Trib HSSN high school football don’t-miss matchups for Week 8

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, October 17, 2019 | 9:08 PM

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Class 6A Conference

Pine-Richland (5-1, 7-1) at Seneca Valley (3-3, 3-5)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Nextier Stadium

On the air: Video at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Pine-Richland 41, Mt. Lebanon 0; Woodland Hills 36, Seneca Valley 7

Coaches: Eric Kasperowicz, Pine-Richland; Ron Butschle, Seneca Valley

Players to watch: Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland (Jr., 5-10, 175, QB); Ethan West, Seneca Valley (Jr., 6-1, 175, RB)

Four downs: 1. Defending champion Pine-Richland registered its third shutout of the season in last week’s whitewash of Mt. Lebanon. PR has outscored Canon-McMillan and the Blue Devils 104-7 in the last two weeks. 2. Junior quarterback Cole Spencer was lights out in Week 7. He connected on 19 of 26 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 22 touchdown passes for the season to go along with 1,764 passing yards. 3. Seneca Valley has yet to win two games in a row this season. They followed up a Week 6 victory over Hempfield with a 29-point loss at Woodland Hills. It was only the second win of the season for the Wolverines. 4. After missing a week, Ethan West returned and supplied the Raiders with their only points on a 27-yard first quarter touchdown. West leads SV in both rushing and receiving this season.

Extra point: A year ago, Seneca Valley went on a postseason revenge tour. The Raiders avenged regular season losses to Central Catholic and North Allegheny by beating the Vikings in the quarterfinals and the Tigers in district semifinals. The tour ended at Heinz Field when after losing to Pine-Richland 21-7 in Week 8, the Raiders fell to the Rams 34-7 in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game.

Class 5A Northern Conference

Shaler (2-3, 3-5) at North Hills (4-1, 5-3)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Martorelli Stadium

On the air: WJAS-AM 1320 and at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Penn Hills 43, Shaler 14; North Hills 42, Armstrong 0

Coaches: Jim Ryan, Shaler; Pat Carey, North Hills

Players to watch: Joey Impavido, Shaler (Sr., 5-9, 170, WR); Curtis Foskey, North Hills (Jr., 5-9, 205, RB)

Four downs: 1. While the overall record of 3-5 might not stand out, Shaler has been competitive in every game but two. One of those came last week when they lost at home to defending champ Penn Hills by 29 points. 2. Titans senior wide receiver Joey Impavido has been a big-play machine. He is averaging nearly 14 yards per reception with 34 catches and five touchdowns this season. 3. North Hills clinched a playoff berth with its victory over Armstrong. They now control their own destiny to host a playoff game and win the Northern Conference championship if they can beat Shaler and Penn Hills. 4. Junior running back Curtis Foskey had a big night last week, rushing for 178 yards and four touchdowns on scoring runs of 13, 2, 8 and 13 yards. He is averaging 7.5 yards per tote and doubled his touchdown total in Week 7 from 4 to 8.

Extra point: North Hills defeated Shaler 21-7 last year to keep the rivalry a one-sided affair. The last time the Titans beat the Indians was 26-14 in Sept. of 2011.

Class 4A Northwest Eight Conference

Beaver (1-4, 2-6) at Montour (3-2, 4-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Montour Spartans Stadium

On the air: WKPL-FM 92.1 and at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Quaker Valley 30, Beaver 20; Montour 54, Ambridge 7

Coaches: Jeff Beltz, Beaver; Lou Cerro, Montour

Players to watch: Tyler Ziggas, Beaver (Jr., 6-1, 155, QB); Dominic Magliocco, Montour (Sr., 6-1, 180, WR)

Four downs:

1. It has been a long, tough season for Beaver. After nine straight winning seasons, the Bobcats have won only two of eight and have been outscored 222-96. 2. Junior quarterback Tyler Ziggas hit on 8 of 16 passes for 158 yards and two touchdown passes to Tyson King as the Bobcats tied for their second-highest point total of the season in a loss to Quaker Valley. 3. After a rough 2018 campaign, this season didn’t start out much better for Montour as it was 0-2 in the Northwest Eight Conference and 1-4 overall. But now the Spartans have won three straight and control their own postseason destiny. 4. Senior wide receiver Dom Magliocco continued his big season with another standout performance in Week 7. He had a touchdown catch and two touchdown runs in the Spartans’ rout of Ambridge. He has 482 yards receiving and nearly 200 yards on the ground.

Extra point: Beaver beat Montour last year, 33-20. Obviously a lot has changed in a year as the Bobcats only have two wins since that victory while the Spartans can clinch a playoff spot with two wins or a win and help.

Class 3A Tri-County West Conference

South Park (3-2, 3-4) at Central Valley (5-0, 7-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Sarge Albert Stadium

On the air: WMBA-AM 1460 and at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Aliquippa 29, South Park 0; Central Valley 63, Hopewell 28

Coaches: Marty Rieck, South Park; Mark Lyons, Central Valley

Players to watch: Rudy Mihoces, South Park (Sr., 5-11, 190, RB); Ameer Dudley, Central Valley (Jr., 6-1, 178, QB)

Four downs: 1. South Park had a three-game conference winning streak end with a 29-point loss at Aliquippa. The Eagles live or die by their offense. In the Eagles’ three wins, they average over 30 points per game. In their three losses, they average seven points per game. 2. The Eagles did accomplish something nobody else has this season. They rushed for over 100 yards against Aliquippa. It was the first time South Park was shut out since falling 52-0 to the Quips in 2017. 3. Trap game alert for Central Valley. The Warriors took care of business against Hopewell last week and have a huge showdown for the Tri-County West Conference championship at Aliquippa in Week 9. 4. Ameer Dudley hit on 5 of 7 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors against the Vikings and Myles Walker scored on a 70-yard blocked punt return and an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Extra point: Central Valley can keep its conference title hopes alive and can wrap up a quarterfinals home playoff game with a win. South Park can return to the postseason after missing out last year with one more win against either Central Valley or Quaker Valley.

Class 2A Three Rivers Conference

Brentwood (6-0, 7-1) at Burgettstown (5-0, 7-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Hill Memorial Stadium in Burgettstown

On the air: Video on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Brentwood 25, Carlynton 0; Burgettstown 44, Mohawk 0

Coaches: Kevin Kissel, Brentwood; Mark Druga, Burgettstown

Players to watch: Aiden Wardzinski, Brentwood (Jr., 5-10, 185, RB); Jake Lounder, Burgettstown (Sr., 6-1, 225, QB)

Four downs: 1. Brentwood lost to Keystone Oaks in Week Zero, 26-21. Since then, they have won seven straight games, including all six conference games by a combined score of 133-56 with two shutouts. 2. Spartans junior running back Aiden Wardzinski rushed for 189 yards on 27 carries and scored on a pair of touchdown runs last week against Carlynton. Senior quarterback John Milcic threw for 139 yards and added a scoring run. 3. Burgettstown has been dominant in winning all seven games this year, including five conference victories. Their average margin of victory has been 41-6 and their defense is fourth in the WPIAL in points per game behind Thomas Jefferson, Jeannette and Aliquippa. 4. Senior quarterback Jake Lounder can hurt opponents with his arm or his legs. He rushed for 112 yards and had two touchdowns in a win over Mohawk. For the season, he has over 900 yards of total offense and leads the team with 12 touchdowns.

Extra point: Last year, Burgettstown shut out Brentwood 27-0 at a time when the Blue Devils were on their way to a Three Rivers Conference title and the Spartans missed the playoffs by one game. The winner of this game is the conference champion and the loser will finish in second place and host a first-round playoff game.

Class A Tri-County South Conference

Chartiers-Houston (5-1, 6-2) at California (4-1, 5-3)

7 p.m. Friday, California Trojans Stadium

On the air: WMBS-AM 590, WMBS-FM 101.1, WJPA-AM 1450 and on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Chartiers-Houston 40, Avella 0; California 67, Bentworth 34

Coaches: Terry Fetsko, Chartiers-Houston; Ed Woods, California

Players to watch: Anthony Lento, Chartiers-Houston (Sr., 5-11, 175, QB); Cochise Ryan, California (Sr., 5-11, 188, QB)

Four downs: 1. Since losing to Sto-Rox to fall to 3-2 overall, Chartiers-Houston has ripped off three straight conference victories by a combined score of 103-27. 2. Buccaneers junior wide receiver Jimmy Sadler, a standout on the diamond, was been a big hit on the gridiron against Avella with a pair of touchdown receptions from Anthony Lento. The Bucs senior quarterback was 11 of 18 passing for 172 yards and three touchdowns. 3. When California wins, they score a lot. They have averaged 51.4 points per game in their five victories. However, the offense disappears when they lose, averaging less than a touchdown per game in their three losses. 4. Senior quarterback Cochise Ryan rushed for 201 and threw for 117 yards in a 67-point effort against Bentworth. He ended up with four touchdown runs and a touchdown pass in an offensive explosion one week after being shut out by West Greene.

Extra point: The winner of this game will finish second in the Tri-County South and clinch a playoff berth. The loser is still alive for a wild-card spot in Class A. California crushed Chartiers-Houston 56-0 last year. The Buccaneers’ last win in this series was a 17-7 triumph in 2013.

Tags: Beaver, Brentwood, Burgettstown, California, Central Valley, Chartiers-Houston, Montour, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Shaler, South Park