Peters Township routs Baldwin to clinch 1st conference title in 43 years

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 1:18 AM

Peters Township wasn’t about to let a cold, wet night rain on its parade.

The Indians might not be throwing an actual parade down McMurray Road for this victory, but it felt like they should after the final horn sounded after a 42-7 win over Baldwin Friday night at home to clinch their first conference championship in 43 years.

“It’s been three years in the making for us,” said coach TJ Plack, who took over a program in 2016 that had just two winning seasons in its past 15.

A school that routinely fills its trophy cases with soccer, golf and tennis trophies finally has something to brag about for football.

And with Upper St. Clair losing to Bethel Park, 20-14, shortly after the final result, the No. 3-ranked Indians (8-2, 6-1) didn’t need to share this trophy with anyone.

“It feels great,” junior tailback Ryan Magiske said. “We’ve put so much into it in the past two years, it’s great to see how we got better and better; we finally accomplished our goal.”

It was accomplished in large part to three skilled underclassmen at the skill positions — sophomore quarterback Logan Pfeuffer, Magiske and junior wideout Josh Casilli.

With at least a share of the Allegheny Eight title on the line at the night’s outset, all of them showed up.

“It’s not just this team,” Plack said. “It’s the team from two years ago and last year, everything we’ve done. These guys are phenomenal here.”

Magiske and Casilli took turns looking phenomenal in the first half, even with a wet ball in 40-degree weather.

Pfeuffer led a methodical drive on the game’s first possession, ending with a 3-yard touchdown run by Magiske. He would later show off a few jukes and a stop move on two separate 45-yard touchdown runs.

“I was just trying to get the first down (on the first run),” Magiske said. “And I saw the field was a little slippery, used that to my advantage.”

Casilli got in on the action with a 59-yard screen touchdown that iced the game before halftime. He finished with seven receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Pfueffer was an efficient 9 for 12 for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

For good measure, Jackson McClosky recovered a punt in the end zone with less than two minutes left before halftime to put the mercy rule in effect.

“We’re definitely enjoying this year,” Plack said. “But the whole part of being a program is making sure our JV teams are well-coached, our guys are getting reps at practice every day. Because we’d like to be here for a couple of years.”

The defense was impressive, holding Baldwin to a handful of first downs all night. The Highlanders’ (4-6, 2-5) only touchdown was on a Pfeuffer fumble into the hands of Jaqwon Parker, which he returned for a 45-yard score.

“They’re fast,” Pleck said of his defense. “They hit the gaps and they’re well-coached. They’re tenacious and good tacklers. We present some problems with our speed. I never thought I’d say that at Peters Township.”

Peters will await playoff pairings to see something else it hasn’t seen in a long time – a home playoff game.

“It feels great,” Magiske said. “Getting home-field advantage is huge. We haven’t had that in a long time.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

Tags: Baldwin, Peters Township