The varsity football team begin their quest to Heinz Field Friday night as they take on the Penn Hills Indians in their first round matchup at 7:30 PM.

The Hawks wrapped up their regular season last Friday topping Mt. Lebanon 34-24 to claim the Southeastern Conference championship. Bethel Park finished the season with a record of 8-1 and a 5-0 section record.

That impressive regular season earned the Hawks the third seed and a home game.

Penn Hills had a solid season themselves finishing with an overall record of 7-3 and earning fourth place in the very competitive Northern Seven Conference. All of their losses came against other teams in their section.

The Indians are certainly a team who likes to throw the ball. Their offense is lead by junior quarterback Hollis Mathis who has thrown for the second most yards in 6A totaling 2,093 yards. Along with Mathis is a talented group of receivers: Daequan Hardy, Dante Cephas, Darrell Mason, and Michigan State recruit Julian Major.

The Indians can certainly run the ball too with their running back tandem of Tank Smith and Tim Smith.

“Penn Hills has a good offense. They are quick and can make big plays if you allow them to get in space,” said Bethel Park senior cornerback Austin Lewis.

Controlling the Indians’ offense will be the key to a Hawks victory.

“To limit them, we must make sure we tackle and keep them in front of us,” Lewis said.

The Hawks’ defense has been solid for the Hawks all year allowing just 17.9 points per game.

Bethel Park will look to control the game on offense as well. The Hawks will lean on their running game that has been consistent for them all year. Bethel Park has one of the best offensive lines in the WPIAL along with the duo of Tanner Volpatti and Johnny Doleno in the backfield.

Daequan Hardy has been solid for the Penn Hills defense, totaling six interceptions on the year.

The Student Section has announced that the game will be a USA theme. All BP fans are encouraged to attend and wear red, white, and blue.

Good luck, Hawks!