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Bucs hoping experience translates into wins

4 min read
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By Holly Tonini

Chartiers-Houston wide receivers work with a coach on a pass-catching drill during practice.

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By Holly Tonini

Chartiers-Houston looks to make big strides this year in the Tri-County South Conference.

HOUSTON – Either by design or desperation, seven seniors on the current Chartiers-Houston football team were starters on the Bucs’ team that failed to win a game two years ago.

Now, some of those players have a chance to extract some revenge when the Bucs open the season Friday at Fort Cherry.

Chartiers-Houston is coming off a 3-7 record and will most definitely be an underdog in the playoff race in the Tri-County South Conference in Class A.

“It’s what we had at that time,” Chartiers-Houston head coach Terry Fetsko said. “We had a large group of seniors the year before and not many juniors, so we had to put them in. Most were not ready to play. They got thrown in and took their lumps We were in Double-A at the time and were playing teams like Charleroi and Washington.”

The Bucs return their starting quarterback, their leading rusher and top receiver from last year’s team.

Quarterback Anthony Lento took over for Seth Dunn at midseason and completed 24 passes for 292 yards. But the senior managed just one touchdown pass and five interceptions, a statistic that has to be reversed this season.

“He is accurate and has a strong arm,” said Fetsko. “He’s a good runner so that means that we will be able to do some of the things we’ve done before in our offense.”

Fetsko said Chartiers-Houston will use some sets with two tight ends in running situations.

Sam Dewalt, a 6-0, 175-pound senior, will lead the rushing attack. He gained 215 yards on 56 carries last season and scored twice.

“He has some height,” said Petsko. “He’s not a big guy. Instead of a dart-and-go guy, he’s more of a slasher. He’s not scared of contact.”

One of the more versatile players for Chartiers-Houston is junior Jimmy Sadler, who did a little bit of everything last year other than play quarterback. Sadler was second on the team with 192 rushing yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He also made some big plays at wide receiver, catching five passes for 114 yards and averaging a team-best 22.8 yards per reception. He also was the second-leading scorer on the team with four touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

“He has a lot of ability,” said Fetsko. “We think he can make a lot of plays for us, especially on special teams. We are excited to see what he can do for us as he becomes another year older.”

This season, unlike two years ago, Fetsko does not have to rush the younger players into the starting lineup.

“We have so many players who will fill those positions,” said Fetsko. “Fortunately, the younger kids will have time to mature and learn our system.”

Tyler Blumen was the main target in the Buccaneers’ passing attack and he responded by catching 22 passes for 355 yards, an average of 16 yards a catch. He also led the team in scoring with 30 points on five touchdowns.

To make this offense run smoothly, Fetsko is relying on an experienced line in front of the skill-position players. Those players include senior Joe Christy, who returns to anchor the line at center. Junior Zach David, senior Ethan Opfer, senior Julian Miller and senior Josh Cavallo will again land in one of the four remaining spots. That will be decided on during camp.

Flip them over to defense and you have the front wall. Sadler, Lento and Blumen will have roles in the secondary.

“We got some momentum to improve on last year’s record,” said Fetsko. “With the number of seniors we have, most have played a lot over the past two years, so I look for improvement. I always say wins and losses take care of themselves. I’m hoping to improve on (three wins) from last year.”

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