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No. 2 Peters Township’s last-minute defensive stand seals victory over No. 3 Upper St. Clair

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Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 12:13 AM

The offenses gained momentum after halftime with three lead changes, but nobody was too surprised that Peters Township vs. Upper St. Clair eventually came down to the defenses.

Each side delivered a late defensive stop.

Ultimately, a last-minute stand 12 yards from its own end zone let Peters Township escape with a 24-20 victory Friday night in an Allegheny Six battle that solidified both teams as WPIAL contenders. Neither roster should dread film study of this one, but Upper St. Clair just won’t like the ending.

The teams had combined for five touchdowns, three field goals and more than 800 yards of offense, before an Upper St. Clair pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-2 at the 12 with 47 seconds left.

“It was nice to see a little bit of offense,” Peters Township coach T.J. Plack said. “We haven’t had a lot of offense in these games for a while. It’s been all defense. Were just so evenly matched all over the place. It was explosive there for a little bit.”

Second-ranked Peters Township (6-0, 1-0) and No. 3 Upper St. Clair (5-1, 0-1) entered Friday’s conference opener with two of the highest-scoring offenses in WPIAL Class 5A. But their defenses also ranked first and second in fewest points allowed.

That push and pull was evident all night.

“At this point in the season, you want to know, ‘What kind of team do we have?’” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko said. “I think we walk away from this one saying, ‘Hey, we’re a team that can play with anybody.’ I think both teams are going to be playing some football come November.”

A year ago, the teams combined for 10 points in their regular-season matchup.

This time, Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns and running back Cole Neupaver added 123 yards rushing and a score. His 8-yard touchdown run with 9:40 remaining gave the Indians a 24-20 lead.

Peters Township led in time of possession by seven minutes and outgained USC by about 50 yards thanks to three 80-yard touchdown drives. DiLucia completed 15 of 22 passes including a 7-yard touchdown toss to Lucas Shanafelt and a 45-yarder to P.J. Luke.

“They have a good kicker and punter, so they were able to put us in tough situations,” said DiLucia, whose offense converted on five of nine third downs. “We just had to work with what they gave us.”

The Indians had a chance late to extend their four-point lead or maybe run out the clock, but DiLucia fumbled at the Upper St. Clair 18 with 3:20 left. That fumble — one of three forced by the Panthers — gave USC one last chance to score.

USC quarterback Ethan Hellmann led the offense 70 yards in the final 3 minutes, including an 8-yard scramble to the 12. But the drive stalled there with two incomplete passes, including a fourth-down throw that fell untouched between two receivers.

“We had a little miscommunication, and that’s partly on me,” Junko said. “That’s unfortunate because we’d done a good job getting to that point. You hate to put it all on one play. But when you’re in that situation, it’s all on one play.”

Hellmann completed 24 of 37 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Randy Yan caught a 5-yarder in the second quarter, and Nico D’Orazio made a leaping grab on a 40-yarder late in the third that gave Upper St. Clair a 20-17 lead.

Peters Township responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive that stretched from the third quarter into the fourth, ending with Neupaver’s go-ahead score. The Indians moved 80 yards in eight plays, much of it on a 42-yard catch by Shanafelt.

“This game means nearly everything,” Shanafelt said. “Winning a WPIAL championship is obviously No. 1, but this means a lot.”

Upper St. Clair kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano made 29- and 33-yard field goals, and Peters Township’s Anthony Maiello added a 25-yarder. Echeverria also put his kickoffs into the end zone and had two punts downed inside the 20.

Yet, Peters Township succeeded in flipping field position with its long drives.

“We know it’s going to be a dogfight every time we play them,” DiLucia said. “They’re a great team. It’s a rivalry that came down to the last second.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

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