Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park head in different directions
Mt. Lebanon’s 31-20 triumph over Bethel Park could reverberate throughout the remainder of the football season.
The Blue Devils (6-0, 5-0) hope the victory spingboards them to bigger and better things as they prepare for this week’s non-conference game against North Hills (3-3, 2-3) before traveling to Woodland Hills (6-0, 5-0) Oct. 23 for the Southwestern Conference showdown.
“We are going for a nice ride the rest of the year,” predicted Lebo skipper Mike Melnyk after the win. “We have a chance to do something really special.”
While the Blue Devils are 6-0 for the first time since the 2012 season, Bethel Park is reeling. The Hawks had the game won until Edgar Parilla intercepted a pass and turned the miscue into a 98-yard touchdown. Parilla’s punt return also set up David Harvey’s go-ahead score, a 1-yard run with 8:43 to play. Plus, Eddie Jenkins tacked on a 17-yard TD run with 2:21 remaining.
“They were trying to put the last score in and it would have been a huge one,” said Melnyk when the turnover occurred with 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter and BP leading, 20-10. “We got a little bit of pressure on the quarterback and Edgar made a great play. Not only did he make that play, he had an unbelievable run. He showed a lot of heart and that turned it around for us. Edgar also made a great punt return to result in another score. He made two huge plays to turn the game around for us.”
The loss turned BP’s hopes of contending for the conference championship to dust. With the defeat, the Hawks dropped to 2-2 in the league and 3-3 overall. Not only do they trail the Blue Devils and Wolverines in the standings, they are a game behind Upper St. Clair and this week’s opponent, Penn Hills. Both teams are 3-2 in the division but 3-3 overall.
“We need to try to forge ahead,” said BP head coach Jeff Metheny. “We need to focus on the positives and eliminate the things we can control. We committed a lot of penalties against Lebo. We did not play well on special teams. We need to correct that. It’s late in the year and people have a lot of film on you. They know what you do. So there are no surprises.”
It was no surprise Levi Metheny dominated the action early against Lebo. One of the WPIAL’s Top 15 passing leaders, he completed 18 of 31 passes for 277 yards against Lebo. Most of those numbers occurred in the second stanza as BP constructed a 20-7 lead off a pair of Kelsey Tischler field goals and two Metheny TD runs, measuring three yards. Metheny is 65 of 116 for 1,113 yards and 10 scores this season.
Against Lebo, Charlie Davis hauled in six aerials for 142 yards. Jake Dixon contributed six receptions, too, for 82 yards.
Against Lebo, BP did little in the second half and that concerns Metheny heading into their home game at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 against Penn Hills. The Indians possess speed the Hawks have not seen since losing to Woodland Hills in their conference opener.
“We have to run the ball better. Play good defense. Be more physical. Control the kicking game,” Metheny said of the Hawks’ objectives.
Regarding the Indians, who boast Toledo recruit Billy Kisner, Metheny added, “We need to stop the run. They have a lot of athletes who can go the distance. We have to contain their speed. Their overall speed is a big concern. You get a bad angle on a tackle and it could end up being a touchdown. With most other teams it would be a 20-yard gain. But Penn Hills has a lot of players that can take it to the house.
“We’ve got to execute and tackle or it’s going to be a long night,” Metheny concluded.
With the way the Blue Devils are playing it could be a long night for the Indians from North Hills. Kickoff is also at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at Mt. Lebanon Stadium.
Despite being “banged up,” Eddie Jenkins is still propelling the Lebo attack. The senior was 14 of 25 for 160 yards against BP. He is 50 of 87 for 804 yards and nine scores. He had two rushing TDs against the Hawks. Patrick Moeller was Jenkins’ top target versus BP. He had eight receptions for 73 yards.
While the duo has been the big stat makers, along with Harvey, Melnyk is pleased with all the Blue Devils and their tenacity.
“There is no panic,” said Melnyk regarding his players’ demeanor, particularly when they found themselves behind by 13 at halftime to BP. “We knew we had to come out and play our game.
“We have guys that did a great job. There’s a lot of heart out there. A lot of guys making plays and believing in each other. Hanging in there when we are down,” Melnyk continued. “They believe in what we are doing. We just have to continue to make sure we keep doing things the right way.