Petrarca, defense deliver for Peters Township
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Nico Pate (7) watches which way Corban Hondru (10) blocks Jean Edmundson (26) during Peters Township’s WPIAL Class 5A playoff game Friday night against Woodland Hills.
Peters Township defensive back Luke Petrarca (14) celebrates with teammates after his interception return for a touchdown against Woodland Hills.
Peters Township running back Nico Pate (7) bursts upfield, escaping the grasp of Woodland Hills tacklers, including Dontae Dutrieuille (27), during WPIAL Class 5A football playoff action Friday night.
Peters Township's Donovan McMillon (3) negotiates his way around Woodland Hills lineman Julius Brown (55) during WPIAL playoff action. McMillon's interception was negated, however the Indians still jumped ahead, 20-6, by halftime.
Luke Petrarca
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Luke Petrarca races toward the end zone after picking off a pass during Peters Township’s first-round playoff game against Woodland Hills Friday night.
McMURRAY – A lot can change in four years.
When TJ Plack took over as head coach at Peters Township in 2016, the Indians were among the “have nots” of the WPIAL. Woodland Hills, on the contrary, was one of its top dogs. A consistent championship threat under local legend George Novak
After 2016, Novak retired, and the two programs have gone in different directions since. While the Wolverines are still respectable, the four-year difference was apparent in Peters Township’s 39-6 win over Woodland Hills in Friday night’s WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal matchup.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in, very physical,” Plack said. “I thought we were up to the challenge early in the game. Things settled down in the second quarter, but I thought we came out in the second half ready to go.”
Peters Township (7-0) scored on the night’s first possession. An uncharacteristic 48-yard run by senior quarterback Logan Pfeuffer set up classmate Nico Pate to finish from 2 yards.
Pfeuffer and Pate made up virtually all of the Indians’ offense, with Pate going off for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and Pfeuffer 63 yards on six carries. Pate’s big night followed a 215-yard performance in last week’s regular-season finale at West Allegheny.
It didn’t take long for the Indians to add on.
On Woodland Hills’ first play from scrimmage, Peters’ Jacob Macosko recovered a fumble to set the Peters offense up at the Woodland Hills 31. The Indians cashed in three plays later, on Pate’s second touchdown, this one from one-yard, and led 13-0.
Two plays into the Wolverines’ next possession, PT struck again when Luke Petrarca returned a Deontae Williams pass 20-yards for a touchdown
Woodland Hills (5-3) held its own for the rest of the half, highlighted by its only scoring drive of the night, a 6-minute endeavor than ended on a 1-yard keeper by quarterback Williams.
Peters outscored Woodland Hills 19-0 in the second half, highlighted by another defensive touchdown for Petrarca – this one on a fumble – and two safeties.
Petrarca, a junior, played his freshman season but did not play in 2019. Coming into tonight, he only had one defensive touchdown at any branch of high school football.
“That was freshman year in JV, and that was probably the most exciting moment of my life,” Petrarca said. “So tonight was a big bonus.”
“He didn’t play his sophomore year, and this is week seven,” Plack said. “So he’s just starting to get back to where he should be if he’d played sophomore year. He’s understanding the game more, and he put himself in a better position to make those plays.”
Between Petrarca’s two touchdowns, the two safeties and Macosko’s fumble recovery, which set up another score, the Peters Township defense was responsible for 25 of the 39 points in what was likely the unit’s best performance of 2020.
“If our defense isn’t the highest-scoring defense in the WPIAL, then they’re (ranked) two or three,” Plack said. ” They did a fantastic job. I think our special teams did a great job by pinning them down there a couple of times inside the 10, inside the 5. … I just think all three phases of the game were good, but the defense has been incredible all year.”
Standing in a way of a return trip to the WPIAL championship game for Peters Township will be the team that beat them by one point in last year’s title game, the Gateway Gators. Due to issues with COVID-19, Gateway has only played five games. Plack is expecting another tight one.
“It’ll be the same type of battle,” Plack said. “It’s going to be limiting their big plays and being able to move the ball on offense. Win the turnover battle, win the penalty battle. Win the hidden yards on special teams. … It should be exciting.”