Revamped offensive line holds key to Greensburg Salem’s success

By: Dave Mackall
Monday, August 11, 2025 | 8:46 PM

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A new offensive line for the Greensburg Salem football team will be on display when the Golden Lions begin play Aug. 22 at Albert Gallatin.

“I’m really excited to see what we can do,” junior quarterback Brody Chismar said.

By the time the team plays its first home game at Offutt Field on Sept. 12 against Ringgold, everyone should have an idea whether that rebuilt unit can do the job.

“It’s always going to be a work-in-progress,” Greensburg Salem coach Ty George said, “but we’ve seen great strides over the past couple of months.”

The Golden Lions, coming off a 7-4 season that included their first WPIAL playoff appearance in five years, are tasked with replacing all five starters across the offensive line.

Three of them — Azreal Franklin (IUP), Jack McGough (Waynesburg) and Cole Savage (Grove City) — moved on to the college football level, while Ender Faust-Cosgrove (Waynesburg) was concentrating on track and field.

The remaining starter, junior Ayden Mars, decided against playing football this season.

“He just didn’t love it anymore,” George said.

In their place is a new group made up of sophomore tackles Elijah McKinley and Orion Leone, senior Isaiah Stillwagon and junior David Peters at the guard spots and senior center Jaleel Woody.

The average weight of the group is 242 pounds.

The 6-foot-1, 310-pound Stillwagon, who has been a starter at defensive tackle, will move to the offensive side and become a two-way player for the first time.

Stillwagon was walking off the practice field following a recent workout, joking with teammates, many of whom were quick to take a jab at the soft-spoken senior.

Stillwagon took the opportunity to give it back.

“I’m trying to keep everybody motivated,” he said later while standing outside the high school locker room in a Greensburg Fire Department T-shirt.

When someone suggested to “keep fighting those fires,” it unwittingly presented an appropriate metaphor for a team looking to take another step forward after giving eventual WPIAL champion Avonworth a fight in a first-round playoff loss to end last season.

In that 43-27 defeat, Chismar made a strong statement and offered Greensburg Salem fans some hope by passing for 259 yards and four touchdowns.

“To do that as a sophomore and never being in a playoff game before, that was a huge step,” George said. “He ended up with (nearly) 1,000 yards passing and 700 yards rushing for the season. He’s a kid that could be a 1,000/1,000 kid in high school, which is hard to do.”

It is a feat that could be made easier behind a dependable offensive line.

“We’ve all got to step up this year and see what we can do,” Chismar said. “I’m excited about it because all these guys on the line are pretty good at it. All around, everyone, left-to-right.”

Stillwagon & Co. appear up for the challenge. It’s certainly the sort of thing a quarterback likes to hear.

The first test is not far off.

Following the opener, Greensburg Salem will visit Ligonier Valley on Aug. 29 and Valley on Sept. 5 before finally playing a home game.

After hosting Ringgold, the Golden Lions are back on the road Sept. 19 at Ambridge in their final nonconference game.

By the time their Class 4A Interstate Conference opener arrives Sept. 26 against defending champion Elizabeth Forward at Offutt Field, Stillwagon expects Greensburg Salem’s offensive linemen to be successfully synced with Chismar and with each other.

“I believe we have the necessary tools and people to do what we want to do during the season,” Stillwagon said. “We just need to keep on working and keep developing those pieces and the people and just keep on moving down through the season.”

The formula is rather simple, he said.

“We’ve got a playmaker back there running the offense, and we’ve got other skill guys who can complement Brody.

“For me, really, my focus is making sure I get my guy blocked. If I don’t have anybody over top of me, it’s really finding work and protecting my quarterback for as long as possible until either he releases the ball downfield or takes off for yardage.

“But, mainly, it’s just doing my job and protecting my quarterback.”

Like Stillwagon said, he’s just “trying to keep everybody motivated.”

Tags: Greensburg Salem