Cassidy not resting after playoff loss
Less than three days after missing a chance at a WPIAL title, North Allegheny senior Eric Cassidy started working toward another championship.
Cassidy's first and only season of varsity football at North Allegheny ended with a 34-7 loss to rival North Hills in the WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinals Nov. 8.
The following Monday, Cassidy attended the opening day of 2002-03 wrestling practice as one of the top 189-pounders in western Pennsylvania.
"My goal for this season is to go to states and place high again," Cassidy said. "I just want to do my job."
Cassidy's job description increased this fall, when he played football for the first time since his freshman year. The 6-foot, 190-pounder emerged as a starting defensive end for coach Jim Rankin's Tigers and helped the team overcome a 1-4 start to reach the WPIAL playoffs.
"It took a while to catch on, but once I got a few plays under my belt, I got used to it," Cassidy said. "I never experienced anything like varsity football. It's crazy when you get up there and see all the fans, the adrenaline goes way up."
Cassidy decided to try out for football after reaching a personal goal last year by placing in the PIAA Class AAA wrestling tournament. He had left football following his freshman year to focus and improve on the sport he's loved since age 5 — wrestling.
"I told myself that if I place in states, then I would go out for football this year," he said. "I saw all my friends having fun and I wanted to give it a shot."
Cassidy won a starting job during August training camp, exceeding any expectations from the Tiger coaching staff. He learned the system quickly and his athletic ability made him a key asset to the defensive line. Cassidy also had an impact on kickoff coverage and the punt return team. North Allegheny even had a play that involved Cassidy lining up as a blocking back.
Rankin described Cassidy as a focused, intense and no-nonsense guy.
"I've tried to recruit him since ninth grade," Rankin said. "I told him once he got here that you have to be patient, it's going to sound Greek at first, but it will come together with patience and the basic fundamentals."
Cassidy is fluent in wrestling. He went 33-9 last year and won the Section 3-AAA title at 171 pounds. He finished third in the Class AAA Southwest Regional tournament and won an eighth-place medal at the PIAA tournament.
He plans to get better this year. When NA wrestling coach Jamie Kyriazis gave Cassidy the opportunity to take a few days off after football season, the star senior refused.
He lifted weights over the weekend and attended the team's first practice Monday.
"I don't want to take much time off, I want to get in the best shape I can," Cassidy said.
Every evening after practice, Cassidy goes to the weight room for a few hours to improve his strength. He uses practices as an opportunity to get faster and to improve his technical skills on the mat.
Cassidy, who will wrestle at 189 pounds this year, needs 15 victories to reach 100 for his career. North Allegheny will open the 2002-03 season at the Gateway Invitational on Nov. 29-30.
Cassidy, who is 85-23 at North Allegheny, has yet to make a final decision as to where he will attend college.
"I've narrowed my choices down to about two schools," he said. "But wherever I go, I definitely plan on wrestling."
