HERMAN — Summit Academy has been a member of the WPIAL for eight years now.

It's just not a typical WPIAL program.

The school for court-adjudicated students the football season with no seniors, one returning starter and no assurance that its roster would be together for the entire season.

"Once a kid gets his release to go home, he's gone," said defensive coordinator Brandon Savochka. "We lost our starting center and two tailbacks that way during this season.

"Football coaches always preach to their reserve players to always be ready because they never know when they're going to be needed. Well, that's a fact here."

Head coach Steve Sherer tells his players the same thing every year.

"I want three of everything," said Sherer, meaning he wants to be three deep at every position on the field.

With a roster of 40 players, that can be difficult.

"We have no choice," Sherer said. "Somebody leaves, somebody gets injured. … We have to salvage as much efficiency on the field as we can."

Before this year, the Knights had never won more than three games in a season. They were winless last year, and when they dropped a 38-8 decision at Mars in Week 5 this year, it was Summit's 21st loss in 23 games.

Then came three wins in a row — 28-6 over Shenango, 48-0 over Union-New Castle and 28-14 over Laurel.

Summit Academy was 4-4 and on the brink of its first-ever WPIAL Class AA playoff appearance. All that was needed was a win at Riverside last weekend.

Alas, the Knights suffered a 34-13 defeat and the end of their season.

"Just keep our heads up and move on," Sherer said of the defeat. "These kids will never forget this experience. It was a special year.

"Laurel, Shenango — nobody thought we would beat those teams. Nobody thought we would beat anybody."

Kasil Butler, a split end and defensive back, was the Knights' lone returning starter, as most youngsters aren't at Summit Academy for more than a year or two. Two-way lineman Carl Smith and fullback-middle linebacker Paul Durham saw some playing time a year ago.

Butler became Summit's leading receiver this year, catching 17 passes for nearly 500 yards. Delaney Huggins was the team's rushing leader with 400 yards, but two other tailbacks — Brad Walker and Vaughn Horton — also enjoyed 100-yard rushing games.

Quarterback Earl Zarpeles threw for nearly 900 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 21 yards per completion. He never played football before this year.

Now he wants to play in college.

"Everybody else I knew here was going out for football," Zarpeles said. "I didn't want to sit around and be bored.

"I was playing around in practice one day, just throwing the football around — I guess I could throw it pretty good."

He can throw it 60 yards in the air, in fact, along with run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.

"I'm going to send some tapes out," Zarpeles said. "I'd like to play in college."

"He has a lot to learn, but the raw ability is certainly there," Rado said.

Sherer said the key to Summit's late-season surge was an increase in confidence — and in the ability to make plays.

"Sometimes expected, sometimes unexpected, but these kids make plays," he said. "Earl dropped a snap against Laurel, spun out of trouble and took off for a 50-yard run down the sidelines.

"That play broke their backs. That's the stuff these kids have been doing."

The Knights have rarely had a place-kicker before this year. One player, who arrived at Summit Academy by way of Washington, D.C., decided to give it a try.

He worked at it until he got it.

"The other kids on the team respect him. His self-esteem has changed dramatically," Sherer said.

Self-confidence and self-esteem are what Summit Academy's program is all about.

"Hopefully these kids will move on to basketball and wrestling and continue to feel good about themselves," Sherer said.

"It's not what they do while they're here. It's what they take with them when they leave that counts."