Stout Peters Township defense blanks Franklin Regional in Class 5A opener

By: Andrew John
Friday, November 3, 2023 | 10:49 PM

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All season, Peters Township has created havoc for opposing teams in the WPIAL. Franklin Regional got its crack at trying to slay the WPIAL Class 5A giant Friday night.

The Panthers defense held their own on the opening drives of the game. However, the Franklin Regional offense couldn’t capitalize on early opportunities and force the Indians offense into long drives.

No. 1 Peters Township allowed 6.5 points per game during the regular season and it carried over into the playoffs as the Indians beat No. 8 Franklin Regional, 35-0, in the Class 5A quarterfinals at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium at Peters Township.

“I think the defense set the tone early, allowing minimal yardage and first downs,” Peters Township coach TJ Plack said. “We have guys that can run, tackle and cover. It’s a really good mix of good coaching and having the guys.”

The Indians will move on to face No 5. Moon (6-5) in semifinals next Friday. Moon went on the road and defeated No. 4 Gateway, 35-31.

It will be a rematch of two Allegheny Six Conference foes. Peters Township beat Moon, 40-7, at home Oct. 6.

“We’ve had some battles during the season and the playoffs the last couple of years,” Plack said. “They have a real physical team. It should be a real good matchup for our conference. It really stinks that one of us has to go down.”

The Indians will look to return to the finals for the first time since 2019 when Peters Township fell to Gateway, 21-20.

With no score late in the first quarter in the shadow of their own goalposts, the Panthers (6-5) worked their way off their own 1-yard line. The Panthers had a chance to flip the field, but junior quarterback Chase Lemke just missed the outstretched hands of senior receiver Ayden Hudock, who could’ve taken it for an early Panther score.

“It was definitely a tough test, but I thought we could play. We had some opportunities early that we just missed,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said.

“When we talked to the kids, this is a game where if you have opportunities, you have to make the best of those opportunities. If you miss those opportunities, it’s going to be a long night. If we make those connections, I think it’s a whole different game.”

On the ensuing Indian drive, Peters Township took over at midfield. The Indians offense started to get going as sophomore quarterback Nolan DiLucia connected on a swing pass to senior Preston Blair for an 18-yard touchdown pass to give Peters Township the lead in the first quarter.

After another Franklin Regional punt, Peters Township took over with another short field. DiLucia called his own number out of the shotgun for an 8-yard touchdown run to give the Indians a 14-0 lead early in the second.

Only down two scores, the Panthers’ next drive stalled because of a false start penalty on a fourth-and-short, forcing a punt.

The Indians capitalized on the Panthers miscue on their next offensive drive as they drove down the field for another score. DiLucia connected with senior receiver Carter Shanafelt down the left side for a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0 with 4:28 remaining in the first half.

The Panthers continued to rely on their pass game, and the Indians caused the first turnover of the night when junior Nick McCullough picked off Lemke.

Peters Township took over at the Panthers 44-yard line. A couple of plays later, DiLucia scrambled for a 37-yard touchdown score to give the Indians a 28-0 lead heading into halftime.

DiLucia finished with 90 yards rushing on seven carries with two touchdowns. In the air, DiLucia was 18 of 27 for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Indians defense held the Panthers to 65 yards of total offense in the first half.

“That is one of the top defenses in all of the WPIAL,” Getsy said. “They play good defense and their offense feeds off of that. That has been their recipe all year. We tried to move the ball a little bit. They were sound up front and took away the running game and we didn’t capitalize in the passing game.”

On their opening drive of the second half, the Indians continued to put the foot on the pedal as DiLucia connected with senior receiver Ethan Wertman for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Lemke had a big completion late in the final minutes of the game, but the Indians defense still held him to less than 100 yards passing on the night, while also not allowing the Panther run game to get going.

Franklin Regional qualified for the playoffs after finishing third in the Big East Conference with a 3-2 record. The Panthers won six of seven games in a row at one point. Franklin Regional had a four-game winning streak that included wins over conference foes Plum, Norwin and Hempfield.

“I’d go to battle with these guys any day,” Getsy said. “They are great kids. I like working with them. I’m going to miss the seniors. They are chomping at the bit to get ready for next year.”

Tags: Franklin Regional, Peters Township