Aside from some choice comments from an understandably irritated coaching staff, few words were uttered in the Woodland Hills locker room following a half that saw Bethel Park pick apart a Wolverines defense that looked lethargic.

So, after their pride took a blow, the Wolverines decided to get defensive.

And, oh yeah ... they figured they'd knock off the defending champs in the process.

Sparked by an agitated defense that produced five second-half sacks, No. 5 Woodland Hills lowered the boom and upended No. 4 and reigning WPIAL Class AAAA champion Bethel Park, 21-17, in a non-conference showdown at the Wolvarena last night. The loss ended Bethel Park's 16-game winning streak against WPIAL competition.

"We came out a little sluggish," said Woodland Hills senior defensive end Richard Gray, who recorded two of those sacks. "We were in the locker room. We were quiet. And [defensive coordinator Bill Morton] told us we needed to bring it together. And we went out and turned it on in the second half."

Even though the Wolverines (3-1) played inspired football over the final 24 minutes -- led by a defense that made a bevy of critical stops -- one final defensive stand ultimately determined the outcome of a contest veteran Woodland Hills coach George Novak called, "a great, great football game."

After falling behind, 21-17, with 2:28 left in the game, Bethel Park (3-1) put together its first sustained drive since the second quarter, bolstered by a 45-yard pass hookup from quarterback Matt Bliss to Anthony Frangione that placed the ball at the Wolverines' 17-yard line with just less than two minutes to go. Three plays later, the Black Hawks found themselves with a first-and-goal from the 4. And even after a tackle-for-a-loss and a costly holding penalty, the Black Hawks still had a chance, facing a fourth-and-goal from the 5 with 10 seconds left.

Down to one final play, Bliss tried to connect a quick slant to Lewis Dibble in the right side of the end zone, but the low pass was knocked away, as the play was defended perfectly by the Wolverines' Lafayette Pitts and Davon Dixon.

"They made a play," said Bethel Park coach Jeff Metheny. "We had four cracks at it. The penalty sure hurt and that's been a thing with us. But to come 70 yards in less than two minutes, it shows a lot about our kids. We just didn't finish it."

Just as he assisted with on defense, Pitts decided to finish it for the Wolverines offensively as well.

Bethel Park's Anthony Paglia converted a 22-yard field goal with 4:01 remaining to give the Black Hawks a 17-14 edge. But on the ensuing drive, Wolverines quarterback John Yezovich found Pitts down the left seam. Pitts shook a defender, then darted to the left corner in what proved to be a winning 34-yard touchdown. Pitts, a junior, also used his standout quickness to score on a 28-yard run just after halftime to tie the score, 14-14.

"Pitts has great speed and he's a great athlete," Novak said. "He makes things happen."

Syracuse recruit Dom Timbers also made some hefty contributions to the Wolverines offense, dashing for 116 yards -- his third consecutive 100-yard effort -- and a first-quarter touchdown.

Junior running back Bre Ford led the Black Hawks with 75 yards and a score on the ground, and Bliss completed passes to seven different receivers, finishing 13 of 23 for 216 yards and a touchdown.

Bliss, though, completed only five of those passes in the second half when the Wolverines defense tightened.

For the game, he was sacked seven times by a Woodland Hills front seven led by Gray, Julian Turner, and Pitt recruit Khaynin Mosley-Smith.

Said Gray: "Coach Novak said this was the biggest game of the year. And we stepped up."

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