By RALPH COX

For The Times Leader

WEIRTON — The Weir High football team made it to the semifinal round of the Class AA playoffs in 2018 but, despite losing a lot of talent to graduation, veteran coach Tony Filberto has 15 lettermen returning, which will give him an experienced player at just about every position, a similar situation to last year.

The Red Riders of 2019 will feature speed, according to Filberto, who has the fastest athlete in the state in Sebastian Spencer, along with some other speed merchants in the backfield and at wide receiver. Four of the starting five players on the line are back, and the coach says each is a talented athlete that also has speed for his size (the smallest lineman weighs 215 pounds).

“This is as fast a team as we have had in a while,” Filberto said. “That means we will be adjusting our offense to get the ball out in open space more. We plan to use all the speed we have in a little bit different way than we have in the past. The offense will be a bit different.”

The Red Riders put together a six-game win streak last season going into the state semifinal at Fairmont Senior. The Polar Bears showed why they were ranked first with a devastating 59-0 romp over Weir High and went on to win the state title. The Red Riders lost only three games last year, and two of them were to the eventual state champion.

“Fairmont Senior was better than us,” Filberto said. “In fact, I think they were the best team in West Virginia, regardless of class.”

Filberto said that with the 15 lettermen returning, Weir High is ranked this year among the top five teams in West Virginia Class AA, according to one preseason prediction.

Besides Spencer, the other letterwinners that will suit up for the first game at Oak Glen on Friday are seniors Elijah Gillette, Brody McUmar, Drew Curtis, Isaiah Glasure, Mike Zias, Zac Wypaseck and Nick D’Amico, along with juniors Anthony DiMatteis, Gage Reitter, Logan Walters, Levi Hostuttler, Jordan Brueck and Ethan Cummins.

Filberto considers players that transfer to Weir High after earning letters at other schools among his lettermen. They are Harry Ringer, a senior transfer from Burgettstown, and Jonathon Wetter, a transfer from the state of Iowa.

QUARTERBACK

Filberto says that DiMatteis and Spencer are his two top quarterbacks but will not be platooning. Spencer will start at wide receiver and move to quarterback or running back in certain situations. Promising sophomore Tyler Kelly and McUmar also are taking snaps in practice.

DiMatteis led the Red Rider jayvee team to an outstanding record last year. He also saw enough action with the varsity squad, both on offense and defense, to earn a letter last year.

“We have Sebastian returning, and he has been a starter at quarterback in a number of games the past two years, but he’s really a wide receiver playing quarterback,” Filberto said. “He’ll also line up at running back in our revamped schemes. We also had Tyler Komorowski as the starting quarterback the past two years, but he really was a defensive end playing quarterback. With Anthony, we’ll have a true quarterback, and I’m excited about what he has shown.”

Komorowski has moved into the Division I football ranks as a defensive end candidate at the U.S. Military Academy. Also gone from the Red Riders that posted a fine 10-3 record last year are Reed Reitter, Donovan Kirby, Robbie Valenti, Jake McCoy, Garet Hostuttler, Deon Trupiano, Quincy Dameron, Reese Wills, and Chris Helms.

BACKFIELD

Filberto points out that replacing outstanding players like Komorowski, a two-time all-stater at defensive end, and Donavan Kirby, who rushed for more than 1,300 yards last year, is impossible to do. However, Curtis and Walters are very capable running backs that will help fill the void.

Filberto also has Ahj Brown, a sophomore transfer from Steubenville, and promising freshman, Jamari Bass, available to lug the pigskin.

RECEIVER/

TIGHT END

The wide receiver corps behind Spencer includes Wypasek (who sat out last season last recovering from a severe leg injury as a sophomore), senior Jonathan Clark, sophomore Carson Yobaggy, Gillette (who was the leading receiver last year until a shoulder injury midway through the season put him on the shelf), McUmar and Reitter. Jay Nosco, another sophomore transfer from Big Red, also is vying for playing time.

Cummins, D’Amico and Dakota Nutter, a senior, are the candidates at tight end. They are joined by junior Kasper Moreria, whose family moved to Weirton from Summers County. Moreria was a starter at tight end at Summers County High School last year, so he’s also considered a returning letterman.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line has experience with Levi Hostuttler returning at center, along with Glasure, who filled in for four games last year when Hostuttler was injured. Glasure is one of Filberto’s “swing men” on the line. He has the talent to play several positions there, according to Filberto.

Mike Zias returns as a starter at one guard, and the other guard will be either Wetter, the Iowa transfer, or junior Jonathan Howard. Sophomore Myles Rice and freshman Cam Jones are pushing the starters for playing time.

At tackle, Filberto has the biggest of the Red Riders in junior Jordan Brueck returning. Brueck has been a starter on the line for the Red Riders since his freshman year. The other starter at tackle will be the result of the competition in the preseason between Glasure, Wetter and Howard.

“We have an abundance of talent with our lineman, so it will give us the ability to rotate players in and out, depending upon certain situations. It also gives us the ability to rest one or two at a time to keep them fresh all game long,” Filberto said.

DEFENSIVE LINE

On the defensive side, Brueck and Zias return at the tackles, with Walters and Hostuttler at the ends. Howard, Rice, Moreria, Glasure and Nutter also will be in the rotation.

LINEBACKER

Drew Curtis, the leading tackler a year ago, returns at inside linebacker, along with Walters or Cummins. D’Amico also is in the mix.

The outside linebackers are named “Sam” for the strong side and “Rover” for the weak side in Filberto’s system. McUmar will move from Rover to Sam, with DiMatteis and Kelly behind him. Nosco, DiMatteis and McUmar are listed as depth at the Rover position.

SECONDARY

In the secondary, Filberto will have Spencer at one corner with Gillette, Wypasek and Yobaggy battling to be the starter on the other side. Gage Reitter moves into the free safety slot that belonged to his brother, Reed, the last two years. Filberto said Spencer and Wypasek can move to safety when needed.

“Sebastian Spencer is being recruited by at least 10 Division I colleges, including Army, Air Force, Kent State, Youngstown State and Miami of Ohio,” Filberto said. “He’ll be a weapon for us that we plan to use in a different way this year.

“He went to several football camps this summer, and he was the fastest runner in all of them. Speed is the first thing that college coaches look at when recruiting.”

SPECIAL TEAMS

Reitter also replaces his brother as the Weir High kicker. Like Reed, he’ll do all the kicking.

“We have some big names from last year to replace, but I think we have sufficient talent to do that,” Filberto said. “We probably have the most athletic offensive line that we’ve had in a long time. We’ll be different, especially with our offense. I have all the confidence in the world that Anthony DiMatteis will be able to direct this team at quarterback.

“Then, we have seven starters returning on defense. We have good size up front and all are good athletes. We have as tough a schedule as there is in Class AA this year. We have seven teams on the schedule that made the playoffs last year. We have added John Marshall, Plum and Frankfort to what already was a first-class schedule.

Filberto said one of the biggest surprises he’s had in the early practice sessions is the emergence of Wypasek.

“He fractured his leg severely in a game two years ago, which was his sophomore year,” Filberto said. “He sat out all of last year, and he’s back as a senior with maturity. He has filled out and still has his speed. I’m so happy about the way he has worked his way back, and I think he’s going to come on this year and be a standout.”

Tom Taylor, Gerard Spencer, Dave Cowden, Frank Sisinni and Troy Fetty are returning to Filberto’s coaching staff. Zak Hartman and T.J. Miller are newcomers.

“Ever since I returned to Weir High in 2012, I have preached that you don’t get better by playing teams that aren’t as good or better than we are,” Filberto said. “Some people think I’m crazy to feel that way, and maybe last year it cost us because we were 8-2 and ended up the 12th seed, while some other teams played a lot lesser talent and finished in the top 10. Well, we beat two of those top 10 teams in the first two rounds of the playoffs.”