Another thrilling finish
Upper St. Clair outlasts Moon in 43-42 double OT
The Upper St. Clair Panthers (7-2, 2-2 in 5A) are no stranger to having their backs up against the wall this season. So when the team found itself trailing throughout Friday night’s contest against the Moon Area Tigers (4-5, 2-2), there was no reason to push the panic button — even with its postseason aspirations on the line.
Just a week after securing a come-from-behind victory against Canon-McMillan, the Tigers once again came out on the winning side of a thrilling finish, earning a heavily emotional 43-42 double-overtime victory against the Tigers.
After junior wide receiver Charlie Bywalksi hauled in a 13-yard touchdown from sophomore quarterback Ethan Hellmann to put the Panthers an extra point away from a third overtime series, coach Mike Junko left his offense on the field. And the Panthers made sure that they were the ones to make the final big play of the game, as Ethan Hellman found his brother Van Hellmann open in the corner end zone to convert the attempt
and seal the win.
“I’ve said this before: Upper St. Clair kids just don’t quit,” Junko said. “It’s kind of a hallmark of our program. … “[I’m] just so proud of our kids for coming back and coming back and then finishing the game. It was just great to see.
“We were going to have to go for two in the next set anyway, so we figured let’s just call our play now,” Junko said. “I’m so proud of how much they’ve grown to be able to run that play at the
end there to win the game. That’s something I don’t know that we do earlier in the year.”
Going up against the Tigers’ run-heavy Wing-T offense that controlled time of possession as they moved down the field, the Panthers defense faced a big test early in the game. Upper St. Clair allowed a 78-yard, 14-play touchdown drive on the opening series of the game. Moon converted on third down on three separate occasions and drained 7:19 off the clock.
It would prove just the start for Moon’s unique style of offense, and the Panthers settled for a 14- 14 game headed into halftime. After the two defenses reigned supreme in the third quarter, the fourth quarter quickly turned into a shootout. The Panthers’ defense allowed 85-yard touchdown runs on back-to-back possessions but were able to make a stand in the final minutes to force overtime.
It was a big test for his team, but Junko’s defense rose to the occasion once again.
”We started the year with a really young football team,” Junko said. “We play a lot of sophomores and juniors and a lot of first-year seniors. We’ve talked about, ‘Hey, let’s get better each week.’ We get late in our season, and these are the types of games that you have to play.”
The Panthers used four running backs on the ground, but senior Mason Chambers was by far the lead back, tallying 128 yards on 18 carries.
“It comes down to we all have to focus, come together as a team,” Chambers said. “We have a great senior class, great leadership, great coaches. We just have to do our jobs and execute.”
“It’s just a testament to who we are as a team,” he added. “Coming into this year, everyone doubted us. We lost a great senior class [last season.] We’re proving everybody wrong.”
Upper St. Clair’s depth was on full display as five different Panthers, including a budding freshman, found the end zone during the contest. Aside from making plays in the Panthers’ secondary on defense, freshman John Banbury hauled in an 11-yard touchdown and rushed for 69 yards on the ground.
“I love John Banbury. He comes from a crazy family,” Chambers joked. “He’s a great kid. He’s only going to get better. The sky’s the limit for him. No matter what side of the ball he’s on, he’s always going to make a play.”
As the team prepares for the final game of the regular season against South Fayette with its future uncertain, all they know is they have to win. If they can take care of business, they’ll have a chance to sneak into the postseason.