Peters Township begins PIAA title quest
Denied a 10th WPIAL title in program history, Peters Township embarked on a bigger quest this week.
After being stunned by North Allegheny, 2-1, in the District 7 final on Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, the Indians commenced competing for a PIAA championship. Peters Township battled McDowell on Nov. 7 at Fairview High School in the first round of the state playoffs. The game was played too late for this edition.
“If they gave you a choice of a WPIAL title or a state title, which one would you have chosen?” Peters head coach Bobby Dyer said. “Would you rather be a champion of 35,” he said referring to the district, “or a champion of the whole state? It’s still out there. That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve done it before.”
History has favored the WPIAL runner-up as many have rebounded to go on to capture the state championship. The Indians have won PIAA championships in 2014, 2007, 1989 and 1988. If successful in their state-playoff opener, the Indians could face North Allegheny in the quarterfinals set for Nov. 11 at a site and time to be determined. The Tigers played Pine-Richland in their first-round game.
Dyer would embrace a rematch after the WPIAL result.
“That was a gritty and gutty performance,” he said of the teams’ efforts but he added, “I don’t know that (North Allegheny) is the better team.”
Considering the Indians helped supply the Tigers’ first tally, then the teams would be considered even.
During the regular season, Peters Township ran the table, compiling a 17-0-1 record, complete with a Section 2-AAAA title and an exhibition win against the Tigers, 2-1, back on Sept. 9. Meanwhile, the Tigers won the Section 1 banner with a 9-0-1 slate and compiled a 19-2-1 regular season record.
But the Tigers used an own goal to help them retain their title, they won the 2016 WPIAL championship. With Peters Township clinging to a 1-0 advantage on a tally from Luke Kelly, NA registered the equalizer on a fluke play. Senior defender Moritz Woelk attempted to clear the ball back to PT goalkeeper Derek Deyarmin but the ball sailed over his head and under the crossbar for the tying goal, 1-1, with 7:17 left in regulation.
“It’s just a matter of them putting the ball in a dangerous position,” Dyer said. “We had to clear it and we made an error. That’s just the bottom line. It’s an unfortunate situation because I thought we defended pretty well.”
Less than two minutes after PT’s misfortunate, NA capitalized again for the gamewinner. Cameron Yruick scored off an assist from Josh Luchini.
Peters Township used an assist from Bryce Gabelhart to launch the Indians into the lead, 1-0, with 24:47 to play in the first half. After Kelly’s tally, however, the Tigers picked up the pace. Luchini put a shot on goal that clipped the crossbar and Deyarmin made a key save to preserved the halftime edge.
“Possession is fine,” Dyer said about NA’s attack after the first goal. “(Their) possession up to that point hadn’t allowed a goal. Up to that point, we played the plan. We got a couple of good chances on breaks and counters. Best played plans sometimes don’t work.”
In the PIAA tournament, however, the Indians are hoping they will.
NOTES: While the Tigers thumped Canon-McMillan, 9-0, to reach the finals, the Indians dispatched Pine-Richland, 4-1, in a semifinal game played Oct. 28 at West Allegheny. Luke Kelly, Bryce Gabelhart, Nate Lopus and Brian Bruzdewicz tallied the goals. Logan Brinsky chalked up two assists. Gabelhart and Bruzdewicz also collected assists.
The victory came on the heels of a 4-1 win against Butler in the quarterfinals. Tyler Opferman and Brinsky racked up two goals each. Gabelhart, Matt Stuck, Opferman and Kelly assisted.
Luke Campbell contributed to this story.