Oct 13, 2016 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

Peters Township field general T.J. Plack and Mt. Lebanon head coach Mike Melnyk know one thing for sure about their Southeastern Conference 6-A football game on Oct. 14. Their players will be hyped up when the Indians visit Lebo. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m.

“I think our kids will be focused and excited to play,” said Melnyk.

“We are hungrier than ever,” said Plack.

After posting a key win against Norwin, 34-13, the Blue Devils are 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the league. Though the Indians have the reverse conference record, they are 3-4 overall after upsetting Pine-Richland, 32-27. In addition to the Rams, Peters also beat Hempfield, another team that defeated Lebo.

“Peters Township is a very good football team. They have beaten two of the teams that have beaten us this year, so we know what they are capable of,” Melnyk said. “Their skill players are very good, and they execute their scheme well.”

The scheme, on a rainy evening against Pine-Richland, was get the ball to the tailback. And T.J. Kpan responded against the Rams, who played without starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec. The Notre Dame recruit is out for the rest of the season after having surgery on his thumb. The junior had ranked second in the WPIAL in passing with 1,673 yards and 13 TD aerials.

Kpan spearheaded the win against Pine-Richland. He racked up four scores, including a decisive touchdown in the final frame. He rushed for 128 yards. He scored all his TDs after the Rams had constructed a 17-7 lead. Kpan’s TDs measured 2, 5, 5 and 3 yards.

“We are seeing TJ improve each and every week,” Plack said. “He is beginning to understand what we are asking of him as a running back. He has the ability to make players miss, as well as break tackles, and lean forward for extra yards. He has a nose for the end zone and a fire that burns inside of him to improve each and every day.”

Jake Cortes possesses that fire as well. The quarterback also helped fuel the victory against the Rams. He completed a 24-yard scoring strike to Josh Casilli. Cortes also completed eight passes for 158 yards. He has thrown for more than 1,000 yards this season.

Cortes is like many of the Indians. They are responding to the challenges of competing against well-coached, athletic teams. Plack added that there was never a point against Pine-Richland that “our players dropped their heads in defeat, or became discouraged. They gave our program and community everything they had.”

Plack anticipates a similar effort against Lebo. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 4 in Class 6-A. He anticipates the win against the Rams gives the Indians a spark.

“Any time you compete and win against a ranked opponent, it is a boost of confidence. There are times in life that you need to go out and earn someone’s respect, and that is not a problem for us. Our goal was to go 1-0 last week, and we succeeded. This upcoming week, our goal is to also be 1-0.

“Mt. Lebanon has been a solid program each and every year in the South Hills,” Plack continued. “They have a good coaching staff, explosive ball players and a tradition of winning.”

That trend continued against Norwin. In last week’s 34-13 win against the Knights, David Harvey dominated the action, rushing for three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 19, 26 and 2 yards. Harvey is one of the leading rushers in the WPIAL, with more than 600 yards.

Coach Melnyk is “proud” of Harvey’s performances. “David is a special back who has that unique combination of size, speed and toughness,” Melnyk said. “He will be the first to spread the credit to our offensive line, because they opened the holes for all of our backs, not just David.”

Harvey wasn’t the lone Blue Devil to follow his blockers. John Naylor also galloped for a 47-yard TD, and Patrick Moeller hauled in a 16-yard scoring strike from James Stocker. Grant Montilla converted two extra points. Stocker ranks among the WPIAL’s leading passers with more than 1,000 yards, and Montilla ranks among the top field goal kickers in the league. Additionally, Edgar Parrilla ranks among the leaders in receiving.

“We will obviously know where a couple of their players are each and every play, but you need to be careful,” cautioned Plack. “They are not a one- or two-man show, they have a bunch of good players, and know how to get them the football.”

But the biggest factor of all will be who does the best job of blocking.

“The difference maker will be who can establish the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” predicted Melnyk.