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Run-heavy Upper St. Clair takes to air for winning points in showdown with Bethel Park

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Friday, October 11, 2024 | 11:50 PM

The goldfish maybe isn’t the most intimidating of animals, but that’s the one Upper St. Clair’s Charlie Bywalski was thinking about Friday night.

Not a shark. Not a whale.

A goldfish.

“It’s always about ‘Be a goldfish,’ ” said Bywalski, a senior wide receiver and defensive back. “Coach Junko says, ‘Be a goldfish and go make the next play.’ ”

As in, have a short memory.

Bywalski was having a rough night with some drops, a near-miss on an interception and a frustrating penalty. But he successfully cleared his mind and caught a winning touchdown in the final minute Friday night.

Junior quarterback Ethan Hellmann connected with Bywalski on a 24-yard pass with 48 seconds left as second-ranked Upper St. Clair defeated No. 3 Bethel Park, 14-10, in a battle for first in the Allegheny Six.

“There were drops and missed throws,” said Hellmann, who completed 3 of 7 passes. “But at the end of the day, I’ve always got trust in my guy.”

Upper St. Clair’s win was its third in a row over an undefeated conference opponent.

However, that winning streak was in danger with less than a minute left. Hellmann’s throw on third-and-15 was closely defended in the end zone, yet Bywalski came down with the ball.

“We got off to a slow start with a couple of dropped passes,” Bywalski said. “But we made up for it and made the big play when it counted.”

The win has Upper St. Clair (8-0, 3-0) alone atop the conference standings with two games left. Before handing Bethel Park (7-1, 2-1) its first loss, the Panthers also had spoiled the undefeated records of Peters Township and South Fayette.

“This is by far the toughest schedule I’ve ever had to take a football team through,” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko said. “We just played three really good football teams.”

Bethel Park led 10-7 with 4:09 left after a 35-yard field goal by Jackson Friday. The lead was the Black Hawks’ first of the game, but it didn’t last.

Upper St. Clair drove 64 yards in eight plays for the winning touchdown. Julian Dahlem and John Banbury combined for 32 rushing yards, but it was a couple of receptions that did the most damage.

H-back Van Hellmann caught an 18-yarder early in the drive, leading later to Bywalski’s winning catch.

“We can be critical on ourselves and be disappointed about certain things, but the kid made a really good play,” Bethel Park coach Phil Peckich said. “We had pretty tight coverage there. We just didn’t finish when we needed to.”

Upper St. Clair had completed only one downfield pass in the two previous games combined, so it seemed unlikely that they would win this one with a touchdown pass.

But they didn’t let those thoughts linger.

“Coaches have so much trust in us, so much belief in us,” said Bywalski, who had two catches for 49 yards Friday, upping his season total to six receptions.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has college offers from Bucknell and Richmond.

“We put in so much work in the offseason,” he said. “So much work during practice. We ran that (winning play) maybe 1,000 times before we actually had to do it in a game.”

Upper St. Clair’s winning play was a pass, but the Panthers again leaned on their running game and a strong defense. They rushed 36 times for 223 yards, with Dahlem and Banbury topping 100 each.

Banbury led with 103 yards on 19 carries. Dahlem had 101 yards on 13 carries and capped USC’s opening possession with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Dahlem scored on fourth-and-goal. The longest gain on the 81-yard drive was a 51-yard run by Dahlem that crossed midfield.

Upper St. Clair led 7-0 at halftime.

Bethel Park scored a tying touchdown with 3:10 left in the third quarter. JaVaughn Moore scored on a 6-yard run, capping a 15-play, 82-yard drive. Moore rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.

The touchdown drive nearly stalled with a fourth-down incompletion at USC’s 26-yard line, but a roughing the passer penalty gave them new life. Bethel Park scored three plays later for a 7-7 tie.

“I thought we played a bad first half, and credit to them. They did some good things,” Peckich said. “We did not play well in any of the three phases. Against a quality team, you’ve got to come out and execute early.”

Bethel Park entered averaging 51 points per game. Its best first-half scoring chance was a second-quarter drive that stalled at USC’s 7 on a fourth down incompletion.

Black Hawks wide receiver Ryan Petras made his return from shoulder surgery and caught five passes for 85 yards.

The score remained tied until the field goal by Friday in the fourth quarter gave Bethel Park a 10-7 lead. The kick was the team’s first field goal attempt of the season.

Upper St. Clair’s passing game hadn’t contributed much to the team’s recent success, and Junko was concerned his quarterback and receivers might grow discouraged. He met with them individually, saying to keep their heads up.

“We brought Charlie into the office and had that conversation with him this week,” Junko said. “We said, ‘Hey, we believe in you. We’re going to need you. Keep blocking and when the time comes make a play.’

“Boy, oh, boy. It’s like I had a crystal ball.”

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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