He has already turned in a handful of big-time performances on both the gridiron and the hardwood during the course of his decorated multi-sport career at Upper St. Clair, but Panthers senior Julian Dahlem never really had his signature moment — until now.
With reigning WPIAL Class 5A champion and No. 1-ranked Peters Township coming to town for a high-stakes clash of unbeaten rivals on Friday night, Dahlem delivered a dazzling trio of touchdowns and No. 3 Upper St. Clair’s suffocating defense did the rest, pitching a second-half shutout and forcing four turnovers to lift the Panthers (6-0, 1-0) to a 21-7 win to open up Allegheny Six Conference Play.
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound dynamo capable of taking over a game at several different positions, Dahlem rushed for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 carries, including a highlight-reel 71-yard score to help ice the game in the fourth quarter. He also returned an interception for a 25-yard TD to break a scoreless tie in the first half, setting the tone for Upper St. Clair’s defensive masterpiece against the defending champs.
“All credit to my coaches and O-line and all the people behind me,” Dahlem said. “I’ve always wanted to beat this team. … We lost to them by 31 last year. It was definitely get-back time.”
The younger brother of former all-state quarterback Ethan Dahlem, now a senior wide receiver at Case Western, Dahlem also began his career at quarterback as a sophomore before shifting to a hybrid running back-receiver role as a junior. Now as a senior, Dahlem is operating almost exclusively in the backfield alongside fellow tailback Dante Coury, who left Friday’s game with an injury and did not return.
Both Coury and Dahlem were already over 500 yards rushing going into Week 5, with Dahlem reaching the mark on only 36 carries while averaging 14.1 yards per attempt through the team’s first five games. If Coury is to miss an extended period of time, though, it’s safe to say Upper St. Clair’s backfield is in good hands with Dahlem as its workhorse.
“He represents our program,” said Panthers coach Mike Junko. “He leads the pack. In this environment, he thrives. In games like this, it’s his most comfortable place on the planet, and he really showed that tonight.
“We’re fortunate he’s on our team.”
The Indians (5-1, 0-1) came into the game averaging 37 ppg while allowing only six ppg, and many believed they were the most complete team in the WPIAL, regardless of classification. Junior quarterback Nolan DiLucia entered the contest as the WPIAL’s leading passer, but Upper St. Clair’s defense held him well below his season averages as DiLucia finished 13-of-24 passing for 161 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Despite the loss, Peters Township still figures to loom large in the Class 5A playoff picture, but for now, there’s going to be a new No. 1 on the block — and it might just be Upper St. Clair.
“Our conference is probably the best conference,” Dahlem said. “I hope we get that No. 1 spot.”
Peters Township looked to be the superior team in the first half, pushing the Panthers around at the line of scrimmage with standout linebackers Mickey Vaccarello and Reston Lehman wreaking havoc in the backfield. At halftime, the Indians had out-gained Upper St. Clair, 198-43, with nine first downs to only one for the Panthers — but the second half was a completely different story.
By the end of the game, Upper St. Clair had the edge in total yards, 286-261, with all 286 of its yards coming on the ground. Panthers quarterback Ethan Hellmann attempted only three passes on the evening, and none were complete.
“You have to make a choice,” Junko said. “Do we abandon the plan? Do we try to be something we’re not? I made the decision that we’re going to dance with who brought us, and what got us here to this point in the season was our running game and our offensive line. And I had to continue to trust those guys.
“If we were going down, I was going down with them. Credit to them. They found a way.”
Things started slow as the defenses dominated a scoreless first quarter, with senior linebacker Van Hellmann recovering a fumble on the Indians’ opening possession before both teams forced consecutive fourth-down stops. The trend carried over into the second quarter, when Dahlem intercepted DiLucia’s pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
Finally, the first offensive points of the game came on the ensuing drive for Peters Township, when DiLucia found Eli Prado wide open down the field for a 44-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7 late in the first half. The score remained tied until late in the third quarter, when Dahlem’s 16-yard TD run put Upper St. Clair back on top.
Then, with the Panthers backed up and facing third-and-32 from their own 29-yard line early in the fourth, Dahlem put the finishing touches on his signature performance with a scintillating 71-yard TD scamper. He tip-toe’d the sideline after leaving several defenders grasping for air, and he also received a key block from wide receiver Nico D’Orazio to help clear the pathway to the end zone.
“Our O-line coach, [Tim] Robbins, he has so much trust in our line and our backs,” Dahlem said. “It was a great play call. I just ran it all the way. Great blocks by the receivers, too. It was just awesome.”
Now, Upper St. Clair will turn its attention toward another undefeated conference rival with a trip to take on No. 5 South Fayette next week, followed by a mouth-watering matchup against yet another unbeaten Allegheny Six Conference foe at No. 4 Bethel Park. And although the Panthers won’t have the comfort of their home stadium for those pivotal showdowns, they can rest easy knowing Dahlem is on their side.
“He might be the best player in the entire WPIAL. He’s at least one of them,” Hellmann said. “You always know that if he has the ball, we have a chance.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
