Peters Township visits Upper St. Clair
In soccer, they call matches “friendlies.” And, while Peters Township versus Upper St. Clair on the pitch is never affable, on the gridiron, the atmosphere between the Indians and Panthers should be more sociable Sept. 5 during a Southeastern Conference clash because the coaches maintain a pleasant relationship.
PT skipper Rich Piccinini once served on Jim Render’s coaching staff at USC. The pair maintains a friendship. They talk and they text, says Piccinini.
“[Jim’s] not only a good friend but he’s been a mentor to me. And, what better one could you want to have,” Piccinini added, noting Render’s status as one of the winningest scholastic coaches in the country. “Jim has always led me in the right direction.”
Render also had kind words for his adversary this week. “[Rich] has been a very good and loyal coach for me. Friday’s game is going to be fun on one hand but I would rather beat somebody I am not as close to than somebody I know well.”
Piccinini agreed. “It’s going to be a nice homecoming. It’s always nice to see Jim and I always enjoy our mid-field talks before the game starts.”
Once the whistle blows, however, it will be a battle as neither team wishes to start conference play with 0-2 records. While the Indians fell to Woodlands Hills, which is regarded as the top team in Quad-A, 27-0, USC handed Penn Hills a 31-13 triumph in last week’s season openers.
After bolting ahead, 7-0, when Thomas Vissman capped a scoring drive with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone, the Panthers fumbled three times. Penn Hills converted each miscue into a touchdown.
“You can’t turn the ball over,” said Render. “[Penn Hills] beat us in all phases of the game. We did some good things at times but to beat Peters Township, we have to improve.”
Meanwhile, mistakes played a part in Peter Township’s defeat. Trailing 7-0, the Indians had the opportunity to tie the Wolverines but turned the ball over. Woodland Hills scored three quick touchdowns in the second stanza.
“Woodland Hills is a great team and they have great athletes,” said Piccinini, noting his Indians would have been in the game were it not for the turnover. “At halftime, we challenged the team.”
The Indians responded. They shut out the Wolverines, who kept their starters in the game for most of the second half.
“Our defense played a good game. We stepped it up in the second half.” Of shutting the Wolverines out in the second half, Piccinini said, “we treated that as a win. You would be hard pressed to find a team that holds a team like Woodland Hills scoreless in a half. We take that away as a positive from the game.”
Having a veteran quarterback is a positive for the Indians. Cory Owen, who has several Division I offers, is a concern for the Panthers.
“The fact that they know so much about us and they have a veteran quarterback,” Render said are concerns for the Panthers. “[Owen] did not play freshman ball. He was always on varsity. So, in high school football, that’s like having a Roethlisberger back there. We’ll have to try and find our way.”
Piccinini expects the Panthers to find their way regardless of their previous outcome. “We can’t control what mindset they bring into the game [off their loss to Penn Hills]. We have to play better. Whether or not they are coming off a win or a loss, we are playing the same team. They want to be us, too.”
Peters Township expects the Panthers to be prepared. The Indians are conscious of USC’s defense as well as its senior signal caller. Dan Trancano tossed a 47-yard pass to Nick Rutkowski on USC’s initial scoring drive against Penn Hills. He also hooked up with Andrew Bartusiak for a 68-yard TD strike. Trancano completed 6 of 11 passes for 153 yards while Vissman rushed for 102 yards on 19 carries. Defensively, Jesse Slinger, Blake Kadar and Yuya Kaneko each had six tackles on defense while Vissman and Sean Parker each picked up five.
“USC will be well prepared and well coached,” Piccinini said. “USC, no matter how many players they lose to graduation, they always reload. They have tradition. That’s one of positive they have. They have guys who step up. There is always somebody next in line who is ready to play.”
Both teams are prepared to play mistake-free, knowing how miscues cost them last week.
“We have to play error-free. No penalties,” Piccinini said. “Don’t give up the big plays.”
And expect the Panthers to be improved from last week.
“They may start out slow,” Piccinini said of USC teams that suffered extension graduation losses, “but they don’t stay down long. They are and will be a high-caliber team.”
MOON AT MT. LEBANON
After pummeling Canon-McMillan, 40-0, in the Southeastern Conference opener, Mt. Lebanon prepares to host Moon on Military Night at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 in a non-conference clash.
“No matter who the opponent is, we need to play at the same high level,” said Lebo skipper Mike Melnyk. “Each week, we have to perform to the top of our ability.”
Against the Big Macs, the Blue Devils appeared to be at the top of their game, particularly on defense and special teams. Several kick-off and punt returns by Shane Lefever and Nick Tommasi set up touchdowns. Sacks by Ben Bruni, Cam Haley, David Harvey and Matt Papich gave Lebo great field position to score more and turnovers, including fumble recoveries by Paul Gratton and Lefever contributed to more touchdowns. Joe Postufka added an interception to preserve the shutout.
“Defensively, we did a good job. I was proud of the effort,” Melnyk said. “Our tackling is much improved and we did some nice things on special teams.”
Eddie Jenkins did the things on offense to engineer the victory. The junior signal caller tossed three TD strikes of 9, 18 and 38 yards to Tommasi, Lefever and Alex Englert as Lebo mounted a 33-0 lead with 10:27 still remaining to play in the first half. Jenkins also rushed for a 19-yard score. For the game, he completed 7 of 10 aerials for 89 yards.
“For Eddie, this was a continuation of his last few games from last year,” said Lebo head coach Mike Melnyk. “Eddie is making good decisions. We are just scratching the surface with him.”
As a team, the Blue Devils are doing likewise. The dominated the Big Macs in every facet of the game and appear to be developing into a playoff contender after last year’s disappointing 3-7 season.
“We are not a great team yet,” Melnyk cautioned, “but if we continue to work hard and keep doing what we are supposed to be doing, we are going to be really good.”
Joe Stabile looked really good on the run when he broke free and galloped 95 yards down the sideline for Lebo’s last score, coming with 23 seconds remaining in the first half.
Meanwhile, for Canon-McMillan, conference action doesn’t get any easier as the Big Macs host Penn Hills Sept. 5 in Canonsburg. The Indians are coming off a 31-13 win against Upper St. Clair. Despite their debacle against Mt. Lebanon, 40-0, there was a bright spot for the Big Macs. Alonzo Lemus intercepted a pass on defense.
Woodland Hills at Bethel Park
After opening the season with a 41-0 loss to Central Catholic, the schedule does not get any easier for the Black Hawks. After the defeat to the defending WPIAL Quad-A champion, Bethel Park hosts last year’s district runner-up. Plus, Woodland Hills is expected to challenge for its sixth WPIAL title as well as the PIAA crown.
While the Hawks were only mustering 79 yards of offense against the Vikings, the Wolverines shredded Peters Township in their 27-0 victory. Penn State recruit Miles Sanders rushed for 30- and 20-yard touchdowns in the win. Art Thompkins did double duty, scoring on a 47-yard run and on an 85-yard interception return.
ELEANOR BAILEY/STAFF Nick Tommasi leaps over defenders while carrying the ball for a first down during Mt. Lebanon’s 40-0 victory against Canon-McMillan. Tommasi had one touchdown in the victory.