Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2024 Week 6

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, October 3, 2024 | 8:03 PM

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Welcome to Week 6 of the 2024 WPIAL football regular season and the kick off of October football.

October football is different.

The heat of August and September football has faded to that special chill in the air on Friday nights.

Teams try to establish an identity and then fine tune who they are in August and September.

In October, it is time to push hard toward a conference title or a district playoff berth.

The contenders and the pretenders are separated in October football to help determine who is still playing come November football and the district postseason.

Here is a look at some of the top high school football matchups for Friday.

Class 6A

No. 4 Canon-McMillan (2-4, 1-1) at Seneca Valley (1-4, 1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Nextier Stadium at Seneca Valley

Coaches: Mike Evans, Canon-McMillan; Ron Butschle, Seneca Valley

On the air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Hempfield 33, Canon-McMillan 27 (OT); Mt. Lebanon 32, Seneca Valley 8

Players to watch: Ty Jansma, Canon-McMillan (Soph., 6-0, 165, QB); Cayden Parker, Seneca Valley (Jr., 6-3, 225, RB/LB)

Team notes

Canon-McMillan: Unfortunately for the Big Macs, there is no such thing as overtime pay in high school football. Canon-McMillan has played back-to-back games beyond regulation, defeating Mt. Lebanon in Week 4 and falling at home to Hempfield last week. The Big Macs had a six-point lead at the half but could only score seven points the rest of the way. Sophomore quarterback Ty Jansma completed 9 of 21 passes for 159 yards and 12-yard scoring pass to junior tight end T.J. Sabatucci, plus Jansma scored on a 7-yard touchdown run.

Seneca Valley: The Raiders had a chance to move into second place last week in Class 6A behind the Central Catholic-North Allegheny winner with a victory against winless Mt. Lebanon, but SV lost on the road by 24 points. Seneca Valley trialed 19-0 at the half and made it interesting with a touchdown in the third quarter but could get no closer. Junior running back Cayden Parker rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries and scored on a 13-yard run. Parker also connected on a halfback option pass for 29 yards, one of three Raiders to throw a pass against Mt. Lebanon.

Historic factoids

• This is the 12th meeting between Seneca Valley and Canon-McMillan. The Raiders have six wins and the Big Macs have five.

• Canon-McMillan looks to even the series with a third win in as many years. The Big Macs won in 2022, 33-21. Then in Week 2 a year ago, Canon-Mac whitewashed Seneca Valley at home, 38-0. Big Macs quarterback Michael Evans was 11 of 15 passing for 164 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 72 yards and a score.

• Prior to wins the last two years, Canon-McMillan’s last victory in this series was in 2003. The first meeting between the two was 42 years ago when the Big Macs shut out the Raiders, 44-0, during the 1982 campaign.

Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference

No. 2 Upper St. Clair (6-0, 1-0) at No. 4 South Fayette (6-0, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, South Fayette Stadium at South Fayette

Coaches: Mike Junko, Upper St. Clair; Marty Spieler, South Fayette

On the air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Upper St. Clair 21, Peters Township 7; South Fayette 38, Baldwin 0

Players to watch: Julian Dahlem, Upper St. Clair (Sr., 5-10, 175, QB/RB/DB); Drew Welhorsky, South Fayette (Jr., 6-1, 185, QB/DB)

Team notes

Upper St. Clair: The Panthers continued their winning ways last week with a couple of exclamation points to improve the WPIAL’s longest current winning streak to nine consecutive victories. The victory over previously undefeated and defending district champion Peters Township turned into the Julian Dahlem show. The senior athlete rushed for 185 yards on 22 carries, scored on a 16-yard and 71-yard run and returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown. Upper St. Clair won despite not completing a pass. It was victory No. 500 in the amazing history of this program that began in 1958.

South Fayette: Joe who? We kid because we love, but the Lions are enjoying a successful transition from the great Joe Rossi to new head coach Marty Speiler. South Fayette has won all six games this season by an average score of 28-8. The new kid on the Lions QB block is junior Drew Welhosrsky, who continued his outstanding season with a big game in the Class 5A Allegheny 6 Conference opener against Baldwin last week. He was 9 of 12 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 121 yards on nine carries and scored two more touchdowns, giving him 11 TD passes and 10 scoring runs on the season.

Historic factoids

• This is the ninth meeting between the neighboring schools, including the last seven seasons. The Panthers have dominated the Lions to the tune of a 7-1 advantage.

• While USC has won seven of the eight meetings, this has been a very competitive matchup. The only meeting that wasn’t at least a two-score game was when Upper St. Clair crushed South Fayette in 2022, 35-0. The year before in 2021, USC needed overtime to pull out the win, 31-28.

• The Panthers have defeated the Lions in each of the last six seasons, as well as in 1967. But in the first meeting in 1966, South Fayette claimed its first and only win in the series, 13-12.

Class 5A Northeast Conference

Penn Hills (3-3, 2-0) at No. 1 Pine-Richland (5-0, 3-0)

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

Coaches: Charles Morris, Penn Hills; Jon LeDonne, Pine-Richland

On the air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Penn Hills 41, Shaler 0; Pine-Richland 71, Fox Chapel 0

Players to watch: Naytel Mitchell, Penn Hills (Sr., 5-10, 180, RB/LB); Aaron Strader, Pine-Richland (Soph., 5-10, 160, QB)

Team notes

Penn Hills: The Indians seem to have righted the ship just in time for Class 5A Northeast Conference action. Following losses in its first three games, Penn Hills has won three straight, including its first two conference games and a rare win over Aliquippa two weeks ago. The Indians have blanked both of their conference opponents, outscoring Fox Chapel and Shaler, 95-0. Last week, Penn Hills junior quarterback Devin Harris was 9 of 16 passing for 184 yards and a touchdown while senior running back Naytel Mitchell rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Pine-Richland: The Rams took care of business in a big way last week in winning their third Class 5A Northeast Conference game while improving to 5-0 overall. Pine-Richland scored 22 points in the the first quarter, led 50-0 at halftime and scored another 21 points with a running clock in the second half to crush visiting Fox Chapel. Sophomore quarterback Aaron Strader was a perfect 6 for 6 passing for 150 yards and four touchdowns, two to senior wide receiver Tanner Cunningham and one each to sophomore Landon Brown and junior Jalen Neals.

Historic factoids

• This is the 11th meeting between Pine-Richland and Penn Hills. The Rams have won seven previous meetings while the Indians have won three.

• From 2015-2021, the Rams won six straight games in this series. The Indians have won the last two regular season head-to-head contests, with wins in 2022, 33-28, and again last fall, 26-20.

• There have been three district postseason matchups between the Rams and Indians. Pine-Richland won a Class 4A first-round game in 2015, 42-7, and a 5A semifinal battle last fall, 19-6. Penn Hills won a Class 4A first-round playoff game in 2008, 37-7.

Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference

West Mifflin (2-4, 0-1) at No. 4 McKeesport (2-4, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, George Smith Field at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium at McKeesport

Coaches: Rod Steele, West Mifflin; Matt Miller, McKeesport

On the air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Mars, 42, West Mifflin 14; McKeesport 54, Hampton 7

Players to watch: Armand Hill, West Mifflin (Soph., 5-8, 170, RB); Kemon Spell, McKeesport (Soph., 5-11, 195, RB)

Team notes

West Mifflin: Following a 2-1 start, the Titans have struggled in a tough, grinding part of their schedule. West Mifflin has lost three straight to teams that are a combined 14-4 in Bethel Park, Thomas Jefferson and Mars. In their Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference opener last week, the Titans trailed by seven in the second quarter before the Fightin’ Planets scored 28 unanswered points. West Mifflin sophomore running back Armand Hill carried the ball 18 times for 163 yards and a 28-yard scoring run. He now has 660 yards rushing on 100 carries for the season with 11 touchdowns.

McKeesport: It’s been a unique Tigers tale this season as the team was 0-3 with two overtime losses but has now won two of its last three contests, including a rout in its Greater Allegheny Conference opener last week. McKeesport jumped out to a 28-0 lead at Hampton and then scored the game’s final 26 points for a one-sided victory over the Talbots. Sophomore running back Kemon Spell continued to stymie opposing defenses, rushing for 189 yards on only three carries. He scored on runs of 59, 65 and 65 yards, plus senior Anthony Cromerdie scored twice on runs of 27 and 49 yards.

Historic factoids

• This is the 23rd meeting between these neighbors, a series in which McKeesport had had the better of West Mifflin to the tune of a 19-3 record.

• The Tigers have defeated the Titans nine straight times, including a perfect 4-0 in this decade. McKeesport has outscored West Mifflin in wins in each of the last four years by a combined score of 128-14, including last year’s 35-7 Tigers victory. Kemon Spell and Anthony Boyd each scored twice for McKeesport.

• These programs squared off every year from 1961-1974. The Tigers won the first game 63 years ago, 20-7. The last Titans victory in the series was in 1978 when West Mifflin North beat McKeesport, 28-26.

Class 3A Western Hills Conference

North Catholic (3-3, 2-0) at No. 4 Central Valley (2-4, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Sarge Alberts Stadium at Central Valley

Coaches: Chris Rizzo, North Catholic; Mark Lyons, Central Valley

Last week: Imani Christian 48, North Catholic 28; Avonworth 21, Central Valley 14

Players to watch: Tom Arth, North Catholic (Jr., 6-2, 190, QB); Steven Rutherford, Central Valley (Sr., 5-11, 168, QB)

Team notes

North Catholic: The Trojans saw a three-game winning streak end last week with a nonconference loss at home to undefeated Imani Christian. North Catholic was down big at the half but scored 14 points in each of the third and fourth quarters. Junior quarterback Tom Arth enjoyed a big night, completing 26 of 40 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns, two to sophomore Jack White. The Trojans are 2-0 in the Western Hills Conference with shutout victories over Quaker Valley and McGuffey.

Central Valley: The two-game win streak for the Warriors in which they outscored Western Hills Conference foes McGuffey and Beaver 100-37 ended abruptly on the road last week. Central Valley scored twice in the first quarter on a TD pass from senior quarterback Steven Rutherford to senior wide receiver B.J. Nastick and a 22-yard scoring run by senior Mason Dixon before falling at Avonworth by a touchdown. Rutherford finished with 6 of 11 passing for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Historic factoids

• This is only the sixth meeting between the schools with Central Valley leading the series against North Catholic, 5-1.

• The Trojans’ only win against the Warriors came six years ago when NC edged CV in the fall of 2018, 14-13.

• The last meeting between these schools was in the 2021 WPIAL Class 3A championship game. Central Valley dominated North Catholic at Heinz Field, 52-15, as Landon Alexander rushed for 217 yards.

• North Catholic beat Center in their only meeting, a 1980 playoff game, by a score of 14-9. The Trojans played Monaca five times, winning three and losing two.

Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference

No. 2 Ellwood City (5-0, 3-0) at Western Beaver (4-1, 3-0)

12:30 p.m. Saturday, Western Beaver Stadium

Coaches: Dan Bradley, Ellwood City; Ron Busby, Western Beaver

On the air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Ellwood City 33, New Brighton 0; Western Beaver 21, Riverside 10

Players to watch: Elijah Palmer-McCane, Ellwood City (Sr., 6-0, 200, RB); Jaivin Peel, Western Beaver (Soph., 6-0, 185, QB)

Team notes

Ellwood City: The perfect season for the Wolverines continues both in the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference and overall. Following an MAC opening win against Mohawk in Week 3, Ellwood City has enjoyed back-to-back blowout wins over Freedom and New Brighton by a combined score of 76-3. The Wolverines defense enjoyed its first shutout of the season last week, plus senior running back Elijah Palmer-McCane rushed for 191 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns while senior quarterback Chris Smiley threw for 90 yards two more scores.

Western Beaver: The Golden Beavers have won four consecutive games and all three of their Midwestern Athletic Conference games thanks to a stingy defense. Since allowing 30 points in a season-opening loss at Ambridge, the Western Beaver defense has allowed only 22 points in its last four games. On offense, the Golden Beavers have once again been led by sophomore quarterback Jaivin Peel, who threw for 85 yards last week and has over 1,100 yards passing and 12 touchdowns on the season. Sophomore running back Braedon Mayo had two TD runs for Western Beaver last week.

Historic factoids

• This is only the sixth meeting between these schools with four of them being played since 2918. Western Beaver is 4-1 all-time against Ellwood City.

• The Golden Beavers have defeated the Wolverines in the last three meetings in 2019, 2022 and 2023 by a combined score of 107-32. Last year, Jaivin Peel connected on 12 of 17 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns for Western Beaver while Elijah Palmer-McCane rushed for 216 yards and scored twice for Ellwood City.

• The only victory for Ellwood City in this series came in 2018 when it edged Western Beaver, 27-21. The first meeting between the two was 45 years ago and won by the Golden Beavers, 34-0, in the fall of 1979.

Class A Black Hills Conference

Cornell (5-1, 2-1) at No. 1 Fort Cherry (6-0, 3-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Jim Garry Stadium at Fort Cherry

Coaches: Ed Dawson, Cornell; Tanner Garry, Fort Cherry

Last week: Cornell 38, Serra Catholic 6; Fort Cherry 42, Burgettstown 0

Players to watch: Walter Clarit, Cornell (Sr., 5-7, 180, RB/MLB); Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry (Jr., 6-0, 175, QB/DB)

Team notes

Cornell: Last week was a bounce-back victory for the Raiders. After winning its first four games and losing a Class A Black Hills Conference showdown at home to Bishop Canevin in Week 4, Cornell won big at home against Serra Catholic. The Raiders scored the game’s first 38 points thanks in part to the running of senior running back Walter Clarit, who rushed for 119 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 55 and 33 yards. Junior quarterback Mark Stuckey threw for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Fort Cherry: Last week truly was “one for the thumb” as the Rangers improved to 3-0 in the Black Hills Conference and 6-0 overall. Junior quarterback Matt Sieg, who broke the thumb on his throwing hand earlier this season, had his biggest game passing the ball against Burgettstown, going 11 of 15 passing for 168 yards and three touchdowns to sophomore Nate Wolfe, senior Shane Cornali and junior Evan Rogers, plus he rushed for 84 yards and a TD. The shutout was the third this season for the Rangers.

Historic factoids

• This will be the 25th meeting between Fort Cherry and Cornell. The Rangers lead the series, 16-7-1.

• The Rangers have won the last two meetings and 13 of the last 14, including a 42-13 conference win last year. The Raiders’ only win in the series since 1989 came in 2021 when Fort Cherry had to forfeit the conference game due to the team being exposed to covid-19.

• The lone tie in the series came in 1984 when the teams finished deadlocked, 13-13. Cornell won the first meeting in 1980, 12-6, one of six wins for the Raiders in the first 10 meetings before the Rangers began dominating the head-to-head clashes in 1990.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Central Valley, Cornell, Ellwood City, Fort Cherry, McKeesport, North Catholic, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, West Mifflin, Western Beaver