Canon-McMillan scores 21 unanswered, beats Mt. Lebanon

By: Ed Troup
Friday, September 19, 2025 | 11:47 PM

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After an 0-2 start, Canon-McMillan coach Brian DeLallo stressed calm within the storm of the season. Since, the Big Macs have won three straight games with a 21-6 victory Friday night against rival Mt. Lebanon (0-5, 0-2) at AHN Field at Big Mac Stadium in Canonsburg.

“I think we asked them to do too much those first two weeks and just got back to what the players were comfortable with,” DeLallo said. “We have had much better execution these last few weeks, and we are letting the kids do what they are better at doing in our offense and defense.”

In its Class 6A opener, Canon-McMillan (3-2, 1-0) went on a 21-point unanswered run in the second half. On offense, it was a high-powered pass attack led by junior quarterback Ty Jansma.

Down 6-0 at halftime, Jansma started the third quarter leading the Big Macs on an impressive three-play, 82-yard scoring drive in 52 seconds. He hit Ethan Campoli on a 52-yard touchdown pass to give Canon-McMillan its first lead of the game 7-6.

Mt. Lebanon tried to respond with a 17-play, drive that lasted more than nine minutes, only to be denied on fourth down at the Big Macs 1-yard line as quarterback Patrick Smith was stopped short of the goal line.

Canon-McMillan put together a 98-yard scoring drive in seven plays highlighted by an 80-yard over-the-shoulder extended grab by Buffalo recruit TJ Sabatucci. Sophomore running back Mason Calgaro capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run extending the Big Macs lead to 14-6. After a Sabatucci tackle for loss on defense, the senior completed a hat trick by impacting the game in all three phases; his blocked punt was recovered by sophomore linebacker Bryce Collins.

“Sabatucci is our bell cow. He is our best player,” DeLallo said. “A great job of leadership on his part after a dropped ball in the first half. He had a great attitude at halftime and came out in the second half and played his butt off.”

Junior running back Braelon Wingfield put the exclamation point on the game via a 16-yard touchdown run with 7:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Big Macs a 21-6 advantage.

Mt. Lebanon took the opening possession of the game and early control on a nine-play, 66-yard scoring drive capped off by the senior Smith scoring on a 42-yard touchdown run. The extra point try was blocked by the Big Macs sophomore Luke Sohyda. The Blue Devils kept that early momentum throughout the first half and led 6-0 at halftime. But it was Canon-McMillan that got the momentum in the second half and controlled the game in the comeback victory.

“Mt. Lebanon came out blitzing early, and we struggled with that in the first half,” DeLallo said. “But we knew if we could get the ball out quick to our guys on the edge in the second half — and we did that to Campoli and Sabatucci — we would be OK. We also generated some turnovers along with the blocked punt. It was a full team effort for sure.”

Sabatucci led all receivers with four catches for 103 yards, and Campoli continued his solid senior season with two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. Jansma led all passers, completing 9 of 13 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.

“You can see what could happen when you play a bad half of football,” DeLallo said. “We have to be prepared to go play a 48-minute game every week. Class 6A is loaded this year. You have to be ready to go each week from kickoff, and I hope we learned that this week.”

Mt. Lebanon was led by Smith’s 37 carries for 197 yards and a touchdown. He also completed 13 of 22 passes for 84 yards in the loss.

After a 3-0 homestand, the Big Macs will hit the road next week and travel to Hempfield in another Class 6A game. Mt. Lebanon will travel to Seneca Valley for a Week 5 nonconference game.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Mt. lebanon