Execution, effort to determine football clash
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Petras (1) is congratulated by Dylan Prindle (77) and Hunter Goelz (53) after he scored the tying touchdown for Bethel Park. The Hawks’ jubilation was fleeting as they missed the extra point and Mt. Lebanon went on to win, 19-16, in overtime.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Petras makes his move and returns a Mt. Lebanon punt at the end of the first half of play for a 47-yard touchdown. Despite two touchdowns by Petras, Bethel Park dropped a 19-16 decision to the Blue Devils in overtime.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jack Bruckner (10) picks off a pass meant for Noah Schaerli (81) during Bethel Park’s football game against Mt. Lebanon. Schaerli avenged the play as he caught the game-winning scoring strike in overtime as the Blue Devils defeated the Black Hawks, 19-16.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ja Vaughn Moore eludes Mt. Lebanon defenders on his way to a big gain for Bethel Park. Despite Moore’s rushing efforts, the Black Hawks dropped a 19-16 overtime decision to the Blue Devils in non-conference football action.
Execution and effort will be critical when Peters Township opens conference play on the road Sept. 15 at South Fayette. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
In a 48-7 win against Seneca Valley, the Indians had just that. However, the Lions are in a different league than the Raiders. They recently rolled West Allegheny, 31-14, thanks to the one-two punch of Nico Lamonde (9 of 15 for 155 yards passing) and Nate Deanes (136 yards rushing). Lamonde tossed a TD strike to Dom Monz while Deanes rushed for three scores.
Defensively, Talan Mizenko racked up 10 tackles. Shane Berger added five and a forced a fumble. Matt Boyce recorded 1.5 sacks.
Michael Gimigliano had a terrific two-way showing. He had five receptions for 95 yards. He also managed six tackles and an interception on defense.
“(South Fayette) always does a fantastic job on defense,” PT coach TJ Plack said. “They make it difficult to score, limit the big plays, and have a couple playmakers on the back end. Offensively, their QB has the ability to make unscripted plays, which is always difficult to defend.”
The Indians are equally hard to defend because they have a number of offensive weapons not to mention a seasoned line.
In the triumph against the Raiders, Vinny Sarcone capped three scoring drives with 1-yard touchdowns. He finished with 123 rushing yards. Preston Blair also ran for a 5-yard score for the Indians, who led 28-0 at halftime and 41-0 before the Raiders got on the scoreboard.
Reston Lehman also hauled in a 2-yard TD pass from Nolan DiLucia.
Defensively, Carter Shanafelt, who kicked six extra points, blocked a punt for a 25-yard TD and James Spratt returned a fumble five yards for another TD.
Other defensive highlights included a fumble recovery by Darius McMillon and an interception by Nick McCullough.
“We were extremely satisfied with how our team handled itself,” said Plack. “We knew Seneca was a formidable opponent. We did not allow them an opportunity to manufacture a comeback like they did after getting down early and nearly beating Penn Hills earlier this season.”
After missing the playoffs last year, the Indians are eager to get on the right footing in conference play. They are a seasoned club expected to make a run at the Class 5A league title.
“We took our whooping last year,” Plack said. “We have some veteran guys. We have some juniors who are veterans. They’ve played in clutch games.”
The game against the Lions is clutch regardless of the bloodlines Plack shares with the school.
The majority of his family graduated from South Fayette and Plack once was the Lions’ head coach. Currently, he has a niece in the South Fayette School District and a nephew who played on the middle school football team.
“That’s the only relationship I have with South Fayette,” he said.
Fox Chapel at USC
After opening conference action on the road against Baldwin (Sept. 8), Upper St. Clair returns to non-league play when it hosts Fox Chapel at 7 p.m. Sept. 15.
In an earlier non-conference decision, a 35-7 win against North Hills, the young Panthers continued to make progress.
Against the Indians, Ethan Hellmann completed 13 of 16 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns of six yards to Bryce Jones and 32 yards to Chris Bywalski. Mason Chambers ran for three scores and finished with 101 yards rushing on 16 carries. Bennett Henderson converted the extra points.
Defensively, Julian Dahlem had an interception and Nick D’Orazio and Siamak Bakhshi had fumble recoveries. The Panthers had seven tackles for losses.
“We did a much better job of limiting mental mistakes and playing to the strengths of our systems on both sides of the ball,” said USC field general Mike Junko.
In particular, Junko was pleased with Hellman and Chambers.
“Ethan’s play is improving with each start and it was good to see Mason break a big run for us,” he said.
“I think we were much more disciplined with limiting penalties and winning the turnover battle.”
Three games into the season, Fox Chapel, with its new coaching staff, and USC, with its youth, are headed for a battle.
“Fox Chapel always finds a way to play us tough,” said Junko. “With a new coaching staff, it takes time for systems to translate to success on the field. They are improving every week. This game will be a challenge for us because they are really starting to put things together as a unit.”
As long as the Panthers do not look ahead to their date with Peters Township on Sept. 22, there should not be a repeat of their 2021 playoff loss to the Foxes.
“The most important thing we can do for our younger players is to focus on the current game and the current play,” Junko said. “We have to live very much in the present with this team.
“Looking down the road to the conference is not something we have focused on as a staff. We are going to continue to take things one day at a time and hope that we continue to see growth along the way.”
Maturation is what continues to propel the Panthers.
“We have achieved balance on offense and we have done a good job of limiting the run game on defense. I think playing complimentary football while also getting contributions from our kicking game will pay big dividends in this game.”
C-M at BP
Bethel Park continues its string of challenging non-conference clashes against WPIAL Class 6A powers when hosting Canon-McMillan at 7 p.m. Sept. 15.
After opening the season with a win against North Hills, the Black Hawks have had their hands full with rival Mt. Lebanon and highly regarded Central Catholic and its multiple Division I recruits.
The Hawks lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Mt. Lebanon, 19-16, when Noah Schaerli hauled in an 8-yard pass for the walk-off touchdown.
The Hawks scored first in the extra frame on a 27-yard field goal by Kaden Wetzel.
Ryan Petras caught a 4-yard scoring strike from Tanner Pfeuffer with 53 seconds remaining in regulation, but officials ruled the extra point no good, essentially forcing overtime.
The Black Hawks took a 7-6 lead into the locker room at halftime when Petras returned a Lebo punt 47 yards into the end zone. Wetzel converted the extra point on the final play of the first half.
On defense, Christian Davis had a fumble recovery and Jack Bruckner intercepted a pass for the Black Hawks