Led by do-it-all QBs, 1st-round foes Latrobe, West Allegheny are mirror images

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 | 5:50 PM

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When the WPIAL football committee released the Class 4A first-round pairings Saturday, all Latrobe coach Ron Prady could do was shake his head in disappointment when he saw his team was traveling to West Allegheny.

The opposite reaction happened at West Allegheny. Coach Dave Schoppe was thrilled to get a home game and not have to make the hour-plus drive to Westmoreland County.

“We had an hour bus ride to Laurel Highlands last year,” Schoppe said. “I’m glad the committee thought so much of (the Parkway) conference to give a fourth-place team a home game.”

Latrobe (7-3), which finished third in the Big Seven Conference, is on the road against the Parkway Conference’s fourth-best team at 7 p.m. Friday. The Wildcats picked up their first playoff win in 55 years last fall when they defeated Highlands in the first round.

Despite the initial disappointment, Prady and his squad have moved on and now are focused on how to contain West Allegheny junior quarterback Brock Cornell, who is outstanding on both sides of the ball.

“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Prady said. “Their offense runs through him. He’s also a leader on defense at safety. We’ll have our hands full. They are similar to us.”

Cornell, the son of West Allegheny defensive coordinator and baseball coach Bryan Cornell, has rushed for 1,009 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. He has completed 25 of 47 passes for 366 yards and four scores. He also has caught six passes for 140 yards.

He teams up with running back Roman Police in the backfield. Police has rushed for 443 yards.

“They do a lot of different things on offense,” Prady said. “They run a lot of RPO (run-pass option) stuff that can create problems.”

West Allegheny returned to the WPIAL playoffs in 2022 after missing for three consecutive seasons. They lost to Laurel Highlands, 44-15.

The Indians dropped four games this season: a nonconference matchup with South Fayette (31-14) and conference losses to Aliquippa (29-22), Central Valley (29-20) and Montour (49-17).

The WPIAL rewarded them for close losses to Aliquippa and Central Valley.

The losses for the Wildcats (7-3) were in a nonconference contest with Franklin Regional (28-21) and conference games against Thomas Jefferson (41-14) and McKeesport (42-14).

“They are a good football team,” Schoppe said. “They are like us: They have a good quarterback and some hard runners. They have some skills. (John Wetzel) is very athletic, and (Alex Tatsch) is a tough, physical kid. They are impressive. It’s going to be a good game.”

Wetzel, who, like Cornell, plays quarterback and safety, might be a better thrower than Cornell. Wetzel has completed 72 of 109 passes for 1,175 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has rushed for a team-high 793 yards and 11 scores.

Tatsch, who has numerous Division I offers, has rushed for 349 yards and six scores. The bulk of the running back duties have gone to junior Brady Prohovic, who has rushed for 517 yards and four scores.

Wetzel’s main targets have been Ja’Tawn Williams (32 catches for 712 yards and nine touchdowns) and Jack Drnjevich (20 catches for 246 yards and three scores).

Schoppe said a rough start cost his team against Montour.

“We had some early opportunities that didn’t go our way, and then things got out of hand,” Schoppe said. “I think our games against Aliquippa and Central Valley proved we can play against anyone.”

Prady said he is impressed by how well West Allegheny sustains its blocks. He also hopes last year’s playoff success benefits his team.

“A lot of them played in the playoffs last year, and they know how to prepare and know the urgency of how fast things move,” Prady said. “I believe we’ll be ready.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Latrobe, West Allegheny