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Chartiers Valley's Socrates Boulis gathers his teammates during practice at Chartiers Valley High School.
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Chartiers Valley continues to trend in the right direction

Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette

Chartiers Valley continues to trend in the right direction

Chartiers Valley won two games in Dan Knause’s first season as coach two years ago.

Last season, the Colts showed lots of improvement and were more competitive as the win total grew to three.

Nobody is about to label Chartiers Valley as a favorite to win the conference title or even a likely playoff team, but for a program that hasn’t posted a winning record in a decade, things are looking up.

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“You want to win more and I think we will,” Knause said. “I want to eliminate those bad games, like the one or two that got away from us, to give ourselves a chance to be in every game. We played in so many close games. We really want to win more of those ones.”


Chartiers Valley returns six starters on offense and five on defense from a team that showed a lot of promise last season, one that ultimately left a sour taste in their mouths. After racing to a 3-1 start, the Colts didn’t win another game. Two of those final six losses were by seven points (at Baldwin and at Upper St. Clair), one by 14 points (at Woodland Hills) and another by 17 (Peters Township).

“It was a tough end after starting off so strong, but the kids never quit,” said Knause. “One of the things we talk about is how close isn’t good enough right now. We definitely made strides. Games that used to be mercy-rule games are now battles.”

Chartiers Valley will be led by the Killer B’s, Banas and Beattie. Sean Banas, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior, was an all-conference tight end last season and doubles as a terrific inside linebacker. Senior Griffin Beattie (6-1, 185) enters his second season as the starting quarterback and is the team’s other returning all-conference pick. Beattie made the team as a punter.

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Banas, who is receiving FCS interest, had 26 receptions for 368 yards and four touchdowns last season.

“He’s extremely gifted with ball skills for a kid that size. He’s every bit of 230 or 240,” Knause said. “He runs very precise routes. If anything is close, he has huge hands, so he’s going to snatch it. We’re going to take advantage of his skill set.”

Beattie showcased his dual-threat ability last season when he passed for 635 yards and seven touchdowns, and rushed for 480 yards and five touchdowns.

“It was his first year as a starter and he had some growing pains,” Knause said. “The game eventually slowed down for him. And as a coaching staff, we had to find out what our quarterback was good at.”

The offensive line should be solid. It’s led by a pair of returning starters, senior tackle Jayden Davis and junior guard Chase Bruggeman. Davis is a three-year starter. Senior center Aidan Krieg and junior tackle DeVonte Shackleford also saw significant time last season. James Lang, an all-conference guard, graduated.

All-conference running back Connor Barrett led the Colts with 961 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns as a senior last season. The Colts will turn to seniors Antonio Zambrano and Jordan Thomas to fill that void. Both are smaller backs, but Knause said they are “dynamic athletes when they have the football.”

Seniors Caleb Nelson and Dammion Bundridge are back at receiver, as is junior Socrates Boulis, who is among the front-runners for best name in the WPIAL.

Three of the five returning starters on defense are linebackers. Banas plays on the inside and Zambrano and Thomas on the outside.

Most of last season’s defensive line needs to be replaced. Davis, a defensive end, is the most experienced member of that group. Bruggeman and junior Seth Bauman are among the players Knause expects to make a big leap in production.

Chartiers Valley might not have much experience along that line, but they do have numbers.

“One area we like is our depth up front,” said Knause. “In years past, we had some depth issues. We’re hoping to have a few guys step up so those guys who also start on offense are able to get some plays off.”

Knause said the overall strength of the defense is a back seven that also includes Nelson and junior Jordan Demus, both cornerbacks.

“Caleb played a lot as a nickleback and had four interceptions. Jordan started every game as a sophomore. They’ve got lots of experience between them. There will be some competition at safety, and we’re excited about that,” Knause said.

A year after giving up a conference-worst 35.8 points per game in 2017, the Colts sliced that number to 28.5 last season. Offensively, they improved slightly, going from 19.7 to 20.8.

Chartiers Valley’s previous postseason berth came in 2015, a season in which it went 4-6. Its last winning season came in 2009 when it went 8-2. The Colts previously won a playoff game in 2007. That season, they defeated Franklin Regional in the first round before losing to Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals.

Finding enough wins to earn one of the five playoff spots in the Allegheny Eight Conference won’t be easy, but Knause believes the Colts have the potential to do it.

Said Knause: “This is a really good conference, but we feel like we have a nice nucleus of players and that we can compete with any of those teams.”

Brad Everett: beverett@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BREAL412

Coach: Dan Knause

Years at school: 3

2018 record: 3-7

WPIAL playoff appearances: 12

Returning starters: Offense 6, Defense 5

Key returners: Sean Banas (6-2, 240, Sr., TE-LB), Griffin Beattie (6-1, 185, Sr., QB), Antonio Zambrano (5-8, 170, Sr., RB-LB)

Keys to success: Becoming a more physical team up front. Beattie continuing to improve in his second season as starting quarterback.

Schedule

Aug. 23 at Ringgold* 7
Aug. 30 at West Allegheny 7
Sept. 6 Armstrong* 7
Sept. 13 Norwin* 7
Sept. 20 at Moon 7
Sept. 27 Baldwin 7
Oct. 4 at Bethel Park 7:30
Oct. 11 at Peters Township 7
Oct. 18 Upper St. Clair 7
Oct. 25 Woodland Hills 7

*Non-conference game

First Published: August 19, 2019, 10:00 a.m.

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Chartiers Valley's Socrates Boulis gathers his teammates during practice at Chartiers Valley High School.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley's Sean Banas was an all-conference tight end last season and a solid inside linebacker.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley coach Dan Knause leads his team through practice at Chartiers Valley High School.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley's Anthony Collura catches a pass during practice at Chartiers Valley High School.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley's Antonio Zambrano will help replace all-conference running back Connor Barrett.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley head coach Dan Knause hugs Antonio Zambrano during practice at Chartiers Valley High School.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley's Anthony Mackey throws during practice at Chartiers Valley High School.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley's Socrates Boulis warms up during practice at Chartiers Valley High School.  (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette
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