Turnovers causing problems for Chartiers Valley

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 23, 2017 | 12:42 AM

Dan Knause has seen this movie before. When he took over as the football coach at Cornell in 2007, the Raiders were mired in a string of losing seasons.

It took three years for Knause to build the program — he went 1-8, 1-8 and 2-7 in his first three seasons — but by 2010, the Raiders were a success, going 7-3 for their first winning mark since '01.

Chartiers Valley also is stuck in a cycle of losing, not having been over .500 since 2009, and is off to a similarly slow start in Knause's first season. CV went winless in its first four games, including 0-2 in the Class 5A Allegheny Nine Conference.

The biggest culprit in the winless start: turnovers. The Colts, Knause said, were minus-15 in turnover differential through their first four games.

Against Latrobe, Chartiers Valley scored 26 points and generated nearly 500 yards of offense but lost by three touchdowns thanks in large part to seven turnovers. Some of those, Knause said, came on plays that netted long gains.

Giving the opponents extra possessions, Knause said, puts added pressure on his inexperienced defense.

“That's seven extra possessions you have to defend,” Knause said. “You can't beat anybody like that, especially not in the conference we play in.

“We're green in a few spots, and it shows at times. We just have to continue to work on the little things. There's no magic pill.”

There have been bright spots. When the Colts have held onto the ball, they have moved it well. Against perennial power West Allegheny in Week 3, CV scored 29 points.

Through four games, quarterback Reed Bruggeman completed 63.64 percent of his passes for 790 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions. Anthony Doyle and Connor Barrett had double-digit receptions. Doyle had three touchdown catches, and Dylan Ablak had a team-leading 225 yards receiving and two scores.

Barrett also has shown the ability to run the ball, which could be important with dual-threat back Steve Alauzen — nearly 400 yards of total offense — week-to-week because of an arm injury.

“I haven't lost a lot of faith because of the kids' work ethic,” Knause said. “They work hard. They grind, and they're coachable. That's really all you can ask.

“I truly feel we have kids that can compete right now in this conference.”

The good news for the Colts is they still have half their schedule remaining. Over the final five games — all Allegheny Nine contests — Chartiers Valley will face one team (Upper St. Clair) that had a winning record through the season's first four games.

Knause said there's plenty of time to right the ship. He isn't giving up on the season and is confident his players won't either.

“One of our program mottos is to make today count,” Knause said. “I think the kids have seen flashes in every game and some against really good teams. We can score and move the ball on anybody. If we limit turnovers, we don't have to live on the field defensively.”

Chuck Curti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.

Tags: Chartiers Valley