Jeannette program beginning to regain footing
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Sunday, August 20, 2023 | 9:50 PM
Jeannette coach Tom Paulone looks on as quarterback Payton Molter throws during WCCA 7-on-7 competition July 19 at Latrobe.
Jeannette’s Kymone Brown pulls in a catch during WCCA 7-on-7 competition July 19 at Latrobe.
Jeannette quarterback Payton Molter looks to throw during WCCA 7-on-7 competition July 19 at Latrobe.
Jeannette coach Tom Paulone looks on during WCCA 7-on-7 competition July 19 at Latrobe.
Asked if he was satisfied after a three-win season that saw Jeannette finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and make the WPIAL Class A football playoffs, second-year coach Tommy Paulone paused.
“Pleased? Disappointed? I’d say I’m in the middle — slightly miserable,” Paulone said. “We gave away two games. I think we were a five-win team, not a three-win team. We left a couple of the table.
“Jeannette is not a program to go off looking for moral victories.”
Roster numbers have been a concern in recent years, but Paulone was set to take about 26 to camp.
“That’s about average for our conference,” he said. “I am pleased with 26. If we dip below 20, then it’s a big concern.”
Paulone’s goal was to bring the team closer, and one way was taking them to a team camp at West Virginia University.
“We played Massillon (Ohio in a 7-on-7) and the kids got to play at Mountaineer Stadium, so that was pretty cool,” Paulone said. “We also did a 7-on-7 and big-man challenge up at Saint Vincent. The kids also worked a youth camp. They want to be here.
“Getting to see kids in Jeannette here at 7 a.m. to work out is a good thing.”
With only two seniors gone, the Jayhawks are primed to bring back nine starters on each side of the ball.
Quarterback Payton Molter, a 1,000-yard passer as a junior, will lead the offense with weapons around him.
One is senior Noah Sanders, who was granted another year of eligibility with a hardship waiver. Sanders, a running back and slot back, caught 50 passes, rushed for 595 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.
A pair of all-conference performers also will help to move the ball in senior Michael Mason, a running back, and senior lineman Gavin Holemeyer.
Sophomore Kymone Brown is another rushing threat and will be in the QB room with Molter and freshman Markus McGowan.
“Kymone has made the biggest jump out of anyone,” Paulone said. “Jeannette has always taken pride in the running game.”
The Jayhawks, under Paulone’s design and new offensive coordinator Khaliq Coleman’s direction, will run an “air raid” offense.
While the idea behind the scheme is quick, often short-range passes, the running game also can flourish with misdirection and counters.
“There can be zone runs out of it,” Paulone said. “Mike Leach started it and ran it so well. God rest his soul. We think we have the personnel to make it work here.”
Four linemen return in Holemeyer, senior Jesse McCurdy, junior Wyatt Schaeffer and junior Nick Stuchell.
McCurdy led the team with 73 tackles, while Schaeffer did not miss a start as a freshman, and Stuchell has started every game of his prep career.
Junior Lonnie Greene (TE/DE) is another potential playmaker, and at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, is a college prospect.
Greene, though, will move to offensive tackle out of necessity.
He led the team with 11 sacks last season.
Brown, Sanders and freshman-to-watch Jace Powell are key pieces to an athletic secondary.
Molter, who also was the Jayhawks’ second-leading rusher (386 yards, 8 TDs) and tackler (62 stops) also will line up at inside linebacker and lead a defense that will present a four-man front.
Mason is another run-stopper who had 53 tackles. He will join Molter on the outside to form a seal on the perimeter.
Sophomore Carmen DeAnuntis is another option on the line.
Sophomore Majhi Sanders could add defensive depth at inside linebacker.
Jeannette is beginning to recover from the mass exodus of transfers two years ago. After the Jayhawks won their 10th WPIAL title in 2020, at least eight key players transferred out to other programs at Greensburg Central Catholic, Gateway, Hempfield and Woodland Hills.
Jeannette, with an unrecognizable team in ‘21, finished 1-9 in longtime coach Roy Hall’s last hurrah on the sidelines.
“I call them 119,” Paulone said of his current group. “This is year No. 119 of Jeannette Jayhawks football. This senior class is special because these are the guys who stayed when things went awry.”
Editor’s note: Due to production scheduling conflicts, the preview for Eastern Conference team Frazier will appear later this week.
Jeannette
Coach: Tommy Paulone
2022 record: 3-8, 3-3 in Class A Eastern Conference
All-time record: 770-337-48
SCHEDULE
Date, Opponent, Time
8.25 at Burrell, 7
9.1 at East Allegheny, 7
9.8 Jefferson-Morgan, 7
9.15 at Frazier*, 7
9.22 Charleroi, 7
9.29 Riverview*, 7
10.6 at Leechburg*, 7
10.13 Greensburg Central Catholic*, 7
10.20 at Springdale*, 7
10.27 Clairton*, 7
*Conference game
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Payton Molter
71-138, 1,051 yards, 12 TDs
Rushing: Noah Sanders
104-595 yards, 5 TDs
Receiving: Sanders
50-707 yards, 6 TDs
FAST FACTS
• Jeannette has a WPIAL-record 770 all-time wins, tied for fifth most in the state with Aliquippa.
• Paulone added Khaliq Coleman to the coaching staff as the offensive coordinator. Coleman also coached at Hempfield, Greensburg Central Catholic and Saint Vincent.
• To bridge the gap between youth (midget) football and the high school level, Jeannette is forming a middle school team for seventh and eighth grade players.
○ Jeannette is going back to the uniform pattern worn by teams from the 1980s to early 2000s, including a block “J” on the helmets.
• Sanders’ 50 receptions were the second most in Class A and ninth most in the WPIAL last season.
ROSTER
No., Name, Pos., Ht./Wt., Cl.
1, Jeremiah Williamson, WR/DE, 6-0/195, Sr.
3, Hunter Blazowich, WR/DB, 6-0/158, Sr.
5, Noah Sanders, WR/RB/DB, 5-8/150, Sr.
7, Kymone Brown, QB/DB, 5-5/120, So.
9, Payton Molter, QB/ILB, 6-0/180, Sr.
10, Jayce Powell, Fr.
12, Elijah Jones, RB/S, 5-8/160, So.
13, Noah Clary, WR/DB/LB, Fr.
14, Markus McGowan, 5-10/145, Fr.
16, Nick Mendoza, RB/ILB, 5-11/157, So.
18, Lonnie Greene, TE/DE, 6-1/200, Jr.
20, Austin Cataldo, RB/DB, 4-9/101, So.
24, Majhi Sanders, Fr.
33, Michael Mason, RB/DB, 5-8/159, Sr.
50, Jesse McCurdy, OL/ILB, 5-8/185, Sr.
59, Wyatt Scaeffer, OL/DL, 5-7/226, So.
63, Carmine Deanuntis, OL/DL, 5-7/227, So.
65, Gavin Holemeyer, OL/DL, 5-7/214, Sr.
67, Nick Stuchell, OL/DL, 5-8/274, Jr.
80, Noah Sunder, TE/DE, 6-0/169, So.
81, Terrell Lovelace, WR/SS, 6-2/150, So.
85, Xavier Odorisio, G/LB
88, McAlister Steele, WR/OLB/DB, 5-10/140, Fr.
92, Isiah Jones, Fr.
99, Austin Emery, Sr.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Jeannette
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