Pioneers have high hopes with all starters back
West Greene’s Colin Brady (13) runs for a long touchdown against Carmichaels last year. (Photo by Jim Downey)
West Greene’s Corey Wise (43) breaks a long run against Avella during a game last season. (Photo by Mark Marietta)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Brian Hanson enters his third year as West Greene coach.
Wes Whipkey (2) will again start at quarterback for West Greene this season. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
When Brian Hanson takes his charges out on the field for the first day of high school football practice, an amazing thing will occur.
The head football coach at West Greene High School won’t have to have battles to see who the starting linemen will be or the quarterback or, most important of all to this offense, the tailback position.
He won’t have to choose wide receivers or a tight end or any defensive position.
Why?
They all return for this season.
Hanson is in the almost unheard of position of having every starter from last year returning to play this year.
“I’ve never had that before,” said Hanson. “I’ve had it when there were maybe seven or eight kids or something like that. I kind of expected it because there were only three kids in the senior class last year.”
Now, that doesn’t mean practice will be easier. It means practices get more complicated. With every starter back, time can be spent on expanding the playbook because the basics have already been learned.
With every starter back, more time can be spent with the other underclassmen, showing them technique and other tricks to the trade they might not learn until the following year.
And, of course, having all your starters back means other schools look at your team as the one to beat in the Tri-County South. And with those expectations come pressure.
Last year, West Greene stumbled through the middle of the schedule, dropping a 21-20 decision to Avella, then falling to Carmichaels 26-7 and losing a shootout to Bentworth, 48-40. The first and last of those losses were devastating to the Pioneers’ chances of earning a playoff berth.
And you can bet Hanson isn’t going to let any of his players forget those painful moments.
“That left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth,” said Hanson. “Avella came down and we thought we were big, bad West Greene. Avella had one of its best tams.”
The Pioneers began the season with a strong running back in Corey Wise, a smaller version of the battering ram Benjamin Jackson was before graduating.
But there was this freshman, a really talented player named Colin Brady, and Hanson had a problem deciding where he fit in.
“We knew he was a great athlete but we didn’t know where to use him at first,” said Hanson. “He was playing wide receiver and backup quarterback and all over the place on defense. We had a scrimmage with Burgettstown and he was the one shining spot. We said we were not good enough to distribute the ball to everyone. Our offense had to go through him.”
So Wise and Brady would become Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside in West Greene’s offense. Wise would be the bull, thanks to his 5-11, 215-pound frame, and Brady the stallion, thanks to his 4.47 time in the 40-yard dash.
“I was used all over the field last year,” said Brady. “Now, it’s linebacker and running back. I definitely like that better.”
They fit in their roles like a snug glove, making West Greene’s running game one to be feared.
But teams started to move the defense closer to the line of scrimmage, presenting a problem for that running game. Hanson’s solution was to move Nathan Orndoff from wide receiver to the tight end position and using him on quick passing routes over the middle.
At 6-3, Orndoff was tall enough to outreach any linebacker of defensive back for the ball. At 180 pounds, he was big enough to break tackles. Defenses backed off and the running game flourished.
The West Greene offensive line has small college size. Casey Miller (6-3, 290) and Tristan White (6-3, 300) are at the tackles and Owen Hughes (6-4, 270) centers the line. Brian Andrew Jackson (5-9, 260), Benjamin Jackson’s brother, and Josiah Tagaro (5-8, 210) will be at the guards.
Wes Whipkey gets another shot at quarterback.
On the defensive tackle, Hanson likes to rotate his big guys and let his ends stay on the field.
“I don’t really have starters for that position,” Hanson said.
Wise and Brady will handle the linebacking chores.
“It’s a little bit of an experiment for us,” said Hanson. “Corey will play the Mike (middle) and Colin the Will (weak side). We’ll have more speed to the ball.”
Orndoff will spend his third year at free safety and Hunter Hamilton will be a hybrid safety. Bill Witlach (5-4, 140) plays a lot larger than his size.
Hanson thinks Carmichaels and California will be tough wins in the conference.
“There are some unknowns,” he said. “Jefferson has a new coach. They had some good kids. Monessen is an unknown. That’s a big challenge.”