Rams’ high-powered offense a concern to Gateway
Gateway first-year head coach Tom Nola recites the names of Ringgold players who made his head spin while watching game film this week: Nico Law, Chacar Berry and Brenden Small.
In each of the Rams’ nine games Nola watched, one of those three players made an “incredible” play.
“They’re really fast,” Nola said with a raucous laugh. “You have to contain them. You can’t let them get to the outside. That’s the biggest challenge. They make some plays.”
The No. 12 Gators will have to contain Ringgold’s quarterback and running back duo tonight, when they travel to Joe Montana Stadium for a WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
It is the first meeting between the two teams since the first round of the 2003 Class AAAA playoffs. Gateway (4-4, 4-5) is attempting to reach the quarterfinals for the 12th straight year, while Ringgold (7-1, 8-1) is looking to break a streak of first-round playoff losses.
The Rams’ three playmakers have accounted for 3,459 yards and 49 touchdowns. As a group, Ringgold’s offense is averaging 39.6 points per game.
The Rams’ first-year head coach Nick Milchovich points to the running game as the difference for the Rams this season.
“They are both really fast. They both have a lot of speed,” Milchovich said of Berry and Small. “Brenden has more track sprinter speed and he’s a tough runner. You can’t arm tackle Bam. He’ll run through your arms. Being a freshman, that’s a very good quality. He doesn’t run like a freshman. He has the ability to break tackles. It makes us a multi-threat. With his and Chacar’s talent, I know I wouldn’t want to defend us.”
Few people have been able to. After breaking out in the latter portion of the 2013 season, Berry has been the Rams’ workhorse this season – rushing for 1,245 yards and 22 touchdowns. Under Matt Humbert last year, Ringgold leaned heavily on Law.
Nola, who inherited a program that lost its starting quarterback, running and top four receivers, has taken notice of Ringgold’s firepower.
“We really haven’t found playmakers,” Nola said. “We have some good players who do what we ask them to do, but we haven’t had those big plays. Law and Berry do that all the time and that’s what we’re afraid of.”
Nola surprised many when he jumped from Class A power Clairton to Gateway, which dropped to Class AAA this year. The results have been mixed after the Gators started 0-3 and have averaged just 18.4 points per game.
Gateway has a pair of Division I-caliber receivers in senior 6-4 John Horner and 6-5 junior Aiden Howard, but the inconsistency of quarterbacks Roy’Quez McNair and Mike Loffredo has stalled the offense’s progression.
Milchovich is still wowed by the Gators’ talent.
“They are an athletic team,” Milchovich said. “They are very scrappy defensively. They may not be the biggest team, but they make up for that with their aggressiveness and their speed. They have a lot of tall kids.”
After a 43-point loss to Thomas Jefferson in Week 1, the Rams have won eight straight behind the offense and a defense that is allowing fewer than 18 points per game. Senior defensive end Aaron Szakal, who leads the team with 5.5 sacks, did not care who the Rams drew in the first round.
“The heart and pride we have on this team this year is what makes the difference,” Szakal said. “We are destined to win. We don’t expect anything less. Whether we got Gateway or Central Valley, we are going to give it our all. We are excited either way.”