Peters Township and Upper St. Clair facing off tonight in Route 19 rivalry game
UPPER ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- It's almost time for Friday night football in the WPIAL and two rival schools from neighboring areas in the South Hills are going head to head tonight!
Tonight's Steelers High School Showcase Game of the Week will come to you live from Upper St. Clair tonight as the Panthers host their crosstown rivals from Peters Township. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Panthers Stadium.
Both teams are undefeated with records of 5-0 and will be looking to take down their neighborhood rival.
Peters Township is the defending WPIAL champion in 5A while neighboring Upper St. Clair is looking to win their first WPIAL title since 2006.
The Route 19 Rivalry
Peters Township and Upper St. Clair have been longtime rivals dating back to the old days of the WPIAL's 4A Quad West and Great Southern conferences.
The two schools are located just over six miles apart and are now in Class 5A's Allegheny Six Conference.
Head Coach Mike Junko's Upper St. Clair team, meanwhile, is averaging just over 44 points per game, but their defense hasn't been as stingy, giving up 22 points to Mt. Lebanon in Week 0 and 14 points to McKeesport last Friday night.
The Panthers' ground game has been highly productive through five games with Dante Coury and Julian Dahlem being a powerful tandem with over 500 rushing yards each. Add in John Banbury and Josh Snyder who are each averaging more than 10 yards per carry this year.
Coach Junko said his team is embracing the opportunity to play the #1 team in the state in Peters Township and for his guys, it's about doing the things they've done all year.
"It should be a great game and another great night of Friday night football in western Pennsylvania," Junko said. "For the South Hills, the number of good football teams down here, it's a great football game for both communities."
Upper St. Clair offensive lineman Nate Stohl said he's been playing against Peters Township in football and basketball since he was a young kid and they've always been fun and competitive matchups.
Stohl said last year's 31-0 loss has been fueling his team and thinks Upper St. Clair will be ready to play tonight.
Peters Township, led by head coach T.J. Plack, is averaging 37 points per game and hasn't allowed more than seven points in a game since their Week 0 opener against Canon-McMillan.
Junior quarterback Nolan DiLucia has been one of the most efficient passers in the WPIAL, throwing for just over 900 yards in Peters Township's five games. DiLucia has seven passing touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Both teams have played and beat Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, and McKeesport and tonight's game should be a good test, but the question that will be answered is whether the powerful offenses or the stalwart defenses will win out.
The Steelers High School Showcase Game of the Week schedule
- 8/26 – Montour's defense leads Spartans to 24-14 win over Central Valley
- 8/30 -- Latrobe's top talent leads team to 32-18 win against Plum
- 9/6 -- Central Catholic gets first win of the season with mercy rule victory over Woodland Hills
- 9/13 -- South Park wins battle of two defenses with 7-0 victory vs. Steel Valley
- 9/20 -- Penn Hills ends Aliquippa's 17-game win streak with 21-13 win
- 9/27 -- Peters Township vs. Upper St. Clair
- 10/4 -- Trinity vs. Thomas Jefferson
- 10/11 -- Fort Cherry vs. Bishop Canevin
- 10/18 -- North Catholic vs. Avonworth
- 10/25 -- South Fayette vs. Moon