Experienced line spells good news for Mt. Pleasant offense

By: Dave Mackall
Sunday, August 20, 2023 | 5:17 PM

This is a story about mutual respect and admiration, an examination of the tight bond of high school football teammates at Mt. Pleasant.

There are cornerbacks and safeties.

Outside and inside linebackers.

Quarterbacks and linemen. Offensive linemen, that is.

Speaking of which, Mt. Pleasant takes an abundance of experience into the 2023 season with three seniors and a junior accounting for four returning starters up front.

“We can be good up there,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said.

That’s good news for quarterback Cole Chatfield and the entire Vikings offense if they hope to be a contender in the Class 3A Interstate League.

Mt. Pleasant will be trying to extend its string of WPIAL playoff appearances to five with another winning record.

The Vikings open the year Aug. 25 at Greensburg Central Catholic.

The trio of returning senior linemen — Micah Roadman, Kolby Hudec and Donovan Kalemba — and junior Joseph Laychak were there for Chatfield, along with others, during his freshman year in 2021, when he was thrust into the lineup after an injury to Tyler Reese.

The Vikings split a pair of playoff games that season with Chatfield at the controls.

Those linemen were there again last season, when Chatfield took over as the team’s No. 1 quarterback and led the Vikings to a 6-5 record, ending with a wild 42-39, first-round loss to East Allegheny.

“That playoff game. That was a rough one,” said Chatfield, who threw an interception in the final minutes that sealed the outcome.

Fazekas said he expects competition for more playing time across the offensive front from the likes of Douglas Hamm, Devin Kuhns, Payton Schaum and Carter Strayer.

“I would expect them to be a pretty good group with all the experience coming back,” Fazekas said. “Having four potential starters with experience on the line is really good.”

Neither does Chatfield mask his anticipation for some potential excitement as the start of a new season approaches. He loves the idea of a sturdy wall to protect him.

“Not only do I count on those guys, but everyone else counts on them,” said Chatfield, just a junior but coming off a season during which he passed for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns. “We look up to them. They’re leading by example.”

Call it brotherly love.

“I like to look at it like we’re kind of the engine that moves the offense,” said Roadman, one of those three senior linemen, all of whom have played significant minutes since their freshman year. “We definitely have a lot of confidence. There’s always the concern of whether we fit together, but we’ve all been playing together since seventh grade. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing it.”

With a majority of guys having played together for years, Mt. Pleasant has managed to make playoff appearances so far in all their seasons. But it has produced just that one victory since 2014: a first-round win over Burrell in 2019.

“For a lot of them, it’s their last run,” Chatfield said. “We want to win in the playoffs. If we get better 1% every day, we’ll be better.”

Added Roadman: “When you miss a (playoff) game that’s that close, it wears on you. It sticks with you. We’ve been talking since January about not taking (plays) off. We realize this is it. We’re all on each other on every rep.”

Chatfield is joined in the backfield senior Jackson Hutter, who becomes the feature running back after the graduation of 1,400-yard rusher Robbie Labuda. After rushing for 476 yards on 50 carries (9.6 average), Hutter is back as part of group of 16 returning lettermen.

“We graduated some notable kids,” Fazekas said, “but we certainly continue to talk about what our team goals will be. The conversation’s about making a run.”

This year, perhaps, with a veteran lineup, the Vikings can enjoy some added playoff success.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant