McKeesport to test USC Panthers
After waltzing through its non-conference schedule, Upper St. Clair has one more week to prepare for Allegheny Six Conference action and the Panthers could not have picked a better opponent than McKeesport. USC hosts the Tigers at 7 p.m. Sept. 19.
“We haven’t had a chance to play a full four-quarter game yet so I think a tougher opponent will be good for our team,” said USC field general Mike Junko. “We need to fight for four quarters before conference play. A tough physical opponent like McKeesport is a great way to get us ready for the Allegheny Six.”
Despite their 1-2 record after three games, the Tigers are still considered the second-best squad in Class 4A of the WPIAL. They suffered losses to top-ranked Thomas Jefferson as well as Peters Township, which is rated No. 2 in Class 5A behind Pine-Richland.
“McKeesport has really shown improvement from the beginning of the season,” Junko said. “They have some players that have come back from injury and are starting to play at a championship level. They have a number of dangerous Division I athletes all over the field.”
The Panthers have their share of talented players, including offensive lineman Mason Geyer, a Davidson recruit, but they meld together for the common good. For example, during a 49-6 triumph at Franklin Regional on Sept. 5, six different players scored.
“This is an unselfish group that understands our success depends on their willingness to play for each other,” said Junko.
Senior signal caller Ethan Hellmann completed 13 of 15 passes for 308 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers, including Nico D’Orazio (80 yards), Bryce Jones (59), Drew Sanderson (29), Josh Snyder (40) and Anthony Rozzo (27).
After three weeks, Hellmann ranked among the top passers in the WPIAL with 852 yards on 44 completions. He has tossed 12 TD aerials.
“The best thing Ethan has done this year is spread the ball around. He has involved all of our receivers and he has done a good job of attacking all parts of the field,” Junko said. “He has played with the poise of a four-year starter and I think his best football is still ahead of him.”
The Panthers are looking forward to the return of Kenny Davis to the offensive line in a few weeks after having injured his knee during a 48-0 win against Canon-McMillan.
Additionally, the Panthers have relied upon the run game of Dante Coury. He rushed for a 38-yard touchdown against Franklin Regional. Snyder also got into the action, adding another score on an 8-yard run.
Jacobo Echeverria Lozano had five touchbacks and seven extra points. He also had a 65-yard punt in the win.
Will Stohl and John Banbury led the defense with nine total tackles each. Stohl had eight unassisted tackles. Beck Shields had a sack to go along with four solo tackles.
While the Panthers possess one of the top defenses in the WPIAL, allowing just 6.6 points per game, they will need to tighten up against the run when they tackle the Tigers. Of Franklin Regional’s 261 total yards, 204 came off 40 rushes, a 5.1-yard average per attempt.
“We have to contain their rushing attack,” Junko said. “They have a number of dangerous athletes that can do a lot of damage if we are not sound on defense they can make you pay. Offensively we need to stay balanced and continue to attack all parts of the field.”
LEBO VS. C-M
Class 6A conference action doesn’t get any easier for Mt. Lebanon. After hosting top-ranked Central Catholic on Sept. 12, the Blue Devils are preparing for a visit to Canonsburg Memorial Field to battle Canon-McMillan at 7 p.m. Sept. 19.
While the Blue Devils suffered a 35-0 shutout at Peters Township in a lightning-shortened non-conference clash on Sept. 5, the Big Macs demonstrated fire power in a 37-28 shootout win against South Fayette.
Despite their lopsided loss to the Indians, Lebo played their opponent to a scoreless draw after one frame.
“We were doing okay but then we kind of ran out of gas,” explained Lebo coach Greg Perry. He noted the Blue Devils had eight starters playing both ways due to injuries.
“Against quality teams that’s not good,” he added.
The Indians are the No. 2 ranked team in Class 5A behind Pine-Richland, against whom they lost to in last year’s WPIAL championship contest. They also boast one of the WPIAL’s top passers and two big-time recruits in their edge rushers – Reston Lehman (Pitt) and Lucas Shanafelt (Stanford).
Lehman had an interception that set up the third of PT’s second-quarter scores against the Blue Devils, a 1-yard rush by Nolan DiLucia.
A Villanova recruit, DiLucia completed 15 of 19 passes for 288 yards. His top target was P.J. Luke with four receptions for 78 yards. Cole Neupaver pulled in a 38-yard scoring strike. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
Jeremy Poletti tacked on a Pick-6 of 26 yards in the third quarter, invoking the Mercy Rule. Two minutes into the fourth frame, the game was ended because of inclement weather.
Meanwhile, the Big Macs weathered a lightning delay and broke open a tight contest against the Lions with two, fourth-quarter scores.
Mason Calgaro rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 89 yards while Daniel Speca pulled in eight receptions for 164 yards and two scores. Ethan Campoli also scored twice and Rhys Maentz kicked a 34-yard field goal.
“Canon-McMillan had a big offensive day against South Fayette,” Perry said. “So, we need to shore some things up.”
The Blue Devils are working on involving more wide receivers into the offense to complement their dual-threat quarterback, Patrick Smith.
Regardless, said Perry, “A win would sure cure some things. So we need to be ready.”
Meanwhile, Peters Township is preparing for West Allegheny on Sept. 12. West-A is coming off an impressive 65-7 victory against McGuffey, where Brodie Cornell scored four touchdowns and sophomore Donovan O’Connor completed 7 of 8 aerials for 121 yards and two scoring strikes.
While standouts like DiLucia, Lehman, Shanafelt and Neupaver continue to pave the path for Peters Township, the offensive line has shown outstanding progress blending together, enabling the Indians to be one of the more explosive teams in the WPIAL with a 37.3-points-per-game average. Spearheading the line are: Gavin Hollander, Max Cortes, Alex Klein, Cole Camilletti and Brady O’Connor.
CV at HAMPTON
The Colts look to keep their winning streak alive when they travel to Hampton for another non-conference contest in preparation for Big Six action. Chartiers Valley takes on the Talbots at 7 p.m. Sept. 19.
“Hampton is a heck of a challenge for our team, especially after their big win against Shaler on a walk-off field goal,” noted CV coach Steve Spence.
Obstacles the Colts face are many.
“We are going there and they beat us last year,” Spence said for openers. “They do a lot of things well. Their wide receivers go get the ball and their quarterback does a good job of getting them down the field.
“We have to bring it physically and we have to be ready to play or we are going to get beat.”
In giving Spence his second career win at Chartiers Valley, the Colts dominated Indiana, 42-6, on Sept. 5.
Tayshawn Lewis scored three times, twice on the ground and once after catching a screen pass from Owen Weagraff and galloping 72 yards into the end zone.
Mike Lawrence (22 yards) and Damien Holloway (49 yards) also hauled in scoring strikes from Weagraff and Zach Efthimiades rushed for another touchdown in the triumph.
“I was happy with the effort,” Spence said. “The team played hard and the effort was there. We committed a lot of penalties and there are still things to clean up but as a whole we played well.”
Since the start of the season, the Colts have cleaned up their play in the trenches. According to Spence, the offensive line of Tristan Mayo, Daylyn King, Joel Buerkle, Destyn Zrelak and Anthony Mousessian “keeps getting better” and Terhune has done “a wonderful job” at tight end.
Additionally, Spence is pleased with the defense and his coordinator, Max Garda, who devised the game plan against Indiana.
“”Indiana runs that triple offense and that’s not easy to defend,” Spence said. “Max did a great job devising a great plan and our defense played lights out.”
Spence noted that Indiana’s only touchdown occurred off a kick-off return. He cited Lawrence and Terhune for their play at linebacker as well as Aidan McGettigan’s play at cornerback after having stepped in for Aniko Hines, who was injured in the West Allegheny overtime win.
Additionally, Jacob Hastings, who had his first start, played well along with Noah Harris and Damarion Bundridge on the defensive line. John Papariella also excelled.
BV AT SF
South Fayette looked to regroup after their loss to Canon-McMillan with back-to-back home confrontations. After hosting Elizabeth-Forward on Sept. 12, the Lions will entertain Belle Vernon at 7 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 19.
In the loss to the Big Macs, Drew Welhorsky threw for 181 yards on 14 completions. He tossed scoring strikes of 13 and 5 yards to Daniel Speca and Jacob Bostian as well as rushed for a 7-yard touchdown.
BP AT TRINITY
Bethel Park travels to Trinity for another non-conference contest at 7 p.m. Sept. 19.
The Black Hawks are coming off a 56-28 romp over Armstrong.
Evan Devine completed 21 of 30 aerials for 367 yards. David Dennison and William Sabatos were the top targets with nine and seven receptions for 143 and 159 yards respectively. Dennison and Sabatos both scored three times each. Devine had a rushing touchdown and Tyler Miller tacked on a 77-yard TD run.