The HERALD Sharon, PA published Tuesday, August 27,1996
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Football '96



SHARPSVILLE

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Sharpsville eyes a new beginning




It's been 10 years since the Sharpsville football program posted a winning record (7-4-1 in 1986).

But with enthusiastic first-year coach and former Blue Devil athletic great Paul Piccirilli taking the reins, it appears Sharpsville fans won't have to wait quite so long to taste success again.

``It's definitely (a thrill),'' Piccirilli said of being a head coach after serving as an assistant at Mercer and Sharpsville for 15 years. ``Before you get out of coaching I think you want one chance to be a head coach, and I told (Mercer head coach) Frank Makarevich that would be the only way I'd leave Mercer.''

Mercer's loss _ where Piccirilli spent the last six years _ is certainly Sharpsville's gain.

In the nine years since that last winning season, Sharpsville teams have posted a combined 21-67-2 mark.

Piccirilli, a 1973 Sharpsville graduate who lettered in football, basketball and baseball for the Blue Devils, played on three squads that had an aggregate 22-7 mark, he helped usher in one of the most successful eras ever at Mercer and that winning attitude should rub off on his squad.

Piccirilli welcomed 31 players into camp in grades 10-12, an increase over what Sharpsville has seen in recent years. That will enable the Blue Devils to field a freshman team for the first time in three years.

``We don't have great size and weight on the line and we're not very fast, but we do have good skill players,'' said the 41-year-old Piccirilli. ``That's probably our biggest asset. Also, the kids are starting to believe in themselves and they have a lot of heart. And I hope that will help us overcome some of the things we lack.''

Key losses were all-conference selections Dave Davis, Matt Abbott and Ray Mariani, who graduated, and MCAC Class A MVP receiver Cody George, who will be plying his trade at Kennedy this season. As a freshman and sophomore, George pulled in 68 receptions for 889 yards, including an area-best 48 for 688 yards last season.

The cupboard isn't bare, however, with junior quarterback John Napotnik _ a two-way first-team all-league pick a year ago _ returning for a third year at the helm and the return of all-MCAC players Tom Greene, Fred Sloan and Tom McMath. Another key returnee is Brian Pifer.

In two seasons, Napotnik is 172-of-360 for 1,929 yards, with 17 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. Last year he hit 106-of-206 (.515) pass attempts for a Mercer County-best 1,258 yards, with 12 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, as the Blue Devils finished 4-6.

``He reads really well and we're going to give him the opportunity to call plays at the line of scrimmage,'' Piccirilli said. ``He's the smartest quarterback I've seen in a long time. He's like a coach on the field.''

Piccirilli said fans should expect, however, to see the air taken out of the ball this season.

``We want to establish the running game,'' he said. ``We don't want to throw 35 times a game like they did the past few years. I don't know any team that throws all the time and wins. But with an athlete like Napotnik, we're definately going to throw.''

The tentative starting lineup is: