Nov 1, 2014 3 min read

BRIDGEVILLE – It was a situation Ed Dalton has found himself in before.

His football team has been an underdog but with a workhorse running back before. The result was Ben Jennings rolling for 264 yards as Trinity upset second-seeded Penn Hills in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs.

Some of the details stayed the same – Dalton’s team was the lower seed, albeit 12 instead of 15 as in 2005 – but others changed. Dalton is now at McGuffey in Class AA, and the workhorse back is James Duchi.

Behind Duchi, Dalton was hoping to notch another signature playoff win, which would be his first postseason win of any kind at McGuffey.

Unfortunately, that 2005 magic couldn’t be duplicated, and Seton-La Salle posted its third shutout of the season, blanking McGuffey, 20-0, on a rain-soaked Friday night at Chartiers Valley to advance to the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals, ending the Highlanders’ season at 7-3.

“I said from the beginning I thought they were the third best team in the tournament,” said Dalton. “We couldn’t sustain offense. I think they’re better defensively than they are offensively.”

Seton-La Salle’s balance with the football and big-play ability ultimately proved to be the difference, and the Rebels (9-1) displayed both on the game’s opening possession. Behind running back Ricky Mellick and quarterback Tyler Perone, the Rebels quickly marched down the field, traveling 66 yards in just five plays, with Mellick capping off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

From there, the game become more a battle of field position. Despite being stopped on a fourth down at the Rebels 15, the Highlanders seemed to gain the momentum because when Seton-La Salle took possession, consecutive penalties and a 2-yard loss backed the Rebels up to the 3-yard line.

That’s when Perone lofted a deep pass for Danzel McKinley-Lewis, who hauled it in for 43 yards and a huge first down. Six plays later, the duo hooked up again, with McKinley-Lewis getting behind the secondary again for a 27-yard touchdown.

“We got a couple big plays in the first half when the footballs were still in half-decent shape,” said Rebels coach Damon Rosol. “We turned it into sort of a grind in the second half, which is okay. We’re not afraid to grind.”

A steady dose of Mellick allowed Seton-La Salle to not just kill time off the clock but also put the game away when he scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter. Mellick’s numbers were a model of efficiency – 28 carries for 128 yards. His presence was equally felt on defense, as he had two sacks and three tackles for loss.

McKinley-Lewis’ ability to stretch the field was another key difference. He finished with six catches for 133 yards.

Duchi ended his high-school career by rushing for 127 yards on 19 carries. He broke a few long runs, but McGuffey was never able to generate offense through the passing game or other runners. Nate Whipkey was consistently swarmed under, to the tune of four sacks, and completed only six passes for 30 yards.

“I think we set the tone early with a few big hits on defense,” said Rosol. “McGuffey’s got a very nice team.”

Despite the way the season ended, seniors like those Duchi and Whipkey will be missed.

“Our kids’ attitudes are so different from the time that we arrived,” said Dalton.

“They’re so competitive, so hardworking. They train year-round. None of those things were in place when we got here. They really blazed the trail for the young kids.”