A-K Valley high school football matchups for 2024 Week 10

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | 7:16 PM

Class 3A first round

9-Highlands (5-4) at 8-Southmoreland (7-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Russ Grimm Field, Alverton

Last week’s results: Highlands 56, Valley 0; Greensburg Salem 28, Southmoreland 21

Winner plays: 1-Imani Christian (10-0) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at UPMC Graham Field in quarterfinals

High-scoring Highlands ended up fourth in the Allegheny 7 Conference behind Imani Christian, Deer Lakes and Freeport. Quarterback Menage Lucas has thrown for 1,288 yards and 18 touchdowns and run for 1,293 yards for a team that averages 38.8 points. Montrell Johnson has 25 receptions for 405 yards and six TDs, and Jahmar Wright has 15 catches for 414 yards and five scores. Highlands was the No. 12 seed last year and lost to No. 5 Central Valley, 28-7. The previous year, the Golden Rams lost to Latrobe in the first round, 28-21 in overtime. The Golden Rams’ last playoff victory was 24-19 over New Brighton in 2014. They have lost five playoff games since and hold a 10-24 postseason record overall. This is Highlands’ 25th trip to the WPIAL playoffs. … Southmoreland clinched a playoff spot last week despite losing because it lost by fewer than nine points. Injuries and illness have beset the Scotties, who could be down a half-dozen or more starters in the playoff opener. Freshman quarterback Anthony Smith is questionable (concussion). He needs 17 passing yards to reach 2,000 for the season. He already has the Scotties’ single-season record (1,983). Cam Phillips has rushed for 803 yards and seven touchdowns. Elliot Premus, who was injured last week, leads the team with 46 receptions for 867 yards and eight scores. Jackson Mickens has 32 grabs for 441 yards and six scores. Ethan Shawley and Dawson Wolfe, who have combined for 153 tackles, are not expected to play (illness). Southmoreland has made the playoffs four straight times, but the team has never won a playoff game. … These schools have never met in the playoffs. Southmoreland holds a 4-1 record in the all-time series. Highlands won 30-6 in 1992.

11-North Catholic (4-6) at 6-Deer Lakes (8-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Lancer Stadium, West Deer

Last week’s results: North Catholic 55, Hopewell 43; Deer Lakes 56, Burrell 0

Winner plays: At 3-Elizabeth Forward (7-3) at 7 p.m. Nov. 8 in quarterfinals

North Catholic is making its 27th appearance in the WPIAL playoffs. The Trojans, who are 27-25 all-time in the postseason, have one WPIAL title (2013). North Catholic snapped a four-game skid with a win over Hopewell in the regular-season finale last week. The Trojans finished fourth in the Western Hills Conference at 3-3. They average 30.1 points while allowing 31.6. QB Joe Felitsky is the WPIAL’s leading passer with 2,430 yards to go with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His top target is Ryker Kennedy with 83 catches for 1,065 yards and eight scores. Jack White, Will Waskiewicz and Tom Arth have more than 30 catches each. North Catholic dropped to Class 3A this season after going 10-11 in two years in Class 4A. Tight end Brady O’Hara is a Penn State recruit. Arth is the son of Steelers QB coach Tom Arth. … Deer Lakes qualified for the playoffs for the fifth time in program history. The Lancers finished second in the Allegheny 7 Conference after posting back-to-back wins over Valley and Burrell by a combined score of 100-13. That followed two lopsided losses to No. 4-seeded Beaver, 42-0, and No. 1 Imani Christian, 48-0. Deer Lakes has outscored opponents 299-226 this season. They average nearly 30 ppg while allowing 22.6. QB Jake Fleisher completed 13 of 14 passes for 166 yards and five touchdowns last week, including two to Zach Grant. Running back Zier Williams has rushed for 1,143 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Zach Grant has contributed 634 receiving yards, 200 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns. … These schools have never met in the postseason. North Catholic holds a 7-1 lead in the all-time series. The Lancers’ lone win was 42-0 in 2003. Deer Lakes is 1-4 in its postseason history. … A Deer Lakes predecessor school, East Deer, won the 1946 WPIAL Class B title over Bethel Park, 14-7, in a game played at Etna High Field.

Class A first round

9-Cornell (8-2) at 8-Leechburg (8-2)

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

Last week’s results: Cornell 41, Monessen 6; Greensburg Central Catholic 20, Leechburg 16

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Fort Cherry (10-0)/16-Brentwood (4-6) in quarterfinals

Cornell is in the playoffs for the 12th time and has compiled a record of 3-11 in the postseason. The Raiders finished third in the Black Hills Conference with a 4-2 record. Their two losses came against No. 3 Bishop Canevin, 29-22, and No. 1 Fort Cherry, 35-6. The Raiders have won three straight games, outscoring Rochester, Chartiers-Houston and Monessen by a combined 127-42. Cornell averages 35.8 points while allowing just 12.4. Running back Walter Clarit surpassed a milestone in last week’s win. He has 1,049 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 100 carries. Khylil Johnson has added 726 rushing yards and 14 scores. M.J. Stuckey leads the passing attack with 850 aerial yards and 13 touchdown passes. His top targets are Johnson (25-414) and Mikey Keyes (22-365). … Leechburg is making its 10th WPIAL playoff appearance and is 5-6 in postseason play. The Blue Devils finished third in the Eastern Conference at 5-2. They started the season 7-0 before losing to Clairton, 44-7 in Week 7. After beating Brentwood in Week 8, Leechburg dropped a narrow decision to GCC last Friday. The Blue Devils are one of the highest-scoring teams in Class A at 38.3 points per game, trailing just Clairton (54.0), California (42.8), Bishop Canevin (41.8), Fort Cherry (40.8) and Jefferson-Morgan (40.4). QB Jayden Floyd has thrown for 1,395 yards and 10 scores while also rushing for 1,104 yards and 25 touchdowns. RB Tim Andrasy has added 843 rushing yards and 13 scores. TE Jake Cummings has caught 62 passes for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. Kicker Mason Scitticatt has been a reliable points producer with 45 extra-point conversions and a field goal. … These teams have met once before in the WPIAL playoffs, with Cornell winning 46-18 in 2021 at North Allegheny. They have never played against each other in the regular season.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Cornell, Deer Lakes, Highlands, Leechburg, North Catholic