Stanford lands commitment from Lucas Shanafelt, 2nd football recruit from Peters Township in 2 years

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, April 27, 2025 | 6:22 PM

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Western Pennsylvania seems like unusual recruiting territory for a West Coast college, but ACC newcomer Stanford is fond of one South Hills school district.

Peters Township junior Lucas Shanafelt committed to Stanford on Saturday, making him the second recruit in two years from his high school to choose the Cardinal. Former teammate Mickey Vaccarello signed with Stanford in December.

A 6-foot-4, 235-pound edge rusher, Shanafelt received a Stanford offer early this month. Rivals.com rated him as a three-star prospect.

He announced his commitment on social media.

Shanafelt plays defensive end and wide receiver for Peters Township, which went 11-2 last season and reached the WPIAL Class 5A finals. He had 27 tackles and three sacks. On offense, he added 16 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. Coaches voted him first-team all-conference for defense.

His recruitment heated up significantly this winter.

Shanafelt received 21 offers since Dec. 1, a list that grew to include Power 4 schools Pitt, West Virginia and Purdue. He also listed offers from Akron, Buffalo, Cornell, Delaware, Fordham, Eastern Michigan, Harvard, James Madison, Kent State, Lehigh, Liberty, Miami (Ohio), Navy, Penn, Princeton, Temple, Toledo and UConn.

Stanford joined the ACC last season.

I am beyond blessed to announce my commitment to Stanford University!! Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way!!🌲🌲#FearTheTree #GoCards #ThankGod @StanfordFball @StanfordFBrec @CoachAprilOLB @CoachPehrson @Albert_GarciaFB @CoachByham @Coach_Plack @PetersTwpFB pic.twitter.com/oOIT80XQ2C

— Lucas Shanafelt 3🌟 ATH (@ShanafeltLucas) April 27, 2025

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Peters Township