Bethel Park looks to reverse its record
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jason Nuttridge will start at wide receiver on offense and at cornerback on defense for Bethel Park.
Max Blanc completed 49 of 92 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns last season but Bethel Park failed to win a single game last football season, posting an 0-7 record. A senior, Blanc committed to Youngstown State University recently.
Troy Volpatti rushed for 518 yards on 110 carries last season at Bethel Park. In addition to his 4.7-yard average, he scored four touchdowns for the Hawks, who were 0-7 in 2020. Volpatti is also a returning starter on defense at free safety.
Brian DeLallo enters his third season as head football coach at Bethel Park High School.
By Eleanor Bailey
Almanac Sports Editor
ebailey@thealmanac.net
BETHEL PARK – Through execution and effort, Bethel Park plans to “wipe the taste out of its mouth” from last year’s 0-7 season and restore its winning tradition.
The Hawks’ string of 19 consecutive playoff appearances ended in 2020.
This fall, the Hawks are eager to recover their groove. They return 23 players who started at least one game in 2020.
“We competed hard,” said BP coach Brian DeLallo. “We had that edge established by Jeff (Metheny), that said, ‘You may be more talented than us but we make ourselves hard to beat.'”
“We felt we could play with anyone, anywhere. Last year, we were in all games, except for two where we just got drilled. We just always made key mistakes.”
DeLallo dubbed those as “mistakes of youth” and warned the Hawks cannot repeat them if they intend to achieve their goals of returning to the playoffs, contending for a conference championship and making a deep run in the WPIAL playoffs.
“We have to execute on offense and eliminate turnovers and penalties then stop the run on defense and cause turnovers. Last year, we always made some crucial mistake that turned the tide of the game. We think with our experience, if we have those events, we’ll respond better. If we eliminate them, we will be in good shape.”
The Hawks are in great position to achieve their aims because they boast a Division I recruit at quarterback in Max Blanc, return their leading rusher in Troy Volpatti and top tackler in Gavin Moul as well as feature a multi-talented wide receiver in Jason Nuttridge, who is fresh off a PIAA championship in baseball.
A Youngstown State commit, Blanc completed 49 of 92 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns last season while sharing the duties with Nuttridge, a junior.
This fall, Nuttridge will lead the receiving group as well as the defensive secondary at cornerback. Both positions are rich in talent with seniors Jack Kirchner and Weston Konopka, as well as juniors Austin Caye, Jack Reilly and Dinari Clacks.
“There’s an old saying in football,” DeLallo began. “When you have two, you’ve got none. We learned that last year. So we decided to go with one guy this season and center things around his talents.
“That’s not a knock on Jason because he just might be our best wide receiver. He’s such a competitor and a great athlete. Now, we are very good at two positions.”
While Blanc possesses arm strength, a high football IQ and a command of the offense, Nuttridge, a junior, owns a competitive nature, mobility, an ability to perform under pressure and a knowledge of what it takes to become a champion.
While DeLallo says he will rely on both Blanc and Nuttridge for those aptitudes, he will also depend upon them for leadership.
Volpatti is expected to be a two-way leader. Like Nuttridge, he is a returning starter in the secondary, at free safety, with Kirchner.
Volpatti, who earned All-WPIAL honors in lacrosse this spring, rushed for 518 yards on 110 carries. In addition to his 4.7-yard average, the senior scored four touchdowns last season.
“Troy is big, strong and fast. He has been fantastic for us,” DeLallo said. “He has played a lot of football and with experience comes knowledge and confidence.
Moul teams with Volpatti in the backfield. The junior also spearheads a linebacking corps, considered the team’s strength on defense, and includes Aidan Currie, Ty Stewart and Joe Thimons.
“Gavin captains us on defense. He is by far our most intense player. He’s all-go, all the time. When the other players see how hard he plays, his effort and intensity, they can’t help but get on board because he holds them accountable.”
Anthony Celletti and Zak Vincent hold the linemen accountable.
Celletti is the team’s most experienced player at tackle while Vincent is a guard/center on offense and end on defense. Both are seniors playing alongside a “solid” crop of juniors including Aiden Campbell, Coby Goelz, Mike Frost, Tobias D’Andrea, Braedon Del Duca, Dom Capone and Nick Fabus well as senior Mark Sigafoos.
“We’d like to two-platoon but a lot depends on how effective we can be,” DeLallo said. “We have a lot of competition and coachable kids who never complain. Some of them will be very special.”
The Hawks expect big things from Currie and Thimons as tight ends as well as Jeremiah Hamilton, another junior, at strong safety. Thimons can play on the defensive line and Hamilton looked strong at 7-on-7 passing camps.
Cody Geddes, a senior who played on the state championship baseball team, is out for football. The senior can play running back, tight end or receiver on offense as well as linebacker and strong safety on defense. DeLallo says Geddes, who is left-footed, is also a talented punter and kicker.
Though the Hawks boast another small senior class – they had six in 2021 and 11 are listed on this year’s roster – they anticipate challenging defending champion Peters Township, Moon, Upper St. Clair, West Allegheny and South Fayette in the Allegheny Six Conference.
“It’s one of the best leagues in 5A in the state, a meat grinder,” said DeLallo, “but our attitude is tremendous. It’s one of the strengths of this team. Collectively, it’s the best I’ve ever seen and I attribute that to last year’s seniors. They refused to let the attitude get bad when things weren’t going so well. Nobody jumped off the ship. We fought to the end. Going through that process taught us a lot about ourselves and will go a long way in helping us this season.”