Now a nonconference game, Battle of the Bypass still carries meaning for Burrell, Valley

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, August 22, 2018 | 9:06 PM

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There was zero doubt about the identity of one Week Zero game when the WPIAL released its 2018 and 2019 football schedules in the spring.

Realignment split up neighboring Burrell and Valley, dropping the Vikings to Class 2A in the PIAA’s six-classification system while the Bucs remained in Class 3A, putting the Alle-Kiski Valley’s nearly 40-year-old rivalry ever so briefly in jeopardy.

But the schools quickly made public their decision to play each other the next two seasons in Week Zero, the optional nonconference games schools can play instead of a second scrimmage.

Simply put, the teams couldn’t bypass the Battle of the Bypass.

“What more could you want (in) Week Zero?” Burrell coach Shawn Liotta said. “I think Burrell/Valley is one of the better rivalries out there. … It’s a big game, make no mistake about it.”

Unlike past years, when Burrell and Valley would play for positioning in the Allegheny Conference, this game holds no standing in the standings. Regardless of which team wins or loses Friday, each will begin the games that count for their playoff hopes next week.

But don’t underestimate the power of bragging rights between players who see each other outside the football field in the community.

“You don’t ever like to lose,” Valley coach Muzzy Colosimo said. “I tell the kids all the time, rivalry games are what they are. The bragging rights are for other people because for us, it’s just an exhibition game. But you don’t ever like to lose anything.”

That hasn’t been a problem for Valley in recent memory. The Vikings beat Burrell each of the past five years to take a commanding 24-14 lead in the series, which has been contested since 1980.

“I think it’s a lot more personal than any other games are,” Valley senior Noah Hutcherson said. “We both respect each others’ teams; we just know that it’s a rivalry game going on. When we step on the field, it’s always serious.

“… We don’t want to end (the win streak) now.”

Look no further than here to see how quickly a balance of power can shift in a rivalry. Burrell won four consecutive games in the series, including a 41-6 blowout in 2012, before Valley began its current streak in 2013.

Burrell came close to snapping its skid last season, taking an early lead on its rival only to see Valley rally for an 18-13 win.

“If there’s just one goal for the entire season, it’s just, beat Valley,” Burrell junior Logan Phillips said. “They’ve been our rivals as long as I can remember, and they’ve gotten the upper hand on us the last five years. We’re just looking to go out there and beat them one time.”

Gone are the days when the teams exchanged pranks — Valley kidnapping the Burrell cannon and painting it Vikings colors, for instance. Hutcherson said the teams don’t exchange much trash talk on the field, and Phillips quickly dismissed the word “hate” for his feelings toward Valley.

At this point, both teams are looking to become consistent playoff contenders. Each school qualified for the WPIAL playoffs three times in the last 10 years, with Burrell’s last appearance coming in 2012 and Valley’s in 2013.

For that reason alone, they expect some physicality Friday.

“A lot of emotion’s going on there,” Phillips said. “It’s a really fun game to play in.”

“There’s not really a lot of speed on both teams,” Hutcherson said. “We both just bang heads.”

Valley embraces its physicality on both sides of the ball, with Colosimo’s favored offensive approach involving 220-pound-plus Deonte Ross running downhill as feature back. Ross rushed for 111 yards in last season’s Valley win. Hutcherson and Ross both can rush the passer on defense, while senior David Schuffert is a mauling two-way lineman.

“I know we’re going to be ready to go, (and) I know they’re going to be ready to go,” Liotta said. “The game is going to be dictated by who comes out and is more physical — point-blank, no questions about it.”

Burrell is more of a mystery under Liotta, who coached the last two seasons at Albert Gallatin. The former Arena Football League coach likes a high-tempo attack, and he said he might have some tricks up his sleeves for Valley.

“He’s a good coach, (and) he’s done great things wherever he’s been,” Colosimo said. “He’s got some good coaches with them … so I just think that we’ve just got to play. That’s what it’s about.”

Whether for a bypass or bragging rights, both teams are eager to kick off the season against a rival.

“We’re going to go at it, and they’re going to go at it,” Liotta said. “They’re a good football program, and we’re a good football program. It’s going to be a lot of fun. If I’m a fan, I’d get my ticket and come check it out.”

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

Tags: Burrell, Valley