Record not only similarity for PT, USC
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Nick Courie (27) puts a hit on South Fayette quarterback Nico Lamonde (13) and forces a fumble that turned into a touchdown for Peters Township. The Indians play tonight at Upper St. Clair in a battle of unbeatens.
Peters Township’s Brendan McCullough hauls in a catch as South Fayette’s Dom Monz closes in. McCullough leads the WPIAL with 600 receiving yards. Peters Township plays tonight at Upper St. Clair in a battle of undefeated teams.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
When Peters Township and Upper St. Clair face off tonight, they will see mirror images of themselves on the opposite sidelines in this clash for first place in the Allegheny Six Conference.
On offense, both teams feature exciting quarterbacks, powerful running backs as well as multiple playmakers, and yet, each have a stingy defense.
In bolting to 4-0 records, USC has outscored the opposition 181-34 while PT holds a 166-69 advantage that includes a season-opening shutout.
While the Panthers entered the season as a heavy favorite in the conference because they returned 18 starters – 10 on offense and 8 on defense – the Indians were a relatively unknown entity because of their lack of experience and small senior class.
“Peters is way more talented than people gave them credit for in the preseason,” said USC coach Mike Junko.
Junko came away impressed with the Indians after having encountered them during several 7-on-7 sessions this summer. In addition to their talented skill set, he added that the Indians’ defense plays physical and the players believe in coach TJ’s Plack’s system.
“We will certainly have our hands full trying to contain that talented group,” Junko said.
At the quarterback spot are two relative newcomers.
A junior with only one previous varsity start, Peters Township’s Chris Cibrone has completed 62 of 122 pass attempts for 1,167 yards and 12 scores. He leads the WPIAL in passing yards.
In PT’s final tuneup before conference action, a 38-14 win against Trinity, Cibrone completed 14 passes for 242 yards and three scoring strikes to Carter Shanafelt (8 yards), Thomas Aspinall (35) and Brendan McCullough (24). Last week against South Fayette, Cibrone completed nine passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for two scores.
A sophomore, USC’s Julian Dahlem has completed 27 of 37 passes for 460 yards and 10 TDs. He has also rushed for 166.
In a 53-14 thumping of Baldwin two weeks ago, Dahlem completed 16 of 18 passes for 239 yards and scoring strikes to Aidan Besselman (16 and 10 yards), Jacob Hufnagel (30) and Cody Marn (20). While Ethan Hellmann also tossed a 38-yard TD to Brett Meinert, Dahlem also added a 5-yard TD rush against the Highlanders.
PT running back Richie Woods and USC’s Jamaal Brown have shown both mobility and field vision as they have led their respective team’s rushing attacks.
Woods has rushed for 505 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Brown has 515 yards and four scores.
“Both running backs are having good seasons,” Plack said. “Both teams are able to run the football as well as stop the run. That is a true indicator of a good football team.”
Though they showed some holes on defense, the Panthers are allowing only 8.5 points per game on defense.
Seamus Moorhead, Ivory Travers, Van Hellmann and Grodon Groninger have been USC’s top tacklers. Ty Lagoni, Hufnagel, Groninger and Brett Meinert account for the team’s five interceptions and Travers, Mason Chambers and Mark Banbury for the forced fumbles.
“USC has been able to limit opposing teams to relatively few points,” Plack said. “They are very disciplined and tackle well.”
Junko admits the USC defense struggled a bit against Baldwin two weeks ago but the game was a “wake-up call” for the Panthers.
“Peters does so many things well offensively. That is going to force us to really be dialed in defensively,” he said. “For us to find success, our defense has to be the backbone of our team.
“We have to find a way to contain their playmakers on offense. Their quarterback is a great decision-maker and seems to have a knack for finding the open receiver.
“A big reason for their early season production is yards after the catch,” he continued. “I preach it every week, but offensively we need to continue to have a balanced attack that is efficient running and throwing the football.”