Scotties poised for WPIAL playoff success
One of Tim Bukowski’s goals in leading the Southmoreland football team is to win a WPIAL playoff game.
The Scotties appear equipped to have a legitimate chance to do just that this season.
Southmoreland qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs last year after winning two of its five Interstate Conference games in 2022. The Scotties dropped a 54-28 decision to West Mifflin in the first round of the playoffs.
Southmoreland must play better defense as it yielded 331 points last season (30.1 points per game), finishing with an overall record of 4-6.
“The big thing for us is to compete, get better, get into the playoff and win,” said Bukowski, who was named the Scotties’ head coach in early 2022 after the stunning and untimely death of his friend Ron Frederick. “Our passing game was good last year. We have the opportunity to be better this year and I think we will be. We’re close. We’re heading in the right direction.”
Returning to the Scotties’ offense is senior Kadin Keefer (6-3, 190) and senior wide receiver Ty Keffer (6-4, 200).
Keefer threw for 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and Keffer — his favorite target — grabbed 73 passes for more than 1,000 yards.
In all, Southmoreland returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense.
“We have a lot of experience returning,” Bukowski said. “We have a lot of depth at running back and wide receiver. We hope to piece together a nice unit up front that will be competitive and proficient.”
Southmoreland should be boosted by the transfer of senior running back Dasjon Craggette from Greensburg Central Catholic to Geibel Catholic. Craggette is eligible to play for the Scotties this season, including in the postseason, because Southmoreland has a cooperative agreement with Geibel.
Craggette rushed for 1,033 yards on 106 carries for the Centurions in 2022, averaging 9.7 yards per carry and 103.3 per game. He scored 16 rushing touchdowns and posted six 100-yard plus games. He finished with 98 points.
Bukowski said the addition of Craggette “could change the whole team.”
Defensively, Bukowski is encouraged by the return of the Scotties’ entire secondary.
“We need to improve in all areas in the secondary and there is no reason we shouldn’t,” added Bukowski. “We should be better there and throughout the entire defense.”
Some other players Bukowski pointed out include senior two-way lineman Aidain Corvin (6-2, 270), junior two-way lineman Jimmy Carson (6-2, 265), sophomore tight end-defensive lineman Ethan Bell (6-0, 180), and junior two-way lineman Jarrell Braxton (6-2, 275).
Another player to keep an eye on is junior running back-linebacker Ethan Shawley (5-11, 190).
Shawley and Braxton also played at Greensburg Central Catholic last season.
Southmoreland opens at home Aug. 25 with McGuffey, which has become a perennial Century Conference championship contender and playoff participant.
The Scotties follow with an away game on Sept. 1 at Ligonier Valley. Two more non-conference games follow with the Scotties hosting Derry Area and Deer Lakes.
Southmoreland opens Interstate Conference play at Elizabeth Forward and then hosts East Allegheny in a non-conference game.
The Scotties finish the season with conference games against South Allegheny (home), Greensburg Salem (away), defending PIAA and WPIAL champion Belle Vernon (home), and Mount Pleasant (away).
Bukowski said Belle Vernon didn’t lose much from its state championship team and Elizabeth Forward is an established program and “always a good team.”
“We’re hoping to make some noise,” Bukowski said. “We can be a formidable team with a lot of athletic promise. We feel we are a playoff-caliber team.”
Bukowski wants to continue to evolve as a head coach. Before taking on his first head coaching position at Southmoreland he worked on the offensive side of the ball. He now must be more of a game manager and be involved with the defense.
Bukowski was a running backs coach at California (Pa.) from 2000-02 and served as offensive coordinator at Charleroi from 2003-05.
He then joined Clairton, where he called plays for a program that won six WPIAL titles and four PIAA championships during his time there (2006-12).
The Bears won 66 straight games to set a state record.
After a two-year stint at Ringgold (2016-17), Bukowski joined Southmoreland’s program. The Scotties broke a 40-year playoff drought by qualifying for the WPIAL postseason in 2019.