Greensburg Central Catholic grad Max Pisula a 2-way terror for Saint Vincent opponents

Max Pisula remembers a particularly rainy football practice during his days at Greensburg Central Catholic. Then-coach Aaron Smetanka, as often was the ex-quarterback’s custom, was running the scout team offense.

On one play, Smetanka rolled out and, as he did so, slipped on the wet sod and took a tumble. It is a moment Pisula laughs about to this day.

When it was suggested perhaps Smetanka went down on purpose to avoid being hit, Pisula thought that seemed plausible.

“I was close, and he fell,” he said. “He heard footsteps.”

So Smetanka has a pretty good idea of how Geneva ball carriers felt Sept. 30 when they hosted the current team Smetanka and Pisula are part of, Saint Vincent. Pisula, a defensive end, produced a stat line that perhaps even Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt would envy: 11 total tackles, four of them for loss and two of those for sacks; three forced fumbles; two fumble recoveries; and a near-interception that officially went down as a pass breakup.

Oh, and Pisula ran for a touchdown — a 4-yarder in the second quarter that gave SVC the lead for good — in the Bearcats’ 28-19 win.

“That was the single most dominant performance I have ever seen by one player,” Smetanka said.

Of course, despite his eye-popping performance — Pisula was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week — he rues the missed interception.

“I’m still punching myself over that one,” he said. “It happened so quick. … I put my hand up, and it hit my hands. I had a chance to catch it after that, but it kind of just went through my hands.”

Pisula hasn’t missed much else this season. Through the Bearcats’ first five games, he recorded 24 tackles, including a team-leading 8¹⁄₂ for loss and two sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered two.

Those numbers already eclipse what he did all of last season, when he had eight tackles (two sacks) and a fumble recovery. By the end of the season, he likely will surpass his rushing touchdown total of six as well. (He has three this season.)

Pisula had his first college experience at Washington & Jefferson but transferred to Saint Vincent in 2021. Having Smetanka there, he said, was a bonus and helped ease him into his new surroundings.

The coach, meanwhile, was ecstatic to have Pisula back on his roster. When he coached Pisula during his junior and senior years at Greensburg Central Catholic, Smetanka had him playing quarterback — though most of his duty involved running the ball — and defensive end.

Smetanka said there was never a doubt in his mind he would use the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Pisula as a two-way player in college as well.

“I will be very honest: yes,” said Smetanka, in his fifth season at Saint Vincent. “He transitioned over from playing quarterback to now playing defense, but we let him know, hey, we plan on still using you on the offensive end, too.”

When Pisula makes an appearance on offense, there’s little secret to what he is going to do: He is in the game to run, to use his speed and athleticism in short-yardage situations, many of those of the scoring variety.

Last season he scored those six touchdowns on seven carries and amassed all of 16 yards. This season, on 15 carries, he has 28 yards and those three touchdowns through five games.

Pisula is fine with his role in the offense, but he said he will lobby Smetanka to throw a pass or two.

“I want to get one completion in my college career,” he said.

That day might come. But whatever he might do on offense, Pisula’s main job is to play defense, and he does it well. The game against Geneva illustrated what he was capable of doing, Smetanka said.

Pisula can attack an opposing offense as a hand-to-the-ground lineman or as a stand-up rusher. Both were on display against the Golden Tornadoes, and Smetanka expects to see more performances like that going forward.

“I think he just feels a lot more comfortable being around everybody here, being around the system,” the coach said. “It just so happened on (Sept. 30), everything clicked for him at once.

“He’s strong. He’s physical. He does a good job using his leverage. He’s got good hands, and he finishes well, whether it be tackles on a running back or sacks on a quarterback. He has a knack for finding the ball, too.”

Added Pisula: “Last year, being a first-year (at Saint Vincent), it kind of felt like I was a freshman all over again in a way. New everything: new coaching staff, new facilities and everything like that. Second year, I feel more into it, like a leader.”

Pisula credited defensive coordinator John Bell for preparing the team for Geneva’s triple-option offense. The Bearcats held Geneva’s ground game to 3.2 yards per carry, and Josiah Weyandt (12) and KeShawn Davis (11) also recorded double-digit tackles.

That bodes well because defense has been an area of concern for the Bearcats (2-3 overall and in the PAC). Last season, they made a marked improvement by finishing in the middle of the pack in the PAC. This season, they are trying to work their way up from the lower half of the statistical totem pole again.

Pisula is confident he and the rest of Bell’s charges can make in impact during the second half of the season. Bell, he said, preaches good, old-fashioned hard-hosed, hustling football. That’s the kind Pisula likes to play.

In fact, he likes to play that way on both sides of the ball, and he is hoping his contributions can move the Bearcats into the upper reaches of the PAC.

“I just feel like we’re all locked in this year,” he said. “We’re all on the same page. We know that we have to work extra hard being the underdogs week in and week out, having something to prove. Having that chip on our shoulder definitely makes us work harder.”