5 things we learned in WPIAL Week 7

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 13, 2018 | 9:36 PM

Nobody can say who holds the WPIAL single-game record for touchdowns, but Derry’s Justin Flack became the latest to score eight.

The senior had six rushing touchdowns, returned a kickoff 88 yards and scored on a 60-yard interception return in Friday night’s 63-20 victory over Yough. His touchdown runs covered 27, 11, 46, 9, 2 and 48 yards.

Flack joins California’s Casey Zajicek and Apollo-Ridge’s Duane Brown, who had eight-touchdown nights weeks apart in 2015. Zajicek scored his during a 60-42 victory over Avella on Sept. 11, 2015. Brown had eight in a 56-35 win at Deer Lakes on Oct. 23, 2015.

The state record is 11. Shippensburg’s Galen Warren set that mark in 1925 during a game against Hershey.

2. Another punt return TD for MJ

Speaking of records, MJ Devonshire is on the doorstep of tying one.

The Aliquippa senior returned his eighth punt for a touchdown in Friday’s 55-7 victory over South Park, leaving him one away from the single-season record listed in the National Federation of State High School Associations record book. Jack Kline of Brooklyn, Iowa, had nine in 2013.

Friday’s punt return covered 32 yards.

Aliquippa (8-0, 5-0) hosts Keystone Oaks in Week 8 and visits Central Valley in Week 9.

3. Week 7 was a night for offense

Fourteen WPIAL teams scored at least 50 points on Friday, including three that reached a staggering 70 in a trio of high-scoring wins. Southmoreland defeated Shenango, 72-28. Washington won 70-36 over Beth-Center, and North Catholic celebrated a 70-0 victory over Uniontown.

The schedule included only two games between ranked opponents, which contributed to the lopsided results.

The winning teams in Friday’s 58 games combined for 2,373 points – an average of 40.9 per game. McKeesport with 66 points, Steel Valley 64 and Derry 63 certainly helped boost that mark.

4. And then there were two

With two weeks left, the race for the top seeds in WPIAL Class 2A is narrowing.

Shady Side Academy and Burgettstown remain the last undefeated teams after McGuffey’s 46-33 loss Friday to Charleroi. Shady Side (7-0, 4-0) defeated Fort Cherry, 46-0, Friday. Burgettstown (7-0, 5-0) stayed perfect with a 14-3 victory Saturday over Mohawk.

To make their case for the top two seeds, they will likely need to stay perfect.

Charleroi’s victory puts the Cougars in prime position to at least share the Century title and receive the best overall seed from their conference. McGuffey (5-1), Charleroi (5-1) and Washington (4-1) all have one conference loss apiece, but Charleroi holds head-to-head wins over each. Washington faces McGuffey in Week 9.

Top-ranked Shady Side Academy has two Allegheny Conference tests remaining against East Allegheny (5-3, 2-2) and Avonworth (7-1, 4-1). Burgettstown has Three Rivers matchups with Brentwood (4-4, 3-3) and South Allegheny (4-4, 3-2).

5. Fantastic finish and 400 yards

Cornell quarterback Zaier Harrison joined the WPIAL’s 400-yard club Friday when he threw for a staggering 465 yards on 42 pass attempts in one of the week’s wildest finishes. The junior completed 28 and threw four touchdowns, but the Raiders lost to Laurel, 35-34, on a two-point conversion with 12 seconds left.

The teams combined for 51 fourth-quarter points.

Cornell, which led 12-6 after the third quarter, held a 34-27 lead when Harrison connected with Kaden DiVito for a touchdown pass and then added the two-point run. But the lead vanished when Laurel’s Dylan Aquaro caught a touchdown in the final seconds, and teammate Daniel Blank ran in the conversion for the win.

The win was an important one.

Laurel (3-2), Sto-Rox (3-2) and Cornell (3-3) are battling to finish third in the Class A Big Seven Conference and possibly claim a wildcard berth.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.