Coming off an incredible 2018 WPIAL championship, neither fans nor players knew what to expect for the 2019 OLSH Chargers football season. 

It was a great accomplishment for the program to win its first championship, as the program itself was only 8 years old. This added to the ‘hype’ and anticipation of the next year’s team to be able to repeat the championship run. 

The team lost 19 seniors, which impacted the Chargers, from leadership roles as well as experience on the field.  Tyler Bradley a graduating player was a great leader on the team. As a quarterback, he was a leader on and off the field: helping everyone on the field with understanding plays, and off the field helping guys with their grades and school work. 

With only six starters returning, it left many supporters unsure about the 2019 season.  This was a very young group. With only three seniors returning, the football team had 3 freshman and 5 sophomore starters.  That left a lot of inexperienced high school football players on the field.  

When asked what were his thoughts at the beginning of the season regarding playoffs, sophomore Gavin Tonery said,  “… halfway through the Westinghouse game, my thoughts have changed. But after the game and winning majority of our section games, I was confident that we would make the playoffs.”

The Chargers started the 2019 season strong by beating a city league championship team, The Westinghouse Bulldogs. But the Chargers’ 2019 season was way different from the 2018 season, in which they were 13-2. The 2019 season was anything but easy, as the Chargers had a regular season record of 7-3.  

With the record of 7-3, the Chargers earned themselves a spot in the playoffs.  The Chargers were the lowest seed in the playoff picture and had to play the number 1 seed, the Clairton Bears.  Finishing the regular season, the Clairton Bears were 8-2, and were rolling over the top teams in Single A football easily. 

The Clairton football team was just too much for the Chargers to handle, and ended the Chargers’ season with a big loss of 41-0. Although the season ended that way, many players were happy with the fact that the team made the playoffs, as they were doubted the entire season. 

The 2020 season looks pretty good for the Chargers, as they have a lot of players returning and will be losing only 3 seniors.  “Football is a process, and I’m excited for you guys, as y’all have set a good foundation for the future,” said senior Eric Olexa. Returning will be 9 starters on defense, and 8 on offense. 

The Chargers look to make another run for a championship in the 2020 season.