CANONSBURG, Pa. — Upper St. Clair entered Friday night’s matchup with Canon-McMillan as a slight underdog due to differences in classifications and the Big Macs’ defense playing at an extremely high level. For about two quarters, the Big Macs’ defense played its classic stifling defense but midway through the third quarter, the Panthers offense started humming as they rattled off 21 unanswered points to defeat the Big Macs in comeback fashion, 24-17.
Trailing 10-3 at halftime and 17-3 just minutes into the third quarter, the Panthers used a strong message at the intermission to keep themselves in the ballgame.
“[The message] was to just keep playing together,” Upper St. Clair senior lineman Marco Carone said. “It was to keep trusting each other, keep trusting the guy next to you and eventually with what the coaches know, it’ll work.”
Just after it looked as if the Panthers were going to cut into a one-possession Big Mac lead, Bennett Henderson’s field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown the other way. This play looked as if it would be the nail in the coffin for the Panthers, but Carone and the team knew it was not over just yet.
“Just keep on going,” Marco Carone said about the team’s mindset after the touchdown return. “Just keep on playing, keep trusting the guy next to you, and keep playing together.”
Carone plays alongside both the offensive and defensive line for the Panthers and did something on Friday that he only dreamed of doing, catching a pass in a real game.
“I did catch a pass,” Carone said smiling. “We put it in [the playbook] four or five weeks ago but we never ran it. When I heard it [called,] I was so excited. Every lineman dreams about that and honestly, I am just happy that I caught it. I didn’t get a block, shook one guy but yeah, it was amazing.
Carone’s big and athletic build has helped him garner multiple offers to play collegiate football from universities such as Navy, Penn, Bryant, and Maine. With the senior lineman uncommitted to any school as of Friday night, he did not want to name any of his favorite relationships with college coaches but did say that they all are great and are being considered.
“Every school that I have been talking to is great,” said Carone. “It’s been an amazing process, so I want to thank all of them.”
That was until Carone committed to the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, so maybe his gratitude was a bit of foreshadowing.
The Panthers now sit at 6-2 overall and own a 1-2 conference record but with a quality win against a tough Canon-McMillan squad, they now look to carry momentum into the final weeks and possibly postseason play.
“[This win] is non-conference so it does not really affect our playoff chances, but it really does give us a good feeling and a lot of confidence, so I think it is huge,” Carone said.
