Late touchdown nets win, second place for PT
By Dave Whipkey
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
McMURRAY – Although the dream of another Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference title was out the window, both Bethel Park and Peters Township had plenty to play for Friday evening at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium.
Second place in the conference behind Upper St. Clair was up for grabs along with a possible bye into the second round of the postseason.
Using all of its championship mettle and fortitude,Peters Township battled and took home a 31-28 win to clinch second place in the conference. Peters Township (4-1, 9-1) drove it 72 yards on its final drive. Nick Courie, who had a workmanlike performance, plowed in from the one-yard line with 48 seconds left.
Courie finished with 127 yards rushing on 32 tough carries. Nick McCullough had three touchdowns and a big blocked field goal and Reston Lehman sealed the win with an interception of Tanner Pfeuffer with 13 seconds left in the game.
“That was a culture win,” Peters Township coach TJ Plack said postgame. “For this senior class, we’re thin, but we fight. For this group, that was a culture win.”
With the win, the Indians earn a first round bye and get a chance to rest up before they go towards defending their WPIAL title from last season. They have a gritty group led by Courie, who was their rock throughout the game.
“He’s probably the toughest kid we have on our team,” Plack said regarding Courie. “He’s not gonna take it to the yard, but he’ll get you seven to 12 yards (per carry) a lot.
Courie also starts at middle linebacker between Lehman and Mickey Vaccarello, bolstering his value to the Indians.
Indians quarterback Nolan DiLucia was solid, completing 15 of 21 throws for 148 yards and no interceptions.
Bethel Park (3-2, 8-2) began the second half the same as they ended the first, with a touchdown. This one was a 50 yard Ja Vaughn Moore (20 carries, 118 yards) burst up the middle on the sixth play of the third quarter. Jackson Friday knocked home the extra point, knotting the score at 21 early in the third.
Peters Township retook the lead via a 19 yard Anthony Maiello field goal at the 6:12 mark of the third. The drive was highlighted by a 37 yard Nolan DiLucia 37 yard completion to McCullough that put the Indians on the Black Hawk 8. Bethel Park’s defense stiffened and forced the short field goal.
The Peters Township defense then got a stop on fourth and short when Pfeuffer’s fourth down throw fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Indians on the Bethel Park 43 in the later stages of the third.
Bethel Park avoided further damage to their cause when their defense forced a Maiello 33 yard field goal attempt that struck the left upright, leaving the Peters Township lead at three late in the third quarter.
The Black Hawks then took the lead with 7:34 to go when Pfeuffer threw low into the end zone as he was pressured by Indians linebacker Vaccarello. Clancy Orie was able to get his hands under the throw and gather it in for an incredible 17 yard touchdown reception. Friday’s kick was true, giving the visitors a 28-24 lead while shocking the home crowd.
Peters Township then fell in deep trouble when DiLucia fumbled, Tim Ondo recovered for the Black Hawks on the Indians 43, putting tremendous stress on an Indians defense in the fourth quarter.
But the Indians held and forced a 39 yard field goal attempt by Friday that was blocked by McCullough, swinging the momentum back to Peters Township with 4:48 remaining.
“Well my teammates set me up for success there,” McCullough said. “Everyone crashed the line and I had to come off the edge and make the play.”
The Indians opened the game with a 12 play, 66 yard drive that culminated in a Nick McCullough 14 yard touchdown off a reverse handoff on third down and 8. The point after attempt was good as Peters Township took a 7-0 lead at the 6:37 mark of the opening quarter.
Bethel Park responded with force on their opening drive when Pfeuffer found a streaking Ryan Petras for a 50 yard scoring connection. The kick was true as the Black Hawks tied it at 7 with 5:29 remaining in the first.
Peters Township took advantage of a fourth down stop by Lehman, who singlehandedly ended the Black Hawks next drive by stopping Moore short on a third down run and then knocking down a Pfeuffer pass on fourth down to give the Indians the ball on the Bethel Park 41.
The Indians scored off the turnover on downs when McCullough took a short pop pass from DiLucia and scampered in from 13 yards out to hand the hosts a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Peters Township pushed their lead to two scores when they marched 61 yards on their next drive, DiLucia found McCullough from three yards out for his third score of the game. Anthony Maiello’s third extra point made it 21-7 Indians with 4:02 to go before halftime.
But Bethel Park would not go away. Pfeuffer capped a 60 yard drive when he plunged in from the one on fourth and goal with 45 seconds to go in the half. The key play in the drive was a 44 yard Pfeuffer completion to Jack Bruckner, which put the ball on the Indians 16.