Apollo-Ridge lineman Connor Bogdanski and his teammate sent a signal in early August that they were ready to show off everything they had learned during a difficult 2024 season. The Vikings won a big man challenge event against competitors from Fox Chapel and Knoch.
After Apollo-Ridge finished with one win last season, the Vikings worked in a lot of fresh faces in the summer. Earning a competition win had them eager to see what they could do against live competition.
“I enjoy the grit, the toughness and the teamwork,” Bogdanski said.
Having that attitude will be important if No. 7 Apollo-Ridge (8-3) is going to upend No. 2 Western Beaver in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals Friday at Rich Niedbala Field. The Vikings, who are 5-17 all-time in the WPIAL playoffs, advanced with a 28-7 win over Riverside last week.
Western Beaver (9-1) had a bye and was awarded the No. 2 seed after bullying its way through the regular season with a strong two-headed rushing attack. Wyatt Sparbanie finished with 1,249 yards on the ground, and Amari Marshall had 1,085.
“They are very skilled in a lot of areas, especially with their running backs and quarterbacks,” Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba said. “My group up front can help me control the ball. That’s what I’m trying to do: limit their touches.”
In addition to Bogdanski, Apollo-Ridge has leaned on juniors Gino McCullough and Parker Gourley in addition to sophomores Kingston Daley, Grant Harless and Noah Stewart up front.
All of those players did a lot of on-the-job training last season.
“I think they’ve played a lot of football this season,” Skiba said. “We were young last year; that’s why we went 1-9. I think they’ve matured. They had a good year together and stayed together. They are cohesive.”
Skiba said he expects Apollo-Ridge to play defense like it has all season. He has been happy with Bogdanski’s play at nose guard.
“He’s always in the backfield causing havoc,” Skiba said.
Jaden McCray led Apollo-Ridge in the first round of the playoffs by scoring all four of its touchdowns. McCray finished with 81 rushing yards, and Alex Clawson passed for 90 yards and added 130 on the ground.
Skiba said he doesn’t think the bye will have an impact for either side. Though Skiba said he would rather see Apollo-Ridge keep playing, the extra week gave Western Beaver a week to get healthy.
Skiba said there’s always something unique about high school football.
“I don’t want the team to get out of rhythm,” Skiba said. “Friday is parent/teacher conferences at the school, so our kids are off. There’s always something a little bit different to deal with. We are still keeping our schedule the same. We are still planning to eat before the game together.”