Being No. 1 is special for Seton-La Salle
Paris Ford focuses on making a catch during Seton-La Salle passing drills. The junior has more than 25 Division I scholarship offers. Ford caught 34 passes for 529 yards and scored 13 touchdowns last season. He is also a standout in the defensive secondary.
Andrew Lease punches his way through the obstacles presented by his teammates during a blocking drill at Seton-La Salle’s preseason training camp. Lease is one of the Rebels’ top returning linemen from a team that reached the WPIAL Class AA semifinals last season.
Luke Blahut works on a drill during preseason camp. The Seton-La Salle junior is one of several linemen returning from last year’s 10-2 squad.
When Damon Rosol inventoried uniforms upon his arrival at Seton-La Salle High School, the head coach observed that no football jersey bore the numeral one. Rosol remedied that omission. He promptly placed a purchase order. When the shipment arrived, he immediately issued No. 1 to Paris Ford.
Though only a junior, the 6-2, 175-pound two-way starter became a highly prized recruit after a sensational sophomore season. More than two dozen colleges have already offered scholarships, including Auburn, UCLA, Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, West Virginia, Michigan and Notre Dame.
Ford ranked second on the team with 34 receptions for 529 yards. He finished third in scoring with 13 touchdowns. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry. On defense, he had three interceptions from his safety slot and recorded 54 tackles.
“Paris might be the only one to wear No. 1 here at Seton-La Salle. I was keeping the number for someone special. I gave it to him last year. He certainly looks like he may be the best player to come out of Seton.”
That’s some statement as SLS has produced several professional players, including Jim Sweeney, Greg Gattuso and Bruce Gradkowski. Whether Ford lives up to his billing depends upon how he will be utilized. He is one of seven veterans who played a lot of football on a squad that advanced to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals and finished 10-2 last year.
The Rebels are breaking in a new quarterback to replace Tyler Perone, who ranked among the WPIAL passing leaders with 2,258 yards and 26 TDs. Nolan Abbiatici will play quarterback this season. The 6-0, 170-pound junior started last year in the secondary and will be the free safety while Ford is the strong safety.
“Our offense is based on 50 touches during the course of a game,” said Rosol, “and our five best guys get the ball. It’s a five-man food chain and only so many touches between the running backs and receivers.
“Paris gets 12 to 15 touches. We have to get him the ball. But, we are going to have to be creative with what we do with him when he’s a wide receiver.”
While receivers Nico Popa, Andy Adamsky, Nick Krugh and Daluan Samuels provide additional targets for Abbiatici, the Rebels might rely heavily upon a rushing attack because of Lionel Deanes and Liam Sweeney as well as an experienced offensive line. A fullback, Sweeney averaged 5.6 yards a carry and scored four touchdowns last season. Deanes averaged 4.4 yards per carry in his first varsity campaign.
“We’ll be a run-oriented team until Nolan develops, but Nolan also has the ability to run the ball. He’s a dual threat because of his athleticism,” Rosol said.
“Lionel could be big time,” Rosol added of the sophomore who is in the mold of former Central Catholic running back Eugene Jarvis. “He runs like his hair is on fire. He has a chance to be special. Lionel is everything right about high school football. A 4.0 student with a bright future.”
The skill players have a promising future because of the strength of the Rebels’ line. Three seniors: Zach Devenney, Michael Martuccio and Andrew Lease return to their starting spots on both sides of the line. Billy O’Malley returns at tight end. He also starts at outside linebacker.
“We are still looking for that fifth starter,” Rosol said.
It could be Luke Blahut. The 6-4, 255-pound junior started last year on the defensive line but he tore an ACL during the first round of the playoffs.
On defense, the Rebels return seven starters from a unit that only surrendered 14.3 points per game.
“Team speed and physicality are our strengths. Schematically, we understand what we are doing and we have a lot of desire,” said Rosol.
“We are looking to be the best 11 on the field. To borrow an expression, we feel like we have the right guys in church. We just have to get them in the right pews. We used the weeks of training camp as an evaluation period. Everybody had an equal opportunity and a chance to make plays. What we wanted to see were tackles. That’s a lost art in football. You have to tackle. Even if your offense is good enough, you can’t rely on out-gunning the teams in our conference. You better be able to stop them.”
In the Century Conference, every team, including the Rebels, looks to stop South Fayette. The Lions won the league as well as the WPIAL and PIAA titles.
“South Fayette is the perennial power in Double-A in the area. They do a tremendous job over there and we are looking forward to Week 8 of the season and them having 39 consecutive wins. If that doesn’t motivate you, if you can’t excited about that, then there is something wrong.”
As for goals, Rosol sees nothing wrong with setting the bar high. He wants to add a fifth WPIAL title to SLS’s collection, not to mention its first PIAA championship.
“A state championship every year is my goal,” Rosol said. “I truly believe Seton will get that one day.”
To win championships, a team cannot just depend upon its superstars. According to Rosol, the Rebels have a core of seven proven players but a “bunch” of questions remain.
“We need five answers,” he said. “Glue guys. Guys who you win championships with.
“I feel good about this year. We have a great senior class and great leaders. The question is, can this wave of talent catch that lightning in a bottle? It takes a little luck, good players, cohesion and maybe one play. You never know how one play can turn a program or a football game around.”