Seton-La Salle bands together under new coach
Seton-La Salle lineman work on drills in preparation for the 2016 football season.
Rob Carter is the first-year head coach at Seton-La Salle.
Seton-La Salle players work on conditioning drills in preparation for the 2016 football season.
Matt Banbury will control the offensive signals. The junior will take the snaps while Nolan Abbiatici, who threw for more than 1,300 yards last fall, moves to wide receiver.
Text and photos by Eleanor Bailey
Asked how many children he has, Rob Carter mentioned his two daughters, Nataliegh, 10, and Madilyn, 5, with his wife, Stacie. The Seton-La Salle football coach motioned to the players practicing on the field then added, “and 40 boys.”
The Rebels hired Carter, 36, in early July to replace Damon Rosol, who resigned for personal reasons. A 1998 Seton-La Salle graduate, Carter has served as an assistant in the program since the early 2000s.
“Seton-La Salle is my home away from home,” Carter began. “I’m very fortunate because my wife is supportive and allows me to do what I love. Home time is girl time. They are my princesses in and outside of football season. This is my family, too, and these are my boys.”
This fall, Carter’s favorite “sons” just might be Nolan Abbiatici, Matt Banbury and Lionel Deanes. A senior, Abbiatici moved from quarterback to wide receiver to accommodate Banbury’s budding talent. As a junior, Abbiatici completed 87 of 167 passes for 1,367 yards and 22 touchdowns. He averaged 6.3 yards per yards per carry and scored three times. Deanes led the Rebels in rushing with 1,266 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“We have our three leaders,” said quarterback coach David O’Brien, also a SLS product. “We are like the Dallas Cowboys when they had (Troy) Aikman, (Michael) Irvin and (Emmitt) Smith. We knew as a sophomore that Matt would be good. He has great mechanics. He’s smart and he has great leadership skills. And, Nolan said, ‘I’ll sacrifice for the team’ and moved to wide receiver.'”
“He was happy to do it,” Carter said. “We are a far better team this way. It’s not about the Xs and Os, it’s about the Jimmies and the Joes. We’ve got to get the ball to the best players and get the right players in the right spots.”
Deanes is in the right spot at tailback while Christian Weyrich and Brandon Siler are the seniors paving the path at fullback. They will be utilized as linebackers. Dalaun Samuels and Nick Krugh complement Abbiatic as wide receivers.
While expectation is for Deanes to lead the conference in rushing, Carter says he epitomizes the meaning of Rebel football. “He’s all about team. He’s never been ‘I want the ball’ guy. He’s smart, talented, a leader and unselfish.”
Of the other skilled players, Carter noted he expects good years from them. “They are leaders by example, by the hard work they demonstrate on and off the field. They do what we ask of them.”
Carter predicts the Rebels will be balanced when running their pro-style attack. He expects Banbury to be the next big quarterback to come out of the school. SLS has produced a plethora of high-profile passers including the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Bruce Gradkowski.
“It’s just the Rebel way,” he said. “The Seton-La Salle way is replace and step up.”
While the Rebels are expecting juniors to fill voids in some key areas, they will rely upon three veteran seniors: Luke Blahut (RT/DT), Kevin McLane (LG/DE) and John Terry (G/NT) to anchor their line. Additionally, sophomores Jamar Shegog at safety, Nick Vari and Nate Ault should solidify the secondary. The Rebels also will tap the talents of Dean O’Toole, who transferred from Our Lady of Sacred Heart.
“We are young in some areas but that’s not a bad thing,” Carter said. “We need people in general to step up and find a seat at the table. Defensively, outside of the senior linemen, we are underclassmen. You know you have to replace people and the next guy has to step up. At SLS, we are all in this together. It’s a brotherhood.”
With the statewide realignment, the Rebels enter unchartered waters. They have moved from the familiar Century Conference in Class AA to the Class AAA Allegheny Conference, which features Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Keystone Oaks, Shady Side Academy and Valley.
“It was nice to have South Fayette and Steel Valley. You knew what they were about. Steel Valley ran and South Fayette passed. We’ll miss them but they prepared us for anything.
“The unknown is always exciting if you embrace it,” Carter added. “We are on a journey to figure out who we are and not until you take your lumps do you learn about your character.”
Carter will rely upon the seniors for stability and to establish Rebel football in the new conference.
“We know though that if you prepare and do things the right way, then you can do anything that you put your mind to,” Carter said. “Ultimately, achievement comes downs to hard work and we will do that with a smile on our faces because this team is a brotherhood. We are a family.”