Oct 10, 2015 4 min read

By Bill DiFabio

For the Observer-Reporter

The 1993 McGuffey High School football team laid the groundwork for the Highlanders’ 1994 squad.

That ’93 team, which was led by running back Jason Barr, one of the premier running backs in the WPIAL, advanced to the Class AAA title game at Three Rivers but lost to Blackhawk.

There were many juniors on that McGuffey team, players who would be instrumental in the Highlanders winning the WPIAL championship in ’94.

“We felt, coming back for our senior year, we were going to do something special,” recalled Chris Waters, whose duties included playing quarterback with Jared Johnson. Waters also played defensive back.

“The team had great chemistry,” Waters said. “It started back in our sophomore year. We were seasoned. We didn’t have the talent like the ’93 team but we did everything together.

“We had a great strength coach in Brad Burnett. We would work out early in the morning until noon. Away from the practice field, we would have dinner together. The players’ moms took care of our eating habits. Lots of pasta. Every Thursday night a different mom would cook.”

Offensive lineman Nate Miller remembers the workouts well.

“The workouts lasted all day and into the night. Coach Burnett would open the gym at 6 a.m. and left at 9 p.m. He was always there for us,” said Miller, who played his college ball at Waynesburg.

“Although we had arguments, they were nothing outrageous. We were like brothers.”

The 1994 McGuffey team was one of the smallest in Class AAA.

“Oh, were were undersized,” Waters said. “We had one player on the offensive line over 200 pounds. Our center was 185. The right guard 165, a left tackle 170, tight end 190. We had to be mentally tough.”

Despite their lack of size, the Highlanders loved to run the ball. It was their strength.

“We had skilled players, that O-line was tough,” said Frank Sworden head coach of the team. “We saw a lot of eight-man fronts but they were no problem.”

Barr was no longer there but that didn’t matter.

“We had several backs who produced,” Waters said.

Bobby Wagner rushed for 1,210 yards and 13 touchdowns. Brett Shriver had 823 yards and 9 TDs. Johnson gained 840 yards and 8 touchdowns.

How special was this group of players?

“I go back to the eighth-grade team where a lot of the seniors on the ’94 team got their start as a group. We had more than 50 players come out for football. We didn’t have enough uniforms, there was not enough equipment. They were a special group.” Sworden said.

The team rolled into the playoffs unbeaten but seeded second behind two-time defending champion Blackhawk.

“We were No. 1 all year, and when it came to the playoffs we were seeded second behind Blackhawk,” Waters said. “We knew Blackhawk was good and had won back-to-back WPIAL titles, so we had to be great and become the king of mountain, although we had the tougher route to Three Rivers Stadium.”

While the offense generated plenty of points, the Highlanders’ defense recorded four shutouts during the regular season. “We led the WPIAL in defense at all levels,” Waters said proudly.

Frank Sworden’s brother, Mickey, was an assistant coach and a big key to the Highlanders’ defense, which played an old-school 4-4 alignment.

The Highlanders beat Hampton (26-7) in the quarterfinals and Belle Vernon (20-13) in the semifinals to reach the WPIAL championship game.

At Three River Stadium in the championship game, the Highlanders got some sweet revenge by defeating Blackhawk, 12-6.

“I remember it well,” Miller said. “Jared Johnson threw a 72-yard TD pass to Jason Francis for the winning points. He ran a post pattern. We were a running team, not known at all as a passing team.”

After winning the WPIAL title, the Highlanders lost to Sharon, 14-7, in the state playoffs. The game was played at Mt. Lebanon.

McGuffey finished the season with a 13-1 record, scoring a school-record 343 points and stopping Blackhawk’s drive for three straight WPIAL titles.

Bill DiFabio writes a bi-weekly column about local sports history for the Observer-Reporter.