Steady improvement, versatile offense give Penn Hills playoff confidence

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, November 7, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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Penn Hills coach Jon LeDonne might’ve preferred a bye for the first week of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, but admits being scheduled to host Franklin Regional in the first round had its advantages.

The Indians, who won the Northeast Conference on Gardner points after tying with North Hills and Pine-Richland, were seeded fifth in the playoffs. Penn Hills was seeded behind the Rams, who have a head-to-head victory over the Indians.

“It’s good in that regard to keep the normal practice schedule and game schedule,” LeDonne said. “We do feel a little disrespected by the committee. The WPIAL talks about standards and policies (for seeding), but the committee didn’t follow that. It is what it is.”

Penn Hills (6-3, 4-1) built serious momentum after its 21-14 loss to Pine-Richland in the conference opener. The Indians won four in a row, including a 42-22 victory over Kiski Area to close out the regular season.

“We continue to improve each week after that,” LeDonne said. “Our younger guys are growing up and maturing. We came out (against Kiski Area), did what we needed to do and handled business.”

Penn Hills has seen growth in its running game to pair with the passing of Julian Dugger, who has 1,030 passing yards and thrown for 16 passing touchdowns. Dugger is the team’s second-leading rusher, with 417 yards on 113 carries.

“Everyone comes in and sees the potential in the quarterback and wants to go air raid and throw the ball all over the field,” LeDonne said. “We have a run game that complements that. That opens it up more for the passing game.”

Sophomore Amir Key has carried a bulk of the load, gaining 508 yards on 103 carries.

“Amir has great vision and footwork in the backfield,” LeDonne said.

Freshmen Naytell Mitchell, who averages 6.9 yards per carry, and Amir Rollins, who averages 6.2, have also helped the Indians keep teams off balance.

“We have two or three guys we are asking to do different things,” LeDonne said. “We are spreading the ball out to them. They are being unselfish.”

Penn Hills believes if it can get deeper into the playoffs, the Indians will be able to utilize their versatile backfield to great effect.

“They all have different traits and characteristics,” LeDonne said. “They all complement each other well. If things go this way, we will likely have a set with all three of them in the backfield.”

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