There are times when winning a championship rests with the kicker. Thirty years ago, a 30-yard field goal by Burrell's Rich Marriott secured a 3-0 victory over Beth-Center in a WPIAL final. Johnstown in 1958 and Gateway in 1973 also earned titles with 3-0 wins.
However, for Central Catholic and Gateway in 2007, victory waited until the final extra point of overtime. After Gateway missed, Central's Matt Oczypok's sent the Vikings to a 35-34 victory.
West Allegheny senior D.J. Opsatnik, who has WPIAL championship experience himself, leads a solid collection of specialists who could decide a game. The WPIAL returns nine first-team all-conference kickers or punters: Opsatnik, Kiski Area's Nick Bisceglia, Mt. Lebanon's Garrett Montilla, Peters Township's Reagan Lawlor, Mars' Caleb Brake, Knoch's Mac Christy, McGuffey's Teague Nicolella, Serra Catholic's Alex Grace and Frazier's Josh Cox. 1. D.J. Opsatnik
West Allegheny, sr., 5-7, 145
A four-year varsity kicker, Opsatnik made 5 of 6 field goal attempts last season with makes from 25, 29, 33, 36 and 40 yards. The Class AAA first-team all-conference kicker has made 19 of 26 attempts in his career and improved his extra-point success rate to 93 percent (120 of 129).
2. Caleb Brake
Mars, sr., 6-0, 175
First-team all-conference in Class AAA, Brake made 9 of 12 field goal tries last season, with makes from 19, 21, 22, 23, 29, 30, 31, 34 and 40 yards. He went 3 for 3 and scored 12 points in a 30-23 conference victory over Hampton. Brake made 45 of 49 extra points last year (92 percent).
3. Garrett Montilla
Mt. Lebanon, sr., 6-0, 175
A first-team all-conference kicker in Class AAAA, Montilla made 7 of 8 field goals last season. His makes were from 22, 22, 26, 29, 31, 32 and 37 yards. He made 39 of 45 extra points (87 percent). Montilla also punts and averaged 38.4 yards as a junior.
4. Nick Tarabrella
Penn-Trafford, jr., 6-1, 160
Tarabrella set a school record as a sophomore last season with 77 extra points in 13 games for the WPIAL Class AAAA runner-up. He missed just once. He also made five field goals with kicks from 19, 20, 27, 28 and 30 yards. Tarabrella earned second-team all-conference honors behind former Plum standout Jake Chapla.
5. Jake Sarver
Freeport, jr., 5-10, 175
After leading the WPIAL with nine field goals as a freshman, Sarver made two of his three attempts as a sophomore, improving his career mark to 11 for 13. He made 45 of 49 extra points (92 percent). Sarver also threw a 56-yard touchdown pass a year ago in a victory over Burrell. One to watch: Brendan Jurgan
Central Valley, jr., 5-10, 155
With two field goals and six extra points, Jurgan scored 12 points in Central Valley's 48-41 victory over Mars in the WPIAL playoffs last season. He finished the year 6 for 8 on field goal tries with makes from 26, 29, 30, 30, 31 and 38 yards. He was 44 for 48 on extra points.
