Improvement on defense helps Pine-Richland reach PIAA playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 24, 2017 | 2:18 PM

Pine-Richland's most surprising stat isn't Phil Jurkovec's 3,279 passing yards, though that's a mighty impressive total.

It's not his 33 touchdowns, either.

The most surprising number this season? It's 12.3, the average points per game the Pine-Richland defense is allowing, a 59-percent reduction from last year when opponents averaged 29.9. The improvement wasn't a coincidence. The Rams put added emphasis there this season, and coach Eric Kasperowicz shifted his attention to that side of the football.

But as WPIAL champion Pine-Richland enters the Class 6A state playoffs Saturday, it's understandable if the statewide buzz will be about the Notre Dame quarterback recruit and his offensive playmakers. The Rams face District 6 champion State College (10-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a PIAA quarterfinal at Hempfield.

“We probably have one of the best offenses in state history, so it's easy to overlook us like that,” said senior pass rusher Tommy Camino, who leads the team with 15 sacks. “But at the same time, Coach Kasper has done such a great job of turning our defense around compared to last year. I think people do overlook that a little bit.”

The improvement was obvious in the WPIAL championship.

Pine-Richland forced six punts, intercepted a pass and held Central Catholic scoreless until the final two minutes to win 42-7 at Heinz Field last weekend. The Rams forced five three-and-outs and allowed just 158 yards from scrimmage on 42 plays. It was the seventh time Pine-Richland (13-0) allowed only a touchdown or less. Central Catholic scored on its final possession with 82 seconds left.

“The defense this year is 10 times better than last year,” Camino said. “I feel like we're so much better prepared. We've done a lot of film watching. We do a lot of (practice) periods that are just mental periods where we need to learn our assignments instead of just bashing heads all the time. Coach K does a really great job of telling us what techniques we need to use, where we need to be. And that's what defense is all about: 11 guys doing their job.”

Junior linebackers Tyler King and Anthony Cerminara lead the Rams in tackles. King, who's first with 117 tackles, had 28 combined in the past two weeks. Cerminara, who had an interception at Heinz Field, has 91 tackles.

Camino had five sacks in three WPIAL playoff games.

Central Catholic completed just one pass in the first half of the WPIAL championship, converted just one of five third-down chances and trailed 21-0.

“All of the coaches really have helped out,” Camino said. “They've gone under Coach K's wing, and he's really distributed the work for all of us to do.”

Along with Kasperowicz, assistant coach Jack Neff leads the linebackers, Jared Miller coaches the defensive line and Brock Baranowski oversees the secondary.

Statistically, this Pine-Richland defense is better than 2014, when the Rams won the WPIAL title and reached the state final. That group allowed 16.6 points per game.

Their challenge Saturday is stopping a State College offense that wins with balance. The Little Lions average 163 yards passing and 237 rushing.

State College quarterback Tommy Friberg, a 6-foot-5 junior, has completed 109 of 162 attempts for 1,834 yards and 25 touchdowns. Friberg passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns last week to defeat District 2 champion Delaware Valley, 21-14. But he also threw four interceptions, raising his season total to 12.

Friberg's top target is senior Brandon Clark, a 6-5 wideout committed to Penn State as a walk-on. Clark's father, Bruce, was a star defensive lineman for New Castle and the Nittany Lions. Brandon Clark has 44 receptions for 743 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Senior running back Tristen Lyons leads State College with 949 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Lyons (5-6, 175) has five 100-yard games.

Pine-Richland's offense averages 49 points per game, so its defense hasn't needed to be perfect. The Rams have outscored teams 637-160.

“I think we are better than what people think we are,” Camino said. “But at the same time, you've got to give so much credit to our offense because they're so good.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Pine-Richland