Healthy win for Cortes, Peters Township
McMURRAY – One key question going into the season-opening game between Peters Township and Chartiers Valley was whether Indians starting quarterback Jake Cortes would be healthy enough to play after sitting out last week’s scrimmage with a shoulder injury.
The senior was in the lineup, but did not look sharp early, as one might expect. It took all of a quarter, and the help of a strong supporting cast, before Cortes found his groove, and he helped lead Peters Township to a 45-14 victory.
“He kind of loosened up the second half,” said Indians coach T.J. Plack. “He’s a great leader, and if he’s 80 percent, 70 percent, we want him back there.”
Cortes threw four touchdowns, directing six scoring drives, but, as one might expect with an early season game, a mistake led to the game’s opening score. Cortes’ final numbers were 14 of 22 passing for 163 yards.
The teams traded a pair of punts in the first quarter, and Chartiers Valley was lining up for its third kick of the game when disaster struck. A poor snap went through the punter’s legs, and he was forced to cover the ball at the Colts’ 22-yard line.
“Week Zero kind of things,” said Plack. “Last year in this game, we made six turnovers. We knew we were going to make mistakes all across the board, coaches included.”
Peters Township nearly gave it right back with a fumble on first down before a key third-down conversion by Ryan Magiske set up Tanner Scott’s five-yard plunge into the end zone for the game’s first points. Scott would later add a second touchdown run.
Special teams factored in the Indians’ second scoring strike with a strong punt return, then Cortes started to find his form, hitting Luke Mary for a 33-yard touchdown.
An odd thing happened on the way to halftime, though. Chartiers Valley, despite turning the ball over deep in Indians territory, grabbed a 14-12 lead with two quick strikes in the final three minutes of the half.
Then Peters Township started to find a running game with sophomore Ryan Magiske, who finished with 63 yards on 12 carries. Its defense stepped up as well, turning the game into a compete effort. The Indians forced five turnovers, including a pick-six by freshman Corban Hondru.
“It’s a Week Zero game for them, too, so I was hoping with their option game they would put the ball on the ground a couple times,” said Plack. “They got behind and had to throw the ball. We were able to be opportunistic.”
The Colts threw two interceptions and lost three fumbles.
Josh Casilli led the receiving attack for the Indians with five catches for 84 yards and three touchdowns.