TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 131
YOUNG ALBERT GALLATIN
CONTINUES TO BUILD
Before the Albert Gallatin
School District decided to merge
the district’s three high schools
in 1987, its football teams were
competitive.
Albert Gallatin won two WPIAL
titles and German Township one.
Fairchance-Georges was also competitive
but didn’t win titles or
conference championships.
It’s been a struggle for the southern
Fayette County school since,
and in 2019, the district’s school
board decided to pull the team out
of the WPIAL and play an independent
schedule.
Albert Gallatin went 5-3 as an
independent in 2019, and thirdyear
coach Drew Dindl was pleased
with the progress. Winning helped
the morale of the program.
“Our numbers were up over the
winter,” Dindl said. “And our participation
in the weight room was
good. Then, the coronavirus hurt
our numbers.”
Dindl said the uncertainty of
a season kept some players away.
Another problem is the changing
schedule. They lost a few City
League teams from the original
schedule, but they’ve manage to
add some games, including three
against opponents from West
Virginia.
Albert Gallatin had a good scrimmage
against Monessen over the
weekend, and the toughness of his
team pleased Dindl.
“I thought the players were physical
and did a good job executing
the plays and picked up what we
were teaching,” Dindl said. “We
return a lot of players, so that
helped. We just have to find a few
new faces up front.”
Junior quarterback Tristan
Robinson, junior fullback Shawn
Loring and junior running back
Bruno Fabrycki all return, along
with senior wide receiver Dylan
Shea.
Loring was a starting guard in
2019 is moving back to his original
position in the backfield.
Dindl is pleased that the majority
of his squad are underclassmen.
A key loss on defense was the
graduation of middle linebacker
Kolby Varano. Junior Jim Marvin
will take his place.
Also back on defense are defensive
backs Fabrycki, senior Antonio
Efford, senior Tyler Frezzell
and senior Caleb Lange.
Albert Gallatin will be without
junior tackle Nicco Mickens, who
will miss the season after knee
surgery.
“I feel we’ll be OK,” Dindl said.
“We have 40 on the roster, and we
hope to build from that.”
by PAUL SCHOFIELD
Coach: Drew Dindl
2019 record: 5-3
All-time record: 219-351-12
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Laurel Highlands 7
9.18 Brooke (W.Va.) 7
10.2 at University (W.Va.) 7
10.9 Uniontown 7
10.16 at Spring Mills (W.Va.) 7
10.23 Charleroi 7#
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Tristan Robinson
43-90, 696 yards, 8 TDs
Receiving Dylan Shea
17-265 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing Malik Kirby*
93-632 yards, 4 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Albert Gallatin, German
Township and Fairchance
Georges merged to
form Tri-Valley High School
in 1987. In 1992, the district
renamed the school Albert
Gallatin.
• Albert Gallatin was WPIAL
champion in 1961 and ‘74. The
Colonials defeated Freeport,
41-13, in Class A in 1974, and
downed Penn Joint, 19-6, in
Class B in 1961. They dropped
a 34-6 decision to Jeannette
in the Class A finals in 1971 at
Connellsville.
Coach: Eric Christy
2019 record: 0-10, 0-8 in
Class 6A
All-time record: 515-456-47
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Cathedral Prep 7
9.18 McDowell 7
9.26 at Erie High TBA
10.3 Cathedral Prep 7
10.10 at McDowell 7
10.17 Erie High 7
10.24 Slippery Rock* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Cooper Baxter
65-164, 680 yards, 4 TDs
Receiving Zack Slomers*
25-239 yards, 5 TDs
Rushing Baxter
184-758 yards, 8 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACT
• The last time Butler reached
the WPIAL playoffs was in
2012.
ALBERT GALLATIN • INDEPENDENT BUTLER • DISTRICT 10
BUTLER SURE TO BE TESTED
When Butler Area School Board
members voted to leave the WPIAL
for District 10 in football, they did
it with a plan.
Give third-year coach Eric Christy
an opportunity to build up a
program that has made the WPIAL
playoffs once since Christy graduated
from Butler in 1999.
“Butler football hasn’t been too
good the last 20 years,” Christy
said. “It’s not that we’re leaving a
tough district and joining a weak
one. District 10 is really good. Erie
McDowell, Erie Prep and Erie High
all have good programs.”
Instead of playing powers North
Allegheny, Central Catholic, Seneca
Valley, Pine-Richland and Mt.
Lebanon each week, Butler is playing
the Erie schools home-andhome
this year.
Because of the coronavirus,
Butler’s original schedule was altered.
The Golden Tornado will
play Cathedral Prep, Erie High
and McDowell each twice and have
a game with Slippery Rock scheduled
for the end of the season if
neither team makes the playoffs.
Butler enters the 2020 season riding
a 20-game losing streak. Last
year, roster numbers were down
for one of the largest schools in
Western Pennsylvania. The team
started with 39 and ended with 24.
Christy is excited that the roster
increased to 57 this season, which
is encouraging.
“For a long time, Butler football
hasn’t been successful,” Christy
said. “We just want to give these
kids an opportunity to compete by
finding new scenery.”
Butler has 12 seniors on the roster,
and Christy has worked hard
to get some of the athletes in the
school to come out.
“We want leadership out of the
seniors,” Christy said. “They can
be the start of something good. In
20 years, they can look back and
say we were the group that turned
things around.”
While Butler has struggled to
compete in Class 6A, it does feature
some top notch juniors.
Cooper Baxter, who Christy
called another coach on the field,
returns for his third season at
quarterback. Baxter is a threesport
athlete who also excels in
wrestling and baseball.
“Cooper is well beyond his
years,” Christy said. “He says the
right things and does the right
things. He’s thinking like a coach.”
He comes from a good bloodline.
His brother Cole wrestles in college
and his cousins are the Saul
twins who starred at Butler in the
early ’60s.
Baxter’s best attribute is his running
ability. He played fullback at
all levels before Christy moved him
to quarterback.
While Butler did graduate a couple
top receivers, Baxter has a
big target to throw to in 6-foot-6
junior Charlie Kreinbucher, whose
cousin Jake Kradel starts at guard
at Pitt. Christy feels Kreinbucher
has a bright future. He runs the
40 in 4.6 seconds and benches 300
pounds.
“He’s new to the position,” Christy
said. “We got him out last year
and now we’re working on his confidence.
He had a good scrimmage
against Upper St. Clair.”
Also back are senior middle
linebacker/fullback Justin Kabay,
senior safety Colin Look, junior
middle linebacker Evan Orloski
and junior linemen Jake Pomykata
and Ashton Gray.
Sophomore wide receiver/defensive
back Lance Slater, junior
running back Isaiah Kelly, senior
running back Julian Jones and
sophomore running back/safety
Steven Green should also contribute.
“The key is finding some linemen
on both sides of the ball,”
Christy said. “We’re going to be
young up front.
“We’re going to play a lot of players.
I brought in a new offensive
coordinator and he’s installing the
Wing-T and spread formations.”
by PAUL SCHOFIELD
TRISTAN ROBINSON