Upper St. Clair opens conference play against Baldwin
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Nate Deanes (1) shakes off Chartiers Valley strong safety Michael Lawrence (10) on his way into the end zone for a South Fayette touchdown in the season opener. Thanks to three rushing scores by Deanes, the Lions defeated the Colts, 42-14. Deanes finished with 128 yards rushing.
Nate looks great
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
South Fayette quarterback Nico Lamonde (13) fends off Chartiers Valley linebacker Tyler Glover (8) and picks up yardage during the 2023 season opener. During the 42-14 win against the Colts, Lamonde completed 8 of 10 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for one score.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Noah Knox (15) is wrapped up by Tyler Glover (8) but not before picking up putting South Fayette in good field position after a kickoff.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
South Fayette defenders Michael Gimigliano (4) and Nate Deanes (1) bring down Chartiers Valley running back Austin Efthimiades.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dom Monz somersaults into the end zone for a South Fayette touchdown during the Lions’ season opener against Chartiers Valley. In the 42-14 win, Monz caught five aerials for 103 yards and two touchdowns of 3 and 67 yards.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Morgan Spagnolo (11) and Nish Alemada (63) lead the South Fayette charge onto the field to start the 2023 football season.
While neighboring rivals continue to prepare for conference clashes, Upper St. Clair gets down to business as the Panthers open Section 1 football action on the road against Baldwin at 7 p.m. Sept. 8.
The contest is an important next step for the young Panthers, who opened the regular season Aug. 25 with a thrilling come-from-behind victory against Norwin, 24-21. USC returned only a handful of starting veterans from last year’s WPIAL Class 5A runner-up club.
“With so many new faces we are still trying to figure out the best mix in offense and defense,” said USC coach Mike Junko. “This game is another step in that process.
“For us to be successful in conference this year, we need to win the turnover battle and outlast our opponents. Nothing comes easy in this conference.”
In the Highlanders, USC confronts Andrew Sharp. The 5-10 195-pound tailback rushed for 794 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. He also earned all-conference honors last year.
“Baldwin has had a number of high-profile Division I recruits over the years and this year they have a great running back in Sharp,” Junko said. “He combines power and speed. We have to find a way to keep their offense from gaining traction on the ground.”
The Highlanders also returned senior quarterback John Kozar and his leading receiver Keith Mincin. Kozar passed for 865 yards and six scores in 2022. He also rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Mincin had 21 receptions for 303 yards and five TDS.
The Panthers are not without their own weapons nor their ability to shake off inconsistencies as evidenced by their performance against the Knights. USC jumped off to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage but allowed three TD passes before coming back with two scoring drives in the final frame to pull out the victory.
Bennett Henderson kicked a 41-yard field goal and Ethan Hellmann tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Charlie Bywalski for the game winner.
Bryce Jones also caught a TD strike form Hellmann, who completed 18 attempts for 198 yards. Jones had 82 yards receiving on three touches. Evan Taylor rushed for the other score. Mason Chambers led the running attach with 98 yards on 16 carries.
Defensively, Van Hellman and Brett Meinert led in tackles. John Banbury, Marco Carone and Carter Stein had sacks as well as TFL.
“Our kids kept fighting despite being down late in the game,” Junko said. “We had a lot of kids playing for the first time and I thought they kept their composure in a hard fought game.”
PT at Trinity
After starting the season with back-to-back home games, Peters Township takes to the road, traveling down Route 19 to take on Trinity at 7 p.m. Sept. 8. The Hillers are under the direction of former Chartiers Valley coach Dan Knaus.
“Trinity is putting together a really nice program,” said PT head coach TJ Plack. “There is a ton of excitement. The kids have bought into what Dan is doing and coaching. They also have solid prospects.”
The Indians have their own crop of recruits and potential D1 commits and they flexed their might by blanking Fox Chapel, 35-0, in their season opener.
“Week Zero always feels like playing against the unknown,” Plack said. “Fox had a new coaching staff this season, and we really didn’t know what to fully expect.
“We told our players they need to be alert, and coach-like on the field. They needed to focus and adjust on the fly throughout the game. I feel like they handled that responsibility.”
Sophomore quarterback Nolan DiLucia completed 7 of 8 passes for 155 yards and scoring strikes of 28 and 60 yards to Carter Shanafelt.
Preston Blair rushed for two touchdowns measuring 6 and 8 yards while Vinny Sarcone added the other score on a 2-yard plunge into the end zone during a 21-point first quarter.
The Indians led, 35-0, at halftime and their defense limited the Foxes to four first downs. Peters Township held Fox Chapel to minus-3 yards of offense.
“We played as a team,” Plack commented. “We had multiple players make routine plays, which you don’t necessarily see as a spectator, but they are the reason we had a big play. I think our defensive line did a real good job of disrupting what they were trying to accomplish.”
The Indians, who return a plethora of players from last year’s 6-4 squad that missed the playoffs, rose to No. 2 in the WPIAL Class 5A rankings, trailing only No. 1 Penn Hills as pre-season favorites Gateway and Pine-Richland dropped in the ratings after tough losses in their first games. The Rams are the defending district and state champions.
The Indians, who were WPIAL runners-up in 2019 and 2020, anticipate continued success if they stay on track.
“Teamwork,” Plack said is the key to successful outcomes, particularly against Trinity. “We do not care who gets the credit, we need to continue to play as a team for the team.”
BP at Central Catholic
The Black Hawks face a tough challenge when they battle Central Catholic at 7 p.m. Sept. 8.
The Vikings have played in nine of the past 10 WPIAL championship games and have won two state titles during Terry Totten’s reign as head coach. This year’s Central team boasts four seniors head to Power Five conference colleges in Cole Sullivan (Michigan), Ty Yuhas (Pitt), Pete Gonzalez and Anthony Speca (Penn State commits). The Vikings have nine veterans back on offense and 10 starters back on defense.
The Hawks, who played Mt. Lebanon on Sept 1 (results too late to be printed in this edition), started the season by defeating North Hills at Martorell Stadium. In the triumph, Tanner Pfeuffer completed 10 of 14 passes for 182 yards and one scoring strike. Mitch Paschi pulled in five of those receptions for 125 yards and a 38-yard TD.
David Dennison rushed for two scores measuring 6 and 2 yards while Ja Vaughn Moore scampered into the end zone from seven yards out.
Jovian Smith recovered a NH fumble for a 15-yard score and Kaden Wetzel tacked on the extra points to complete BP’s scoring.
Moon at Lebo
The Blue Devils toppled the top-ranked Class 5A team during its season opener then traveled to take on another high-powered club in Bethel Park before finding themselves at home taking on the Tigers of Moon at 7 p.m. Sept. 8.
The Tigers competed in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game in 2021 but fell on hard times last year (1-9) because of graduation. This season, the Tigers are loaded with eight veterans on offense and seven starters on defense.
Lebo, however, has taken on such obstacles. Case in point, the opener against Gateway. The Gators came into the season ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and featured Brad Birch (more than 6,300 career passing yards). But the Blue Devils punched back and thwarted the Gators, particularly after Patrick Smith forced a fumble on Birch’s pitch out on the opening drive. Smith scooped up the loose pigskin and rambled 79 yards for the first score of the 2023 campaign. The miscue propelled Lebo on to a 28-7 romp over the Gators.
Beckham Dee and Smith tacked on rushing touchdowns of one and 28 yards.
Ezra Heidenrich pulled in a 9-yard scoring strike from Michael Malone to complete Lebo’s scoring.
Malone completed 4 of 8 aerials for 60 yards. Smith finished with 68 yards rushing on six carries and Fred LaSota picked up 60 yards on 15 carries.
Lebo’s defense recorded six sacks by Joe Malone (2), Quinton Garland, Dee, Mick Murphy and Connor Young and limited Birch to 103 yards on 14 completions.
The win also marked the first victory in Mike Collodi’s career as Lebo head coach. He took over the reins when Bob Palko resigned in January.
SF at Montour
The Lions opened the season with a 42-14 win against Chartiers Valley. After hosting West Allegheny on Sept. 1, they continue preparation for their conference opener against Peters Township on Sept. 15 with another non-conference clash at Montour at 7 p.m. Sept. 8.
The Lions showcase a well-balanced, highly-explosive offensive attack as evidenced by their thumping of the Colts.
Nico Lamonde completed 8 of 10 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for one score.
Nate Deanes rushed for 128 yards and three scores. Dom Monz caught five aerials for 103 yards and two scores of 67 and 3 yards.
CV at Highlands
The Colts travel to Highlands for a non-conference clash at 7 p.m. Sept. 8. It will be the third straight away game for Chartiers Valley.
Because stadium renovations have not been completed, the Colts played their first two games on the road against Chartiers Valley on Aug. 25 and at Mt. Lebanon against Trinity on Sept. 1.
In a 42-14 season-opening loss to the Lions, there were a couple of highlights for the Colts. Julius Best caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Chase Schofield in the second quarter and Halid Lewis pulled in a 20-yard reception from Michael Lawrence in the fourth frame.