Delay of game: Peters Township-Moon suspended
McMURRAY – The energy produced between rivals Moon and Peters Township was so intense, the atmosphere evidently could not handle it.
Two plays into the second half of Friday night’s Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference contest between the Tigers and Indians saw a streak of lightning crease the sky. It caused a delay, and eventually it was decided that game will resume at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
There was 11:33 left in the third quarter when the lightning was detected. The game was officially postponed at 9:27 p.m. Friday with Moon leading, 14-13.
Undefeated Moon (1-0, 8-0) got out to a tremendous start when Dylan Sleva sacked Sam Miller and recovered the subsequent fumble on the Peters Township 38-yard line. The Tigers made Peters Township pay for their miscue quarterback when Tyler McGowan lofted a 38-yard rainbow to Taite Beachy that resulted in a touchdown. Jacob Wieland knocked home the extra-point kick, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Indians (0-1, 4-2) appeared to have evened the score on their next drive when Miller found Carter Shanafelt on an inside screen pass. Shanafelt was poised to score from 12 yards out, but he was stripped of the football by two Moon defensive backs. Ben Bladel pounced on the loose ball, giving Moon possession n their own 20.
Peters Township garnered momentum when Mason Mehl recovered a Kardin Nguyen fumble on the Tigers’ 21, setting up the hosts to tie the score.
Miller did just that when on fourth-and-five. He eluded a fierce Moon pass rush that was strong much of the night and scampered into the end zone. Andrew Massucci’s kick was good, knotting the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
Miller helped give the Indians the lead when he found Jake Macosko streaking down the sidelines for a 56-yard touchdown pass with 3:32 left in the half. Moon blocked Massucci’s kick, keeping the Tigers lead at 13-7.
Peters Township appeared poised to take the six-point lead into the locker room at halftime. But on fourth down from their own 16, the Indians’ Miller took the snap and was about to punt it away, but Bladel burst through and blocked the kick. Bladel recovered the loose ball on the hop for a touchdown, which gave Moon a shattering end-of-the-half score. Wieland converted the extra-point, giving the Tigers a stunning 14-13 halftime lead.
Less than a minute into the second half, the game was delayed and eventually suspended.