Beth-Center seeks return to postseason
Jonathan Guth/Observer-reporter
Beth-Center head coach Tony Ruscitto talks with some of his players in the huddle during practice.
Jonathan Guth/Observer-Reporter
Beth-Center’s Teagan Veatch runs a play in practice. He will get plenty of carries this season as the Bulldogs will be trying to spread the ball around on offense.
DEEMSTON – Beth-Center had two sub-par years prior to when Tony Ruscitto returned to the position he held for two seasons in the late 1980s.
The Bulldogs made the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs in Ruscitto’s first season back as head coach in 2021, but had a little bit of a setback last year with a 3-7 mark, including a 2-5 record in Class A Tri-County South Conference play.
Ruscitto, who was on Bill Connors’ staff as a volunteer assistant when Beth-Center won the WPIAL championship in 1975, believes the Bulldogs are moving in the right direction.
“I think we turned a corner last year, and I look for our next two to three years to be pretty good,” Ruscitto said. “Beth-Center loves their football, and we’ve had a lot of success over the years. We were on a little downturn and we’re trying to rebuild it now.”
Beth-Center is again in the Tri-County South Conference with league defending champion Mapletown, California, Carmichaels, Bentworth, Monessen, Jefferson-Morgan and West Greene.
The Maples will have to adjust to life without standout running back Landan Stevenson, who, to the relief of the conference, graduated this past spring, but Ruscitto expects Mapletown to be a tough out.
“Our goal this year is to get into the playoffs,” Ruscitto said. “Mapletown’s top player graduated, but they are still going to be good, and California is always good. Carmichaels and West Greene have key people back and Monessen is always full of talent. They don’t regroup down there, they reload.”
Ruscitto expects Beth-Center to be competitive with every team it lines up against, beginning Friday with Riverview.
Offensively, Ruscitto would like to run 60 percent of the time. The Bulldogs’ ground game should be strong again as it will rely on the speedy legs of senior running back Ethan Varesko (5-10, 195).
Cyncere Cruse, Teagan Veatch, Homer Headlee and Jetadiah Ehert will also get carries.
Jonah Sussan will be the Bulldogs’ quarterback. Ruscitto is eager to see what Ehert, a freshman, can do. The veteran coach described him as a “man among boys.”
“We will mix it up a little bit in terms of running and passing,” Ruscitto said. “We are also going to spread the ball around. We will have anywhere from five to six guys getting touches.”
The offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by four-year starter Johnathan Esmond (OT/DT).
Right guard Chris Erickson will serve as a team captain and play at defensive end. Ruscitto was pleased with Erickson’s work in the offseason to improve his strength. Left guard and multiple-year starter Jayce Hundertmark will also be a captain. Ruscitto said he has come a long way. Hundertmark will play middle linebacker on defense.
“Our offensive line is going to be pretty decent this year,” Ruscitto said. “We have a little bit of depth behind it, which we didn’t have last year. We only had 21 players on the roster last year. We were down to 14 players in some games, and that makes it rough. This year, we are dressing 32.”
Cruse, Veatch and Varesko will play in the secondary, while Sussan is penciled in at outside linebacker.
Ruscitto says he knows what it will take to get Beth-Center back in the playoffs, and it’s a formula for success that is rooted in the Bulldogs’ storied history.
“I have been coaching for 48 years and had head coaching jobs at eight different schools, and things have definitely changed in the game, but the one thing that has stayed the same is controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Ruscitto said.
Ruscitto was a standout athlete at Carrick High School before moving into the area in 1969. He has been in the construction business for most of his life.
“It’s my job to turn boys into men and teach them about life,” Ruscitto said. “I believe my experiences can really help these kids grow.”
Beth-Center has non-conference games with Riverview, Burgettstown and Fort Cherry to begin the season before traveling to Mapletown to open Tri-County South play Sept. 15.