Every Wednesday, the PUP High School athletic staff previews the game of the week.

Between the diamonds

WHO: Bethel Park (1-0) at Mars (1-0)

Where: Mars-Gymnasium

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

The trainers: Phil Peckich (Bethel Park); Eric Kasperowicz (Mars)

When did they last meet: Never. This will be the first meeting between the schools.

On deck: Bethel Park travels to Armstrong next week, while Mars hosts North Hills in a matchup with Kasperowicz’s alma mater.

This and that: Two of the most impressive season-opening victories came at those two schools: Bethel Park rolled over Class 6A opponent Seneca Valley on the road, 50-14, while Mars traveled south to face Boone, Fla., and emerged victorious in a 47-35 shootout. After starting the season unranked, the Black Hawks rose to No. 4 in Class 5A in this week’s PUP Best in Show rankings, while the Planets are knocking on the door just outside the top five in Class 4A. … Senior quarterback Tanner Pfeuffer was outstanding for Bethel Park against the Raiders, completing 12 of 20 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Not to be outdone, senior tailback JaVaughn Moore amassed nearly 200 yards from scrimmage, running for 112 yards and two scores on 17 carries, along with two catches for 81 yards and a TD. Both Jack Bruckner and William Sabatos each turned an interception into a touchdown in the first quarter to set the tone for the Black Hawks’ blowout victory. … As efficient and productive as Pfeuffer was in Week 0, his numbers pale in comparison to Mars senior Luke Goodworth. The third-year starter completed 10 of 15 attempts for 365 yards and five TDs without throwing an interception and threw three TDs of 80 yards or more in the high-scoring victory. Goodworth’s favorite target, junior Gabe Hein, was virtually unstoppable. Hein caught eight passes for a school-record 256 yards and four touchdowns, while Eric Kasperowicz Jr. rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. … Bethel Park won’t be at its best without multi-sport star Ryan Petras, who is recovering from a torn labrum and may not play at all this year. With Petras on the field, the Black Hawks have the firepower to beat anyone in the area, but keeping up with the Planets’ high-powered offense might be too much to ask without him. Either way, the scoreboard operator might need a vacation when the dust settles.

Expert tips (data sets in brackets)

Steve Redstone (0-1): 38. March, 31. Bethel Park

Brad Everett (1-0): March 43, Bethel Park 41

John Santa (0-1): Bethel Park 49, March 42

On the radar

Belle Vernon at Aliquippa, Friday, 7 p.m.

An extremely rare meeting of two defending state champions will kick off the season for both teams when Belle Vernon, No. 4 in Class 4A, travels to Heinz Field in Aliquippa to face the Quips, No. 1 in Class 4A. These two teams last met in the 2021 WPIAL Class 4A championship game, when Aliquippa defeated the Leopards 28-13 to start its current streak of three consecutive WPIAL Class 4A titles. Meanwhile, Belle Vernon has dropped to Class 3A for the 2022-23 cycle and has won two straight WPIAL and PIAA championships. Of course, star running back Quinton Martin – now a freshman at Penn State – has been a big reason for the Leopards’ success. This will be a big challenge for Belle Vernon in its first game since Martin’s graduation. For the Quips, who have their own future running back for Penn State in Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes, this is their first game under new coach Vashawn Patrick, who stepped in for Mike Warfield less than two months before the season.

Central Catholic in Pine-Richland, Friday, 7 p.m.

Two of Western Pennsylvania’s best football factories will meet again in the latest installment of this bitter rivalry, and Class 6A’s No. 1 Central Catholic will look to rebound from a 44-16 loss to nationally ranked St. Frances of Maryland on Saturday. Class 5A’s No. 2 Pine-Richland, meanwhile, is coming off a 35-24 road win at Ohio’s Hilliard Davidson on Friday, and the Rams enter this matchup with plenty of momentum thanks to the strong legs of Maclane Miller. The junior tailback rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening win, while celebrated Vikings linebacker Bradley Gompers will look to slow him down after making 16 tackles in Week 0.

McKeesport in Peters Township, Friday, 7 p.m.

McKeesport nearly fell out of Class 4A entirely after a 36-35 double-overtime loss to Lake, Ohio, in the KDKA Kickoff Classic, dropping from No. 2 to No. 5 despite a valiant effort. Things won’t get any easier for the Tigers in Week 1 as they travel to Peters Township to face the top-ranked and defending WPIAL Class 5A champion Indians. This is a thrilling clash of styles between Peters Township’s pass-happy offense and McKeesport’s vaunted flexbone rushing attack. Led by star sophomore Kemon Spell, the Tigers’ best chance is to jump out to an early lead and run down the clock to keep the Indians’ standout quarterback, Nolan DiLucia, off the field. On the other hand, Peters Township fell behind 17-0 in the first half against Canon-McMillan, but came back with 42 unanswered points in a season-opening win on Friday.

PUP “outsider” to keep an eye on

Steel Valley (hosts Washington on Friday at 7 p.m.)

Yes, Steel Valley was the No. 1 team in Class 2A to start the season, and yes, it’s still No. 4 and a serious title contender, especially if Da’Ron Barksdale finally returns from injury. But this week, it will play the role of underdog at home for the first time in several years, as the new No. 1 team in Class 2A comes to town. Washington began the season with a 14-7 win in the rivalry at McGuffey, while the Ironmen lost to Clairton, No. 2 in Class 1A, 30-7. But expect Steel Valley to pull out all the stops to avoid coming into the game 0-2.

Steve is a sportswriter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but is currently on strike. Email him at [email protected].