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Upper St. Clair Defense Dominates Peters In 17-10 Win

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

| September 24, 2022

Two of the top unbeatens in the WPIAL matched up on Friday night, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair. The winner on the evening would not only be a shoo-in as the top ranked team in the WPIAL, but also in the driver’s seat for an Allegheny Six title.

Both teams came into the game with two of the top defenses in 5A, and in the first half, it showed. Neither team could gain quality yards, as both teams headed into the locker room with 3 points apiece.

The Panthers defense stood out in the first half, only holding Peters and WPIAL standout Richie Woods to 17 yards of rushing on 10 attempts. The passing game wasn’t much stronger for the Indians, with only 5 passes for 61 yards and an interception by Jake Hufnagel.

That being said, the Upper St. Clair Panthers were not without their chances. On the drive that ended in a field goal, the Panthers scored, however an offensive pass interference penalty set them back.

The maligned Panthers offense came out on their first drive of the half and moved down the field, capping off the drive with Jamaal Brown finding paydirt from five yards out. The score put the Panthers up 10-3 and in command of the game.

Peters Township’s offense, after struggling for much of the game, was forced to a three and out on the drive following. Fortunately for the Indians, they would recover a muffed punt for USC. Unfortunately for the Indians, the offense would once again stutter, and the Indians would miss a 37 yard Field Goal.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Aidan Besselman broke the game open, streaking down the sidelines and outrunning the Peters defenders for a 70-yard TD that put the Panthers up 17-3. Barely into the fourth quarter, and with the USC defense rolling, the game was nearly finished.

The Panthers would add two more to their turnover total before the final siren, as Peters swapped quarterbacks in the final quarter. Timothy Speer got the first, before Aidan Besselman added to his game resume on the defensive side.

Peters would score a TD with 35 seconds left, but the damage was done. Besselman recovered the onside kick to put the final stamp on the game, and an undefeated first half of the season for the Panthers

What’s Next?: Upper St. Clair hits the road against rival Mt. Lebanon while Peters will look to pick up a conference win against Baldwin next weekend.

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