KDKA Radio (PITTSBURGH) - Two champions were crowned at Norwin Knights Stadium on Championship Saturday, as Peters Township and North Allegheny took home the titles.
Last year Peters Township didn't make the playoffs, this year they call themselves champions for the first time in school history. The Indians were down 3-2 to Pine-Richland after one quarter of play and then ran away with the game after a 21 point second quarter.
But it was the defense for Peters Township that made its presence felt at Norwin Knights stadium. They held Pine-Richland running back Ethan Pillar to just 27 yards on 15 carries and had two interceptions off the Rams quarterback, Kanan Huffman.
The Indians are 13-0 and will play Cathedral Prep in the PIAA quarterfinals on either Friday or Saturday.
"It takes a special team, we have a special team this year," said head coach T.J. Plack to KDKA Radio's Shelby Cassese.
In the 6A Championship, North Allegheny and Central Catholic traded haymakers from start to finish.
Central Catholic's Xxavier Thomas returned the opening kickoff 99 yards to the end zone. North Allegheny responded with a touchdown from 45 yards out as Logan Kushner hit Khiryn Boyd to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead less than 2 minutes into the championship.
After one quarter it was 14-13 North Allegheny, but Central Catholic would open the second quarter retaking the lead on an Elijah Faulkner touchdown from 2 yards out making it 20-14 Vikings. North Allegheny would score 20 unanswered and take a 34-20 lead into the half.
With less than a minute in the third quarter, Faulkner scored again from 16 yards to make it a seven point game headed to the fourth quarter.
With less than 5 minutes to play in the game, North Allegheny had a 37-34 lead after Peyton Wehner connected with Vernon Settles for a 17 yard touchdown. But it was Logan Kushner for North Allegheny that made sure the Tigers didn't let the lead slip away as he would score on a 76 yard quarterback run, his fourth of the championship.
Central Catholic got the ball back with 2:18 to play and it was Wehner finding Cole Sullivan for a 14 yard score and the game came down to an onside kick with 28 seconds to play. The onside kick was a good one and a pile formed on top of the football, it was North Allegheny that came up with the recovery and won the 6A championship for the second straight year.
"Never an easy thing to do, especially against a team like that," said North Allegheny coach Art Walker. "The effort, the never say die, the backs against the wall, keep coming out fighting. I feel like Logan Kushner is validated tonight."
Kushner finished the game rushing for 240 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and threw for 107 yards and two more touchdowns through the air.
The Tigers are 11-1 as they head into the PIAA State playoffs.