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Charleroi uses big 3rd quarter to rout Riverview

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 8, 2018 | 11:12 PM

Up by just seven and facing a third-down situation early in the second half, Charleroi needed a big play.

The Cougars got it when quarterback Geno Pellegrini went 25 yards on a keeper, escaping after he appeared stopped three times.

Brayden Mihalcin scored two plays later, and Charleroi was on its way to a 48-7 victory over Riverview on Saturday afternoon at Oakmont’s Riverside Park.

The Class 2A No. 4 Cougars (2-0, 1-0) outscored the Raiders, 27-0, in the third quarter, breaking open a nonconference game that saw Charleroi in front 14-7 at the half.

“I think we saw some things we could do offensively with our positions and our motions, and that was the difference,” Charleroi coach Lance Getsy said. “We did our best to put our kids in the best position possible.”

It was the first meeting between Charleroi and Riverview (0-2, 0-1).

After Charleroi jumped to a 14-0 lead, Riverview’s Devin Binz skirted the right end and raced 64 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. The Raiders then stopped the Cougars at their 13 on downs, and Riverview headed for the locker room feeling good about its first half.

“We absolutely felt good, and it was the same way last week, too,” said Riverview coach Todd Massack, referring to the Aug. 31 game at Greensburg Central Catholic. “We battled in the first half and did a lot of great things, and, for whatever reason, maybe the lack of depth, we seemed to shoot ourselves in the foot in the second half.”

The Raiders were playing without starting linebackers Zack Hanlon and Devlin Costello, both reportedly out for the season.

Charleroi started to dominate the line of scrimmage in the third quarter, outgaining the Raiders, 217 to minus-2.

Coming off last week’s big upset over defending champion Washington, the Cougars coaches were unhappy about their team’s performance in Saturday’s first half.

“We went in there and let them have it,” Getsy said. “They didn’t come out focused. The good thing is we faced some adversity. That’s what I wanted to see from our team. Give Riverview a lot of credit. They came out ready to play. I think our boys just outlasted them.”

The Cougars scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, one on the first play of a drive and another on the third play of a drive. On the latter, Mihalcin ran 34 yards to the Raiders 1 before Cole Hunter-Perry scored his second touchdown of the day.

“That’s a good football team, to beat Wash High,” Massack said. “So we knew this was a battle. For us to be down 14-7 at the half, we felt good about things. But we weren’t able to finish the game the way we started the game.”

Charleroi accumulated 467 rushing yards, with Mihalcin gaining 206 yards, Hunter-Perry 141 and Pellegrini 97.

Things don’t get any easier for the Raiders as they host perennial contender Clairton in Eastern Conference play Saturday at noon.

George Guido is a freelance writer.

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