Gladiators enter unknown territory – Mon Valley Independent

Their undefeated record will be seriously tested tonight by South Park (3-1).

The South Allegheny football team has been one of the biggest stories of the WPIAL season so far, so it's no surprise that the undefeated Gladiators (4-0) host South Park in the MVI Game of the Week.

The Eagles (3-1) earned their first Allegheny Conference win last Friday with a 7-0 victory over Steel Valley, but they could have scored even more points with a strong performance.

South Park is led by a strong running game, as talented tailback Eric Doerue runs behind a deep offensive line that includes twin brothers Parker and Troy Cunningham. Parker is 6'4″, 295 pounds and has committed to play at James Madison University, while Troy is 6'3″, 275 pounds and has a few Division I offers.

Needless to say, South Allegheny will have to fight in the trenches to ensure its perfect start can continue.

“I think the biggest challenge with South Park is their offensive line and their running back (Doerue),” SA head coach Brian Hanson said. “They're big and strong up front. They're really well coached. (Doerue) is a home run threat. He can run with power and speed, so we've got to get the defensive line and linebackers stronger and make sure we tackle well.”

The Eagles will have a different look in terms of personnel and line-up than the Gladiators we have seen recently, so preparations for this duel have been intense.

“We had a pretty physical week,” Hanson said. “We've stepped it up because we've seen a lot of spread out teams the last few weeks. These guys run right at you and challenge you, that's changed how we prepare.”

As far as the offense is concerned, Hanson said his team needs to reduce the mistakes of the last few weeks.

Quarterback Ryan Cortes will continue to lead the dynamic unit with playmakers like Cam Epps, Drew Cook, Camden Lewis and Tyreeke Chatman.

“We just have to execute,” Hanson said. “We should have scored over 40 points the last two weeks, but we shot ourselves in the foot a few times.”

“We have to take care of our business when we have the ball. We had four fumbles last week and none of them were really forced. … We just have to protect the ball and play hard on both sides of the ball.”

Today's contest will be one of the biggest games for the SA football program in a long time, but Hanson is ensuring his team keep their cool and are prepared for a tough match.

“We're just trying to live up to the standards and goals we've set for our team,” he said. “We're excited about the crowd because these guys have played in environments of maybe 100 people and we expect the stadium to be sold out. At the end of the day, it's still football, so we've got to block, run and tackle.”

“But the luck of this group is that they've played against the Quinton Martins and the Chris Climes. They've seen such high-caliber talent and teams, so there's not a lot of pressure from the outside. It's about us trying to live up to our own expectations.”