GCC aerial assault to clash with Pioneers’ power
Monday night, the West Greene Pioneers, as well as the rest of the WPIAL, found out the path each team must traverse to hoist a district championship trophy. The Pioneers picked up the No. 2 seed, which surprised some who follow the Class 1-A pigskin landscape.
One factor that may have played into the decision was the impressive 26-7 Week-Nine victory Clairton picked up over Jeannette in one of the marquee games of the season. That win helped take the sting out of the Pioneers’ only loss of the season, a 49-7 setback at Clairton in week seven.
After putting together perhaps the greatest regular season since 1993, West Greene is now preparing to host the Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions, who picked up the No. 7 seed. If one looks at common opponents, things don’t look good for the Pioneers, as GCC fell in a closely contested 21-14 home game against Clairton.
All three of Greensburg Central Catholic’s losses have come against 2019 playoff opponents. GCC dropped a 48-14 final score to Jeannette on Oct. 11 and followed that up with an 8-0 decision at Cornell.
The Centurions bring something that the Pioneers have not seen too much of this season, an effective passing attack that features many different competent receivers. At the controls of the aerial assault is junior David Altimore. The 6-foot, 155-pounder has completed 80-of-129 passes for 977 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Altimore, as well as three other players who have completed passes this season, have hooked up with 12 different receivers in 2019. The top two pass catchers are seniors who have both pulled in 25 catches this season. Brandon Brown leads all GCC players with 373 yards, while Brandon LaCarte racked up 307 yards.
While the Centurions certainly don’t have a running back like Pioneer superstar Ben Jackson, senior Zach Kuvinka is a big part of the offense with 88 carries for 404 yards.
Should things get tight down the stretch, GCC has a respectable kicker in senior Nate Ward. Ward has connected on 23 extra points and four field goal attempts.
Friday night’s game has the possibility of not only being a closely played contest, but I think it could be a very entertaining one as the power game of West Greene clashes with the aerial assault of Greensburg Central Catholic. The game could also hinge on who does a better job of controlling the clock on offense.
One big X-factor that could ultimately determine a winner on Friday is the weather. Obviously the Ben Jackson/Kolin Walker-led running attack is better suited for a cold, rainy November night than a pass-first offense. As of Monday night, the forecast is calling for a cold, but clear evening in Rogersville.
With both teams featuring a lot of seniors in key positions, motivation should not be in sort supply. To be completely honest, West Greene’s future after this year is somewhat in doubt. With stars like Jackson, Walker, Brock Bedilion and five other seniors graduating this spring, head coach Brian Hanson will have a lot of jobs to fill in 2020. The time for West Greene to win is now and the Pioneers have to play with that desperation if they want to move on to the semifinals.
Speaking of the semifinals, whoever wins at Kennedy Field this week gets one of two blue bloods in either Sto-Rox or Jeannette. Both the Pioneers and Centurions would be considered heavy underdogs no matter who they face in the semifinals. However, giving Jackson another shot against an elite defense against which he could really test his skills would make for one of the most entertaining viewing experiences of the postseason.