Drop to Class 4A has enthusiasm on the rise at Chartiers Valley

By: Don Rebel
Monday, August 31, 2020 | 11:16 PM

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In 2009, Chartiers Valley closed out the first decade of the century with one of its most successful football seasons. The Colts lost only once in the regular season and finished with an 8-2 record.

The last 10 years have been a struggle on the gridiron for Chartiers Valley, with only two playoff trips, the most recent coming in 2015.

The Colts have spent the last four years in Class 5A, winning only four conference games in that span and amassing an overall mark of 10-30.

Hope springs eternal for the Colts as they embark on a new decade in a new classification.

Chartiers Valley moves from 5A to 4A and into the tough Parkway Conference a year after winning two of its first three games before losing seven straight to close out a 2-8 campaign.

“We played great competition in our conference, but we should have won more games,” coach Dan Knause said. “Our depth and other factors became an issue, and we did not perform at an elite level necessary to win games.”

While the Colts could not answer the challenge when starters were lost in 2019, Knause likes what he has in his team’s depth heading into this season.

“Although we lost a lot of skill, we feel we have guys who can replace that production at all positions,” Knause said. “We have solid experience at the quarterback position and at the wide receiver position. Our backfield will be new, but we feel like we have a solid crew ready to step up.”

One of those players expected to step up is Jordan Demus, a senior who has started for three years on defense at cornerback and is expected to play a major role in the running game. Demus returned three kicks for touchdowns a year ago.

“I feel good about being the lead back,” Demus said. “The coaches believe in me and so do the players, so I feel it’s going to be a good year.”

Quarterback Griffin Beattie led Chartiers Valley in passing and rushing a year ago. Upon his graduation, two players in the mix to take over the starting role are junior Anthony Mackey and senior Socrates Boulis.

Both saw varsity time at quarterback last season with Mackey throwing for 414 yards. Boulis is also listed as a wide receiver.

Other players back among the five offensive and six defensive starters include seniors Anthony Collura, Chase Bruggeman, Jacob Adwar, Seth Bauman and Romello Sanford.

“The defense will improve a lot this year,” Demus said. “Last year, we had a lot of first-year starters, but this year, we have a lot more experience and a lot more chemistry.”

Another key player on both sides of the ball for the Colts is junior Abraham Ibrahim.

“He played a lot as a sophomore,” Knause said. “He has a huge ceiling and impressive skill set.”

As is the case for all football teams, winning the turnover battle is huge. Knause feels his team didn’t get enough takeaways a year ago while key mistakes led to the Colts offense losing the pigskin too often.

“Creating turnovers on defense has to be an improvement area,” Knause said. “We have to eliminate turnovers on offense and make smarter decisions. We made too many costly mistakes last season.”

The Colts may be moving down in classification, but their conference will still be daunting with the likes of Aliquippa, Beaver, Blackhawk, Montour and New Castle.

“We know our new conference is stacked with good players and well-coached teams,” Knause said. “I think the depth challenges we face will be more on par in 4A than the teams we played in the past few years. We are energized to play new teams and develop new rivalries.”

Demus knows it won’t be easy, but he feels he and his Chartiers Valley teammates are capable of reaching the postseason.

“We were a little excited to move down, but we all know 4A isn’t any easier,” he said. “We believe we can compete and we expect to make a run for the playoffs.”

Schedule

Coach: Dan Knause

2019 record: 3-7, 0-7 in Class 5A Allegheny Eight Conference

All-time record: 234-345-5

Date, Opponent, Time

9.11, at Montour*, 7

9.18, South Fayette, 7

9.25, at Hopewell, 7

10.2, Blackhawk*, 7

10.9, at Aliquippa*, 7

10.16, Beaver*, 7

10.23, New Castle*, 7

*Class 4A Parkway Conference game

Statistical leaders

Passing: Griffin Beattie*

48-97, 427, 4 TDs

Rushing: Griffin Beattie*

138-796 yards, 7 TDs

Receiving: Sean Banas*

17-166 yards, 2 TDs

*Graduated

Fast facts

• Dan Knause is a 1996 graduate of Chartiers Valley and is in his fourth season as Colts head coach. He is trying to turn around another program after having success 10 years ago in turning Cornell into a winner and a playoff team in 2010.

• After four unsuccessful seasons in Class 5A, the Colts hope to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they finished tied for fourth place in the AAA Parkway Conference and fell to Belle Vernon, 36-7, in the opening round.

• Chartiers Valley is 0-5 in its last five WPIAL football postseason games. The Colts’ last playoff victory came in November 2007 when they edged Franklin Regional, 28-21, in a Class AAA first-round game. They then lost to Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals.

• The school has plenty of boys and girls golden basketballs, but Chartiers Valley has never won a WPIAL football championship. However, nobody won more district football titles in the 1940s than Bridgeville. The Indians won district gold in 1942 and back-to-back crowns with 25 straight wins in 1948-49. The ’49 Class A championship game was one of the largest margins of victory in a WPIAL history when Bridgeville crushed Trafford, 64-0.

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