A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 8

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 20, 2021 | 6:42 PM

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Class 5A Northeast

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

7 p.m. Friday, Martorelli Stadium, Ross Township

Both teams are locked in a four-way tie for the top spot in the conference with Pine-Richland and Penn Hills. … The Foxes saw a two-game win streak snapped with a 28-7 loss to Penn Hills last Friday. Fox Chapel was limited to 133 yards of total offense. Zidane Thomas scored the Foxes’ touchdown and finished with 74 yards on 15 carries. Khi’Lee Patterson suffered an injury early in the second half and didn’t return. … North Hills has won three of four and snapped Pine-Richland’s four-game win streak with a 13-7 win last Friday. The Indians have allowed just 15.5 points a game this season, best in the conference. Quarterback John Green threw a touchdown pass against the Rams and ran for the other score. The dual threat finished 9 of 12 passing for 103 yards.

Kiski Area (6-2, 1-2) at 3-Pine-Richland (4-4, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Pine-Richland Stadium, Gibsonia

The Cavaliers can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Rams and another next week again Penn Hills at home. Pine-Richland can clinch with a win this week and some help or if it wins both of its final two conference games. … Kiski Area got a much-needed win, 42-27, over Shaler last Friday after losses to Fox Chapel and Penn Hills to begin conference play. The Cavaliers run game — 41 carries for 376 yards — dominated the Titans. CJ Hepler led the way with 19 carries for 250 yards and a touchdown, while Brock Wilkins added 97 yards and three scores on 16 rushes. … Pine-Richland, the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champion, has lost an uncharacteristic four games this year, including last week, 13-7, to North Hills. Ryan Palmieri paces the offense from his quarterback spot. He threw for 256 yards and a touchdown against the Indians. … Pine-Richland won last year’s meeting with Kiski, 58-14.

Class 4A Greater Allegheny

5-Hampton (8-0, 5-0) at Knoch (2-6, 1-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Knoch Knights Stadium, Jefferson Township

Five teams qualify for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs from the conference. Hampton is the only team from the conference to have clinched a spot. The Talbots did so with last week’s 42-6 win over Indiana. The Talbots did their damage mostly on the ground as they collected 270 total yards. Brock Borgo led the way with 173 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries. Matt DeMatteo also threw a touchdown pass in the victory. … The Knights need to win their final two games and get some help to make the playoffs. They were shut out for the second time this season last Friday as Plum collected 500 yards of total offense in a 39-0 win. Knoch’s run-first offense tallied 106 yards on the ground as Gavin McGowan had 38 yards on nine carries, and Keagan Fraser tallied 26 yards on 11 totes. … Hampton won last year’s meeting, 49-0, but Knoch claimed the 2019 matchup, 24-0.

Highlands (5-3, 2-3) at Greensburg Salem (5-3, 3-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Offutt Field, Greensburg

The playoffs actually have begun for these teams as both look to clinch a berth in the upcoming tournament. Highlands stunned Armstrong with a pounding ground game, while Greensburg Salem used the passing of Hayden Teska and receiving of Cody Rubrecht to defeat Mars. … Highlands, which lost at Indiana on Oct. 8, used the one-two ground punch of Chandler Thimons (130 yards and three touchdowns) and Luke Bombalski (104 yards and two touchdowns) to upset Armstrong, 41-27. Thimons also threw a touchdown pass. … Teska completed 16 of 29 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns (to Rubrecht for 55 yards and Christian Hostetler for 23).

Class 3A Allegheny Seven

Burrell (1-7, 1-3) at Derry (0-7, 0-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Trojan Stadium, Derry

A matchup of two programs that have slipped from recent lofty spots should come down to which team runs the ball better. Burrell is led by tailback Caden DiCaprio, who has 706 yards and nine touchdowns. The Buccaneers broke a six-game skid two weeks ago when they surprised Deer Lakes, 28-24. Last week, the Bucs fell to Freeport, 42-9. Ethan Croushore kicked a 29-yard field goal. … Derry is allowing a WPIAL-high 54.9 points a game, while Burrell yields 40.9. The injury-burdened and young Trojans are only three seasons removed from a trip to the WPIAL championship at Heinz Field. Derry showed some offensive movement in a 32-14 loss to Valley in Week 6.

East Allegheny (3-5, 2-3) at Valley (2-6, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Valley High Memorial Stadium, New Kensington

Valley can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Wildcats and a win in Week 9 against Burrell. The Vikings own wins over Derry (32-14) and Yough (23-6) the past two weeks after starting the season 0-6 and scoring just 21 points. Last Friday’s victory over the Cougars was halted in the third quarter in the aftermath of an on-field fight that grew to include players from both benches. Ejections by game officials may result in players from the Vikings having to sit out this week’s game. In the game, Tristin Goodwin threw a pair of TD passes to Domanick Simmons. Zaire Warren returned a punt 75 yards, and Kody Kirkwood booted a 32-yard field goal. … East Allegheny can clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs with a win over the Vikings and one more Burrell loss. The Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak in a big way last week with a 68-0 rout of Derry. East Allegheny scored in all three phases. Quarterback Michael Smith rushed for a touchdown and threw for two others.

2-North Catholic (8-0, 4-0) at Freeport (4-3, 3-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Buffalo Township

North Catholic has been the favorite in recent matchups between the teams, but Freeport has given the Trojans a battle on more than one occasion. North Catholic won last year’s meeting, 26-14, en route to a spot in the WPIAL semifinals. The Trojans prevailed 28-20 in 2019. … North Catholic remained undefeated last Friday with a 35-0 victory over Deer Lakes. Quarterback Joey Prentice continued his strong season with 192 yards and two touchdowns. Dual threat Kyle Tipinski rushed for 134 yards and a TD and added 69 receiving yards and a score. … Freeport has won three games in a row to move to the top of the conference standings. The Yellowjackets topped rival Burrell, 42-9, last Friday on the strength of 264 yards and six touchdowns from the run game. Junior quarterback Ben Lane carried the ball 10 times for 80 yards and three scores. Also scoring a rushing TD were junior Zach Clark and seniors Garrett King and Shane Jack. Senior Andrew Sullivan was everywhere on defense, finishing with 18 tackles.

Class 2A Allegheny

5-Steel Valley (7-0, 3-0) at Apollo-Ridge (2-5, 1-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Owens Field, Apollo

The Ironmen defense has allowed just 5.3 points per game, the fewest in WPIAL Class 2A, and has pitched three shutouts. The latest came last Friday in a 46-0 triumph over Shady Side Academy. Steel Valley has outscored its last four opponents by a combined 168-12. Running back Nijhay Burt fronts the Ironmen offense. One of the leading rushers in the WPIAL, Burt has carried 106 times for 1,426 yards and 25 touchdowns. Cruce Brookins has over 600 yards rushing. … Apollo-Ridge is still in the hunt for a WPIAL playoff spot, but it needs to win its final two games and hope for at least one more Shady Side Academy loss. The Vikings found tough sledding last Friday in a 62-20 loss to Class 2A No. 2 Serra Catholic. Nick Curci tallied a touchdown run for Apollo, giving him a team-best seven for the season. Angelo Cicco added an 88-yard kickoff return, and Alex Wurmb returned a fumble 25 yards.

Class A Eastern

1-Clairton (5-2, 5-0) at Springdale (5-3, 2-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Veterans Memorial Field, Springdale

Clairton has clinched a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. The Bears remained perfect in conference play last Friday with a 20-13 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic. Capone Jones again was a dual threat for Clairton as he threw for 107 yards and a touchdown and added 116 yards and two scores on 20 carries. The Bears are averaging 23.7 points a game and giving up 16.4. … A Springdale win this week and next week against Riverview clinches the postseason berth. Springdale got back on track the past two weeks with wins over Jeannette and Imani Christian after a three-game skid. The Dynamos scored a season-best 49 points against Imani last Friday. Logan Dexter accounted for four touchdowns with runs of 4 and 35 yards, a 33-yard fumble recovery and a 9-yard reception. Quarterback Legend Ausk completed only two passes, but both went for touchdowns … Clairton has won all seven matchups in the current conference series started in 2014.

Imani Christian (2-5, 1-4) at Leechburg (6-2, 3-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Veterans Memorial Stadium, Leechburg

Imani Christian can clinch a playoff spot with wins over Leechburg on Friday and a win over Bishop Canevin next week along with some help. The Saints had to forfeit games to Greensburg Central Catholic and Clairton. Their lone victory in conference play came against Jeannette, 14-7, in Week 4. Malik Shannon and Raysaun Jackson combined for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries in last week’s 49-20 loss to Springdale. … Saturday’s 71-8 rout of Riverview allowed Leechburg to clinch a winning season for the first time since 1991. The next goal is a trip to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 1988, and the Blue Devils can do that with a win over Imani Christian. Leechburg led Riverview 63-8 at halftime as it scored on all seven of its first-half possessions and added an interception return TD from Tyler Villa and a punt return score from Logan Kline. The Blue Devils were held to just three points by Bishop Canevin the week before.

Riverview (1-6, 1-4) at 2-Bishop Canevin (7-1, 4-1)

7 p.m. Saturday, Dormont Stadium, Dormont

Riverview faces a stiff challenge after losses to Greensburg Central Catholic and Leechburg the past two weeks by a combined 137-6. The Raiders’ leading rusher, senior Dean Cecere, hopes to return after being sidelined. He leads the way with 687 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 87 carries. Sophomore Landon Johnson got the call against Leechburg last Saturday and finished with 20 carries for 89 yards. The Raiders can clinch a spot in the playoffs with wins in the final two weeks and some help. … Bishop Canevin’s lone loss this season came to Class A No. 1 Clairton, 28-18, in Week 5. The Crusaders defeated Jeannette, 35-0, last week. It was their third shutout, and they have surrendered 7.9 points a game, tops in Class A. Jason Cross has thrown for 859 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Nonconference

Deer Lakes (3-5) at South Allegheny (3-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Glassport Memorial Stadium, Glassport

The Lancers can clinch a playoff spot this week with a Burrell loss at Derry. Deer Lakes hopes to get back on the winning track after losses to Burrell and North Catholic the past two weeks. Derek Burk is approaching 1,000 passing yards for the season. He has 952 and six touchdowns. Cody Scarantine was limited to 28 yards on 15 carries against North Catholic, but he went over 700 yards rushing for the season. … South Allegheny is in the thick of the Interstate Conference playoff race and can clinch with a Week 9 conference victory. The Gladiators have won three of their past four games after an 0-4 start. South Allegheny pitched a shutout against South Park last Friday until the Eagles scored in the fourth quarter to make the final 26-7. Akell Carrington scored three rushing touchdowns and finished with 178 yards on 19 carries. Kavan Markwood added 113 yards on 15 attempts.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Bishop Canevin, Burrell, Clairton, Deer Lakes, Derry Area, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Highlands, Imani Christian, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, North Catholic, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Riverview, South Allegheny, Springdale, Steel Valley, Valley