Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for Week 6

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, October 18, 2020 | 9:18 PM

With a possible playoff berth in the balance, twice Upper St. Clair fell behind Moon by two touchdowns.

However, Panthers fans had no fear because Ethan Dahlem was there.

USC’s senior quarterback had a huge night and engineered multiple comebacks in Week 6, the last coming when he scored on a 10-yard run for the winning points in a 42-35 victory in a key Class 5A Allegheny 6 Conference game.

“I think he is one of the most underrated kids in the WPIAL,” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko said. “His arm strength and understanding of our system have really improved this year. He also has become one of our team’s most important leaders, and we could not be more fortunate to be led by such a humble competitor.

“He has a love for the game, and you can count on him to compete no matter what the scoreboard says.”

Dahlem connected on 18 of 28 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns.

“Two things stuck out to me during our game on Friday night,” Junko said. “First, Ethan did a great job of not riding the highs and lows of the game. He stayed focused on making plays and not on the scoreboard. His steady demeanor really rubbed off on our kids.

“Second, he did a great job of extending plays and moving in the pocket to avoid Moon’s pass rush. His feet and pocket presence was a big part of our success on Friday night.”

Dahlem’s big night came against a Moon defense that had allowed an average of only 16 points per game and been a big part of the Tigers’ turnaround the last couple of years.

“Certainly you don’t expect to score that many points against a defense that has been as successful as Moon has been thepast few years,” Junko said. “Last year, we were only able to muster six points. I think the biggest difference was Ethan’s ability to spread the ball all over the field and get a number of our weapons involved in the offense.”

Three of Dahlem’s five scoring passes went to David Pantellis, who had seven catches for 187 yards. Junko said it was collective efforts by the offense that helped Dahlem enjoy a big night in a big win.

“I can’t say enough about our offensive line and their effort on Friday night. They were facing a defensive front that boasts a number of all-conference and all-state performers, and they were able to keep our quarterback on his feet through much of the night.

“We also have a number of receivers that made huge catches in must have situations. Pantellis, (Mateo) Cepullio, (Aidan) Besselman and (Luke) Banbury have been doing a great job all year of stretching defenses and finding windows for Ethan to exploit.”

The victory improved Upper St. Clair to 3-1 in the conference and 4-2 overall and sets up a battle for second place in the regular season finale when the Panthers visit South Fayette.

“Our schedule has been extremely challenging this year,” Junko said. “Friday night is no different. South Fayette has a number of big-time players and an offensive system that can change a game in an instant.

“One of the things that people don’t often talk about is how good their defense is this year. They have done an excellent job of playing a physical style of defense, and their kids are very disciplined. It will certainly be another challenging game for ourkids in a year that has been nothing short of challenging.”

WPIAL Week 6 Honorable Mentions:

Ethan Carr, Penn-Trafford

Through two quarters, Penn-Trafford was caught in an unexpected dogfight at home against winless Connellsville in a Class 5A Big East Conference game as the teams went to locker room deadlocked at 28-28.

Thant changed in the second half as the Warriors hopped in their Carr and outscored the Falcons, 36-0, in the final two quarters. Carr, the Warriors’ quarterback, hit on 8 of 12 passes for 139 yards with three touchdowns, two scoring runs and an interception return of 35-yards for a score in the Warriors’ 64-28 triumph.

Brad Birch, Jeannette

This has been a strange season indeed, but one of the things this unique season might be remembered for down the road is the unveiling of a fabulous freshman quarterback.

Jeannette’s Brad Birch continued his strong season with a dominating performance against Bishop Canevin. Birch was 11 of 14 for 293 yards and seven touchdowns in a 49-0 victory over the Crusaders. For the season, Birch has thrown for 1,198 yards and 20 touchdowns in helping the Jayhawks to a 5-1 record in the Class A Eastern Conference.

Braylan Lovelace, Leechburg

From 1992 through 2017, Leechburg suffered through 25 straight losing seasons. The last two years, the Blue Devils snapped that string with back-to-back 5-5 seasons.With one week left, Leechburg sits at 3-3 and has a chance at a winning record thanks to the play of Lovelace.

The sophomore running back rushed for 392 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 15, 86, 95 and 58 yards as the Blue Devils crushed Riverview, 76-25, and are now a victory over Imani Christian away from a winning season for the first time in nearly 30 years.

2020 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 5: Jaedan Zuzak, California

Week 4: RaShawn Reid, Rochester

Week 3: Ryan Hubner, Plum

Week 2: Logan Shrubb, Keystone Oaks

Week 1: Devin Whitlock, Belle Vernon

Tags: Jeannette, Leechburg, Penn-Trafford, Upper St. Clair