Penn-Trafford slows down No. 3 McKeesport in upset victory

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 15, 2018 | 12:03 AM

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Penn-Trafford doubled up high-scoring McKeesport, but it was the Warriors defense that captured the spotlight Friday night.

Josh Cheplick’s fumble recovery for a touchdown in the final minute gave Penn-Trafford some breathing room, and the Warriors held on to upset No. 3 McKeesport, 20-9, on the road in a Class 5A Big East Conference game.

McKeesport entered the game averaging 50.3 points, the most among teams in the WPIAL’s top two classifications.

“Our defense was the story tonight,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “They played fantastic and physical.”

Penn-Trafford (2-2, 2-1) harassed McKeesport’s offense for much of the night, forcing the normally run-happy Tigers to throw the ball more than usual.

McKeesport quarterback Konota Gaskins completed 4 of 12 attempts for 100 yards and provided the Tigers (3-1, 2-1) with their only touchdown on a 10-yard scoring pass to Devin Sims in the fourth quarter that cut the Penn-Trafford lead to 14-9 with 4:22 left.

“We couldn’t get our offense going,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said of the Tigers’ signature triple-option attack. “We were forced to throw the ball a little more than we usually like to. Penn-Trafford is the same as they always are — big, physical. They get on you.”

With Penn-Trafford clinging to a five-point lead, the teams traded fumble recoveries late. Penn-Trafford took over on a botched McKeesport punt return, and the Tigers got the ball back near their own goal line, when Quaran Sayles jumped on a loose ball at the 3.

Gaskins misfired on three passes and faced a fourth-down situation when he fumbled at the goal line and Cheplick recovered for Penn-Trafford to give the Warriors a 20-9 lead with 48 seconds remaining.

Aided by a string of penalties, McKeesport advanced to the Penn-Trafford 15 before the Warriors’ Dominic Rosso intercepted Gaskins at the 1 to preserve the victory.

“We had a great blitz, and Nico Rosso had a great hit (on Gaskins) before Josh Cheplick recovered there in the end zone,” Ruane said. “And then, of course, Nico came up with that interception.

“Man, am I proud of our defensive kids. I didn’t think we performed very well on offense. We did in spurts, but not to our expectations. In certain situations, where we had to make some plays, we had a couple good drives to score some points. But the name of the game tonight was defense, without question.”

Penn-Trafford took advantage of an early opportunity, when Jon Peduzzi pounced on a McKeesport fumble that led to Caleb Lisbon’s 8-yard touchdown run just 1 minute and 46 seconds into the game.

Anthony Beitko’s 23-yard field goal pulled McKeesport within 7-3 with 4:14 left in the first quarter, and it stayed that way until halftime.

Penn-Trafford dented the McKeesport defense several other times in the first half, notably when the Warriors marched to the Tigers 26 with the help of a personal foul that followed Gabe Dunlap’s 10-yard run.

But Marcquis Butler’s fumble recovery helped McKeesport thwart the drive in the closing minutes.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: McKeesport, Penn-Trafford