“Goin’ Up Camp” is a series that features notes, quotes and anecdotes from district preseason high school football camps.
A large sign hangs on the side of the press box to greet fans that enter Jeannette’s home field.
“Welcome To McKee Stadium, Home of the Jeannette Jayhawks, 2 Time State Champions, 9 Time WPIAL Champions.”
The sign also has a three-digit number that is changed after every Jeannette win. It reads, “Total Wins 766 – Most Wins in Western Pa.”
Jeannette indeed has won more football games than any school in the history of the WPIAL. And the Jayhawks are No. 52 on the all-time win list in the history of U.S. high school football, according to MaxPreps.com.
Obviously, Jeannette is one of the most storied programs in Pennsylvania. But the Jayhawks find themselves this season in survival mode.
Players transferring to other schools have depleted this proud program. Jeannette coach Roy Hall said nine returning starters from last year’s team that won the WPIAL Class 1A title and made it to the state championship game transferred to other schools. Four went to Greensburg Central Catholic, one to Woodland Hills, two to Gateway, one to Hempfield and one to a school in Texas.
This past spring, Jeannette had only 12 players signed up to play football. So coach Roy Hall went recruiting — in his own district. The Jayhawks started preseason camp with 27 players and were down to 22 late last week because of some injuries. But about half of those players have never played varsity football, four are in the band and one is on the soccer team. Those four band members will perform in halftime shows this season while wearing their football uniforms. Only one starter from last season returns.
“I don’t want no pity because, believe me, no teams in our conference are going to give us any pity,” Hall said on the field after a recent practice. “But with the tradition we’ve had here, winning the WPIAL last year, being the state runner-up last year, this stuff is like a nightmare. I’m standing here right now still in disbelief.”
Jeannette had a 33-player roster last year and 40 players only five years ago. This year’s team has 11 seniors, three juniors, nine sophomores and four freshmen.
“Normally, when you have a team with 11 seniors, you’re feeling pretty good about yourself because you have a lot of experience,” Hall said. “But I’ve got more experience with the sophomores than seniors. Most of the seniors have never played.”
The most notable transfers were sophomore quarterback Brad Birch and his senior brother, Brett, a receiver. They transferred to Gateway. Brad threw for more than 1,600 yards last year as a freshman.
“It started with the Birches,” Hall said. “Then kids were thinking we didn’t have enough. It’s so disheartening. It's brutal.”
But Hall is far from throwing in the towel on the season. Jeannette might not be challenging for a WPIAL title this year, but don’t be surprised if they Jayhawks are still competitive.
“You look at some of the guys in the band and they look like players, but they’re raw,” Hall said. “We’re trying our darnedest to coach them up. I think we can maybe be competitive in some ways, but our first three games are pretty rough. You know if some of these teams get the opportunity to lay it on the Jayhawks, they’re going to do it.”
Hall’s final season
Hall is a 1982 Jeannette graduate and a former Jayhawk player. He bleeds red — and blue. He almost retired after last season, but his wife and daughter talked him into coming back for one more season.
“People have asked why I don’t just leave now,” Hall said. “If I did that, I would be no better than some of the players who left.”
Hall has been Jeannette’s coach for 12 seasons and has a record of 115-27. He was the Post-Gazette Coach of the Year in 2020.
The only starter
Justin Shank is a senior at Jeannette and starts on the offensive and defensive lines. He is the only returning starter from last year’s team — and feels a little lonely.
“It makes me mad, but I have to use it as motivation to be a dog on the field,” Shank said. “I knew the Birches were going to leave. Everybody else I guess had no faith in the team.”
Shank said he played with many of the departed ever since midget leagues.
“I grew up with all of them and won two championships in midget leagues, and won the WPIAL last year,” Shank said. “They told me all the time that we were going to win another WPIAL. Once we broke apart for the summer, they all went their separate ways.
“I have to be there now for the new guys, take them by the hand, pat them on the shoulder, show them the ropes and just work hard with them. … If I could say anything to the ones who left it would be that they broke my heart. I wish I could fight one more time with them. I wish I could go out this year with the brothers I grew up with. Now, there’s really one brother left that I’ve been with, Tyler Horn.
“But I honestly think we will be a competitive team. We’ll still put up a fight. I think we’ll make a playoff run and maybe even make a WPIAL run. You never know.”
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: August 25, 2021, 8:00 p.m.
