Sep 27, 2026 7 min read

In the past decade no football rivalry in the South Hills has been bigger than Peters Township versus Upper St. Clair.

“We’ve played some really good games these last 10 years against them,” said Indians’ head coach TJ Plack.

While USC is rivals with Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township views Canon-McMillan as its top adversary, Plack noted that during that time frame, USC and the Indians have “purely fought” to see who is the best.

“USC was the standard in the South Hills,” Plack said, noting the Panthers’ WPIAL record 69-game winning streak in conference play from 1988 to 1998 as well their five WPIAL crowns and two PIAA titles under legendary head coach Jim Render.

Since the Indians moved from Class 6A to 5A in 2018, they have rivaled USC’s achievements. They have claimed five conference championships and competed in five WPIAL finals, winning district titles in 2023 and 2025.

While Peters Township beat the Panthers in the WPIAL semifinals in 2024 and 2025, the game that caused Plack consternation occurred on Aug. 31, 2018.

“I remember losing to them against Coach (Jim) Render, the night he got his 400th win, and our headsets were not working. We lost by two points,” Plack said of that 16-14 defeat. “That game still upsets me.

“Happy for Coach Render to get his 400th. He’s legendary, but did not want it against us.”

Since Render gave up the reins as head coach, Mike Junko has been Plack’s opponent on the opposite sideline. Under Junko, the Panthers have won two conference championships but no WPIAL titles. They were semifinalists three times, losing to the Indians twice, and district runners-up once, falling to Pine-Richland in 2022.

“Peters has been a team that has been on a great run as of late. They just graduated a great group of kids,” Junko said. “I couldn’t believe my eyes last year when I saw that they started 11 seniors on defense for our playoff game.

“There have been so many really close games over the years with them that have become instant classics. We have been on both sides of those games and the one constant in those games is just how hard the kids on both sides of the field play.”

On Oct. 2, when USC entertains Peters Township beginning with kickoff at 7 p.m., the teams will be embroiled in what promises to be another Allegheny Six Conference classic even though the Panthers and Indians have had quite different results during their non-conference schedule.

The Panthers were 5-0 after wins, 49-7, against Chartiers Valley as well as South Fayette, 31-7. Meanwhile, the Indians were 2-3. They rebounded from a shutout loss, 10-0, to North Hills to upend McKeesport, 20-10, on Sept. 25.

“As a program, we are trying to figure it out,” Plack said. “We are able to run the clock and move the ball at times but we are lacking explosiveness and we are not good at situational football at this time. We need to get better.”

But not necessarily on defense. Despite the loss of all those veterans on that side of the ball, the Indians are “playing well” defensively.

Against North Hills, Peters Township only surrendered a field goal to Andrew Greenland (36 yards) and a 62-yard touchdown run by Nicco Thomas.

Bo Wilcox excelled at quarterback, completing 18 of 25 passes for 99 yards. Troy Abbiatici was his top target, pulling in three receptions. Jaden Blair led the ground game. He rolled up 100 yards on 27 rushes.

In their first four games, the Indians have allowed only 43 points. However, they had only scored 19.

“It doesn’t look like graduation has hurt them that much,” Junko noted. “While they have struggled on offense at times, they have actually been playing great defense and taking games into the fourth quarter like they always do.

“Since they have proven to be very stingy on defense, we have to figure out a way to move the football. TJ does a great job of getting his kids to play hard and I think they will be a problem for everyone in the conference because they play such good defense.”

USC has excelled on defense as well, outscoring the opposition, 126-31, in its first four games. The Panthers were particularly impressive in a 49-7 win against Chartiers Valley. The defense held the Colts to 32 rushing yards.

Luca Coury and Nevin Shegan-Siniawski recorded sacks. Each along with Anthony Rosso, Sam Bunn and Ryan Robbins had tackles for losses. Evan Smirniw had an interception and Nick Ellis had a Pick-6 for 98 yards. Max Ligier recovered a fumble.

“Ultimately the goal is to limit the amount of points offenses put on the board, and I think our defense has done a great job of keeping other teams out of the end zone,” Junko said.”We have done a good job of tackling and limiting big plays.

“Defensively we need to continue to generate turnovers. We have made strides in that area and I want to see us continue to take the ball away from the opponent.”

Once the Panthers possess the ball, they typically turn things up on offense.

Against the Colts, USC rushed for 243 yards. John Banbury carried seven times for 66 yards and two scores. Coury rolled up 74 yards while Ligier had 31 more and a touchdown.

“Luca had one of his best games running the football,” Junko said. “He really showed that he can become a problem in open space.

“I can’t say enough about our running backs and just how hard they have run for us this season. They seem to take advantage of every opportunity they get.”

Josh Snyder, who rushed for 70 yards on nine carries, completed eight aerials for 169 yards and three touchdowns, including a 12-yard strike to Andrew Gaither to open the game’s scoring.

“Josh is getting better every week. He is starting to really see the field and his legs have gotten him out of trouble on a number of occasions,” Junko said. “He is a dual-threat kid and I think the game is slowing down for him now that he has a few starts under his belt. We are looking for him to continue to improve with every start.”

Smirniw also has come into his own on offense. A first baseman on USC’s WPIAL baseball championship club this spring, the 6-5, 195-pound junior had two TD grabs for 50 and 47 yards against the Colts.

Noting the Panthers were unable to use him last season because of an injury, Junko said, “Evan is proving that he can be dangerous on both sides of the ball. He has been a guy that has found a way to make some big plays for us this season. He mixes excellent size with great body control.

“While I think he will have opportunities to play baseball or football in college, right now, he is just enjoying contributing on Friday nights and helping the team win.”

Currently, the Panthers rank as the No. 3 team in Class 5A of the WPIAL but their tradition makes them a threat for Peters Township and other conference contenders.

“They are the preseason pick to win our conference and we are trying to survive and get our season moving in the right direction,” Plack said. “USC is a solid program that does everything the right way. Great players and coaches.

“Offensively, we have to find the right players to put out there to make plays and defensively, we have to continue to play with relentless effort,” Plack continued.

Junko concurred regarding the keys to the contest.

“Our playmakers have to find a way to impact the game on both sides of the ball,” he said. “We need to stick to the formula that has helped us win this year. Slow down their run game and be explosive on offense.”

So for a conference opener, this clash between familiar foes will be replete with typical themes of physicality and competitiveness that produced past WPIAL championship game representatives.

“It will be an emotional, electric night,” Plack predicted.