Prior to last season, Peters Township was just a small blip on the football map for a long time, but after putting together their most successful season in 14 years, the Indians are standing out in a much bigger way.
“We’re on people’s radar now,” coach T.J. Plack said.
First playoff appearance since 2013. Check.
First winning record since 2009. Check.
Best overall record since 2003. Check.
Peters Township accomplished quite a bit in Plack’s second season. After going 4-6 in 2016, the Indians upped that mark to 7-4 while playing in the Class 6A Southeastern Conference. They went on to lose to Central Catholic, 27-20, in the WPIAL quarterfinals. It was their best record since going 8-3 in 2003. Now in Class 5A, the Indians are shooting even higher, and Plack said the Indians will no longer sneak up on anybody.
Coach: T.J. Plack
Years at school: 3
2017 record: 7-4
WPIAL playoff appearances: 13
Returning starters: Offense 7, Defense 7
Key returners: Josh Casilli (6-0, 180, Jr., WR-S), Ian Chaudhari (5-11, 210, Sr., OL-DL), Adrian Williams (5-9, 155, Jr., RB-CB)
Keys to success: Breaking in a new quarterback and finding offensive balance. Avoid being overconfident after last year’s success.
“We have to be consistent in everything we do,” Plack said. “I told the kids that it’s going to be harder now. We’re not going to surprise people. People project us to do well because we did well last year. People are going to respect us more. Hopefully we remain consistent and put up some more wins.”
Peters Township should be able to run the ball as well as any team in the conference. That’s due to the return of its top two running backs and four starters on its offensive line. Junior running back Adrian Williams and senior guard Ian Chaudhari were all-conference picks a season ago.
Williams and fellow junior Ryan Magiske give the Indians a thunder and lightning duo in the backfield — Magiske the thunder and Williams the lightning.
“Two totally different players,” said Plack. “Ryan is a blue-collar guy. He’s one of the toughest kids around. He has a nose for the end zone. Inside the 10-yard line, he’s getting the ball. Adrian is more shifty. We’ll move him around a bit. He’ll move to the slot sometimes. His work ethic is great. The kids look up to those two. They’re two good kids to have.”
A veteran line is led by Chaudhari and senior Shane O’Connell. Those two, along with seniors Logan Clark and Rob Corrado, are two-year starters.
With three-year starting quarterback Jake Cortes now in college — he’s a walk-on at Pitt — Peters Township will turn to sophomore Logan Pfeuffer to take the reins of the offense. Pfeuffer, who Plack called a “real cerebral kid,” played junior varsity for most of last season and was the team’s scout player of the year. Williams won that honor a year earlier, and went on to have a breakout campaign last season.
Breaking in a new quarterback will put more emphasis on Peters Township being able to run the ball effectively, and Pfeuffer having one of the top receivers in the class to throw to will probably help, too. Junior Josh Casilli led the Indians in receiving last season when he was an all-conference selection.
“He’s going to play a tremendous role,” Plack said. “He started for us as a freshman and sophomore. We tried to keep his role small. He’ll play strong safety for us this year. We’re going to find ways to get the ball to him as much as we can, whether it be with screen passes or in the run game. Sometimes he’ll line up at quarterback. He’s the most competitive person I’ve been around. He has that ‘It’ factor. He wants the ball in the his hands.”
In addition to returning seven starters on offense, Peters Township also brings back seven on defense. The Indians gave up 18.8 points a game in 2017, which ranked second in the conference.
Up front, the Indians will be led by tackles Clark and O’Connell, and tackle Chaudhari. Sophomore middle linebacker Corban Hondru started every game as a freshman.
The biggest strength of the defense might be the secondary, which brings back three starters — Williams and junior Aidan McCall at cornerback and Magiske at safety. Casilli will start at the other safety spot.
“I think our secondary is going to do extremely well,” Plack said. “We have four juniors who are pretty good defensive backs at the high school level.”
Peters Township will be tested early. After taking on West Toronto Prep in a Week Zero game, the Indians begin conference play against three heavyweights — at Upper St. Clair, home against Woodland Hills and at West Allegheny.
“The way we start out won’t be easy,” said Plack. “These kids know Woodland Hills. They know West Allegheny. They know Upper St. Clair. They know what type of programs they have. Our focus has to be spot on.”
While winning hasn’t been commonplace at Peters Township over the years, Plack believes last year’s success will pay dividends this season in the form of finding ways to win games and being able to close them out.
“We were in a lot of close games last year and we won a bunch of them,” he said. “It’s a tough conference just like it was in 6A. The kids have learned. They have been there and they know how hard it is to win. We couldn’t look past anybody last year and we won’t be able to now.”
First Published: August 16, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
