Aug 23, 2019 3 min read

McMURRAY – If Peters Township coach TJ Plack has any lingering concerns about his offensive and defensive lines, then he should be able to use Friday evening’s contest with Fox Chapel as evidence that those groups might be just fine.

The Indians demonstrated in all three phases of the game that they will be heard from in Class 5A play by virtue of a 45-0 demolition of the visiting Foxes. Peters Township steps up in competition next week as conference rival Upper St. Clair comes calling to McMurray, a bout that Plack says his squad will be prepared for by the time the officials blow the whistle on Week 1 action.

“We got a lot of work to do to get ready for them next week,” Plack noted. “But we’ll enjoy this one tonight.”

Peters Township is coming off a conference co-championship, a 10-3 overall record and a near-miss in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals last year against eventual PIAA champion Penn Hills. And although there are younger players manning the trenches this year, expectations have not changes for the Indians as they look to get deeper into the postseason.

The Indians came out roaring in the first quarter and never looked back as linebacker Ryan Clark intercepted a Shane Susnak pass and returned it to the Foxes’ nine-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Logan Pfeuffer found Penn commit Josh Casilli for an eight-yard scoring connection. Pat McDonnell’s kick was good and 90 seconds into the new season, the Indians were off and running with a 7-0 lead.

The junior quarterback would finish with three scoring tosses. One was a picture-perfect 61-yard pass to Adrian Williams that extended the Indians’ lead to 31-0 midway through the second quarter, while his third touchdown pass was to Casilli a mere two plays later.

“Those two are ready to go, for sure,” Plack added. “You can tell they worked so hard together in the offseason, and even during camp they’d be getting extra work in. That’s what it takes to win in this conference and succeed.”

Running back Ryan Magiske added two touchdown runs. His first was a one-yard plunge early in the second quarter that was set up by a Clark blocked punt that gave the ball to the Indians on the Fox Chapel six. Magiske plunged in two plays later.

“He’s a senior now and you can see that he’s becoming a real nice ballplayer,” Plack said referencing Clark. “He made some big plays for us this evening.”

Magiske’s 33-yard scoring run with 3:44 remaining in the first half ended the scoring and sent a message that the Indians were ready to take on all comers.

“I was pleased with how both sides of the line of scrimmage played,” Plack said. “We got our running game going in the second and we bottled them up.”

Peters Township’s defense was dominant to the tune of holding Fox Chapel to a single first down the entire game and 23 total yards of offense. They also sacked Fox Chapel quarterbacks six times.

“We have some guys who get after it pressure-wise and a real good secondary,” Plack added.

Aidan McCall’s 50-yard punt return for a score midway through the first quarter also brought a smile to Plack’s face.

“We have some explosive players on that side of the ball, too,” he added.