Peters Township travels to Altoona
Ryan Magiske is tackled in this Almanac file photo.
Jake Cortes has his pass blocked by Tiger Burkes and Carmen Esposito
Ryan Magiske is tackled by Tiger Burkes
How do you prepare for a long trip? Talk to a travel agent.
TJ Plack did exactly that when he started planning for Peters Township’s visit to Altoona. The Indians will make the journey on Sept. 15 for a 7 p.m. kickoff against the Mountain Lions in Southeastern Conference football action.
When Plack attended the East-West game in Altoona this spring, he talked to the Mountain Lions’ Nick Felus. He asked for his “input” on the “pros” and “cons” of their travels to and from WPIAL games.
“Based on his suggestions,” Plack said, “I think we have put together a good itinerary and I don’t think it will be a distraction to our young men.”
The Indians are interested in rebounding from a 28-7 loss to Bethel Park that dropped their record to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Angelo Quarture caught a tipped pass from Jake Cortes for the team’s lone score. In the contest, they allowed 315 yards rushing, turned the ball over in key situations and committed costly turnovers.
Altoona presents similar circumstances for the Indians.
“They like to run a lot of plays, so on offense, we need to control the clock, sustain some drives and keep our defense off the field,” Plack said. “Offensively, they try to take advantage of mismatches they may have. They try to get the ball in space. We will have to be a better open-field tackling team in order to not give up those big plays.
“Defensively, we will need to limit any big plays and make them drive the ball the length of the field.
To turn a victory, the Indians must “consistently” do the little things, Plack said.
“Control the clock, sustain drives, tackle, limit penalties and turnovers, take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves,” he said.