Shaler football focuses on improvement

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, August 20, 2017 | 11:42 PM

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Going into training camp, first-year Shaler football coach Jim Ryan wants to emphasize the process: don't loaf, make good choices and keep moving forward.

The Titans won't have the luxury to make mental mistakes this season. Shaler opens the season with four teams — North Hills, Central Catholic, Norwin and North Allegheny — that made the playoffs in their classifications last season.

It's unlikely Shaler, which finished 0-10 last season, will navigate the brutal Class 6A Northern Seven schedule to make the playoffs.

Showing improvement and catching a few teams by surprise is a more likely outcome.

“I want to do everything the right way,” said Ryan, who has been involved with the Shaler football program since 2004. “It doesn't matter what you're doing. If it's getting to school on time, doing your homework or running from drill to drill. I'm trying to get the kids to understand everything translates to your performance on the field.”

Executing on offense will be the focal point of getting better. Shaler was shut out four times and finished with 70 points.

Hunter Zukowski will start at quarterback. Helping him in the backfield will be runners Jake Pollak and Joey Kramer, along with Parker Kilgore at fullback. Senior wide receiver Michael Battaglia gives Zukowski a reliable target.

“I believe we can move the ball this year pretty effectively,” Ryan said.

Defensively, Ryan said he expects a better effort.

Shaler allowed 431 points last season, which was 58 more than the next closest Class 6A school. Hempfield, which made the playoffs out of the Southeastern Conference, conceded the second most by allowing 373.

Ryan was pleased with the turnout for this year's team. Throughout camp, Shaler's numbers have been in the low 50s. Not bad for a coach who was hired in July after Jon LeDonne, who was 2-27 in three years, left to take the Penn Hills job in late May.

Ryan's challenge in the near future will be the same as LeDonne's: turn around a program that hasn't made the playoffs since 2012 and has lost 14 consecutive contests.

“I just want to see them execute plays in the way we teach them to do it,” Ryan said. “Like I said, if they do it the right way, they are going to be disciplined enough to see the successes on the field we are looking for.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: Shaler