Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 2

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 | 4:40 PM

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Nonconference

Charleroi (0-1) at Monessen (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Monessen

An old rivalry is renewed: the battle for the bridge. Will it be called the Charleroi/Monessen Bridge or the Monessen/Charleroi Bridge? Both are looking for their first wins. Charleroi dropped a 42-7 decision to Class A Carmichaels and Monessen fell to Imani Christian, 12-8, after falling to Washington in Week Zero, 42-7. … Charleroi returns numerous seniors from a 2-5 season, including quarterback Brendan Harps and running back Nikko Pellegrini. Terrance Woods had five catches against Carmichaels. Monessen freshman Anthony Crews scored on a 26-yard run against Washington. Wade Brown is Monessen’s first-year coach.

Derry (0-2) at Indiana (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Fifth Street Stadium, Indiana

Derry remained winless with a road loss to high-scoring Mt. Pleasant, 63-14. The Trojans lost senior running back Zack Revoir to a season-ending knee injury. They are playing sophomore and freshmen partly out of necessity, and with an eye toward the future. … Indiana evened its record with a convincing, 44-7 win at Burrell. Korbin Wilson ran for 96 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries, but the Indians had two 100-yard rushers in Devin Flint, who had 156 yards on 13 rushes, and Zach Herrington (11 for 118).

Franklin Regional (1-1) at Hempfield (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium, Hempfield

After a fast start in the opener, Franklin Regional got sloppy with the football and Kiski Area capitalized on three turnovers for a 24-14 win over the Panthers. The Cavaliers returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Ayden Hudock continued to be a bright spot for the Panthers as he returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Connor Donnelly finished 15 of 20 for 150 yards and a touchdown, and Caden Smith has a touchdown catch in the loss. … Despite some more second-half flair, Hempfield could not rally to get by Penn-Trafford in a 45-14 loss. The Spartans trailed at halftime, 38-0, allowing big plays in the running game. Still, quarterback Jake Phillips continued his maturation process by going 13 of 27 for 166 yards and two touchdowns, with Jayden Talbert grabbing eight receptions for 137 yards and two scores.

Greensburg C.C. (1-1) at Apollo-Ridge (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday at Owens Field, Apollo

After playing Class 5A Upper St. Clair in the opener and falling, 38-0, Greensburg Central Catholic hosted Class 2A Seton La Salle and rebounded with a 17-7 victory. Nate Dlugos threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Joe Blahovec, Ryan Reitler kicked a 30-yard field goal, and Taishaun Jamison scored on a 12-yard run for the Centurions. Nate Dlugos completed 16 of 26 passes for 275 yards. … Apollo-Ridge sank to 0-2 as the Vikings were shut out for the first time since 2012 (24-0 vs. Springdale). The Vikings’ defense allowed Avonworth to use a balanced, run-pass attack to post the win. First-year starting quarterback Karter Schrock was strong in the opener against OLSH. The sophomore threw for 146 yards and ran for 143 and a TD.

Greensburg Salem (1-1) at Mt. Pleasant (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Vikings Stadium, Mt. Pleasant

Greensburg Salem registered win No. 701 in school history as it downed visiting Connellsville, 36-19. Hayden Teska threw a touchdown and ran for another, and Rashad Canady scored two rushing touchdowns for the Golden Lions. Donavin Waller had the TD reception. Teska finished 11 for 21 for 171 yards, a week after passing for 300 yards. … Mt. Pleasant continued to rack up the points as it bulldozed Derry, 63-14. The Vikings scored five touchdowns in the first quarter. They have 103 points, tied for the second most in the WPIAL.

Jeannette (0-2) at Ligonier Valley (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Weller Field, Ligonier

Jeannette is starting a lot of new faces after an unusual amount of transfers left from a WPIAL Class A championship team. The Jayhawks have been outscored 122-0 in losses to Class 2A East Allegheny and Sto-Rox. The Class 2A Rams are off to an impressive start after defeating Class 4A Indiana, 20-14, and Class 3A Elizabeth Forward, 26-14. … Jeannette’s lone starter from the championship team, lineman Justin Shank, was injured against Sto-Rox and may not play. Ligonier Valley quarterback Haden Sierocky threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two more against the Warriors.

Kiski Area (2-0) at Latrobe (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Latrobe

Kiski Area opened the season with two home victories, defeating Butler and Franklin Regional. The Wildcats kicked off the season by whipping Derry. They dropped a Week 1 game, 31-28, at Norwin despite a strong running attack. … The Cavaliers used interception returns for scores by Eddie Coleman (16 yards) and Brayden Dunmore (70 yards) in their 24-14 win against Franklin Regional. Against Norwin, Latrobe’s Drake Clayton rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown, and Kyle Brewer added three touchdowns, giving him six for the season. QB Bobby Fetter injured his left shoulder and will miss a few games.

Norwin (1-1) at Connellsville (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Falcon Stadium, Connellsville

Norwin rallied from a 28-21 deficit to defeat Latrobe, 31-28. Joe Castle booted a 21-yard game-winning field with three seconds left. Connellsville dropped a 34-19 decision to Greensburg Salem. The Falcons have struggled the past 18 seasons after not retaining their most successful coach, Dan Spanish, in 2003. … The Knights used the right arm and legs of quarterback Luke Levendosky to rally in the fourth quarter to defeat Latrobe. Levendosky ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. The young Falcons have a new coach, Bill Maczko, who replaces Marco Thomas. The Falcons also lost the season opener to Laurel Highlands. QB Anthony Piasecki completed 13-of-25 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown against Greensburg Salem.

Southmoreland (1-1) at Perry (1-0)

7 p.m. Thursday at Cupples Stadium, Pittsburgh

A rare matchup on a rare weeknight, this contest crosses county and league borders as the Scotties and Commodores meet for the first time. Southmoreland went play for play with Laurel Highlands and star quarterback Rodney Gallagher before falling, 28-21. First-year quarterback Anthony Govern completed 14 of 20 passes for 176 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and Josh Bass had three catches for 83 yards. The Scotties’ line continues to get a strong push as multiple ball carriers have gained positive yards. … City League team Perry rolled past independent Uniontown, 34-0, in its opener as Ahmad Arrington scored on a 43-yard run and threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Nate Cutler, who also had a rushing score.

Trinity (0-2) at Yough (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Cougar Mountain, Herminie

These teams are looking for their first victories of the season. Class 4A Trinity has dropped games to Canon-McMillan (48-0) and West Allegheny (43-34). Yough’s offense hasn’t been able to find the end zone, falling to Albert Gallatin (40-0) and Ringgold (40-0). … The Hillers are led by quarterback Connor Roberts, who completed 20-of-32 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns in a loss to West Allegheny. Wide receiver Andrew Durig had seven catches for 158 yards and three scores. Yough is led by wide receiver C.J. Waldier, who had five catches for 30 yards against Albert Gallatin.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Charleroi, Connellsville, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Indiana, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Perry, Southmoreland, Trinity, Yough