Bethel Park runs well in home victory over Upper St. Clair

By: Antonio Rossetti
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | 12:06 AM

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Bethel Park’s David Dennison and Ryan Petras spearheaded a relentless rushing attack, leading the host Black Hawks past rival Upper St. Clair, 22-10, on Friday.

The Black Hawks won the battle in the trenches and didn’t trail once in a pivotal conference matchup, making them 2-0 in the Class 5A Allegheny Six.

Petras let the sparks fly early when he took one to the house for 63 yards to take an early 7-0 lead.

“Coach made great play call, and my blockers did a great job on the edge and just set the hole for me,” Petras said. “They made it easy.”

Petras finished with 141 yards and a touchdown on four carries.

“Once I get going, I just keep going,” he said.

Petras also had53 yards receiving on four receptions, giving him 194 yards from scrimmage.

Dennison rushed for 132 yards on 29 carries, tallying two touchdowns.

“I just wanted to attack their soft shoulder,” Dennison said. “I was taught everything I know. Our line blocked really good and made big holes. Just a good team win.”

Bethel Park coach Phil Peckich said the Panthers played the game with six defensive backs, taking away the pass, which led to them running the football.

“In a game like this, it’s about getting your best players the ball and I think that the offensive line did a great job throughout the course of the night of executing their jobs,” Peckich said. “Ryan’s a special player with the ball, and Dave is a special player with the ball. We play complementary football.”

The score was 7-7 at the half, and the Bethel Park defense shut down the Panthers, holding them to fewer than 10 rushing yards in the second half.

A 77-yard run by Petras was followed by a Dennison 8-yard touchdown run.

The big plays in key situations led to the victory. Petras’ first-quarter touchdown gave the Black Hawks an early spark.

Nonetheless, the Black Hawks struggled at first. The rest of the first quarter was a defensive showdown. USC forced Tanner Pfeuffer to go 1 for 7 in the quarter.

Bethel Park stood its ground and forced a USC fumble that was recovered by Mitch Paschl.

After struggling offensively in the first quarter, the Panthers switched to the wildcat formation. Running back Julian Dahlem responded with a 44-yard touchdown run. Bennett Henderson knocked through the PAT to knot it up 7-7.

On one of Bethel Park’s first drives of the second half, the Black Hawks were forced to punt near their own end zone. After a high snap, the Black Hawks barely got the punt away.

USC had the opportunity to take its first lead in the second half, getting good field position in Bethel Park territory.

The Black Hawks then forced the Panthers to punt, and quarterback Ethan Hellman pinned the Black Hawks at their own 1-yard line.

Nevertheless, Petras took over the game yet again, rushing 77 yards into USC territory.

This led to Dennison punching it in on a 4-yard touchdown run. After the Tommy Bova PAT, the Black Hawks took the lead 14-7.

USC then mustered its first second-half points. Hellman connected with Charlie Bywalski for 37 yards, putting them in Bethel Park territory.

The Panthers cut it to 14-10 on a 39-yard field goal by Henderson.

USC forced the Hawks to punt, but Bethel Park pinned them at their own 3.

After a three-and-out, the Hawks got the ball back at the USC 46.

This led to a 3-minute drive that was capped by a Dennison 8-yard touchdown run, putting the game on ice 20-10 with 5:15 remaining.

The Black Hawks notched 2 more points on a safety after a holding call in the end zone with 2:12 left.

Bethel Park ran the clock out, winning 22-10.

“This conference, there’s tons of talented teams, and every every week you got to bring it so this is great momentum for us,” Peckich said. “This is a great confidence builder for our kids. We knew that we could do this, and we did. We had a great week of practice, and it showed here tonight and now we have to enjoy this thing tonight and we have to get better for a very talented Moon team on the road next week.”

Tags: Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair