Only best will do at Chartiers Valley
Steve Alauzen
Daniel McGeough
Dom Pocci was an all-conference linebacker last season for the Colts. He is also the starting tailback.
Anthony Onomastico was an all-conference linebacker for the Colts last season. He is one of nine starters returning on defense for the Colts.
Niel Loebig
Niel Loebig
Alignments don’t matter. Offseason experiences don’t matter, either. Winning football games require only one thing at Chartiers Valley. “We have to play our best,” said coach Niel Loebig.
The Colts will attempt to do so in the Class 5-A Allegheny Nine Conference. Only West Allegheny and Moon are familiar opponents from the former Parkway Conference, where the Colts finished 4-4 and qualified for the playoffs in 2015.
“Change is not always bad. It’s a challenge for us, but I think we will be competitive,” Loebig said.
Instead of playing in the Parkway Conference with the likes of WPIAL powers Central Valley, West Allegheny, Montour and Blackhawk, the Colts will face Allegheny Nine teams including Woodland Hills, North Hills and Upper St. Clair, Hampton and Baldwin, along with Moon and Fox Chapel, are in the Colts’ new conference.
Because of a beefed up offseason regiment, Loebig believes the Colts have prepared to play well.
CV worked extensively in the weight room and had good experiences during 7-on-7 passing camps that included Pine-Richland, which boasts one of the best quarterbacks in the state in Phil Jurkovec, as well as Woodland Hills.
“We were competitive,” Loebig said. “Granted, that is not real football, but we have seniors who have been playing for three years and they are not afraid to go up against anybody. We’ve done the preparation during the offseason, gotten stronger in the weight room. When we step on the field and play, we feel that we will fit in. Mentally, I think we have gotten over that hump.”
By participating in Outdoor Odyssey, the Colts also bonded. The team-building camp in the Laurel Highlands afforded the team an opportunity to get back to basics. There was no cell phone or internet service, no cable TV and no air-conditioning.
“It was a fantastic experience,” Loebig said. “Players worked together to get through obstacles. They learned how to communicate with each other. Those things are important in football, because you need to have a team mentality.”
At CV, there are plenty of people who possess experience and talent. A dozen of them are seniors who were freshman when Loebig became head coach. Loebig plans to rely on them for leadership as well as his “athletic” underclassmen, who he has deemed the “playmakers.”
Seniors anchor the critical positions on the line and at linebacker. The five veteran linemen are Logan Ford, Nathan Keifner, Daniel McGeough, John Sexauer and Dante Panucci. All-conference performers Anthony Onomastico, Dom Pocci and Collin Eger form the middle of the defense at linebacker. “Those 12 seniors have a business mentality. They want to work hard and they’ve changed the culture here. They want it bad and that has trickled down to the rest of the team.”
The secondary returns experienced players Reilly O’Neill and C.J. Saluga. The seniors are returning starters at safety.
Players affording CV depth at cornerback are Dylan Ablak, Anthony Doyle, Armando Novelli and Steve Alauzen. Troy Donofrio and Novelli, a junior, can play safety.
Alauzen and Ablak, like Onomastico and Pocci, will make their mark on offense. Alauzen, Onomastico and Pocci will play in the backfield and Ablak leads the receiving corps.
The Colts’ biggest surprise might be who emerges at quarterback. Reed Bruggeman enters the season directing the offense. He saw some action last season backing up Jake Collins, and guided the JV squad to an undefeated record before being called up to varsity.
According to Loebig, Bruggeman, who played on CV’s WPIAL championship baseball squad this spring, is a dual threat – he can run and throw – much like Collins.
“Reed has exceptional skills. He’s polished for a QB at the high school level. He’s a tough kid; not afraid to get hit,” Loebig said.
Connor Barrett and Griffin Beattie also have skills that can’t be taught. Barrett is a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore, while Beattie is a freshman.
Who will play quarterback is not the concern, it’s who can help offset the loss of Collins. “We lost a quarterback with a lot of production,” Loebig said. “How do we replace that? Not with a quarterback alone, but with multiple players. “
And, CV has the talent on defense.
“If we play to the level that I feel we are capable of, then defense should be a good part, a strength, of this team,” Loebig said. “Though we have nine starters back, competition will keep them from complacency because there are other players on the team pushing them. In the past, we were one deep. This year, if someone goes down, we are prepared. Competition always breeds success.”
The Colts also thrive on bettering themselves. They have set the bar high for the season.
“We want to be the best,” Loebig said. “Our goal is to win a championship. That is why you play a season. To do that, then the goal is to win every game.”