Ellwood City ready to take next step in program turnaround

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, August 18, 2023 | 7:01 PM

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Ellwood City got rid of a losing stigma last season, and now the Wolverines are aiming to take the next step in the program’s turnaround.

They snapped a 27-game losing streak in Week 2 last season with a 46-6 victory at Carlynton. It was the longest skid among WPIAL teams, and something coaches and players were happy to put to an end.

The Wolverines later defeated conference foe New Brighton, 18-13, to finish 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference.

With those goals achieved, second-year coach Dan Bradley and the Wolverines are upping the ante in search of the program’s first winning season since finishing 7-4 in 2011.

“We expect to the make the playoffs, and once we get there, we want to win and advance,” Bradley said. “I think we have a lot of experience returning. We’ve been able to build on that in the weight room and on the field this offseason. The guys are really looking forward to making positive strides this year.”

Leading those strides will be the legs of junior running back Elijah Palmer-McCane, who earned first-team all-conference honors last season after rushing for 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns on 207 carries and adding 10 receptions for 140 yards.

“He really got comfortable in all areas of being a running back, being able to run the football, pick up the blocking assignments, and he catches the ball well out of the backfield,” Bradley said. “We look for him to build on that this year and grow as a player.”

Junior quarterback Chris Smiley will be back under center for the second straight season. He completed 75 of 161 passes for 940 yards and five touchdowns last season, though turnovers are an area Bradley hopes will improve with a year of experience.

“Just continue to grow. We need him to take better care of the ball,” Bradley said of Smiley’s 15 interceptions. “A lot of the turnovers or struggles he had weren’t always his (fault). Being surrounded by so many underclassmen is not easy playing quarterback. He got better as the year went on and played some of his better games late in the season. We want him to continue to develop and become more of a two-to-three read guy.”

Juniors Dayntae Pierce (46-244 yards, 1 TD) and Luciano Gagric (20-105 yards, 1 TD) also return as backfield options. Pierce was a first-team all-conference selection as a kick returner and will be a key weapon on offense.

“We’ll move him around a bit and get him in space so he can do some things for us,” Bradley said of Pierce.

Ellwood City graduated receivers Brighton Mariacher and Aaron Hobel, but the Woverines return a few talented options on the outside, including senior 6-foot-4 pass-catcher Michael Walters, who had 17 catches for 256 yards and two scores last season.

Four starters return to the offensive line — senior Ryder Grinnen and juniors Maddox Singer, Evan Tweddell and Shayne Lutz. All earned all-conference honors in 2022. Junior Logan McClymonds will join the starting rotation.

“They just need to become more consistent, and I think they will with that year under their belt,” Bradley said.

The group will also play on the defensive line in front of a talented group of linebackers.

Sophomore Deklan O’Brien had 53 tackles, including four sacks, last season and will be in the middle with juniors Kaden Docchio and Gagric and senior Ethan Patterson. Juniors Gavin Partridge and Declan Gray (47 tackles) will be on the outside. Gray also returns as the team’s punter. Partridge was an all-conference selection in 2022.

Pierce and sophomores Dom Hogue and Dailonn Currie will play in the secondary.

Together the group will try to secure one of the five playoff berths in the MAC.

“You always have to start with Beaver Falls,” Bradley said. “Western Beaver has a lot of athletes. I think Mohawk has a solid team. Those three would be the top three contenders.”

Ellwood City

Coach: Dan Bradley

2022 record: 2-8, 1-6 in Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference

All-time record: 432-581-44

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.25 Brentwood, 7

9.1 Union, 7

9.8 Carlynton, 7

9.15 Freedom*, 7

9.22 Western Beaver*, 7

9.29 Mohawk*, 7

10.6 New Brighton*, 7

10.13 at Beaver Falls*, 7

10.20 Neshannock*, 7

10.27 at Riverside*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Chris Smiley

75-161, 940 yards, 5 TDs

Rushing: Elijah Palmer-McCane

207-1,232 yards, 13 TDs

Receiving: Michael Walters

17-256 yards, 2 TDs

FAST FACTS

• Ellwood City won its lone WPIAL championship in 1925 and also was a district finalist in 1944 and ’87.

• The Wolverines won conference championships in 1986 and ’97.

• Bradley was 49-19 over six seasons at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart before heading to Ellwood City last season. He also went 8-11 at Ambridge and 23-3 at Sto-Rox, leading the Vikings to the WPIAL championship game twice.

• Bradley also is now the Ellwood City boys basketball coach, replacing Scott Dibble, who resigned after the 2022-23 season after one year in charge.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

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