A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 2

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 | 7:12 PM

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Nonconference

Apollo-Ridge (2-0) at Deer Lakes (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, at Lancers Stadium, West Deer

Apollo-Ridge and Deer Lakes will meet for the first time since 2017 when the Vikings won an Allegheny Conference matchup, 34-21. Deer Lakes leads the all-time series, 17-14. The Vikings scored a 34-19 home win over Valley last Friday, while the Lancers fell at Burrell in overtime, 27-21. Last Friday’s win for Apollo-Ridge didn’t come without a price as three seniors — quarterback/defensive back Karter Schrock, wideout/defensive back Jake Mull and tight end/defensive end Corbin Johnston — left the game with injuries. Vikings coach John Skiba said Mull (mid-torso) will be a late-week decision, while Johnston (concussion) and Schrock (lower leg) still were waiting further news on their injuries. The Vikings run game was strong again. Senior Nick Curci carried the ball 31 times for 249 yards and three touchdowns. He has 449 yards and six TDs on the season. … Deer Lakes led Burrell 21-14 in the second half of their nonconference game. Junior Derek Burk threw two touchdowns — one each to Ryan Cochran and Connor Walker — and finished 12 of 20 for 129 yards.

Bentworth (2-0) at Leechburg (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, at Veterans Stadium, Leechburg

The Blue Devils and Bearcats have met twice with a recent home-and-home series. Leechburg won both times, 28-0 in 2018 and 46-13 in 2019. The Blue Devils bounced back from a Week Zero loss to rival Apollo-Ridge with a dominant 69-0 win over Summit Academy. The score was 56-0 at halftime. The full offense was on display as Braylan Lovelace, Jayden Floyd, Jake Cummings, Brandin Gilmer (2), Tim Andrasy (2), Tyler Foley and Logan Kline each scored rushing touchdowns. Kline also caught a TD pass from Floyd. … Bentworth has outscored its first two opponents — Brownsville and Avella — by a combined 71-19. Junior Vitali Daniels is a dual-threat quarterback. Against Avella on Friday, he tallied three rushing touchdowns in the 21-7 victory. It will be U.S. Army night at Leechburg on Friday. The Blue Devils will wear camo uniforms.

Fox Chapel (0-2) at Norwin (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Fox Chapel is off to a slow start, having been outscored 84-13 in losses to Peters Township and Plum. Christian Gaston scored on a 93-yard kickoff return last week for the Foxes. Landyn Moore caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ben DeMotte, who was 15 of 30 passing. This will be Fox Chapel’s 600th game. … Norwin also is looking for its first win. The Knights have played a pair of quarterbacks in senior Nick Urey and freshman Tristyn Taveres, the latter of whom last week threw for 99 yards and a touchdown to Jackson Pons, who had a 90-yard TD catch from Urey in Week Zero. The Knights have struggled to run the football out of a new offense. The Knights and Foxes have never played.

Highlands (2-0) at Chartiers Valley (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Chartiers Valley Stadium, Bridgeville

The Golden Rams hope to move to 3-0 on Friday after wins over University Prep in Week Zero and a 23-0 shutout of Blackhawk last Friday. The Colts will attempt to get into the win column after tough losses to South Fayette and Trinity. Highlands and Chartiers Valley have never played. The Golden Rams were productive on both sides of the ball against the Cougars. They scored nine points with a safety and a Daniel Long interception return. Luke Bombalski ran for a touchdown, and Chandler Thimons tossed a TD to Semaj Miller. Bombalski now has 203 yards and four touchdowns on 42 attempts this season. Thimons owns three passing TDs. … Chartiers Valley got into the scoring column last Friday at Trinity after a 35-0 setback to South Fayette in Week Zero. Penn State commit Lamont Payne caught a touchdown pass for the Colts and finished with four catches for 65 yards.

Kiski Area (0-2) at Laurel Highlands (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, at Mustang Stadium, Uniontown

Kiski Area hopes to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2017. The Cavaliers also hope to snap a six-quarter scoring streak. They were held off the scoreboard last week in a 33-0 loss to Pine-Richland. Kiski was limited to 110 yards of total offense, 83 coming on the ground. … Senior quarterback Rodney Gallagher helps fuel the Laurel Highlands engine. He made a verbal commitment to West Virginia in May. In last Friday’s 41-20 loss to Belle Vernon, Gallagher and Keondre DeShields connected for touchdowns of 13, 2 and 38 yards. Gallagher finished with 188 passing yards, and DeShields had 14 catches for 156 yards. Kiski Area and Laurel Highlands haven’t played since 1983, the final year of a four-game series. The Cavaliers won three of those four games.

Knoch (0-2) at Beaver Falls (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, at Reeves Field at Geneva College

Knoch’s season-long road trip continues Friday against last year’s WPIAL Class 2A runner-up. The Knights came close to getting into the win column last Friday, but Indiana pulled out the 32-31 win in double overtime. Knoch had the lead late in regulation, and the advantage was aided by an 80-yard screen pass completion from Codi Mullen to tight end Jake Murphy. … Beaver Falls hopes to bounce back from last week’s 19-16 loss to rival Beaver. Quarterback Jaren Brickner is a running and passing threat for the Tigers. He scored twice on a pair of 1-yard runs against Beaver. Beaver Falls won the WPIAL Class 2A title in the covid-affected 2020 season and also captured the Class 3A championship in 2016.

Plum (2-0) at Shaler (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, at Lou Rettig Stadium, Shaler Township

The Mustangs and Titans meet for the first time since 2007. Shaler won that year, 15-13, at Plum, but the Mustangs lead the all-time series 5-3. The Mustangs are gunning for a 3-0 start for the second time in three years. Plum also started 4-0 in 2015. The Mustangs’ running game has fronted the offense the first two games, averaging 286 yards a game. Sophomore Nick Odom and senior Eryck Moore have accounted for a combined seven touchdowns and 453 yards. Quarterback Sean Franzi totaled six carries for 83 yards and a score in last week’s win over Fox Chapel. … Shaler rallied from a 24-7 fourth-quarter deficit to stun Hampton, 28-24, last Friday. Luke Cignetti scored all three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Titans on runs of 23, 3 and 6 yards. Augie Totorea also rushed for a TD against Hampton. Quarterback Keegan Smetanka was 22 of 36 for 313 yards in the win.

Quaker Valley (0-1) at Freeport (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Buffalo Township

Freeport hopes to go 3-0 for the first time since 2015 when it was 4-0 before falling to Steel Valley. The Yellowjackets are averaging 32.5 points through two games, wins over Indiana (28-8) and South Allegheny (37-15). Senior Ben Lane leads a rushing attack averaging 174 yards. He owns three rushing touchdowns so far. Senior Zach Clark owns both a rushing and receiving score. … Quaker Valley was scheduled to play Mohawk last Friday, but the game was canceled because of a hazing investigation within the Mohawk football program. The Quakers lost to Freedom, 24-12, in Week Zero. First-year QV coach and Riverview grad Jason Cappa makes his return to the Alle-Kiski Valley. Senior fourth-year starter Jakub Pickett was the Quakers’ leading receiver last year, and he is one of the team’s top tacklers at defensive back. Freeport and QV have played just twice. The Yellowjackets won the games in 2010 and 2011.

Summit Academy (0-2) at Springdale (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Veterans Memorial Field, Springdale

Something has to give Friday as both teams have yet to taste victory in 2022. The Knights, who have lost 14 straight dating back to 2019 — they didn’t play during the covid-affected 2020 season — have been outscored 118-0 by New Castle and Leechburg. … Springdale got into the scoring column last week with a pair of rushing touchdowns — junior Noah Bradley from 5 yards out and sophomore Colton Gent from 20 yards — in a 37-14 loss to Northgate. Gent finished with 74 yards on 25 carries. Sophomore Clair Schneider booted the second extra point for the Dynamos, and it is believed she is the first female to score a point in a Springdale varsity football game.

Northgate (1-1) at Riverview (1-1)

Noon Saturday, at Riverside Park, Oakmont

Both the Flames and Raiders will go for two wins in a row after convincing victories last Friday. Riverview topped Carlynton, 38-8, as Raiders coach Trevor George beat his alma mater for the first time in his third try. Landon Johnson continued his strong start for Riverview with a pair of rushing touchdowns, and he finished the game with 147 yards on 14 carries. The Raiders’ run game totaled 295 yards as Rio Stotts and Johnny Bertucci added TDs. … Northgate, which fell to Fort Cherry in Week Zero, bounced back last week with a 37-14 win over Springdale. Austin Mitchell scored two rushing touchdowns, and Donavin Boone added another. Sonteon Layne, who completed 5 of 8 passes for 150 yards, connected with Lewis Clark on a pair of TDs. Riverview and Northgate last played in 2013. The all-time series is tied at four wins apiece.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Beaver Falls, Bentworth, Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski Area, Knoch, Laurel Highlands, Leechburg, Northgate, Plum, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Shaler, Springdale, Summit Academy