Returning 4 starters, reigning WPIAL champ Chartiers Valley boys looking to run it back

By: Ted Sarneso
Sunday, November 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

If there was a moment that catapulted Chartiers Valley on its way to a WPIAL Class 5A championship last year, coach Corey Dotchin pointed towards the team’s 72-63 loss to Allderdice in late January.

“I talk to our coaches all the time about it,” said Dotchin. “If we don’t lose that game, I don’t know if we have the season that we did.”

The team was in the part of the season were there was enough time left for the players to realize there were only a few weeks left that were guaranteed and it was up to them to take care of the little things if they wanted to continue on playing.

“It was a good wake-up call for our guys,” said Dotchin. “Once we got going in the playoffs, I felt confident that we had a good chance of making some noise and we did.”

In the Colts’ first-round win over Thomas Jefferson, senior Jayden Davis and junior Julian Semplice led the way. Then in the next round against Moon, freshman Luca Federico and junior Julius Best came off the bench and provided the team spark, each scoring in double digits.

Against Montour in the semifinals, junior Danny Slizik and Davis put up double-digit efforts. In the championship game against Peters Township, four players hit double digits.

“We got it from everywhere,” said Dotchin. “We were really well-balanced and that spoke to the character of the guys. They really bought into doing it for each other instead of for themselves.”

Chartiers Valley rattled off 11 straight wins, including four straight to close out the regular season, and didn’t lose again until Hershey tripped them up in the PIAA semifinals.

“I’ve probably watched the Hershey game five or six times over the course of the last year because in order for us to get better, I need to look at ways that I can get better,” Dotchin said.

The Colts got down 34-17 at halftime in that game but fought hard to get the score to 37-35 four minutes into the second half.

“The guys could have went in at half and put their heads in their jerseys and called it a season,” said Dotchin. “We fought and we had opportunities in that fourth quarter to take the lead when it was tied or to get a stop. The ball just didn’t bounce our way. It just shows the fight and character of the team we had last year.”

It was the type of season Dotchin believed his team could accomplish from the moment he took over as coach last season as he saw the potential in his players.

“My expectation was to have Chartiers Valley in the discussions for section and WPIAL championships and making a run at states every year,” said Dotchin. “We had way too much talent on this team for them to have an 11-12 record in 2023.”

Now the Colts will look to meet Dotchin’s yearly expectation by running it back this year, with the added goal of winning the section.

The Colts only lost one starter from last year, but it was Davis, the team’s leading scorer. So there’s plenty of experience back, but making up for the loss of Davis will take a group effort.

It starts with the other returning starters in seniors Semplice, Slizik, Logan Helfrick and Jake Lewis.

Semplice was the team’s second-leading scorer last year, the leading rebounder and was second in assists. Lewis is the Colts’ man down low who can rebound and score and has the capability of stepping outside.

Helfrick was one of the best shooters and a very smart player and Slizik was the team’s Swiss army knife. He guarded the opposing team’s best player, was the team’s best 3-point shooter and led the team in charges.

“All these guys are looking at increased roles and expectations because they’ve been through it,” said Dotchin. “They played 30 games last year and now they’re seniors. Looking for that leadership from those four as well as making up for the production we lost in Jayden.”

Federico, who was the team’s sixth man last year, has since grown to about 6-foot-5 and has been getting Division I interest. He will be looked on to take a huge step forward.

Other players in the mix include Best, a senior guard who provided solid minutes off the bench last year, and sophomore guard Silas Verzich, who stands about 6-2 and is a good 3-point shooter.

“That’s what our seven-man rotation is looking like right now,” said Dotchin. “We’ve got a couple other sophomores that will be able to help here and there, but we’re really looking at those five seniors and those sophomores with our rotation.”

The group will be tested this season, as the team will have a bull’s-eye on its back and won’t be surprising many teams this year.

In their nonsection schedule, the Colts open the season against Laurel Highlands before hosting Plum, Fox Chapel and Johnstown in their tipoff tournament.

“Fox Chapel is a really good 6A team and we played Johnstown in the state quarterfinals last year,” said Dotchin. “We’ll then go to Pine-Richland, anther good 6A school, and we’ll play Allderdice at LaRoche.”

The Colts will travel to Ohio the first Sunday of February to play Lutheran West, a team from Columbus that has won their district the last three years, before playing Aliquippa, Beaver and reigning 3A champion South Allegheny.

And that’s just the nonsection schedule. Within their section, the Colts will face a Lincoln Park team that added Josh and Jeremiah Pratt, who transferred from Aliquippa.

Montour went out and added another 6-11 player from Ohio as well as a transfer from Allderdice. Moon returns four of its main players and adds Jackson and Brody Bauman, who transferred from Knoch.

“Our section is going to be a battle every night,” said Dotchin. “You’re going to have four teams that are going to be battling. We brought back a lot and then those three teams that brought in a lot of transfers to be competitive.”

Dotchin wants his team to remember that the season is a marathon, not a sprint, and they’re not going to come out firing on all cylinders.

“We want to come out and get that good pace and develop those good habits,” Dotchin said. “The main goal is to get better every day and chase that section championship. We’re looking at climbing that ladder so that when playoffs come, we’re peaking at the right time.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley