Already looks great in Blue & Gold!!!
Rashad Wheeler read the trick play, saw Penn-Trafford quarterback Brett Laffoon run past and dropped into coverage. Jonah Lisbon saw this development and bought time, evading defenders until Laffoon was wide open in the back corner of the end zone before throwing the pass.
Out of nowhere, Wheeler leaped and batted the ball away. It was an impressive athletic feat, a 6-foot-3, 282-pound defensive end making a cover-corner play in Central's 24-17 victory in the WPIAL Class AAAA final Saturday at Heinz Field. “I was a little surprised,” Central Catholic senior linebacker Ron George said, “that he could jump that high.” Six weeks ago, the Vikings would have been surprised to see Wheeler on the field in the final minutes of such an important contest.
Wheeler is a Pitt recruit, one of the most talented players on a Central roster filled with Division I prospects. That was the problem: For the first half of the season, the Vikings were relying more upon their reputation than anything.
Wheeler left the Pine-Richland game with a cramp, and Central coaches confronted him and other senior starters afterward. They issued the challenge to start acting, practicing and playing like leaders. “I took that to heart,” Wheeler said. “I knew I had to step up for the team if we wanted to get far. When everybody is playing together and they see one player hustling, it's contagious. “It kind of ignited all of us, provided our fuel. We came back and had a great practice. It taught us that we can't just throw our hat in the ring and expect to win.”
Instead, that identity belonged to Penn-Trafford. The Warriors lived up to their nickname, first rallying from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit for an overtime victory over McKeesport in the quarterfinals and then scoring with seven seconds left to beat Pine-Richland.
Meantime, Central Catholic cruised to the WPIAL final for the third consecutive year. The Vikings had eliminated Penn-Trafford from the playoffs the past three years and expected to do it again.
It was looking good when linebacker Tim Terry crushed Lisbon on a screen pass at the 6. The ball popped out in front of Wheeler, who tipped it to himself and returned the interception for a touchdown and 14-0 lead. “We don't get to touch the ball much at defensive end, and I had only one catch this year at tight end,” Wheeler said, “so I really wanted to score a touchdown.” But Penn-Trafford, which developed a niche for rallying to victory, scored twice to tie it at 14-14. When Central took a 10-point lead, Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane calmly told his Warriors that they just needed to score a touchdown, get the ball back and score another. And they almost did.
With a third-and-goal at the 3, Ruane called for the throwback pass. It had worked for the Warriors against Central in the semifinals last year and also for Pine-Richland in the WPIAL final. “At the time, I felt like I could've made the play if I was just a tad bit earlier,” Wheeler said. “Last year was tough. I felt bad for the seniors, seeing them crying in the locker room afterward. We just play for each other.”
This time, he made the second of what Central Catholic coach Terry Totten called “two fantastic plays” that showed why Wheeler is “a tremendous athlete for his size.” Ruane said he “thought we had him” but was impressed that “Wheeler made a great play” that forced the Warriors to settle for a field goal to cut it to 24-17. “I thought we had him,” Ruane said. “When you go man-to-man, the quarterback is the unmanned one. We scored on that exact play against Central Catholic last year. They weren't going to get fooled by it twice.”
Not if Wheeler had anything to say about it. He finished with five tackles, four of them assists. His performance was not dominant but rather about pursuing to the play and finding himself in the right place at the right time. “It all comes down to hustle,” Wheeler said. “When you get to the ball, good things happen.”His pass breakup in the end zone was a play the Vikings were counting on — even though they weren't sure they could have counted on Wheeler to make it earlier this fall.
“He made the play we needed, I know that,” Central Catholic defensive coordinator Dave Fleming said. “The last six weeks, he's been playing big-time football for us. “It's a testament to Rashad for not quitting on the play. Six weeks ago, he probably couldn't have made it. It's a credit to him refocusing and challenging himself. I think the group has been feeding off him. They knew he wasn't playing to his standard. Once he rededicated himself, they all fed off it.” Afterward, Central Catholic presented Wheeler with the chain-link necklace that represents their “Chain Gang” defense. He walked off the field and into the locker room wearing it with pride, for only the second time this season. “It feels a lot better,” Wheeler said, “at Heinz Field.”
Where Central Catholic celebrated its fifth WPIAL championship and second in three years, Penn-Trafford players couldn't stifle their sobs and sniffles in the losing locker room. It was a devastating way to end an incredible three-year run for the Warriors, just as it was an incredible way for Central to complete what has been a dominant run. Wheeler was a sophomore when the Vikings won the WPIAL title, but he felt like he was just along for the ride. He was a starter on their runner-up team last year but felt like he'd let the seniors down.
This time, Wheeler found satisfaction in knowing he played a prominent role in Central Catholic clinching the championship, that his turnaround was reflective of the Vikings living up to the hype and meeting expectations. “There's no time to take plays off,” Wheeler said. “It's a great feeling. I can't really explain it. To be a senior and get a championship that you earned...” With the plays his team needed, right when they needed them.
Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
Rashad Wheeler read the trick play, saw Penn-Trafford quarterback Brett Laffoon run past and dropped into coverage. Jonah Lisbon saw this development and bought time, evading defenders until Laffoon was wide open in the back corner of the end zone before throwing the pass.
Out of nowhere, Wheeler leaped and batted the ball away. It was an impressive athletic feat, a 6-foot-3, 282-pound defensive end making a cover-corner play in Central's 24-17 victory in the WPIAL Class AAAA final Saturday at Heinz Field. “I was a little surprised,” Central Catholic senior linebacker Ron George said, “that he could jump that high.” Six weeks ago, the Vikings would have been surprised to see Wheeler on the field in the final minutes of such an important contest.
Wheeler is a Pitt recruit, one of the most talented players on a Central roster filled with Division I prospects. That was the problem: For the first half of the season, the Vikings were relying more upon their reputation than anything.
Wheeler left the Pine-Richland game with a cramp, and Central coaches confronted him and other senior starters afterward. They issued the challenge to start acting, practicing and playing like leaders. “I took that to heart,” Wheeler said. “I knew I had to step up for the team if we wanted to get far. When everybody is playing together and they see one player hustling, it's contagious. “It kind of ignited all of us, provided our fuel. We came back and had a great practice. It taught us that we can't just throw our hat in the ring and expect to win.”
Instead, that identity belonged to Penn-Trafford. The Warriors lived up to their nickname, first rallying from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit for an overtime victory over McKeesport in the quarterfinals and then scoring with seven seconds left to beat Pine-Richland.
Meantime, Central Catholic cruised to the WPIAL final for the third consecutive year. The Vikings had eliminated Penn-Trafford from the playoffs the past three years and expected to do it again.
It was looking good when linebacker Tim Terry crushed Lisbon on a screen pass at the 6. The ball popped out in front of Wheeler, who tipped it to himself and returned the interception for a touchdown and 14-0 lead. “We don't get to touch the ball much at defensive end, and I had only one catch this year at tight end,” Wheeler said, “so I really wanted to score a touchdown.” But Penn-Trafford, which developed a niche for rallying to victory, scored twice to tie it at 14-14. When Central took a 10-point lead, Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane calmly told his Warriors that they just needed to score a touchdown, get the ball back and score another. And they almost did.
With a third-and-goal at the 3, Ruane called for the throwback pass. It had worked for the Warriors against Central in the semifinals last year and also for Pine-Richland in the WPIAL final. “At the time, I felt like I could've made the play if I was just a tad bit earlier,” Wheeler said. “Last year was tough. I felt bad for the seniors, seeing them crying in the locker room afterward. We just play for each other.”
This time, he made the second of what Central Catholic coach Terry Totten called “two fantastic plays” that showed why Wheeler is “a tremendous athlete for his size.” Ruane said he “thought we had him” but was impressed that “Wheeler made a great play” that forced the Warriors to settle for a field goal to cut it to 24-17. “I thought we had him,” Ruane said. “When you go man-to-man, the quarterback is the unmanned one. We scored on that exact play against Central Catholic last year. They weren't going to get fooled by it twice.”
Not if Wheeler had anything to say about it. He finished with five tackles, four of them assists. His performance was not dominant but rather about pursuing to the play and finding himself in the right place at the right time. “It all comes down to hustle,” Wheeler said. “When you get to the ball, good things happen.”His pass breakup in the end zone was a play the Vikings were counting on — even though they weren't sure they could have counted on Wheeler to make it earlier this fall.
“He made the play we needed, I know that,” Central Catholic defensive coordinator Dave Fleming said. “The last six weeks, he's been playing big-time football for us. “It's a testament to Rashad for not quitting on the play. Six weeks ago, he probably couldn't have made it. It's a credit to him refocusing and challenging himself. I think the group has been feeding off him. They knew he wasn't playing to his standard. Once he rededicated himself, they all fed off it.” Afterward, Central Catholic presented Wheeler with the chain-link necklace that represents their “Chain Gang” defense. He walked off the field and into the locker room wearing it with pride, for only the second time this season. “It feels a lot better,” Wheeler said, “at Heinz Field.”
Where Central Catholic celebrated its fifth WPIAL championship and second in three years, Penn-Trafford players couldn't stifle their sobs and sniffles in the losing locker room. It was a devastating way to end an incredible three-year run for the Warriors, just as it was an incredible way for Central to complete what has been a dominant run. Wheeler was a sophomore when the Vikings won the WPIAL title, but he felt like he was just along for the ride. He was a starter on their runner-up team last year but felt like he'd let the seniors down.
This time, Wheeler found satisfaction in knowing he played a prominent role in Central Catholic clinching the championship, that his turnaround was reflective of the Vikings living up to the hype and meeting expectations. “There's no time to take plays off,” Wheeler said. “It's a great feeling. I can't really explain it. To be a senior and get a championship that you earned...” With the plays his team needed, right when they needed them.
Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
