Nov 11, 2021 3 min read

After one week of WPIAL high school football playoff action, Peters Township is the last team standing from Washington or Greene counties.

No other team won, not then-undefeated Washington, which was upset by New Brighton in overtime, not West Greene, which rode an eight-game winning streak into the playoffs but couldn’t score a point in its game against Springdale, not Carmichaels, which touted quarterback Trenton Carter, who joined a handful of players who passed for 1,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 yards in the same season.

What propelled Peters Township, loser of five out of seven games, against North Hills, which came into the game having won three in a row?

“It’s tough this time of year,” said Peters Township coach TJ Plack, taking a break from practice this week.

“We have played our best football lately. We had a whole new team this year. Other teams were putting their stuff together the first few weeks of the season. We were banged up this season and were moving guys around here and there. We never got that type of consistency. We have the past three or four weeks.”

Next up for the Indians in their chase for the Class 5A crown is Pine-Richland tonight (7 p.m. kickoff). The Rams clobbered Peters Township in last year’s WPIAL championship game 35-0.

So one would assume this game would be a payback possibility. But most of these Peters Township players played sparingly or not at all in last year’s game because PT was a senior-laden team.

“This game is big no matter what happened last year,” said Plack. “We just trying to survive and advance.”

Pine-Richland has had its problems off the field. Last year’s head coach Eric Kasperowicz was removed in April, despite winning four WPIAL and two state championships in eight seasons. Pine-Richland administrators made the move because they claimed an investigation showed bullying and hazing took place in the football program, charges that Kasperowicz denied. Kasperowicz eventually filed a defamation of character suit, which is still pending in the courts, against the district.

Kasperowicz’s removal created an outcry in the Pine-Richland community. Students walked out of school one day to protest his firing. A large group of players wanted him back. Rallies were held with community members to show support for Kasperowicz, who is a teacher at North Hills High School and is spending this season as a volunteer assistant at Pitt.

Pine-Richland hired Steve Campos, who coached at numerous schools including Bethany College, and he has led the Rams to a 4-1 record in the Northeast Conference and a 6-4 overall mark.

New Castle at Belle Vernon

This week, it will be New Castle’s turn to try to stop Devin Whitlock. Belle Vernon’s quarterback has led the Leopards to an 8-0 overall mark.

Whitlock scored the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against then-undefeated Thomas Jefferson in a midseason game. Two weeks ago, he led the Leopards to a 46-14 spanking of McKeesport, which was coming off a rout of Thomas Jefferson the previous week.

Despite playing just a portion of the games because of the lopsided scores, Whitlock has passed for 828 yards and ran for 960 yards.

New Castle comes into the game with a 7-4 record.

The Red Hurricane defeated Highlands, 31-19, in the opening round while Belle Vernon, a the No. 1 seed, had a bye. New Castle quarterback Chris Hood is a dual threat, passing for 1,133 yards and rushing for 992 yards.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Belle Vernon.