If you think that the Mt. Pleasant football team plans to coast into the WPIAL Class AA playoffs after clinching the WPIAL Class AA Interstate Conference title and earning a home game in the first round of the playoffs, think again.
The Mt. Pleasant players have other ideas as they head to Charleroi on Friday for the regular-season finale.
"We want to finish undefeated," Mt. Pleasant junior running back Bryce Ansell said after rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown in a 13-0 victory over Jeannette. "We want to finish strong."
Mt. Pleasant (8-0, 8-0), which is ranked No. 4 in Class AA by Tribune-Review Total Media, played well in all three phases of the game in blanking Jeannette.
The defense held Jeannette to 101 total yards in recording the shutout. The offense gained 313 yards, including 268 yards on the ground. Mt. Pleasant has posted three consecutive shutouts.
Mt. Pleasant plays Charleroi (5-3, 5-3), which desperately needs a victory to make the playoffs. Since defeating Jeannette, 26-20, Charleroi has a narrow win against Waynesburg and consecutive losses to McGuffey and Washington.
Charleroi is reeling, and would like nothing else than to spoil Mt. Pleasant's perfect season.
Mt. Pleasant two-year coach Bo Ruffner said he doesn't expect a letdown from his team.
"It's real simple: You're playing for one goal and it's a special goal, to go undefeated," Ruffner said. "That doesn't happen very often, so it's an opportunity out there in front of us."
This year's Mt. Pleasant team is rekindling memories from the Bill Elder days. Elder coached Mt. Pleasant in the late 1970s through the 1980s.
Mt. Pleasant made eight consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances (1980-87) under Elder, including WPIAL Class AAA titles in 1983 and 1986. The 1984 team reached the finals and lost to Aliquippa.
With the victory over Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant captured its eighth conference crown. The first seven were Keystone Conference titles.
Mt. Pleasant senior tackle Brandon Bunting, who Ruffner said is having a great season, said being part of the first team to win conference titles in two classifications is special. Mt. Pleasant were Keystone Conference champions when Bunting was a freshman and sophomore.
"We're showing people what Mt. Pleasant football is all about," Bunting said. "We're having a lot of fun."
Ruffner said the reason for the team's success is all about the players. He said the team has bought into the system.
"When I came here two years ago I knew we could turn things around, and it's because of the players and it's because of these seniors," Ruffner said. "They bought into the coaching staff and what we were doing and what we were teaching. They believe what we're doing, and it carried down through the whole team. I give credit to the seniors and the entire team.
"Coming into this conference, we were told that if you want to win the conference, the two teams you have to defeat to win it are Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette. And we were able to do that this year."
Mt. Pleasant fast facts
WPIAL titles: 1983, '86
WPIAL runner-up: 1984
Conference titles: 1982-83, '86-87, '93, 2006-07, '09
WPIAL playoff appearances: 14
