Despite not having much high school coaching experience, Greg Meisner discovered one thing fairly quickly at Hempfield High School.

"If I talk, they'll listen," the first-year Spartans football coach said. "There was one time when I gave them advice and they didn't listen.

"They came off the field and said, 'Coach, we'll never doubt what you tell us again.'"

Coming off a season-opening 41-14 win over Greensburg Salem, Hempfield faces Butler (1-0) at 8:30 p.m. today at Heinz Field.

Meisner is a University of Pittsburgh graduate who played in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. He coached defensive line in high school football before replacing Bo Ruffner as Hempfield's head coach during the off-season.

"I think the kids respect that I accomplished some things in this game," Meisner said.

And Meisner knows enough about football to surround himself with a veteran coaching staff.

"These guys probably have 100 years of experience between them," he said.

Against Greensburg Salem, Hempfield quarterback Casey Teagarden threw for 189 yards. Anthony Constantine - last year's quarterback - carried 12 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter with leg cramps.

Senior Anthony Turchetta is the team's leading receiver.

The Spartans forced five turnovers and Greensburg Salem had 11 penalties for 106 yards. The Golden Lions also had two touchdowns erased by penalties.

"We were a plus-three in the turnover category," Meisner said. "Our defense applied some hard hits and jarred the ball loose a couple of times.

"We made some mistakes ourselves. We pitched the ball back one time when there was nobody back there to pitch it to. We still have some things to iron out."

Hempfield had five starters coming back on both sides of the ball this year, but that didn't matter to Meisner.

"When the kids reported to camp, I told them every position was open," the coach said. "I didn't care what they did last year. They had to earn their time this year."

The Spartans faced some early adversity in camp when tight end-defensive end Greg Meisner Jr. suffered a broken leg and cornerback Jon Coma suffered a fractured back.

Both players would have been starters this season.

Still, Hempfield has some strength in the interior line, anchored by juniors Weston Banks (6-feet-2, 243 pounds) and Steve Santia (5-11, 260).

"Those two are beasts inside," Meisner said.

Two-way senior tackle Justin Rechichar (6-3, 290) has been getting looks from Division I and I-AA colleges.

Hempfield finished 2-8 last season - including a 16-15 win over Butler - and is riding a skid of seven successive losing seasons.

"We've got a good mix of juniors and seniors on the field," Meisner said. "I'm just trying to find 11 kids on both sides of the ball who are willing to go the extra mile."

Meisner said his team is healthy entering the contest.

"I'm impressed by what I see with Butler," the coach said. "They took advantage of opportunities against Kiski and they played together. That's what good teams do."