Penn Hills’ Hollis Mathis named Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 23, 2018 | 8:15 PM

On a Week 4 Friday night where words like rushing, passing, kicking and touchdown were replaced by downpour, lightning, delays and suspended, Mother Nature was the true winner.

However between the thunder, lighting and weather delays, Penn Hills quarterback Hollis Mathis put on quite a show.

He wasn’t alone in leading the Indians to a 62-28 triumph over visiting Kiski Area as Tank Smith rushed for 184 yards and four touchdowns, and teammate Daequan Hardy had 3 receptions for 158 yards with all three catches going the distance for touchdowns plus he added a 72-yard pick six.

However Mathis was the brightest bolt on a night filled with them.

The senior hit on 12 of 17 passes for 332 yards and those three TDs to Hardy, plus he scored on a 30-yard run as the Indians improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 atop the 5-A Northern Conference.

“Hollis is always in control of the game, being a two year starter in this system,” Penn Hills coach Jon LeDonne said. “He does a great job controlling the game and finding the mismatch we create through formations and personnel.

“The running game with Tank Smith is complementing what Hollis does and is creating more time for Hollis to go through his progression by slowing the rush down.”

For the season, Mathis has hit on 60 of 92 passes for 1,134 yards and 16 touchdown throws and four TD runs.

The Indians are ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL behind defending champion Gateway, and they are No. 3 in the state in Class 5A. The Howard recruit has been a big part of the Tribe’s efforts to win their first WPIAL football championship in 23 years.

“Hollis is an integral part of what we do,” LeDonne said. “He has been our biggest leader the last two years. He has done everything we have asked him to do and the success of the team is due in large part to the person he is.”

WPIAL Week Four Honorable Mentions

Kam Kruze, West Allegheny — In a Class 5A Allegheny Eight Conference game that focused on coaching legends Bob Palko for West Allegheny and Jim Render for Upper St. Clair, it was the Indians who cruised into Upper St. Clair following their first loss a week earlier and handed the Panthers their first defeat. The play of quarterback Kam Kruze was key as he connected on 9 of 10 passes for 167 yards and two TDs, and he ran for 44 yards and two short TDs in West A’s 29-12 win that lifts the Indians into a tied for first place with the Panthers.

Aaren Putt, Greensburg Salem — If you believe Thomas Jefferson, Belle Vernon and West Mifflin will garner three of the four playoff spots in the Class 4A Big Eight Conference, then Friday’s game between Greensburg Salem and Laurel Highlands might have determined the fourth. In the end, the Golden Lions hit the winning putt thanks to the running of Putt, who rushed for 199 yards and scored on a 77-yard touchdown run in a third quarter that saw Greensburg Salem score 21 unanswered points on their way to a 48-12 corralling of the Mustangs.

Eli Kosanovich and Avante McKenzie, Aliquippa — In a rematch of the 2016 WPIAL Class 3A championship game, Aliquippa proved two studs can have their way in field full of Tigers. In a battle for first place in the Tri-County West Conference against Beaver Falls, Aliquippa quarterback Eli Kosanovich connected on 7 of 9 passes for 227 yards and two TDs, and Avante McKenzie rushed for 224 yards and scored on runs of 27, 79 and 82 yards as the Quips blanked the Tigers, 39-0.

Zach Cernuto, Southmoreland — The longest current WPIAL football playoff drought is 38 years: 1979 was the last time Southmoreland played a postseason football game. The Scotties might still be a long shot to finish in the top four in the 2A Century Conference with the likes of Charleroi, McGuffey, Beth-Center and defending champ Washington, but they are 2-2 (3-2 overall) thanks to the efforts of quarterback Zack Cernuto, who was 12 of 13 for 278 yards and four TDs in the Scotties’ 59-0 destruction of Brownsville.

Trent Cavanaugh, Bentworth — It sounds simple, but when the Bentworth offense is scoring points in bunches, they win. When they struggle to light up the scoreboard, they don’t. The Bearcats have scored 107 points in three wins (more than 35 points per game) and scored on 21 points in their two losses (10.5 points per game). The “O” was clicking Friday as Trent Cavanaugh rushed for 251 yards and scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns as the ‘Cats rolled to a 49-0 whitewash of visiting Mapletown.

Bonus Mention – While it was not a good night for dry clothes, it was a good night for winless teams around the WPIAL. Twenty-one district teams entered Week 4 without a victory and eight ended the night celebrating a first triumph . Canon-McMillan, Woodland Hills, Latrobe, Fox Chapel, Highlands, Freeport, Central Valley and South Park no longer have that zero in the win column. Also, defending City League champion Allderdice picked up their first win this fall.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.