Ball-hawking Peters Twp. downs Penn-Trafford in semifinals
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Donovan McMillon leaps in the air and intercepts Penn-Trafford pass.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Breylen Carrington (19) blocks Cade Yacamelli (5) out of Adrian Williams (20) way as he makes a big rushing gain.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Magiske (35) finds little room to run against the Penn-Trafford defense.
Peters Township linebacker Corban Hondru, right, tackles Penn-Trafford quarterback Gabe Dunlap during last Friday's WPIAL Class 5A semifinal game at West Mifflin High School.
Peters Township Penn-Trafford
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Aidan McCall (2) eludes Penn-Trafford tacklers after making a reception for a big gain.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Corban Hondru (10) and Logan Pfeuffer (8) celebrate as the clock ticks down and Peters Township defeats Penn-Trafford to advance to the WPIAL Class 5A football championship game for the first time in school history.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Magiske follows his blockers on his way to a rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
Ryan Magiske
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ethan Spangenberg (55) hoists Ryan Magiske (35) after he returned a Penn-Trafford turnover for a touchdown.
Breylen Carrington (19) celebrates Aidan McCall's (2) touchdown during Peters Township's win over Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinal
Aidan McCall (2) eludes Penn-Trafford tacklers after making a reception for a big gain.
Josh Casilli (5) is wrapped up by a Penn-Trafford defender but not after making a big gain on a reception.
PITTSBURGH – The four seniors in the Peters Township defensive backfield referred to themselves as “Young Money” growing up.
Add junior Donovan McMillon to that mix, maybe a new name that group could consider is cash money.
The bank was open the entire second half Friday night.
Turning first-half stops into second-half turnovers, an opportunistic Peters Township defense forced five turnovers, including two that went for touchdowns in the final 24 minutes, as the fifth-seeded Indians toppled top-seeded Penn-Trafford, 28-10, in a WPIAL Class 5A semifinal game at West Mifflin High School.
“What makes us good?” Peters Township coach T.J. Plack asked. “We have five defensive backs who can all cover and all tackle. They are versatile. They are ballhawks. They are tremendous football players.”
The hybrid secondary wrecked havoc all throughout the second half to send Peters Township (12-1) to its first championship appearance in program history. The Indians will take their opportunistic defense into the final against second-seeded Gateway next Saturday at Norwin High School (6 p.m.).
Late in the third quarter, following a Penn-Trafford 12-yard completion on the perimeter, McMillon stripped the fooball from a receiver. Ryan Magiske, who gave Peters Township a 7-3 lead on the opening drive in the second half with a three-yard touchdown run, recovered the fumble and ran 43 yards for another score to give the Indians a 14-3 lead.
“We were in our under four-deep concept,” McMillon said. “They snuck a pass between me and Aidan (McCall). Aidan was finishing the tackle and I went for the strip.”
McCall iced the game with his second interception. Baiting Penn-Trafford quarterback Gabe Dunlap, McCall jumped in front of the Warriors’ receiver, picked off the pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. It gave Peters Township a 28-10 lead with 4:37 left.
“I was playing off (coverage) and (the quarterback’s) eyes,” McCall said. “He looked right at him. I jumped the pass and just saw green in front of me. Our defense is overlooked. We have had turnovers all season and put up points. Without our defense today, I don’t think we would have won.”
It was one of four second-half turnovers – one fumble and three interceptions – for Penn-Trafford (11-2), which was held to a season-low 10 points. The Warriors had not scored fewer than 21 points. It was the second consecutive season Peters Township ended their season, beating them in last year’s quarterfinals, 38-35.
A first half controlled by Penn-Trafford ended with the Warriors ahead at halftime by only 3-0, on a 32-yard field goal by Nathan Schlessinger. Penn-Trafford turned the ball over on downs twice by failing to convert on fourth-and-one plays deep in Peters Township territory and missed a field goal as the first half ended.
“We moved the football and got inside their 30. We kicked a field goal, got stuffed on fourth down, got stuffed on fourth down and missed a field goal,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “You have to score. That was our demise.”
Peters Township’s typically potent offense was limited to 41 total yards on 19 plays in the first half. The Indians struggled to sustain any of its early drives, failing to cross midfield until there was 10:40 left in the third quarter.
Down 3-0 at the half, Plack said not many changes were made at the break.
“I said nothing. I drew up one play on the board,” Plack said. “Our defensive guys talked and we came right out. We battled field position the entire first half. Our defense made some great plays. It was huge just to let the offensive guys know that it’s OK.”
Magiske’s three-yard touchdown gave the Indians the lead for good as he finished a seven-play, 61-yard drive to open the second half. Magiske led a three-headed backfield for Peters Township with 16 carries. Josh Casilli had seven carries out of the wildcat offense. Adrian Williams added nine carries. The three combined for 164 yards.
The teams traded touchdown passes within a 22-second span in the fourth quarter. Peters Township’s Logan Pfeuffer found McCall for a 29-yard touchdown to lead 21-3. That was immediately answered with a 13-yard strike from Dunlap to Ethan Carr, trimming Penn-Trafford’s deficit to 21-10 with 9:24 left.
Carr had eight catches for 120 yards for the Warriors.
“We knew defensively we were playing the way we wanted,” McCall said. “We didn’t want this to be our last game. This is all we ever wanted since we’ve been young. We wanted to play for a WPIAL title. It feels absolutely breathtaking.”