Western Beaver football team takes selfless approach to 2024

INDUSTRY — The past month has been a whirlwind for the Western Beaver football program.

In July, quarterback Jaivin Peel announced he would transfer to Central Catholic after breaking the WPIAL passing record in 2023.

After just six days at Central Catholic, Peel transferred to Lincoln Park where he attended classes and joined the Western Beaver football team in early August.

Peel was required to undergo an eligibility hearing for the 2024 season after being transferred in and out of the program; the WPIAL declared Peel fully eligible for the 2024 season on Aug. 12.

Now that all distractions are out of the way, the Golden Beavers look to use a variety of weapons this season to find success after making their way to the WPIAL quarterfinals a season ago.

“We have guys this year that are hungry,” coach Ron Busby said. “We don’t have that guy that everybody looks at on this team and we have the advantage of being good at everything. It’s a great environment to coach and play in, so I enjoy every moment I get on the field with this team.”

Last season, the team had two big targets in Dorian McGhee and Mikey Crawford, who went on to play college football at the University of California and the University of Buffalo, respectively.

This Western Beavers team has options it can use at any position and Busby believes this group doesn’t care about personal stats and accolades.

“Great players want to have the ball, but I think when you have a great team, they don’t worry about touches or receptions, they’re just focused and focused on winning. I think it makes our job a lot more enjoyable and we’re not as one-dimensional trying to stop those two or three key players. We’re able to vary things during the game and we can transition when something isn’t working.”

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On a team that is selfless and has multiple impact players, vocal leadership is key to ensuring players are all on the same page and Chris Kirkland has been that player for Western Beaver.

Kirkland is a senior who has made his voice heard throughout camp this season by coaching the younger players through drills, correcting them when they make mistakes and being the voice of the program.

Busby believes that with Kirkland’s vocal leadership, he provides a good mix of players on this Golden Beaver team who lead with their voice and lead by example.

“Chris is one of those guys that likes to be heard and motivate, and he does it out loud,” Busby said. “We have a great mix of leaders on this team and we have other guys that may not be big talkers but lead through hard work and effort. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of is how these guys have embraced each other.”

Head Coach: Ron Busby (fourth season, 21-13 overall)

2023 Review: (7-5, 5-2 Midwest)

Top players lost: Mikey Crawford, Dorian McGhee, Dontay Green, Tyson Florence

Offense: Western Beaver’s offence will be led by Jaivin Peel, who is coming off a breakout freshman season. The Golden Beavers will have a huge challenge after losing their top three receivers from last year, but Chris Kirkland and Jaden Bishop should fill the void for Western Beaver with Peel’s strength commanding an attack under center.

Best Returning Players: Jaivin Peel, Dennis Harris, Eli Cooper, Chris Kirkland, Wyatt Sparbanie, Collin Reader, Jaden Bishop

Defense: On defense, the Golden Beavers will be counting on Dennis Harris and Wyatt Sparbanie, who have played key roles on the defensive line in recent seasons. Eli Cooper will also play a pivotal role after recording 48 tackles and three sacks last season.

Classification: 2A

Last WPIAL playoff appearance: 2023

Latest WPIAL Title: 1994

WPIAL Titles: 3

This article was originally published on Beaver County Times: Western Beaver 2024 football preview: Jaivin Peel returns to fuel hopes