By George Zhang, Staff Reporter
Junior and varsity football wide receiver Peter Detwiler made a stunning catch against Lower Merion that helped the Pioneers deliver a crushing defeat, 41-7 on Nov. 6. Detwiler’s catch was later featured on ESPN’s “You Got Mossed!” segment hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss. The segment features plays where one player “mosses” a player on the opposing team: a player on offense catches the ball over the defender.
Detwiler found out that his catch appeared on ESPN while he was at a lacrosse game. His friend who is on the football team, mentioned the video to him.
“I was like, ‘yeah, no way this is true,’” Detwiler said. “And then I go on a hotspot and checked my phone and (the post that I was featured on) was blown up. It was crazy.”
Detwiler describes the experience as a great moment because he wasn’t expecting the play to go as far as getting featured on ESPN.
“I’ve never really been a big attention guy, but it was cool to see. It’s always every kid’s dream to be on ESPN and it’s definitely one of the coolest moments of my life.
The play that Detwiler made wasn’t all just for the highlight reels. It also marked a turning point for the game and helped ’Stoga defeat Lower Merion.
“I think it was a pretty key part in the game in the sense of just a turning point. We came out of halftime and we just needed some momentum and I think the catch and touchdown kind of put us over the edge just to roll out of that game with the victory,” Detwiler said.
Detwiler still had his mind set on the game after he made that catch and was unfazed by it at first.
“I honestly didn’t think anything of it until afterwards. My teammates were hyping me up and it was a really cool experience,” Detwiler said.
Making the catch and getting featured on ESPN also changed Detwiler’s approach towards games and increased his confidence.
“I gotta get going every game with the same confidence. I think (the catch) did help a little bit with the confidence aspect,” Detwiler said.
Detwiler has been catching passes and scoring touchdowns since the age of 5 and thinks the play may help him decide whether he wants to continue football in the future. He finds football to be a great sport that he is passionate about.
“I love football, and I’ve been playing it all my life,” Detwiler said. “You really build that bond (with your teammates) and you can mostly call your teammates your brothers.”
George Zhang can be reached at [email protected]
