Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week for 2022 Week 11

By: Don Rebel
Monday, November 14, 2022 | 4:54 PM

There is an old saying among football executives and coaches: “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.”

Well, the Upper St. Clair football team has spent the season trying to bury that old adage. Not only have the Panthers been using two quarterbacks, but they are young, in their first and second seasons of their scholastic careers.

Sophomore Julian Dahlem is 20 yards shy of 1,000 passing for the season while freshman Ethan Hellman is 225 yards from 1K.

“They’re both talented and athletic kids,” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko said. “They’re points guards, they’re gamers, they’re fearless, and they’re selfless. To be young kids and loving to play on the big stage says something about both of them.”

Dahlem threw only one pass two weeks ago, but he connected with senior wide receiver Aiden Besselman on a 26-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the Panthers quarterfinal victory at Gateway, 24-21.

Then in the nasty conditions of wind and steady to heavy rains Friday, Hellman threw for 116 yards, including a 64-yard strike to senior wide receiver Cody Marn early in the third quarter that turned out to be the winning score as Upper St. Clair knocked off top-seeded Bethel Park, 17-7.

The win not only lifted USC into the Class 5A championship game, but it also avenged the Panthers’ first of two losses this season, back on Oct. 7 when the visiting Black Hawks won, 27-14.

“We were rolling along pretty good in those first six games,” Junko said. “Then we ran into a really good Bethel Park football team. In a lot of ways, losing that game was the best thing that happened to us because winning can hide some issues and problems and they did a great job of exposing our warts.”

One thing that has not been a problem all year for Upper St. Clair has been running the ball.

Senior running back Jamaal Brown has carried the load for the Panthers. Brown needs 32 yards rushing Saturday to go over the 1,500-yard mark. He also leads the team in scoring with 14 touchdowns.

While he was kept out of the end zone in the semifinal win over Bethel Park, Brown still led all rushers with 132 yards on 22 carries.

Upper St. Clair (10-2) now advances to play in the WPIAL championship game for the first time since 2011 when it lost to North Allegheny in overtime, 28-21.

USC will battle No. 2 seed Pine-Richland (9-3), winner of eight straight games. The game is set for noon Saturday at Norwin and will be streamed live by Trib HSSN.

“They’re a lot like us in that they had some tough losses early,” Junko said. “They learned from those losses, made adjustments similar to us, and those adjustments have played out really well. They are very big up front and have lots of athleticism, a very formidable opponent.”

Week 11 Honorable Mentions

Central Catholic Vikings

Following a 22-point loss to Pine-Richland in Week 6, Central Catholic was 3-4 and fighting for its Class 6A playoff life. A longtime assistant coach resigned, stories of unhappiness were abound and the Vikings looked like Team Turmoil. Now, Central is one win away from lifting district gold and being Team Title once again.

The Vikings picked up their fourth consecutive victory in the 6A semifinals Friday by scoring 21 unanswered points in knocking out defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Mt. Lebanon in its backyard, 28-7. Junior quarterback Payton Wehner shined through the pouring rain as he hit on 6 of 10 passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, plus he ran for 66 yards and two more scores as Central Catholic moved on to face North Allegheny in a rematch of the 2020 Class 6A title game.

Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

While most of the brackets in the WPIAL football playoffs have played out according to script, a bunch of players from Shady Side Academy have ripped up the Class 3A script and decided that impromptu victories are a lot more enjoyable.

Still playing without their injured senior quarterback, Max Wickland, the Bulldogs have relied heavily on senior Joey Bellinotti to run the ball and catch the ball, as he did on an 11-yard scoring pass from junior Eddie DeBruce. However, SSA needed all hands on deck when visiting No. 3 seed Elizabeth Forward. Senior Naiziim Daniels returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown while junior Grady Bryan returned a fumble for another score as the Bulldogs stunned the Warriors to advance to the final four, 31-17.

South Side Rams

It seemed not only the tiny school district of Mapletown and the entire Greene County area had fallen in love with the Maples’ 2022 story, but also most scholastic fans in the district heard and started to support the school that had become the little engine that could. Then South Side rode into Waynesburg, wearing black hats, ready to spoil the perfect season in this Class A quarterfinals matchup.

The Rams jumped out to an 18-0 lead by halftime and did not allow for a sweet comeback by the Maples by tacking on 20 more points in the third quarter. Junior running back Ryan Navarro rushed for 135 yards and scored three touchdowns as South Side ended Mapletown’s dream season, 47-6. The Rams switch to the white hats now as they will be the underdog in a semifinals matchup with defending champion and top seed Bishop Canevin.

2022 HSSN Teams of the Week:

Week 10 – Woodland Hills Wolverines

Week 9 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars

Week 8 – Apollo-Ridge Vikings

Week 7 – Seneca Valley Raiders

Week 6 – Sto-Rox Vikings

Week 5 – Laurel Highlands Mustangs

Week 4 – West Mifflin Titans

Week 3 – McKeesport Tigers

Week 2 – Ellwood City Wolverines

Week 1 – Bethel Park Black Hawks

Week Zero – Mars Fightin’ Planets

Tags: Upper St. Clair