Aug 17, 2024 3 min read

By John Sacco

For the Observer-Reporter

A season ago, not a lot was being expected from the Jefferson-Morgan High School football team.

Then the Rockets went and qualified for the WPIAL Class A playoffs.

Welcome expectations.

“My expectations are for us to compete every day at a high level against each other, individually and as a group, and continue looking for competition,” said Shane Ziats, in his second season as head coach.

“We have all of our skill players coming back. We’re going to take what the opposing defense is going to give us. We would like to be balanced running and passing but it will depend on what we see the defense trying to do.”

The Rockets went 6-5 overall and 5-2 in the Class A Tri-County South Conference to finish in third place. Jefferson-Morgan lost to Fort Cherry, the eventual WPIAL champion, 50-16, in the opening round of the playoffs.

After opening the 2023 season with three losses in their first four games, the Rockets reeled off four consecutive victories over Beth-Center, Bentworth, Mapletown and Monessen, winning by margins of 34, 21, 29 and 34 points.

“I think we got better as a team,” Ziats said. “The kids got into the idea they could win football games.”

Jefferson-Morgan will compete in a new-look Tri-County South with Avella, Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Mapletown and West Greene.

“I feel it will be a competitive conference,” Ziats said. “Teams will come at you in the Tri-County South. We need to take the next step. The kids started to believe in themselves last season and that belief needs to grow this year.

“Any given Friday you can lose here. California is going to be tough. West Greene is good and Avella brings an unknown into the conference.”

In addition to their conference games, the Rockets will play Chartiers-Houston, Burgettstown and Waynesburg in non-conference games.

Jefferson-Morgan remains a relatively young team. The Rockets enter the season with seven seniors, 11 juniors, six sophomores and 10 freshmen – 27 of 34 players (79.4 percent) are underclassmen.

“We have all of our skill players coming back,” Ziats said.

He pointed to players including senior Houston Guesman (5-10, 160), a quarterback-linebacker; junior Deakyn DeHoet (6-0,170), a wide receiver-defensive back; and junior running back-linebacker John Woodward (5-11, 175).

Also returning are senior Jase Bedillion (6-3, 185), a tight end-defensive back; and juniors Levi Heath (6-1, 225) and Eli Hill (6-0, 270), both two-way linemen.

All six are returning members of the 2023 Tri-County South Conference Team.

Ziats is assisted by Ron Gallagher, Nick Pawuk, Jake Rush, Calab Gallagher, Tom Sandala, Jake Nice and Brandon Lawless.

Ziats chuckled when it was suggested by several Tri-County South coaches that Jefferson-Morgan is the most legitimate threat to California repeating as conference champions.

“We’re just going to compete and hope to keep getting better,” Ziats said. “We go week-to-week.”

Ziats said one of his goals is for the Rockets to be more successful in non-conference games this season.

Jefferson-Morgan won only one of three games against non-conference opponents, defeating Chartiers-Houston, 42-30, in the season opener but losing to Waynesburg, 19-7, and Jeannette, 31-20.

The Raiders will play at Chartiers-Houston to open the season and will also battle Class AA Waynesburg (away) and Burgettstown (home) in non-conference play.

In 2024, only three teams in each Class A conference will automatically qualify for the WPIAL playoffs – down from four the past several seasons. Four at-large wild cards – picked from any of the four conferences – will be determined by the WPIAL football committee.