Alle-Kiski Valley football notebook: Fox Chapel’s Zureikat kicks WPIAL’s longest field goal

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 4:45 PM

It’s been a trying season for the Fox Chapel football team.

The Foxes (2-5) hoped to snap a three-game losing skid Friday at Franklin Regional.

However, the homestanding Panthers claimed their first win of the season, 21-10, in nonconference play.

But in the midst of the back-and-forth action, WPIAL history was made.

Foxes senior kicker Harran Zureikat, committed to play at Georgia, set a WPIAL record with a 57-yard field goal early in the second quarter to draw Fox Chapel to within four at 7-3.

Some in attendance said the kick would’ve been good from 60-plus. The state record is 64 yards set by Bishop Hoban’s Gerry McGroarty in 2003.

Zureikat then crushed the ensuing kickoff between the uprights at the other end of the field.

The record-setter came just one week after Zureikat booted one from 54 yards in the Foxes’ loss to Pine-Richland. That kick fell 1 yard short of the WPIAL record set by East Allegheny’s Josh Miller in 2002. Miller’s record was tied twice in the past two seasons by Hopewell senior Rocco Marcantonio, who most recently hit from 55 yards in a Week 4 game at Avonworth on Sept 19.

Zureikat and his Foxes teammates hope to get in the win column this week at home against Plum. 

Owen-Cratsenberg shines again

Highlands sophomore Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg racked up more big numbers in Friday’s dramatic 28-27 overtime victory at previously undefeated Freeport.

He carried the ball 32 times for 235 yards and four touchdowns, including the Golden Rams’ overtime score. Then, after Freeport scored its OT touchdown, he blocked the point-after attempt from Yellowjackets kicker Judah Thompson.

Highlands, winners of its past two games after a tough loss to conference leader Imani Christian in Week 4, improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in Allegheny 7 Conference play.

Owen-Cratsenberg has been a workhorse the past two games with 50 carries for 423 yards and eight touchdowns.

Battle of the Bypass

Speaking of Burrell, the Bucs (3-4, 2-1) did their part in setting up this week’s Allegheny 7 showdown with Highlands as they topped Valley, 41-21, on Friday in the annual Battle of the Bypass game.

Burrell won its second game in row — it edged East Allegheny, 29-28, last week — with the help of sophomore Antonio Perkins and junior Trey Coury.

The duo again was a powerful 1-2 punch in the run game. Perkins terrorized his former team with 303 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries, and Coury collected 25 carries for 159 yards and two scores. Perkins was just 17 yards short of the Bucs’ school single-game rushing record held by Brock White (320).

Burrell set a team rushing record for a game at 462 yards.

Burrell-Valley is the most uninterrupted rivalry in the Alle-Kiski Valley. The teams played for the 46th consecutive season. The Vikings lead to all-time series 25-21, but the Bucs have won seven straight Bypass matchups.

Freeport team recognized

During Friday’s homecoming matchup with Highlands, the 1975 Yellowjackets were honored on the 50th anniversary of their memorable season.

That Freeport team, led by legendary coach Don Earley, finished its regular season 9-0-1 and won the Allegheny Interscholastic Conference (AIC) championship.

The Yellowjackets entered the WPIAL Class A playoffs where they defeated Rochester, 14-6, in the semifinals. Unfortunately for Freeport, it wasn’t able to claim WPIAL gold as Albert Gallatin scored a 43-13 win in the title game.

Blue Devils win 4th straight

Leechburg (5-1, 3-0) moved one step closer to a fifth straight WPIAL playoff appearance Friday and also stayed on track in the win column in advance of this week’s big Eastern Conference clash with Clairton.

Senior Timmy Andrasy surpassed 1,000 rushing yards with his 166-yard performance, which led the Blue Devils to a 48-14 victory over Frazier. Junior Nick Hilty had a career night with 101 yards and three touchdowns, and senior Tristan Zelenski, who is on the mend from an injury suffered earlier in the season, scored two TDs.

Vikings rally

Apollo-Ridge came into Friday’s Allegheny Conference matchup against Steel Valley 1-7 in the all-time series, with the one win coming in the abbreviated 2020 covid season.

It looked like the Vikings were headed to an eighth loss in the series as the Ironmen held a 14-3 lead in the fourth quarter.

But Apollo-Ridge mounted a rally with two scores — Alex Clawson tossed touchdown passes of 28 and 13 yards to Logan Schrock and Zac Myers, respectively — to stun Steel Valley, 18-14, and improve to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

The Vikings visit South Allegheny (6-0, 3-0) this week in a battle for first place in the conference.

Cavaliers roll

Kiski Area has put a four-game losing streak far in the rearview mirror.

After topping Franklin Regional last week for its first Big East Conference win, the Cavaliers (3-4, 2-2) on Friday collected 347 yards of total offense in a 34-13 victory over Latrobe.

Kiski Area’s Landyn Artman became the first Alle-Kiski Valley quarterback this season to throw five touchdown passes in a single game. He finished 10 of 18 for 267 yards and scoring tosses to Teegan Shirley (2), Andrew Finney, Aven Shirley and Collin Peterson.

The Cavaliers hope to keep it going this week at home against Armstong.

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, Burrell, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski Area, Leechburg