Pitt Panthers

A 5-6 football season for a premier NCAA program like Pitt can be devastating to team morale, to say the least. It is something that tough workouts and coaches can only do so much about. In the end it is the players themselves who will or won’t choose to develop a team mind-set. But it looks like the Panther players have been working on just that all summer.

Chris McKillop, a junior defensive end and former Kiski Area standout, believes Pitt is going to do a lot better. “Coach Wannstedt has been having us focus a lot on ‘What did I do to make it better this week?’” he says. “A lot more kids are stepping up and being leaders this year. It makes the team better.”

Seniors H.B. Blades, linebacker, and Tyler Palko, starting quarterback, are two who have tackled team spirit head-on. According to McKillop, it was “H.B.’s and Tyler’s idea for the team to go out and play softball every Sunday and Wednesday this summer. It’s really helping; it built camaraderie.”

The Panthers under Wannstedt have had over a year with two spring practices and a regular season under their belt and are much more comfortable in the coach’s system now. McKillop says, “Spring practice went very well for me. I focused on more things in detail, such as how deep running backs set.” The focus is important; under this defensive scheme, Chris says the coaches “put us [defensive ends] out there and say ‘Go make a play.” If you’ve ever watched Chris play, you know his guts on the field take advantage of every opportunity to make those plays.