McGuffey has many options available
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
McGuffey High School football coach Ed Dalton gives instructions to his offense.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Marshall Whipkey is a dual-threat quarterback for McGuffey.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Jared Johnson makes a catch for McGuffey during a 7-on-7 competition.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
McGuffey High School football coach Ed Dalton.
CLAYSVILLE – The offensive juggernaut that was the McGuffey High School football team last year will be missing a critical piece in 2019.
All-state performer, Observer-Reporter Player of the Year and do-everything running back Christian Clutter has graduated.
Fear not. McGuffey coach Ed Dalton thinks the Highlanders will again be high-powered on offense and be improved on defense in 2019.
“We will be more of an option team compared with last year,” said Dalton. “Last year, we morphed into a wing-T team.”
That “wing-T” attack helped McGuffey average 42.1 points per game and to a third-place finish in the high-scoring Class AA Century Conference.
The Highlanders won their first seven games before losing to Charleroi, 46-33. They followed with a non-conference win over Avonworth, 57-42, before losing to Washington, 42-36, in the regular-season finale at Wash High Stadium. The loss cost McGuffey a chance to earn a share of the conference championship.
McGuffey’s outstanding season ended in a 36-27 loss to South Side Beaver – the eventual WPIAL runnerup – in the first round of the playoffs.
“We seem to keep gaining every year,” Dalton said. “Our option component is hard to handle. People can’t defend it. We cause a lot of trouble with it.”
Causing problems this season will be senior quarterback Marshall Whipkey (5-10, 185), who Dalton said could be a “1,000 and 1,000 guy” this season. Dalton means Whipkey could throw for 1,000 yards and rush for 1,000. That feat has been done by only two players in the Washinton-Greene area.
Whipkey’s brother, junior running back McKinley Whipkey (5-10, 205), also is a force.
Marshall Whipkey passed for 982 yards and 15 touchdowns a season ago with 602 rushing yards. McKinley Whipkey rushed for 662 yards and scored four touchdowns. They will need to pick up some of the offensive load left by Clutter, who rushed for 1,548 yards and 28 touchdowns last year. Clutter scored 23 of McGuffey’s final 27 touchdowns.
The Highlanders’ offense will feature senior wide reciever C.J. Cole (6-5, 190), who Dalton describes as a Division-I player. A talented all-around athlete, Cole averaged more than 18 yards per reception last year.
McGuffey also returns juniors Aiden Brookman (6-2, 220), Nate Cumer (6-3, 270) and center Evan Wright (5-10, 235) on the offensive line.
Defensively, McGuffey returns seven starters, including Brookman, tackle Charles Yanellio (5-10, 245), a senior, and senior Dylan McCuen (5-10, 185).
Other returners are senior linebacker Rocco Falosk (5-10, 185), junior safety Nate Yagle (5-8, 145) and senior linebacker Tom Sells (5-8, 150). Cole will play in the secondary as well.
“Our defense has athletes everywhere,” Dalton said. “This might be the most physical defense we’ve had.
“Offensively, we have more skill depth than we’ve ever had.”
McGuffey already has had an unusual offseason. The Highlanders will open with Class 4A Ambridge and will meet Class A Clairton in its second game. The Highlanders and Bears agreed to meet after Northgate informed McGuffey last month it was going to forfeit its scheduled nonconference game to them. Clairton also was searching for an opponent that week.
“Any time we get the opportunity to play a speed team, I want to play them,” Dalton said of the highly regarded Bears.
McGuffey, which has won 10 consecutive home games, will host Clairton. Dalton thinks the Highlanders’ most pivotal games are all at home in 2019. McGuffey will host conference opponents Frazier, Beth-Center, Charleroi and Washington.
Playing better defense should benefit the Highlanders in the score-happy Century Conference. In 2018, only Charleroi (18.1) allowed fewer than 20 points per game to its opponents.
McGuffey scored at least 27 points in each game and at least 33 points in nine of 11 games. Five teams in the conference scored an average of 32.4 points per game last season.
Dalton said the Highlanders, who have posted seven consecutive nonlosing seasons, need to cut down on big plays allowed. In McGuffey’s three losses a year ago, the Highlanders gave up an average of more than 41 points per game.
“I think we can compete,” Dalton said. “This is a really good group to coach. They are really good kids.”