Peters Township punishes McKeesport with defense, running game

Peters Township knows a little about running the football, too.

Hosting a McKeesport team that usually thrives on the ground, Peters Township ran the ball close to 50 times and mixed in some quarterback draws Friday night in a 42-7 nonconference win that ended with a running clock. The Indians, who led the WPIAL in passing yards last year, scored four rushing touchdowns.

Junior running back Cole Neupaver rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown, senior Nick Courie scored twice, and quarterback Nolan DiLucia also reached the end zone on a run.

“They tried to take away our passing game,” said DiLucia, who ran eight times for 74 yards and scored a 7-yard touchdown. “They tried to drop a lot of guys, so I just took what they gave us.”

DiLucia also passed for 183 yards and a touchdown for Peters Township (2-0), the No. 1-ranked team in WPIAL 5A. But McKeesport’s defense tried to make the Indians sustain drives with short gains.

“They’re good top to bottom and weren’t giving us anything deep,” Peters Township coach T.J. Plack said. “They were letting us run the ball and do some things underneath and tackling us.”

But McKeesport (0-2) never got its offense going.

Senior running back Anthony Boyd was held to 29 yards on 11 carries and sophomore Kemon Spell added 20 yards on five carries. Tigers quarterback Brady Eastman passed for 49 yards.

Their struggles can be attributed to a disruptive Peters Township defense that recovered four fumbles and intercepted a pass. But McKeesport also hurt itself with penalties that negated a number of positive gains.

“There were so many mistakes,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “We knew going into this season that we were so young. We started two freshmen on the offensive line. We started a sophomore on the line too.

“When you make a mistake, they make you pay for it.”

Peters Township scored the first 35 points, enacting the mercy rule with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter. McKeesport’s lone touchdown was a 77-yard fumble return by Jaivien Robinson in the fourth quarter.

Peters Township’s sixth touchdown was also a fumble return, a 19-yarder by Ian Watson, late in the fourth quarter for a 42-7 final.

But the lead was only 14-0 at halftime, until two third-quarter turnovers by McKeesport helped break the game open.

Defensive lineman Keenan Doran recovered a McKeesport fumble and linebacker Reston Lehman intercepted a pass on the first play of the next possession. Those Tigers turnovers – 37 seconds apart in the third quarter – both led to Peters Township touchdowns.

“This might be the first time they’ve seen a defense like ours,” Plack said. “I know they’re used to scheming up certain teams in different ways. They do a fantastic job. We had a little bit of practice (against the triple-option) in the state semifinals against Cocalico.”

DiLucia connected with wide receiver Nick McCullough for a 35-yard touchdown pass, and Courie scored on a 4-yard run to lead 28-0 with 4:30 left in the third.

Doran recovered another McKeesport fumble early in the fourth quarter that led to another touchdown drive. Peters Township moved 50 yards in seven plays, ending with a 2-yard touchdown run by Neupaver.

“In the second half, I think we wore them down, maybe, just a little bit,” Plack said. “We were able to run the ball and get at it.”

Peters Township started the game with two possessions in McKeesport territory. The first led to a quick punt, but the Indians turned the second into a nine-play, 40-yard touchdown drive. Courie scored on a 1-yard run for a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Peters Township scored again on their next possession early in the second quarter. The Indians moved 84 yards in 11 plays, ending with a 7-yard run by DiLucia to lead 14-0.

Asking DiLucia to run was part of his team’s game plan.

“If they spread it out and try to play the pass, I was going to take it myself,” DiLucia said. “They want me to slide, but I like to play hard-nosed football. I’m trying to get those extra yards.”

Tags: McKeesport, Peters Township