Pine-Richland boys rely on football know-how to get back into the playoffs, Trib HSSN

After reaching the top of the WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer rankings in 2022, Pine-Richland entered its title defense with a much younger group and narrowly missed out on a place in the postseason.

But Rams coach Jordan Wiegand sees the positives that have come from it, including gaining experience in one of the toughest areas in western Pennsylvania.

This experience, coupled with the cleverness that the players already bring, makes him optimistic that they will be competitive again.

“I would say we are fielding a team this year that has a lot of football IQ and a desire to take their game to the next level,” Wiegand said. “Not that we haven't had that before, but this group is definitely special. There will again be a balance between our older players steering the ship and our younger players contributing as well. We're excited to get some games under our belts and see what we can do. We have technical ability all over the place and are ready to bring a style of play to life.”

Weigand is also coaching the Rams' girls soccer team for the first time this fall, so he will be pulling a rare dual role. He is entering his fifth season as coach of the boys team.

The Rams have five full-time starters returning, but other players such as Trent Ricchiuto and Ryan Cashman also have their place on the team, having seen a lot of playing time in their second year.

Finn Kichi, Jordan Crutchfield, Sammy Beuse, Brady Baker and Matthew Koss are the returning starters.

Koss, Kichi and Baker are the team captains.

Kichi, Crutchfield and Beuse form the forward group, while Baker is the pivot in midfield and Koss anchors the defense line.

Kichi and Baker are seniors, but the rest of the above players are underclassmen.

“We have guys that had a lot of time on the varsity team last year as sophomores,” Wiegand said. “Unfortunately, it can be a little challenging for sophomores to break lines and get forward when you're playing against guys that are two years older than you. They've definitely matured and you see a difference in their game. Hopefully that will allow us to score a few more goals this year.”

Standout goalie Cadan Bennett has graduated, leaving a void in goal, leaving four players – juniors Rodolfo Ramirez, Mason Scott, Brody Kirik and sophomore Jackson Dutton – vying for a starting spot.

“We put four on the roster because we felt all four deserved to push each other, especially with all these (cross-sectional) games where we wanted to see who was ahead of the other,” Weigand said.

Class 4A is split into three sections, up from two last cycle, but Pine-Richland has similar opponents in Butler, Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, North Hills and Seneca Valley.

“Our section has been and will be, until I see otherwise, the toughest section in 4A,” Weigand said. “I don't want to disparage other opponents because Norwin won last year and there are some good teams in the South, but record-wise, there seems to be a group at the top of our section. We've been in it twice with North Allegheny and twice with Butler. Fox Chapel and Seneca Valley were the only ones that got away from us a little bit, but we weren't far off.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

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