Bullet Points #1
The answer to yesterday’s question is Brian Magiafico (‘91) and Quenteen Robinson (‘95).
The Bullet Points column has become our weekly recap/preview of what’s going on in Trojan Land in the levels below
varsity. This is the most information we have to date, when we get more, we’ll update this page or a future edition
of Bullet Points.
FROSH: Head Coach Brian Subich
This year’s freshman team probably has more talent than the team a year ago and that has Coach Subich excited. Starting
at halfback will be Quattrell Rose and backing him up is LaQuinn Stephens-Howling who also starts at receiver. Fullback is
Kashmir Pretlor, a player that Subich believes could play halfback on most teams.
Jordan Jefferson would have been penciled in to start at quarterback but he is playing on the varsity roster, this means
Jon Siciliano will get the start. He “can sling the ball”, says Subich, “not much drop off at all.”.
Top offensive linemen are Chris Bilak, Shane Trump and Anthony Oravec.
Key contributors on defense will be Daveon Simms and Ryan Sisco.
Subich is assisted by Rick Avramis, Sam Barber and Damian Robinson. The team opens up play on 9/7 against Central Cambria
in a game that will be played at the Johnstown Middle School.
8th GRADE: Head Coach Adam Campagna
The team opens play on 9/6 at Central Cambria
7th GRADE: Head Coach Donny Robertson
The Team opens play on 9/6 at home against Central Cambria
JV:
The JV squad will start play on 9/11 at Central Cambria
Bullet Points #2
Yesterday’s answer is true. Johnstown has played all the current members of the District 6-AAA scene, either in regular
season or post-season play. Below is how they breakdown:
Lewistown: 1-0 all-time; in 1931 Johnstown won 50-6
Huntingdon: 2-3 all-time; losses in 2003 (9-6), 1923 (6-0) and 1935 (12-6) and wins in 1922 (12-6) and 1936
Bellefonte: 4-1 all-time; lost last season 20-14; won in 2004 (35-7), 1995 (40-12), 1994 (32-24) and 1925 (13-0)
Hollidaysburg: 3-1 all-time; lost in 1989 (24-0) and won in 1922 (12-8), 1923 (59-0) and 1924 (52-0)
Somerset: 8-0 all-time; 2005 (35-14), 2004 (42-7), 2003 (41-6), 2002 (41-0), 2001 (22-14), 1939 (47-0), 1924 (88-7) and
1920 (66-7)
Indian Valley: 1-1 all-time: won in 2003 17-16, lost in 2002 42-12.
There isn’t much to report on this week “down on the farm” as all the sub-varsity programs, with the
exception of the JV, will start this week. The JV team isn’t in action until Monday, 9/11.
Here are the games on tap this week:
Freshman: Brian Subich’s club opens up the season tomorrow against Central Cambria. The Freshmen Trojans will take
on their Red Devil counterparts at Johnstown Middle School.
8th Grade: Donny Robertson’s eighth graders will be on the road this afternoon against Central Cambria.
7th Grade: Adam Campagna’s club will host the Central Cambria 7th graders today at the Middle
School.
I got some additional information on Coach Campagna’s team. It is listed below:
Starters on offense are: Gervon Simon (QB), Javon Vuckovich (FB), JeQuail Wilson (HB), Dwight Andrews and Daquan Minter
at WR, Isiah Haselrig is TE. The line is: Larry Blackner (Center), John Weisneir and Wayne Lynman are guards and P.J. Bush
and Antonio Kresic are tackles.
The defensive positions are set in stone but some notables are:
Luke Kmett and Tim Odum are cornerbacks although Lucas Gunby and JeQuail Wilson will get time there as well. Kevin Reed
and Dwight Andrews will be getting time at safety. OLBs are Haselrig and Mark Watson while inside will be Vuckovich and Minter.
At DT will be Lynman and Bush while DE will be Kresic and Blackner.
We will do our best to keep the Nation update with scores and highlights from these three contests in this webspace next
week.
Bullet Points #3
The answer to yesterday's question is no. Prior to the Trojans joining the LHAC, they never played against the Westmont
Hilltoppers. Westmont has been playing football since 1920.
Before we get down to business on the sub-varsity level, I would like to take a brief moment to update you the Nation on
some former Trojans playing at the next level. We've talked about LaRod before but I'd like to talk about some other guys
right now and hopefully this can be a semi-regular feature on the Bullet Points column.
*****Reg Farrior had 7 tackles for Shippensburg in their opening week loss to Shepard back on September 2.
*****Terrill Simms had a tackle and a fumble recovery in IUP's 33-6 win over Cheyney in week one.
*****Former Trojans Xavier Thomas and Josh Miller both got action for Mansfield in their 35-0 loss to Shippensburg.
Thomas caught 3 passes for 20 yards while Miller had 7 tackles in the contest.
And now, to the Trojans' performance from the middle school, freshmen and JV levels:
*****JV: The JV team lost to Central Cambria 50-0 on Monday. They will host Westmont next Monday.
*****Frosh: Coach Brian Subich's club started off the season with a 14-0 win over Central Cambria. LaQuin Stephens-Howling
and Kahsmir Pretlor scored the Trojan touchdowns. They are in action next against tomorrow against Westmont at Price Field
at 4:00p.m.
*****8th grade: lost to Central Cambria 14-0. They are next in action on Wednesday when they host Westmont.
*****7th grade: Coach Campagna's squad beat Central Cambria 20-0. Touchdowns were scored by Gervon Simon (option run),
Daquan Minter (jet sweep) and Elijah Haselrig (lead play out of three-back set). Haselrig also scored a 2-point conversion.
The seventh graders play at Westmont on Wednesday.
So there you have it, the program was 2-2 this week in the middle school and below varsity ranks. Thanks to Coach Subich
and Campagna for the information and best of luck this week.
Bullet Points #4
The answer to yesterday's trivia question is no. Although football has been played at Richland High since 1920, the Trojans
have only played the Rams in games that occurred after the Trojans joined the LHAC.
As with last week, before we get to the scores from around the program, let's take a peek at Trojans at the next level
and beyond:
*****Geroy Simon caught 6 passes for 175 yards and 2 TDs (81 and 40 yards) as the BC Lions beat Montreal 36-20 Saturday
night.
Simon continues to lead the CFL in receiving as on the season he has 73 receptions for 1,357 yards and 12 TDs. His performance
in the most recent game pushes him over the 8,000-yard mark for his career.
The Lions are now 9-3 and remain in first place in the CFL's West Division. They are at Saskatchewan on Sunday 9/24 at
4PM.
*****LaRod Stephens-Howling carried the ball 8 times for 33 yards and 1 TD and also caught 2 passes for 19 yards
in the Pitt Panthers 38-23 loss to Michigan State.
*****Xavier Thomas caught one pass for 24 yards while Josh Miller had 6 tackles and a sack in Mansfield's
46-0 loss to Slippery Rock.
*****Terrill Simms got into the game but did not record any tackles or sacks for IUP in their 35-20 win over East
Stroudsburg.
*****Reg Farrior had 7 tackles and an interceptions as Shippensburg beat Kutztown 42-27.
Now, to the rest of the Johnstown program:
*****JV: No report. They play Richland next Monday.
*****Freshmen: Coach Subich's team is 2-0 after beating Westmont 29-8 last week. They will play Richland tomorrow.
*****Eighth Grade: Coach Robertson's squad is now 1-1 with an 8-0 win over Westmont last week. Coach contacted me
with some additional information on his squad. He started camp with 41 kids and still has 39, plus since school started 2
more have joined the team.
John King is his starting QB. Calvin Anderson is the tailback while the fullback position is split between Jerell Hardison
and Tyler Aresnault. The line is anchored by Justin Capoullez at Center with Dejour Morris at RT, Nate Nickle at LT and a
rotation at the two guards. Time at TE is split between Marcus Seals and Jimy Cinko while the WR corp is deep. David Myers,
Joey Orosz, Danile Shalom and Jamal Salter all particpate as receievers.
Kyfen Jones scored the touchdown in last week's 8-0 win. The eighth graders play Richland today.
*****Seventh Grade: Coach Campagna is 2-0 on the year with an 8-0 win over Westmont. The touchdown was scored by
JeQuail Wilson on a lead play and the two-point conversion was scored by Elijah Haselrig. LB Isiah Haselrig led the defense.
The seventh graders play Richland today.
Bullet Points #5
The answer to yesterday’s question is as follows: Johnstown lost it’s 900th game in week six of
the 1992 season. They lost to Penn Trafford by the score of 46-14. Tom Fleming was the head coach.
Now, to our normal Wednesday Bullet Points role call:
*****Geroy Simon had 5 catches for 65 yards in the BC Lions’ 23-20 loss to Saskatchewan on Sunday night. It
was BC’s first loss in quite some time, but they are 9-4 and still in first place in the CFL’s West Division.
On the season, Simon has 78 catches for 1,422 yards and 12 touchdowns. He remains the top receiver in the league.
*****LaRod Stephens-Howling carried the ball 13 times for 65 yards and 1 TD. He also caught two passes for 38 yards
and 1 TD in the Pitt Panthers 50-6 blowout of The Citadel on Saturday.
*****Terrill Simms had three tackles in IUP’s 17-14 loss to Millersville Saturday.
*****Xavier Thomas and Josh Miller both contributed for Mansfield Saturday against Lock Haven. Unfortunately,
Mansfield lost 24-21. X caught 3 passes for 28 yards. Miller had 7 tackles and a sack.
*****Reg Farrior had four tackles and broke up one pass attempt in Shippensburg’s 24-0 loss to West Chester
on Saturday.
And now, the sub-varsity ranks:
*****JV
No report. Will someone PLEASE help me out with the JV scores? I didn’t have much information last year either. These
guys are working hard and deserve some recognition too.
*****Frosh
Brian Subich’s club improves to 3-0 with a 30-14 win over Richland.
Also, last week in the team’s 29-8 win over Westmont Richard Agurs scored 3 touchdowns while LaQuinn Stephens-Howling
scored the fourth. QB John Sicilano threw 3 touchdowns.
The freshman play Somerset this week. They are now 3-0 on the season.
*****Eighth
Donny Robertson’s eighth graders lost 6-0 to Richland. They are now 1-2 on the season.
They will play Somerset this Wednesday.
*****Seventh
Adam Campagna’s squad improved to 3-0 with a 20-6 win over Richland. Jerquail Wilson scored a 70-yard touchdown on
a run. Gervon Simon scored on a bootleg and Kevin Reed scored the final touchdown on a reverse.
Coach Campagna added, “Luke Kmett made some key plays on defense. The offensive line did an excellent job sustaining
their blocks.”
Bullet Points #7
The answer to yesterday's question is in 2002 the Crushers beat the Trojans in the last contest that was played by these
two teams at the Point Stadium.
Let's look at what some former Trojans did this past weekend. It was a pretty good week for some alumni.
*****Geroy Simon had another big day for the BC Lions who improved to 11-4 with a 39-13 victory over Calgary. Simon
caught 8 balls for 120 yards and 1 TD. On the season he has 92 catches for 1674 yards and 14 TDs. He needs 362 yards receiving
in his final three games to break the single-season CFL record of 2,036 held by former Calgary star Allen Pitts. The Lions
will face these same Stampeders on Sunday afternoon at 4:00PM.
For his recent performance, Simon was awarded with CFL Player of the Week and Month honors from the league.
*****LaRod Stephens-Howling carried the ball 27 times for 221 yards and 1 TD from 70 yards out and in Pitt's 21-11
win at Syracuse. Stephens-Howling's performance was good enough to earn him player of the week honors in the Big East Conference.
*****Xavier Thomas had 4 catches for 30 yards and was 0-for-1 passing as well as picked up a tackle (unsure if it
was on an INT or Special Teams play) and Josh Miller had 4 solo tackles, 3 assists and a forced fumble however it was
all in a losing effort as Mansfield lost to Kutztown 51-7.
*****Terrill Simms got into IUP's 23-14 win over Lock Haven but did not record any statistics. According to the
particpation report, he did however get in the game.
*****Shippensburg beat Slippery Rock 28-21 and in the win, Reg Farrior had 5 solo tackles while Eric Tillman
had 1 solo stop.
And now, to the young bucks:
JV: No report
FROSH: The only info at publishing time is that they won 42-0 and are undefeated as they go into tonight's game with Bishop
McCort.
8th: No report.
7th: Seventh graders are also undefeated at 5-0 after beating Bishop Carroll 20-8. Gervon Simon hit Mark Watson on a slant
and 60 yards later it was a touchdown. Luke Kmett converted the run to make it 8-0. Simon scored the second Trojan TD on a
scramble run at the end of the first half. The final JHS score was on another Simon to Watson pass, this time on a fade from
20 yards out. Bishop Carroll was only able to move the ball on the second team and their only score was when the first team
was put back into the game with their backs against the wall. Credit where it is due though, as BC's QB did a fine job running
the option out of the shotgun.
The 7th graders get ready for McCort this week. Campagna added: "The players don't understand the rivarly yet. But [Coach
Robinson and I] will try [our] best to teach them."
Sorry this is incomplete but we had to go with what we had at the time of publishing. If we receive more info, we'll get
it posted ASAP.
Bullet Points #8
Being a Section 1 team, Johnstown doesn’t play Bedford every year. Although games were played in 2001 and 2002, that
was prior to Trojan Stadium being built. The two teams didn’t play against each other again until last year. That game
was away. The Bisons did visit Trojan Stadium for a scrimmage a few years back but this will be their first regular season
game at the new facility.
Geroy Simon caught 5 passes for 62 yards in the BC Lions’ 32-25 loss to Calgary.
LaRod Stephens-Howling carried the ball 19 times for 135 yards and 3 touchdowns in Pitt’s 52-7 defeat over UCF.
Reg Farrior had 6 tackles, 1 interception and 2 passes broken up while Eric Tillman had one tackle for Shippensburg
in their 20-17 defeat of Lock Haven.
Xavier Thomas had 4 catches for 28 yards and Josh Miller had 6 tackles and a sack for Mansfield in their 26-6
loss to Cheyney.
Terrill Simms had 2 tackles for IUP in their 33-7 win over Clarion
*******************************************
JV: No report.
FRESHMAN: Brian Subich’s club lost a close one to Bishop McCort last week and in doing so, suffered their first loss
of the season. The Crushers outlasted them 22-18 under the Trojan Stadium lights. The Trojan defense shut the Crushers down
in the second half. Johnstown scored on the last play of the game on a touchdown catch by Richard Agurs. Agurs had another
score earlier in the contest. A key play was a goal line stand by the Crushers on their own 1.
Look for the freshman to get back on the winning side of the ledger against Bedford this week.
8th GRADE: No report.
7th GRADE: Adam Campagna’s team remained undefeated with a dramatic 6-0 win over Bishop McCort. McCort
had the ball on their own 30 with about a minute left. The Trojans stopped them on their first three tries, driving them back
to the 8. There were six seconds left on the clock and McCort went for it on fourth and 23. They tried to run out the clock.
Johnstown got the ball back with 1 second left and threw a fade to Mark Watson. A McCort defender tipped the ball but Watson
caught it with one hand as he was falling for the win.
Bullet Points #9
The answer to yesterday's question is 2003 when the Trojans and Rangers opened the season and Johnstown won 12-0. A junior
named LaRod Stephens had 219 yards rushing and one TD. Brandon Simms scored the other TD but the story of the night was the
defense. A unit led by senior linebacker Jeff Schellhammer shutout the Rangers, who came into the game ranked #6 in the state
in AA, and held them to just 32 rushing yards.
This was a statement game for the Johnstown program, let's hope they can recapture some of the magic of that evening.
Now for our weekly look around levels above and below the current varsity program. First, the guys at the pro and college
level:
*****Geroy Simon caught 2 passes for 20 yards in the BC Lions' 23-17 win over Hamilton this past weekend. This gives
him 99 receptions for 1756 yards and 14 TDs on the season. These numbers not only lead the CFL, but they help him surpass
his previous team records. The Lions' regular season finale is Saturday at 10pm against Simon's first CFL team: Winnipeg.
*****LaRod Stephens-Howling carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards and caught 2 passes for 29 yards in Pitt's 20-10
loss to Rutgers Saturday night.
*****IUP beat Shippensburg 20-16 on Saturday and there were three former Trojans involved in the game. According to the
participation report, Terrill Simms didn't get into the game for IUP. However, for the losing side, Reg Farrior
had 6 tackles and 2 passes defended and Eric Tillman participated but didn't record any stats.
*****Mansfield lost to Bloomsburg 31-7. Xavier Thomas caught 1 pass for 9 yards while Josh Miller had 4 tackles
in the loss.
And now for the sub-varsity programs:
*****JV: Last week the JVs lost to Bishop McCort 42-0. I have no clue what their record is on this season.
*****Frosh: Brian Subich's team rebounded from the tough loss to McCort their previous game by beating Bedford 30-0. Scoring
two TD's was Kashmir Pretlor, and adding one TD a piece was Richard Agurs and Quattrell Rose. With the win, the Trojans improve
to 6-1 on the season and will play Forest Hills on Thursday night with the LHAC freshmen title on the line.
*****8th Grade: Donny Roberton's club lost 12-6 to Bedford. The Trojans' score was on a TD run from QB John King. The team
is 3-3 on the season.
*****7th Grade: Adam Campagna's team suffered their first loss on the season last Tuesday night at Trojan Stadium as they
were beating 31-20 by Indiana. The Indiana team fielded 53 players including a big, hard running fullback and a six-foot tall
and fast tailbacak. The Trojans had a hard time tackling all night. They seemed to be in position but couldn't make the plays.
Mark Watson scored on a 70-yard TD pass, Gervon Simon had a 3-yard TD run and Tim Odum had a 20-yard touchdown run. Dlyon
Hudson caught a two-point conversion pass. Up next for the Trojans is Forest Hills, in a game that is being played like a
championship game.
Bullet Points #10
The answer to yesterday’s question is Altoona.
Now, lets look around the pro and college gridiron to see what some former Trojans are up to.
*****Geroy Simon of the BC Lions caught 6 passes for 100 yards and 1 touchdown in the team’s 26-16 win over
Winnipeg. On the season, Simon has 105 receptions for 1,856 yards and 15 touchdowns. These numbers are tops in the CFL.
The Lions finish the regular season with a CFL-best 13-5 record. They enjoy a first round playoff bye before hosting the
winner of the Saskatchewan at Calgary game. This game, the Western Final, will take place on Sunday, November 12 at 4:00PM.
Simon is a finalist for the league’s Most Outstanding Player award as well.
*****LaRod Stephens-Howling and the rest of the Pitt Panthers were off this week. They return to action this Saturday
at South Florida. Kick-off is noon and the game is being televised by ESPN Plus Regional networks, so check your local listings.
*****IUP beat Mansfield 42-6 over the weekend. There were three former Trojans in the game. For IUP, Terrill Simms
got into the game but didn’t not record any stats. On the Mansfield side of the field, Josh Miller had 8 tackles
in the loss. Also, Xavier Thomas got the start at quarterback but the team went more with the run. He was just 3-for-6
for 6 yards. IUP is now 7-1 and will be playing Slippery Rock Thursday night in a game that will be live on Fox Sports Net.
Mansfield is 0-8.
*****Shippensburg lost to Cal U 35-20. In the loss, Reg Farrior had 7 tackles. Eric Tillman got into the
game but didn’t record any stats.
Ship is 4-5 on the year.
**************************
JV: I have no report on the squad’s last game, which was 10/23. If anyone has any scores and/or an updated won-loss
record for the season, please let me know.
Frosh: Brian Subich’s team played twice since we last posted a Bullet Points. Unfortunately they were both losses.
Last Thursday the team lost to Forest Hills 33-12. Coming off no practice, the team took the field Monday night against Windber
and lost 26-16.
The team finishes the season with a 6-3 record.
I’d like to take a little time and talk about the impact that these players could have on next year’s varsity
team. You may recall last year that we talked about two guys that could have had an impact on the varsity during their sophomore
year. The two we talked about last year were David Istanich and Quadir Christian. Both have made their mark on the ‘06
varsity. Istanich has started both ways from the get go. A two-way lineman as a sophomore is impressive no matter what school
you go to. Big Dave has definitely earned his stripes and his first varsity letter. Christian has come on as of late as he
has clearly taken the backup tailback spot over Michael Barnes. Quad has spelled Reed on both sides of the ball when the junior
has had injuries. Both of these guys made the transition from freshman ball to varsity quite well.
One guy that stands out on this year’s team is WR Richard Agurs. It’s not hard to tell that his services will
be in great demand next year as both Adonis and Meech will be graduating. I would think Agurs will be projected to start right
away for the Trojans varsity in ‘07. He catches just about everything thrown his way and probably only had one drop
the entire season. He’s a hard worker and has the confidence needed to excel at the WR position.
Another potential sophomore that could make an impact in ‘07 is FB Kashmir Pretlor. Greg Webster will be graduating
and although Will Harris has spelled him and will be back for his senior year, the blocking back is a great position to have
depth at. The Trojans’ offense has made great use of the FB dive play this year, mostly with Webster. Pretlor could
add that to next year’s squad.
8th grade: Donny Robertson’s team finished the season 3-5 and they also played two games since our last
BP. A week ago they lost 18-0 to Forest Hills and then just yesterday they made up their game against Bishop Carroll that
was rained out. The Little Huskies beat their Trojan Counterparts 20-14.
7th grade: Adam Campagna’s seventh graders finished the year 6-2, having won their first six, but dropping
their final two contest.
They lost to Forest Hills 18-14 in their season finale.
This will be the final report on the sub-varsity program so I’d like to take the time to thank Coaches Subich, Robertson
and Campagna for all their help this year in reporting not only game scores, but some of the highlights to you each week.
I also appreciate all the emails I’ve gotten from parents and players regarding the Bullet Points piece. I love giving
the younger guys a little publicity.
Bullet Points #11
The answer to yesterday’s question is 1989 when the Trojans lost to Hollidaysburg 24-0 in the District 6-AAAA championship
game. This was the season the Trojans played an independent schedule in District 6 prior to returning to the WPIAL in 1990.
As we stated last week, the sub-varsity teams are done, so for the rest of the year, we’ll just update you on the
former Trojans at the next level and beyond.
****We mentioned last week that Geroy Simon and the rest of the BC Lions would be off this week. They enjoyed a
first round CFL playoff bye. They will host Saskatchewan, a 30-21 winner over Calgary in first round action. The western final
is next Sunday at 4:00PM.
*****LaRod Stephens-Howling had 11 carries for 29 yards and 2 catches for 16 yards in Pitt’s 22-12 loss to
South Florida Saturday afternoon in Tampa. The Panthers will try to get things back on track after dropping their last two.
They will next take on Connecticut Saturday afternoon. Former fellow LHAC star Brad Kanuch has been getting a lot of playing
time for the 3-5 Huskies.
*****IUP got to showcase its program in front of a Thursday night audience on Fox Sports Pittsburgh but they weren’t
able to beat Slippery Rock. The Rock beat IUP 21-17. Johnstown’s Terrill Simms did not get into the contest.
*****Mansfield lost 44-0 to West Chester on Saturday. Xavier Thomas played QB again for Mansfield and this week
he was 5-for-14 with one interception. Josh Miller had one tackle in the loss.
*****Shippensburg lost 54-30 to Edinboro this past weekend. Reg Farrior had one tackle in the loss while Eric
Tillman got into the game but didn’t record any stats.
