Trib HSSN Player of the Week: Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, November 22, 2020 | 9:54 PM

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All season, Pine-Richland jumped on teams early and took control of football games in the first quarter on its way to a perfect regular season and another WPIAL championship.

However, the Rams were a champion on the ropes early in both halves Saturday and need a comeback to win.

Thanks to senior quarterback Cole Spencer, come back they did.

Pine-Richland trailed by 21 points in the second quarter and 22 points midway through the third quarter before rallying for a 48-44 victory over Governor Mifflin in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals.

“The most impressive thing about Cole’s performance was that he found a way to win,” Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “He never quit and continued to lead the offense regardless of any adversity they faced.”

A great day for Spencer and the Rams did not start great.

Spencer threw an interception on his first pass attempt as the Mustangs jumped to a 21-0 lead. The Rams quarterback ended up throwing three picks after tossing only four all season.

“The reason for the slow start is that Mifflin is a very good football team,” Kasperowicz said. “Cole has been tremendous all season, and once he figured things out, our offense began rolling.”

Spencer has been an honorable mention in the HSSN Player of the Week all season thanks to his pinpoint accuracy. While he was not razor-sharp Saturday, he connected on 19 of 29 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns.

“Cole has definitely improved in his accuracy over his career here at Pine-Richland,” Kasperowicz said. “As a sophomore, he completed 57 percent (of his passes). As a junior it was 68 percent, and now as a senior, he is completing 72 percent of his passes.”

The high powered Pine-Richland offense has scored 487 points in 10 victories. Spencer is the engineer, but there are many great parts to this high-rhythm offense.

“Credit to coaches Tim Sasson and Kraig Urbik for that,” Kasperowicz said. “The offensive line’s role is huge. Without them, there is no passing attack, really. They have given up zero sacks this entire year. On top of that, it is the quarterback and the offensive scheme. Cole has such a tremendous grasp of our scheme and understands when the ball needs to get out of his hands.”

After leading a pair of comebacks, Pine-Richland found itself trailing 44-41 with less than 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation when Spencer rested his arm and used his legs to finish the thriller with a 54-yard touchdown run down the left sidelines.

“Credit to Coach Lehmeier and the offensive staff for that one,” Kasperowicz said. “It was kind of drawn up in the dirt during the timeout. Ryan saw something he liked, got it communicated and the kids went out and executed it. We’ve never run that play before, ever. Now we do run it with the running back at times, but never with the quarterback.”

Pine-Richland advanced to the PIAA Class 5A final Friday, when they will face district nemesis Erie Cathedral Prep.

“Cathedral Prep is a traditional football power in the state of Pennsylvania,” Kasperowicz said. “Coach Mischler always has them at or near the top in the end. We will have a tremendous challenge in front of us, but we are extremely proud to represent the Pine-Richland School District and the entire community in the state championship game.”

Win or lose in the finals, Spencer has left an impressive mark on an outstanding program. He is 31-5 as a starting quarterback at Pine-Richland and is the all-time winningest quarterback in school history.

Week 11 honorable mentions

Connor Murga, Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was extended beyond regulation the week before by Aliquippa in winning a 10th WPIAL championship. The Jaguars barely broke a sweet in earning another trip to Hershey to defend their PIAA Class 4A crown.

Junior running back Connor Murga and company made sure there would be no dramatics by jumping out to a 28-0 lead after one quarter and extending to a 49-point bulge by halftime.

Murga rushed for 144 yards and scored three touchdowns on runs of 40, 2 and 2 yards as TJ rolled to a rather convincing 62-0 whitewash of District 10 champion Oil City.

Landon Alexander, Central Valley

Last week’s HSSN Player of the Week continues to dominate in the postseason as his yearly numbers continue to impress.

In the PIAA Class 3A semifinals, junior running back Landon Alexander rushed for 159 yards and scored on a pair of second quarter touchdown runs as Central Valley remained undefeated with a 49-20 triumph over District 5 champion Bedford.

Alexander now has 1,327 yards rushing with 20 touchdowns. He has more than 500 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns in four postseason victories.

Roberto Smith, Jeannette

This season at Jeannette, James Sanders went from starting quarterback to starting wide receiver, so why couldn’t Roberto Smith reinvent himself from leading rusher to winning quarterback?

With freshman stud quarterback Brad Birch on the sidelines with an ankle injury, the senior running back Smith moved to QB and was a natural.

Smith, who leads the Jayhawks in rushing, was 6 of 15 passing for 280 yards with a touchdown pass and three scoring runs as Jeannette rolled past District 10 champion Reynolds and into the state finals with a 48-12 victory in the Class A semifinals.

2020 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 10 – Landon Alexander, Central Valley

Week 9 – Josh Hough, Beaver Falls

Week 8 – Logan Harmon, Apollo-Ridge

Week 7 – Dontae Sanders, Clairton

Week 6 – Ethan Dahlem, Upper St. Clair

Week 5 – Jaedan Zuzak, California

Week 4 – RaShawn Reid, Rochester

Week 3 – Ryan Hubner, Plum

Week 2 – Logan Shrubb, Keystone Oaks

Week 1 – Devin Whitlock, Belle Vernon

Tags: Pine-Richland