Football’s finest saw thrills and surprises
The high school football season provided a number of thrills and surprises for the area.
Washington made an impressive run to the WPIAL finals, South Fayette provided Wash High with one of its most difficult challenges in the playoffs, and Avella broke out of a long slumber of losing to put together a winning season.
That’s why Mike Bosnic of Washington, Ryan Cecchini of Avella and Joe Rossi of South Fayette are this year’s finalists for Coach of the Year.
The three will be honored – and a winner chosen – at the Tri-County Coach of the Year Banquet at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Meadowlands.
Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and can be purchased by calling Burgettstown High School athletic director Jon Vallina at 724-947-8109. Proceeds benefit Tri-County Special Olympics.
Bosnic led Washington’s football team to one of its most memorable seasons. With one of the most talented athletes in the area in tailback Shai McKenzie, a strong and physical line and other talented skill position players, the Prexies won nine straight regular season games and captured the Class AA Interstate Conference title.
The Prexies extended their winning streak to 12 straight with three wins in the playoffs. The last of those three, a 26-14 victory over South Fayette, put Wash High in the WPIAL finals. Aliquippa stopped the winning streak with a 34-7 victory.
Cecchini led a revival of Avella football with a winning season, 6-3 overall and 5-3 in the Tri-County South Conference. The Eagles opened the season with a 65-6 win over Vincentian, scoring more points in that game than they did in the previous season.
Following a 59-6 victory over Geibel, the Eagles were undefeated and tied for first place in the conference with a 4-0 record. What made this so impressive was that the Eagles’ football program was nearly discontinued because of a lack of players five years ago.
Avella lost three of its final four games, missing the WPIAL playoffs by one game. But the Eagles finished with a 34-19 win over Bentworth.
It was another strong season for the Lions under Rossi. He led them to a 9-0 regular season record that included six shutouts and South Fayette allowed only 24 points in the regular season. The Lions won the Class AA Century Conference championship and extended the unbeaten streak to 11 with wins over Freedom and Beaver Falls.
In the semifinals of the WPIAL playoffs, South Fayette dropped a 26-14 decision to Washington to end the year with a 11-1 record.