Peters Township starts fast, blanks Fox Chapel
McMURRAY – For many football programs, a 6-4 final record would mean a reasonably successful season.
But for the Peters Township Indians, it merely meant they avoided a sub .500 mark last year as they missed out on postseason play, now a rarity for the coach TJ Plack-led program.
The 2023 version of the Indians, an outfit that brings back 19 total starters, set out to get off on the right foot Friday night as they soundly defeated Fox Chapel, 35-0.
“These Week Zero games, you never know what to expect,” Plack noted. “I think early we had our kids’ heads spinning. We just told them before the game to come out and play fast and physical, show effort and execute and I think we did that.”
Peters Township looked the part of a conference title contender as they scored on five of their six first-half possessions, moving the ball at ease and putting an end to the competitive phase of the ballgame early.
After forcing a Fox Chapel punt, the Indians went right to work. Quarterback Nolan DiLucia started the scoring when he found Carter Shanafelt for a 28 yard touchdown connection. The receiver did double-duty when he knocked in the extra point to give Peters Township a 7-0 lead a mere four minutes into the contest.
Indians running back Vinny Sarcone capped a 67-yard drive on Peters Township’s second possession with a one-yard plunge. His backfield mate, Preston Blair, scored the first of his two first-half touchdowns when he rumbled in from seven yards to close the first quarter and give the hosts a 21-0 lead.
DiLucia and Shanafelt hooked up again early in the second quarter, this time from 60 yards and a commanding 28-0 Indians advantage. Blair capped the first half scoring with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Blair’s final score was set up by a spectacular sideline 18-yard catch by Reston Lehman on the Foxes’ 8-yard line.
“He’s an awesome young man,” Plack said in regards to Lehman. “He can do anything. Last year, he was freshman All-State in the javelin. Just a tremendous athlete.”
Fox Chapel’s offense made one push into Indians territory in the first half. But quarterback Ben DeMotte’s fourth down-and-11 pass from the Peters Twownship 31 fell incomplete.
The Indians’ defensive line led by Dante Recker, Jake Velgich and Franco Muscatello spent much of the night in the Foxes’ backfield as they dismantled the visitors’ offense much of the evening, sacking Fox Chapel’s quarterbacks eight times and bankrupting the Foxes ground game to a meager total of minus-30 yards.
“They’re tremendous ball players,” Plack added. “Defensively, we knew we’d give them problems with our defensive tackles and their penetration. We thought we could knock them backwards.”
Second-half action was mostly limited because of the Mercy Rule-induced running clock. Fox Chapel did threaten again to score when Tyrese Samuels intercepted a Chris Cibrone pass and returned it to the PT 40 early in the third quarter. But the Indians’ defense refused to budge and forced a turnover on downs after four plays.
Fox Chapel never threatened again.
DiLucia’s night ended at halftime, but not before he finished completing seven of eight passes for 172 yards and two scores. Carter Shanafelt reeled in two catches for 88 yards while Ethan Wertman caught two balls for 56 yards. Nate Miller added four receptions for 41 yards as six different Indians had receptions.
“Thought our line did a nice job in keeping our guys clean,” Plack added. “I thought he (DiLucia) made some good decisions on the field. Their defense did a good job of taking some things away and he knew where to go with the ball. I was real happy to see that.”
Cibrone also saw time behind center and completed five of eight passes for 70 yards.