Quarterbacks Steal the Show in 17-14 Victory for Upper Saint Clair Over McKeesport

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Isaac Graves | September 20, 2025

A highly anticipated matchup did not disappoint on Friday night, as the Upper Saint Clair Panthers hosted the McKeesport Tigers, which saw the Panthers walk away with a 17-14 victory to remain undefeated on the season at 5-0. The Tigers now fall to 2-3.

The first quarter saw both defensive units taking control. The Tigers would convert a big play on third down on their first drive, as Akeem Cochran took the ball inside the 25-yard line, but the drive ended with the Tigers turning over on downs.

The opening remained scoreless right up to the end. The Panthers’ opening drive ended rather quickly, but their defense did the talking late in the quarter, coming up with a big stop on third down with just over 2 and a half minutes to go in the first quarter. Upper Saint Clair finished the first quarter with a 3-0 lead with a well-placed kick by Jacobo Echeverria Lozano.

Early on in the second quarter, the Tigers’ offense got to work, marching down the field quickly, and less than four minutes in, quarterback Matthew Miller hauled it in himself for a four-yard touchdown to put the Tigers in front. The Panthers’ offense had a few good looks in the back end of the second quarter, and they eventually made their way down deep into the red zone. However, the Tigers’ defense made a statement play to cap off the half as defensive back Brian Jones snagged an interception in the end zone with zeroes on the play clock.

The Panthers came back out of the tunnel at the start of the second half looking ready to respond, and with 8:36 remaining, they did just that. Both teams’ quarterbacks were the stars of the show tonight as Ethan Hellmann just broke the plane to pull Upper Saint Clair ahead 10 to 7. The Tigers did not back down, however, taking up nearly all of what was left of the third quarter with their subsequent drive, and Matthew Miller scored his second touchdown of the night to put the Tigers ahead once again with less than a minute to go in quarter number three.

But the Panthers decided that score would not do, and on their second drive of the fourth quarter, they only needed one play to go back on top. Wideout Bryce Jones took it 49 yards to the house on the first and only play of the drive to put Upper Saint Clair in front once again, 17-14.

The Tigers nearly had something going in the dying minutes of the final quarter, but the Panthers’ defense slammed the door as defensive back Randy Yan grabbed a possible game-saving interception with just over five minutes left to play.

The defensive units battled it out to close the game, and the Panthers celebrated on their home turf as they secured the victory to improve to 5-0 on the season.

The Upper Saint Clair Panthers will be on the road next week to face off against the Peters Township Indians in a battle of undefeated squads. The McKeesport Tigers will head home to face the Hampton Talbots.

Photos Captured by Ryan Thielet.

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