Beaver Falls’ big backs will test Sto-Rox in WPIAL Class 2A final

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, November 14, 2020 | 5:11 AM

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Beaver Falls could use multiple receivers, spread the field and throw the football in Saturday’s WPIAL championship.

They could, but they probably won’t.

“When you have two tailbacks that are over 220 pounds, you’re going to put them with as many linemen and as many lead blockers as you can and tell teams to stop them,” Tigers coach Nick Nardone said. “That’s been our M.O. all year.”

No. 1 seed Beaver Falls (9-0) is headed to the WPIAL Class 2A championship on the shoulders of arguably the best running back tandem in the WPIAL this year. Combined, seniors Josh Hough and Shileak Livingston have rushed for more than 2,700 yards and 43 touchdowns.

“We have wideouts that can catch the ball,” Nardone said. “Until a team forces us to throw the ball, we like to stick to what we’re used to and stick to what we’re good at. We’re going to challenge you between the tackles until you stop us.”

Hough is a big back at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, but Livingston certainly isn’t small at 5-11, 220. They’ll be the focus for No. 3 Sto-Rox (8-1) when the teams meet at 5 p.m. Saturday at North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium.

“We know what we’ve got to do. We know we’re in the trenches,” Sto-Rox coach LaRoi Johnson said. “We know it’s going to be a physical game, one we’re not going to back down from.”

A week ago against Apollo-Ridge, Hough rushed for 368 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. The Syracuse recruit and WPIAL leading rusher scored on runs of 8, 78 and 86 yards.

Livingston added 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. All while Apollo-Ridge was determined to stop the run. Beaver Falls faced what Nardone called a 5-6 defense, with 11 defenders crowding the line of scrimmage.

“When they did that we ran a little play action to keep them honest,” he said.

Beaver Falls quarterback Jaren Brickner completed 5 of 11 attempts for 121 yards and a touchdown. But mostly, Beaver Falls stuck to the ground with 42 rushing attempts.

“Teams try to confuse us,” Nardone said. “They’ll switch defensive fronts. They’ll blitz. They’ll stunt. Our offensive line has done a really nice job of just staying calm, seeing what’s in front of them and knowing our game plan.”

Sto-Rox plays a different style, relying more on speed, but that doesn’t mean the Vikings can’t be physical, Johnson said. They’ll likely lean heavily on middle linebacker Diontae Givens, a Duquesne recruit.

“They’re going to come out and try to establish how physical they are,” Johnson said. “They’re going to try to push us around a little bit. We’ve seen that test. We’ve seen it from Laurel. We’ve seen it from South Side. We’ve seen it from multiple teams. (Hough) is a great athlete but we’ve seen that test before.”

Beaver Falls is in the WPIAL finals for the second time in five years but the team’s first with Nardone as head coach. He was an assistant when the Tigers won WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2016. Back then Beaver Falls was a Class 3A team before dropping this fall to 2A.

Sto-Rox also changed classifications since last season. The Vikings were the WPIAL Class A runners-up a year ago. They moved up to Class 2A this season and remain undefeated on the field. Their only loss was a Week 1 forfeit.

Under Johnson, Sto-Rox brings a much different offensive approach than Beaver Falls. The Vikings use a spread attack with multiple receivers and multiple quarterbacks.

Sto-Rox sophomore Josh Jenkins has thrown for 1,250 yards and 14 touchdowns. Junior Austin Jones has 769 passing yards with five touchdowns. The Vikings have three receivers with more than 20 catches: Jaymont Green-Miller (32), Zay Davis (25) and Drevon Miller-Ross (22).

Jones threw for three touchdowns in last week’s semifinal win over Serra Catholic, and Davis added 108 rushing yards and scored twice.

“They present some problems,” Nardone said. “They’ve got athletes all over the field. If one of their guys gets the ball in space and makes one or two guys miss, they can take any hitch or bubble screen 80 or 90 yards anytime. They’re dangerous.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Beaver Falls, Sto-Rox