TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 15
DONOVAN McMILLON
PETERS TOWNSHIP HAS
HIGH-END TALENT AGAIN
Peters Township came within
one point of winning the WPIAL
Class 5A title last season, but that
rain-soaked loss didn’t close the
team’s championship window.
“We have some good guys coming
back,” coach T.J. Plack said. “If
we didn’t have (Donovan) McMillon,
(Corban) Hondru and some of
these others, we’re probably not in
the mix. If we just had ‘guys,’ we’d
still fight every game and maybe
get back in a couple of years.
“But we’ve still got guys.”
Gone from last year’s 12-2 team
is Penn freshman Josh Casilli, but
McMillon and Hondru are both
Division I recruits as well.
McMillon, a safety and wideout,
committed to Florida. Hondru, a
linebacker and tight end, chose
Miami (Ohio).
What this year’s team has that
last year’s lacked is depth, Plack
said.
“We’re losing about four dudes
who are very hard to replace, but
we’re trying to do it with about 16
guys,” he said.
A year ago, the team had only
nine seniors. It 2018, it had just 10.
This season, there are 16 seniors.
“We had really no depth whatsoever,”
Plack said. “If one person
went down, we were moving everyone
around. This year, we’ve got a
lot of depth.”
Hondru and McMillon lead a
defense that allowed a touchdown
or less eight times last season with
three shutouts.
Hondru (6-1, 225) will be a fouryear
starter. He had 69 tackles last
season, including 10 sacks and 16
tackles for loss as Peters Township
finished tied for the conference
title. He committed in April to
Miami (Ohio).
McMillon, a three-year starter,
committed in July to Florida over
offers from Oklahoma, Oregon,
Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. He
was a difference maker on defense
last season, but should contribute
more at wide receiver this fall.
“We expect everything he
brought last year on the defensive
side of the ball and more,” Plack
said. “He’ll be a guy we look to get
the ball to in different ways.”
Senior quarterback Logan
Pfeuffer also is a three-year starter.
He passed for 2,358 yards and
24 touchdowns last fall, but Plack
expects more creativity from the
quarterback this season.
That means a little more improvisation
when the pass protection
breaks down.
“He fully understands what
he needs to do with the ball and
where it should go,” Plack said.
“He understands the offense. He
moves people around. He corrects
the formation. But one thing I’m
challenging him with is he needs
to make some off-scripted plays
for us.”
Senior receiver Breylen Carrington
will help replace Casilli,
who scored 22 touchdowns last
season. The team also must replace
1,000-yard rusher Ryan Magiske,
who graduated.
Senior running back Michael
Peyton, who missed last season
with a knee injury, will handle the
carries. He’ll have the benefit of a
veteran offensive line.
The Indians return four of five
starters up front from last season.
Coming back are tackles David
Dicio and Austin McKinnon, and
guards Ethan Spangenberg and
Dylan Wente.
“We’re a different team than
we’ve been in the past,” Plack said.
“We’re heavy in the middle with
linebackers, linemen and tight
end-type guys.”
Peters Township lost to Gateway,
21-20, in the WPIAL finals last season.
That loss wasn’t something
they talked about this summer,
Plack said.
“We’re not avoiding it,” he said.
“Believe me, we’re going to use
it, but we’ve been so wrapped up
in ‘Are we going to play?’ and the
coronavirus. We haven’t really
talked about that with the kids,
but that will come out.
“We will remind them where we
were and how close we were.”
by CHRIS HARLAN
Coach: T.J. Plack
2019 record: 12-2, 6-1 in
Class 5A Allegheny Eight
Conference
All-time record: 247-326-16
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.18 Penn-Trafford 7
9.25 South Fayette* 7
10.2 Upper St. Clair* 7
10.9 at Moon* 7
10.16 Bethel Park* 7
10.23 at West Allegheny* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Logan Pfeuffer
143-233, 2,350 yards, 24 TDs
Receiving Josh Casilli*
46-790 yards, 13 TDs
Rushing Ryan Magiske*
217-1,290 yards, 17 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Peters Township’s appearance
in the WPIAL finals last
year was the first in school
history.
• Pfeuffer already has a pair
of 2,000-yard passing seasons.
He threw for 2,045 his
sophomore season.
• The Indians have won their
conference’s title two years
in a row. Before 2018, they
hadn’t won a conference crown
since 1975.
• Florida recruit Donovan
McMillon’s father Darrin is
co-defensive coordinator for
Peters Township.
MICHAEL PEYTON
PETERS TOWNSHIP • ALLEGHENY 6