Greensburg Salem seeking another run to playoffs

By: Dave Mackall
Thursday, August 14, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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For one of the WPIAL’s all-time winningest programs, Greensburg Salem has seen more than enough losing in recent years.

Following a head-turning 7-4 record in 2024, perhaps the culture is changing again.

“We’re trying to get back to winning football games and get back to the playoffs,” coach Ty George said.

Again.

For the Golden Lions, their first WPIAL playoff appearance in five seasons was a start.

“We set some goals again this year … so people don’t think it’s a fluke,” George said.

Despite losing 12 seniors, Greensburg Salem still managed to return a number of key players — among them junior quarterback Brody Chismar — from a team that dropped a 43-27 decision to eventual WPIAL-champion Avonworth in a first-round Class 4A playoff game.

Chismar, who has been in and out of the starting lineup since his freshman year, completed 14 of 20 passes for 259 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in a game that Greensburg Salem twice was within three points of a lead in the fourth quarter.

“You don’t celebrate losing, but that’s a big thing for us,” George said. “That was a huge step. Nobody on our football team had ever played in the playoffs.

“We had a ton of seniors last year, but we had a ton of guys who were not (seniors) that played a lot.”

Besides Chismar, a handful of two-way seniors return, all “with a ton of reps” from past years, George said.

Players such as wide receiver/linebacker Anthony Matthews, tight end/linebacker Max Topper, 300-pound offensive/defensive lineman Isaiah Stillwagon and wide receiver/cornerback Tyrese Lewis.

Greensburg Salem is attempting to sustain momentum after producing just seven winning records from 2000-23.

The seven victories last season were the program’s most since back-to-back seven-win campaigns during a four-year playoff run from 2008-11, which represented the last time the Golden Lions had finished above .500, a span of 12 years.

But with an impressive showing in the rearview mirror, George, the former Hempfield star who later played at Seton Hill, enters his third season at Greensburg Salem with a heavy heart.

Former Golden Lions assistant Rich Bowen, George’s high school coach, died last season.

A former Parade All-American quarterback at Serra Catholic, Bowen was serving as an assistant on George’s staff before leaving the team early and soon after passed away Oct. 8 of colorectal cancer at age 60.

“Selfishly, I think, how lucky am I?” George told TribLive shortly after Bowen’s passing. “I got to play for him, and we had some successful seasons at Hempfield, which is hard to do. He hired me right after I graduated (from Seton Hill). He taught me the ropes. He didn’t claim to know all the secrets, but he showed you how to do things the right way.”

Hopefully, George said, it’s starting to pay off as the Golden Lions have stirred memories of past winning seasons.

“The biggest thing is we’re trying to build a culture, and that looks differently everywhere,” he said. “We have a bunch of kids on our team that are tough and resilient, and they proved it last year.”

During a four-year span from 2020-23, Greensburg Salem — the second-winningest program in Westmoreland County and one of just eight WPIAL schools with more than 700 all-time victories — won just 12 games.

What’s more, the Golden Lions haven’t won a postseason game since 2000, a 23-0 first-round victory over Hopewell in the Class 3A playoffs.

Maybe this year will break the spell.

“You’re trying to get high school kids to understand there’s a lot of life skills to be learned here,” George said, perhaps taking a page from his mentor Bowen’s philosophy.

“There’s so many teachable moments. There’s so many times you want to stop kids from going down a bad path or making a bad choice. (Their) time is limited. It will expire. You have to show up and work hard. You have to wake up and come to work when you’re tired and sore and don’t feel like it. But you’ll have to go to work if you want a chance to succeed.”

Greensburg Salem

Coach: Ty George

2024 record: 7-4, 3-2 in Class 3A Interstate Conference

All-time record: 718-418-39

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at Albert Gallatin, 7

8.29 at Ligonier Valley, 7

9.5 at Valley, 7

9.12 Ringgold, 7

9.19 at Ambridge, 7

9.26 Elizabeth Forward*, 7

10.3 at Mt. Pleasant*, 7

10.10 Derry*, 7

10.17 Yough*, 7

10.24 at Southmoreland*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Brody Chismar

78-127, 947 yards, 14 TDs

Rushing: Kai Brunot*

78-520 yards, 6 TDs

Receiving: Dom Rosensteel*

28-427 yards, 8 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Greensburg Salem is among eight WPIAL schools with more than 700 all-time victories. The Golden Lions, who’ve combined for a 129-year record of 718-418-39, rank seventh among PIAA District 7 (WPIAL) teams. Aliquippa tops the list at 790, with Jeannette just behind with 786 all-time victories.

• The Golden Lions’ 42-man roster is dominated by a total of 26 seniors (16) and juniors (10). There are nine sophomores and seven freshmen listed.

• The 2025 schedule takes Greensburg Salem outside Westmoreland County just two times. The Golden Lions open the year at Albert Gallatin (Fayette County) on Aug. 22 and visit Ambridge (Beaver County) on Sept. 19.

• Greensburg Salem finished second in scoring defense (21.2 ppg) in Interstate Conference games in 2024 behind league-champion Elizabeth Forward (13.4). The Golden Lions were third in scoring offense (26.2) among the league’s six teams. Elizabeth Forward (47.4) led the way, while Southmoreland (27.2) was second, just a point more than Greensburg Salem’s average.

ROSTER

No., Name, Cl.

2, Caiden Orr, sr.

3, Tyrese Lewis, sr.

4, Anthony Matthews, sr.

5, Jackson Hostetler, jr.

6, Brody Chismar, jr.

7, Colin Doran, fr.

8, Noah Dudek, sr.

9, Tanner Schmidt, sr.

10, Chris Berger, fr.

11, Braydon Miller, so.

12, Aden Krug, sr.

13, Brandt Sandstrom, so.

14, Deshaun Miller, sr.

15, Colin Porecca, sr.

16, Sebastian Skoloda, jr.

17, LeTrey Derry, sr.

18, Alex Swatchick, sr.

19, Connor Wilson, jr.

20, Jackson Stevey, so.

21, Grady Rizzo, jr.

22, Eric Smith, jr.

23, Cooper Reusser, fr.

25, Ahkeim McCreary, sr.

27, Chris Bruni, so.

28, Matthew Wainwright, so.

32, Colton Vogel, fr.

34, Max Topper, sr.

50, Jaleel Woody, sr.

51, Kaz Funches, sr.

55, Elijah McKinley, so.

56, Seth Meanor, fr.

58, Kyle Bruni, sr.

59, Jeremiah Know, jr.

60, Carlos Lizarraga, jr.

63, Orion Leone, so.

66, David Peters, jr.

69, Isaiah Stillwagon, sr.

70, Tucker Guerrieri, so.

74, Colin Carloni, jr.

77, Nico Hardaway, so.

83, Peyton Comer, fr.

85, Noah Lovett, fr.

Tags: Greensburg Salem