A-K Valley high school football matchups for 2024 Week 8

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 | 7:48 PM

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Class 5A Northeast Conference

Fox Chapel (1-6, 0-4) at Shaler (2-6, 0-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Titan Stadium, Glenshaw

Last week’s results: Plum 49, Fox Chapel 10; North Hills 34, Shaler 10

Last year’s meeting: Shaler 47, Fox Chapel 13

• Both teams are seeking their first Northeast Conference win of the season. Both have scored 17 points in conference play and are averaging just over 11 points per game. … Lincoln Burgess caught a 28-yard TD pass from Joe Geller, and Harran Zureikat kicked a 44-yard field goal for the Foxes last week. Anthony Fourquet paced the rushing attack with 58 yards. … Braylon Ronel scored on an 88-yard missed field goal return for Shaler last week, and Riley Douglas added a 22-yard field goal. The Titans started 2-1 with nonconference wins over Butler and Hampton. … Shaler is 34-14 against Fox Chapel in a series that dates to 1963.

Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference

Freeport (6-2, 3-1) at East Allegheny (1-7, 1-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Joseph Churchman Memorial Stadium, North Versailles

Last week’s results: Freeport 35, Hopewell 25; East Allegheny 41, Valley 26

Last year’s meeting: Allegheny 28, Freeport 7

• Freeport can clinch the school’s 33rd WPIAL playoff berth with a victory against the Wildcats or a Burrell loss to Imani Christian. Quarterback Drew Ross ran for 109 yards and three scores, and Amos Glenn ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win. The Yellowjackets have won four straight games. They will wrap up Allegheny 7 play next week by hosting top-ranked Imani Christian. … QB Cedrick Mack threw for 215 yards, connecting with Damarjae Warren six times for 185 yards and four touchdowns. East Allegheny snapped a seven-game losing streak last Friday. … East Allegheny is 7-6-1 vs. Freeport in a series that dates to 1986. One of the Yellowjackets’ wins was a 21-7, 1996 playoff victory.

No. 1 Imani Christian (8-0, 4-0) at Burrell (2-6, 2-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Buccaneer Stadium, Lower Burrell

Last week’s results: Imani Christian 48, Deer Lakes 0; Highlands 61, Burrell 0

Last year’s meeting: Imani Christian 35, Burrell 8

• Imani Christian averages a classification-leading 43.2 points and has outscored conference opponents 177-10. The Saints are coming off back-to-back shutouts of East Allegheny and Deer Lakes and have held four teams scoreless this season. RB Gabe Jenkins ran for 256 yards and four scores, and QB Steve Vandiver threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns last week. … Burrell is looking to bounce back after a shutout loss at Highlands. Standout running back Trey Coury was held to 22 yards on 17 carries. … Burrell is 1-1 against Imani Christian, winning 42-30 in 2022 and losing 35-8 last year.

Valley (0-8, 0-4) at Deer Lakes (6-2, 3-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Lancer Stadium, West Deer

Last week’s results: East Allegheny 41, Valley 26; Imani Christian 48, Deer Lakes 0

Last year’s meeting: Deer Lakes 39, Valley 6

• Deer Lakes can make school history with a third straight WPIAL playoff berth by beating the Vikings. The Lancers are trying to bounce back after two straight shutout losses to Beaver and Imani Christian following a 6-0 start. Last week, Imani held the Lancers’ Jake Fleisher to just 64 passing yards and standout RB Zier Williams to only 13 rushing yards. … Valley is seeking its first victory after tight losses to Burrell and East Allegheny the past two weeks. Valley leads Deer Lakes in the all-time series 17-6, with two of the Lancers’ wins coming via forfeits.

Class 2A Allegheny Conference

No. 3 South Park (7-1, 4-0) at Apollo-Ridge (0-7, 0-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Owens Field, Apollo

Last week’s results: South Park 33, Ligonier Valley 0; South Allegheny 41, Apollo-Ridge 29

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• South Park is looking to lock up the Allegheny Conference. The Eagles dropped down from Class 3A this season. Last week, quarterback Robert Lenzi ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns, and running back Eric Doerue rushed or 192 yards and two scores and surpassed 4,000 career yards. … Apollo-Ridge was competitive in a loss to second-place South Allegheny last week, leading 29-13 at halftime before being outscored 28-0 in the second half. QB Alex Clawson threw for 151 yards and touchdowns to David Cochran and Nathan Fryer. Corey Mackintosh and Avery Grant combined for 97 rushing yards and two scores. The Vikings will wrap up the season next week at Ligonier Valley.

Class A Eastern Conference

Leechburg (7-1, 4-1) at Brentwood (4-4, 3-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Brentwood Park, Brentwood

Last week’s results: Clairton 44, Leechburg 7; Jeannette 42, Brentwood 41

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• The Blue Devils will lock up their fourth consecutive playoff berth with a win. Leechburg suffered its first loss of the season last week against Clairton but have outscored Eastern Conference opponents 201-87. QB Jayden Floyd has thrown for 854 yards, run for 1,018 yards and scored 23 touchdowns this season. Tim Andrasy has 87 carries for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Jake Cummings has 43 catches for 494 yards and seven scores. … Brentwood has made a strong impression this season after dropping from Class 2A. The Spartans average 26.5 points and allow nearly 30. In last week’s one-point loss to Jeannette, Daymire Spencer returned a fumble 70 yards for a TD and had two receptions for 146 yards and a score. Cedric Davis threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 68 yards and a score. … Brentwood is 6-2 against Leechburg. Leechburg hasn’t played at Brentwood since 2008.

Riverview (3-4, 2-3) at Clairton (8-0, 5-0)

11 a.m. Saturday, Thomas Jefferson High School Stadium, Jefferson Hills

Last week’s results: Riverview 55, Frazier 20; Clairton 44, Leechburg 7

Last year’s meeting: Clairton 35, Riverview 3

• Clairton allowed a touchdown on defense for the first time this season during last week’s win at Leechburg. The Bears have outscored Eastern foes 264-7 and are averaging 48.3 points per game while allowing 1.7 overall. QB Jeff Thompson has thrown for nearly 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Bears also have run for more than 1,500 yards, including Drahcir Jones, who has 840 yards and 13 scores. Clairton secured its 19th consecutive WPIAL playoff berth in the win at Leechburg last week. … Riverview snapped a two-game skid with a win over Frazier last week. Prince Govan, Miles Duncan and Rio Stotts returned interceptions for touchdowns. QB Connor Kmetz threw for 173 yards and touchdowns to Alex Schultheis and Max Kratt. … This game will be played a 11 a.m. because of a later conflict at Thomas Jefferson High School Stadium. … Clairton is 24-13-1 against Riverview. The Raiders’ most recent win in the series was a 24-14 decision in 2005.

Springdale (0-7, 0-5) at Jeannette (5-3, 2-3)

7 p.m. Friday, McKee Stadium, Jeannette

Last week’s results: Greensburg Central Catholic 51, Springdale 0; Jeannette 42, Brentwood 41

Last year’s meeting: Jeannette 49, Springdale 12

• Springdale, which has struggled to field a team of 20 players, has lost 14 straight games. The Dynamos have not scored since Week 2 and have been shut out six times. … Jeannette found itself in a shootout last week but avoided overtime by going for two after scoring with 7 seconds left to get within 41-40. The win kept their playoff hopes intact. Kymon’e Brown accounted for a career-high 458 yards and six touchdowns, throwing for 366 yards and four scores while rushing for two TDs. Jayce Powell caught a career-high 10 receptions for 128 yards.

Nonconference

Highlands (3-4) at McGuffey (0-7)

7 p.m. Friday, McGuffey HS Stadium, Claysville

Last week’s results: Highlands 61, Burrell 0; Avonworth 41, McGuffey 13

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• It’ll be Highlands against the Highlanders as the Golden Rams are preparing for a 58-mile trip to McGuffey for the nonconference game near Claysville, Washington County. … Highlands’ defense posted a shutout last week. The unit has been led by Tevin Owen Cratsenberg (59 tackles, 3 sacks) and Braden Litwicki (47 tackles, 3 sacks). Offensively, QB Menage Lucas surpassed 1,000 passing yards last week and also has 959 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. … McGuffey is looking for its first win of the season. It is averaging 7.1 points while allowing 42.8. Malachi Ealy and Dan Furnanek scored rushing touchdowns last week. … Highlands is 2-0 against McGuffey, winning 35-14 in 2002 and 35-7 in 2003. The school is named for William McGuffey, who published elementary-age textbooks used from 1846 to 1960.

Plum (2-6) at Kiski Area (3-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Richard Dilts Stadium, Allegheny Township

Last week’s results: Plum 49, Fox Chapel 10; Kiski Area 21, Armstrong 14

Last year’s meeting: Plum 28, Kiski Area 18

• Both teams remain in the hunt for playoff berths heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. … Plum is fourth in the Northeast Conference and snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a win over Fox Chapel. Darian Nelson ran for 153 yards and two scores, and Nick Odom ran for 97 yards and a TD in the win. Sloan Humphries caught five passes for 122 yards. Plum ends the regular season at Penn Hills next week. … Kiski Area is tied for fourth place in the Big East Conference and will finish conference play next week at Woodland Hills. The Cavaliers have been nearly even on offense and defense this season, averaging 24.1 points while allowing 24.2. After five straight losses, Kiski has won back-to-back games over Latrobe and Armstrong. Braden Anderson shined last week with six tackles and two sacks. Aven Shirley had four tackles and seven catches for 52 yards and two scores. … Plum is 19-15-1 vs. Kiski Area with the 14-14 tie coming in 1981.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Brentwood, Burrell, Clairton, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Imani Christian, Kiski Area, Leechburg, McGuffey, Plum, Riverview, Shaler, South Park, Springdale, Valley