Top dogs of A in for a big fight

By Scott DeJulia
Herald Writer

Ever since coach Paul Piccirilli joined the staff as head coach in 1996, the Sharpsville Blue Devils have been considered among the elite in Class A football. Four years, 42 wins, four league titles, four District 10 title appearances, two D-10 wins and one state championship later, his team will be in for a war if they want to remain king of the hill.

And, to top it all off, Coach Piccirilli is now also athletic director Piccirilli, replacing longtime AD Walter Karsonovich. However, as his record indicates, Piccirilli handles pressure well.

"This year's team is going to be very young and inexperienced," said Piccirilli. "We've lost 10 starters on offense and nine on defense, so everyone who's playing this year will be learning on the run. We're doing a lot more teaching than coaching this year."

The Blue Devils will be hard-pressed to reproduce the statistical success of last year's 10-2 crew, which had them as the top team in the area in points scored offensively, points allowed defensively, yards gained offensively, and yards allowed defensively. They were also tops in rushing yards and rushing defense, second in pass defense and third in pass offense.

This year marks the first since 1993 that a Napotnik will not be on the roster for Sharpsville. Justin Napotnik, The Herald's Player of the Year, was a major part of the attack last year, as he scored a whopping 34 touchdowns, leading his closest competitors in the county by six scores. He was also part of one of the most lethal 1-2 backfields in Mercer County with Scott Sigworth. His 1,590 yards rushing and 206 points will be sorely missed, including Sigworth's 932 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns and Matt Fleischer's 236 yards receiving. Other departed players who were key contributors are: quarterback Brad Allen, wideout Jeff Donatelli, backs Demetrius Burns and Brian DeTolla, and two-way stalwarts Brad Miller, Ben Mastrian, Cary Kulka and Mike Anglin.

"Every game this year, we're just going to have to hope we can get to the fourth quarter with a chance to win it," said Piccirilli. "We don't expect to blow anybody out or have it as easy as we've had it in the past. But I

do think we have a lot of talent, and I think we at least have a chance in every game."

When asked about his team's advantages, Piccirilli said, "We're smaller than we have been in the past five years, but team quickness is just as good, if not better, than it has been in the past five years. We're hoping to stay in good shape and run teams down."

This year sees new teams on the schedule from far away, such as Archbishop Walsh from New York and Ledgemont in Geauga County, Ohio, as well as a possible away game in New Jersey. The schedule also welcomes back an old foe in Hickory, whom Sharpsville hasn't played since 1991.

The league also looks to have improved, with Kennedy Christian and West Middlesex fielding experienced teams.

"Districts are always a goal," remarked Piccirilli. "Kennedy's loaded this year. They've picked up a lot of players. ... They're the team to beat, and West Middlesex is much improved because they haven't lost much from last year."

Again, Piccirilli emphasized the learning aspect of this year's team.

"We're taking a different approach with what we've got here. We're going a lot slower with the plays we put in and the defensive strategies," he said. "We're trying to simplify everything so the kids can get better at what they're doing, so we probably won't have our total offensive and defensive package in until mid-season, which will be a good time to peak."

As far as team leadership goes, the coach says his five or six seniors will be obvious choices, but he's looking for anyone to add fire to the mix.

"Our junior class is very talented," he said. "We have a lot of maniacs in that class that will step up at game time, but if we're going to go anywhere, it will be with the leadership of the seniors."

Piccirilli didn't want to speculate, but he said, "We're going to give 110 percent and, hopefully, we'll be very exciting. We're going to see a different brand of ball this year, and we'll be more diversified with the talent available. If we can move the ball on offense and keep people stymied on defense, it'll be enough to keep us in the game."

Assisting Piccirilli are: Gary Baker, Len Grandy, Joe Joseph, Blase Iorio, Rich Pavone, Tom Patton, Fred Sablack and Scott Scurpa.