2026 High School Football Preview

Moon Area football: Young Tigers look to make their mark in new conference

Antonio Rossetti

August 26, 2026

A year ago, Moon Area rode a veteran squad into the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals before losing standout quarterback Andrew Cross to a late hit and ultimately dropped a close decision to a talented Pine-Richland team.

This season will be a lot different. The Tigers underwent major roster turnover and are in a completely new conference. And with Moon Stadium being under construction, there won’t be any true home games on the schedule.

Overall, it’s a completely new adventure.

“We’ve been juggling a lot, but it’s overall been a good summer for us so far,” Tigers coach Ryan Linn said.

Linn noted the major construction project underway on campus has left his team “displaced” since January – and that will be the case until August 2027. As a result, the Tigers will play two of their “home” games at Robert Morris University’s Joe Walton Stadium and another game at F.N.B. Stadium as part of the inaugural 412 Classic.

Although things look a lot different, senior Dublin Jacoby is one familiar face in the Tigers lineup. And after playing defensive end last season, Jacoby will move to spearhead the linebacker corps.

“We had such an old group with about 26 seniors, but we’ve always talked about how the expectations can’t change,” Jacoby said. “These guys have to grow up fast, and that’s what we’ve been pushing for. We just have to be ready come Week Zero.”

The Tigers are young, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. The Tigers have had quite the turnout, with 65 players on the roster. However, Linn acknowledged the youth he and his staff are working with.

“We can barely drive a car with the age of this team,” Linn said. “Of the 65 kids on the roster, 13 will be seniors. Out of our juniors, half of them have their license.

“We’re going to be very young. We have some guys who have played and are returning, but we’re going to have a bunch of guys out there that are sophomores, mixed up with some freshmen and some juniors. We are young, but there’s a lot of talent coming up the line, so it’s kind of exciting for these kids coming up because they do have a ton of talent.”

The Tigers have been in this spot before. After reaching the WPIAL final in 2021, Moon graduated 21 of 22 starters. Linn believes this year’s group is in a better position than the 2022 team was when it had to reload.

He expects senior wide receiver Savario Vandetti, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart transfer John Anderson and junior Dionte Henry to lead the offense.

Vandetti, who hauled in 35 passes for 453 yards and six touchdowns last season, is excited to see how he and Anderson will excel.

“Hopefully we can both make a lot of plays,” Vandetti said. “I don’t know who’s going to be on what side all the time, but if one of us is covered, the other one should be open. Hopefully we can feed off each other, make plays and keep things rolling.”

Anderson finished with 250 receiving yards at OLSH last season.

Mike McMahon is in as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator.

“He’s a really smart football guy,” Vandetti said. “I’ve been to a couple workouts at the Green Tree Sports Complex, and just seeing his football IQ and the way he thinks about the game has been crazy. I’m excited to play in his offense and see what he brings.”

Vandetti is excited to team up with Anderson and the rest of the senior leaders to guide the team.

“John’s a really good receiver,” he said. “Hopefully he and I can put up some numbers on offense. Dublin Jacoby is another senior leader. He’s played a few different spots, but he’s been behind the line the last three years and knows what he’s doing on both sides of the ball. Christopher Miller is another one. He’s a really good linebacker, and I’m excited to see what he does.”

Henry, an electric Swiss Army knife-type player who can play quarterback, running back and wide receiver, will carry much of the offensive load. 

“He was one of the younger offensive guys we rallied behind last year,” Jacoby said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him lead us on the field and step into a leadership role going into his junior year.”

Henry ran for 328 yards last season and came through with a 40-yard touchdown run against Pine-Richland in the WPIAL semifinal loss. 

Henry will take some snaps at quarterback, along with junior Cristiano Kinol and freshman Richie McMullen. McMullen already holds two Division I offers from Alabama A&M and North Carolina. 

If Henry is not the quarterback, he will lead the running back position. Senior Juliano Alston and junior Matt Smarsh will also be running backs the Tigers will rely on. Miller will get carries as well. 

The Tigers also learned that they could add two more potentially significant players to their roster in Tyrone Claytor and Jance Henry, both of whom were ruled eligible Tuesday by the PIAA.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Claytor, a sophomore wide receiver/safety, played at South Allegheny. Henry, a 5-9, 205-pound sophomore, will see action at running back and safety. Linn said he’ll try to get both players up to speed for the first couple of weeks, but both likely will be starters at some point this season.

The offensive line will be bigger up front than it was last year. True Robinson (6-foot-4, 300 pounds), freshman Jaymir Eggleston (6-foot-4, 300) and sophomore Nico Williams (6-foot-2, 250) will help lead the way, along with Mike Bergener, senior Jackson Druga, senior Jaden Thompson, freshman Cooper McMullen and right tackle Richard DeFallo. 

Pitt already has offered Eggleston a scholarship.

Through the past few years, Moon has never backed down from a loaded Class 5A section. Size and strength are two things Jacoby knows won’t be a concern.

“That’s never been our issue,” Jacoby said. “It’s more about the mental side of the game. We have to lock in every week because you can’t just go out and play against these 5A teams. It’s going to be a challenge since some of the younger guys haven’t seen that level of talent yet, but we’ll be ready for it by Week Zero.”

Linn said that it’s not just strength in the line. The defense is good all around.

“I’m looking to see our overall team speed and see how that translates, because I think we have pretty good team speed at all three levels on defense in terms of our guys up front, our linebackers and our defensive backs,” Linn said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how those guys translate to Friday nights.”

Jacoby said Miller will make an impact on defense from his linebacker spot and will step into a leadership role. He’s looking forward to leading the defense with him.

“I switched to linebacker this year, so it’s definitely a different position for me,” Jacoby said. “Being a linebacker makes it easier to control the field and communicate with my teammates. It lets me take a step forward as a leader and be more vocal with everyone around me. “

Although there’s a lot of change, the community will stay the same supporting Moon football.

“I’ve grown up here my whole life and have been around the football program since I was young,” Jacoby said. “I remember watching those guys play on Friday nights, and now it’s my turn to help lead this team and this program. We want to keep the expectations high.”

The Tigers may not have the varsity experience, but the talent and excitement level is there.

“It’s taking small steps and just getting ready for the old cliché, one game at a time,” Linn said. “We start talking about bigger things, especially with a younger team, we can get lost here real quick. We’re just trying to keep it going into the next day and just trying to keep everything in the moment instead of taking it too far ahead with them.”

As for the new conference, which will include Armstrong, Pine-Richland, Penn Hills, North Hills and Plum, the Tigers are up for whoever is on their schedule.

“At the end of the day, it’s just another game,” Jacoby said. “You can’t go into it thinking it’s a new team or anything like that. I’ll definitely miss playing some of the teams from last year and having another chance against them, but I’m looking forward to playing the new teams in our conference.”

Jacoby said he and the team are ready.

“There’s a lot of excitement,” Jacoby said. “It’s a smaller group this year, so everyone’s really banded together. The connections within the team are stronger than ever, and everyone’s ready to get after it.”