Sep 16, 2015 4 min read

It was a night KC Zajicek will never forget.

The California High School senior trotted toward the sideline with a smile on his face after a five-yard touchdown run in the third quarter last Friday. It was a feeling of accomplishment that the Trojans had not felt in quite some time.

As he was congratulated by teammates, an assistant coach approached Zajicek and said, “Do you realize you have scored eight touchdowns?”

He didn’t.

Touchdowns were the furthest thing from his mind. The Trojans (1-0, 1-1) just wanted to win at Booster Field for the first time since October 2012. They also wanted to erase the thoughts from a 72-0 loss to Clairton in the season opener.

Zajicek was just happy that his eight touchdowns helped California defeat Avella, 61-42, in a Tri-County South Conference game.

“I didn’t think too much about it,” Zajicek said with a laugh. “I definitely didn’t think I had eight touchdowns. This team has worked so hard to get to this point, and we were hungry for a win. I’m just glad that those touchdowns helped.”

A do-it-all athlete for the Trojans who lines up at running back, wide receiver and even under center for the wildcat formation, Zajicek has helped California establish an identity on offense under first-year head coach Darrin Dillow.

The 5-11, 170-pound three-sport athlete ran for touchdowns of 1, 2, 4, 52, 3, 8 and 5 yards. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Zajicek had 16 carries for 139 yards, but he was not the Trojans’ leading rusher.

Sophomore Jonathan Wood led California with 204 yards on 16 carries for a touchdown. Like Zajicek, Dillow had no idea that Zajicek was even close to eight touchdowns. That’s not surprising in a game that included 103 points and 16 touchdowns.

“When you’re in a game, you aren’t really paying attention to that,” Dillow said. “He did really well. It’s not like it was just short runs. He busted a few big plays and he’s really a spark for this team. His energy is infectious.”

Zajicek credits the offensive line, which includes four returning starters and a freshman. Though the Trojans struggled against Clairton, they gained almost 600 yards of total offense against Avella.

Zajicek is the perfect change-of-pace for Wood and lines up at different spots. That’s nothing new for Zajicek, who started his high school career as a tight end before moving to wide receiver, then quarterback, then wide receiver again. Now, he lines up in multiple positions every game.

His versatility is invaluable to the Trojans’ spread offense and it added up to an unforgettable night against Avella.

“That’s a crazy achievement and I couldn’t be more grateful,” Zajicek said. “I’m playing with the best offensive line I’ve ever run behind. The holes were there every time. If you hit them hard, it was open for a big play.”

PIAA closer to six classifications

The PIAA football steering committee and the strategic planning committee voted to recommend to the PIAA board of directors that the state switch from four to six classifications in high school football beginning with the 2016 season.

Though the recommendation made Wednesday is a step closer to a switch, the proposal must pass two more readings by the PIAA board of directors, one each in October and December.

Sehnert picks Coastal Carolina

Peters Township junior outfielder Tor Sehnert will continue his baseball career at Coastal Carolina, which reached the NCAA Tournament last spring.

Sehnert, who only appeared in 18 varsity games for the Indians as a sophomore, batted .333 with 13 runs, one home run and four RBI. It was his performance this summer that caught the attention of college coaches.

He batted .434 with 45 runs, 13 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs and 24 RBI for the Steel City Wildcats of the Western Pennsylvania Elite Baseball League.

Wolk wins cross country invitational

Peters Township senior Nick Wolk won the WPIAL Class AAA Red, White and Blue Invitational last Saturday at Schenley Oval, finishing the 3.1-kilometer race in 15:48.4.

He defeated second-place Domenic Peretta of Beaver Falls by 17.2 seconds.