A-K Valley high school football matchups for 2025 Week 2

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | 8:37 PM

Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 2 in the A-K Valley:

Nonconference

Apollo-Ridge (1-1) at Greensburg Central Catholic (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Centurion Stadium, Carbon

Last week: Jeannette 35, Apollo-Ridge 22; Greensburg Central Catholic 40, Mt. Pleasant 7

Last year’s meeting: No contest (weather)

• The teams are hoping to play a full game this time. Last year’s matchup was suspended after one half because of lightning and rain. GCC was up 28-21 at the time. Apollo-Ridge gave up big plays last week and lost to Jeannette. Quarterback Alex Clawson had a busy night as he completed 19 of 30 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown. Coach John Skiba was a lineman at Pitt. … Greensburg Central Catholic rolled to its first win of the season against favored Class 3A opponent Mt. Pleasant. Samir Crosby ran for 121 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores. Bobby Smithnosky had his best game at quarterback, going 14 of 22 for 223 yards and three TDs.

Avella (2-0) at Springdale (0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Springdale High School Athletic Field, Springdale

Last week: Avella 7, Carlynton 6; Chartiers-Houston 42, Springdale 8

Last year’s meeting: Avella 44, Springdale 0

• Avella is off a 2-0 start this season after an 0-2 start a year ago. The Eagles are led by Chas Rush, the team’s leading passer and rusher a year ago. He scored on a 2-yard run last week in a win over Carlynton. Avella is celebrating it’s 100th year of football. … Wes Hickman scored Springdale’s lone touchdown last week on a 31-yard run. He had a team-high 85 yards on the ground for the Dynamos in their season-opener. Springdale also is celebrating its 100th football season … This will be the opening game at Springdale High School Athletic Field, which has hosted soccer games in the past. It is Springdale football’s third full-time venue in school history, following Mellon Field (1926-37) and Veterans Memorial Field (1938-2023, with several intervals over time at other facilities). … This is the second meeting between the schools, located 52 miles apart.

Derry (1-1) at Deer Lakes (1-1)

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

Last week: Freeport 49, Derry 6; South Park 35, Deer Lakes 14

Last year’s meeting: Deer Lakes 34, Derry 12

• Both teams are coming off losses to good teams and are looking to get back on track. The Trojans had trouble slowing down the Freeport running game. Max Doherty scored on a 17-yard run for the Trojans. … Reigning WPIAL Class 2A champion South Park scored two times in the fourth quarter to ice the win against Deer Lakes. Luca Mangieri and Ryan Love scored touchdowns in the loss. … Despite last year’s loss, Derry has won three of its five games vs. Deer Lakes.

Fox Chapel (1-1) at Knoch (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Knights Stadium, Saxonburg

Last week: Fox Chapel 48, Baldwin 14; North Catholic 69, Knoch 10

Last year’s meeting: No contest (weather)

• Fox Chapel’s offense erupted for seven touchdowns in last week’s win over Baldwin. Max Melocchi ran for two scores and also caught three passes for 86 yards and a score. Joe Geller threw for 221 yards and two scores. … Knoch will try to get its offense on track after being outscored 90-10 through two weeks. QB Max Wiley ran for a 2-yard TD, and Austin Friedline added a 28-yard field goal last week for the Knights’ only scores. … Fox Chapel and Knoch will meet for the first time since 2011 after last season’s game was canceled because of inclement weather. The Knights lead the series 6-3. The last Foxes’ victory over Knoch was a 19-7 decision in 1988.

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

7 p.m. Friday, Chuck Knox Stadium, Leetsdale

Last week: Freeport 49, Derry 6; Quaker Valley 20, Keystone Oaks 13

Last year’s meeting: Freeport 44, Quaker Valley 12

• Freeport’s final tune-up game before Allegheny 7 Conference play begins will be a trip to play the unbeaten Quakers. The Yellowjackets have outscored their first two opponents 77-6. QB Drew Ross threw for 127 yards and two scores, ran for a 7-yard TD and also returned an interception 80 yards for a score against Derry. … The Quakers rallied after falling behind 7-0 last week. Rex Fatur’s 4-yard TD run was the winning score in the fourth quarter. QB Atticus Barr threw for 106 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score. … Freeport has won all five previous games against Quaker Valley by a combined score of 226-25.

Greensburg Salem (1-1) at Valley (0-2)

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

Last week: Greensburg Salem 17, Ligonier Valley 14; Riverview 35, Valley 0

Last year’s meeting: Greensburg Salem 50, Valley 14

• Brody Chismar threw for two touchdowns, and the defense clamped down in Greensburg Salem’s tight win over Ligonier Valley. Jackson Stevey and Max Topper had scoring receptions in the Golden Lions’ first win of the season. Ligonier Valley was missing its kicker, so it had to attempt 2-point conversions and missed on both tries. Greensburg Salem limited the Rams to 150 rushing yards. The win was No. 719 all time for the Golden Lions. … Valley struggled in its opener when it was held to minus-17 yards of offense against Southmoreland. The Vikings played close early with Riverview last Saturday afternoon before the Raiders let loose. Valley has been outscored 75-0 in two weeks. The Vikings have dropped 17 in a row.

Kiski Area (1-1) at Class 6A No. 3 Hempfield (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Greensburg

Last week: Norwin 42, Kiski Area 7; Hempfield 31, Franklin Regional 14

Last year’s meeting: Hempfield 31, Kiski Area 29

• Sawyer Leuthold kicked a 26-yard field goal with 38 seconds left last year as Hempfield crept past the Cavaliers. Dom Detruf threw for 247 yards in the win. He has been around 200 yards passing in both games this season. He threw for 193 and a score last week, and Aidan Stinebiser racked up his second straight 100-yard rushing performance. The Spartans ran the ball with authority in the second half. He tallied 103 yards and two TDs on 17 carries. Jack Kopas had a pick-6, and Xavier Smith collected two sacks and an interception. Leuthold made a 40-yard field goal. … Kiski Area failed to slow down Norwin quarterback Tristyn Tavares and the Knights’ running game. The Cavaliers didn’t score until the fourth quarter when Lucas Vacanti caught a short pass from Landyn Artman, who was 10 of 19 for 101 yards in the loss. Kiski Area won its opener against Knoch, 21-0. New Cavaliers coach Colyn Haugh is a Franklin Regional alum.

Mt. Pleasant (1-1) at Burrell (0-2)

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

Last week: Greensburg Central Catholic 40, Mt. Pleasant 7; Shady Side Academy 56, Burrell 26.

Last year’s meeting: Mt. Pleasant 23, Burrell 13

• Both teams are coming off tough losses. The Vikings played without their top two running backs: Steve Predanja and Mason Eicher. Their offense struggled against the GCC defense. … Burrell quarterback Antonio Perkins scored four touchdowns and rushed for 174 yards in the loss to Shady Side Academy. The Bucs’ defense had trouble stopping Shady Side’s offense. … Mt. Pleasant has a 9-3 lead in the all-time series against Burrell, which dates to 1972 when both schools were members of the Keystone Conference. The Bucs’ last victory over the Vikings came in 2018.

New Castle (1-1) at Highlands (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Golden Rams Stadium, Natrona Heights

Last week: Hopewell 31, New Castle 6; Elizabeth Forward 35, Highlands 14

Last year’s meeting: No contest (weather)

• New Castle started the season on a high note with a 12-0 win over Penn Hills. Last week, Kai Cox caught a 65-yard TD pass from Marino Graham for the Red Hurricanes’ lone score. Graham threw for 157 yards. New Castle has 761 all-time wins, third most in WPIAL history (Aliquippa, 791; Jeannette, 787). … Highlands will play its home opener this week and open Allegheny 7 Conference play in Week 3 at East Allegheny. Darai Carter scored on a 38-yard pass from Jamarkus Prager, and Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg added a 2-yard rush for a score for the Golden Rams last week. … New Castle holds a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series vs. Highlands.

Riverview (2-0) at Cornell (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Frank Letteri Stadium, Coraopolis

Last week: Riverview 35, Valley 0; California 36, Cornell 32

Last year’s meeting: Cornell 52, Riverview 9

• The Raiders are off to a strong start after a couple of dominating performances, outscoring Beth-Center and Valley by a combined 69-19. Last week, Kaden Levy had two short TD runs and returned an interception 35 yards for a score. QB Connor Kmetz threw for 128 yards and a touchdown. … Cornell’s Desean Johnson caught touchdown passes of 30 and 70 yards from MJ Stuckey last week. Stuckey threw for 157 yards. The Cornell Raiders reached the WPIAL quarterfinals a year ago. … Cornell is 2-1 against Riverview, including a win in both schools’ inaugural game Sept. 10, 1971, a 10-8 Cornell victory.

Serra Catholic (0-2) at Leechburg (1-1)

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

Last week: Clairton 79, Serra Catholic 0; Leechburg 58, Beth-Center 6

Last year’s meeting: Leechburg 48, Serra Catholic 27

• Serra endured a blowout loss to Clairton last week and has been outscored 123-14 this season under first-year coach Akeeme Robinson. Rayshawn Pritchard threw for 133 yards and a score in Week Zero. Marcus Holt, Chris Green and Brayden Graham are the Eagles’ top targets. … Leechburg will play its 1,000th football game Friday. The program is 431-530-38 overall. Tim Andrasy’s seven touchdowns against Beth-Center tied the school record (Braylan Lovelace, 2021 and 2022). Dick Hunter, however, holds the Leechburg record with 46 points in one game (Oct. 16, 1953) as Leechburg pounded Tarentum, 52-26, en route to the WPIAL title. Leechburg has outscored its first two opponents by a combined 74-26. It will open Eastern Conference play at Riverview on Sept. 12. … The Blue Devils are 12-8 in the all-time series vs. Serra.

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, Avella, Burrell, Cornell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, New Castle, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Serra Catholic, Springdale, Valley