By Ralph Cox

For The Times Leader

WEIRTON — It is easy to think that when a high school football team loses 13 players — a couple of them all-staters — that the following year will involve rebuilding.

With 15 returning lettermen, veteran Weir High coach Tony Filberto is looking to reload rather than rebuild. After a 7-3 season and a No. 13 ranking in the final West Virginia Class AA ratings, the Red Riders made the playoffs for the third straight season and came back to upset fourth-ranked Sissonville after being down 22-7 at the halftime.

Some offensive players must stay healthy and learn quickly because Filberto only has three returning starters on that side of the ball. But the Riders should continue to be strong defensively because seven regulars are back to bolster a defense that was tops in the 11-school Herald-Star/Daily Times coverage area.

“I think we have built a program that is healthy enough that the next class will offer something,” Filberto said, who is in his 33rd year of coaching. “Every class is different, and I feel our middle school is on solid ground so that every class can compete as the older kids move on. I don’t think we’ll have any more big dropoffs or high points. I’m pleased with where we are at.

“We won’t have the big backs like we did last year with Cody Enrietti and Domenick Murphy, so we’ll probably throw more. We’ll have Tyler Komorowski at quarterback and we’ll probably use him as our big back like we did a couple of years ago with Will Larch. We’ll have more speed at running back, and I think our defense will be very solid. I expect us to be a very good football team.”

Offensively, Will Rupert returns to anchor the line at center. Also back are the two guards in Zack Martin, a 290-pounder and biggest of the Red Riders, along with 275-pounder Mason Rice.

Filberto plans to fill out the remainder of the line with 280-pound sophomore Matt O’Neill at right tackle and Mike Zias who saw some action last year on the left side. Junior Crosby Drake and Isaiah Glasure will battle for the back up job as swing men at either guard or tackle. Whoever plays tackle, they will have big shoes to fill as two-year first-team All-State tackle and three-year starter Travis Lowther along with two-year starter Gaetano Fuscardo graduated.

Senior Frank Ty Hudacheck, a starting linebacker last year, will go both ways in 2017 as Filberto is inserting him in the tight end slot held down by Michael Mills last year. Brooke transfer, senior Josh Taflan, will back up Hudacheck.

Filberto will have to find new talent in the ball totting ranks as the entire backfield of 2016. Quarterback Donavan Spencer, all-state running back Cody Enrietti, and second-team all-state Domenick Murphy all graduated.

Komorowski, who was a stalwart at defensive end last year and backup quarterback, inherits the signal calling.

“Komorowski is much bigger than Donavan Spencer was,” Filberto said. “Certainly he’s not as fast as Donavan, who was two-time state champ in the 100 and 200 meters, but he runs well for his size at 6-4 and 235 pounds. He played some at quarterback last year, so he’s a little more comfortable than someone coming directly off the jayvee team and playing his first varsity game.

“Donavan’s brother, Sabastian, who quarterbacked the reserves last year, will be the backup quarterback. He’s got a lot of speed, too and played some last year at wide receiver. He even caught a pass from his brother in one game.”

Junior Chad Custer and seniors Tyler Mack and Garet Hostettler will get most of the playing time as replacements for Enrietti and Murphy in the backfield. Hostettler saw playing time at Madonna last year, while Mack got some carries as a sophomore after Enrietti sustained a season-ending knee injury in the eighth game of the season.

“With the offense we play, we need at least three backs,” Filberto said. “We will use all three and there will be times when Hostettler will line up at inside receiver for us. We’ll use a similar offense to last year because we like running between the tackles.”

Filberto is very excited about another transfer who has a connection to Weirton even though he played the last two years at Union High School in Burgettstown. He is Reed Reitter, the grandson of long time Brooke High basketball and football coach Dave Reitter. He is slated to fill the split end position and safety.

“At 6-4 and 210 pounds, Reitter has the ideal size and speed and is an outstanding athlete,” Filberto said. “I saw him play in a game last year, and without a doubt he was the best athlete on field, and he may be the best athlete we have now.”

Filberto added that Reitter will kick as well. Reitter kicked a 40-yarder last year off grass without a tee.

The coach said Reitter already booted a 55-yarder in practice off the Jimmy Carey Stadium turf.

Juniors Quincy Dameron and Jake McKay will be the backups at split end. Dameron and junior Deon Trupiano are battling for the other wide receiver spot, and Sabastian Spencer and Hostettler will be the inside receivers.

Defense is where the Red Riders should be pretty good.

“We’re real excited about the kids we have returning and some of the reserves that will move up to our defense,” Filberto said. “We’ll miss Allen, Enrietti and Murphy along with some others, but we think we have the kids to plug those holes and perhaps be even better on defense.”

The defensive line will be anchored by the return of Komorowski at strong side defensive end. Komorowski received honorable mention all-state recognition as well as making the All-OVAC team. Also back at defensive end is Drake.

Senior Garrett Johnson looks like he’ll be one of the defensive tackles, and Rice and Mike Zias, both of whom have experience, will share time at the other tackle. O’Neill is also in the mix, while Taflan and Ruppert are contesting for the weak side defensive end.

Mack, a three-year starter, returns at middle linebacker. Drew Curtis or Chris Gillette will be at inside linebacker. The strong outside linebacker will be manned by another veteran in Caleb Rea, who will be a three-year starter. Custer will see some time there, too, according to Filberto.

Hudacheck, who started as safety last year, will move to the other outside linebacker spot with Custer also in the mix. Jalon Bridges, another three-year starter, returns at defensive back along with Dameron, Hostettler, and Sabastian Spencer. Reitter will inherit the safety spot with Tribuano as the backup.

Most of Filberto’s coaching staff returns with the addition of John Derdenas, the former Bishop Donahue head coach, who lost his job when the school closed at the end of the last school year. Filberto said Derdenas will serve as offensive consultant.

Tom Taylor is the first assistant and offensive line coach, David Cowden coaches the quarterbacks and secondary, Gerrard Spencer coaches running backs and outside linebackers, Terry Rea is the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, Frank Sisinni coaches the defensive secondary and quarterbacks, Anthony Pompa coaches the defensive line and special teams, and Troy Fetty coaches tight ends, offensive line and heads up the technology team.

(all games begin

at 7 p.m. unless noted)

Aug. 25 — at Oak Glen

Sept. 1 — Anacostia

Sept. 8 — John Marshall

Sept. 15 — at Keyser

Sept. 23 — Petersburg, 4 p.m.

Sept. 29 — at Union Local

Oct. 6 — Fairmont Senior

Oct. 13 — at Warren

Oct. 20 — East Liverpool

Oct. 27 — Brooke