Aug 23, 2016 5 min read

One of the WPIAL’s biggest surprises last season was Bentworth.

The Bearcats put together their most successful season in a decade, finishing 6-4 overall and 6-2 in the Tri-County South Conference, making the WPIAL Class A playoffs for the first time since 2005.

The challenge for head coach Ron Skiles is continuing the improvement as the Bearcats move up to Class AA and the Century Conference.

“You use last season as a launch,” said Skiles. “The kids are starting to see that their hard work pays off. With good instruction and good coaching, the kids are starting to understand the concepts of good football. We have a good history and the players can see that they can get this done.”

One of the biggest reasons for Bentworth’s success last year, and a big reason why the Bearcats have hope going forward, is senior quarterback Josh Hughes.

Hughes passed for more than 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns and looked very comfortable in Skiles’ spread offense. Hughes’ total included a 502-yard game – the area’s single-game record – with six touchdown passes against Mapletown. Entering his third season as a starter, Hughes is trusted to call plays at the line of scrimmage and make audibles.

“Josh has a good grasp of the game,” said Skiles. “As time progressed, we were able to throw more at him and ask him to do more. He has been able to that.”

When Hughes is at his best, he’s getting rid of the football quickly and passing it to different receivers. Four Bearcats caught more than 20 passes a season ago.

The Bearcats are rarely out of game with Hughes, as the offense doesn’t panic when playing from behind.

“I think I have grown as a player,” Hughes said. “Last year was big, but I think my sophomore season was bigger for me. Just being able to go out there every Friday night and learn from the ups and downs helped me last season. I’m hoping to carry some of that into this season.”

The Bearcats might have a difficult time replacing some of Hughes’ favorite targets.

Gone are Noah Peternel and Ty Mitchell, who combined for 97 receptions and 1,506 yards. Also gone is tailback Ethan Tush, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards. The trio helped the Bentworth offense average 33.3 points per game.

Bentworth does bring back Riley Nickerson and Ben Peternel, so the cupboard isn’t bare. The duo combined for 45 receptions a season ago.

The challenge is finding production from the third and fourth wide receiver spots, which Marquez Bentley, Tristan Labishak and Bobby Jaquay will try to fill.

“We have some weapons,” Hughes said. “We lost some guys, but the guys we do have put the work in and are capable of making big plays.”

From a trio of Bentley, Riordan Tush and Seth Mitchell, Bentworth must find someone to carry the football.

With so many new players at the skill positions, Skiles will have to rely on Hughes.

“I am ready to be a leader,” Hughes said. “Last year I was a leader, but we had some veteran guys, so I didn’t have to really be the vocal one. “

Up front, the Bearcats should be fine on both sides of the ball.

“That is a nice surprise for us,” Skiles said. “Last year was like smoke and mirrors for us, but we got in the weight room and we have some experience coming back on both lines. We are more seasoned.”

No matter how good the Bentworth offense is, a return trip to the playoffs might hinge on the defense. Bentworth gave up 169 points in its last three games of 2015 and yielded an average of 26.6 points per game.

Skiles knows that must improve.

“Last year we were terrible on defense,” Skiles said. “We were really only 16 points away from going undefeated in our section, but we couldn’t get stops on defense. I put that on me as I couldn’t get the defense to where it needed to be. We are more seasoned this year and should be better.”

The strength of the Bentworth defense will be up the middle, with nose tackle Spencer Fereza. Nickerson and Tush must be playmaking linebackers, and Bentley should lead the secondary from the safety position.

“The kids are much more committed to what is going on this year, and I think there will be positive results,” said Skiles.

Though the Bearcats will face tougher competition in the Century Conference, Skiles likes the Bearcats’ chances.

“We are so much more advanced than when we showed up two years ago,” Skiles said. “The kids understand the game better. The older players are starting to teach the younger players how things are done and that’s a good spot to have your program in.”