Forget the statistics, the won-loss record, even the scoreboard.

Shaler football coach Jacque DeMatteo doesn't care about any of it.

"The scoreboard is for the fans," DeMatteo said. "I just want to see our kids play really hard. I can take losing. I can't take mistakes and I can't take attitude.

"We're really disappointed right now. I'm sick of what's been going on and I'm going to change it."

The Titans (1-2) come to winless Butler for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday night. But don't expect DeMatteo to talk about the Golden Tornado.

He doesn't care about them, either.

"They're extremely big … I'm not worried about Butler. I'm not worried about any team we play," DeMatteo said. "I'm worried about my team and the way we play."

In his mind, that hasn't been very well.

The Titans have losses of 21-0 to Woodland Hills and 27-7 to North Hills sandwiching a 34-7 win over Fox Chapel. They have six starters back from last year's 5-5 team, including junior receiver Tom Nieman (28 catches, 310 yards last year) and running back Brandon McNearney (525 yards, 4 TDs last year).

Other returning Shaler starters are senior lineman Joe Camarda, running back-linebacker Jon Flage, tight end-inside linebacker Nathan Piernek and junior tight end-linebacker Nolan Meister.

DeMatteo doesn't want to talk about the past - only the future.

"We're leaving the old Shaler on the field right now," he said. "We're being more demanding of the kids now. It's the way we should have been from the start.

"That's not the players' fault. It was my mistake as a coach. Our team effort, our focus, our attitude, our work ethic as a program hasn't been what it needs to be to compete in Quad-A football.

"We lost a lot of starters from last year and there's some nurturing that has to go on with new kids, but I mishandled it. No more," DeMatteo added.

The coach said that the stamp of Shaler football is "to play blue-collar with class" and hinted the program has strayed from that.

"These first games we played weren't Shaler football," he said. "I'm talking basic fundamentals, having the proper attitude, everything from breaking the huddle to throwing the ball and catching it.

"When you're in Quad-A, a pass should be catchable and it should be caught. The intensity needs to be high from the players through the coaching staff, on through the school.

"I'm a firm believer in team sports teaching kids a lot about life. We just need to polish up. As coaches and players, we need to work harder," DeMatteo added.

Matt Davis, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior, won the quarterback job from fellow junior Kevin Hathaway in preseason. He replaces the graduated Lou Massimiani, who tallied more than 1,50 total yards a year ago.

Shaler used a 39-22 win over Butler last year to break a tie with the Golden Tornado for the fourth and final playoff berth in the Quad North last year.

DeMatteo said football can be a tool through which to show school pride.

"I'm not a product of Shaler, but I stand for showing pride at any school," he said. "High school football can be a source for such pride.

"I guess I feel like we haven't shown enough of that. It has to change and it has to be a total team thing to do it."

Shaler at Butler

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Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Statistic:

Shaler receiver Tom Nieman had 28 catches for 310 yards last year and was the only sophomore named first-team Quad North.

Streak:

Shaler has defeated Butler in four of their last five meetings.

Strategy:

The Titans are turning up the demands on themselves this week with hopes that a stronger work ethic brings better results on the field.

Speaking:

"No one's happy right now. I'm just calling it the way it is. But things don't go your way sometimes. You can either crawl into a corner, lay down and die or you can stand up and start fighting. I'm not gonna let anyone on this team lay down and die." - Shaler coach Jacque DeMatteo