Bethel Park hosts Peters Township
Let’s get physical is the name of this Southeastern Conference clash as Bethel Park hosts Peters Township at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27.
“It’s an important conference game,” said BP head coach Jeff Metheny.
“We know that we are playing a good team. They have some big guys up front. It’s going to be physical.”
After an impressive victory over winless Shaler, 48-7, the Indians enter the contest 2-2. Meanwhile, the host Hawks are 3-1 in the league after blanking Canon-McMillan, 31-0. The Big Macs are also winless.
“It was a win and we moved on,” said Metheny of the CM game, which BP led, 10-0 at halftime and committed too many penalties to their coach’s liking. “We’ve got to cut those down. Penalties killed us against Woodland Hills and nearly hurt us against Canon-Mac. We’d gain 25 and go back 10.”
Metheny did compliment the Big Macs. “Give Canon-McMillan credit. They moved the ball well. They are trying real hard down there.”
Effort did not equal victory for CM because of BP’s big men up front and their ability to open up gaps for Zac Enick and Alex Minton. The paired plowed through for 119 and 103 yards respectively on 15 carries each. Minton rushed for a 25-yard score while Enick tallied a TD on a four-yard scamper. Minton also hauled in a 9-yard scoring strike from Levi Metheny.
Danny Christenson staked BP to a 3-0 lead with his 37-yard field goal in the first frame. Danny Emma’s 9-yard punt return put the Hawks ahead, 17-0, in the third quarter.
In PT, the Hawks face a similar opponent to themselves; large linemen and talented skill players. That combination propelled the Indians past the Titans in their non-league tune-up before the BP homecoming fray.
Marcus Ubinger dominated the attack. He rolled up 112 yards on 20 carries and rushed for four scores of 7, 9, 4 and 3 yards.
Back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him from the Upper St. Clair game, quarterback Cory Owen rambled 72 yards for another Peters score while Mike Minjock galloped for a 31-yard TD.
The Indians also registered a score when Connor Kachowski recovered a fumble and raced 38 yards into the end zone.
“Peters has some good players and they are getting better. We’re not sure what their injury situation is but we know we have to be ready for them,” explained Metheny.
“They have some big guys up front and we have good size and we are playing super defense. So, it’s going to be physical and special teams and turnovers could have a big impact on the outcome of this game.”
Thanks to great size up front, a formidable defense, talented skill players and a wealth of experience, Upper St. Clair has steamrolled to the top of the heap in the WPIAL’s Quad-A division. The Panthers are 4-0 heading into their Southeastern Conference battle with Baldwin at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27.
USC is coming off a dominant performance against Penn Hills, which was previously unbeaten. In recording their third shutout in a row, the Panthers blanked the Indians, 35-0.
Kyle Page leads the defense with 31 tackles while Ben Huss, Rori Blair and Mac Pope are the sack men, accounting for more than half of the team’s 18 total. Jesse Slinger (25), Morgan Lee (24), J.J. Conn (19), Joe Repischak (11), Stephen Mackowick (11) and David Doughterty rank among the top tacklers.
Behind the blocking of Huss, Zack Morris, Dougherty, Robert Plummer, Joe Pateras and Blair, the Panthers rolled up 315 yards rushing alone against Penn Hills. All their scores came on the run. Quarterback Joe Repischak scampered for the first three TDs, measuring 3, 15 and 7 yards. Mac Pope and Stephen Mackowick tacked on 1- and 6-yard scores. Trevor Morrow led all rushers with 114 yards.
While the Panthers mounted 21 first downs, their defense limited Penn Hills to 11. The Indians gained 149 total yards of offense, 41 on the ground. USC never punted in the game and PH did not penetrate deeper than the Panthers’ 35-yard line until the last minute of action.
Offensively, Morrow (278 yards, 5.0-yard average) and Pope (154 yards, 5.9 average per carry) are Baldwin’s primary concerns on the ground while Repischak is the passing threat with 23 completions for 378 yards this fall. Pope and Lee with six grabs each for over 100 yards are the top targets.
Baldwin, meanwhile, is coming off an overtime triumph against Mt. Lebanon. Doug Altavilla presents a worry for the Panthers as his heroics contributed to the 20-19 win. Altavilla tossed three TD passes, including a 10-yard strike to Luke Smorey in the extra frame. Prajal Sharma kicked the decisive extra point. With seven scores and two extra points, Smorey is Baldwin’s leading scorer.
Mt. Lebanon dropped to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference after a 20-19 loss to Baldwin while the Blue Devils’ opponent at 7:30 p.m. Sept 26 pummeled Plum, 51-0. The victory was the second in a row for Woodland Hills after dropping its first two games of the season to USC, 16-10, and McKeesport, 33-20.
Rob Costantino has developed into Lebo’s primary point producer, having kicked six field goals this fall. He nailed a 42-yarder in the second stanza to stake Lebo to a 3-0 lead at halftime. He also booted a 21-yarder with 22 seconds remaining in regulation, knotting the game, 13-13.
Kellan Stout gained experience under pressure as the rookie quarterback passed for 122 yards. He connected with Troy Apke for a 45-yard TD strike that gave Lebo a 10-6 lead heading into the fourth frame. Shane Lefever hauled in a 15-yard TD aerial from Stout to put Lebo ahead, 19-13, in overtime but the Blue Devils missed the extra point.
In the game, Apke grabbed seven passes for 82 yards. He has 19 receptions for 235 yards this fall.
Against Baldwin, Lefever finished with six catches for 52 yards. Jake Rolfsen rushed for 182 yards on 25 carries.
Miles Sanders and Harry Randall are primary concerns for Lebo. Randall rushed for a 28-yard touchdown and returned a punt 83 yards for another score against Plum. Sanders ranks among the leading rushers in the WPIAL. With 97 yards on seven carries against the Mustangs, he improved to 484 yards on 50 carries this fall.
The Big Macs look for their first win in the Southeastern Conference when they travel to Plum for a 7 p.m. kickoff Sept. 27. Both teams are 0-4 after suffering shutouts in their last contests. Canon-McMillan succumbed to Bethel Park, 31-0, while the Mustangs dropped a 51-0 decision to Woodland Hills.
Another Almanac club seeks its first victory and looks to recover from a recent shutout when Keystone Oaks hosts Beaver Falls at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in a non-league game at Dormont Stadium. The Golden Eagles slipped to 0-4 in the Century Conference after falling to Quaker Valley, 52-0.
The Tigers are 4-0 overall and ranked No. 2 in Class AA. BF features the one-two punch of Dan Stratton and Damian Rawl. Stratton has completed 28 of 45 passes for 574 yards this season. Rawl rushed for 257 yard and four scores in last week’s 30-24 come-from-behind win against Beaver in Midwestern Conference action.
Two bright spots for KO are Braydon Griffiths and Brandon Carroll with double digit receptions. Griffiths averages over 15 yards a catch.
After dropping a non-league game to Ellwood City, 28-13, Chartiers Valley returns to Parkway Conference action when the Colts visit New Castle for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Sept. 27.
The Hurricanes are 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference after a 32-13 triumph against Montour.
In the loss to Ellwood City, Tom Kovach kicked field goals of 34 and 28 yards. Dom Castello gathered in a 14-yard TD strike from Josh Lapiana. Lapiana completed 20 passes for 170 yards in the loss while Castello caught seven of those aerials for 77 yards. Lapiana ranks among the top 10 passers in the WPIAL with 55 completions for 837 yards. Castello is the top target with 20 receptions for 330 yards.
In Black Hills Conference action, Chartiers-Houston visits Brentwood Sept. 27. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
The Buccaneers (2-1) are coming off a 31-16 win over Conemaugh while the Spartans dropped a 35-14 decision to Fort Cherry.
Against Conemaugh, Kaleb Susko tossed nine completions for 172 yards. Miles Williamson caught two of those aerials for 12- and 15-yard scoring strikes. AJ Meyers also hauled in a 36-yard TD aerial. Spencer Terling rushed for a 4-yard touchdown and Mike Cushma kicked a 40-yard field goal to complete CH’s scoring.
After dropping a 28-14 decision to California, Biship Canevin has the unenviable task of visiting Monessen at 7 p.m. Sept. 27. The Greyhounds snapped Clairton’s 66-game winning streak when they posted a 42-24 victory in Black Hills Conference action.
In the Crusaders’ loss, Reed Relosky completed 10 of 22 passes for 174 yards. Relosky tossed TD passes of 13- and 79-yards to Sean Fitzgerald and Zach Cortese.