Sheetz WPIAL Postseason MVP
Mike Caputo, RB, West Allegheny
By Will Strome

Let it be known there were plenty of phenomenal running backs scattered throughout the WPIAL this season. But were none more dependable and durable down the stretch than West Allegheny's junior tailback Mike Caputo.

And Indians head coach Bob Palko has nothing but love to give to his workhorse.

"He's the ultimate team guy who raises the level of play around him," Palko said. "He's a throwback football player who loves to play hard."

West Allegheny's soft spoken star transferred from Blackhawk for family reasons this past summer and was nothing short of spectacular for his new team. The 6-1, 190-lb. Caputo finished the year as the WPIAL 's second best runner behind Hopewell's Rushel Shell, a player who the Indians saw plenty of this season.

In Week 7 the Indians traveled to undefeated Hopewell for arguably the most highly anticipated game of the regular season in any of the four WPIAL classifications. All eyes were on the league's top two rushers, who did not disappoint spectators.

In the end, Hopewell's seemingly unstoppable sophomore Shell torched the West Allegheny defense for 350 yards on 23 carries and three scores. Caputo's 225 yards and three scores just weren't enough to overcome the battering Viking ground game.

The loss was only the Indian's second of the season. But 34 days, 5 games, 1,143 hard earned rushing yards and 14 touchdowns later; Caputo and his Indians earned a shot at avenging the 34-26 regular season loss against the Vikings. This time, the setting was frigid Heinz Field for the AAA championship.

But first the Indians had to barrel through Freedom 41-0, and escape Montour in a 35-22 thriller to earn the fourth seed in the AAA bracket. Poised for a major postseason push, Caputo and the Indians hosted and handled Knoch nicely in the first round with a 31-17 victory. Caputo breezed through the Knights defense for 229 yards and two scores on 25 touches.

The following week was a rematch against fifth-ranked New Castle, a team the Indians had beaten by a touchdown in Week 5. In that first meeting, Caputo put together an unforgettable performance with 39 carries for 294 yards and two touchdowns. Palko stuck with the same game plan in the postseason and almost got the same results; this time they were even better. Caputo had 40 carries, 297 yards, two scores and West A had a 31-7 quarterfinal win.

That left only one team standing in between the Indians and a fifth trip to Heinz Field: unbeaten and top-ranked Thomas Jefferson.

"It's just the playoffs, it's nothing different," Caputo said of the match-up against TJ, a team that had won three straight Triple-A titles and was gunning for a sixth straight appearance at Heinz. "Just don't think and do what you have to do."

So Caputo simply did what had been asked of him all year - run hard. Racking up 269 yards and two touchdowns, including a 94-yard kickoff return, Caputo and West A pulled the upset, topping TJ 28-21 and solidifying a spot in the championship game. Of Caputo's 26 touches, seven came on a seven-play, 50-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown, early in the fourth quarter to put the proverbial nail in TJ's coffin.

But the excitement didn't last too long. The Indians had the rematch they desperately wanted - another shot at Hopewell, this time for the title.

"We knew we could move the ball against them," Palko said. "We just had to eliminate big plays."

The Indians didn't eliminate all of Hopewell's big plays, but they sure moved the ball, especially early. Caputo touched the ball on 21 of the Indians 24 offensive plays in the first half. He had 127 yards and four touchdowns, and the Indians led by two scores.

As hard as the Vikings tried to fight back, the early Indians lead proved insurmountable. The epic journey was over; Caputo and his Indians were crowned kings for the fifth time in school history. Caputo finished the playoffs with a remarkable 973 yards and 11 touchdowns on 116 carries.