76 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
INTERSTATE • YOUGH
Coach: Chris Chunko
2019 record: 1-9, 1-7 in Class
3A Big East
All-time record: 156-319-11
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Chartiers-Houston 7
9.18 at South Park* 7
9.25 South Allegheny* 7
10.2 at Mt. Pleasant* 7
10.9 Southmoreland* 7
10.16 Valley 7
10.23 at Brownsville * 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Gamal Marballie
103-172, 1,227 yards, 7 TDs
Receiving C.J. Waldier
71 rec., 929 yards, 5 TDs
Rushing Marballie
171-612 yards, 6 TDs
Fast facts
FAST FACTS
• Yough has neither made the
WPIAL playoffs nor posted a
winning season since 2013.
• Chunko is a Monessen grad
and played center for the
Greyhounds.
• Additional assistants include
former WPIAL players Akeem
Moore (Brentwood), Sean
Bowen (Norwin) and Jake
Beistel (Southmoreland).
• Dippolito is a transfer from
Laurel Highlands.
C.J. WALDIER
AUSTIN CAUDILL
YOUGH EYES DEFENSIVE
IMPROVEMENT IN 2020
Yough hasn’t exactly built a
fence around the end zone in recent
seasons.
The past three years, it has allowed
41.0, 33.7 and 37.8 points per
game, averages that ranked second
to last, third from the bottom and
one worse than another team in the
Cougars’ conference.
But first-year coach Chris Chunko
has plans to tighten the bolts in
the Cougars’ porous defense and
lead them in a new direction.
“I brought in a 4-2-5 (defense)
that I like to use,” said Chunko,
who in the past has served as the
defensive coordinator at California,
Charleroi and Ringgold. “It’s
more geared to slow the spread
and get guys wide. I’m a creature
of habit.”
Yough finished 1-9 last season,
the last for fourth-year coach Scott
Wood, who was not retained.
Chunko was hired in February,
before the coronavirus took control
of seemingly everything, and
immediately began to show his
players how to break down film via
virtual Zoom meetings.
“I wanted to be able to do something
productive, football-wise,” he
said. “The kids want to learn and
get better.”
When Chunko coached under
Donny Militzer at Charleroi,
those Cougars went from allowing
47 points to 16 in a three-year
window. Charleroi also went from
0-9 in 2015 to 9-2 in ’17.
Yough’s new offensive coordinator
is Mark Adams, the former
Southmoreland and Leechburg
head coach. He has installed a
spread offense that should allow
the Cougars to get their best athletes
out in space.
Among those playmakers are
senior receiver C.J. Waldier, who
had an impressive 71 receptions
— the most in the WPIAL during
the regular season — for 929 yards
and five touchdowns.
He led Yough with 1,759 total
yards.
Senior teammate Gamal Marballie
also returns, having moved
to quarterback last season after
a season-ending injury to
then-sophomore Tristan Waldier,
who is healthy again.
Marballie, a dual threat in the
backfield, passed for 1,227 yards
and seven touchdowns and rushed
for a team-best 612 yards and six
scores.
He had 115 more carries than the
second-leading rusher.
“Our guys are stronger and faster,”
Chunko said. “They are taking
to the offense and getting better
every day. I think we can do something
special.”
Marballie will look to be the
big-game gainer Dustin Shoaf was
two years ago. Shoaf graduated as
Yough’s all-time leading rusher
with 5,053 yards.
With Marballie having experience
at quarterback, he could be a
go-to in wildcat situations.
His move to tailback means a
reset under center.
“With Tristan back, we want him
to be the quarterback,” Chunko
said. “He has good game experience.
That will give us a lot of
options with the other guys. And
we have our entire line back, which
is a big plus.”
Key returnees up front for a
group that has started one season
together include junior Sam
Dippolito, senior Austin Caudill,
sophomore Tanner Jarmon and
senior Glenn Christner.
“Dippolito and Caudill will anchor
both lines,” Chunko said.
Other linemen looking to provide
time are junior R.J. Romano
and sophomore Brett Suehr.
At receiver, senior Cody Bogac
figures to be a key target for
Tristan Waldier, along with junior
C.J. Brown and freshman Tarek
Crosby.
Senior wideout Jason Phillabaum
is back after missing last
year with an ACL tear.
C.J. Waldier, also a talented
safety who will play more of a
hybrid linebacker spot known as
the “dog,” led the Cougars with
79 tackles, and senior defensive
end C.J. Layne returns after making
71 stops.
Other key defensive players are
Marballie, Bogac, Christner and
Tristan Waldier. Marballie, Chunko
said, is a “shutdown corner”
type on the perimeter.
Bogac, who will slide over to
linebacker, had 61 tackles and two
interceptions.
Sophomore Khadeem Marballie
also could figure into the mix at
running back, Chunko said.
by BILL BECKNER JR.