Bishop Canevin has skill to be competitive
Maliek Hemingway is one of the key skill-position players returning to the Bishop Canevin starting lineup. He averaged 10.8 yards per catch and 6.9 yards per carry for the Crusaders.
Bishop Canevin players work on passing drills during preseason workouts.
Canevin players work on rushing drills while running a gauntlet through tacklers.
Austin Scott will be used in multiple ways for the Crusaders. A quarterback last season, Scott passed for more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He will be a wide receiver for Bishop Canevin. He averaged 20 yards a catch.
Darren Schoppe
If anybody is ready for some football, then it’s Darren Schoppe. The Bishop Canevin head coach has been preparing for the 2016 campaign ever since the Crusaders lost last year to Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, 49-20, in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The Crusaders finished 7-4 overall and tied for Black Hills Conference runner-up honors.
“I’m looking forward to getting the season started,” he said. “The offseason just seems to be never-ending. I look forward to seeing who prepared themselves in the offseason to having success during the season.”
Schoppe took steps during the offseason to ready the Crusaders. One of his primary moves was adding Chris Lucas to the coaching staff. While Schoppe manages the defense, Lucas coordinates the offense. A teacher in the West Allegheny School District, Lucas spent last year at Avonworth. Before that, he spent three seasons at North Catholic. Lucas said he moved to Bishop Canevin because it was a “great opportunity” to coach.
The Crusaders promise to be explosive on offense. They return two of the best players in the league in Austin Scott and Maliek Hemingway.
Last year, Scott passed for 1,056 yards and 10 TDs. The senior also caught five passes for 103 yards, a 20.6-yard average. He averaged 4.5 yards rushing and scored five total touchdowns.
“Austin is a valuable asset,” explained Lucas. “Austin does with his size and ability what others cannot do. He’s a go-to-guy.”
While Scott has proven that he can go at quarterback, the Crusaders plan to use him primarily at wide receiver.
Versatility also becomes Hemingway. The junior is a dual threat in the backfield. Last year, he rushed for 548 yards on 80 carries for a 6.9-yard average. He caught 10 passes for 108 yards. Hemingway is also capable of calling the signals. “Maliek will be another catalyst for us on offense,” Lucas said. “He works so hard. We expect him to be a leader on offense.”
The Crusaders have equally high expectations for Bryan DeSchon. The sophomore is the quarterback “depending on our sets,” said Lucas. “What we do and who we play” he added will be determined by formations.
In addition to Scott and Hemingway, the Crusaders boast a solid crop of wide receivers, who hope to offset the loss to graduation of Sean Fitzgerald, the school’s all-time record holder. Donovan Leckie and Kellan Gustine have experience, and Zack Trusky has the most versatility as he can line up at tailback or fullback.
“Our numbers are not huge, so we ask a lot more of our players,” Lucas said. “They will play a lot of positions. I’ve been very impressed with the talent level here. They all can play a number of positions.”
Returning starters Cam Rush, Jon Shar and Mike Nelepa play the tackles and center. Zack Quince has emerged as one of the guards.
“Offensive line will be a strength,” Lucas said. “We have fine linemen who we know are going to be very good. If we stay healthy, we could have one of the best lines in Class A and we could be very, very good and explosive because we have a lot of skill in our backfield.”
Whether or not the Crusaders have one of the better defenses is another story. They return only a handful of starters and many of their linemen must play both ways. Rush and Shar return as tackles while Hemmingway and Trusky anchor the secondary on the corners. Leckie has experience at safety and linebacker. Quince and Jacob West are new to the middle of the defense and Scott is a novice safety.
“We are concerned about our lack of experience, particularly at linebacker,” Schoppe said.
The Crusaders anticipate being “competitive” in the Eastern Conference, which features Clairton, Greensburg Central Catholic, Imani Christian, Jeannette, Leechburg, Riverview and Springdale. The Crusaders anticipate Clairton, Jeannette and GCC to dominate the division, which is especially balanced. Clairton beat Jeannette, 40-0, in last year’s WPIAL Class A championship game.
“The realignment is not a concern,” Schoppe said. “We are happy to be competing in a great conference. It will be a great challenge each week and ultimately prepare us for our goal of having success in the playoffs.”