Peters Township looking to find identity in Week 3

Who would have thought the most intriguing matchup in Week 3 would a battle of two 0-2 teams that missed the playoffs last fall?
Canon-McMillan (0-2, 0-2) hosts Peters Township (0-2, 0-2) in a Southeastern Conference matchup tonight at 7 p.m. and the winner will not only gain momentum, but will could position itself for a possible playoff spot.
Playoffs?! Yes, playoffs. Defeating the Big Macs in Week 3 last fall put the Indians in the playoff conversation, but a string of losses late in the season cost them. So, how could either of these two teams actually make the playoffs?
Well, I wrote in Thursday’s edition about the improvement made at Canon-McMillan under Mike Evans. The Big Macs have much better skill players then they’re given credit for and the defense has been playing more physical.
They have great team speed and I think they’re going to continue to surprise people as the offensive line develops. On the other side, Peters Township has become consistent under head coach Rich Piccinini, making the playoffs in three of his four seasons with the program.
But the Indians are young and inexperienced. Sophomore Jake Cortes, a pocket passer, takes over at quarterback for Cory Owen, who earned a scholarship to James Madison. He has experienced his share of growing pains through two weeks, completing just 9 of 20 passes for 97 yards. Much of that has to do with facing Woodland Hills and Upper St. Clair.
“It lets you know where you stand and what you need to improve on,” Piccinini said. “It’s baptism by fire. You’re thrown right in there. You have to play the best of the best. Woodland Hills probably has 10 Division I guys. It should help in the long run.”
Peters Township hasn’t been able to run the ball either and missing junior running back TJ Kpan doesn’t help. He’s been bothered by a minor ankle injury and his status is unknown for the rivalry game. Once he’s healthy, the offense will run through him.
The Indians are searching for an identity with Owen, who passes for 1,212 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 515 yards and seven scores as a senior, gone.
“It’s a completely different dynamic now. We need to be a running team,” Piccinini said. “Our backs have to carry that torch from Cory. Cory was a guy who could take over a game, break an 80-yard run and make something happen. There has been a little bit of a learning curve. It’s going to take a while, but it will pay off.”
It will be difficult to establish an identity with Kpan out, but he did get four carries last week against Upper St. Clair, rushing for one yard on four carries with a touchdown. If he returns to full strength for this game and Peters Township’s offensive line improves, I think they can squeeze into the postseason.
The debate is over about South Fayette. The program should be mentioned in the same breath as Aliquippa when you talk about the most consistent, well-coached teams in the WPIAL.
If we are looking at an overall body of work, Aliquippa is in a league of its own with 15 WPIAL titles, but the narrative has changed in recent years. With a wealth of big-time Division I talent, the Quips have five WPIAL titles since 2000.
South Fayette has three with two state titles and has not had players like Jonathan Baldwin or Darrell Revis. That isn’t a knock against the Lions’ players in recent years. Sure, they aren’t receiving the attention of those former Aliquippa stars, but South Fayette has consistently produced quality talent and that isn’t stopping anytime soon.
Look at their team this season. The Lions lost Logan Sharp, who is playing at the University of Pennsylvania, and replaced him with sophomore Ryhan Culberson, who is 6-3 and 195 pounds. Not many people have heard of him yet, but look out.
How about Nick Ponikvar, Dan Trimbur and Cam Garland as receivers? That’s as good as it gets in the WPIAL. That isn’t including senior running back Hunter Hayes, who ran for 33 touchdowns last fall.
“In general, they’re all getting better,” head coach Joe Rossi said of the receivers. “Everyone is understanding their jobs and they aren’t being selfish. They just do their jobs. The problem is that there’s only one football. There are just so many kids to get the ball too.”
The Bearcats have not been 3-0 since 1984 and making that happen again won’t be easy. The Commodores are the only team in the WPIAL that has not allowed a point through two weeks, defeating Avella and Jefferson-Morgan by a combined score of 93-0.
Frazier quarterback Hunter Patterson will give the Bearcats fits and he’ll stretch the defense with his ability to run. The Bearcats will need to force turnovers and continue to run the spread offense effectively.
Despite losing Alvin Ross as a transfer to Greensburg Central Catholic, Frazier is still a title contender in the Tri-County South.
Much like the Hillers, Elizabeth Forward has struggled to find consistency on offense, but it is averaging 28 points per game. The credit goes to running backs Conor Hinchey and Zachary Budde, who have combined to rush for 532 yards and six touchdowns.
Coincidentally, the one bright spot on Trinity’s defense has been its ability to contain opposing running backs But the Hillers have struggled against running quarterbacks and the passing game.
The Prexies rolled through their first two opponents and as expected, they didn’t need to pass the football to be successful. Wash High quarterbacks have completed 9 of 11 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
Its running backs are averaging more than 10 yards per carry with eight touchdowns. The offense has 754 total yards thorugh two games, but the story has been the defense.
Seven interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns last week against Burgettstown.