Oct 17, 2016 By Eleanor Bailey 8 min read

Just because both teams are 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference and 3-5 overall with no hopes of extending their season into the playoffs, doesn’t mean the Canon-McMillan at Peters Township football game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 doesn’t matter to the participants.

“All games are prepared for like the world ends that weekend,” said Big Mac skipper Mike Evans. “You always have people coaching just as hard on the other sideline. It’s awesome.”

PT coach T.J. Plack agreed. “We have expected to win every time that we stepped on a field this season. That will not change for us. I expect nothing less from Canon-McMillan and look forward to the challenge.”

There is no challenge in getting these rivals ready for a backyard brawl. Evans, particularly, is looking forward to the homecoming. He played his high school football at Peters Township.

“I love my kids and taking them to play on the same field that I played on is special,” Evans said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Despite the team’s most recent losses-Peters to Mt. Lebanon, 42-28, and Canon-Mac to Bethel Park, 40-20,-the programs are prepared for battle. Plack points to the fact that the schools are very competitive in other sports, especially soccer.

“Canon-McMillan is and has been a Peters rival in all sports for quite some time,” he said. “Our players live in close proximity and know each other fairly well.

“They have been playing well this season. They were 0-0 at the half against Mt. Lebanon. They played well up front against Bethel Park. In between those games, they won two in a row. Mike has those kids competing, and like our players, I’m sure they are quite hungry to be successful.”

Especially in football, the Big Macs, as the Indians, are developing an appetite for success.

“Both programs are trending upward which means considering our proximity, this could really grow into something,” Evans said. “The recent history tells us that we are just the team down Route 19 that they beat every year. We would like to change that.”

Evans certainly is changing the culture at Canon-Mac. The Big Macs did an about face in their encounter against BP last week. Last season, they lost, 69-21. In five previous seasons, they hadn’t scored against the Hawks.

“We feel we are progressing towards our goal of becoming a solid football program,” Evans said.

Bryan Milligan has spearheaded that progress. He gobbled up 249 yards in the loss to BP. He also scored all three touchdowns in the defeat. His runs measured 2, 18 and 80 yards.

Milligan is a concern for the Indians. “He is a very physical, downhill runner,” Plack said. “We need to make sure we are able to get as many helmets to him as possible. Their coaches good a great job with their linemen as well. That cannot go unmentioned.”

It cannot go unmentioned that the Indians had Lebo on the ropes, leading by as much as 21-7, before faltering. Peters Township took advantage of several big defensive plays such as fumble recoveries by Drew Blon and Clayton Scott, an interception by Andrew Williams and a key sack by Logan Clark to mount the advantage. Offensively, PT scored on scoring strikes from Jake Cortes to Conor Pederson as well as TJ Kpan. Kpan also rushed for one touchdown.

Despite the defeat, PT prepares for Canon-Mac in much the same manner as the team did last week. “Nothing will change,” Plack said.

“Our players have a lot of pride in our program and they are looking forward to competing against a neighboring opponent.”

Nick at BP Night

Altoona at Bethel Park isn’t exactly a backyard brawl but their will be a bit of hometown flare to this contest as the Hawks honor one of its own. The community will celebrate Nick Kwiatkoski Night on Oct. 21. The 6-2, 242-pound linebacker for the Chicago Bears played scholatically at Bethel Park and collegiately at West Virginia. While the Bears play on Thursday Night Football in Green Bay, hopes are that Kwiatkoski can come home to visit. His family will be honored during pre-game festivities.

“It’s going to be an exciting evening,” said Jeff Metheny, who coached Kwiatkoski in high school and continues to be the Hawks’ field general. “A lot of activities are planned. The band is going to play “Almost Heaven” and we want everybody to wear their No. 27s and No. 44s. It’s going to be a cool celebration.”

With a 40-20 victory over Canon-McMillan, the Hawks are celebrating at the very least clinching a playoff spot. They are 4-0 and lead the league.

In the triumph, Cole Rogers excelled, earning the praise of his adversaries for his efforts. He completed 10 of 11 aerials for 233 yards and two scoring strikes of 63 and 71 yards to Jeremy Wodarek and Jon Doleno. Rogers also rushed for a 24-yard touchdown.

“Cole is a good player and manages their offense nicely,” said C-M coach Mike Evans. “He’s a dual-threat guy and those are nice to have. He does what is aksed of him. Thorw a post, he does it; run zone read, he does it. I’m impressed that he plays both ways at this level. He has to be a tough kid.”

Metheny, likewise, is pleased with Rogers, who stepped in to the quarterback slot this season as a senior but had started as a linebacker on defense.

“Cole’s played well and had his best game against Canon-Mac. He threw the deep ball and took care of other things. He never was under fire. He was protected well and those O-linemen really helped him have a big result. Cole runs the ball well enough. He’s been a surprise running the football. He’s a lot better than he looks.”

The Hawks usually rely on Terron Murphy for the fancy footwork and he responded. Against the Big Macs, he galloped for touchdowns, measuring 74 and 40 yards.

Additionally, Shawn Halligan kicked field goals of 20 and 41 yards. He converted three extra points. John Luccitti accounted for the other PAT.

Regardless of the standings, Altoona, which is 1-4 in the league and 2-6 overall, concerns Metheny. “They are a good team that has been through a tough three-game stretch. They throw the ball a lot and they have good players. We need to beat Altoona, no question, and the kids know that.”

Class 5A games

In the Allegheny Nine Conference, Upper St. Clair (5-1, 5-2) travels to Hampton while Chartiers Valley (1-5, 2-6) visits Fox Chapel on Oct. 21. The Panthers are coming off a 28-20 loss to McKeesport while the Colts dropped a 21-7 decision to North Hills and were virtually eliminated from playoff contention.

In USC’s loss, Jack Hansberry completed 12 passes for 145 yards and a scoring strike of 37 yards to Matt Kissinger. Don Ceupullio caught seven aerials for 72 yards. Colin McLinden rushed for two scores of 2 and 7 yards.

In CV’s loss, Reed Bruggeman also completed a dozen aerials for 118 yards. He connected with Anthony Doyle for the lone score, a 30-yard touchdown.

SF visits Highlands

The Lions rolled to victory over Indiana, 56-21, last week and now prepare for Northwest Nine Conference foe, Highlands (2-4, 3-4). South Fayette is 6-0 in the league and 8-0 overall heading into this away contest.

“Highlands is a traditionally tough, hard-nose football team,” said SF coach Joe Rossi. “They have lost four games by 19 points.”

Brayden Thimmons operates the offense. He has several Division I-AA scholarship offers.

“He is just one of the many different skill players that all seem to make plays for the Rams,” Rossi said. “On defense, they will blitz on every down and paly man coverage behind it. They will challenge the offensive line to protect our quarterback and allow us to throw the ball around.”

Against Indiana, Drew Saxton threw the ball for 191 yards. He was 15 of 17. He connected with Noah Plack, Dan Trimbur and Anthony Frost for TD passes. Geavonie Love rushed for 180 yards and the Lions’ first three scores. Joe Mowod and Johnny Beck also ran for touchdowns.

Class AAA

While league-leading Keystone Oaks (5-0, 6-1) hosts Freeport on Oct. 21 in Allegheny Conference action, Seton-La Salle (4-2, 5-2) will visit Quaker Valley in a non-conference contest.

The Golden Eagles cemented their lead in the division by trumping Apollo-Ridge, 49=21, last week. In the win, Alex Smith completed 18 of 29 aerials for 286 yards and three scores. He aslo rushed for one score. Nick Hrivnak caught six passes for 110 yards and scores of 11 and 46 yards. Dylan Knorr hauled in five receptions for 51 yards. He also had a 2-point conversion pass catch.

Previously, Seton-La Salle dispatched Freeport, 34-25. Lionel Deanes rushed for 296 and a 72-yard TD run. Nolan Abbiatici completed 8 of 12 aerials for 119 yards. He rushed for two scores.