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Wednesday, August 28, 2024 | 19:48
Franklin Regional’s Elijah Bennett celebrates a touchdown against Plum last Friday.
Non-conference
Apollo Ridge (0-1) at Jeannette (1-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., McKee Stadium, Jeannette
Last week’s result: Leechburg 19, Apollo Ridge 14; Jeannette 28, Mt Pleasant 27
Last year: Didn’t play.
Apollo-Ridge was in the same position against Leechburg last week that Mt. Pleasant was against Jeannette. It had everything under control in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold on to the lead. Leechburg scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat the Vikings, who were plagued by eight pre-snap penalties. Nathan Fryer and Taye Bradshaw scored touchdowns in the loss. … Jeannette trailed 27-14 in the second half before catching up thanks to Kymone Brown and Jayce Powell. After forcing a turnover with 3:15 left, Brown’s screen pass found Powell for a 74-yard touchdown after the two had combined for a 56-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Powell, a sophomore, caught six passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns and also threw a touchdown. Brown split snaps with Markus McGowan.
Belle Vernon (0-0) at 1:4A Aliquippa (0-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., Heinz Field, Aliquippa
Last week’s result: Didn’t play.
Last year: Didn’t play.
A matchup fans have been waiting for since the schedule was released in June, two-time defending 3A champion Belle Vernon faces 4A champion Aliquippa, who had already won two straight. The Quips defeated Belle Vernon 28-13 to win the 2021 title. Tikey Hayes, who committed to Penn State, is one of the state’s best running backs, running for 2,137 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. … While a talented senior class hands over the keys, several key playmakers are back for the unranked Leopards, including Anthony Crews (WR/DB), Kole Doppelheuer (RB/LB) and Alonzo Wade (WR/DB). Also watch for Deaubre Lightfoot (WR/DB).
East Allegheny (0-1) at Southmoreland (1-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., Russ Grimm Field, Alverton
Last week’s result: South Park 30, East Allegheny 16; Southmoreland 45, Valley 20
Last year: Not played
East Allegheny quarterback Cedric Mark completed 18 of 28 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. He hit seven different players, including Raemer Sims three times for 97 yards. The Wildcats defense allowed 376 yards in the running game. … Southmoreland freshman quarterback Anthony Smith completed 7 of 13 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Phillips returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Jake Kaylor kicked a 50-yard field goal, breaking the school record of 48 yards, with help from former Steelers kicker Dave Trout.
Franklin Regional (1-0) at Hempfield (0-1)
Friday, 7 p.m., Bill Abraham Field at Spartans Stadium, Hempfield
Last week’s result: Franklin Regional 42, Plum 7; North Hills 22, Hempfield 0
Last year: Franklin Regional 38, Hempfield 15
Two local schools always draw a crowd, although the matchup is non-league this year after Hempfield returned to 6A. Franklin Regional looked good in its opening game with a balanced attack that saw Chase Lemke throw four passes and Kyle Dupill rush for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Elijah Bennett caught two TDs. The Panthers scored 21 points in the first quarter. … Hempfield’s losing streak reached 10 games with a scoreless loss at North Hills. The Spartans allowed just three points in the second half, though. The team is still waiting for medical clearance for quarterback Dom Detruf, who has a heart condition and is undergoing numerous tests. Look for Brock Heisler in the Spartans’ offense.
Freeport (1-0) at Derry (0-1)
Friday, 7pm, Trojan Stadium, Derry
Last week’s result: Freeport 30, Indiana 7; Ligonier Valley 20, Derry 7
Last year: Not played
Freeport quarterback Drew Ross ran for a touchdown and hit Owen Wisniewski on a 31-yard touchdown pass. Owen Neistein and Amos Glen scored touchdowns for the Yellowjackets. Damauri Robinson scored a touchdown on a 41-yard run for Derry, but the Trojans offense struggled to score against Ligonier Valley. … The Trojans and Yellowjackets have met three times. Freeport won 34-14 in 2020 and Derry won 35-27 in 2019 and 19-13 in 2018.
Mt. Pleasant (0-1) at Greensburg Central Catholic (1-0)
Friday, 7pm, Centurion Stadium, Carbon
Last week’s result: Jeannette 28, Mt Pleasant 27; Greensburg Central Catholic 46, Shady Side Academy 40
Last year: Greensburg Central Catholic 37, Mt Pleasant 24
Mt. Pleasant seemed to be in control against Jeannette until the late game before the high-running Vikings allowed two long touchdown passes and were caught behind by a point. Brody Hutter ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Jarett Garn kicked two field goals, one from 37 yards. Both players had an interception. The Vikings used several rushers. … Standout quarterback Samir Crosby helped Greensburg Central Catholic overcome a 22-point deficit and top Shady Side Academy. The junior ran for 341 yards and four touchdowns and threw 136 passes and two touchdowns, both to Landon Honick. He ran for 262 yards after halftime. Last year against Mt. Pleasant, Crosby had seven catches for 152 yards, threw for a touchdown and intercepted two passes.
Mt. Lebanon (0-1) at Penn-Trafford (0-1)
Friday, 7:30 p.m., Warrior Stadium, Harrison City
Last week’s result: Upper St. Clair 42, Mt. Lebanon 22; Norwin 26, Penn Trafford 14
Last year: Not played
This is the fourth meeting between the teams. Penn-Trafford won the last meeting in 2011 at Mt. Lebanon, 34-17. Mt. Lebanon won the first home game in 1977, 53-8, and the second in 2010 at Penn-Trafford, 43-18. … Both teams lost in Week Zero. Mt. Lebanon quarterback Pat Smith completed 19 of 25 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 63 yards on 19 carries. … Tasso Whipple ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors. PT quarterback Jonny Lovre completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards.
3-6A Norwin (1-0) at Kiski Area (0-1)
Friday, 7 p.m., Richard J. Dilts Stadium, Allegheny Township
Last week’s result: Norwin 26, Penn-Trafford 14; Kiski Area 42, Knoch 7
Last year: Didn’t play.
A season-opening win has Norwin playing with confidence and has secured the No. 3 spot in the highest scoring. The Knights defeated rival Penn-Trafford to earn their first season-opening win in six seasons. It was the 400th win in school history. They trailed 14-6 in the third quarter before scoring 20 straight points, including an 80-yard touchdown pass from Tristyn Tavares to Jake Knight. Tavares’ 6-yard touchdown run put them ahead. Norwin’s last 2-0 start was in 2014. … Kiski Area scored 35 points in the first half to defeat Knoch. Aven Shirley opened the scoring with an 80-yard kick return score and Landon Kucic had a 72-yard run. Kucic ran for 182 yards and four touchdowns. The Cavaliers gave up 230 yards through the air.
Plum (0-1) at Latrobe (1-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., Latrobe Memorial Stadium, Latrobe
Last week’s result: Franklin Regional 42, Plum 7; Latrobe 41, Connellsville 0
Last year: Didn’t play.
Plum got off to a slow start and never recovered against neighboring rival Franklin Regional, an opponent to which it has lost six straight. The Mustangs allowed four touchdown passes and over 200 rushing yards in the opener. They scored on their first play of the second half with a touchdown pass from John Nonnenberg to Sloan Humphries. Olivia Bigger, the team’s kicker, made the extra point. … Latrobe looked like a 5A contender in the opener, steamrolling Connellsville behind its usual suspects. John Wetzel (QB/S), a Marshall commit, had a pick-6 on the first play and Penn State linebacker recruit Alex Tatsch scored two rushing touchdowns before Brady Prohovic added a third and it was 28-0 at halftime. … Plum leads the all-time series 9-7. The teams have not met since 2019.
West Greene (0-1) at Monessen (1-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Monessen
Last week’s result: Waynesburg 42, West Greene 7; Monessen 59, Charleroi 12
Last year: West Greene 41, Monessen 32
These former Tri-County South Conference rivals meet in a non-conference matchup. … West Greene is trying to rebound from a tough opening loss to neighboring Waynesburg. West Greene lost two 1,000-yard runners in Billy Whitlatch and Colin Brady. Second-year coach Beau Jackson plans to rotate Patrick Durbin and Jackson Grimes there. Lane Allison returns at quarterback, where he rushed for 984 yards and 16 touchdowns. … TyVaughn Kershaw ran for 169 yards and five touchdowns in the season opener. He returned two kickoffs and scored. … Quarterback Dennis Hawkins completed 10 of 11 passes for 176 yards and three scores.
Yough (1:0) at Charleroi (0:1)
Friday, 7 p.m., Cougar Stadium, Charleroi
Last week’s result: Yough 40, Brentwood 0; Monessen 59, Charleroi 12
Last year: Yough 20, Charleroi 14
It’s the Cougars’ battle. Yough opened the season with a 0-0 tie against Brentwood. Quarterback Raidon Kuroda threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more. He completed 9 of 15 passes for 165 yards and rushed for 105 yards on 18 carries. Aidan Thornton ran for 110 yards and a score, while Aidan Shaffer caught three passes for 108 yards and two scores. … Charleroi quarterback Jackson Keranko completed 15 of 29 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel Nusida caught eight passes for 103 yards and Noah Pletcher had three catches for 59 yards.
Tags: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Derry Area, East Allegheny, Franklin Regional, Greensburg CC, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Monessen, Mt. Lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, West Greene, Yough
