Oct 17, 2025 4 min read

By Dave Whipkey

For The Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

McDONALD – When distilled to its essence, football games are most often decided along the line of scrimmage.

Bethel Park proved that adage correct when they controlled both the offensive and defensive lines and ground their way to a 33-16 Allegheny Six Conference win Friday night at South Fayette.

David Dennison was the bell cow for the Black Hawks (2-2, 6-3) as he rung up 227 yards rushing on 39 carries with four touchdowns.

South Fayette (1-3, 5-4) struggled to sustain much offense for the evening even when starting quarterback Drew Welhorsky was involved. Their offense then was completely stifled when he went out with a right leg injury in the third quarter and never returned.

Welhorsky was held to 17 yards rushing and 14 yards passing as the Black Hawk defensive line controlled play.

Aayden Wright announced his presence with authority as the third quarter began when he returned the second-half kick 71 yards to the Bethel Park 1. Welhorsky plunged in from there, pushing the Lions lead to 16-7 at the 11:41 mark of the third.

The Black Hawks were undaunted as they responded in kind on their next drive. Dennison capped the 48 yard scoring drive with a 13 yard run. A 15 yard pass interference call was the catalyst that put Bethel Park within range of the end zone. Dennison’s score cut the Lions lead to 16-13 with 9:21 to go in the third frame.

Jack Johnson then went and made a huge play for the Black Hawks when he intercepted Welhorsky on the Lions next play from scrimmage, returning it to the South Fayette 24.

Dennison scored his second of the evening when he plowed in from 14 yards out. The two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete, leaving the Black Hawk lead at 20-16 at the 8:26 mark of the third.

It went from bad to worse on South Fayette’s next possession when Welhorsky was sacked on third and long near midfield. He appeared to injure his right leg in the process and was helped of the field midway through the third frame.

South Fayette’s defense did get a stop when they flushed Devine out of the pocket on a fourth and 8 from the Lions 23 and forced an incompletion, giving the ball back to South Fayette.

Bethel Park forced another South Fayette punt and was able to extend their lead when Dennison scored from five yards out with 9:32 to go in the game, the extra point was blocked, leaving the Black Hawk lead at 26-16.

South Fayette had one last gasp to get back into the contest, but back up quarterback Logan Dedes pass on fourth and long fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Bethel Park on the Lions 35 with four plus minutes to go in the game.

Dennison finished the night by scoring his fourth touchdown when he plunged in from the two at the 1:33 mark of the fourth, extending the Black Hawks’ lead to 33-16.

Bethel Park seemed poised to strike first on the game’s opening drive. South Fayette’s defense, however, said no when Tyson Wright intercepted an Evan Devine pass deep in Lions real estate. He returned it to the Black Hawks’ 19, putting South Fayette in prime position to score first.

It took one play for the Lions to light up the scoreboard Aayden Wright raced in from 19 yards to give South Fayette a 7-0 lead with eight minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Bethel Park stopped South Fayette on a fourth-and-short play near midfield, giving them the ball and momentum. But the Lions’ defense held firm when they forced a Devine incompletion on fourth-and-four, giving the ball back to South Fayette midway through the second quarter.

A Welhorsky punt pinned Bethel Park on their own 1. Two plays later, Bethel Park was called for a holding penalty in the end zone when Devine dropped back to throw, good for a safety and two points for the Lions as South Fayette extended their lead to 9-0 at the 7:20 mark of the second quarter.

Bethel Park made one more push for points toward the end of the half. Their last drive in the first half proved fruitful as Devine led them on a 63 yard drive to pull the Black Hawks within 9-7 thanks to an 11 yard scoring strike to Santino Nowozeniuk. A 31 yard Devine to Nowozeniuk connection sparked the drive.