Nov 13, 2018 3 min read

Despite the urging from her 7-year-old son, Logan Pfeuffer’s mother wasn’t going to carry her newborn out of the hospital with the name Mojo.

“My older brother wanted that to be my name. The Austin Powers’ movies were big at the time,” Pfeuffer said. “My mom wouldn’t let that happen.”

It might not read Mojo on his birth certificate, but the Peters Township sophomore quarterback has turned it into his nickname and is playing with a whole lot of it on the football field.

In the last six games for the Indians, Pfeuffer doesn’t look like any young sophomore. He has completed 65 of 99 passes for 1,044 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Peters Township (10-2) will ride its six-game winning streak into a WPIAL Class 5A semifinal game Friday night against second-seeded Penn Hills (12-0) at Norwin High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

“I truly think it was more of us seeing what he was comfortable doing,” said Peters Township coach T.J. Plack. “We knew last year he’d be the guy. Over the summer, we ran a lot of concepts that we had done over the past two years. When we got into game situations, it maybe was a little too much for him.”

Pfeuffer was replacing Jake Cortes, who threw for 5,091 yards in his career at Peters Township.

The progression of getting the ball quickly out of his hand and using some of the Indians’ playmakers – wide receivers Josh Casilli and Aidan McCall, along with tight end Corban Hondru – has allowed the offense to thrive. In Peters Township’s winning streak, it has scored at least 30 points in all six games.

Pfeuffer had to regain his mojo after a sluggish start to the season. In three starts that weren’t up to his expectations, he completed 12 of 40 passes with four interceptions. But the Indians still started the season 2-1.

“My confidence has grown throughout the season,” Pfeuffer said. “It’s increased a bunch. I get put in the right positions, have an offensive line that can block and a bunch of people that can make plays. I’ve been able to make some throws, but it’s a great feeling to be able to throw the ball out in space and know my guys will be able to get it.”

Plack helped the process by simplifying the offense

“It made a world of difference and he was able to gain confidence in the process,” Plack said. “He is standing in the pocket now, getting rid of the ball on time. He just grew up a little bit. He understands he needs to do those things or take a hit.

“It just took time for everyone to get their feet wet. It took a little time to execute like we are doing now. He’s doing a great job.”