Peters Township earns conference title with emphatic win over Bethel Park

By: Nathan Breisinger
Friday, October 27, 2023 | 11:58 PM

There’s not much of an argument when it comes to the top teams in the WPIAL. Week in and week out, Class 5A top-ranked Peters Township has trounced its opponents.

One more stood in its way but with much more on the line in the regular-season finale. Bethel Park was hungry to snatch part he Allegheny 6 crown and secure the top seed in the conference.

But after dealing with an early Bethel Park score, the Indians wasted no time piling up the touchdowns and 618 yards of offense en route to a 68-28 victory and the outright conference title Friday night.

“It feels great,” senior running back Vinny Sarcone said. “We’ve had great team wins all season. Just really proud of the guys.”

Entering the game, Peters Township (10-0, 5-0) coach TJ Plack was uncertain how his team would handle the pressure of having a perfect record.

“When you go undefeated, you got a rival coming in who’s been playing really good football, you just wonder what the psyche of our kids is, but they were ready to go,” Plack said.

Allowing just 4.1 points per game — tops in the WPIAL — Peters Township was tested early. Bethel Park quarterback Tanner Pfeuffer went deep to Ryan Petras, who outraced the PT defense as he hauled in a 68-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

“(Petras) is probably the best ball player in the WPIAL,” Plack said. “He’s the most dynamic kid.”

The Indians responded in a mere 48 seconds. Sophomore quarterback Nolan DiLucia located Ethan Wertman along the sidelines for a 27-yard touchdown that finished a five-play drive.

Bethel Park (4-6, 3-2) quickly learned why Peters Township averages more than 37 points per game. DiLucia found Carter Shanafelt in single coverage along the sidelines, and Shanafelt completed the 75-yard score on the first play of the drive. It was his seventh touchdown reception of the season.

From there, the best defense in District 7 settled in and looked for any Bethel Park mistake. There were several.

Pfeuffer tossed three interceptions before the end of the first half. Two went to PT senior Eliot Schratz and the other to junior Nick McCullogh.

“A lot of times, we were an assignment away from making something happen, so credit to Peters Township. They are a very good team, and they made more plays than us,” Bethel Park coach Phil Peckich said.

Even though the Indians allowed the Black Hawks to score well above the average they typically give up, they still played timely defense when it mattered.

“Our defense does a great job each and every week,” Plack said. “Their attention to detail is second to none. We do things a little different, so you got to prepare for us, but they’re phenomenal.”

Giving a high-powered offense such as Peters Township’s prime field position was disastrous for Bethel Park. Vinny Sarcone rushed for four scores on short-yardage situations. Preston Blair got the call in a similar spot on 5- and 1-yard touchdowns.

“Our O-line’s been doing their job all year,” Sarcone said. “It’s really awesome running behind them. Me and my guy, Preston Blair, have been doing great this season.”

Sarcone paced the Peters Township ground game with 109 yards, and Blair added 100.

Despite a sizeable lead, the Indians ventured into uncharted territory for this season, allowing more than one touchdown in a game.

Bethel Park showed some fight early in the second half as junior running back Ja Vaughn Moore ran 65 yards deep into Peters Township territory. On the next play, he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass out of the backfield.

Any hope the Black Hawks had of a comeback were deflated as DiLucia hit Eliot Schratz on a swing pass that resulted in a 66-yard touchdown.

DiLucia finished 14 of 24 for 296 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore also added a rushing TD to trigger the mercy rule.

Petras would add another 70-yard touchdown late in the third quarter after he hauled in a pass that bounced off of Schratz. The sophomore receiver finished with three receptions and 139 yards.

“We had some chances early in the game,” Peckich said. “We didn’t capitalize on enough of them. We didn’t play complementary football as all 11 playing as one.”

Tags: Bethel Park, Peters Township