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Pine-Richland defense shines en route to 9th WPIAL championship

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Saturday, November 23, 2024 | 10:49 PM

Jay Timmons pointed to a corner of Acrisure Stadium where he watched games as a kid, remembering back to when his father played linebacker for the Steelers.

So, yes, he knows a little about defense.

“I’ve been dreaming of playing on this field for so long,” said Timmons, a Pine-Richland junior who got his chance Saturday night.

Top-seeded Pine-Richland forced a couple of second-half turnovers and didn’t allow a point after halftime in a 20-9 victory over No. 3 Peters Township in the WPIAL Class 5A final at the North Shore stadium.

It was a rematch of last year’s final that Peters Township won. This time, Timmons forced a third-quarter fumble and senior Tanner Cunningham picked off a pass at the goal line in the fourth as the Rams won a battle of top defenses.

Timmons and Cunningham also caught touchdown passes in the win.

“Coming back and winning it this time feels amazing,” Cunningham said.

A year ago, Peters Township won 43-17. But Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne said there was no talk about getting revenge.

“That wasn’t a word we used once in our locker room all week,” said LeDonne, who runs the Rams defense. “It’s just, do what we do, focus on us, execute and let our pads do the talking.”

This was Pine-Richland’s ninth WPIAL title and second in three years. The Rams (11-1) were making their third straight appearance in the finals, but the past two were held at Norwin.

“To play here and win the championship, it’s the best,” said Timmons, whose first name is actually Lawrence, same as his father.

Holding a 1-point lead, Timmons forced a fumble with 10:30 left in the third quarter. Four plays later, Timmons caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Aaron “Oobi” Strader to stretch Pine-Richland’s lead to 17-9.

Timmons performed a classic Antonio Brown dance in the end zone afterward.

“I watch my AB clips,” he said with a smile.

Pine-Richland kicker Grant Argiro made a 47-yard field goal later in the third quarter for the only other points scored after halftime. The field goal was Argiro’s second of the game to take a 20-9 lead.

Strader completed 7 of 14 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore threw a 64-yarder to Cunningham in the second quarter on a deep pass that flew 50 yards through the air.

Cunningham on defense later preserved the second-half shutout by intercepting a pass at the goal line with 6:21 left. His pick ended a 15-play drive, frustrating a Peters Township offense that had held the ball for more than five minutes.

“That was a momentum changer,” said Cunningham, who remembered being beaten in the same spot in the finals a year ago.

“It was the same play, the same distance. Screen and go. I knew it was coming, and I knew I had to make a play.”

The two offenses combined for only 129 yards after halftime. Peters Township had just 58.

“It’s two really good teams,” Peters Township coach T.J. Plack said. “And when you have two really good teams, you usually have two really good defenses. We had a (15-play) drive and didn’t score. They made a couple of bigger plays than we did.”

Peters Township (11-2) was making its fourth WPIAL finals appearance in six years.

Junior quarterback Nolan DiLucia provided much of the Indians’ offense. He rushed for 61 yards on 21 carries and passed for 161 yards and a touchdown. Eli Prado caught a 23-yarder for a 6-3 lead in the second quarter.

But that was Peters Township’s only touchdown.

Grant Pillar led Pine-Richland with 13 tackles and Sam Heckert had 11.

“This is the best defense in the state,” Timmons said. “There is no defense better. We’re way too physical. We’re way too skillful. We work way too hard. Nobody’s offense is messing with us.”

A 5-foot-10, 175-pound wide receiver and safety, Timmons played a limited role for the Rams last season. Now, he has become a difference maker on both sides of the ball. If football fans around Pittsburgh hadn’t already made a connection to the Timmons name, he said he hoped they do now.

“To carry on the family legacy means a lot,” he said.

Timmons’ father now lives in Florida. He lives here with his mother, Alyssa, and two younger siblings. He already has five Division I college offers, including West Virginia.

“You can see the burst and the excitement to just go out and play football,” LeDonne said. “He’s going to be special for us for another year here.”

Pine-Richland led 10-9 after a low-scoring first half.

Both offenses were limited early as two of the top defenses backed up their reputations. Each team kicked a field goal and managed one touchdown pass apiece before halftime.

The teams combined for a scoreless first quarter.

Pine-Richland broke the shutout with a 24-yard field goal by Argiro with 7:22 left in the second quarter. Argiro’s kick capped a 14-play, 96-yard scoring drive.

Peters Township took the lead with a quick touchdown drive. The Indians moved 80 yards in five plays, ending with a 23-yard pass from DiLucia to Prado to lead 6-3.

An errant snap foiled the extra-point kick.

Pine-Richland then found the end zone with a bomb from Strader to Cunningham late in the second quarter to lead 10-6.

Peters Township squeezed in three more points just before halftime. Indians kicker Anthony Maiello made a 29-yard field goal as the first-half clock reached zero.

But Peters Township didn’t score again.

“We threw the ball a little bit, but we just could not establish the run game,” Plack said. “I thought we’d be able to, but they did a good job up front.”

Neither team gained much on the ground. Pine-Richland’s Maclane Miller was held to 57 yards on 19 carries.

District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt (12-2) awaits Pine-Richland in the PIAA semifinals next week. Now as the WPIAL champions, the Rams will try to win their second state title in three seasons.

“This is what we worked for all season,” Timmons said. “This feels amazing. But I’m expecting it to be even better for states.”

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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