Upper St. Clair shakes off early deficit to put away Woodland Hills

By: Bob Orkwis
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 11:16 PM

Upper St. Clair trailed Plum in its first-round WPIAL playoff victory last week before defeating the Mustangs. The Panthers dealt with a similar start this week at the Wolverena, falling behind by two touchdowns in the first quarter.

Again the Panthers were undaunted, at one pointed rattling off 26 unanswered points on the way to a 36-26 victory over third-seeded Woodland Hills in the Class 5A quarterfinals Friday night.

“I have to give our kids a lot of credit,” said Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko. “There was never any panic on the sideline (down 14-0). You know, we are a tempo team and we are used to playing at a pace that can catch you up like that. Our kids were very resilient and showed a lot of grit tonight.”

It did not take Scoop Smith long to make an impact for the Wolverines.

The opening kickoff was fielded by Carter Akins, who handed the ball to Smith, who went 99 yards for his 20th touchdown of the season.

After a stop, the Wolverines started a drive at their own 2-yard line due to a penalty.

Woodland Hills drove 98 yards in 11 plays, capped off when Cam Walter found Malik McCloud open in the end zone for a 27-yard score and a 14-0 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

After that score, the Panthers found their footing.

On the ensuing drive, Upper St. Clair marched 62 yards and Dante Coury scored on a 10-yard run late in the first quarter to make it a seven-point game.

After an Andrew Gaither interception, the Panthers added a Jacobo Echeverria 21-yard field goal late in the second quarter and the score was 14-10 Woodland Hills at halftime.

Upper St. Clair featured a strong rushing attack, and that was a key in a 23-point third quarter.

John Banbury scored his first of three touchdowns on a 5-yard run to put the Panthers up for the first time, 17-14.

Woodland Hills then had a punt snap land in the end zone that was booted out of play for a safety.

Banbury added scoring runs of 6 and 1 yards in the third quarter as the lead grew to 33-14.

Banbury gained 142 yards on the ground for the Panthers while Coury added 101, and the duo combined for four touchdowns.

Junko thought that pair was the key to the victory.

“No doubt about it, that was the big difference, those two backs,” he said. “In the second half, we got on the board and were able to execute some things we thought would work.”

The Wolverines purt together a four-play scoring drive with Walter finding Landon Akins for a 41- yard touchdown. Later, Echeverria added a 38-yard field goal.

The senior Smith capped off his fantastic career by hauling in a 20-yard pass from Walter to make the final score 36-26. The Miami (Ohio) recruit ended up with 55 yards rushing, 92 yards receiving and the two touchdowns to give him 52 in his career as a Wolverine.

Walter threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns. He ends his career as the all-time leading passer at Woodland Hills with 5,408 yards.

Ethan Hellman, the senior quarterback for Upper St. Clair, was 7-for-11 for 125 yards. His total of 2,480 yards is the single-season record for the Panthers, and he became upper St. Clair’s all-time passing yardage leader as well with Friday night’s performance.

“It’s great to see him become Upper St. Clair’s leading passer,” Junko said. “We’re real proud of him, and he’s had a phenomenal season; he’s an inspirational leader who just plays with raw emotion.”

Woodland Hills season ends at 8-3.

The sixth-seeded Panthers are now 10-2, and they will face a familiar foe in the semifinals: No. 2 Peters Township.

“I think this will be the 14th time we’ve played them in the last four years,” Junko joked. “We’re familiar with them; they’re familiar with us. We’re going to enjoy this one and then get to work.”

The Indians defeated Upper St. Clair, 24-20, during the regular season, and Peters Township ended the Panthers’ season last year with a 7-3 victory in the WPIAL semifinals.

Tags: Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills