Upper St. Clair faces yet another undefeated Allegheny Six foe, this time South Fayette

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, October 4, 2024 | 8:41 AM

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With the regular season already half over, Upper St. Clair will likely face three undefeated teams in a row.

The Panthers handed defending WPIAL champion Peters Township its first loss last week, and their reward was a clash this week with undefeated South Fayette (6-0, 1-0). And waiting for USC next week is Bethel Park (6-0, 1-0), which also seems likely to remain undefeated.

It’s a unique three-week grind in the Allegheny Six.

“That is a rarity,” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gone through three teams in a row that will likely be undefeated in the middle of your season. That’s just the strength of the conference.”

Making the situation more impressive is that Upper St. Clair is also undefeated after six games. The Panthers (6-0, 1-0) are ranked second in WPIAL 5A and chasing their first conference title since 2017.

Whoever wins the Allegheny Six will certainly have earned it.

Refocusing after one big game in time to tackle another isn’t always easy. That’s the challenge this year for teams in this conference.

“One of the big things we’ve talked about with the team is being where your feet are,” Junko said. “We’ve kind of been the team that had to scratch and claw to get where we are. Now you’ve got to learn how to play with success. We’ve talked a lot about the importance of coming back down to Earth and focusing on a really good football team.”

Their opponent this week, fourth-ranked South Fayette, is off to its best start in seven years. The Lions are out to prove their unbeaten record is solid and that they’re again WPIAL contenders like they were in decades past.

South Fayette hosts Upper St. Clair at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Lions have compiled a 6-14 conference record in the Allegheny Six since joining Class 5A in 2020. The team is under new leadership this season with Marty Spieler taking over for coach Joe Rossi, who resigned after 17 seasons and four WPIAL titles.

“We’re doing some things that hasn’t happened at South Fayette in a couple of years,” Spieler said. “Joe Rossi did a fantastic job in the 2010s, but it’s been tough for us in 5A recently. Our kids want to get back to that era of all the Brumbaughs.”

South Fayette is coming off a 38-0 win over Baldwin. Junior quarterback Drew Welhorsky passed for 156 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 121 yards and two more scores.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Welhorsky is a true dual-threat quarterback who leads the team in yards passing (1,203) and rushing (632). He’s thrown for 11 touchdowns and run for nine.

“He is fun to watch for sure,” Spieler said. “He’s a lacrosse kid and knows how to take a beating as an attacker.”

Welhorsky’s top receivers are sophomore Alex Deanes (22 catches) and senior Ben Cavenaugh (15 catches). The Lions average 28.3 points per game, but also own the stingiest defense in WPIAL 5A.

They allow only 8.1 points per game, led by inside linebackers Cooper Hillebrand (32 tackles) and Travis Watkins (34 tackles), who also are lacrosse players.

“They play hard on every play,” Junko said. “You know you have to block all 11 on defense because they’re all going to try to make a play. It’s impressive.”

Upper St. Clair is coming off a 21-7 victory over Peters Township. Versatile senior Julian Dahlem scored three times in the win. He returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown and scored on runs of 16 and 71 yards.

The running back can take snaps from center along with starting quarterback Ethan Hellmann, but USC’s offense doesn’t throw often.

“It’s October football in Western Pennsylvania. You have to stop the run,” Spieler said. “That’s never bigger than with Upper St. Clair and Julian Dahlem.”

Upper St. Clair didn’t complete a pass against Peters Township and instead ran the ball 40 times. Dahlem rushed for 185 yards on 22 carries, but Junko said he’d like to add a little more balance to the offense.

“We’ve relied on the guys up front and some of our playmakers to break a tackle or two,” Junko said. “The formula has worked thus far. Run the football, play good defense and create turnovers. That’s kind of how we’ve been winning football games.”

Upper St. Clair averages 40.3 points per game, second only to Bethel Park (50.1) in WPIAL 5A. USC’s defense allows 10.5 led by senior lineman Nate Stohl, a Princeton commit, and junior linebacker Van Hellmann, another Division I recruit.

USC won this matchup 34-21 last year in the regular-season finale.

Four of the five teams in the current WPIAL 5A rankings hail from the Allegheny Six. Bethel Park is second and Peters Township (5-1, 0-1) is fifth.

“This year the stars have aligned where everyone has really good talent and everyone is doing a great job of coaching,” Junko said. “It makes for a great Friday night atmosphere. Everywhere we go, it’s packed.”

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.

Tags: South Fayette, Upper St. Clair