From: Jonathan Bombulie

Saturday, August 17, 2024 | 6:01 a.m.

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This season, the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference features an interesting list of title contenders, from perennial Beaver Falls to exciting upstart Ellwood City.

However, all MAC teams have one thing in common: If they want to win a conference title, they have to take on Mohawk.

The Warriors have made the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons, with a 10-win season and an appearance in the WPIAL semifinals, and are a serious contender for the top spot in the MAC each summer.

“That’s a realistic goal,” coach Tim McCutcheon said. “We’ve already accomplished a lot in that regard. We started by watching film and asking ourselves how we could avoid some upsets. Now we feel like if we stay healthy and make some plays, we have just as good a chance as some of the other teams.”

Mohawk has built its program on the shoulders of a number of talented quarterbacks, from Nick Wheeler to John Voss to Jay Wrona, who threw for 2,160 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior last season.

McCutcheon has several candidates in the running for the center position, including All-Conference wide receiver Bobby Fadden, who had 800 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

McCutcheon said Mohawk became one of the most powerful offenses in the WPIAL largely because the players on the roster were able to thrive in that style. This year, the offense could look different.

“When you’re at a Double-A school like Mohawk, we don’t get elite athletes year after year,” he said. “We have to be flexible in our adjustments to what we do here. We continue to evaluate what we have here, and we plan to go one direction or the other depending on how the quarterback situation develops.”

In addition to Fadden, the Warriors have a handful of potentially dangerous special players.

Running back Sammy List is back from a knee injury, Blake Logan is a talented receiver and Joey Nail is a strong receiving tight end.

And look for sophomore running back Cash Stratton, the rare player who started at Mohawk as a freshman.

“In my career, there haven’t been many rookies that I would have had no concerns putting on the field in the MAC,” McCutcheon said.

The offensive line will look to replace all-conference pick Alex Chapman, with senior Dillon Sumey and junior Danny Monaco leading a largely inexperienced group.

“We’ll probably ask some younger players to step in and see if some older players who haven’t been able to force their way into a difficult lineup in recent years are willing to stick their noses in there,” McCutcheon said.

The linebackers seem to be the strength of the defense, led by Jackson Chapman, Alex’s younger brother, and Nail. Fadden and Logan will lead the secondary.

“We lost six all-conference players, but now they’re gone, and it’s time for this team to step up,” McCutcheon said. “That’s our goal, and I think it’s realistic, even though we’re certainly going to be considered underdogs.”

Mohawk

Trainer: Tim McCutcheon

Record 2023: 10-3, 6-1 in Class 2A of the Midwestern Athletic Conference

All-time record: 377-484-40

SCHEDULE

Date, opponent, time

8.23 in Neshannock, 7

8.30 Laurel, 7

9.6 at Shenango, 7

9.13 in Elmhurst*, 7

9.20 Beaver Falls*, 7

9.27 Union*, 7

10.4 New Brighton*, 7

10.12 at Western Beaver*, 12:30

10.18 Freedom*, 7

10.25 am Riverside*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL GUIDES

Passing by: Jay Wrona*

139-253, 2,255 yards, 35 touchdowns

Rush: Justin Boston*

205-1,099 yards, 8 touchdowns

Reception: Bobby Fadden

48–800 yards, 15 touchdowns

* Completed

FAST FACTS

• Union moves up to Class 2A and joins the Midwestern Athletic Conference, setting up a rematch of one of last year’s wildest games, a 40-37 victory by the Scotties in Week Zero. The Warriors will host the Scotties on Sept. 27.

• In last year’s WPIAL Class 2A playoffs, Mohawk beat Burrell and Imani Christian before losing to Steel Valley.

• Mohawk will play five of its final six games this season at home.

• Mohawks kicker last season, Josh Wilkins, is at Youngstown State, following in the footsteps of his uncle Jeff Wilkins, a former NFL kicker with the 49ers, Eagles and Rams who also played for the Penguins. Josh Wilkins kicked a 47-yard field goal in Youngstown State’s first practice game on Aug. 9.

Jonathan Bombulie is TribLive’s deputy sports editor. The Greensburg native was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons, before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including the 2016-17 Stanley Cup championships. Reach him at [email protected].

Tags: Mohawk