Winless, resilient Shaler football focuses on achievements

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 8, 2017 | 11:00 PM

Darin Mizgorski led the drive Shaler football coach Jim Ryan was looking for all season.

When Canon-McMillan surged ahead by a touchdown with 6 minutes, 49 seconds remaining last Friday, the winless Titans needed to move quickly. Shaler found paydirt a minute later when Mizgorski scored on a 1-yard run.

Though the Big Macs won on a 2-yard touchdown run by Davey Cooper with 2:56 remaining, it proved the Titans' resilience.

“They never quit,” Ryan said. “Their attitude has been phenomenal. They are definitely a resilient group of kids. They are listening to the things we are telling them to do. I'm pleased with how they are handling the adversity right now.”

Time is running out for Shaler (0-7) to snap its 21-game losing streak. The Titans last victory came Oct. 9, 2015, against Fox Chapel. An unforgiving three-game stretch to end the season won't help the Titans.

Northern Seven Conference foe Pine-Richland, which Shaler will play Friday, is 7-0 and has one of the best offenses in the WPIAL. The Titans will close conference play against 1-5 Seneca Valley before wrapping up against 5-2 Peters Township.

“Obviously, we're still trying to win,” Mizgorski said. “We're just focusing on getting better and executing plays. We also want to have successful drives that we can finish in the end zone.”

Ryan said the Titans have been focusing on celebrating their successes. Moving the ball on the ground with Joey Kremer, Parker Kilgore, Noah Woods and Jake Bredl has been a positive.

“Establishing our run game,” Ryan said. “We are able to move the ball. I think that can be a confidence builder, even for the assistant coaches. We just don't finish. That's where we fall short.”

The Titans average 8.4 points and have been held to seven or less five times. The Titans' 14-7 halftime lead against Canon-McMillan was their first lead at the break this season. Mizgorski found Brian Colarusso for a 33-yard touchdown, and Kremer scored on a 25-yard run to put Shaler ahead.

“We threw the ball more on first downs and had some good play-action plays in the fourth quarter to get a quick touchdown,” Mizgorski said. “Overall, the offensive line was successful, which created opportunity for the rest of the team.”

Shaler just needs to believe those opportunities can translate into wins.

“I think what we do is every success we achieve, we try to reinforce it in the kids,” Ryan said. “This is how good we can be. We just need to do it more. We do things well, we just don't do it enough.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: Shaler