Bethel Park travels to Mt. Lebanon; USC visits North Hills
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Upper St. Clair running back Jamaal Brown puts on the moves and rushes downfield during scrimmage action against Chartiers Valley. The Panthers travel to North Hills while the Colts visit Trinity for 7 p.m. kickoffs on Sept. 2.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dan Knause will host his former team when Trinity entertains Chartiers Valley at 7 p.m. Sept. 2. Knause coached the Colts for five seasons before becoming the skipper of the Hillers this spring.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Charteirs Valley wide receiver Lamont Payne makes a touchdown reception during a pre-season scrimmage against Upper St. Clair. The Colts travel to Trinity at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 to face their former coach as Dan Knause now leads the Hillers. Aaron Fitzpatrick is in his first season at the helm at CV.
After two weeks of training camp, scrimmages and Week Zero contests, the 2022 scholastic football season officially opens Sept. 2. And the schedule features a few interesting match-ups.
The South Hills game of the week is Bethel Park at Mt. Lebanon.
“We are excited to continue our neighborhood rivalry with Lebo,” said BP head coach Brian DeLallo. “Bob Palko and his staff do a great job.”
The Blue Devils are coming off a pre-season loss against Gateway, 21-6, while the Hawks defeated North Hills, 22-10, in their Week Zero game on Aug. 26.
Last year, the Blue Devils shut out BP, 28-0, on their way to an undefeated championship season. They won both the WPIAL and PIAA titles. However, Lebo graduated most of those players.
“I know people will say that they graduated so much talent, there must be a drop-off. Don’t believe that stuff,” DeLallo said. “Their young kids played a lot last year, because they beat teams so soundly each week. They are more experienced than people think.”
The Hawks boast a veteran club. They return 18 starters, nine on each side of the ball, from last year’s 5-6 club that lost to Woodland Hills, 27-23, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. A Pick-6 led to the loss to the Wolverines. Mistakes contributed to BP’s demise in their other defeats in 2021.
So, it comes as no surprise when Brian DeLallo says eliminating miscues will determine success this season.
“Teams that are hard to beat take care of the football, don’t commit penalties and are disciplined,” DeLallo noted. “That’s been my mantra. Take care of the football. Don’t be disorganized. No penalties. We do those things and play solid dense, then we will be hard to beat.”
Thanks to a strong pre-season camp, the Hawks have honed their skills. However to record a W against the Blue Devils they must control the line of scrimmage.
“Our camp has been very competitive, which has resulted in quality reps. Competition is always good,” DeLallo said.
“If we want to beat Lebo, we must play well along both lines. Last year, we were pushed around a little. If we can handle their size up front, we’ll have a chance.”
With an equally experienced club, Upper St. Clair plans to be difficult to be defeated. The Panthers return 10 starters on defense and eight on offense. They were conference runners-up last fall and finished 6-5 overall after a 13-10 loss to Fox Chapel in 2021.
After trouncing Norwin, 42-6, in a Week Zero battle, USC again takes to the road. The Panthers visit North Hills at 7 p.m. Sept. 2.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Indians and Panthers shared an intense rivalry. Between 1987 and 1993, they combined for five WPIAL titles.
“Playing at Martorelli Stadium is always an intense experience for our football team,” said USC skipper Mike Junko. “Through the decades we have had some hard fought battles up there.”
Most memorable for Junko was USC’s triumph against the Indians in 1989. “I always think back on that game,” he said. “We came storming back in the second half to start the march to our first state championship.”
If the Panthers are to trudge past the Indians this year, their experienced line must pull its weight.
“North Hills has put together a physical defense with some playmakers on offense this year,” Junko said. “We are going to need to slow down their rushing game on offense and not allow them to control the line of scrimmage while on defense.
“It should be another great chapter in the story of our long rivalry,” Junko concluded.
A new rivalry begins at Chartiers Valley when the Colts travel to Trinity for a 7 p.m. kickoff Sept. 2.
Former CV head coach Dan Knause now skippers the Hillers, who were 3-7 last season. In five season at the helm for the Colts, he was 18-30 but had a breakout season in 2020 when CV finished 4-1 in the Parkway Conference and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and only the second time in the last decade. Knause is also a CV graduate.
After graduating from Westminster College, he started his coaching career at Cornell. He later coached linebackers at Carnegie Mellon University before returning to the scholastic ranks at Montour.
Knause, 44, is now the assistant principal at Trinity. His understudy, Aaron Fitzpatrick, 32, took over as CV head coach this spring. He had been on the CV coaching staff since 2013 and also handles the track program.
In other action on Sept. 2, South Fayette travels to West Allegheny while Peters Township visits Seneca Valley. The Lions and the Indians are coming off shutout wins in Week Zero action.
While SF blanked Char Valley, 35-0, the Indians dispatched Fox Chapel, 56-0.