Despite the difference in seeds, many viewed top-seeded Pine-Richland’s WPIAL Class 5A semifinal showdown with No. 5 Bethel Park on Friday night as a virtual toss-up.
Somebody must have forgotten to tell the Rams.
Looking every bit the part of a rightful No. 1 seed, Pine-Richland flexed its muscles early and often against the overmatched Black Hawks (10-3), winning the battle up front and dominating on defense en route to a convincing 28-7 win at North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium. Junior running back Mac Miller put his hard-nosed running style on full display while carrying the ball 35 times, chewing up big chunks of yardage and keeping Bethel Park‘s high-powered offense on the sideline for most of the second half.
Also a standout wrestler with a career record of 69-17 through two seasons, Miller (5-8, 185) finished with 192 yards and two TDs to propel the Rams to their third consecutive championship berth.
“[The offensive line] does it for me,” Miller said. “In practice, they handle business. In games, they handle business, and it shows. … We just go into practice, and we’re super physical and just locked in.”
Senior Tanner Cunningham had another clutch big-game performance for Pine-Richland (10-1), intercepting a pass by Black Hawks quarterback Tanner Pfeuffer on the second play of the game and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown. He also made a key fourth-down stop on Bethel Park running back JaVaughn Moore with less than four minutes remaining to help seal the win.
“We talk about reading our keys, and [Cunningham] had a good read and put himself in a good position to make a play,” said Rams coach Jon LeDonne. “He’s a gamer.”
Last year, Cunningham made a crucial hold on a go-ahead extra point in the final minute of Pine-Richland’s WPIAL semifinal win against Penn Hills, then he intercepted two passes in the Rams’ WPIAL championship defeat against Peters Township. Like the rest of his teammates, Cunningham is eager for a shot at redemption in this year’s title game.
“We’re coming for it all,” Cunningham said. “It could be my last game. I’m leaving it all out there for my teammates.”
Pfeuffer entered the game as the second-leading passer in the WPIAL with 2,615 yards, but Pine-Richland’s suffocating defense completely neutralized the Black Hawks’ aerial attack. Pfeuffer passed for just 41 yards in his final high school game, ending his senior season with 31 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Meanwhile, Moore’s stellar senior season comes to a close with 2,084 yards and 32 touchdowns after he finished with 59 yards and a score on Friday.
“Just playing fast and physical,” LeDonne said about his team’s keys to success on defense. “Our defense isn’t complicated by any means. We try to put guys into position to make plays and just have them play fast.”
After Cunningham’s pick-6 to open the scoring, Bethel Park managed to stop the Rams on fourth-and-1 to get the ball back. But on Pine-Richland’s ensuing drive, sophomore quarterback Oobi Strader dialed up a deep ball to Jalen Neals on third-and-8 for a 26-yard TD to make it 14-0.
Later in the first half, Miller bulldozed a defender on his way to the end zone for a 27-yard score, giving the Rams a comfortable 21-point cushion going into the break.
The second half was more of the same, although the Black Hawks briefly threatened a comeback after Mitch Paschl’s interception led to Moore’s 3-yard TD plunge. But Bethel Park could not stop Miller from moving the chains and milking the clock in the final quarter as he powered Pine-Richland back to the championship game.
“It’s awesome. I’m super pumped for this,” Miller said. “Everyone around me on the team, all the coaches, we want this. We’re ready to go.”
Other Class 5A semifinal
• In a defensive slugfest between two heated rivals that came down to the wire, defending WPIAL champion Peters Township outlasted No. 2 Upper St. Clair for a 7-3 win to clinch its second consecutive trip to the title game. The Panthers (11-1) entered the game as the only undefeated team in Class 5A, while the No. 3 Indians (11-1) avenged a 21-7 defeat on Sept. 27 at Upper St. Clair.
Already having a season to remember for Peters Township, senior Nick McCullough authored what may go down as the defining moment of his career when the Indians needed it most. Trailing by a score of 3-0 late in the first half, McCullough showcased his blistering speed with a 97-yard kick-return touchdown to put Peters Township on top for good.
The Panthers had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but a sack by Stanford recruit Mickey Vaccarello backed them up to a dire fourth-and-26 situation near midfield with less than two minutes remaining. Quarterback Ethan Hellmann did his best to scramble around in the pocket and buy time before heaving a pass all the way downfield to Nico D’Orazio, who nearly brought it in but could not secure it on the way to the ground.
The Indians’ win sets up a Class 5A championshp rematch against Pine-Richland in the main event at Acrisure Stadium at 8 p.m. Nov. 23. Peters Township prevailed in last year’s contest, 43-17.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
