Ellwood City hungry for playoff push in Class 2A

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, August 16, 2018 | 10:03 PM

Ellwood City football has had a rough couple of years on the gridiron.

That is to be expected when playing in Class 3A’s Beaver Valley Conference with the likes of Aliquippa, Quaker Valley, Central Valley and Beaver Falls. The Wolverines went a combined 2-16 over their two years in the conference, including just one conference victory a year ago.

However, realignment has pushed Ellwood City down into the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference for the 2018 campaign.

“Numbers-wise, we are more even now with teams in our conference,” interim head coach Rob Magnifico said. “We had a number of our players having to go both ways, where other teams had more depth. We have numbers coming back, and I think we can match up well against the teams in the conference.”

Magnifico is stepping in for the season for fellow Ellwood City alum Nick Hand, who is on leave for the year for medical reasons. Hand coached the team to a 2-7 record a year ago in his first season with the Wolverines. Not much will change with Magnifico, a 13-year assistant at Ellwood City, now calling the shots.

“Nothing is changing on the offensive front,” Magnifico said. “We did some good things last year we just want to improve on. I’m a defensive guy, so we might make some slight alignment changes up front, but that’s it.”

Ryan Gibbons became the starting quarterback midway through his freshman campaign. He is expected to stay behind center this year and make improvements during his sophomore year.

A three-headed monster of Rick Petrelli, Donovan Chambers and Rocco Sesti will man the backfield. All three saw significant time at running back a year ago, with Petrelli earning second-team all-conference honors.

Colton Cunningham is the only returning offensive lineman. Cunningham also bolsters the Wolverine defense, returning as the team’s leading tackler from the linebacker position.

Brady Welsh is back at full health for his senior year. The wide receiver/defensive back missed time late last season with a broken ankle, and is a key weapon on both sides of the ball.

After going winless two years ago, getting two wins is a step in the right direction for a program that has not been to the postseason since 2012. Magnifico expects that to change.

“This team is hungry,” he said. “We believe that we can make the playoffs. That’s our goal.”

Schedule

Coach: Rob Magnifico

2017 record: 2-7, 1-5

All-time record: 427-540-44

Date, Opponent, Time

8.24, at Beaver Falls, 7 p.m.

8.31, Serra Catholic, 7 p.m.

9.7, at New Brighton*, 7 p.m.

9.14, at Neshannock*, 7 p.m.

9.21, Freedom*, 7 p.m.

9.28, at Western Beaver*, 7 p.m.

10.5, at Shenango*, 7 p.m.

10.12, Riverside*, 7 p.m.

10.19, at Mohawk*, 7 p.m.

10.26, Brentwood, 7 p.m.

*Class 2A Midwestern Conference game

Statistical leaders

Passing: Ryan Gibbons

34-80, 552 yards, 4 TDs

Rushing: Rick Petrelli

99-331 yards, 2 TDs

Receiving: Luca Botti*

17-447 yards, 4 TDs

*Graduated

James Dotson is a freelance writer.

Tags: Ellwood City