Peters Township counter-punches, knocks off USC
By Dave Whipkey
For The Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
MCMURRAY – In recent years, Upper St. Clair and Peters Township have made it a habit to play in big-stakes football games.
Friday night at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium was no exception as the two Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference rivals lifted the lid on league play. Those who attended will not soon forget what they saw as Peters Township held on for a dramatic 24-20 win over its South Hills rival in a game that was like two heavyweights trading punches in the middle of the ring.
“Our seniors have played a lot of big games and racked up a lot of wins,” Peters Township coach TJ Plack said. “Told the kids this was going to be a fight tonight and we wanted to be the last ones standing at the end.”
One of those seniors was quarterback Nolan DiLucia. The Villanova recruit finished 15 of 21 passing for 252 yards. Cole Neupaver led the ground game with 129 yards on 27 carries. All of the offensive production for PT (1-0, 6-0) was a byproduct of the offensive line handling the line of scrimmage.
“I can’t say enough of those guys,” DiLucia added. “The time they gave me in the pocket was unreal and the running lanes were there.”
Panthers quarterback Ethan Hellman threw for 307 yards on 21 completions. He was sacked three times but kept fighting all night long.
“That’s a well-coached team over there,” DiLucia added. “We might see them again.”
It would follow the same script as last year as Upper St. Clair (0-1, 5-1) took home a 21-7 regular season win from PT. But the Indians got revenge in the post-season as they won 7-3 in the WPIAL Class 5A semi finals.
The Panthers started the second half moving from their 29 to the Peters Township 15, where the drive stalled after a sack of Hellman by Lucas Shanafelt and Gabe Kita. Jacobo Echeverria Lozano drilled a 32-yard field goal to give Upper St. Clair a 13-10 lead with 7:32 to go in the third.
As they did much of the night, Peters Township responded with a big punch when DiLucia launched a 45-yard touchdown pass to PJ Luke as it earned the Indians their first lead of the night at 17-13 midway through the third quarter.
Peters Township appeared to have momentum and was driving on its next possession, but Neupaver was hit hard and fumbled. John Banbury made his second recovery of the night, swinging momentum back to the Panthers
Upper St. Clair made the Indians pay for the turnover when Hellmann lofted a 40-yard pass to Nico D’Orazio, who tumbled into the end zone. The extra point was good as Upper St. Clair regained the lead at 20-17 at the 1:32 mark of the third.
Neupaver never hung his head though. The running back, who also plays for the school’s ice hockey team, helped bring the Indians back on their next drive. He slashed in from the four-yard line with 9:40 to go in the game to give the Indians a 24-20 lead. A 32-yard DiLucia to Shanafelt completion kick-started the drive.
Then the Peters Township defense, which was tested all night long, stepped up. USC faced a third-and-4 on the Indians’ 40. However, a poor snap forced Hellmann to scramble back and pick up the ball. Under pressure, he threw it out of bounds not near a receiver. The subsequent intentional grounding penalty forced the Panthers to punt the ball back to the Indians midway through the fourth.
But it was not over as the Panthers’ defense stripped DiLucia of the ball on fourth-and-3 on the Upper St. Clair 20, stopping the drive with 3:30 to go. The Panthers had a chance to steal it at the end.
Hellmann moved USC from its own 20 to the Peters Township 20, where they faced a fourth-and-2. A late blitz forced a hurried throw as it fell incomplete, sealing it for the Indians.
“It looked like their receiver ran the wrong route,” Plack said. “Our guys were in good position though to make a play if need be.”
Reflecting the true big-fight feel, both squads spent much of the first quarter feeling each other out. It appeared Peters Township was poised to strike first, but Neupaver fumbled one play after breaking a 20 yard run to the Panthers 20. John Banbury recovered and returned it to the Upper St. Clair 40.
One play later, Hellmann hit a 34-yard pass to Bryce Jones, setting up the first points of the game, a Jacobo Echeverria Lozano 24 yard field goal. Upper St. Clair broke out on top 3-0 late in the opening stanza.
Peters Township responded when their defense came up with a big play as Pitt recruit Reston Lehman punched the ball from a Upper St. Clair ball carrier, Lucas Shanafelt recovered on the Panther 44, setting the hosts up with prime field position midway through the second quarter.
The Indians moved to the Upper St. Clair 5 before the drive stalled. Anthony Maiello was able to get three points for Peters Township with a 22-yard field goal, knotting the score at 3-3 with 5:58 to go in the half.
Upper St. Clair responded by trudging 70 yards through a rugged Peters Township defense for the go-ahead score. Hellmann capped the march with a five-yard strike to Randy Yan to give the Panthers a 10-3 lead.
Undaunted, DiLucia led an 80-yard drive to again tie the score. Twenty-yard completions to Neupaver and Allen Kubina were the catalysts to the drive. Then, on third-and-goal from the seven, DiLucia found Shanafelt for a scoring connection. The Stanford recruit snagged the pass one-handed at the five, lumbered goalward and bulled in for the tying score with 10 seconds left in the half.