With top skill players graduated, East Allegheny ready to do ‘the ugly things’

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

It was a good run but the days of slinging the ball around the field and putting up pinball-like numbers are over for the East Allegheny Wildcats. With the graduation of key players and an influx of youth and inexperienced upperclassmen, Wildcats coach Dom Pecora is reeling it in this year.

“We were a little bit pretty the past few years; we could throw for 200 yards a game,” said Pecora, who is entering his fifth season with East Allegheny. “This year, we’re going to have to be dogs, and we’re going to have to do the ugly things. (With) the competition we play, we’re no longer going to have the skill advantage. We’re going to run the ball, and we’re going to have to stop the run.”

Gone are all three statistical leaders from last year in quarterback Tamaine Underwood (Thiel), running back Tyvon Wright and standout receiver T.J. Banks, who will be suiting for West Virginia on Saturdays.

“It’s not really a dawning of a new era because I appealed to the WPIAL for TJ (Banks) to have a fifth-year redshirt,” joked Pecora.

All joking aside, the exodus of talent left behind a new standard and reignited a program that recorded just it’s second back-to-back playoff appearance since the early 1990’s and one of just three teams to win a playoff game in the school’s 48-year history.

Underwood passes the baton off to 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior Dan Kasmier. Kasmier played tight end last year and ranked second behind Banks with 641 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

“He’s a tremendous athlete and a big kid,” Pecora said. “He looks like tackle playing quarterback.”

Pecora did caution that there will be a bit of a quarterback battle this year and the decision on a starter will be made after the Wildcats scrimmage against Burrell. Junior Johnny Moritz and upstart freshman Mikey Smith will make camp interesting.

“You give the early lead in camp to Dan,” Pecora said. “Smith’s a freshman, and he’s going to be special. It’s just a matter if he’s ready to play quarterback this year; but if not, he’ll be playing wide receiver.”

Khyree Marshall will take over at running back in Pecora’s option-based offense, and the senior is poised for a break-out season. Marshall finished last season with 147 yards and three touchdowns in just 27 touches. Pecora said Dante Gant will also get some carries.

“I like Khyree Marshall,” Pecora said. “He’s diamond in the rough and a college prospect. Somebody needs to jump on him as far as colleges go.”

The wide receiving corps will be made up of the backup quarterbacks in addition to junior Tyler Padezon and Ronnie McGill. But once again, all of this is predicated on the development of the young quarterbacks. While the skilled positions still need worked out, Pecora returns four of five starters from his offensive line.

With all of the indecision on offense, what keeps Pecora up at night is his defense. He lost the heart of his defense last year in middle linebackers.

“Losing those two linebackers on defense is what I’m most nervous about,” Pecora said. “Losing TJ on defense scares me more than losing him on offense.”

Rounding out the linebacking corps in Pecora’s 3-4 defense will be Marshall and Kasmier at outside linebacker. Seniors John Dobranski, Ambre Hunter and freshman Makai Mitchell are in a three-way battle for the two starting spots in the middle.

There’s less of a question mark in the secondary where McGill, Padezon and Talane Underwood make for a solid trio to defend against the pass.

“The secondary is not an issue for us,” Pecora said.

The Wildcats have just four home games this season, three of which are against nonconference opponents South Allegheny, Carmichaels and Beth-Center. Valley will be the only Allegheny Conference rival to make the trip to North Versailles this season.

“The WPIAL should be ashamed about how they divided up double-A,” Pecora said. “They did a disservice to the kids. I own a pizza shop, and if I made pizza this bad I’d be out of business.”

Pecora’s argument isn’t just about the lack home conference home games, but also how the new conferences were broken up.

“Serra (Catholic) and us are on the same street,” he said. “Theres a team in our conference coming in fifth pace that can win another conference. It’s not divided up geographically, and it’s not competitively balanced.

“We play everybody but the Steelers basically. My schedule is absolutely brutal. I start off with Jeannette and Steel Valley on the road. Shady Side Academy and Steel Valley are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the WPIAL.”

Even with the tough schedule and lack of home games, what happens this year will lead to success in the coming years as Pecora said he has his best freshmen class he’s ever had and a bevy of underclassmen standouts waiting for an opportunity.

“This year we have to get some new faces in there,” Pecora said. “If you want to play us, you better this year because we’re going to be good the next few years.”

Schedule

Coach: Dom Pecora

2017 record: 7-4, 4-2

All-time record: 298-238-23

Date, Opponent, Time

8.24, at Jeannette, 7 p.m.

8.31, at Steel Valley*, 7 p.m.

9.7, South Allegheny, 7 p.m.

9.14, at Apollo-Ridge*, 7 p.m.

9.22, at Summit Academy*, 12:30 p.m.

9.28, Carmichaels, 7 p.m.

10.5, Beth-Center, 7 p.m.

10.12, at Avonworth*, 7 p.m.

10.19, at Shady Side Academy*, 7 p.m.

10.26, Valley*, 7 p.m.

*Class 2A Allegheny Conference game

Statistical leaders

Passing: Tamaine Underwood*

158-237, 2,238 yards, 23 TDs

Receiving: T.J. Banks*

48-679, 10 TDs

Rushing: Tyvon Wright*

53-227 yards, 5 TDs

*Graduated

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: East Allegheny