Pordash believes Bearcats can make playoff push
Jonathan Guth
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
It will be a little tougher to make the WPIAL Class A football playoffs this season with only three spots guaranteed a postseason berth.
That has motivated the spirits of Bentworth Bearcats head coach Dave Pordash.
Wild-card berths are available but that seems a bit chancy for those coming out of the Tri-County South Conference. WPIAL officials will select the wild-card entrants.
“I think we can make a run to the playoffs,” said Pordash, who is in his second year as head coach. “We should be able to finish in the top three if we keep getting better. We’re still young and inexperienced.”
Bentworth will compete in a new-look Tri-County South Conference with Avella, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene.
In 2024, only three teams in each Class A conference will 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.
The Bearcats have three players returning – junior Ben Hays and seniors Alex Rusilko and Lucas Burt – who were members of the Tri-County South Conference football team a year ago.
Hays (5-11, 172) will play both wide receiver and defensive back. Rusilko (6-5, 318) should anchor the offensive and defensive lines. Burt is set at wingback and defensive end.
Pordash will also count on senior Tristan Hackinson (6-0, 153), a wingback and defensive back and senior Anthony Washington (5-6, 146) and senior Gavin Piasecki (6-1, 175), who will play tight end and defensive end.
“We expect big improvements in all of those positions,” Pordash said.
The coach added that newcomers will also aid Bentworth’s postseason push.
That group of Bearcats include freshman quarterback-linebacker Jacob Cavanaugh (5-5, 130) and freshman guard Gavin Haynes (6-4, 210) and freshman guard Lucas Malanosky (5-11, 255).
‘We (coaches) came in last year thinking the players were ready, that they were ready and football smart and they were not,” Pordash added. “We worked on things all offseason and they now have almost a year under their belts with our staff. We’ve worked on fundamentals and stuff we thought they knew but didn’t.”
Bentworth’s most significant personnel loss was quarterback Vitali Daniels, who was an all-conference performer after passing for 1,574 yards and 17 touchdowns. Daniels also was the Bearcats’ leading rusher with 563 yards.
Sophomore Ty Watson (5-9, 162) is expected to move into the starting quarterback role.
The coach said that while Bentworth was a passing team last season, it will strive to be about 50-50 between pass and run this season.
Pordash said California and West Greene are the favorites going into the season and that “Beth-Center will be up there” and that Avella moving in will be interesting.
“It’s a tough conference,” he added. “If our kids come to play, we’ll be OK.”
Bentworth went 3-7 overall and 2-5 in conference play in 2023.
The Bearcats defeated Brownsville, 42-6, in their opener. They also defeated Monessen, 28-0, and Carmichaels, 20-12, in conference play. They lost non-conference games to Avella, 22-15, and Leechburg, 28-21.
Bentworth will open this season against Brownsville, which is playing an independent schedule. The Bearcats will host Class 2A Burgettstown and then play at Charleroi before opening conference action against top contender and defending champion California at home.
“A lot of kids only play one sport at Bentworth,” Pordash said. “Bentworth has a good soccer program. There aren’t may (small) schools that have both soccer and football teams.”