High school football preview: Olds, Mott give Bishop Canevin two explosive weapons

Rod Steele hasn’t been in charge of Bishop Canevin’s football program for all that long, having been hired just a little over two months ago.

But it didn’t take him long to see that the Crusaders have talent.

Steele retired from his previous coaching position at West Mifflin in February, only to end that retirement when Bishop Canevin came looking for a replacement for Rich Johnson, who moved on after five seasons that included a WPIAL title in 2021.

Johnson guided his final edition of the Crusaders to the semifinals of the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs last year before losing to eventual runner-up Clairton, 24-0.

Bishop Canevin went 9-3 overall and finished 5-1 in the Black Hills Conference, good for second place. Several key players from that team are returning to this year’s squad, which gets its first test of the season at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, against Seton LaSalle at Dormont Memorial Stadium.

Front and center are Damar Olds, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound wide receiver/cornerback who might even see a little action at quarterback, and junior running back Myontae Mott, who led the team with 18 touchdowns.

Steele described Olds as “electrifying”

“He’s a quick kid – and a tough kid,” he said. “He plays the game hard, from what we’re seeing in practice, and his game film speaks for itself.”

Mott, said Steele, “has been in the fire. His film speaks to what he’s capable of. He’s an experienced guy with a lot of touches. He has a low center of gravity and is a very balanced runner. And he can catch the ball out of the backfield.”

Steele, who led his previous teams to a pair of WPIAL titles — including a PIAA crown in 2016 when his unbeaten Steel Valley squad won 15 straight games via the mercy rule – said last week he and his staff were in the evaluation process to figure out what they had to work with.

“The kids are adapting to us and how we go about doing things,” he said. “It’s a new philosophy and new terminology. We’re trying to get better each day and work on the fundamentals that the position coaches are teaching. We’re making sure the kids are being taught the right way, and right now the kids seem really receptive.

“It’s a process.”

Steele said he’s not worrying about what the competition is doing at this point, although he acknowledged there will be a time and a place for that.

“Right now, we’re concerned about what we’re doing as far as how we’re executing our assignments,” he said. “Once they familiarize themselves with the playbook in all three phases, then we’ll be able to worry about things that are coming down the road.”

Steele said the philosophy he’s trying to impart is fairly simple.

“We want them to play fast and physical,” he said. “We don’t want them to be hesitant.”

The Crusaders have a number of other players who have caught Steele’s attention, including Charles Butler, a 6-5, 330-pound two-way junior lineman who’s drawing interest from MAC schools; junior linebacker Minikon Johnson; senior safety Thomas Coats; junior defensive back Alex Kirk; senior lineman Mar Vessels; junior wide receiver Justin Melvin; and junior tight end/defensive end Lamier Wade.

One hole the Crusaders are trying to fill is at quarterback, as Kole Olszewski, who threw for more than 2,200 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, graduated. Steele said Ronnell Massie has been getting a look along with Olds and Melvin.

“We’re just going to let them battle it out,” Steele said. “So far, we like what we’ve seen.”