QBs take center stage for playoff teams
Brad McLaughlin of Burgettstown will take his 1,138 passing yards and 497 rushing yards into tonight’s game against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic.
Chartiers-Houston quarterback T.J. Johnston hands the ball to Spencer Terling during a game against Beth-Center earlier this season.
It wasn’t that long ago, maybe a decade or so, the formula for winning high school football games meant having a strong running game and a stronger defense.
Backs such as Brian Davis of Washington in the 1980s, Mike Vernillo of Fort Cherry and Rodney Wilson of West Greene in the 1990s, and Donte Valentino of California in the 2000s helped produce conference titles, playoff appearances and championships.
Fast forward to now, and the landscape has shifted.
When the WPIAL playoffs begin at 7:30 p.m. today, it will be the quarterbacks who play the important roles in a chase for a WPIAL title.
“I think defenses have changed to stop the run more, so the pass is more popular,” said Washington quarterback Connor Bedillion, who has helped the Prexies to an unbeaten record. “I think I improved reading defenses. I wasn’t that good at it coming into the season but I’ve got the hang of it now through practices and the coaches helping me. We have a great wideout corps, so that makes my job easier. We also have one of the biggest offensive lines and they do a good job for me.”
Bedillion will quarterback Washington for its first-round Class AA game against South Side Beaver with some impressive stats. He has thrown for 826 yards in a running offense that utilizes five backs and, most importantly, has not thrown an interception in 94 attempts.
“You always have to have a good quarterback and a strong leader in that position,” said Washington head coach Mike Bosnic. “We’ve had a dominant running back in the past. This year, it’s more balanced and our passing game is more prevalent. For us, it’s a bigger challenge for us to prepare for the passing game. It’s a little more complex and takes a little more time in practice.”
Washington had two 1,000-yard rushers last season but none of the five running backs it has utilized this season are above 400 yards rushing. That has meant more responsibility has been placed on Bedillion.
“We knew coming into the season, it was a key position and how well Connor developed was definitely a big question mark,” said Bosnic. “I think he’s answered those questions. He’s thrown 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He doesn’t throw many bad passes and that’s really impressive.”
Bedillion isn’t the lone area quarterback putting up impressive numbers.
South Fayette has a 47-game regular season winning streak, thanks in part to Brett Brumbaugh and now Drew Saxton, who has 2,361 yards and 27 touchdowns. He will be on display against New Castle in the Class AAAA playoffs.
Below the Lions in the Class AAAA bracket, Ringgold will unleash George Martin on the Mars defense. Martin is 198 yards away from 2,000 passing and has not thrown an interception in 183 attempts. His touchdown pass to Octavius Vassar as time expired gave the Rams a stunning comeback win over then-undefeated West Mifflin a few weeks ago.
T.J. Johnston of Chartiers-Houston also has not thrown interception in 180 attempts and has 1,354 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Brad McLaughlin helped Burgettstown earn the first home playoff game in Hill Memorial Stadium with his passing and running. McLaughlin will take his 1,138 passing yards and 497 rushing yards against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in Class AA.
“Our strengths? Hands down, Brad McLaughlin on offense, Bryan Krynak and Dalton Green on the defensive line,” said Burgettstown head coach Mark Druga.
Don’t forget Mike Fine, the dual-threat quarterback for Belle Vernon. The run-first, pass-second senior has more than 1,200 total yards and led the Leopards to an undefeated regular season last year. Tonight, the Leopards will play a Class AAAA playoff game against West Mifflin.
And Ryhan Culberson of Fort Cherry might be the most flexible signal caller in the area, lining up at different times at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Culberson, mainly a quarterback, has 617 yards passing and just one interception in 69 attempts. He also has rushed for 867 yards and caught four passes for 142 yards. He has produced 19 touchdowns, 14th-best in the WPIAL.