Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 2

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, September 9, 2021 | 8:01 PM

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Area high school football fans, we are inching closer to the start of conference games. Those are the games that will decide which teams qualify for the WPIAL playoffs in November.

However, in this final full weekend of nonconference games, there are a lot of quality matchups up and down the six classifications.

A postponement update: Only two WPIAL football games this weekend have been canceled because of issues related to covid-19 protocols. There will be no Beaver Falls at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Shenango at Ellwood City on Friday.

However, this sweet six-pack of games is set to go for Friday as we showcase some of the top matchups in Week 2. All six are on HSSN.

Class 6A vs 5A nonconference

Class 6A No. 2 Mt. Lebanon (2-0) at Class 5A No. 3 Peters Township (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Peters Township Stadium

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Bob Palko, Mt. Lebanon; T.J. Plack, Peters Township

Last week: Mt. Lebanon defeated Upper St. Clair, 36-13; Peters Township defeated Canon-McMillan, 29-7

Players to watch: Alex Tecza, Mt. Lebanon (Sr., 6-1, 195, RB/DB); Sam Miller, Peters Township (Sr., 6-0, 185, QB/DB)

Four downs

1. Mt. Lebanon struck quickly and often against rival Upper St. Clair on its way to a second straight win. Senior quarterback Joey Daniels connected on 6-of-12 passing for 161 yards with a scoring pass and a touchdown run in the Blue Devils’ 36-13 triumph over the visiting Panthers.

2. Senior Alex Tecza enjoyed a huge night on the ground against neighboring USC. The Blue Devils running back rushed for 226 yards and scored three touchdowns on jaunts of 6, 80 and 11 yards in the win. He now has 298 yards in two games.

3. Peters Township blew open a tight game at the half with 16 unanswered points to improve to 2-0. Leading 13-7 after two quarters, the Indians pulled away from host Canon-McMillan, topping off the scoring in the fourth quarter with a safety in a 29-7 win over the Big Macs.

4. Quarterback Sam Miller enjoyed a big game for the Indians. The senior threw for 261 yards and two long touchdown passes of 36 and 75 yards, plus he scored on a 13-yard run.

Extra point: The last meeting between these two South Hills foes was a Mt. Lebanon win at Peters Township, 18-15, in October of 2017. The Blue Devils have won nine of the 10 meetings between the schools with the lone victory for the Indians coming in October of 2013, 39-35.

Class 5A nonconference

No. 4 Moon (2-0) at Woodland Hills (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, The Wolvarena in Turtle Creek

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Ryan Linn, Moon; Tim Bostard, Woodland Hills

Last week: Moon defeated Montour, 35-6; Woodland Hills lost to McKeesport, 7-6

Players to watch: Tyler McGowan, Moon (Sr., 6-1, 175, QB); Deontae Williams, Woodland Hills (Sr., 5-11, 190, QB/WR/S)

Four downs

1. Moon scored 14 points in the fourth quarter last week to pull away from visiting Montour, 35-6. The Tigers scored touchdowns on defense and special teams to beat the rival Spartans and improve to 2-0.

2. Quarterback Tyler McGowan has been instrumental in the good start for the Tigers. The senior was 10-of-15 passing for 128 yards and a touchdown against the Spartans. Seniors Dante Docchio and Taite Beachy have each caught touchdown passes for Moon.

3. Woodland Hills was outstanding on defense again in Week 1 but just came up a point short in an old-fashioned, low-scoring game. The Wolverines have only allowed one touchdown in eight quarters of football. A missed 2-point conversion was the difference in the loss at McKeesport.

4. Quarterback Deontae Williams is over 100 yards passing and rushing for the Wolverines in two games. The outstanding senior had Woody High’s only scores against McKeesport, running for 57 yards and a touchdown on fourth-and-2 midway through the fourth quarter.

Extra point: For four years, from 2016 through 2019, Moon and Woodland Hills were 5A Allegheny Nine foes. The Wolverines won the conference meetings in 2016 (31-27), 2017 (34-14) and 2018 (20-10). The Tigers lone triumph came in 2019 at The Wolvarena, 27-12.

Class 5A vs 4A nonconference

South Fayette (2-0) at Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Thomas Jefferson Stadium

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Joe Rossi, South Fayette; Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson

Last week: South Fayette defeated West Mifflin, 42-21; Thomas Jefferson defeated Gateway, 21-16

Players to watch: Landon Lutz, South Fayette (Sr., 6-5, 225, QB); Jordan Mayer, Thomas Jefferson (Jr., 6-4, 236, TE/DE)

Four downs

1. South Fayette dominated last week at home against West Mifflin. The Lions scored 14 points in the first quarter and added 28 second quarter points to take a 42-0 halftime lead. The Titans made the final score respectable with 21 second half points. Junior Christian Brandi had a 34-yard pick-six for SF.

2. Senior Landon Lutz had a huge first half against West Mifflin. The first-year starting quarterback was 9-of-13 passing for 170 yards and three touchdown tosses to go along with a pair of scoring runs.

3. It was quite the season debut for the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A champions last week. Thomas Jefferson held an 18-point lead over 5A No. 1 Gateway after three quarters before hanging on to win the Week 1 showdown between top-ranked squads in Monroeville, 21-16.

4. Junior Jordan Mayer had a big season opener on both sides of the ball for Thomas Jefferson. He led the Jaguars defense with two sacks and caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Joe Lekse that put TJ up to stay in the second quarter.

Extra point: This is the first meeting between these two powerhouses since the 2018 WPIAL Class 4A championship game at Heinz Field, won by South Fayette, 31-24. In the last 15 years, these teams have won a combined 12 WPIAL football championships with the Jaguars collecting eight gold trophies and the Lions winning it all four times. The Lions lead the all-time series 4-1 with the Jaguars lone win coming in 1960, 14-12.

Class 4A vs 3A nonconference

Blackhawk (1-1) at North Catholic (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, J.C. Stone Field in North Park

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Zack Hayward, Blackhawk; Pat O’Shea, North Catholic

Last week: Blackhawk lost to Central Valley, 58-35; North Catholic defeated Ambridge, 41-0

Players to watch: Lorenzo Jenkins, Blackhawk (Sr., 6-4, 180, WR/DB); Joey Prentice, North Catholic (Sr., 6-1, 200, QB)

Four downs

1. It was a strange week for Blackhawk. First, their Week 1 game at home against Hopewell was canceled when the Vikings had to deal with covid-19 protocol issues. Then in searching for a game, Blackhawk officials talked to Central Valley officials, since their game with Beaver was also canceled. Since the Cougars and Warriors are already scheduled to play in Week 4, there was talk of a Week 1 clash being a scrimmage. Finally, the two schools agreed to play a game with Central Valley winning, 58-35.

2. Despite the loss, Cougars newcomer Lorenzo Jenkins enjoyed a big game against the defending Class 3A champion Warriors. The senior wide receiver had nine receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

3. North Catholic had no trouble extending the longest current losing streak in the WPIAL in a shutout of Ambridge last week. The Trojans scored 21 first quarter points and added 20 more in the second quarter to put the game out of reach by halftime. Sophomore running back Jack Fennell scored twice for NC.

4. Fennell wasn’t the only Trojans player to enjoy a big first half against the Bridgers. Senior quarterback Jack Prentice completed 9-of-14 passes with a touchdown pass and a scoring run. North Catholic has outscored its two opponents this season, 103-0.

Extra point: Eight years ago, North Catholic won its first and only WPIAL football championship by winning the 2013 Class A title. Thirty years ago, Blackhawk captured the first of three straight Class AAA crowns by beating Valley, 23-13, in the 1991 finals. The Cougars won district crowns again in 1992, 1993 and their most recent championship 25 years ago when they knocked off Belle Vernon, 24-6, in the 1996 Class AAA title game. After losing three straight to North Catholic in the 70s, Blackhawk has won the last three meetings in this series, including the most recent game, 47-3 in 1992.

Class A vs 2A nonconference

Union (2-0) at Neshannock (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Bob Bleggi Stadium at Neshannock

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Stacy Robinson, Union; Fred Mozzocio, Neshannock

Last week: Union defeated Ellwood City, 39-0; Neshannock defeated South Side, 27-0

Players to watch: Tyler Staub, Union (Sr., 5-11, 167, QB); Cam’Ron Owens, Neshannock (Sr., 6-1, 190, RB/DB)

Four downs

1. Union is 2-0 and averaging 40 points per games after nonconference wins over Mohawk and Ellwood City. The Scotties scored 12, 15 and 12 points in the first three quarters last week in a 39-0 whitewash of the visiting Wolverines.

2. Scotties quarterback Tyler Staub has been a big part of the 80 points scored in two weeks. The senior threw for 151 yards and tossed touchdown passes of 38 yards to sophomore Braylon Thomas and 37 yards to sophomore Mike Gunn, plus he scored on a 4-yard run in the Week 1 win.

3. Like Union, Neshannock pitched a shutout in picking up its second win of the season last week. The Lancers led host South Side 7-0 at halftime before scoring 20 second half points to pull away to the nonconference victory.

4. Lancers running back Cam’Ron Edwards is averaging 6.8 yards per tote early this season. The senior has rushed for 205 yards on 30 carries the first two weeks, including 100 yards rushing against the Rams with a pair of bookend scoring runs in the 27-0 triumph for Neshannock.

Extra point: These two Lawrence County schools have not played each other in six years. Neshannock won the last meeting back in 2015, 54-12. The Lancers have won the last six meetings with the Scotties. The last Union win in this series was a 33-14 victory in 2009.

Class A vs Class 2A nonconference

Clairton (0-1) at Washington (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Washington HS Stadium

On the air: Audio on WJPA-AM 1450

Coaches: Wayne Wade, Clairton; Mike Bosnic, Washington

Last week: Clairton lost to Steel Valley, 14-12; Washington defeated Jefferson-Morgan, 60-0

Players to watch: Lawrence Short, Clairton (Jr., 5-9, 152, WR/DB); Davoun Fuse (Jr., 6-4, 190, QB)

Four downs

1. Clairton did not play in Week Zero, so last week’s game at home against Steel Valley was its season opener. The Bears scored the first two touchdowns but missed both 2-point conversions. That was the difference when Steel Valley rallied for two scores and kicked the extra points in a 14-12 win for the Ironmen.

2. Bears wide receiver Lawrence Short leads the team in scoring. In fact, he is the only one on the team in the scoring department after one game. The junior caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from junior Capone Jones in the second quarter and then he hauled in a 9-yard pass from Jones in the fourth quarter for Clairton’s two touchdowns.

3. Washington made it 2-0 against the Class A Tri-County South Conference last week with a 60-0 rout of host Jefferson-Morgan. Most of the damage came early as the Little Prexies led 27-0 after one quarter and extended their lead to 48-0 by halftime. Wash High defeated Monessen in Week Zero.

4. In two runaway victories, Little Prexies quarterback Davoun Fuse hasn’t been asked to do much, but when he has, he’s delivered. Fuse has completed 8-of-10 passes for 141 yards, and half of his completions have gone for touchdowns. Last week, he threw scoring passes of 20 and 29 yards in the first quarter.

Extra point: This is a rare meeting between these two WPIAL small school powers. Washington leads the all-time series, 7-4. The Little Prexies’ last win over Clairton was in 2005, 27-8. The Bears won the last meeting, 41-0, in 2010. Wash High is trying to go 3-0 to start a season for the second time in three years while Clairton is trying to avoid losing three straight since falling in the 2018 WPIAL semifinals to OLSH, then losing its first two games to Aliquippa and McGuffey to start the 2019 campaign.