Trusky leads Bishop Canevin into WPIAL playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 28, 2017 | 12:01 AM

When Bishop Canevin football coach Darren Schoppe needed a go-to player to stabilize his offense, he knew where to turn.

When Schoppe needed a player to switch positions to shore up his linebacking corps, he knew where to turn.

Senior Zach Trusky is the proverbial first man in, last man out at workouts. He has been that way for the better part of his high school career. On a team short on experience at several positions, Trusky was a rock.

“He is the hardest-working player I have coached in 24 years,” Schoppe said. “He is a machine. He doesn't stop, and it's not a show. That's who he is. He feels he needs to be that way to be at the top of his game.”

And Trusky is getting to the top of his game just in time. His season-best 164-yard rushing performance Oct. 20 keyed the Crusaders' win over Greensburg Central Catholic and pushed them into the playoffs.

He eclipsed 100 yards in each of the three games heading into the regular-season finale, boosting his season total to 864 to go with 15 touchdowns.

But Trusky said it's no coincidence that he has had his best games late in the season. An offensive line that was struggling to replace several starters, he said, is jelling.

“At first we had some difficulties because we lost two or three seniors on the line, and they all had experience,” he said. “Having some of these new guys step up, they were doing it for the first time. They had the ability and aggression, but it was a big learning curve.

“But they've started to click and come together. The past two or three games, they have really clicked as a group and are making great holes for me.”

Trusky (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) had a learning curve of his own in moving to outside linebacker. A mainstay in the Crusaders secondary since his freshman year, he was asked to fill an urgent need in the front seven.

Schoppe said Trusky's toughness is unmatched. Plus, he brought from the secondary his speed and open-field tackling ability.

“He's going to stick his nose in there on every play,” Schoppe said. “I'm always looking for the toughest kids I can find on defense, and he certainly has that.”

Trusky has excelled since making the transition but confessed it wasn't easy.

“When I played football for my elementary school team, I played linebacker,” he said. “But high school is a whole different game. I had to relearn the whole defense. After the first three games, I started to get comfortable, and it came more natural.”

With Trusky and the Crusaders (3-5, 3-4 Eastern Conference) starting to peak, they have an eye toward making amends for last season's ending. After routing California in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs, Bishop Canevin was blanked 41-0 by Northgate in the quarterfinals.

Though the Crusaders have had their rough patches this season, Trusky believes they are ready for the playoffs.

“We didn't win WPIALs like we hoped,” he said. “It was a big letdown. I feel like we could have played better.

“I think definitely we all have that attitude that we want to go farther and have success. We're just a bunch of hardworking kids.”

Chuck Curti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.

Tags: Bishop Canevin