5 things we learned in Week 7: Two leading QBs questionable for WPIAL playoff openers

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 24, 2020 | 10:18 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Two of the WPIAL’s top quarterbacks are questionable to play as their teams approach the playoffs.

North Catholic’s Joey Prentice and Keystone Oaks’ Logan Shrubb, both standout dual-threat quarterbacks, left their Week 7 games with injuries. KO coach Greg Perry said he expects Shrubb to play this Friday, but North Catholic coach Patrick O’Shea said Prentice might be limited.

Both teams earned Top 4 seed in the WPIAL Class 3A playoff bracket. Second-seeded North Catholic hosts No. 7 Mt. Pleasant, and No. 4 Keystone Oaks hosts No. 5 South Park.

Prentice left Friday’s game with a hand injury, but O’Shea said he’s hoping for good news.

“I haven’t heard how bad or not bad it is,” he said. “I’m waiting to hear. It was something that had him really, really struggling to throw the football.”

Prentice rushed for a touchdown in Friday’s 26-14 victory over Freeport, but passing is a big part of his game. He has thrown for 955 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.

The senior also is a defensive standout for North Catholic, so if he can’t throw a football, he might still start at safety.

“As long as Joey can still play defense, that’s fantastic for us,” O’Shea said, “because the defense has been playing at such a high level.”

Shrubb injured an ankle in Friday’s 52-34 victory over Hopewell. Before exiting the game, the senior had rushed for 309 yards on 28 carries with touchdown runs of 29, 39 and 11 yards.

“He twisted his ankle a little bit,” Perry said, “but he’s the kind of kid who isn’t going to miss a game. I think he’ll be OK.”

North Catholic turned to backup Carson Laconi when Prentice was injured. If Prentice couldn’t play quarterback this week, O’Shea said the team has confidence in Laconi, who rushed for two short touchdowns Friday.

“The kids knew and we as a staff knew that Carson would manage the game and do a great job,” O’Shea said. “He did a really nice job.”

2. Statworthy efforts

With the regular season complete, Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen claimed his spot atop the WPIAL passing yardage list. The sophomore quarterback completed 107 of 207 passes for 1,768 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. He threw just two interceptions.

The WPIAL’s top rusher for the seven-week regular season was Mars senior Teddy Ruffner. After running for 233 yards and four touchdowns in Friday’s 34-22 win over Indiana, Ruffner finished the regular season with 1,567 yards and 24 scores.

His closest competition came from California’s Jaedan Zuzak (1,357 yards), but the Trojans were idle this week after Monessen forfeited their scheduled matchup.

Yough senior C.J. Waldier led the WPIAL in receptions with 46. He totaled 668 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

3. Going out with a bang

The WPIAL’s top prospect, Gateway four-star senior running back/safety Derrick Davis, is planning his college commitment for Nov. 7.

He will choose from LSU, Southern Cal, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Pitt and Penn State.

He certainly is putting on a show for his future coaches.

He ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries and also caught a 9-yard TD pass from Carsen Engleka in Friday’s 43-12 win over Connellsville in the Class 5A Big East Conference.

4. Gallagher’s highlight reel

There already has been quite a bit of speculation about whether electrifying Laurel Highlands sophomore Rodney Gallagher will play football or basketball in college.

After Friday night, it makes sense to add another topic to the discussion: If he plays football, will it be on offense or defense?

Gallagher returned two touchdowns for interceptions, one for 75 yards and another for 62, in a 34-33 victory over Trinity.

The 62-yard return was a highlight for the ages. He picked the ball off at the left sideline and swerved into a thicket of no fewer than six would-be Trinity tacklers but somehow emerged unscathed for a sprint down the sideline to the end zone.

5. Holding out hope

In his years as a coach, Montour’s Lou Cerro had never experienced a loss quite like Friday’s.

Tied at 28 in the fourth quarter, his Spartans were flagged for holding in the end zone. Beaver was awarded a safety and eventually won 30-28.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Cerro said. “That’s new to me. It’s frustrating.”

Making matters worse, the Week 7 loss ultimately kept Montour out of the playoffs. The WPIAL football committee instead chose Hampton as a wild card in Class 4A.

“It’s a tough pill,” Cerro said. “We got ourselves into (playoff) position but it didn’t work out.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.