PT’s strong finish nets win over Big Macs
Mark Marietta/For the Obsrver-Reporter
Peters Township’s Vinny Sarcone dives to the 28-yard line for a first down against Canon-McMillan.
Mark Marietta/For the Obsrver-Reporter
Peters Township’s Nick McCullough is stopped by Canon-McMillan’s Zyan Howard.
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Mark Marietta/For the Obsrver-Reporter
Canon-Mac receiver Isaiah Hicks is wrapped up by Peters Township defender Ethan Wertman.
Mark Marietta/For the Obsrver-Reporter
Canon-McMillans' Zach Welsh (2) works past Peters Township's Darius McMillon (9) and reaches for the end zone for a fourth-quarter score that tied the game at 10-10.
McMURRAY – Backyard rivalries are the essence of high school football.
Even though neighbors Canon-McMillan and Peters Township are no longer conference foes, the two still clash on the field on a yearly basis. Friday night was a quintessential rivalry game as Peters Township absorbed body blow after body blow before outlasting the Big Macs 23-10 at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium.
Peters Township (4-0, 9-0) faces Bethel Park next week at home for the Allegheny Six title while Class 6A Canon-McMillan (1-3, 5-4) wraps up their season at home against Mt. Lebanon.
Peters Township coach TJ Plack came away impressed with the Big Macs after they gave the Indians their toughest test of the season by far.
“They’re a really good team. I’ll tell you what, they got a really good defense and really good offense,” Plack said in reference to the Big Macs. “We had a couple 14-, 15-, 17-play drives and didn’t put it in the end zone because they tackle so darn well.”
The two squads were deadlocked at 10-10 with less than three minutes remaining. But the heavyweight Indians made a couple big plays at the end to seal the win.
Preston Blair scored the eventual winning touchdown with 2:47 remaining when he took a swing pass from Nolan DiLucia and raced 55 yards to the end zone. Carter Shanafelt knocked in the extra point, giving the Indians a 17-10 lead.
“He had a rough start to the game,” Plack added about Blair. “Probably wasn’t ready for the physicality of this game. But we ran a screen and I like him on that screen. And I tell you he wanted to get in that end zone.”
The Indians’ defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs on the Big Macs’ next possession. The Indians turned out the lights when Vinny Sarcone busted off a 28-yard touchdown run with 2:13 left in the contest.
“We really needed this,” Plack said referring to the tough, physical nature of the ballgame. “We had some kids really step up and make some big plays.”
DiLucia finished with 24 completions in 33 attempts for 200 yards with two interceptions.
Sarcone ran the ball 23 times for 98 yards for the Indians.
The Indians took a 10-3 lead in the third quarter when they marched 57 yards in 15 plays before they settled for a 25-yard Shanafelt field goal with 5:10 left in the third.
But the Big Macs, resilient much of the evening, fought back and drove 95 yards against a brutal Indians defense and scored when Zach Welsh scored from six yards out early in the fourth.
The drive was highlighted by a 17-yard Jayden Baxter catch that was supplemented by a personal foul for unnecessary roughness on Peters Township.
“No one on this team didn’t think we couldn’t win this game,” Big Mac coach Mike Evans said. “We made two or three special teams mistakes tonight that really cost us.”
One of those errors cost the upset-minded Big Macs seven points.
Welsh was impressive much of the evening as he gashed the Indians staunch defense for 122 yards on 20 carries.
“We did some things against them no else has,” Evans noted. “We just made to many mistakes at times.”
Canon-McMillan got on the scoreboard first late in the opening quarter when they drove from the Peters Township 48 to the Indians’ 5, from where they settled for a 22-yard Zach Barzd field goal. The Big Macs were given great field position when Evan Morris intercepted a DiLucia pass deep in Big Mac real estate and returned it to the Indians 48.
The Indians looked poised to respond right after the field goal when Eliot Schratz took the ensuing kickoff 63 yards back to the Big Macs’ 35. Peters Township could not cash in as their offense was guilty of two holding penalties and allowed DiLucia to be sacked on third and long on the Canon-McMillan 36, forcing a punt on fourth and long that proved disasterous for the Big Macs.
Peters Township was the beneficiary of a muffed punt when Morris fumbled on the Big Macs’ 2 that was recovered by PT. Two plays later, Sarcone plunged in from the 1. Shanafelt’s extra point kick gave Peters Township a 7-3 lead with 8:18 left in the first half.