Behind O-line, Dahlem drives USC to victory
Panthers topple Peters, 21-7
Julian Dahlem grabbed the headlines in Upper St. Clair’s 21-7 victory over Peters Township but the credit for the triumph in the Allegheny Six Conference opener says the senior multi-purpose back was well distributed.
On offense, Dahlem rolled up 185 yards on 22 carries for two touchdowns – a 16-yard scamper with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter and a 71-yard sprint on a third-and-32 play with 5:29 left in the contest.
“It’s just the O-line,” Dahlem said. “They open everything up. Those dudes work their butt off every day in practice and they make me work harder. I have so much respect for them. I am so proud of them. It all goes to them.”
Princeton recruits Nate Stohl and Michael Albert are the anchors. Bobby Fleckenstein, Brock Gillespie and Mason Geyer see the majority of the action at the other positions in the trenches.
Tim Robbins coordinates the unit. He is the offensive line coach and kudos were bestowed upon him, too.
“At halftime, he made some great adjustments,” said USC skipper Mike Junko. “In the first half it was tough sledding. That’s a great defense we were up against. Peters Township’s reputation is well earned. They are a good football team.”
The Indians, like the Panthers, came into the contest undefeated at 5-0. Peters Township, however, was ranked No. 1 in the state. The Indians averaged only six points a game and had two shutouts in their first five games. They also are the defending WPIAL Class 5A champions and PIAA runners-up.
USC managed only 43 yards of offense and one score in the first half. The touchdown came on a fluke play – a Pick-6 for 16 yards by Dahlem at the 6:44 mark in the second quarter.
The interception, caused by the pressure applied by Stohl, Dahlem dubbed as “total luck” because it was thrown right at him.
“It was awesome though,” he added. “You heard the crowd. It was the loudest its ever been. When the crowd erupted, that gave us confidence, 100 percent.”
Less than three minutes later, Nolan DiLucia made up for the faux pas. He connected with Eli Prado for a 44-yard scoring strike and Anthony Maiello tied the contest with his extra point.
While DiLucia, who led the WPIAL in passing with 1,264 yards, did complete 13 of 24 passes for 161 yards, the Indians never scored again. The Panthers held the Peters Township ground game to 110 yards while rolling up 286 yards themselves. Plus, Nick McCullough, one of the WPIAL receiving leaders, was held to two catches in the game.
Both Dahlem and Junko credited USC’s defensive coordinators Mike Milligan and Andy Assad.
“Our defensive coordinators worked hard this week trying to shut down a great quarterback and a great system,” Junko said. “To hold them to seven points in the first half and for the whole game. Well, our defense was phenomenal and our secondary bent but did not break.”
“Defensively, we have not done well as DBs in the past,” Dahlem admitted. “We worked hard though and it all came down to it in the end. Our defensive coordinators are the greatest people on earth. They make you work hard. In the end it pays off.”
Defensively, the Panthers had three interceptions. In addition to Dahlem’s Pick-6, Van Hellmann and Anthony Rozzo had interceptions. Hellmann also had a fumble recovery.
Lucas Rost, DiLucia, Reston Lehman and PJ Luke excelled on defense for the Indians. Lehman had nine solo stops while Rost finished with nine total tackles. Both had quarterback sacks as did Lucas Shanafelt. DiLucia finished with eight tackles and Luke contributed seven.
The Indians drove into USC territory when Hellmann intercepted a reverse halfback pass at the 25-yard line. After a critical 27-yard rush by John Banbury, who finished with 62 yards on eight carries, Dahlem took over, eventually scoring the go-ahed touchdown on a 16-yard rush up the middle. He later added the 71-yarder to salt away the victory for the Panthers.
“I shook one person but it always goes to my O-linemen,” Dahlem said. “I love them to death.”
“The combination of our O-line and Julian Dahlem is what carried us in the second half,” Junko added. “Those kids were warriors out there. That was two really good football teams going at it out there.”
With the win, USC improved to 6-0 overall but the Panthers are tied for first place in the conference with upcoming opponents, South Fayette on Oct. 4 and Bethel Park on Oct. 11.
“The win gives us a lot of confidence, but there are so many tough games ahead of us” said Dahlem.
Junko agreed. “The hard part is the conference has so many good teams. This race is far from over.”