St. Clair football team this season.
UPPER ST. CLAIR — Second doesn’t sit well at Upper St. Clair. After back-to-back runner-up showings in a conference that has produced WPIAL finalists, the Panthers are ready to grab the brass ring.
With 18 returning starters — 10 on defense and eight on offense — USC is poised for a championship run under coach Mike Junko.
“When you look at our league, the winner has played in the WPIAL championship. So our goal is to win our conference,” Junko said. “We have been second a number of years in a row so it’s time to take that next step and challenge for the crown. When you do that, it sets you up for a run at a championship. We have to get over that hurdle.”
Junko is clearing his own obstacle. He enters his fourth season. In 2019, he replaced the legendary Jim Render, who owned a 406-141-6 career record in 49 seasons. Render served 40 years at USC, guiding the Panthers to five WPIAL and two PIAA state titles.
In Lou Gehrig-like fashion, Junko said he was the ‘luckiest guy in the world’ and added that he was excited about the season because the seniors have only known him as their head coach.
“We will see the biggest shift this year,” he predicted. “Any time you have a coaching change, there is a culture shift. While we still emphasize the tradition we have here we also stress our own values and goals and that is to build young men of character and represent the best of what USC is about.”
The Panthers are about winning. There are seven district and two state championships in the school’s football program. Junko is a proven winner. He played on the 1989 PIAA football winner and the 1992 WPIAL championship baseball club.
“I’m proud to be part of the tradition,” Junko said. “It’s an expectation here.”
The 2022 squad is expected to carve out its place in USC history because of its experience and defense.
Mark Banbury, Aiden Besselman and Jamaal Brown lead a unit that allowed 64 conference points and allowed an average of 16.6 points per game.
Banbury anchors the line along with veterans Zach Ehasz and Marco Carone on the ends. A 6-2, 275-pound all-conference player, Banbury is receiving Ivy League because of his 4.2 GPA.
“Those guys have played a ton but the biggest difference from this year to last year is those guys have gotten a whole lot stronger and technique-wise they are much improved, working and playing together,” Junko said.
“The DL needs to be in sync for a team to be successful and these guys have that connection.”
Brown anchors the linebacking corps along with Ivory Travers. A 6-2, 190-pound two-way starter, Brown recently picked up an offer from Georgetown University while Travers is being courted by schools like Clarion.
The linebackers also include Shea Moorhead, who started last year until breaking his leg, and Aidan Conn.
“We are excited about that group. Ivory has completely transformed his game and the group as a whole is most improved. They continue to grow and their experience will serve them well.”
A three-sport athlete excelling also in lacrosse and basketball with a 4.6 GPA, Besselman can name his college. The 6-2, 190-pound safety anchors the secondary along with Tim Speer and Jacob Hufnagel. Speer is a safety while Hufnagel started last year at cornerback.
The remaining cornerback slot is critical as the Panthers must replace Mateo Cepullio, who has gone on to play baseball at Akron.
Cepullio dominated all aspects of the game for the Panthers. He ranked among the WPIAL leaders in receiving before shifting late in the season to quarterback. He led USC with 34 receptions for 390 yards and eight touchdowns, then completed 27 passes for 315 yards and three scores. He also excelled on special teams, even blocking punts and PATs for scores that turned losses into victories.
“We certainly have to fill those shoes,” Junko said. “Competition is good there and competition is a good thing for us.”
Stopping the ground game will be the key task of the defense. In teams of the three phases of the game though defense is USC’s strongest segment.
“We have the most experience there but we have to make sure we stop the run on Friday nights. We took a step last year forward and we really improved when it came to staying in games. Teams did not beat us throwing the football, they beat us running the ball. We need to be more disciplined against the run.”
Brown and Besselman will be USC’s primary weapons on offense.
As a running back, Brown is also being touted by Richmond, Maine, Monmouth, Youngstown and Indiana State. He will be expected to carry the ball along with Conn.
“Physically, Jamaal is in the best shape of his career and mentally he is in a good place. We are excited about him and looking forward to seeing him at his best,” Junko said.
“Aidan got a lot of carries and had some nice runs for us last year,” Junko continued. “He has improved his speed and added breakaway speed that will enable him to turn shorter runs into bigger ones. He will get the tough yards.”
Besselman makes the difficult grabs. In fact, one of his receptions last year ended up on ESPN. While he will be the primary target, USC will utilize Hufnagel as well as newcomer Cody Marn.
“Keep an eye on him,” Junko advised. He added that Hufnagel’s time has arrived as he had to wait his turn, playing behind David Pantelis, who is at Yale, as well as Besselman.
“We think Jacob will be a weapon for us. He is a guy who can make plays,” Junko said.
“Aiden has always been a speed guy but he has improved his route running and became a great technician. We saw that development with Mateo (Cepullio) and David (Pantelis) and are seeing the same metamorphosis with Aiden. It’s going to be exciting to see him put on a display.”
During training camp, a quarterback battle has been on display. Veteran Brady Erdos has a “strong arm” and the most experience. As a senior, he is poised to take on the leadership role of a quarterback.
Erdos is being pushed by sophomore Julian Dahlem and freshman Ethan Hellmann.
Dahlem is a “creative” playmaker with a lot of “moxie” while Hellman, despite his youth, has demonstrated an ability to handle pressure well. He has impressed the coaching staff with how calm he is under fire.
“The three of them have benefited from the competition. It’s made all three of them better. With the way they have competed, we are allowing that to continue and afford them the opportunity to show us what they can do.
“We have faith in all three of them,” Junko said. “The individual who can help us matriculate down the field will become our quarterback.”
While the Panthers must sort out their QB situation, they don’t have to worry about the guys protecting the signal caller. Tyler Kirk is back at center while Banbury and Marcus Fennell return at the guard slots. Marco Carone will factor into the unit while Nate Stohl, Zachary Ehaus and Jacob Lapinski will be key contributors.
“While quarterback is our first concern, our offensive line is much more experienced and we have others who have played on Friday nights. We have more depth in the O-line than we have had in my four years as coach.
“This is the first class of kids I can say are my kids and I’m proud to say that we have 26 seniors and we have kept them all the way through. That has more to do with consistency. We’ve changed systems and changed our approach but it takes time to get consistency. Players have stuck with us and believed in what we are doing, especially those guys up front.”
Bennett Henderson has stuck around, too. An all-conference performer, he will again handle the placekicking duties for the Panthers, who look for rival Bethel Park and Peters Township to provide their stiffest competition.
“While we have experience,” Junko concluded, “the big question is will it pay off. Will it show on Friday nights?”