PANTHERS TROUNCE STEELERS IN FINAL PRESEASON GAME
For two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion Central Catholic, Friday night’s season opener against Imhotep Charter was supposed to mark the first step on its journey to the school’s first championship three-peat. Imhotep had other plans. The Panthers, a powerhouse program in their own right out of Philadelphia, traveled across the state to take on Central Catholic in the main event on day one of the “Western Pa. vs. Everyone” showcase at Wolvarena in Turtle Creek. The marquee matchup lived up to its billing as the teams traded blows for 48 minutes in a back-and-forth slugfest, but it was Imhotep which emerged victorious with a hard-fought 12-6 win.
“Win, lose or draw, that was worth the trip,” said Imhotep coach Devon Johnson. “That’s a great program over there with a great history, and we want to see where we are as a team, so we try to play the best teams every year. They gave us exactly what we were looking for. … It was every bit as good as advertised.”
Imhotep junior Rahmir Stewart scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard run with 1:48 to play, and the Panthers stout defense suffocated the Vikings on the game’s final drive to finish the job.
“All day it felt good, until right now,” said Central coach Terry Totten. “I credit them. They came off the ball hard. They’re big as heck. I don’t know if we’ll see another team like that.”
Making his return from a broken leg suffered last season, Vikings sophomore quarterback Payton Wehner was under constant pressure while trying to escape from Imhotep’s star defensive ends Keon Wylie and Enai White. Wylie is a Penn State recruit, and White has scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
“It was tough. They’re good players. All credit to them. They came out ready to play,” Wehner said. “I think we’ll be fine. It has to go up from here.”
To say points were hard to come by in the first half would be an understatement. Both teams are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense. Central, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 6A, ran 25 plays and gained 44 yards from scrimmage in the opening half. Imhotep, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 5A, ran 24 plays and gained only 34 yards.
After going three-and-out on its opening possession, the Vikings defense set the tone for the game by forcing and recovering a fumble on Imhotep’s first play from scrimmage. Central then drove inside the 10-yard line, but Imhotep’s defense stuffed the Vikings on three consecutive runs to force a field goal. Matt Schearer nailed the 32-yard kick to put Central on top, 3-0.
Imhotep came out in the Wildcat formation for the start of the second half and the adjustment immediately paid off for the Panthers. Stewart picked up several chunk gains on the ground, and Tre McLeod capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown plunge to put Imhotep on the board.
After Imhotep’s 2-point conversion failed, Schearer drilled a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a 6-6 game. The Vikings then forced a punt and approached midfield on their next possession, but Wehner mishandled a snap and lost a fumble, allowing Imhotep to take over at the Central 43.
This time, the Panthers made the most of their great field position, slashing the Vikings’ defense with a series of runs out of the Wildcat. Stewart and McLeod took turns pounding the ball inside until Stewart put Imhotep on top for good with a 9yard touchdown run with 1:48 remaining.
“It just showed us what we need to work on,” said Central sophomore linebacker Anthony Speca. “It was a close game. Both defenses were working well. They’ve got some ballers over there. I just think we’re going to keep getting better. This is not the best Central Catholic is at all.
“By the end of the season, you’ll see a whole new Central Catholic team.”