West Mifflin knocks off Knoch behind Armand Hill’s 334 yards rushing, 4 TDs
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Friday, October 18, 2024 | 10:25 PM
West Mifflin’s Armand Hill avoids Knoch’s Kody Schubert on Friday at West Mifflin High School.
West Mifflin’s Armand Hill stenches the ball to the pylon past Knoch’s Codi Mullen on Friday at West Mifflin High School.
West Mifflin’s Sincere Degree sacks Knoch’s Codi Mullen on Friday at West Mifflin High School.
West Mifflin’s Sincere Degree intercepts a pass intended for Knoch’s Keaton Oprosky on Friday at West Mifflin High School.
West Mifflin’s Armand Hill gets past Knoch’s Codi Mullen on Friday.
West Mifflin’s Tyrone Leonard pulls in a touchdown pass past Knoch’s Kody Schubert on Friday.
West Mifflin’s Sincere Degree celebrates with Tyrone Leonard after Leonard’s touchdown catch against Knoch on Friday.
Knoch’s Codi Mullen cuts back against West Mifflin on Friday.
West Mifflin’s Armand Hill runs through the Knoch defense for a 67-yard touchdown on Friday.
Knoch’s Codi Mullen scores past West Mifflin’s Jarelle Mason on Friday.
Any available space was the perfect amount of room for West Mifflin sophomore running back Armand Hill to make something happen.
Hill’s frequent long dashes tormented Knoch’s defense Friday night during a 48-21 Greater Allegheny Conference victory at Titans Stadium. Hill finished with 334 yards and four touchdowns to give West Mifflin a pulse for grabbing one of the wild-card spots for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.
The Titans (4-5, 2-2) have won consecutive games after suffering through a four-game losing streak. West Mifflin’s offense has produced more than 40 points in both wins.
“I’m always looking for an open hole,” Hill said. “(We’ve) improved our blocking assignments.”
Titans coach Rod Steele said he feels his team has flashed signs of this type of performance all season.
“I wouldn’t even say the last couple weeks, even in the McKeesport game, we were running with McKeesport,” Steele said. “(Armand) ran for 244 on 38 carries against McKeesport. We were killing ourselves in those other games. We have a good football team, and we have some guys who people come to the games to watch.”
This was a crushing blow for Knoch, which likely will end up on the outside looking in for the playoffs. The Knights (3-5, 2-2) close the season next week with a matchup with first-place McKeesport.
Knoch quarterback Codi Mullen had a gutsy effort for the Knights.
Mullen battled through a combination of injuries, according to coach Tim Burchett. He still ran for 136 yards and also passed for 91 and a touchdown.
“We didn’t match their physicality in the second half, or in the first half, either,” Burchett said. “That’s the tale of the game. We didn’t match their physicality.”
The Titans didn’t take control of the game until midway through the second quarter. Knoch took its final lead, 14-13, when Ethan Rouleau slipped behind a fallen West Mifflin defensive back, hauled in a pass from Mullen and completed a 55-yard catch-and-run for a score with 8 minutes, 2 seconds left before halftime.
However, West Mifflin didn’t give Knoch much time to enjoy being ahead. On the Titans’ next play from scrimmage, Hill scored on a 67-yard run to put West Mifflin ahead for good.
West Mifflin forced Knoch to punt on its next possession. The Titans then stretched their lead to two scores on a 52-yard pass from Zahir Ismaeli to Tyrone Leonard.
“I was trying to take the momentum back out,” Steele said. “We had some plays drawn up on our card that were big plays that we thought we could hit.”
Mullen, who left the game late in the second quarter with an injury, returned with a splash play. On Knoch’s first possession after halftime, Mullen scored on a 71-yard run to cut the deficit to 27-21. The Knights wouldn’t get any closer.
Ismaeli scored on a 2-yard run on West Mifflin’s ensuing possession. Darnell Carswell snuffed out hopes of a comeback by intercepting Mullen.
The Titans cashed in Carswell’s interception with a 10-yard touchdown run by Hill. Steele felt his team, which was missing starting guard Saeon Coleman, played with the required urgency to stay in the hunt for the postseason.
“I think our kids understand where we’re at,” Steele said. “We had to come out here and take care of business.”
Tags: Knoch, West Mifflin
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