Drought ends: Waynesburg back in playoffs after 45-27 win over Cougars
Waynesburg Central鈥檚 Breydon Woods (2) uses a stiff arm to elude Charleroi鈥檚 Gianna Pellegrini (1) on a 12-yard touchdown run during the second quarter of Friday night鈥檚 game at Myron Pottios Stadium. Woods ran for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the Raiders鈥� 45-27 win. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Waynesburg Central quarterback Teagen Crouse (1) lofts a pass to Ross Tennant (26) during Friday night鈥檚 game against Charleroi at Myron Pottios Stadium. Tennant pulled in the pass for a 49-yard touchdown with six seconds left in the first half of the Raiders鈥� 45-27 victory. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Waynesburg Central鈥檚 Chase Fox (3) pursues Charleroi鈥檚 Gianna Pellegrini (1) during Friday night鈥檚 game at Myron Pottios Stadium.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Waynesburg Central鈥檚 Teagen Crouse (1) scrambles for yardage against Charleroi during Friday night鈥檚 game at Myron Pottios Stadium.
Waynesburg Central's Ryon McCartney (88) knocks Charleroi's Gianni Pellegrini (1) out of bounds at the 1-yard line聽during Friday night's game at Myron Pottios Stadium.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Waynesburg Central鈥檚 Breydon Woods (2) takes advantage of a block by Chase Fox (3) to get around the corner on a 46-yard touchdown run against Charleroi during Friday night鈥檚 game at Myron Pottios Stadium. Woods rushed for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the Raiders鈥� 45-27 win.
Waynesburg Central's Dalton Taylor kicks an extra point out of the hold by Trenton Zupper during Friday night's game against Charleroi at Myron Pottios Stadium. Taylor made all six of his extra-point attempts along with a game-sealing 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter in the Raiders' 45-27 win.
CHARLEROI 鈥� Friday night鈥檚 football game between Waynesburg Central and Charleroi produced a rare win-win outcome.
The Raiders rode a strong start and a 270-yard, three-touchdown performance by Breydon Woods to a 45-27 victory at Myron Pottios Stadium to clinch their first playoff spot since 2014, completing a remarkable turnaround from a winless 2022 season.
The loss wrapped up a winless 2023 season for the Cougars (0-6, 0-9) but they showed tremendous heart on their senior night, rallying from a huge early deficit to get back into the game, and saw a prime example in Waynesburg of how much a team鈥檚 fortunes can change in one season.
Charleroi鈥檚 air attack was a bright spot with Jackson Keranko completing 27 of 41 passes for 316 yards and Daniel Hudock reeling in 16 receptions for 148 yards.
Waynesburg survived the aerial onslaught thanks in large part to a pair of tide-shifting plays, one by the freshmen duo of Teagen Crouse and Ross Tennant late in the first half and another by Chase Fox in the third quarter.
Woods marveled at the way the Raiders rebounded from last season.
鈥淕oing from 0-10 to 7-3 this year feels great,鈥� Woods said. 鈥淚t took a lot of character and hard work. I鈥檓 proud of all my guys, my linemen up front. Our coaches did a great job. It鈥檚 a good feeling.鈥�
The Raiders last made the postseason in 2014 under coach Russ Moore. Following an 0-10 record in 2022, few thought Waynesburg had a chance to snap that drought in 2023 but it finished the regular season with seven wins and a 3-3 conference mark for a fourth-place finish.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really difficult to put words to it,鈥� Raiders coach Aaron Giorgi said. 鈥淭he people in the locker room knew that we were capable of doing good things this year. I give a lot of credit to these seniors and all the returning players.
鈥淭hey fought all through last season together and then they came back this year with the mindset that wasn鈥檛 going to happen again. Also the addition of the freshmen who stepped up in key roles this year helped out a lot as well. Like tonight, Teagen Crouse steps in for Jake (Stephenson), and Ross Tennant.鈥�
The Raiders had several key players out with injuries, including quarterback Stephenson, Vince Maley and Daniel Huffman.
鈥淭hey should all be back next week for the playoffs,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淲e had numerous injuries and it was just a gritty team performance tonight.鈥�
Waynesburg dominated play throughout the first quarter and a half.
Woods scored on touchdown runs of 30 and 46 yards in the first quarter, then added a 12-yard score early in the second quarter. Crouse鈥檚 1-yard touchdown gave the Raiders a 28-0 lead with 7:53 left in the first half.
鈥淏reydon really took this game over at the start to help he get that big lead,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 so dynamic, he really set the tone.鈥�
Most teams facing a winless season and a four-touchdown, first-half deficit in their final game would show little resolve the rest of the way.
Charleroi did not take that path.
On the next play from scrimmage Keranko connected with Gianna Pellegrini on a quick pass and the senior exploded down the field for an 80-yard touchdown.
鈥淭he big touchdown to Gianni kind of ramped things up for us,鈥� first-year Charleroi coach Tyler Aeschbacher said.
Suddenly the Cougars defense came alive and forced consecutive three-and-outs and Charleroi followed both with touchdown drives mainly on the arm of Keranko. Xavier Small-Thomas scored on a 1-yard run with 4:56 left in the quarter and Pellegrini did the same with just 29 seconds remaining in the half to make it 28-20.
鈥淭hey just started making plays and taking advantage of some of the holes we had in our pass defense,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淵ou have to give them credit.鈥�
鈥淲e wanted to try to just get the ball out quick,鈥� Aeschbacher said. 鈥淛ackson did a great job distributing the football. Hudock played so well, Gianni played so well.鈥�
With the Cougars and their fans now alive, little time left and a backup freshman quarterback running its offense, no one would鈥檝e blamed Waynesburg for just kneeling on the ball and trying to regroup at halftime.
Giorgi did not take that path.
Crouse completed a 7-yard pass to Zachery Jiblits to the Charleroi 49 and then lofted a long pass to Tennant who gathered it in and worked his way into the end zone with six seconds left, giving the Raiders a 35-20 halftime lead.
鈥淭hat was just a tremendous play, a freshman to a freshman,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淲e really needed that. That was a huge change of momentum in our favor heading into the locker room.鈥�
Charleroi鈥檚 defense continued its resurgence in the second half and its offense threatened to score again as it drove into Waynesburg territory midway through the third quarter.
That鈥檚 when Fox stepped up as the Raiders again stemmed the tide.
On second-and-six from the Waynesburg 45, Keranko鈥檚 pass was tipped and found its way into the hands of Fox who returned the ball 68 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-20.
鈥淐hase Fox鈥檚 pick six was absolutely huge,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淲e had guys stepping up everywhere tonight.鈥�
Undaunted, Charleori drove down field again on an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Keranko鈥檚 1-yard touchdown run to pull within 42-27.
The Cougars got the ball back again with a chance to cut further into the margin but Waynesburg鈥檚 Colby Pauley and Devon Cowell combined to bring down Pellegrini two yards short of a first down on fourth-and-four near midfield early in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders put the game away with a 10-play drive that took 4:34 off the clock and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Dalton Taylor, who also converted all six of his extra-point attempts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have a reliable leg because all those points matter,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淚nstead of trying to force the ball into the end zone down there we were able to pick up that three from Dalton and extend it to a three-possession game.鈥�
Tennant supplemented Woods with 92 rushing yards along with three catches for 56 yards. Crouse completed four of nine passes for 63 yards.
Giorgi spread the credit around for his team鈥檚 success.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really been a group effort,鈥� Giorgi said. 鈥淔or us to make the playoffs, it鈥檚 a proudful moment for the community, the school, the students, these players, this coaching staff, our trainers, it鈥檚 a win for everybody. It鈥檚 nice to see so much positivity around the football program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great thing to have an extra week to work.鈥�
Pellegrini had seven receptions for 148 yards and added 55 yards on the ground for Charleroi. The Cougars鈥� defense limited Woods to just 23 yards in the second half.
Aeschbacher commended his team for its courageous showing.
鈥淲e knew going in we were young and a lot smaller than other teams,鈥� said the Carmichaels graduate. 鈥淢y offensive line, most of those kids are freshmen and sophomores. No matter what, we fought and fought every week and they fought like hell all game tonight.
鈥淥bviously we would鈥檝e liked to have gotten the win, but performing like they did tonight will help springboard us into the offseason.鈥�