Mark Druga remembers the drive back into Burgettstown on Route 22 and the scene that greeted his Blue Devils football team at the tail end of last season.

A 27-0 win at Brentwood in Burgettstown’s penultimate regular-season game meant the Blue Devils were conference champions in WPIAL’s Class 2A Three Rivers Conference for the first time since 1977.

The accomplishment, 41 years in the making, brought out the town’s finest as police and firefighters escorted the team back to Burgettstown High School.

The Blue Devils finished the 2018 season with a 10-1 overall record and a 7-0 conference mark. They’ve made the playoffs each of Druga’s four seasons as coach, including a heart-stopping postseason win at Neshannock in 2017, Burgettstown’s first playoff win since 1977.

“Expectations have been raised. That’s what continues to motivate all of us,” Druga said. “Not just the boys and myself, but the coaching staff. Heck, even the community.”

It will be hard for Burgettstown to replicate last season’s dominating success (seven wins came by 23 or more points), but talented pieces remain.

Headlining Burgettstown’s eight returning offensive starters is senior quarterback Jake Lounder and backfield teammates, senior Cyle Conley and junior Shane Kemper.

Lounder flourished as a rusher in 2018. He attempted only 75 passes, completing 26 for 462 passing yards. His ground game was a different story, with 159 rushing attempts turned into nearly 800 yards for the run-heavy Blue Devils.

He didn’t do it alone, with Kemper totaling 660 rushing yards and Conley adding nearly 500 rushing yards of his own.

Druga thinks a year of experience will help Lounder, whose brother Ryan was Burgettstown’s quarterback in 2017, expand the team’s vertical passing game.

“Having that kind of swagger to be able to be placed in more situations where it’s on Jake to throw the ball,” Druga said. “That’s why we feel we have the chance to be a better throwing team in 2019.”

Something integral to that downfield passing attack is the return of starting tight end Dylan Poirier, a senior who led the team last season with seven catches for 167 yards.

Wide receiver James Choff also had seven catches, and his graduation means Druga will rely on senior wideout Seth Phillis, who also plays defensive back, kicker and punter, as a go-to receiver.

“He’s just an overall phenom as an athlete,” Druga said.

For all the options retained by Burgettstown at offensive skill positions, three starters on the offensive line — Ethan Brothers, Angelo Fratini (an incoming freshman on the Washington & Jefferson football team) and Colby Green — must be replaced.

Luckily for Druga, one of his returners on the offensive and defensive lines is senior Riley Kemper, who Druga said was recently offered a scholarship by Robert Morris.

Kemper is one of seven defensive starters returning for Burgettstown. The Blue Devils defense runs a 3-4 scheme and is coordinated by Mark’s brother, Rich, who was Burgettstown’s head coach from 1998-2000.

Also among those players are secondary ballhawks Phillis and junior Cole Shergi, a wide receiver and safety who Druga said had six interceptions last season.

Druga said the end to Burgettstown’s fairytale 2018 season, a 7-6 playoff loss to Freedom which featured a late Burgettstown fumble as the Blue Devils offense drove down the field, has been a gigantic motivating factor this offseason.

Burgettstown’s ability to consistently reach the postseason, before now using it as fuel to improve, is perhaps the biggest change in the program since Druga took over before the 2015 season.

“We’re not going to be content in just getting there,” Druga said. “We’re going to make a push.”

Cameron Drummond: cdrummond@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @cdrummond97

Coach: Mark Druga

Years at school: 5

2018 record: 10-1

WPIAL playoff appearances: 16

Returning starters: Offense 8, Defense 7

Key returners: Jake Lounder (6-1, 210, Sr., QB), Cyle Conley (5-11, 180, Sr., FB-OLB), Riley Kemper (6-5, 250, Sr., OL-DL)

Keys to success: Senior quarterback looks to make offense more of a passing threat, although rushing attack remains best weapon. The 3-4 defense must take advantage of experience in each position group.

Schedule

*Non-conference game

First Published: August 15, 2019, 10:00 a.m.