By JOE SIMON

New Castle News

Not many saw a team that lost its 31st straight game last year going to the playoffs in 2010.

Gino Ceriani was one who did.

The Ellwood City Lincoln High quarterback has been through the bad — an 0-9 sophomore season and a 1-8 junior year — and now he’s there for the good, as the Wolverines currently are preparing for a WPIAL Class AA playoff game on Friday. Despite the constant losing and negative atmosphere that surrounded the program, Ceriani said he foresaw a great year on the horizon.

“We knew what we could do all along — we knew we weren’t losers or anything,” he said. “It just took getting coach’s system put in and everything, and everyone’s buying in.

“In junior high, my grade, we always won. We knew what we could do. We showed signs of it throughout the past two years, but this year, in the offseason, we just said ‘Enough is enough. It’s time to start winning.’ ”

Ceriani made sure that success continued against the Wolverines’ archrival, Riverside. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 278 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, leading Ellwood City to its first playoff berth since 2000. The showing also earned him Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

The winning mindset exuded by Ceriani and the Wolverines (6-3) took some time to develop. Lopsided wins over New Brighton and Freedom to start the year helped their confidence, but it wasn’t until a statement victory over Mount Pleasant that Ellwood City really began to believe in itself.

“Our first two wins were against Freedom and New Brighton, and they’re not the best teams out there, but Mount Pleasant, I think they won their section last year,” Ceriani said. “They were undefeated in the regular season, and the (Pittsburgh) Post-Gazette said some mean things about us before the game, and then we went out there and beat them, 35-0. That’s when we said, ‘OK, we’re not a joke.’ From then on, that’s when we knew it was going to be a good season.”

Ceriani has been an integral part of the turnaround. Coach Don Phillips said the 6-foot, 170-pound senior has continued to develop as a passer and a leader throughout season. His performance against Riverside was the pinnacle of his progression, and Phillips said he wasn’t surprised the performance came in the biggest game of the year.

“He’s worked very hard to learn everything, because this offense that we’re doing this year is different than it’s been his first two years,” Phillips said. “It was built with him more in mind, and he’s flourished in it.

“Gino has a competitive nature about him — he just hates to lose. He’s going to fight for you. As long as there’s time on the clock, he believes we can win. He brings that enthusiasm, not only to himself, but it exudes over to his teammates, and they want to perform. The kids, they’ve always believed in what Gino could do, but now that he’s really demonstrated it — week in and week out — their confidence level in him has skyrocketed.”

That conviction appears to be swelling throughout the community. The years of being ridiculed, laughed at, made fun of and the butt of jokes may be passing for the Wolverines. Ceriani once again can notice the change.

“Today, it sunk in at school,” Ceriani said of making the playoffs. “Everyone was just going crazy, treating the football players different. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re on the football team. That’s a good thing.’ It’s not, ‘Oh, he’s the loser jerk on the football team.’ ”

They’ve come a long way in Ellwood City.

*****

The Geno Ceriani File

POSITION: Quarterback

TEAM: Ellwood City Lincoln

GRADE: 12

KNOWN FOR: Ceriani had an amazing game against archrival Riverside. In a game where the winner went to the playoffs and the loser’s season was over, he completed 16 of 20 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. He hit junior Kyle Crawford on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes remaining to give the Wolverines a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

PARENTS: Gino and Bridget Ceriani

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. “He just has this will to win. He hates losing, and that’s how I am. If we lose a game, the whole weekend’s ruined.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: Pittsburgh Steelers. “My family, that’s who they like, and I just jumped on. And they win. How can you not like them?”

FUTURE PLANS: Ceriani said he wants to attend college and possibly play baseball. He’s unsure of what he will study.