Mt. Lebanon-Bethel Park rivalry heats up Sept. 1
John Banbury rambles for yardage during a pre-season scrimmage against Chartiers Valley. The freshman made the varsity roster at Upper St. Clair and will display his rushing skills when the Panthers host North Hills at 7 p.m. Sept. 1
Upper St. Clair running back Tyler Holt scoots through a hole at the line of scrimmage after Dante Coury clears the way by blocking an opposing player during recent action.
Upper St. Clair quarterback Ethan Hellman eludes a tackler during a pre-season scrimmage against Chartiers Valley.
The 2023 football season continues Sept. 1 and a battle between two South Hills rivals highlights the action as Bethel Park is scheduled to host Mt. Lebanon at 7 p.m.
“It’s going to be an interesting evening,” said BP coach Phil Peckich. “It’s our first home game and Senior Night. So you have a lot of emotion right there.
“It’s also an important game for the program, Any game with a border school, and considering their recent history, brings out the best in our kids and our coaching staff.”
While the players have been adversaries since their middle school and youth association playing days, the opposing coaching staffs are relatively new to the clash.
Mike Collodi only assumed the duties as coach at Mt. Lebanon after legendary Bob Palko resigned in January. He is a Burrell High School graduate that played collegiately at Muskingum University in Ohio. He resides in Eighty-Four, which is Canon-McMillan and Ringgold territory, and he teaches in the South Park School District. For the past eight years, he coached at Elizabeth-Forward.
While he has no experience in South Hills rivalry games, Collodi said that he is looking forward to the opportunity to play the South Hills teams. His Blue Devils will also face Upper St. Clair on Sept. 29, Peters Township on Oct. 13 and Baldwin on Oct. 20.
Regarding the Black Hawks, Collodi said, “It is exciting to play a rivalry game in Week 1.”
For the past three seasons, Peckich has been familiar with the Week 1 fray because he served as the offensive coordinator for the Black Hawks. He took the reins as head coach after Brian DeLallo stepped down for health reasons. He is thrilled to be at the helm for this encounter with Lebo.
“I am excited for this experience. It’s been a good process to this point,” he said of his transition to head coach. “Not a whole lot has changed. It’s different but similar. I was heavily involved in calling the offense and I am excited to call this game.”
The contest could be a nail-biter as last year’s confrontation was. In 2022, the Black Hawks used a quarterback sneak by Tanner Pfeuffer to score the victory over the Blue Devils, 27-24, in overtime.
While BP has graduated Austin Caye, who rushed for three scores and 151 yards in the win last year, Pfeuffer is back in the pocket and Ryan Petras is a dual-threat that the Blue Devils must contain. Pfeuffer completed 105 of 157 passes for 1418 yards and 14 touchdowns in guiding the Black Hawks to a conference championship and an appearance in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. He rushed for 10 more scores last year.
An all-state performer, Petras picked up 1,437 all-purposed yards and scored 17 touchdowns in 10 games before breaking his collar bone in the final regular season contest. He had 578 yards rushing on 89 carries for a 6.5-yard average and 578 yards receiving on 44 catches for a 13.1-yard average. He added 309 yards on 10 returns before teams stopped kicking to him.
“Bethel is a very good team that can run and throw the ball effectively,” Collodi said. “This will be a great test leading into conference play.”
The Blue Devils are also a pre-conference exam as they boast a few veterans and Division I commits that played on the 2021 undefeated WPIAL and PIAA championship club as sophomores. Lebo is led by Connor Young (Navy) and Beckham Dee (Air Force) as well as Maddox Metzger (Bowdoin College).
“Any time Lebo and Bethel play, it’s a physical, well-coached game,” said Peckich. “The team that is most physical and possesses the ball will win the game. There is no secret behind that.”
After having cleaned up mistakes made in a preseason scrimmage against Pine-Richland and continuing to implement new offensive and defensive systems against Gateway, the Blue Devils are prepared to do battle with the Black Hawks. Collodi agrees that there is no mystery to success.
“The keys to the game are to play a fast and physical brand of football,” he said. “We need to limit and create turnovers, win third down, limit big plays from the opponent, and win the special teams battle.”
PT-SV
First impressions are never lasting hunches. That is why Peters Township head coach TJ Plack puts more stock in watching video of previous Peters Township football performances.
“We are never as good or as bad as we initially think,” he said. “Once we go back and watch film, it always highlights things we need to work on as a team, and look to get better.”
A scrimmage and a game into the 2023 season, the Indians look to apply their acquired wisdom when they entertain Seneca Valley at 7 p.m. Sept. 1 at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium. Having competed against the Raiders during Plack’s eight years at the helm, the Indians are familiar with their foe.
“Seneca Valley is always a tough opponent,” Plack said.”We are going to have to match their physicality up front. They are always strong and well coached,” he added.
While it is a non-conference clash just as Trinity (Sept. 8), Mt. Lebanon (Oct. 13) and Canon-McMillan (20), the competition is no different than the schedule of conference battles with rivals like South Fayette (Sept. 15), Upper St. Clair (Sept. 22), Baldwin (Sept. 29), Moon (Oct. 6) and Bethel Park (Oct. 27).
“Just another difficult Friday night,” Plack said. “If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be that rewarding.”
This fall, the Indians have been rewarded with six home games on the 10-game schedule. They started at home on Aug. 25 against Fox Chapel before this week’s encounter. Plack noted it’s a lot better than only playing four games at home like last year.
“We are excited to play in front of our home crowd, and looking forward to their support,” he said.
As any game that matches two good teams, the keys to the outcome are obvious.
“We will need to win the turnover battle, limit penalties, win the hidden yardage on special teams, and our guys need to make plays,” Plack said.
USC-NH
During the pre-season leading up to conference action, Upper St. Clair has focused on establishing physicality and discipline with its young squad and head coach Mike Junko believes the Panthers are making strides in both areas.
After a scrimmage with Chartiers Valley and the season opener against Norwin, USC will again be tested when they host North Hills at 7 p.m. Sept. 1.
“This will be one of our most physical games of the year,” Junko predicted. “North Hills has a throwback style and we have to find a way to match their physicality on both sides of the ball.”
North Hills is anchored on the line by Jacob Messian (6-3, 270) and Jamar Allen (6-2, 300). They pave the way for veteran running back Julius Green and block the progress of opposing offenses.
“I think the strength of their team is the efficiency of their running game and how physical they are on defense. They have a lot of key pieces from last year coming back that have a lot of experience. They are going to be a team that will challenge for a conference championship,” Junko said.
As the Panthers establish themselves, they rely heavily upon experienced players such as lineman Marco Carone and Nate Stohl as well as quarterback Ethan Hellman and Julian Dahlem, who has moved to wide out, to lead the way. All excel on a defense, which will play a critical role in the outcome against the Indians as well as the development of the team throughout the year.
“Our defense will be challenged by an offense that likes to run the ball,” Junko said. “We are going to see a number of really good running backs in our conference, so this game will serve as a great test.”
Other games
Also in action at 7 p.m. on Sept. 1, are South Fayette and Chartiers Valley.
The Lions hosts West Allegheny while the Colts battle Trinity on neutral turf at Mt. Lebanon Stadium. The contest was moved because improvements to CV’s facility will not be completed until Sept. 15.