Peters Indians Defeat Baldwin Highlanders, 21-6

 turned three  fumbles into 21 second-quarter points to pull off a 21-6 mini-upset in a varsity football game at Baldwin High Stadium on Friday night.

It was a tough day for Baldwin’s senior utilityman Zack Denardo, who was charged with all three of those turnovers. Each fumble came in Baldwin territory on consecutive possessions for the Highlanders, including two that were recovered in their own red zone. 

“You can’t turn the ball over and beat anyone in Quad A football,” Baldwin’s Head Coach Jim Wehner said after his team fell to 3-4 overall and 0-3 in the WPIAL’s AAAA Great Southern Conference. “Week in and week out, I keep saying the same thing, ‘We can’t beat anybody turning the ball over.’ And we did. And you see the outcome.”

Peters improved to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the Great Southern.

“You’ve got to force turnovers to get the ball out of 28’s (Baldwin’s junior running back Dorian Brown’s) hands,” Peters’ Head Coach Rich Piccinini said. “The less he has the ball the less dangerous he is …

“Our defense played well, especially turnover-wise.”

Brown, Baldwin’s biggest offensive weapon this season, was held to just 38 yards on 18 carries against the Indians.

“We were prepared for him,” Piccinini said. “We were almost spying him. We knew where he was every play. He’s an excellent player, (but) our defense did a great job bottling him up.”

And while Brown had no turnovers, Denardo, who lined up at quarterback for most of the game, actually fumbled four times, recovering just one.

After each of the other three fumbles, Peters capitalized with a touchdown drive, with all three TDs coming by way of senior running back/safety Andrew Erenberg carries. 

Erenberg finished the game with 149 yards on 34 rushes. He also caught one pass for four yards, made five tackles (all solo), including a sack, and recovered a fumble.

“He’s our guy,” Piccinini said of Erenberg. “He controls the clock. He controls the game. He controls the ball. Defense, as a free safety, he controls everything.

“He’s tough to bring down because he has an attitude of ‘I’m gonna run over you, I’m gonna run past you, I’m gonna run around you—whatever I need for the team, I’m gonna do it for the team.’”

Erenberg concurred.

“Individually, if I rush for five yards and we win, I feel like I did my job,” he said. “We’re getting better every week. That’s for sure.”

Baldwin certainly got better as the game went on, outgaining the Indians in the second half, 119-98, after trailing in that category at halftime, 148-38, but the Indians’ three-TD lead was too much to overcome.

Brown’s eight-yard TD catch from freshman quarterback Doug Altavilla late in the fourth quarter finished off a six-play, 57-yard drive, but the Highlanders’ ensuing fake extra-point try and onside kick both failed.

For Altavilla, it was his first TD pass of the season. Altavilla did not start at quarterback against Peters but came on in the second half as a replacement for sophomore Luke Smorey, who finished 1-for-2 passing, including a 17-yard reception to senior wide receiver/defensive back Jeremy Joyce. (Joyce returned from an illness in the previous week to play against Peters.)

Denardo did not attempt a pass from scrimmage, instead rushing eight times out of a wildcat formation for a total of negative-five yards. (He gained 24 yards but was saddled with 29 yards lost, as well.)

Altavilla finished the game 7-for-13 passing for 117 yards. His favorite target was senior wide receiver Malon Howell, who caught three passes for 52 yards, including a 39-yarder during Baldwin’s TD drive.

Baldwin’s senior quarterback Cory Phillips, who hasn’t played this season as he recovers from concussion symptoms, remained on the sidelines again. Phillips has been practicing with the Highlanders, though.

Out of 54 plays from scrimmage, Peters attempted only four passes. The Indians’ sophomore quarterback RJ Pfeuffer completed two of those passes for 22 yards, including one to junior wide receiver Erik Lewis for 18 yards. Pfeuffer also ran three times for 16 yards.

Denardo’s first turnover ended up in Erenberg’s hands at the Baldwin 17-yard line. Two plays later, Erenberg’s 13-yard TD run gave Peters the lead for good.

Denardo’s next fumble came at the Baldwin 30 but was kicked around all the way down inside the Highlanders 10 before it was recovered by Peters’ senior defensive lineman Clayton Evans, who also made five tackles against Baldwin (all solo) and broke up a pass.

Erenberg’s 10-yard TD rush came two plays later, and it was 14-0.

Senior defensive lineman Drew Reis then forced and recovered another Denardo fumble at the Baldwin 49, and six plays later, Erenberg scored on a nine-yard run. 

Peters fumbled three times to Baldwin’s four but only lost one of them.

Baldwin’s senior defensive lineman Nick Malaskeivitz led all players with eight tackles (all solo), followed closely by Peters’ junior defensive back Cole Kochman with seven (also all solo).

Baldwin’s senior linebacker Cody Campolong (all solo) and senior defensive back Tendai Mwenda (five solo) each racked up seven stops, as well. Campolong was credited with a game-high three tackles for a loss, while Mwenda had 1.5. Campolong also forced a fumble in the fourth quarter, which was recovered by Joyce.

Both teams were essentially fighting for their postseason lives. Four of the Great Southern’s six teams will earn a spot in the WPIAL playoffs this year, and the Indians are now in fourth place in the conference with two games remaining, including next week’s Oct. 21 conference tilt at Mt. Lebanon High School (5-2, 3-0 Great Southern) at 7:30 p.m.

The Highlanders are tied for fifth in the conference with  (0-7, 0-3). Baldwin will travel to Canon-McMillan for its next game—also on Oct. 21 at 7:30.

“This was pretty much like a playoff game,” Piccinini said. “We considered it (to be). I think Baldwin had the same attitude.

“You’ve got to win games in this conference, and like I’ve told these guys (Peters players), ‘You’ve got to win games on the road.’”

“We’re not a very good football team,” Wehner said. “We’ve gotta work extra hard to be good, and right now, we’re not working very hard.

“We told our kids, ‘It’s do or die,’ and their (Peters’) kids wanted it more than our kids. That’s what happened (on Friday night).”