New coach from college ranks looking to inject new life at Chartiers Valley

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, August 11, 2025 | 6:01 AM

After spending nearly 20 years on college sidelines, new Chartiers Valley coach Steve Spence was searching for a change, something new.

“Being at the college level for that long, I wanted to shake things up,” Spence said. “Coming here, it’s been nice to run the show.”

Being an assistant at John Carroll, his alma mater, for three years and then another 15 seasons at W&J, Spence knows that although the landscape may have changed, it’s still football.

“Your demands of the players are still the same as far as discipline, doing the little things right and working at max effort. Those all hold true no matter what level you’re coaching at,” Spence said.

So, he brought over a full spring ball practice schedule like the one W&J ran. For the players, the schemes and formations are new and the terminology is different.

“There’s a lot on the players’ plates, but we hope we’ve done the right things since January to make sure we’re ready for the start of the season,” Spence said.

Spence and his staff have brought the players along one step at a time. It’s all new, but he wants his players to play fast and with confidence, reacting and not thinking.

“We try to go at a pace to see what they can handle,” Spence said. “We’ll adjust our system to their strengths, not the other way around. It’s our job to find out what those strengths are and gear our offense and defense to them. The best coaches have the ability to do that.”

Before he took the Chartiers Valley job, Spence spent a long time watching film and seeing what the school had to offer.

“I liked a lot from what I saw, especially the talent that exists on this team right now,” Spence said. “That’s why I took the job.”

The first thing he looked at was the quarterback position.

Both Luke Miranda and Michael Lawrence return for another season.

Last year, Miranda passed for 236 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 118 yards and four more touchdowns. Lawrence passed for 132 and three touchdowns and ran for 168 yards and three scores.

Spence liked what he saw from each.

“They love to watch film, love to learn, which is what you want from your quarterback,” Spence said. “They both bring a certain dynamic. Both are dual threats and do a great job of running our offense. There will be times we use one or the other and times when we use both.”

The Colts offense will once again rely heavily on their running game, and there is no better workhorse in Spence’s mind than senior Tayshaun Lewis.

“With all due respect to a lot of backs in Western PA, I would put Tayshaun up against all of them,” Spence said. “He’s lightning fast, explosive, has great vision and is a next-level football player. He’s our hardest worker and anytime your hardest worker is also your best player, you have something special.”

Lewis shouldered the load last season, running 97 times for 922 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He will be joined in the backfield by junior Zach Efthimiades.

At wideout, the Colts are led by senior Julius Best, who is another standout player who Spence saw pop on tape.

“He’s another kid that’s a next-level player,” Spence said. “He’s another guy we need to find ways to get the ball in his hands.”

The Colts have a solid group behind Best on the depth chart. Senior Jack Czarnecki will figure in both as a receiver and as a defensive back.

Senior Damien Holloway transferred from Carlynton, where he caught 30 passes for 569 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Sophomore Niko Hines started on defense as a freshman and will see time at receiver as well.

Up front offensively for Chartiers Valley, seniors Tristin Mayo, Nick Crisanti, Daylan King and Damarion Bundridge as well as juniors Joel Buerkle and Destyn Zrelak give the Colts a solid veteran presence.

Senior Brady Schaming and junior Anthony “Moose” Mousessian are depth pieces.

“We feel very confident in what we have up front and having those guys pave the way for Tayshaun and Zach,” said Spence. “At the college level, our best line units were the ones that were the closest. These guys here all hang out together, lift together and eat together. That’s what you want out of your line.”

Defensively, Chartiers Valley has a lot of experienced players returning, most of them two-way performers, but Spence is looking to find depth as camp and the season progress.

“In this conference, if you don’t have depth on both sides of the ball, you’re going to be in trouble,” Spence said. “We need to find a balance of spelling our guys when they need it and having guys behind them who can play.”

When Spence was with W&J, his recruiting area included Western Pennsylvania, specifically schools like Thomas Jefferson, which is the top team in the Big Six Conference.

Spence had an idea of what he would be facing in the conference and when he watched his team’s film, he knew one thing had to improve.

“Physicality,” Spence pointed out. “We’re playing in a physical conference and anytime you go against teams like TJ, Trinity, Belle Vernon and even our nonconference games against South Fayette and West Allegheny, if you’re not physical, you don’t have a chance. You have to be ready to go every single week or you’re going to get beat.”

Chartiers Valley

Coach: Steve Spence

2024 record: 3-6, 1-4 in Class 4A Big Six Conference

All-time record: 252-375-5

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 South Fayette, 7

8.29 West Allegheny, 7

9.5 Indiana, 7

9.12 at Baldwin, 7

9.19 at Hampton, 7

9.26 at Laurel Highlands*, 7

10.3 Belle Vernon*, 7

10.10 at Trinity*, 7

10.17 Thomas Jefferson*, 7

10.24 Ringgold*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Luke Miranda

21-51, 236 yards, 4 TDs

Rushing: Tayshaun Lewis

97-922 yards, 11 TDs

Receiving: Julius Best

17-210 yards, 4 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• In his 15 years as an assistant under Mike Sirianni at W&J, Steve Spence never saw a losing season. The Presidents compiled a record of 124-34 and made the NCAA Division III playoffs six times and finished first or tied for first in the conference six times.

• In the last five years, Chartiers Valley has been to the playoffs twice — a 44-19 loss to Mars in 2023 and a 49-21 loss to Belle Vernon in 2020. All-time, the Colts are 2-14 in the playoffs with their last win coming in 2007, a 28-21 victory over Franklin Regional in a Class 3A first-round game.

• In 2024, the Colts were outscored 32-25 on average. But in section play, they only scored 11.7 points per game and surrendered 21.6.

• Because of construction on a new track the last couple of years, the Colts had to give up a number of home games. They will make up for those lost home contests over the course of the next few seasons. The Colts have six home games this season.

Tags: Chartiers Valley