Big plays, takeaways help McKeesport defeat Penn-Trafford

By: Nathan Breisinger
Friday, September 1, 2023 | 10:37 PM

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Before its matchup with Penn-Trafford, the Class 4A No. 3 McKeesport added a play to its offensive repertoire that coach Matt Miller did not know if they would use.

That play: a halfback pass.

Not only did the Tigers use it, but they used it to perfection. That play also became the turning point of the game as the Tigers (2-0) defeated Penn-Trafford (0-2), 17-7.

With less than a minute left in the first half, Valdez Stuvaints received a pitch and pulled up to toss a 48-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Cochran to ignite the Tigers’ offense.

“We just put it in this week. Thank goodness we did,” Miller said. “Dez made a great pass. Our wing did a great job blocking, and Dom did the rest.”

The trickery from McKeesport was set up by a key run from senior quarterback Garrett Tarker as he took off for a 47-yard run to get inside Penn-Trafford territory. The Tigers showed their big play ability on just two snaps that went 95 yards.

“It’s a good momentum change,” Cochran said. “We started slow. Once we started getting those big plays, it brought everyone up and brought the energy we needed to push through and finish the game.”

With 37.8 seconds remaining on the clock, it looked as if Penn-Trafford would just try to run out the rest of the time. However, McKeesport forced a three-and-out, setting up prime field position at the 35-yard line.

All the Tigers had time for was one play, and they made no mistake. Tarker took the snap, stepped back and heaved a pass to the 6-foot-3 Cochran, who hauled it in with a defender draped all over him.

“Me and Garrett have been through a lot. That’s been my guy since little league. He feels like he can trust me to throw it up in those situations, and I’m going to go and get it every time,” Cochran said.

Three plays in less than a minute was all that McKeesport needed to hold off Penn-Trafford as the Tigers showed up again defensively, holding another opponent to just one touchdown.

The Tigers defensive front disrupted Penn-Trafford junior quarterback Johnny Lovre and the Warriors offense all night long.

On the ground, McKeesport limited the Warriors to 66 yards. Senior defensive linemen Courtney Dunn and Keith Spell were impressive in run defense as they registered four tackles each. Junior Anthony Boyd also made his presence felt with a team-high eight tackles and a sack.

“They’re the guys with experience, and they’re the guys we are counting on,” Miller said. “We have to have them play big, and that’s what they are doing. It’s not a surprise, but we really respect what they do and bring to our team.”

Despite Penn-Trafford’s struggles, the offense seemed to turn a corner in the third quarter as it mustered a nearly 10-minute drive to score its first touchdown on the season. On a fourth-and-4, Lovre connected with senior wide receiver Carmen Metcalfe on a slant for a 5-yard touchdown.

“It was our best drive on the season,” Warriors coach John Ruane said. “Doing it once isn’t enough, so we have to put a lot of those together.”

The Warriors had a chance to strike again after recovering a fumble that gave them good starting field position. Lovre went for the home run ball but was intercepted by Maliek Davis, his second of the game.

For Lovre, the deep ball was ineffective all night as the Tigers picked him off three times.

“We have to eliminate mistakes,” Ruane said. “We turned the ball over way too many times, and McKeesport is a great football team and we can’t do that.”

Penn-Trafford falls to 0-2 for the first time in 2018.

Tags: McKeesport, Penn-Trafford