WPIAL Playoffs: New Castle vs. Highlands
Written: Oct 31, 2013
By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News
The mini-postseason drought is over for the New Castle High football team.
The Red Hurricane last competed in a WPIAL playoff game in 2009. That dry spell will come to an end at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow when New Castle travels to Highlands for a WPIAL Class AAA first-round matchup.
“The guys are really locked in,” second-year ’Canes coach Joe Cowart said of the upcoming playoff game. “It’s been a few years since we’ve been in this type of atmosphere and the kids have really responded.”
New Castle is in search of its 10th WPIAL crown and first since 1998, when Cowart was a star quarterback/safety on the squad.
“It’s absolutely exciting; I’m really excited,” Cowart said. “This is what you play for and what you coach for.
“You play to be in games like we’ll be in (tomorrow) night. This is why you work hard.”
The 10th-seeded ’Canes (7-2) finished third in the tough Parkway Conference. New Castle dropped a Week 7 home matchup to conference champion and top-seeded West Allegheny, 37-31. A win would have been the difference in securing a home playoff game for the ’Canes, who are listed among the teams to watch in the latest state poll by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg.
“Their skill people are unbelievable,” said 10th-year Golden Rams coach Sam Albert. “They have good size and they’re a good football team.
“I don’t know how they got seeded so low. They look like a great team. I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone in a long time with that kind of talent and athleticism.”
Highlands (6-3), which is seeded seventh, placed third in the Greater Allegheny Conference. The Golden Rams have lost two straight games.
“I think they’re a very good team,” Cowart said. “They’re a power run team and they’re big and physical up front.
“We’ll have our hands full. They’re maybe as good as anyone we’ve played all year. They’re aggressive and physical at the point of attack.”
Blake Leri leads the Golden Rams’ offense. Leri, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior quarterback, is 29 of 86 for 456 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He has 256 rushing yards as well on 83 attempts.
“He’s a capable passer and he also carries it quite a bit, too,” Cowart said. “He can make some big passes and he takes care of the ball.”
Elijah Jackson, a 5-7, 140-pound junior running back, paces Highlands’ run-first attack with 1,137 yards on 154 carries and 14 touchdowns.
Cowart compared Jackson to Hopewell’s DiMontae Bronaugh, who they faced last week.
“He’s more of a dynamic kind of scatback,” Cowart said of Jackson. “He’s not a huge back, but he’s quick and he can make you miss.”
Allan Cratsenberg, who is listed as a tight end (6-3, 225, senior), lines up a lot at fullback.
“They run hard playaction off their power run game,” Cowart said. “I think (Cratsenberg) is their best player, they will run behind him; we’ll try and find out where he’s at every play. He can play.”
The Golden Rams are surrendering 16.9 points per contest.
“They’re a base 50 front with three down linemen,” Cowart said. “They’ll play a 3-4, like the Steelers.
“Highlands shows a variety of blitzes and they’re going to pressure the ball. They want to stop the offense before it gets started; they’re good at tackling the ball in the backfield, too.”
New Castle’s Julian Cox leads the county in passing. Cox, a 6-3, 195-pound quarterback/safety, is 64 of 119 for 1,380 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Cox also ranks seventh in the area in rushing with 529 yards on 69 carries.
“He throws and he runs very well; he’s very elusive,” Albert said. “He has a really strong arm.”
Tevin McCaster, a 5-10, 200-pound senior running back/linebacker, is fifth in the county in rushing with 741 yards on 129 totes.
“McCaster is a very good back; explosive and elusive,” Albert said.
Albert also noted senior Malik Hooker (6-3, 190, wide receiver/free safety) will garner a lot of attention from the Golden Rams. Hooker is an Ohio State University recruit.
“You don’t go to a place like Ohio State if you’re not good,” Albert said. “He’s a special talent, but their other wideouts are good, too.”
The ’Canes’ defense is allowing 24.6 points a game, which is the highest among Parkway playoff participants. In fact, New Castle has given up an average of 35.5 points a contest over the last four games, posting a 3-1 mark in that span.
“If we want to make noise in the tournament, we have to play better and more disciplined football on that side of the ball,” Cowart said. “It’s hard to outscore teams every week.
“We have to limit the big plays and get them off the field. We just have to get a little bit better this week to get over the top and advance.”
Cowart pointed to the defense as a big key to achieving victory.
“We need to tackle and stop the run,” he said. “We need to continue to get better stopping the run.
“We have to sustain drives offensively and not turn the ball over. We have to be great on third downs, too.”
The winner takes on the victor of the Thomas Jefferson-Hampton game at a time and site to be determined on Nov. 8.
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