Peterson played a major role in keeping BG’s hopes for a repeat alive Friday night when he took the ball from Westinghouse running back K’Shawn Hawkins as he tried to stretch it over the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown and helped the Marauders hang on for a 7-6 victory in the PIAA quarterfinals at River Valley’s Panther Stadium.

“We got a great push on the defensive line,” Peterson said. “Our guys are incredibly talented and put in a ton of work. I just saw that ball and stripped it from him. He had it high in the air, and I just took it from him, because our guys had him low.”

The play, which came with 2.3 seconds left in the third quarter, happened only after Westinghouse had a 60-yard touchdown run by Hawkins earlier in the drive wiped out by a penalty. The Bulldogs then nearly scored again when quarterback Omar Pack broke loose for a 45-yard run down to the BG 1-yard line but was caught just before the end zone and tackled by Justin Wheeler.

Westinghouse was whistled for a false start that pushed the ball back to the 6 and gained 3 yards on two runs before Peterson stripped Hawkins at the 1-yard line on third down.

Photo for the Mirror by Jeremy Boland Bishop Guilfoyle’s Connor Okonak slows up Westinghouse’s Omar Pack on Friday night at River Valley High School in Blairsville.

“I gave it everything I had,” Wheeler said. “I never stopped running and never looked back, because you never know what could happen in football. There could be a flag, like there was that pushed them back, and I just never gave up. That’s our mentality — we never give up.”

His father and BG’s coach Justin Wheeler had to be reminded it was his son that made the big tackle as he came down from one of the most emotionally-charged postgame speeches of his career.

“Game-saving tackle — you forget about that stuff in the heat of the moment,” Coach Wheeler said. “He fought to the end. We talk about giving four seconds every play of your absolute best. That play turned out to be seven seconds, but he got him down, and after that you never know what will happen. It was a huge play.”

Play of the game: Peterson’s strip was the obvious choice, but another came after Hawkins scored on a 6-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter for Westinghouse and spiked the ball. Three flags were immediately thrown for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the Bulldogs were pushed back to the 17-yard line for their two-point try (Westinghouse doesn’t have a kicker). A quarterback scramble by Pack was stopped, and Bishop Guilfoyle held on to its 7-6 lead.

“We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Westinghouse coach Donta Green said. “That’s what it comes down to. We can’t make goofy mistakes. We can’t have goofy penalties, and we have to coach better.”

Photo for the Mirror by Jeremy Boland Guilfoyle quarterback Justin Wheeler keeps his eyes downfield while under pressure on Friday night.

Player of the game: There isn’t usually a chance to give the player of the game to a lineman, but in this case it’s appropriate. Peterson had the game-changing strip and also blocked well on Bishop Guilfoyle’s 71-yard opening drive that featured 13 runs and one pass for 4 yards and chewed up 7:58 off the clock. Jake Kissell, who wasn’t playing at 100 percent and had to be helped off the field at one point before returning, capped that drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, and Carter Boland’s extra point turned out to be the difference in the game.

“We came prepared,” Peterson said. “We knew what had to be done, and we got it done.”

Unsung hero: Certainly Wheeler, who not only made the big tackle to save a touchdown but picked up several first downs running the ball 13 times for 55 yards that helped the Marauders bleed the clock.

“I live my life for these moments,” the younger Wheeler said. “It means so much to me.”

Most vital statistic: Bishop Guilfoyle had no turnovers and blocked a Westinghouse punt.

Most deceiving statistic: Westinghouse outgained Bishop Guilfoyle, 173-48, in the second half and 311-134 for the game, but part of that was due to the Marauders’ conservative game plan.

“We had two offensive plans,” Coach Wheeler said. “One for if we had the lead, but if they scored, we were going to do the second plan and open it up a little bit. We were able to stick with our original plan. It wasn’t fancy, but we were able to run the clock and limit the possessions.”

Give Westinghouse, which allowed 55 points in last year’s PIAA quarterfinal loss to BG, credit as well for adjustments.

“We put in a new defense for this game,” Green said. “There was some confusion on the first drive, but we were able to settle our guys down and make the proper adjustments. Honestly, we felt they couldn’t do much to us after that. They had a couple good drives, because they have good players. You don’t shut players like that down, you just slow them down, but that’s what I thought we did for most of the game.”

Coach Wheeler, who greeted his team after the game pumping his fists and screaming that he loved them and that they were two wins away from another state title: “It took everything we had to get a win tonight. I told them that we were going to need that. We knew they were going to be ready for us this year. We weren’t sneaking up on anyone. For our guys to put in that effort and shut down that offense in the second half — it was just an incredible win.”

Westinghouse’s Green: “Eight years ago, the end of the game looks different. Helmets are being thrown, kids are probably walking off. The fact they were able to shake hands and walk across that line with their chin held high and their chest out to me is remarkable and shows growth in our program.”

BG QB Justin Wheeler: “On the first drive, we were sticking blocks and weren’t letting any linebackers blitz. We did well, but then they started catching on to it, but that first drive was dominated by our line, which has gotten us through a lot of these games.”

Notable: Westinghouse’s DeJheerit Mellix had an interception at the Bulldogs’ 5-yard line with 40.6 seconds left in the half, one of the few times Bishop Guilfoyle tried to push the ball down the field. … Pack, who did not start the majority of the year at QB for Westinghouse, carried 19 times for 125 yards. … The Bulldogs’ original starting quarterback, Zahir Ishmail, entered the game in the final 30 seconds after Pack had to leave the game due to a mouthpiece violation and completed a 17-yard pass to Hawkins as time expired. … BG had only three plays gain 10 yards or more. … The Marauders ran 14 plays on their first drive and just 24 for the rest of the game.

Records: Westinghouse (7-5); Bishop Guilfoyle Academy (12-2).

Next week: Bishop Guilfoyle will take on District 12 champion Belmont Charter — a 52-40 winner over Lackawanna Trail on Friday — in the PIAA semifinals next weekend. Westinghouse’s season is over.

“Our goal is always the same as a program — to win state titles,” Coach Wheeler said. “This was a step. We’re going to enjoy the ride back to Altoona and party and celebrate — the stuff you do after a huge win against a great team — but our mission is not complete.”

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Westinghouse 0 6 0 0 — 6

Bishop Guilfoyle 7 0 0 0 — 7

First Quarter

BG–Kissell 4 run (Boland kick), 4:02.

Second Quarter

W–Hawkins 6 run (run failed), 11:55.

TEAM STATISTICS W BG

First downs 13 9

Total yards 311 134

Rushes-yards 43-274 32-126

Yards passing 37 8

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 2-5-0 3-6-1

Punts-avg. 2-18.5 5-33.8

Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 10-95 6-45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Westinghouse, Pack 19-125, Hawkins 11-81, Reid 11-65, Hill 2-3. Bishop Guilfoyle, Wheeler 13-55, Kissell 14-42, Schimminger 2-19, Hewitt 3-10.

PASSING–Westinghouse, Pack 1-3-0-20, Ishmail 1-2-0-17. Bishop Guilfoyle, Wheeler 3-6-1-8.

RECEIVING–Westinghouse, Hawkins 2-37. Bishop Guilfoyle, Okonak 1-6, Hewitt 1-4, Lestochi 1-(-2).