Bethel Park Football Stacking Wins Despite Challenging Schedule

From: Ray Fisher


Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 11:01 a.m

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The end of Bethel Park’s regular football schedule was stressful to say the least.

With three games left, the Black Hawks were undefeated at 7-0 and 2-0 in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference.

And the Bethel Park Gridders not only remained undefeated, they also outscored their first seven opponents by a margin of 357-97. The Black Hawks averaged 51 points per game and were the best offensive team in the entire WPIAL.

But on the immediate horizon were games with conference powers Upper St. Clair, South Fayette and Peters Township, the reigning WPIAL and conference champions.

On October 11, USC ended the Black Hawks’ quest for an undefeated record, winning by a score of 14-10.

Bethel Park led for the first time in the game, 10-7, with 4:09 left on a 35-yard field goal by Jackson Friday, a senior midfielder on the boys soccer team. USC drove 64 yards in eight plays and scored a 24-yard pass for the winning touchdown.

“We can be critical of ourselves and disappointed about certain things, but the kid played really well,” Bethel Park coach Phil Peckich said after the game. “We had pretty tight coverage there. We just didn’t finish when we needed to.”

Senior RB/LB Yes Vaughn Moore rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries against the Panthers.

Bethel Park bounced back with a 35-14 mercy rule win over South Fayette on Oct. 18 to move to 7-1 in the conference and 8-1 overall.

The Black Hawks’ third matchup in the three-game final came against 2023 PIAA runner-up Peters Township. It took place after the editorial deadline for this issue.

Tanner Pfeuffer, a senior quarterback and third-year starter, delivered an outstanding passing performance in his home game against South Fayette. He completed his first 12 passes en route to connecting on 16 of 28 attempts for 261 yards, four touchdowns and a rushing score in the first two quarters.

“We thought there was a chance for our passing game to be successful,” Peckich said. “We are very proud of how (Pfeuffer) played and improved for us.”

Pfeuffer’s big night against the Lions took him over the 2,000-yard mark with 2,059 yards, surpassing the season limit. In eight games, he completed 116 of 191 aerial throws with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Over the course of his career, Pfeuffer has thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 62 total touchdowns.

“We had ups and downs this season,” Pfeuffer said. “No matter what happened, we stayed connected as a whole and that is a big part of our success.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound signalman had surpassed the century mark in every game this year. Pfeuffer’s passing yards per game – 245, 120, 326, 250, 180, 330, 216, 131, 261 – were notable, as was his average of 257.4 passing yards per game.

Senior receiver Ryan Petras returned to the lineup after missing the first seven games following shoulder surgery and finished the game with nine catches for 161 yards.

“(Petras) is an all-state player for us,” Peckich said.

Two other favorite targets for Pfeuffer this season were senior WR/DB Mitch Paschl (33-590) and senior WR/DB Jack Bruckner (22-432), who combined for 1,022 yards and 14 scores on 55 receptions in eight games.

Senior Clancy Orie is another threat at the tight end position in what the Black Hawks have proven to be a deep receiving corps.

Other players who caught passes in 2025 include sophomore WR/DB Santino Nowozeniuk, senior FB/DE Randy Bergia, Moore, junior RB/DB David Dennison and sophomore QB/WR/ DB Brady Bruckner.

Petras had 13 receptions for 246 yards and scored twice in two games.

Like Pfeuffer, Moore had a great season with nearly 1,500 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns. The 5-11, 185-pound Moore averaged 185 rushing yards per game. Perhaps his best individual performance came against Trinity, when he ran for 201 yards and scored five scores on 25 carries.

Dennison also had 344 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries this season.

Defensively, the Black Hawks allowed 13.8 ppg and were led by a group of players.

The defensive front is anchored by Orie, juniors Bryan McGuire and Jovian Smith, as well as senior Denzel Meyers and sophomore Ryan Bergia, and is anchored by a strong linebacking corps led by juniors Kahanu’ola Kuewa, Tim Ondo and Charlie Simmons, Seniors Christian Davis and Randy Bergia join Brady Bruckner.

The secondary, another team strength, includes players such as Jack Bruckner, sophomore Will Sabatos, Paschl, Dennison and Nowozeniuk.

One of Bethel Park’s season highlights was a 45-36 conference win on Sept. 27 against Moon.

Moore managed 202 yards and two scores on 31 carries and also had a receiving touchdown. Pfeuffer scored the decisive touchdown just four seconds before the end of the game.

“The way (Moore) runs is very unique,” ​​Pekich said. “I think our team did a great job along with our tight ends and fullbacks. That’s what’s special about this group: There are no selfish players.”

The Black Hawks added their third defensive touchdown after Pfeuffer’s go-ahead kickoff as Bergia ran into the end zone with a 5-yard interception return.

“Every game in our conference is tough,” Peckich said. “We found a way to make it happen in the end and that’s a testament to our kids. They really responded in the second half and I’m proud of them all.

“We are a balanced team and can find different ways to win football games. We knew we had to have a 1-0 mentality every week once we got into conference play.”

Pfeuffer ended up completing 20 of 29 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns. Paschl had six receptions for 115 yards and a score.

Overall, Bethel Park racked up 568 total offensive yards against the Tigers – thanks largely to the efforts of junior tackle Santino LaMolinare, sophomore guard Ryan Bergia, senior center Hunter Goelz, sophomore guard Nate Purcell, senior tackle Frank O’Mara and Orie at tight end.

LaMolinare, Goelz and O’Mara were also starters on offense last year.

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