Pioneers hope to follow-up on last year’s success
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
West Greene running back Ben Jackson (34) out-runs Monessen’s Gage Hayden (11) and Isaiah Beltram (17) on his way to a 59-yard touchdown run during their game at Kennedy Field last season.
The scoreboard tells a happy story for West Greene coach Rod Huffman as he surveys the field early in the third quarter during the Pioneers' game against Monessen at Kennedy Field, on Oct. 13, 2017. West Greene won, 48-16, to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 1993. Huffman guided West Greene to another postseason berth and a share of the Tri-County South title in 2018.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
West Greene’s Nathan Brudnock (22) confronts Monessen’s Isaiah Beltram (17) during their game at Kennedy Field last season. The Pioneers won, 48-16, to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 1993.
West Greene’s Gregory Staggers (58) provides protection for quarterback Zach Pettit during a game at Mapletown last season. Staggers is one of 11 juniors on the Pioneers' 2018 roster.
West Greene head coach Rod Huffman.
The 2017 football campaign for West Greene was an unforgettable season, as the Pioneers collected seven wins and reached the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades.
The Pioneers have used the success of last year as even more motivation to continue their upward trend in the Tri-County South Conference under fourth-year head coach Rodney Huffman.
“Last year was great for us,” Huffman said. “We are not content with just one season. I believe the kids are hungry to take that next step. It started in January, we had a nice core group in the weight room. A lot of kids dedicated themselves to the team and camp has been fantastic. They want to reach that next level now.”
West Greene posted a 4-3 mark for a fourth-place finish in the TCS last season, and had its season end in the first round of the Class A playoffs after a 39-14 loss to Rochester.
With the departure of Carmichaels and Fort Cherry in the conference, Huffman hopes the Pioneers can continue to climb the standings and compete for the top two spots in the TCS.
“I still think the title is going to run through California,” he pointed out. “They are the team to beat until somebody knocks them down. For the outlook in the conference, I think it’s going to be very competitive every week. We have to raise our level and we can’t take anything for granted.”
When questioned about the potential match-up with California in Week 6 (Oct. 5), Huffman doesn’t underestimate the importance of that road contest.
“Who knows, both teams could be 6-0 at that point,” he said. “Anything can happen in a season before that game like injuries or upsets. Cal has had our number the last three seasons, and we want to be competitive against them. They are the measuring stick in our conference.”
West Greene will have six road games this year, including the first three games away from Rogersville.
“It’s a bit unusual to start the season off with three road games in a row,” Huffman said. “This is also the second straight year we have just four home games. It’s a little bit different and we are ready for that challenge. These kids are battle-tested and they are prepared to go through the grind of the schedule.”
Lining up under center will be junior Gavin Scott. The signal collar did see some snaps last year in the offense and totaled close to 300 passing yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Junior running back Benjamin Jackson will be back to shoulder the running game. As a sophomore, Jackson rushed for 1,286 yards, had a 7.8 yards per carry average, compiled six 100-yard games and scored a total of 10 rushing scores before being sidelined with ankle injury in Week 8.
Other offensive weapons for West Greene will be junior fullback Andrew Litton, junior tailback Kolin Walker (who played for West Greene his freshmen year and then at Jefferson-Morgan last year) and senior wide receiver Nathan Brudnock.
Junior Austin Crouse is coming back from a basketball injury and will look to be plugged into the offense in a variety of positions when he is healthy.
Up front, the Pioneers bring a lot of playing experience back in the form of junior Brock Bedillion, senior Wyatt White, senior Jeremiah Miller, senior Cole Widdup and first-year player Marcus Morris.
West Greene faced cross-state rival Cameron (W. Va.) in Week Zero, and then will open up conference play at Bentworth tonight.
The Pioneers first home game of the year will be versus Mapletown on Sept. 14.