Trib HSSN football team of the week for Aug. 25, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Monday, August 25, 2025 | 7:45 PM

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Trib HSSN football team of the week – Upper St. Clair Panthers

Coach: Mike Junko (seventh season)

Result: Upper St. Clair 35, Mt. Lebanon 14

Record: 1-0 overall

#Earned: In the 50th all-time meeting between these South Hills neighbors, visiting Upper St. Clair took the suspense out of this rivalry game early. The Panthers exploded for three touchdowns in the opening quarter and two more in the second to take a 35-0 lead into the locker room. The USC defense did a great job on Mt. Lebanon senior quarterback Patrick Smith, who did rush for 108 yards but was held to 112 yards passing on 17 attempts with a touchdown and an interception as Upper St. Clair defeated Mt. Lebanon for a fourth straight season, 35-14. The win bumps the Panthers’ advantage in the all-time series against the Blue Devils to 31-19.

Statistical standouts: Upper St. Clair got a great season debut from their four-year starter at quarterback. Ethan Hellman connected on 16 of his 19 passes for 225 yards and four touchdown tosses. Three of those scoring passes went to senior wide receiver Nico D’Orazio, who ended up with five receptions for 127 yards and scoring catches of 48, 45 and 8 yards. Junior wide receiver Anthony Rozzo caught the other touchdown pass for USC, a 51-yard strike in the second quarter. On the ground, USC was led by the tandem of senior Dante Coury and sophomore Luca Coury. Dante ran for 83 yards on 12 carries while Luca gained 46 yards on seven carries. Sophomore Josh Snyder ran six times for 42 yards and scored on a 9-yard run.

Last year: The Panthers earned the No. 2 seed in the 2024 WPIAL Class 5A football playoffs by winning the uber-difficult Allegheny Six Conference with a perfect 5-0 record. They ended the regular season with a 10-0 overall mark and enjoyed a first-round bye in the postseason before shutting down Penn Hills in the district quarterfinals, 24-3. The season ended in the semifinals, however, when USC could not muster much offense against a Peters Township team that lost 21-7 to Upper St. Clair in the regular season. In the rematch, the Indians earned the trip to Acrisure Stadium and the WPIAL finals with a 7-3 victory over the Panthers.

Remember when: Upper St. Clair is tied for seventh place on the all-time WPIAL football championships list with seven. The most recent title came nearly two decades ago when USC edged Penn Hills in the 2006 Class 4A finals, 18-12. This fall marks the 50th anniversary of the Panthers’ second WPIAL crown when they played New Castle to a scoreless tie in the 1975 Class 3A finals and both teams were named co-champs. It was almost a repeat of the year before when Upper St. Clair and Gateway played to a 6-6 tie and shared the 3A championship in 1974.

Week Zero honorable mention

Plum Mustangs

Plum opened the new season doing something it hasn’t done since 2017: beating neighboring Franklin Regional. The Mustangs ended a seven-game losing streak against the Panthers with a strong first half in which they built up a 21-0 lead by halftime on the road. Following Franklin Regional pulling to within two scores in the third quarter, Plum finished strong in the fourth to cruise to the 42-13 win. Mustangs junior quarterback John Nonnenberg hit on 9 of 14 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns.

New Castle Red Hurricanes

Despite missing the 2024 postseason, there was reason for optimism in 2025 for a New Castle program that was a combined 2-18 in 2022 and 2023. The Red Hurricanes finished over .500 overall last fall with a 5-4 record. They began this season at home with an impressive victory over Class 5A No. 4 Penn Hills. It was a solid debut for the Red Hurricanes defense and freshman quarterback Marino Graham, who threw for 79 yards and a touchdown and ran for 42 yards and a score as the Red Hurricanes blanked the Indians, 12-0.

Mt. Pleasant Vikings

Usually in the late August heat, the team that jumps out on top early has a big advantage and the warm conditions start to take their toll in the second half. However, in the case of Mt. Pleasant in Week Zero, the Vikings seemed to get stronger as the game played out. Hosting Class A power Jeannette, the Vikings fell behind the Jayhawks in the second quarter, 23-0. But then the game turned as Mt. Pleasant rallied for 29 unanswered points to pull out the 29-23 win. Vikings junior running back Steven Predajna rushed for 80 yards and scored on a second-quarter run to start the rally and a third-quarter jaunt that helped the momentum swing.

2024 HSSN teams of the week

Week 14 – Central Catholic Vikings

Week 13 – South Park Eagles

Week 12 – Clairton Bears

Week 11 – Avonworth Antelopes

Week 10 – Highlands Golden Rams

Week 9 – Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils

Week 8 – Montour Spartans

Week 7 – Woodland Hills Wolverines

Week 6 – Ellwood City Wolverines

Week 5 – Central Catholic Vikings

Week 4 – Central Valley Warriors

Week 3 – South Allegheny Gladiators

Week 2 – Jefferson-Morgan Rockets

Week 1 – Bethel Park Black Hawks

Week Zero – Blackhawk Cougars

Tags: Upper St. Clair