Plum earned more than just a win against longtime football rival Gateway last Friday night.

The Mustangs ended a streak of 13 consecutive losses at the hands of the Gators.

With the win, the team also secured a free batch of pizza courtesy of a friendly wager between local pizza parlors.

Prior to the game, Grandslam Pizza of Plum and Papa Rocks Pizza of Monroe­ville staked claims on their hometown teams. If Plum emerged victorious, Papa Rocks would provide the Mustangs a set of free pies. If Gateway kept up its streak, Grandslam was obliged to feed the Gators.

The bet emerged from the mind of Bill Brash, the owner of Grandslam Pizza.

A longtime fan of Mustangs football, he knew Plum had historically struggled against neighboring Gateway.

But he noticed a different energy in the Mustangs this season, he said.

“They’re just playing with a level of enthusiasm and skill I haven’t seen in a long time,” Brash said.

The wager, he said, provided a fun way to rally for his community and show his faith in this year’s Mustangs squad.

Plum pulled through, 23-14, leaving Papa Rocks on the hook.

The Monroeville shop made more than good on the wager, supplying the Mustangs with four “Big Papa” pizzas — each consisting of 56 slices.

They earned it, Amy Guiliani said.

The Gateway alumna and Papa Rock’s manager said she saw Brash’s Facebook post about the bet and thought it would be fun way to bring the neighboring communities together and turn out for their schools.

She said she was confident in her Gators, but she’s happy for the Mustangs.

“It’s definitely been good for the teams,” Guiliani said.

The Plum-Gateway rivalry, however, isn’t the last of the Friday night “Pizza Wars,” Brash said.

He plans to make similar bets with other pizza shops when the Mustangs play rival Penn-Trafford on Sept. 26 and his alma mater, Penn Hills, to end the regular season Oct. 24.

If the battle on the turf isn’t enough, Brash said he hopes the pizza battles will generate more interest in the Mustangs among the local community.

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