A-K Valley high school football matchups for 2024 Week 5

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 7:45 PM

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Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for the A-K Valley in Week 5 of the 2024 season:

Class 5A Big East Conference

Kiski Area (1-4, 0-2) at Franklin Regional (4-1, 2-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Franklin Regional Panther Stadium, Murrysville

Last week’s result: Penn-Trafford 33, Kiski Area 7; Franklin Regional 36, Gateway 34

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

Kiski Area has lost its past four games after opening the season with a victory against Knoch. Penn-Trafford used a big second half to pull away for the win. Quarterback Carson Heinle has completed 53 of 86 passes for 713 yards and six touchdowns. Running back Landon Kucic has rushed for 452 yards and seven touchdowns. … Franklin Regional running back Kyle Dupill has rushed for 783 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 211 yards and two scores against Gateway. Quarterback Chase Lemke has completed 35 of 79 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.

Class 5A Northeast Conference

Fox Chapel (1-3, 0-2) at No. 2 Pine-Richland (4-0, 2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Pine-Richland Stadium, Gibsonia

Last week’s result: North Hills 48, Fox Chapel 7; Pine-Richland 43, Plum 7

Last year’s meeting: Pine-Richland 50, Fox Chapel 0

The Foxes try to rebound from tough losses to Penn Hills and North Hills to open conference play. Anthony Fourquet scored on a 10-yard run for the Foxes last Friday. Fourquet, Victor Nernberg, Sullivan Slater and Harran Zureikat combined to rush for more than 115 yards.They average 13.5 points and allow 32.2. … The second-ranked Rams are the highest-scoring team in the Northeast Conference at 32.2 ppg. QB Aaron Strader threw for 185 yards and three TDs last week and also ran for a score. Kicker Grant Argiro booted five field goals and had four extra points. Pine-Richland is the only school in WPIAL history to win titles in five different classes (2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A). … Pine-Richland holds a 10-1 lead in the series. Fox Chapel’s lone win was its first victory in school history, 7-6 in 1961.

Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference

Indiana (1-4, 0-0) at Knoch (1-3, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Knights Stadium, Saxonburg

Last week’s result: Derry 21, Indiana 0; New Castle 42, Knoch 32

Last year’s meeting: Knoch 30, Indiana 24

Indiana’s offensive struggles continued last week as it was shut out for the second time in three weeks. They are averaging 5.6 points and allowing 27.2. RB Elijah Thomas ran for 85 yards last week, and QB Danny Trevorrow also is a threat to run. … Knoch opens conference play riding a two-game losing streak after losses to Montour and New Castle. Codi Mullen stepped in a quarterback last week and threw for 82 yards and a score and also ran for 189 yards and three TDs. Kicker Kannon Trofimuk booted 25- and 29-yard field goals. … Knoch and Indiana are deadlocked at 11-11 in the series that dates to 1988 when Indiana joined the WPIAL.

Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference

East Allegheny (0-5, 0-2) at Burrell (0-5, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Buccaneer Stadium, Lower Burrell

Last week’s result: Deer Lakes 47, East Allegheny 35; Freeport 42, Burrell 0

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

East Allegheny went toe to toe with Deer Lakes last week in a high-scoring game but was unable to get its first win. QB Cedric Mack threw for 363 yards and five TDs. Chris Portis caught 10 passes for 143 yards and three scores, and Damarjae Warren caught eight passes for 102 yards and two scores. The Wildcats average 23 points but allow 46.2, the second most in the WPIAL. … Burrell also is looking for its first win and trying to get its offense on track. The Bucs are averaging 8.0 points after being shut out by Freeport. RB Trey Coury was held to 68 yards on 20 carries last week. QB Stevie Hasson threw for 57 yards. … East Allegheny holds a 17-9-1 lead in the series, with the 14-14 tie coming in 1988. The series dates to 1969 when East Allegheny was known as Westinghouse Memorial High School.

Valley (0-5, 0-1) at Freeport (3-2, 1-1)

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

Last week’s result: Quaker Valley 34, Valley 14; Freeport 42, Burrell 0

Last year’s meeting: Freeport 27, Valley 0

Valley’s defense has struggled in losses to Southmoreland, Riverview, Greensburg Salem, Imani Christian and Quaker Valley. Last week, Ryan Knapp made a splash play for the Vikings with a 50-yard fumble return for a score. Zay Farron also scored on a 37-yard run. … QB Drew Ross shined in Freeport’s shutout win last week, throwing for 156 yards and a score and also rushing for 78 yards and two TDs. Amos Glenn added 81 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. … Valley leads Freeport, 10-8, in the series. Freeport has won the last three games. Nine of the 18 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

Class 2A Allegheny Conference

OLSH (2-2, 1-1) at Apollo-Ridge (0-4, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Owens Field, Apollo

Last week’s result: OLSH 28, Ligonier Valley 7; Shady Side Academy 40, Apollo-Ridge 32

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

OLSH bounced back last week from consecutive losses to score four touchdowns against Ligonier Valley. QB Vann Kavals threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including two to Iseia Fields-Schulz. The Chargers average 15.2 points and allow 19.2. … Apollo-Ridge seeks its first victory after a near miss last week against Shady Side Academy. QB Alex Clawson threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score. Logen Schrock ran for 102 yards and a TD on three carries. The Vikings try to avoid their first 0-6 start since 2010. … Apollo-Ridge and OLSH are playing for the first time.

Class A Eastern Conference

Riverview (2-1, 1-1) at Greensburg Central Catholic (2-2, 1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Centurion Stadium, Carbon

Last week’s result: Greensburg Central Catholic 34, Brentwood 12; Riverview 41, Springdale 0

Last year’s meeting: Greensburg Central Catholic 21, Riverview 14

Greensburg Central Catholic snapped a two-game losing streak as Samir Crosby threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Landon Honick had a 47-yard grab, and Alex Snively added a 21-yard score. Tucker Lloyd also scored for the Centurions. … Rio Stotts had two passing touchdowns and also ran for a score in the Raiders’ win over rival Springdale. The Raiders controlled the line of scrimmage and established the run early in the win, which also ended a two-game skid. They had 306 total yards. … GCC leads 11-7 in the series. The Centurions have won nine of the last 10 games, with the Raiders’ last win coming in 2016, 13-7.

Springdale (0-4, 0-2) at Leechburg (5-0, 2-0)

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

Last week’s result: Riverview 41, Springdale 0; Leechburg 35, Jeannette 13

Last year’s meeting: Leechburg 48, Springdale 25

Springdale will try to get going offensively after suffering its third shutout in four weeks last Friday against rival Riverview. Leechburg-Springdale is the most frequently played A-K Valley rivalry. This will be the 82nd meeting dating to 1932. Springdale leads the series 43-38. … Leechburg has not been 6-0 since 1980 when it played up in Class 2A. QB Jayden Floyd continued to pile up rushing yards last week, gaining 223 yards and five touchdowns. Jake Cummings added 83 yards on 12 carries, and Tim Andrasy ran 14 times for 84 yards.

Nonconference

Plum (1-4, 1-1) at Penn-Trafford (3-2, 1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Harrison City

Last week’s result: Pine-Richland 43, Plum 7; Penn-Trafford 33, Kiski Area 7

Last year’s meeting: Penn-Trafford 21, Plum 6

This is an old Keystone Conference rivalry. The Mustangs are coming off a tough loss to Pine-Richland. Wide receivers Darius Nelson and Sloan Humphries combined on 36 catches. Nicky Odom has rushed for 302 yards. … The Mustangs must find a way to slow Penn-Trafford running back Tasso Whipple, who has rushed for 749 yards. He ran for 185 yards against Kiski Area. Jack Weishaar is the leading receiver with 20 catches for 229 yards. … Penn-Trafford holds a 16-6 lead in the series that dates to 1972, the first year of P-T when both were Keystone Conference members. Plum has lost the last 10 games against P-T with its last victory coming in 2001, 14-3.

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: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Indiana, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Pine-Richland, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley