Sam Miller is a talented middle infielder in baseball who will play that sport at Columbia, and as Peters Township’s starting quarterback, his strong arm has been on display on Friday nights.
“He’s been turning double plays out there,” Peters Township coach T.J. Plack said.
It has been “Miller Time” at Peters Township this fall, as Miller, in his first year as the starter, has been excellent. He has completed 133 of 213 passes for 1,613 yards and 15 touchdowns for Peters Township (6-4), which opens the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs Friday with a first-round game at North Hills (7-3). Miller’s passing yardage is the second most among all quarterbacks from Class 5A playoff teams, as only Gateway’s Brad Birch (2,355 yards) has accumulated more.
“I’ve become more comfortable each week,” Miller said.
Miller served as Logan Pfeuffer’s understudy the past few seasons. He was the junior varsity starter his freshman and sophomore seasons, but his only varsity action at quarterback came via mop-up duty in games that had been long decided. Plack said it took a few games for the staff to figure out what Miller was best at. It turned out the answer was RPOs. Miller has orchestrated the run-pass option game very well, particularly the past few games.
“His last two weeks were phenomenal,” Plack said of Miller, a two-year starter at cornerback.
Following a midseason nosedive that saw Peters Township lose three games in a row, Miller helped the Indians close the regular season with comfortable wins against West Allegheny (30-7) and South Fayette (35-7). He was particularly impressive against South Fayette, going 18 of 26 for 284 yards and a season-best four touchdowns, while adding 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground. For the season, Miller has rushed for 437 yards, which ranks second on the team.
Entering the playoffs, Peters Township finds itself in a different spot than it had been the last two seasons when it made it all the way to the WPIAL championship game. Instead of going in as one of the title favorites, the Indians are the No. 11 seed and flying under the radar.
“I like being the underdog because everyone is counting you out,” Miller said. “It kind of motivates me to go out and win this thing.”
Highlands
During his freshman and sophomore seasons, Highlands quarterback Chandler Thimons was a threat to opposing defenses because of his passing ability. This season, Thimons is keeping opponents on their toes not only with his passing, but also with his ability to run the ball. In doing so, he has developed into one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in Class 4A.
Thimons, a junior and three-year starter, will try to help Highlands notch its first playoff win since 2014 when the Golden Rams (7-3) host New Castle (6-4) in a first-round game. Thimons (6-3, 215) is having a strong season, passing for more than 1,000 yards for the third year in a row. He has completed 80 of 148 passes for 1,105 yards and 14 touchdowns. Being a highly productive runner is a new wrinkle to Thimons’ game, and something Highlands coach Dom Girardi called a “three-year progression.” After rushing for a combined 143 yards and two touchdowns on 91 carries his first two seasons, Thimons has toted the ball 118 times for 806 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. That includes a 200-yard, three-touchdown performance in last week’s game against Knoch, in which Highlands picked up its third win in a row.
“He’s a big kid who runs the ball well for as big as he is,” Girardi said. “He’s been a very big part of our team, period.”
Thimons is also a starting linebacker and ranks fifth on the team with 49 tackles to go along with one sack.
The Thimons name is big in the Highlands program. Two of Chandler’s brothers, Brayden and Daniel, were standouts for Highlands who went on to play in college, and a cousin, also named Daniel, is a starting two-way lineman for the Golden Rams.
Prepping for Rodney
A four-game win streak to close the regular season earned Beaver a second-place finish in the Class 4A Parkway Conference and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. The task at hand is now to outduel a team that features one of the WPIAL’s most dynamic talents.
Beaver (7-2) will take on Laurel Highlands (7-3), which is seeking its first playoff win in school history. The Mustangs continue to be led by quarterback-defensive back Rodney Gallagher, who last week became the 12th player in WPIAL history to both rush and throw for more than 1,000 yards in the regular season. Gallagher has passed for 1,129 yards, rushed for 1,005 yards, and accounted for 33 touchdowns (20 rushing, 12 passing, 1 punt return).
“He’s just such a versatile athlete,” Beaver coach Cort Rowse said. “He reminds me of a kid we had at Beaver, Darius Wise. He can start and stop on a dime. He can run and throw. He does a little of everything.”
In preparing for Gallagher, Rowse said it’s important for his players to not get caught up in Gallagher’s name and star power, but rather focus on playing sound defense like they would against any other player.
Beaver should have its star player back in the lineup Friday. Quarterback Wyatt Ringer sat out last week’s 23-21 win against Blackhawk due to a sprained knee. Rowse said Ringer went through pregame warmups, but it was decided that it would be best not to risk further injury. Ringer leads the WPIAL with 210 rushing attempts this season. He has rushed for 999 yards and 15 touchdowns, and passed for 305 yards and four scores.
Canon-McMillan
It’s not often a kicker leads his team in scoring, but that has been the case this season for Canon-McMillan (4-6), which travels to North Allegheny (6-4) for a Class 6A quarterfinal game.
The Big Macs have gotten a big senior season from Anthony Finney, who in addition to handling the kicking duties, starts at wide receiver and plays cornerback. Finney has collected 71 points, which is 17 more than any other Canon-McMillan player. He has scored 6 touchdowns (4 receiving, 1 interception return, 1 punt return), kicked 2 field goals and converted 29 extra points. Offensively, Finney has 13 receptions for a team-high 304 yards. He’s averaging 27.6 yards per catch.
Brad Everett: beverett@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @BREAL412.
First Published: November 4, 2021, 10:00 a.m.
