A-K Valley don’t-miss high school football matchups for Week 7

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 | 7:21 PM

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Class 5A Big East

Latrobe (1-6, 1-4) at Plum (2-5, 1-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum

On the air: 97.3 FM, 1480 AM; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Last week: Penn-Trafford 27, Latrobe 7; Plum 45, Albert Gallatin 7

Coaches: Jason Marucco, Latrobe; Matt Morgan, Plum

Top players: Zak Williams, Latrobe (Sr., 5-9, 170, WR/DB); James Schropp, Plum (Sr., 5-11, 185, RB/WR/DB)

Keep an eye on: William Guzzi, Plum (So., 5-7, 160, RB/DB)

Momentum: Plum snapped a five-game losing streak with last Friday’s win.

Four downs: 1. Plum needs a win in Friday’s Big East finale and some help to stay in the 5A playoff race. 2. Latrobe can take a big step toward the No. 5 playoff spot in the Big East with a win Friday and a Connellsville loss at Franklin Regional. 3. The Mustangs’ running game tallied 210 yards, and Billy Guzzi, Reed Martin and James Schropp rushed for touchdowns in the win over Albert Gallatin. 4. Williams is a pass-catching and run threat who leads Latrobe with nine touchdowns scored.

Extra point: Latrobe won last year’s meeting 28-7, but Plum took the 2016 contest 41-24.

Class 5A Northern

Mars (6-1, 3-1) at Fox Chapel (2-5, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel’s James Burk Athletic Complex

Last week: Mars 42, North Hills 14; Fox Chapel 45, Connellsville 15

Coaches: Scott Heinauer, Mars; Tom Loughran, Fox Chapel

Top players: Garrett Reinke, Mars (Sr., 5-8, 160, RB/DB); Korey Simmons, Fox Chapel (Sr., 5-9, 170, WR/CB)

Keep an eye on: Tyler Kowalkowski, Mars (Sr., 5-10, 180, QB/DB)

Momentum: Mars, the second-place team in the Northern Conference, has won three in a row since its lone loss of the season to Penn Hills.

Four downs: 1. Reinke leads the Planets with 1,125 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns; 2. Sam Brown broke out last week against Connellsville with 154 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He has 298 rushing yards and six scores in Fox Chapel’s two victories; 3. Mars’ 28-point third-quarter explosion was the difference against North Hills last Friday; 4. Simmons, the team leader in tackles this season, had nine solo stops against Connellsville.

Extra points: Fox Chapel still is alive for an automatic playoff berth from 5A. Shaler (2-2) and Kiski Area are in fourth and fifth with the Foxes (1-3) and Armstrong (1-3) right behind the Titans and Cavaliers. Loughran is looking for the 200th win in his career.

Class 4A Northwest Eight

Highlands (2-5, 2-3) at No. 2 South Fayette (6-1, 4-0)

7 p.m. Friday, South Fayette High School Stadium

Last week: Montour 48, Highlands 33; South Fayette 35, Knoch 14

Coaches: Dom Girardi, Highlands; Joe Rossi, South Fayette

Top players: Seth Cohen, Highlands (Sr., 6-2, 194, QB/S); Jamie Diven, South Fayette (Sr., 6-2, 190, QB)

Keep an eye on: Mike Trimbur, South Fayette (Sr., 5-11, 175, WR/CB)

Momentum: South Fayette has won six straight games since a one-point loss to Class 5A Upper St. Clair in Week Zero.

Four downs: 1. Despite last Friday’s loss to Montour, Highlands is still alive for a playoff spot in the Northwest Eight and owns the tiebreaker against playoff contender Beaver (3-2); 2. Diven and Trimbur connected six times last week for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Diven threw five TDs overall and tallied 232 yards through the air; 3. Highlands is averaging 43 points over the past three weeks and 31.4 points a contest for the season. Cohen threw for 139 yards and rushed for 109 against Montour and had a hand in all five Golden Rams touchdowns; 4. South Fayette leads the Northwest Eight and is third overall in Class 4A in scoring at 37.0 points per game.

Extra point: South Fayette won last year’s meeting 49-14.

Knoch (2-5, 2-4) at New Castle (3-4, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, New Castle’s Taggart Stadium

On the air: 1200 AM, 680 AM; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Last week: South Fayette 35, Knoch 14; Blackhawk 42, New Castle 17

Coaches: Frank Whalen, Knoch; Joe Cowart, New Castle

Top players: Matt Goodlin, Knoch (Jr., 5-9, 180, RB/LB); Demetris McNight, New Castle (Jr., 6-1, 190, RB/CB)

Keep an eye on: Noah Cetnar, Knoch (Sr., 5-8, 165, RB/WB/LB)

Momentum: Despite losses in conference play the past two weeks, Knoch still is in the mix for a Class 4A playoff spot. The Knights must win this week to stay in contention.

Four downs: 1. New Castle has lost three straight in conference play since beating Montour, 17-11, in Week 1; Knoch quarterback Chase Mullen threw for 100 yards and ran for a touchdown against South Fayette; 3. Knoch is 0-4 on the road this year and 0-7 overall since a 39-13 win at Blackhawk in the 2017 season opener; 4. McKnight rushed for both touchdowns (31 and 23 yards) against Blackhawk.

Extra point: Because of changes to the conference alignment, New Castle and Knoch are playing at New Castle for the second year in a row. The Red Hurricanes won last year’s matchup 42-21.

Class 2A Allegheny

Steel Valley (5-1, 3-1) at Apollo-Ridge (2-5, 1-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Owens Field, Apollo

Last week: Steel Valley 49, Western Beaver 14; Valley 28, Apollo-Ridge 16

Coaches: Rod Steele, Steel Valley; John Skiba, Apollo-Ridge

Top players: Todd Hill, Steel Valley (Sr., 5-9, 230, RB/LB); Klay Fitzroy, Apollo-Ridge (So., 6-3, 185, WR/QB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Kameron Williams, Steel Valley (Sr., 5-11, 170, RB/LB)

Momentum: Steel Valley, No. 2 in the TribHSSN rankings, has won three in a row since its lone loss, a 56-26 setback to No. 1 Shady Side Academy.

Four downs: 1. Steel Valley’s Hill, a Howard recruit, rushed for 115 yards and four touchdowns and had a fumble recovery for a TD against Western Beaver; 2. Fitzroy threw for 100 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 66 yards and a score against Valley; 3. Steel Valley has scored 31 or more points in every game this season and is averaging 39.8 points through six contests; 4. Apollo-Ridge’s final three opponents — Steel Valley, Freedom and Charleroi — have a combined record of 16-3.

Extra point: Seven receivers caught passes last week for Apollo-Ridge. Jake Fello completed 7 of 12 passes for 78 yards, and Keighton Reese had four catches for 43 yards.

Summit Academy (0-7, 0-4) at Valley (2-5, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Valley’s Memorial Stadium, New Kensington.

Last week: Shady Side Academy 47, Summit Academy 6; Valley 28, Apollo-Ridge 16

Coaches: Steve Scherer, Summit Academy; Muzzy Colosimo, Valley

Top players: Terron Rembert, Summit Academy (Jr., 5-6, 175, RB); Deonte Ross, Valley (Sr., 6-0, 225, RB/LB)

Keep an eye on: Keishon Williams, Valley (So., 6-0, 196, RB/LB)

Momentum: Valley snapped a five-game losing streak with last Friday’s win and stayed alive for a WPIAL Class 2A playoff berth.

Four downs: 1. The Valley run game tallied 341 yards against Apollo-Ridge. Deonte Ross had 209 yards rushing on 22 carries, and Vaun Ross added five rushes for 73 yards; 2. Summit Academy, which moved up to Class 2A after making the WPIAL Class A playoffs last year, didn’t score a point until its fifth game and has tallied just 22 points in seven games; 3. Valley’s opponents during its five-game losing streak now are a combined 28-5; 4. Summit Academy athletic director and assistant football coach John McCloud is a 1972 Valley graduate.

Extra point: Valley is 4-1 all-time against Summit. The Knights’ win came in 2013.

Class A Eastern

No. 3 Imani Christian (5-2, 3-2) at Leechburg (3-4, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Veterans Memorial Stadium

Last week: Clairton 45, Imani Christian 18; Leechburg 21, Frazier 14

Coaches: Ronnell Heard, Imani Christian; Mark George, Leechburg

Top players: Israel Reed, Imani Christian (Sr., 6-2, 205, QB/LB); Dylan Cook, Leechburg (So., 5-11, 160, QB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Rahmon Hart Jr., Imani Christian (Sr., 6-3, 210, WR/DB)

Momentum: Leechburg has won two of its last three games and has three wins in a single season for the first time since 2010.

Four downs: 1. The Blue Devils rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to defeat Frazier. Jake Blumer’s game-tying 16-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was his team-leading seventh score on the season; 2. Imani’s Reed has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns this season; 3. Cook was an efficient 8 of 11 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns against Frazier; 4. Hart, a Plum resident and Ball State verbal commit, is tied for second in the WPIAL in receptions with 42. He has 957 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

Extra point: Imani and Leechburg played for the first time in 2016. The Saints won 48-7 two years ago and 30-24 last year.

Riverview (1-5, 0-4) at Springdale (1-5, 0-3)

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

Last week: Riverview 19, Jefferson-Morgan 8; Springdale 14, Northgate 11

Coaches: Todd Massack, Riverview; Seth Napierkowski, Springdale

Top players: Devin Binz, Riverview (Sr., 5-10, 170, RB/DB); Josh Jones, Springdale (Sr., 6-0, 180, QB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Nick Palmiere, Riverview (Sr., 5-9, 220, FB/LB)

Momentum: Both the Raiders and Dynamos are seeking two-game winning streaks after picking up their first wins of the season last Friday.

Four downs: 1. The Riverview defense rose up against Jefferson-Morgan with six sacks, and it held the Rockets to 143 yards of total offense; 2. Jones, Springdale’s veteran signal caller, tallied two short rushing scores to help lift the Dynamos past Northgate; 3. The running combination of Binz (20 rushes for 83 yards) and JD Sykes (13 carries, 56 yards) led the Raiders rushing attack that totaled 162 yards overall last Friday; 4. Springdale’s leading rusher, junior Christian Vokes, is questionable for Friday’s game after suffering a leg injury early against Northgate.

Extra point: Riverview leads the all-time series 22-13 but has won only once (2015) in the last 11 seasons. The Dynamos won 42-13 last year en route to a WPIAL playoff berth.

Nonconference

Deer Lakes (3-3) at Keystone Oaks (4-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Dormont Stadium

Last week: Freeport 14, Deer Lakes 10; Beaver Falls 41, Keystone Oaks 21

Coaches: Tim Burk, Deer Lakes; Greg Perry, Keystone Oaks

Top players: Aris Hasley, Deer Lakes (Jr., 5-10, 175, QB/DB); Logan Shrubb, Keystone Oaks (So., 6-0, 175, QB)

Keep an eye on: Michael Daure, Keystone Oaks (Sr., 5-11, 185, RB/DB)

Momentum: Deer Lakes has won two of its last three games. It led Freeport in the fourth quarter last Friday before coming up just short.

Four downs: 1. Hasley has passed for 1,274 yards — ranked 13th in the WPIAL — and has thrown 14 touchdowns; 2. Keystone Oaks has given up 91 combined points the past two weeks in losses to Beaver Falls and Quaker Valley; 3. Shrubb, a dual-threat quarterback, has thrown 11 touchdown passes and run for eight scores. Daure has 1,166 rushing yards and 19 scores to go along with three receiving TDs; 4. Deer Lakes resumes conference play next week, and the Lancers are in the playoff hunt with games left against Class 3A No. 2 Derry and No. 3 North Catholic.

Extra point: The teams met the past two seasons in conference play, and the Eagles won both contests.

Kiski Area (3-4) at McKeesport (6-1)

7 p.m. Friday, McKeesport’s Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium

Last week: Woodland Hills 47, Kiski Area 0; McKeesport 51, Indiana 7

Coaches: Sam Albert, Kiski Area; Matt Miller, McKeesport

Top players: Ryne Wallace, Kiski Area (Sr., 6-5, 205, QB); Konota Gaskins, McKeesport (Sr., 6-1, 190, QB)

Keep an eye on: Quaran Sayles, McKeesport (Sr., 5-9, 160, RB/DB)

Momentum: McKeesport has won three in a row since its lone loss of the season, a 20-9 setback to conference rival Penn-Trafford in Week 3.

Four downs: 1. Gaskins is a threat to run the ball with 480 yards and seven touchdowns, and he also has thrown for 468 yards and 10 TDs; 2. Five Cavaliers starters, including senior quarterback Ryne Wallace, did not play in last week’s nonconference loss to Woodland Hills because of injury. Albert said their status for this week is questionable; 3. The Tigers are averaging 44.3 points a game, second in Class 5A only to Gateway (48.0); 4. Kiski returns to conference play next week, and the Cavaliers are in the mix for a Class 5A playoff spot with games remaining against Mars and Armstrong.

Extra point: Kiski has lost its last 15 games with McKeesport. The Cavaliers last beat the Tigers in 1992.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-388-5825, mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Highlands, Kiski School, Knoch, Leechburg, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley