P-T deals with tough loss

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 16, 2018 | 9:27 PM

Many times, after an emotional situation has occurred, psychologists point to individuals going through stages of grief as a coping mechanism.

Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane knows the feeling. Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly grief after his team’s heartbreaking 38-35 last-second loss to Peters Township in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals, but there are a couple of stages in the grief theory he can relate to.

Certainly, there was sadness.

“To be honest, it still hurts,” Ruane said of Peters Townships’s Brian Bruzdewicz’ 26-yard field goal with six seconds left that ended Penn-Trafford’s season. “It was a tough way to end our season. It hurts, and it’s most likely going to stick with all of us, probably until we kick off the first game next season.”

Ten weeks ago, the idea of Penn-Trafford even being in a position to potentially reach the WPIAL semifinals seemed like a long shot. The Warriors, admittedly young and inexperienced according to Ruane, started off the season 0-2, losing to Norwin (44-36) and Gateway (27-7).

But while many at that point were looking at the season as a potential rebuilding year for Penn-Trafford, Ruane saw potential.

“We were down 24-0 to Norwin in the second quarter, and we scored right before halftime,” Ruane said. “And then we came out in the second half and scored two more times to get back into it. And then we went to Gateway and we played them tough, tougher than most teams did. So when we were 0-2, I didn’t feel bad about this group. We could tell there was something there.”

That baptism under fire proved valuable for Penn-Trafford’s young players.

“In high school football, there is no substitution for experience,” Ruane said. “We had a lot of new faces. But the highlight of the season for me is that our guys got better and better every week as the season went on. They grew as a team, and guys grew as leaders, and they rattled off nine wins in a row. They understood the dynamics of Friday nights.”

That was evident in the fact Penn-Trafford had seven players named to the Big East All-Conference first team, including four juniors: running back Caleb Lisbon; tackle Derek Sutherland; and defensive linemen Dylan Schmidt and Josh Cheplick. Lisbon rushed for 1,329 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Gabe Dunlap added 1,306 yards passing and 1,033 yards on the ground.

That being the case, in contrast to this season, Penn-Trafford will enter next season with a veteran, experienced roster.

“Our expectations for this program are always high, but I think externally, people didn’t expect us to do what we did this season,” Ruane said. “But next season we’re not sneaking up on anybody. They have to be prepared for that and they have a lot of work to do.”

But Ruane isn’t quite ready to start thinking about next season.

“The hurt is still fresh,” Ruane said. “It would be a disservice to our seniors to simply move on and not recognize what this team did this season. Maybe once winter workouts start, we’ll turn the page. But right now, we’re not ready to put this season behind us quite yet.”

Jim Equels Jr. is a freelance writer.

Tags: Penn-Trafford