Nov 2, 2018 4 min read

CHARLEROI – Thanks to its 35-21 win over Riverside in a WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game Friday night, Charleroi’s 20-year playoff winless drought is over.

“I knew this would be tough and our kids fought,” said Charleroi coach Lance Getsy. “Even when we were down 14-0, I wasn’t worried and was confident that we would be able to move the ball.

“Being pushed and challenged all year, we made it hard on the players for nights like this.”

The fourth-seeded Cougars (9-1) trailed 14-0 in the second quarter as the game started out eerily similar to last year’s loss to Avonworth when Charleroi fell behind 21-0 and could not come back.

Quarterback Geno Pellegrini talked about the comparison.

“We knew how that felt and we were not giving up on our field,” he said. “I told the guys we were not done when we fell behind 14-0 and we had three quarters to play.”

Riverside (6-4) took the opening kickoff and had good field position, but Charleroi’s Legend Davis intercepted a Ben Hughes deep pass. It was the start of a big night for the Charleroi junior as he finished with six catches for 110 yards and a score to go along with two interceptions.

“I was just excited and I did all of that for the seniors,” said Davis. “It feels amazing to be a part of (the program’s) first playoff win in 20 years.”

On its next drive, Riverside drove 80 yards on 11 plays and took a 7-0 lead with a little help. On third-and-goal at the Charleroi 1, Panthers quarterback Ben Hughes attempted to run a keeper up the middle. However, he fumbled the ball and Nic Ottaviani fell on the ball in the end zone.

Riverview took over its next possession at the Charleroi 30 after a Cougars quick kick backfired. The Panthers needed six plays to score as Hughes hit Nate Sciarro with a 13-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-three with 8:50 to go in the first half to make it 14-0.

Needing some life, Charleroi answered with a seven-play, 80-yard drive that saw Pellegrini hit Dakota Romantino with an 18-yard touchdown pass. Romantino, who had five catches for 103 yards, tip-toed along the back of the end zone to make the catch.

The Cougars tied the score with 30 seconds to go in the half on a two-yard run by Pellegrini, and the 61-yard drive was keyed by a 47-yard pass from Pellegrini to Davis.

Riverview took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter on a LeMarcus Cleckley one-yard touchdown run. Cleckley finished with 147 yards on 21 carries.

The Cougars answered when Pellegrini hit Davis with a 25-yard scoring strike with 2:47 to go in the third quarter to make it 21-21.

The score held into the fourth quarter and the Cougars finally took the lead with 11:21 to play. Ottaviani fumbled near the Charleroi 10-yard line and Romantino scooped it up and raced 87 yards to the end zone to give the Cougars their first lead. Charleroi made it 35-21 after Davis’ second interception, getting a 38-yard touchdown run by Hunter Perry.

“I am just excited for these boys and I don’t feel any self-gratification,” Getsy said. “We still have a goal to attain and will have a fight next week.”

The Cougars will face fifth-seeded Mohawk (9-2), a 48-0 winner over Seton-LaSalle, in the quarterfinals.

Game notes

Charleroi finished with 396 yards on 53 plays while Riverside gained 262 yards on 48 plays … Dom Pellegrini finished with 18 tackles for Charleroi and Jonathan Vargo had 11 tackles and a sack … Perry led Charleroi with 60 yards on four carries … Charleroi was down two starters for the contest and their availability for next week in unknown. … Charleroi running back Brayden Mihalcin surpassed 1,000 yards for the season.