Chunko takes over coaching reins at Yough
Yough鈥檚 Gamal Marballie runs for a touchdown against Uniontown last season. Marballie returns to the Cougars for his senior season.
Yough coach Chris Chunko
Yough's Austin Caudill tackles Uniontown's Javon Davis during a Class AAA Big East Conference game at Cougar Mountain last season. Caudill returns to the Cougars for his senior year.
When he was hired at the new Yough football coach in February, Chris Chunko knew the challenge laid in front of him.
After all, since its last winning season in 2013, Yough has won a total of 12 games in the last six years.
Throw in the shutdown of school activities due to the coronavirus on March 13, and one might expect Chunko is already taking a pessimistic approach to the season.
Actually, it is the exact opposite.
鈥淲e are looking to make the playoffs and that will be our expectation every year,鈥� said Chunko, who has varsity assistant coaching experience at Charleroi, Ringgold, California and Uniontown. 鈥淲e have had 33 to 35 players at conditioning and the guys are hungry to win.
鈥淐onditioning has been going so well because of how hungry they are.鈥�
Chunko met the team right after being hired and they jumped into the off-season program.
It didn鈥檛 last long though.
鈥淚 met the kids and we had two weeks in the weight room until we were shut down,鈥� said Chunko. 鈥淲e started having Zoom meetings in April and would have two a week.
鈥淲e had offensive meetings on Tuesdays and defensive meetings on Thursdays.鈥�
Chunko also loaded the team鈥檚 playbook to Hudl so the players had access to it.
Some of the players were able to get work in during the shutdown, and Chunko said it is noticeable to him and his staff.
鈥淭he kids who did have weights, they were getting work in and getting stuff done,鈥� said Chunko. 鈥淲hen we got back into the voluntary workouts in July, you can tell some of them put time in.鈥�
Chunko said the team has been grasping the playbook better now that teams have been allowed to resume conditioning.
鈥淲e have been at it for four or five weeks now,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey picked it up and it is a lot easier on the field so they know the plays and patterns.
鈥淲e have to hone their skills, go over blocking assignments, and we have to get them to play football the way we want them to play.鈥�
Chunko also said a key will be how good of shape the team will get in.
鈥淲e have to get more conditioning,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to be aggressive on defense and high tempo on offense to keep (opposing players) off guard.鈥�
Mark Adams brings a lot of experience as the offensive coordinator, while Akeem Moore is the defensive coordinator.
Chunko was familiar with the returning talent that he would be working with when he was hired from coaching at Uniontown last year when the two teams played.
Junior Tristan Waldier will return as quarterback after missing last year due to an injury, allowing senior Gamal Marballie to return to his natural position of running back.
Senior CJ Waldier is one of the top returning receivers in the WPIAL and fellow senior Cody Bogac also returns.
The offensive line returns four starters from up front last year, and the experience could pay off. Senior left tackle Austin Caudill will anchor the line with the other returning starters senior left guard Glenn Christner, junior center Sam Dippolito and sophomore right guard Tanner Jarmon.
Defensively, Caudill, Dipp and senior CJ Layne are back on the line, Bogac, Christner and Waldier return as linebackers and Marballie is back at cornerback.
While the playoffs are the goal, Chunko knows it will not be easy in the Interstate conference.
鈥淚t is tough and Elizabeth Forward is the team to beat in the conference and the WPIAL,鈥� he said. 鈥淪outh Park and Mount Pleasant are going to be good, South Allegheny is going to be tough moving up along with Brownsville and Southmoreland, with Southmoreland being a rivalry game.鈥�
Yough will get an early look at Elizabeth Forward as the Warriors head to Cougar Mountain to open the season on Sept. 11.