Aug 4, 2015 3 min read

This is the latest installment of blog posts profiling the football programs from all 21 local schools. I’ll include players to watch, who will be missed and an overall outlook on the upcoming season.

Bentworth

2014: 3-6 (3-5 TCS

When Ron Skiles returned to coaching in 2014, the Bearcats were low on numbers and struggled to score points. It did not take long for him to change that.

The Bearcats started the 2013 season with 27 players and finished with 16. They had 37 to start camp last year. Once camp began, Skiles emphasized passing the football to take advantage of the athleticism on his roster and it did not take long for results.

The Bearcats’ Josh Hughes had two touchdown passes against West Greene in a Week 2 victory and Angelo Rios-Lopez threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns two weeks later in a win against Avella. Things changed in October.

They lost four of their final five games by an average of 30.5 points. Bentworth allowed 30 or more points in six of its nine games. and facing Mapletown, Jeannette and Beth-Center in the final three weeks of the season didn’t help. The most telling stat: the team’s record when holding opponents below 30 points was 3-0.

Senior Ty Mitchell will lead an en experienced secondary this fall, but five of the 14 seniors who graduated were linemen. That could be an issue considering the run-heavy nature of the Tri-County South. Like most coaches, Skiles will likely emphasize line play once camp opens Aug. 17.

The Bentworth graduate began his coaching career as an assistant with the program in the 1970’s, his first stint as head coach lasted from 1981-1988 and he returned a second time from 2004-2007. Now, Skiles is hoping to pick up where he left off and after some success last year, he has to be optimistic.

Despite inconsistent play in the final five games of 2014, the Bearcats were competitive in difficult losses to Jefferson-Morgan and Mapletown.

They’ll have some experienced playmakers to lean in 2015. Hughes returns at quarterback after splitting time with Rios-Lopez and senior Felix Hernandez should see the majority of reps at tailback. The 5-8, 155-pound back played well in big games last season and has the ability to line up at receiver. Senior Ethan Tush will also receive carries, especially in goal line packages.

If the defense can improve and Skiles finds a few linemen, look out for Bentworth as a sleeper in the TCS.

Players to watch: Felix Hernandez, Ty Mitchell, Levi Jordan, Josh Hughes, Matt McMillan and Ethan Tush.

Biggest game: The Bearcats could hold a 3-1 record entering a Week Five matchup at Jefferson-Morgan and last year’s drama brings the revenge factor. The Rockets mounted a come-from-behind victory over Bentworth last fall with five consecutive touchdowns.

Stat to think about: Bentworth has not reached the WPIAL postseason since 2005, when it defeated Mapletown in the first round. In fact, the program has not won more than three games in a season since and holds a 17-66 record (.204 winning percentage) over the past nine seasons.