Peters Township will have hands full with West Allegheny
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Peters Township head coach T.J. Plack has been trying to get his players noticed without the benefit of summer camps.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Peters Township wide receiver Aidan McCall will look to make an impact for the Indians tonight against West Allegheny.
T.J. Plack could easily avoid addressing the importance of tonight’s game at West Allegheny.
The quintessential line of thinking for coaches is that the next game is always the most important.
Instead, the third-year Peters Township head football coach has opted for a straight-talk approach on the eve of a game which pits two teams fighting atop the Allegheny Eight Conference in Class 5A.
“The teams we lost to last year – Bethel Park, Pine-Richland, Mt. Lebanon and Central Catholic – have been powerhouses,” Plack said. “We have to get over that hump. We have beaten teams we are supposed to beat and just play other teams tough. To become a true contender, we have to do it against a perennial power.”
If there’s a chance for the Indians to make that kind of statement, it could be against legendary head coach Bob Palko and West Allegheny in a 7 p.m. kickoff tonight.
West Allegheny falls into the category of a powerhouse under Palko, who has guided the team to eight WPIAL titles, the most of any coach in WPIAL history.
A win would also catapult Peters Township (1-1, 2-1) to at least a tie for second place in the conference – a place the Indians haven’t ventured too many times in recent years.
“Upon getting the job, I just wanted to bring in some good coaches,” Plack said about taking over a program in January of 2016 that had just two winning seasons and one playoff win over the last 15 years.
“We just came in and didn’t worry about the past. It was about making everything positive, from competing in the weight room, competing in the offseason and competing each and every play on Friday night.”
What has kept the Indians competitive in nearly every game since the start of last season has been a standout defense. They have limited opponents to under 20 points in 11 of 14 games dating back to last season, allowing the fourth fewest points per game in Class 6A last season (18.9). In the three games since moving down in classification, Peters Township’s 7.7 points allowed per game is second only to Gateway.
“Over the course of these first three games, one of the things we’ve told our kids is (Upper St. Clair and Woodland Hills) are programs that normally find ways to win every week,” Plack said. “That’s what we want to be like. It comes down to the little things, winning the turnover and penalty battles. But our defense always gives us a chance to win.”
PT will have its hands full with a balanced West Allegheny (2-0, 2-0) offense that scored 41 and 36 points in its first two games, both resulting in wins.
“Where we have been for the last couple years is playing the underdog role,” Plack said. “We love that role and are still in that role. But people are starting to look at us differently. We are going to be in for a war this Friday night.”