Few programs in the area can match Chartiers Valley’s rich tradition in basketball, and Corey Dotchin knows that as well as anyone.
So when Dotchin left his post at Highlands after three years as head coach and nine as an assistant to take the helm for the Colts, he made his intentions clear from the jump.
“It’s that consistency,” Dotchin said. “We had a stretch of six or seven years [at Highlands] where we were in the semis or the championship every year. That’s what I want to bring to Char Valley, is that consistency year in and year out.
“The thing is, none of the kids here have won a playoff game. Kind of for them, to get over that hurdle, I would like them to experience that playoff taste.”
At Highlands, Dotchin compiled a record of 55-22 while maintaining the winning tradition established under his good friend and college teammate Tyler Stoczynski, who won 131 games during his nine-year stint as head coach with Dotchin by his side. And although it has only been 20 games, it sure seems like Dotchin has found the winning touch at Chartiers Valley, too.
“I think we still have another two or three levels to hit,” Dotchin said. “That’s good from a coaching standpoint, that we still have room to grow and get better going into the playoffs, but I like where we’re sitting right now.”
Of course, winning becomes a lot easier with one of the premier players in the area at your disposal — and there aren’t many better than star senior Jayden Davis. The 5-11 guard recently became the 40th player in WPIAL history — and the third in the past two weeks — to surpass 2,000 points for his career. Avonworth’s Rowan Carmichael was the first player to hit the mark this season on Jan. 24, followed by Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore on Friday and then Davis on Saturday.
Davis is a four-year starter who burst onto the scene as a freshman while routinely putting up monster numbers, finishing with an average of 27 points per game on his way to receiving all-section recognition. Davis then averaged 25 ppg as a sophomore, again earning all-section honors for the Colts. Last year, though, Chartiers Valley finished 11-12 while exiting the playoffs in the first round for the third year in a row — and Davis was snubbed from the all-section team altogether.
With an average of 22.8 ppg as a senior, Davis has taken a slight step back in his scoring — but he is still routinely stuffing the stat sheet while focusing more on his role as the team’s primary ball handler and facilitator.
“Since day one, he has been receptive to the things we’re trying to do,” Dotchin said. “He wants to make the best play for his team all the time, but he also knows that he can score and get a bucket whenever we need it.”
Davis is the headliner, but the Colts rely on a balanced eight-man rotation with several moving parts. They typically give up a size advantage on most nights, but not many teams can match their speed — and the numbers back it up. Chartiers Valley ranks second in Class 5A with an average of 71.9 ppg.
“Because of what we have, we have five guards out there,” Dotchin said. “So whoever gets a defensive rebound starts our break. We get it and go.”

Another guard who has started since his freshman year, 6-1 junior Julian Semplice is the team’s secondary scorer with an average of 13 ppg, picking up right where he left off as a sophomore. Junior guards Danny Slizik and Logan Helfrick round out the starting rotation along with 6-3 junior forward Jake Lewis, who is tasked with guarding the opposing team’s top big man night in and night out.
Off the bench, 6-3 freshman forward Luca Federico is emerging as a promising sixth man with a bright future for Chartiers Valley, as both he and junior guard Julius Best rank among the team’s top contributors at an average of 8 ppg.
“[Federico] has moved up in the rotation for us, having some big games and really filling a good role for us,” Dotchin said.
Coming off an 85-61 win against Blackhawk on Monday night, the Colts (17-3, 8-2) sit all alone in second place in Class 5A Section 4 — considered by many the most loaded section in the WPIAL. Their only two losses against WPIAL foes came against Montour, with their other defeat coming against three-time defending City League champion Allderdice on Jan. 26 at the PBC Classic at North Allegheny, 72-63.
Chartiers Valley will close out the regular season Friday night at Mars, and a win could lock up a potential top-five seed for the Colts in the WPIAL tournament, set to begin next Thursday.
“We’ve got to take care of business on Friday. It’s going to be a big game,” Dotchin said. “I think we definitely have the pieces to make a run at it. But are we going to take care of the little things and do it together?
That’s what we’ve been preaching to everybody — ‘together.’ That’s what we say when we break the huddle. Basketball is the ultimate team sport.”
Scarff wrapping up stellar season for South Park
Despite averaging 19.7 ppg while receiving all-section recognition for South Park as a sophomore, Luke Scarff still wasn’t exactly a household name going into the 2024-25 season — but that shouldn’t be the case much longer.
An athletic 6-8 forward with an impressive handle and the ability to run up and down the floor while scoring, rebounding and defending at a high level, Scarff has upped his season averages to 23.4 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior for the Eagles (14-5, 6-2). Scarff ranks among the top-10 scorers in the area this season, and he also impacts the game in many ways beyond the stat sheet.
Despite taking its second loss against Class 3A Section 3 champion South Allegheny on Tuesday night, South Park remains in second place in the section with one game left on the schedule against Apollo-Ridge on Friday. And with a player of Scarff’s stature as their centerpiece, the Eagles could have a chance to make some serious noise come playoff time.

Talented tandem approaching rarified air at Aquinas Academy
Dating back to 1980, there have been only five duos in the WPIAL or City League who have each averaged 22 ppg or more for an entire season.
The most recent pair to accomplish the feat, 2023-24 PUP Co-Players of the Year Brandin Cummings and Meleek Thomas of Lincoln Park, are the only teammates to do so in back-to-back seasons. But with the regular season coming to a close this week, Cummings, Thomas and the rest of the club’s members might soon need to make more room in their exclusive fraternity.
Aquinas Academy boasts the highest-scoring offense in the WPIAL, and senior guard Jake Guillen and junior guard-forward Sam Duer are a big reason why. Going into the final week of the season, Guillen ranks fourth in the district with 25.3 ppg, while Duer ranks sixth at 23.3 ppg.
The Crusaders (17-4, 8-1) will close out their season on the road with a share of the Class 1A Section 1 title up for grabs in a high-stakes rematch against Nazareth Prep on Friday. Nazareth Prep won the first meeting at Aquinas, 87-80, on Jan. 14.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.