Apr 29, 2025 By Jerin Steele 3 min read

Lucas Shanafelt said the recruiting process was a blessing, but also a bit stressful at times.

One person he could rely on for advice was his friend and former Peters Township football teammate Mickey Vaccarello.

And after mulling his future, Shanafelt has decided to join Vaccarello at Stanford.

Shanafelt, a junior, committed to Stanford Sunday night, joining Vaccarello as the second Peters Township football player to do so in the last two years.

“I talked to (Vaccarello) a bunch through the recruiting process about where my head was at and no matter what decision I made, I knew he would have my back,” Shanafelt said. “He obviously wanted me to go out there and it was another reason why I wanted to go there. To play with a teammate that I really trust a lot on the field.”

Shanafelt said he chose Stanford over Pitt and James Madison. He had 22 total NCAA Division I offers and is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. He was on the All-Allegheny 6 Conference second team defense and also plays wide receiver for Peters Township. The plan at Stanford is to be an outside linebacker/edge rusher.

An exceptional student, Shanafelt carries a 4.3 GPA and scored 1300 on his SAT. Those two factors helped open the door to Stanford, which offered him a scholarship April 7.

“Stanford provided the best of both worlds,” Shanafelt said. “I’m playing in the ACC and getting the best education you can get from a school that offers a (FBS) scholarship.”

Stanford recently went through a coaching change. Andrew Luck, Stanford’s general manager, fired former coach Troy Taylor in March after it was alleged Taylor mistreated female staffers in the football program. Luck hired former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich as Stanford’s interim coach. Reich coached Luck when he was the Colts’ quarterback.

Shanafelt’s offer came after the coaching change.

“I feel like (Stanford) is on the come up,” Shanafelt said. “I know they just fired their coach, but I believe in Coach Reich and Coach Luck. I’m excited to be a part of the comeback of Stanford football.”

Shanafelt got some positive reviews from Vaccarello, who graduated from Peters Township after the football season and enrolled early at Stanford.

“He said the culture is really good,” Shanafelt said. “The coaching change hasn’t brought anyone down. If anything, it’s brought them up.”

Another factor that reinforced his decision was a visit to Stanford’s campus earlier this month. He got to watch a spring practice and tour the facilities.

“I love the campus,” Shanafelt said. “It’s beautiful. I love the way the team practices. It reminds me of what we do at Peters Township. It’s a different level, but there’s a lot of similar drills and teamwork, intersquad stuff that I enjoy doing. The people were very welcoming and supportive.”

Shanafelt will study economics at Stanford. Before that he hopes to help Peters Township make a return visit to the WPIAL Class 5A football championship.

“Getting the commitment out of the way was great,” Shanafelt said. “I can move on and focus with my team on winning games and just getting the most out of my senior year.”