HOOKSTOWN — Last fall, South Side Area put together one of its best campaigns in program history, winning 13 games and making it to the WPIAL Championship game with a seasoned roster filled with several seniors.
This season, while the senior leadership is gone and only four seniors on the roster, this current Rams team has seen the success that the teams in years past have had and are ready to write their own story in 2024.
More: High school football in the Beaver Valley: Coverage for the 2024 football season
“Our guys believe in what they are asking them to do,” South Side head coach Luke Travelpiece told the Beaver County Times after their practice during camp week on Thursday. “They have seen the success that the teams of the past have had over the past decade. Take Curtis Roy for example, he saw his brother [Nate] make it to the WPIAL Championship game at Robert Morris when it was held there, and then he made it to the championship game as a sophomore at Acrisure Stadium last season. They have seen us be successful running the same style so in this day and age when you have that buy-in and the belief in the core of who we are and why we do it, it allows us to do so many more things.”
This South Side roster sits at around 34 players, which is larger than what the team has fielded in years past. Due to the increase in the size of its roster, the Rams could have more depth within its skill positions and some younger players that have stepped up in big ways heading into the season.
Roy is one of those younger players that has stepped up heading into his junior season and his last name has been synonymous with the South Side program for almost a decade.
Travelpiece expects the next Roy brother to make a sizable impact for his Rams squad this season.
More: Beaver County Times' 2024 High School football preview
“Nate played on the 2018 team and JD was a great lineman for us the past couple of seasons, Curtis would have started on both sides of the ball for us last year if it wasn’t for a preseason injury that sidelined him and when he came back he wasn’t 100 percent. Curtis is a guy that is like a coach on the field I think he has only made around five mistakes all camp on both sides and when he does it we are so caught off guard he has stepped up in a big way.”
Along with Roy, Will Morgan has stepped up into a leadership role in a big way for South Side throughout camp and is one of the players who is vying for the starting quarterback position. Offensive lineman Lucian Williams is another name that Travelpiece is high on and has responded well to the challenges that have been thrown at him.
The big question heading into the season would be who would replace three-year starting quarterback Brody Almashy and, currently, the battle is between the aforementioned Morgan and freshman Dawson Frasier.
When looking at the quarterback position, whoever is awarded the starting role, Travelpiece wants his quarterback to play within himself and make the plays to win the team games.
“We are not looking for the quarterback to come out and be Brody Almashy,” Travelpiece said. “We are looking for our quarterback to make the plays that they make. Brody would make plays and take chances but we are not expecting anyone else to do that. He was a special talent and we are going to miss him but both of these guys have their own strengths and skill sets so we just want them to use those skills to their advantage.”
Head coach: Luke Travelpiece (57-34)
2023 record: (13-1, 6-0 Big Seven)
Top players lost: Brody Almashy, Ryan Navarra, JD Roy, Chase Knox, Eddie Glover, Casey Lewis
Top players returning: Mateja Pavlovich, Slayton Williams, Lucian Williams, AC Corfield, Will Morgan
Offense: The Rams will once again run their normal Wing T style of offense this season with a number of versatile options at their disposal. Mateja Pavlovich and Slayton Williams have seen snaps lined up at the fullback position while also having the ability to line both players up on the outside and throw them the ball. The Rams also have several players who are competing for spots at the wing position that will be key pieces of depth for the roster as the season progresses.
Defense: The South Side defense will be much more of the same in 2024 and will have a strong emphasis on knowing their role out on the field and having the ability to fly to the football and make plays. AC Corfield who has been a key piece to the running game returns to the defensive side of the ball for the Rams and he is one year removed from an all-conference selection for his work at defensive back last season. Having some key pieces back on the defensive side of the ball is crucial for the team’s success defensively.
Classification: 1A
Last WPIAL playoff appearance: 2023
Last WPIAL title: 1999
WPIAL titles: 2
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Young South Side roster ready to write its own story after successful 2023 season
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