First-year coach Shawn Liotta instills confidence for Burrell football

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, August 18, 2018 | 7:15 PM

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Shawn Liotta made a request to Burrell athletic director Drake D’Angelo upon taking the Bucs’ coaching job this spring.

“They got a big cannon (in Buccaneer Stadium) that they shoot off after every touchdown,” he said. “I told (him) to make sure he had a lot of ammo for that cannon because we’re planning to fire that cannon off a whole bunch this year.”

The confident Liotta brings an offensive background to Burrell that includes assistant coaching stints in the Arena Football League and with high-powered Clairton, and most recently as the head coach at Albert Gallatin. And with packages heavy on misdirections, exotic formations, shifts and motions, Burrell’s offense could look very different this season.

“I think when people come to the game, they’ll have a lot of fun watching us play football,” Liotta said.

With a playoff drought that dates to 2012, Burrell could use some fun and some winning results, as well. The Bucs won their Week Zero opener against Springdale last season, but that marked their only victory, as they closed with nine consecutive losses.

Burrell has a storied football tradition, with four WPIAL titles, and Liotta is making restoring that tradition his top priority. Upon his hire he established a 90-day plan for beginning a climb to becoming a championship program, which included meeting with his players, establishing a relationship built on trust and competing constantly over the summer, including a trip to Canton, Ohio, for a seven-on-seven tournament against two of the top teams in the country.

“We want to build for the kids we have now,” Liotta said. “We want them to be a part of a championship tradition because sometimes the things that are in the past, the kids don’t connect with those things. We have to show them what a championship program is about and the steps to build that.”

Several new faces will pilot Burrell’s up-tempo offensive attack, starting with junior quarterback Logan Phillips, a former wide receiver who suffered a broken leg as a freshman and needed an appendectomy last year. He replaces Seth Tatrn, who passed for five touchdowns and rushed for six last season.

To help Phillips with his transition to a new position, Burrell took part in several seven-on-sevens throughout the summer, including the one at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The Bucs also attended the Westmoreland County Coaches Association seven-on-seven for the first time.

“I’m getting a lot more comfortable,” Phillips said. “A lot of the jitters are coming out now. I’m just starting to see what I can actually do.”

The Bucs’ skill positions took a hit in the offseason, as senior Alex Bellinotti, a first-team all-conference player at tight end and linebacker the past two seasons, transferred to Shady Side Academy, and senior running back Logan Bitar, who rushed for 1,231 yards last season, underwent knee surgery that puts his status for the season in question.

Senior Andrew Bigler and junior Seth Fischbach — physical players at 6-foot-4 and 6-2, respectively — will line up out wide. Senior R.J. Beach, who moved from the offensive line to the slot, and senior Kaleb Seibert provide more receiving options.

Fischbach caught a team-high 20 passes last season, while Bigler is playing football for the first time since his freshman season.

Senior Luke Kastelic, who rushed for 220 yards last season, figures to get the first crack at replacing Bitar, and senior Mike Scherer also will get a look.

“(Liotta) really knows what to do with the people we have and put people in positions where they can thrive,” Bigler said. “The new offense really brings out the players we have and the talent that they have.

“I like it because it catches a lot of people off guard. So once we run one play, they’re like, ‘Oh no, how are we going to stop the next one?’ They’re already on their toes, and then we hit them with another play and keep going, and they don’t have time to recover.”

Zack Kerr and Austin Mele, both seniors, will anchor Burrell’s line.

Defensively, Liotta said the linebackers will be the strength, with Beach, Bigler, Kastelic, Mele and Scherer.

Realignment in the offseason brought a major change to Burrell’s conference, with Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Derry, Elizabeth Forward, Mt. Pleasant, Uniontown and Yough joining the holdover Bucs, Deer Lakes and Freeport. The Bucs will open their season Aug. 24 by hosting Valley in a Week Zero version of the Battle for the Bypass.

“We set the bar high because I think in terms of trying to teach guys life lessons, you set the bar as high as it can go,” Liotta said. “As high as it can go is a state championship. We may fall short of that, but if we fall short of that, it’ll be through making progressive steps towards getting there.”

Schedule

Coach: Shawn Liotta

2017 record: 1-9, 0-7

All-time record: 279-244-9

Date, Opponent, Time

8.24, Valley, 7 p.m.

8.31, CW North Catholic*, 7 p.m.

9.7, at Elizabeth Forward*, 7 p.m.

9.14, Uniontown*, 7 p.m.

9.21, at Yough*, 7 p.m.

9.28, at Deer Lakes*, 7:30 p.m.

10.5, Mt. Pleasant*, 7 p.m.

10.12, at Freeport*, 7 p.m.

10.19, Waynesburg, 7 p.m.

10.26, at Derry*, 7 p.m.

*Class 3A Big East Conference game

Statistical leaders

Passing: Seth Tatrn*

64-148, 764 yards, 5 TDs

Rushing: Logan Bitar

226-1,231 yards, 7 TDs

Receiving: Alex Bellinotti

15-283 yards, 3 TDs

*Graduated

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Burrell