Sep 19, 2018 3 min read

Name: Ryan Magiske

School: Peters Township

Class: Junior

Sport: Football

Magiske’s week: In an important Allegheny Eight Conference road game, Magiske carried the ball 12 times for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Peters Township over West Allegheny, 42-28.

The running back capped a long Indians’ drive near the end of the first quarter with a four-yard score to give Peters Township a 14-7 lead. In the middle of the second quarter, Magiske found the end zone again from four yards, extending the lead to 21 points, 28-7.

“Our offensive line played a great game,” Magiske said. “We are very talented up front at every position. It really does help having a veteran group and going through the same thing last year. We have the same mentality of continuing to get better and closer as a team.”

Peters Township’s starting offensive line, which includes returning starters Rob Corrado, Grant Nelson, Shane O’Connell and Ian Chaudhari, along with 6-4, 230-pound tackle Logan Clark, provided running room for Magiske.

Setting the tone from the start, Peters Township head coach T.J. Plack sent four linemen out for the coin toss.

“We were hoping that was going to be a strength coming into the season,” Plack said.

“We thought West Allegheny was a formidable opponent but our kids won the one-on-one battles. We won the double teams. We played gritty.”

Maybe Magiske’s biggest run came when Peters Township lost some of its momentum and West Allegheny cut the deficit to one possession, 35-28, entering the fourth quarter. On a third-down play, and needing four yards for a first down, Magiske broke several tackles and sprung free for a 41-yard run down to the West Allegheny one that set up a touchdown on the next play.

“I am a downhill runner,” Magiske said.

Three-headed attack: Continuing to power through West Allegheny tacklers late into the game, Magiske was fresh because of the backfield rotation used by Plack.

Adrian Williams, Seth Luksik and Magiske all split carries, trying to keep them fresh because all of them also start on defense.

“It helps us a lot, especially with the fact that we all are on defense,” said Magiske, who averages 10 to 15 carries per game. “Adrian is a great cutback runner and Seth is really balanced.”

For Plack, there is no secret what he anticipates watching from the sideline when Magiske’s number is called.

“He is a kid that you wish artificial turf was never made,” Plack said. “He is a mudder. He is a throwback type of kid. He isn’t the fastest or the quickest but has great footwork, excellent vision, good instincts and is powerful.”

The win, which was sealed by a Magiske interception in the waning moments, moved Peters Township into second place in the conference standings.

With a pair of nonconference games against North Hills and Canon-McMillan the next two weeks, it’s about continuing a momentum the Indians struggled with at the end of last year, losing three of their last five games.

“We have to treat all the games the same,” Magiske said. “We have to treat each game like its the biggest game of the year. We can’t take anyone lightly.”