PUP high school football game of the week: Bethel Park vs. Mars (Week 1)

Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.

Between the hash marks

Who: Bethel Park (1-0) at Mars (1-0)

Where: Mars High School

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The coaches: Phil Peckich (Bethel Park); Eric Kasperowicz (Mars)

When they last met: Never. This will be the first meeting between the schools.

On deck: Bethel Park travels to Armstrong next week, while Mars will host North Hills in a matchup with Kasperowicz’s alma mater.

This and that: Two of the most impressive season-opening wins belonged to these two schools, as Bethel Park steamrolled Class 6A foe Seneca Valley on the road, 50-14, while Mars traveled south to take on Boone, Fla., and emerged victorious in a 47-35 shootout. After starting the season unranked, the Black Hawks ascended to the No. 4 spot in Class 5A in this week’s PUP “Best in Show” rankings, while the Planets are knocking on the door just outside the top five in Class 4A. … Senior quarterback Tanner Pfeuffer was lights-out for Bethel Park against the Raiders, completing 12 of 20 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Not to be outdone, senior tailback JaVaughn Moore racked up nearly 200 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 112 yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries along with two catches for 81 yards and a TD. Both Jack Bruckner and William Sabatos each returned an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter to set the tone in the Black Hawks’ blowout win. … As efficient and productive as Pfeuffer was in Week 0, his numbers paled in comparison to Mars senior Luke Goodworth. The third-year starter completed 10 of 15 attempts for 365 yards and five TDs without throwing an interception, tossing three TDs of 80 yards or more in the high-scoring win. Goodworth’s favorite target, junior Gabe Hein, was virtually unstoppable. Hein caught eight passes for a school-record 256 yards and four TDs, while Eric Kasperowicz Jr. rushed for 120 yards and two TDs on 18 carries. … Bethel Park won’t quite be at full strength without multi-sport standout Ryan Petras, who is recovering from a torn labrum and may not play at all this year. With Petras on the field, the Black Hawks have the firepower to defeat anybody in the area, but keeping up with the Planets’ high-octane offense might be too much to ask without him. Either way, the scoreboard operator might need a vacation after the dust settles on this one.

Expert picks (records in parentheses)

Steve Rotstein (0-1): Mars 38, Bethel Park 31

Brad Everett (1-0): Mars 43, Bethel Park 41

John Santa (0-1): Bethel Park 49, Mars 42

On the radar

Belle Vernon at Aliquippa, 7 p.m. Friday

An extremely rare clash of two reigning state champions will serve as the season opener for both teams when Class 4A No. 4 Belle Vernon travels to Aliquippa’s Heinz Field to take on the Class 4A No. 1 Quips. These two teams last met in the 2021 WPIAL Class 4A championship game, when Aliquippa beat the Leopards, 28-13, to kick-start its current run of three consecutive WPIAL Class 4A titles. In the meantime, Belle Vernon dropped down to Class 3A for the 2022-23 cycle and won back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA championships. Of course, having star running back Quinton Martin — now a freshman at Penn State — was a massive reason for the Leopards’ success. This will be a massive test for Belle Vernon in its first game since Martin’s graduation. As for the Quips, who have a future Penn State running back of their own in Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes, this represents their first game under new coach Vashawn Patrick, who stepped in for Mike Warfield less than two months before the season.

Central Catholic at Pine-Richland, 7 p.m. Friday

Two of the premier football factories in Western Pennsylvania will collide once again in the latest installment of this heated rivalry, and Class 6A No. 1 Central Catholic is eager for a bounce-back performance after getting trounced by nationally ranked powerhouse St. Frances, Md., in a 44-16 blowout on Saturday. Class 5A No. 2 Pine-Richland, on the other hand, is coming off a 35-24 road win Friday at Hilliard Davidson, Ohio, and the Rams carry plenty of momentum into this matchup behind the strong legs of Maclane Miller. The junior tailback tallied 234 yards and three TDs on the ground in the season-opening win, while heralded Vikings linebacker Bradley Gompers will try to slow him down after racking up 16 tackles in Week 0.

McKeesport at Peters Township, 7 p.m. Friday

McKeesport nearly fell out of the Class 4A rankings entirely after a 36-35 double-overtime loss against Lake, Ohio, at the KDKA Kickoff Classic, dropping from No. 2 to No. 5 despite putting up a valiant effort in defeat. Things won’t get any easier for the Tigers in Week 1, when they travel to Peters Township to take on the top-ranked and defending WPIAL Class 5A champion Indians. This is an intriguing clash of styles between the pass-happy Peters Township offense and McKeesport’s vaunted flexbone rushing attack. Led by star sophomore Kemon Spell, the Tigers’ best bet is to build an early lead and milk the clock to keep standout Indians quarterback Nolan DiLucia off the field. Then again, Peters Township fell behind in the first half against Canon-McMillan, 17-0, before storming back with 42 unanswered points in a season-opening victory on Friday.

PUP ‘underdog’ to watch

Steel Valley (hosts Washington at 7 p.m. Friday)

Yes, Steel Valley was the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A to begin the season, and yes, it is still ranked No. 4 and a serious title contender, especially when Da’Ron Barksdale finally returns from injury. But this week, it will play the role of underdog at home for the first time in several years with the new No. 1 team in Class 2A coming to town. Washington began the season with a 14-7 rivalry win at McGuffey, while the Ironmen lost to Class 1A No. 2 Clairton, 30-7. Still, expect Steel Valley to pull out all the stops to avoid stumbling to an 0-2 start.