WPIAL Saturdays Scholastic Starz – Week Nine

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 29, 2017 | 1:34 PM

While the final Friday of the regular season in district high school football was spectacular weather wise, the final Saturday was, well, not so much. Chilly, blustery and rainy was what eight teams had to play through to close the curtain on Week Nine. But while the weather conditions were bleak to say the least, these Final Four performances were too sweet.

Shawn Dziak – Bentworth

Two wins in their first three games offered a ray of hope for the season for Bentworth fans. However four straight losses and five consecutive defeats in conference play dashed those postseason hopes for the black and gold. But quarterback Shawn Dziak helped end the season on a high note as he connected on 12 of 27 passes for 257 yards and three touchdown tosses of 75, 56 and 35 yards as the Bearcats rolled to a 21-6 win over the host the Riverview Raiders in a 2-A vs 1-A Non-Conference tilt.

Tawan Wesley – Imani Christian

Imani Christian won, but lost when all was said and done. Quarterback Tawan Wesley threw a pair of scoring strikes, one to Sam Fairley for 60 yards and another to Rahmon Hart from 12 yards out as the Saints beat visiting Leechburg 30-24 and while IC earns a three way tie for the Class 1-A Eastern Conference championship, several turnovers and a gutsy effort by the winless Blue Devils prevented them from winning by ten points needed to end up deadlocked with the Bears and Jayhawks. Instead, the Saints finish as the third qualifier.

Richard Banks – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Needing a win to clinch a tie for the Class 1-A Big 7 Conference crown with Rochester and earn the number one qualifier out of the conference, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart earned the eighth straight win by going to the Banks. OLSH running back Richard Banks eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season by rushing for 249 yards on 27 carries with touchdown runs of 1, 27 and 28 yards as the host Chargers rolled past the playoff bound Sto-Rox Vikings 56-14.

Jacob Lowry and Brennan Pelzer – Carmichaels

While Nick Mundell is the leading rusher and carries the weight of the Carmichaels run game on his shoulders, two of his teammates a little further down the depth chart had a chance to shine on a rainy night at Dormont Stadium. Jacob Lowry scored two touchdowns in the first half on runs of 9 and 20 yards, then Brennan Pelzer took a pay of totes to paydirt in the second half on scoring runs of 8 and 26 yards as the Mighty Mikes lived up to their nickname with a 36-0 Class 1-A Non-Conference whitewash of the Bishop Canevin Crusaders.

Tags: Bentworth, Carmichaels, Imani Christian