Bishop McDevitt edges Peters Township on walk-off field goal
ALTOONA – As the Peters Township football players exited for the locker room with tears in their eyes, many of their family members who had gathered onto the field gave them a round of applause and a cheer.
The acknowledgement was warranted, because for the second week in a row the Indians came back from a double-digit deficit.
This time, however, the game ended in heartbreak.
Aidan Grella kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired and Bishop McDevitt defeated Peters Township 31-28 on Saturday in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals at Mansion Park Stadium.
The Indians (13-1) erased an 11-point halftime deficit and held a brief lead in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t quite finish off the defending state champion Crusaders (12-2).
“We were right in there and no matter how much we are down there’s always a chance for us,” Peters Township coach TJ Plack said. “It was a good football game and I think we were evenly matched. Both teams made good adjustments and they were well-coached. They’re a really good team and have been for a while.”
Bishop McDevitt will defend its state title against Roman Catholic, 7 p.m. Friday at Cumberland Valley. It’s a rematch of last year’s final.
Anthony Maiello tied the game at 25-25 with a 24-yard field goal with 1:33 remaining in the game, but Bishop McDevitt went right down the field in the final minute.
The big play was a 41-yard pass to Ishmael Palmer that set up the game-winning field goal. Peters Township blitzed, but Crusaders quarterback Sebastian Williams stood in the pocket and delivered a strike.
“We had some build-ins that will beat almost any zone,” Crusaders coach Jeff Weachter said. “What we were trying to do was get it inside the 40 yard line to kick a field goal and (Williams) did a good job going to the built-in hot route. It was a double A-gap blitz and we made the play.”
Peters Township trailed 21-10 at halftime, but got to within a score in the third quarter when Nolan DiLucia found Lucas Rost in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown. DiLucia hit Lehman on the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 21-18.
DiLucia then threw a perfect strike to PJ Luke for a 70-yard touchdown at the 7:15 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Indians a 25-21 lead.
DiLucia, a Villanova recruit, had 254 passing yards on 19 completions, none better than the throw he made to Luke.
“He was under a lot of pressure, because we were skin and bones on the offensive line,” Plack said. “We had a couple guys that I didn’t think were going to play at all this year and they were playing in the state semifinals. We were trying to find ways to protect him. He took a couple hits, but he stood in the pocket and delivered. He’s a big-time player.”
Williams threw a 26-yard touchdown to Jontay Quick to put Bishop McDevitt back on top, 28-25, three minutes after Peters Township took the lead.
Bishop McDevitt was penalized 18 times for 173 yards, but still found a way to win.
There were two instances in the first half when two personal fouls were assessed on one team, one live ball and one dead ball, on the same play.
It happened to Peters Township first and led to a touchdown on a 27-yard punt return by Palmer.
It happened to Bishop McDevitt on the next Peters Township drive and led to a Maiello field goal.
Cole Neupaver had the lone touchdown for the Indians in the first half on a 6-yard run. Neupaver had an interception that set up the drive.
Williams threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Howard Holton Jr., which opened the scoring. Williams went 16-for-23 for 260 yards.
Bishop McDevitt also got a 42-yard jaunt to the end zone by Eastern Michigan recruit Nazir Jones-Davis to hold a double-digit halftime lead.
They knew from last week, though, the game was far from over.
“We told them at halftime that this team wouldn’t go away,” Weachter said. “They’re very well-coached and have tough kids. We knew they wouldn’t give up and they didn’t. It’s almost a shame that one team had to lose, because these were two great teams.”
Peters Township will say farewell to a senior class that won two WPIAL titles, played in a state championship and a state semifinal.
“They are special,” Plack said. “We had a couple senior groups before them that took us to our first conference championship and then our first WPIAL championship and these guys taking us this far is amazing. We have a great locker room because of them and have been mentors to the younger guys. They do the right thing at all times and that’s why we are in these situations.”