Brown has Greyhounds headed in right direction
Monessen coach Wade Brown (far left) breaks a huddle with his players during a Greyhounds practice.
Monessen's Daevon Burke goes through a running back drill as Davontae Robinson (background) runs a pass route during a Greyhounds practice.
Monessen's Jaisean Blackman executes a drill during a Greyhounds practice.
Monessen's Daryl Ray catches a pass during a Greyhounds practice.
Wade Brown enters his second year as head coach at Monessen.
Monessen coach Wade Brown keeps a close watch as Trevian Thompson finishes a drill during a Greyhounds practice.
Monessen's Daevon Burke (right) prepares to run a drill in front of assistant coach David Martin during a Greyhounds practice.
It will not take Wade Brown long to figure out what the Monessen Greyhounds football team might be like in his second season as head coach.
Monessen opens it season at Wash High Stadium against the Little Prexies on Aug. 26 and then hosts Cornell on Sept. 1 for a rematch with the Raiders, who the Greyhounds lost to, 33-0, in the opening round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs in 2021.
Washington (AA) and Cornell (A) are expected to be top contenders in their respective classifications.
鈥淲e think it蘑菇视频 going to be beneficial for us to play two teams of that caliber right off the bat,鈥� said Brown, who in his first season turned Monessen back to respectability and into the postseason.
鈥淲ashington and Cornell are fast and talented. They both have a lot of athletes and team speed.
鈥淲e think competing against them will really help prepare us for the season and certainly the kind of competition we would see in the postseason if we would advance there again.鈥�
The Greyhounds, who went 4-7 overall last season, remain in the newly-aligned Tri-County South Conference where if they remain healthy, improve, and maintain their roster, have a chance to contend and return to the playoffs a second consecutive season.
In addition to Monessen returning to the conference other teams include Bentworth, California, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene and Beth-Center, dropping down from Class AA. The Bulldogs replaced Avella as the Eagles moved to the Black Hills Conference.
鈥淲e took steps in the right direction last season,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淲e have a chance to be a good team, a chance. Hopefully, our players are willing to put in the necessary time and effort. We hope they will.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 important the kids get a feel for postseason football and what it takes to win and have success. Knowing what it is going to take to be good and to grow is an important step in the process.鈥�
Monessen had its games and its moments last season 鈥� good and bad. After starting 3-2 overall, the Greyhounds suffered through a four-game losing streak where they scored just 28 points. They clinched a playoff spot, literally grinding out a 14-6 win at Avella.
The Greyhounds, who finished 3-4 in the conference to finish fifth, enjoyed big games against Charleroi (24-6) and Bentworth (50-7) and difficult performances against Carmichaels (40-6) and California (23-0).
Monessen had its good moments in games against Washington, Imani Christian, West Greene and Cornell, all losses.
That inconsistency, especially offensively, cost them. The Greyhounds battled Mapletown but could not sustain any offense in a 15-8 defeat. They missed opportunities against Imani, West Greene and California 鈥� putting unnecessary stress on the defense.
Monessen averaged 14.3 points per game and yielded just 19.3 points per game, including losses to Washington and Cornell where they allowed 42 and 33 points.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still a young team and we have a lot of room to grow,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 take advantage of some opportunities we had and we did put our defense in some bad spots.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 all a part of being better at practice and focusing on things that make you successful overall and against good teams. I hope we learned some lessons.鈥�
As has been an unfortunate case in recent years, Monessen lost two starters who would have returned this season to transfer.
Brown is focused on who he does have.
That group includes junior Lorenzo Gardner (QB-WR), sophomore Daniel Dozier (QB-RB-WR), senior Nigier Foster (WR-DB), junior Daevon Burke, and senior linemen Jaisean Blackman and Trevian Thompson (tackle). Also returning up front is senior Giovonie Isbell. Blackman will likely move to center from tackle. Isbell could be a 鈥渂locking fullback,鈥� said Brown.
Junior Jermere Majors, the Greyhounds鈥� top defender, returns at middle linebacker and he should be the cornerstone of what can be a solid unit. Junior Leonaj Thomas (6-foot-5) is being counted on to be a presence defensively.
鈥淲e have a lot of guys back and good players,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淛emere was outstanding last year. We鈥檒l try to find a way to use both Lorenzo and Daniel at quarterback.
鈥淲e are striving to be a better team. We got a little taste last year.鈥�
The Greyhounds also play at Frazier in a non-conference game, before beginning conference play at Bentworth (Sept. 15). Monessen will host California and West Greene at Memorial Stadium before traveling to Carmichaels and hosting Jefferson-Morgan. They Greyhounds travel to highly regarded Mapletown (Oct. 20) and host Beth-Center in the regular-season finale Oct. 27.