Despite heavy graduation loss, standard remains same for California

By: Adam Brewer
Thursday, August 22, 2024 | 7:01 AM

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Coach Ed Woods is entering his seventh year at California, and the relationship has been fruitful for both sides with plenty of success in the regular season and playoffs.

Before trying to continue their climb in the Class A ranks, the Trojans have to replace 10 seniors from a squad that made it the quarterfinal round last fall.

“Our senior class last year had a lasting impact on this program,” said Woods, who is entering his 27th year as a head coach at the high school level. “But with high school football, when you lose a big senior class you need the underclassmen to step up and take those leadership roles.

“It starts over the summer in the weight room. It was an outstanding summer session for us in the weight room. Probably one of the best I ever had. I have never seen so many kids getting stronger. Their work ethic is good and they are eager to hit the field.”

California, which has made the playoffs eight straight seasons and 16 of the last 21 seasons, posted a 10-2 record in 2023 and won the Tri-County South Conference with a 7-0 mark.

After the Trojans blew past Jeannette, 44-6, in the first round, they lost a hard-fought battle with Bishop Canevin in the round of eight.

In six years at Cal, Woods has won 38 of 51 games and holds a 29-5 record against Tri-County South foes.

This year’s roster is a little thinner with only 30 players, but that won’t diminish the program’s expectations for this fall.

“Nothing changes here for us,” Woods said. “Winning the conference title is an expectation here at Cal. Our numbers might be down and we might have lost a lot of starters from last year’s team, but we will not shy away from those high standards that we have set.”

The Trojans lost 70% of their rushing yards and 45 rushing touchdowns from last season. Despite those losses, Cal will rely on a ground-and-pound attack.

“We are a rushing team, that’s our identity,” Woods said. “We are going to miss those kids from last year, but you’ve got to move on. We have confidence in the kids we have now, and we know running the football will be key for us.

“You always have to adjust your offensive game plan to your personnel. We have a great coaching staff and they teach them up pretty good from position to position.”

Cal will look to defend its TCS crown, as the conference saw limited changes with Monessen moving out and Avella coming in. The other teams will be Bentworth, Beth-Center, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene.

“It’s a strong conference this season,” Woods said. “We played some teams in 7-on-7 this summer. Avella looks good, and I know Jefferson has a lot of kids coming back from last year. And you can’t forget about Beth-Center, West Greene or Bentworth.

“I don’t think there’s a heavy favorite. I expect it to be competitive. Every team needs to stay healthy.”

Senior running back Lee Qualk will be one of the focal points for the offense. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound tailback was a home run threat last season whenever he touched the ball out of the backfield, finishing with 560 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Lining up with Qualk in the backfield will be junior fullbacks Landon Abercrombie and Malachi Peak. Penciled in as a starter under center will be 6-3 junior Logan Hartley.

“Our skilled positions will be good again this year,” Woods said. “Lee Qualk is a dynamic runner, and I think we are going to get the ball in the hands of our fullbacks, too.

“Logan is an athletic kid with a good arm. This is his first year as a quarterback, so we will tailor our offense to his skill sets. He throws the ball really well on the run, and he is not afraid of getting first downs with his legs.”

Senior receiver Vinny Manzella will look to be a dependable option in Cal’s passing game.

Woods is excited about the impact his offensive line can bring with several returning starters.

Anchoring the line will be senior Niko Georgagis, senior DJ Johnson, senior Matt Miller and junior Noah Layhue. Juniors Austin Zemba and Devon Harris are battling for reps at center.

The Trojans will once again have impact players on all three levels of the defense. Peak and Johnson will be stalwarts on the line, while Abercrombie, Georgagis, Qualk and senior Christian Ross will roam the linebacker spot. Ross will also handle the kicking duties for Cal.

Manzella will get one of the starting cornerback positions, while the other spots in the defensive backfield are still up for grabs.

“We keep it simple on defense,” Woods said. “We have a ton of speed and we want our guys to be flying around the football making plays. We love to be the aggressors and to get nine, 11 guys around the ball at all times. A lot of people focus on our offense and overlook our defense in the past, but trust me, our defense set the tone for us.”

California only gave up 11.5 points per game last season.

California

Coach: Ed Woods

2023 record: 10-2, 7-0 in Class A Tri-County South Conference

All-time record: 455-440-14

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.23 Serra Catholic, 7

8.30 at Cornell, 7

9.6 Waynesburg, 7

9.13 at Bentworth*, 7

9.20 Avella*, 7

9.27 Mapletown*, 7

10.4 Carmichaels*, 7

10.11 at West Greene*, 7

10.18 at Beth-Center*, 7

10.25 Jefferson-Morgan*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Jack Layhue*

34-71, 351 yards, 2 TDs

Rushing: Spencer Petrucci*

185-1,544 yards, 24 TDs

Receiving: Lee Qualk

7-131 yards

*Graduated

Tags: California