Football | 5/10/2016 1:57:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Trey-Earl Edwards accelerated off of the line of scrimmage and outsprinted a helpless defensive back for a 41-yard reception at the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association East-West game May 1. The Steel Valley High star's 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash wowed the spectators at Cupples Stadium on the South Side.
Later, Harrison Dreher showed off his acrobatic side on an eight-yard touchdown. The Clairton High senior masterfully hauled in an arcing aerial, extending his body and deftly keeping both feet inbounds.
Not to be outdone, Tim Vecchio of Penn-Trafford pulled in two passes for 13 yards, while nearly tracking down a pair of deep balls just out of reach. His high school teammate, Jonah Lisbon, started at defensive back and helped the West hold the East to 16 rushing yards in the first half.
The common thread among the quartet? All will play for coach
John Banaszak at Robert Morris in the fall.
And they can't wait.
"We think we can do big things together," said Dreher, who returned the opening kickoff 32 yards and finished with six receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown in a 20-19 West defeat. "I'm excited to get there."
Lisbon envisions greatness in the not-too-distant future.
"We want to make things happen right away, and ultimately win a national championship," he said.
"We're all athletes who can do a lot of things on the field," said Edwards, who had 88 yards from scrimmage, including an 18-yard completion off of a reverse. "It will be fun doing it together."
Perhaps West quarterback Brett Laffoon said it best about the soon-to-be Colonials: "They're studs. They're going to do some special things at Robert Morris."
Banaszak said he prioritized Western Pennsylvania in assembling his 2016 recruiting class, in which nine of the 25 newcomers played in the WPIAL. He expects big things from the four skilled players who participated in the East-West game.
"We felt wide receiver was a need, and several of those guys are capable of contributing, if that's where they end up playing," said Banaszak, who went 4-7 in his second season in 2015. "Trey-Earl Edwards and Harrison Dreher are great athletes and they can play multiple positions. Tim Vecchio runs great routes, and any time you watched a Penn-Trafford game, he was all over the field. He's a natural receiver. Jonah Lisbon is another athletic kid who can play running back or defensive back. So, when we bring them into camp, we'll let them make the decision for us as to where they best fit position-wise and on our depth chart."
Each of the four East-West game participants brings a winning pedigree to Moon Township. Dreher (5'9" and 180 pounds) won three WPIAL Class A titles and a PIAA championship at Clairton. Edwards (5'11" and 175) helped Steel Valley to a 10-2 record and to the WPIAL Class AA semifinal last fall and Vecchio (5'10" and 180) and Lisbon (5'11" and 205) led Penn-Trafford to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and to the WPIAL Class AAAA final in 2015.
At Penn-Trafford, Vecchio and Lisbon formed a dominant one-two tandem. Vecchio had 53 receptions last season and set school records with 1,116 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had four interceptions, returning three for scores. A team captain, Vecchio set all-time marks with 136 catches for 2,820 yards and 44 touchdowns. He also scored at least one touchdown in 29 of his final 30 games. His 51 career scores include seven via returns.
Lisbon amassed 1,368 rushing and 311 receiving yards with 20 touchdowns in 2015. He also had 76 tackles and two interceptions. Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane believes Robert Morris is getting a pair of difference-makers.
"Tim Vecchio is one of the best, if not the best, all-around football players I've ever coached," Ruane said. "He was explosive, consistent and flat-out tremendous. He is incredibly reliable with high character and is a superb competitor."
As for Lisbon, Ruane added: "Jonah Lisbon is an outstanding athlete and competitor. He was a dynamic running back who could run, block and was great at catching the ball out of the backfield. As I told anyone who recruited him, he was successful because he practiced full speed every snap. Every carry was a 40-yard sprint, and he played that way. I believe Robert Morris is getting two great people, players and students. They are very talented, but their work ethic defines them."
At Steel Valley, Edwards was the do-it-all man for coach Rod Steele. He expertly transitioned from wide receiver to quarterback as a senior and passed for 1,043 and ran for 614 yards. He produced those gaudy numbers while sharing a backfield with star DeWayne Murray, who ran for 1,615 yards.
"He's a great kid, a team captain," Steele said of Edwards. "He can light the scoreboard up quickly. He's also an Honors student. Robert Morris is getting a great young man."
In Dreher, the Colonials are getting an athlete who scored in bunches. He accounted for 31 touchdowns and 32 PATs to rank third in the WPIAL with 218 points. He also ran for more than 1,000 yards and averaged 20.2 yards on 38 catches. In a WPIAL semifinal win against Frazier, Dreher returned the opening kickoff 97 yards and accounted for five touchdowns, including two on the ground and two through the air.
Robert Morris enters 2016 with four returning senior starters. Banaszak said the ideal way to build a successful program is for the majority of starters to come from the junior and senior classes. That will eventually happen, he believes, but for now, there are opportunities for newcomers to make an impact.
"Some of these kids have a chance to play right away," Banaszak said. "We told them that we want them to come in and compete. We always love freshman surprises, kids who come in and help us. We'll give them every chance to do so."
Dreher said Banaszak's energetic personality, combined with Robert Morris' facilities and academic reputation, drew him to the school.
"He's an exciting coach, somebody who's going to push you to be your best," Dreher said. "I can see why more and more players want to go to school and play at Robert Morris. I think if everybody plays their role, we'll win some NEC championships during our careers there."
