By Chris Scarnati
In lieu of their traditional practice jerseys, members of the Peters Township football squad will enter this year’s training camp wearing T-shirts bearing the word “Finish.”
Last season, this was something the Indians couldn’t do. In four of the team’s six losses, players watched the game slip through their fingers in the waning minutes of regulation.
“We were on the one-inch line against West Mifflin and couldn’t win it,” explains coach Keith Hartbauer. “And then there was Chartiers Valley. With six seconds left to play, they scored from the two-yard line to go ahead. Belle Vernon and Moon could have also been wins. ‘Finish’ is our theme this year. Whether it’s with practice, a homework assignment or even their lunch, they are going to finish.”
So far, so good. Peters Township enters its 2005 campaign after finishing one of its busiest and most productive summers in recent history. In addition to participating in 7-on-7 passing camps at Pitt, Washington & Jefferson College and West Virginia University, players thronged to the school’s weight room three mornings each week to receive expert lifting instruction from former Steelers tackle Jim Sweeney, who serves as the team’s offensive line coach.
They also followed a stringent running program that at times made them look more like a cross country team than a pack of football players.
“While we lifted and trained, we always kept in mind that finishing is the ultimate goal,” said senior all-conference linebacker/offensive guard Mike Morante. “Sometimes it seemed like we couldn’t finish a drive when we had to last year, but we continued trying to finish into the offseason. Our work intensity improved 100 percent this summer. We turned it up a lot more.”
Players were also expected to maintain a proper diet and abstain from physical activities that could lead to season-ending injuries, (Ben Roethlisberger-like helmet shenanigans wouldn’t be tolerated). According to Hartbauer, following these rules and playing it safe is just as imperative as putting in time on the bench press.
“Nutrition is important, so we tell them to eat healthy,” he says. “We didn’t want them taking in sugary sodas, ice teas or Kool-Aids. And we also didn’t want them doing anything stupid on water skis, motorbikes or four-wheelers or anything along those lines. Summertime is great, but they have a commitment and responsibility to the team.”
Because Hartbauer knows a good summer of preparation can make the difference in the win column come October, the fifth-year field boss met with his assistants in June and July to finalize the details of training camp, which is projected to draw 60 to 65 players.
Organization was key.
“We try to put things together on paper – depth charts, where we need people and where we don’t want people,” he says. “Each year, we try to adapt our system to our players, offensively and defensively.”
“We know how close some of our losses were last year so we really pushed hard to make the team better.”
In 2005, the system will likely revolve around the arm of sophomore quarterback Tyler Porco. As a freshman, the 6-foot-1, 185 pound signal caller completed 52 percent of his throws and netted 980 passing yards.
“He (Porco) has decent speed, but he’s more of a pocket passer,” Hartbauer says. “He throws really well.”
Peters Township returns a slew of skill-position players but will look to spackle holes on its offensive and defensive lines. This made the summer especially critical, as new faces will be expected to make an immediate impact this fall.
“It was really intense,” says senior strong safety/receiver Dan Sullivan, and all-conference defensive back in 2004. “The older guys really helped push the younger guys. To start winning, it had to start in the weight room. “We know how close some of our losses were last year so we really pushed hard to make the team better.”
The Indians open their season at home against McGuffey Friday, Aug. 26. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
“We feel really good about the season,” Hartbauer says. “A lot of kids have bought into the program.”
