Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Leechburg snaps drought

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 12:01 AM

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Leechburg traveled Route 66 on Friday to face Imani Christian and wrapped up its first trip to the WPIAL playoffs since 1988.

The Blue Devils (7-2, 4-2) snapped the longest playoff drought in the WPIAL with 40 first-quarter points en route to a 66-6 Eastern Conference victory.

“This is really great. The kids have worked their tails off, and I am proud of them,” Leechburg coach Randy Walters said. “It hasn’t been just during the season, but in the offseason. They busted their butts and were really dedicated in the weight room and the running program. This is a result of that hard work.”

But Walters said while the win obviously is special and his players deserve to celebrate, the focus must stay on playing good football. That continues, he stressed, with being prepared to take on a Greensburg Central Catholic team Friday that has been surging the past several weeks.

The Centurions routed Jeannette, 49-3, on Friday.

“I have been watching GCC film, and I can see just how good of a football team they are,” Walters said.

“We have to figure out how to get another win. I told the guys even at halftime (Friday) when it looked like we were in good position and were going to get that spot in the playoffs that we had to make sure we continued to play our best football. We want to make sure everyone who is in there, no matter what’s the situation, is playing the right way. We’re not just happy getting in the playoffs. We want to compete in the playoffs and go as far as we can.”

Leechburg’s 66 points Friday upped its Class A-leading scoring average to 47 points.

The Blue Devils record of 62 points in a game set in 1950 lasted 70 years. It has been surpassed four times in the past 11 games.

Braylan Lovelace was the star again for the Blue Devils as he rushed 32 times for 183 yards and six touchdowns against Imani.

Highlands riding high

After three consecutive losses in Greater Allegheny Conference play, Highlands is back in solid position to wrap up a WPIAL playoff spot.

The Golden Rams have averaged 40.5 points the past two weeks with wins over Armstrong (6-3, 4-2) and Greensburg Salem (5-4, 3-3).

Highlands, 6-3 overall, finds itself in a four-team log jam for third place in the conference at 3-3 behind Armstrong and front-runner Hampton (9-0, 6-0).

The Golden Rams hope to cap the regular season in strong fashion Friday with a win at home against Knoch.

Highlands made sure things would go their way Friday against Greensburg Salem as Chandler Thimons rushed for three scores and threw others to Landan Signorella and Tony Jones.

Luke Bombalski added a rushing TD. It was his team-leading 12th rushing score of the season.

Still in strong position

Freeport fell behind North Catholic, 20-0, after the first quarter of Friday’s Allegheny Seven matchup and was not able to recover.

But the Yellowjackets played fairly even with the Class 3A No. 2 Trojans over the final three quarters of the 33-7 loss.

Ben Lane scored on a 44-yard run in the second quarter, and that gives him a team-best six rushing TDs on the season.

Despite the loss, Freeport, now 3-1 in conference play, can lock up second place in the conference outright Friday with a win at Deer Lakes (3-2).

The Yellowjackets had won three straight — scoring victories over Valley, East Allegheny and Burrell — to put them in a strong standing heading into the game with North Catholic.

Freeport is 4-4 this season, and the Yellowjackets’ four losses have come against a collection of teams — Armstrong, Serra Catholic, North Catholic and Avonworth — that are a combined 32-5.

Northeast grind

The Class 5A Northeast Conference has been one of the more competitive ones in the WPIAL this season with a number of close games.

Fox Chapel and Kiski Area have seen that firsthand.

The Cavaliers felt the sting with their 1-3 conference record that will have them on the outside of the playoffs. The three losses have come by a combined 24 points.

Kiski coach Sam Albert said after Friday’s 33-27 loss to Pine-Richland that his team was just a couple of plays away from being in a much better position in the conference standings.

The Cavaliers take on Penn Hills at home Friday to cap the regular season.

Fox Chapel, 2-2 in conference play and 4-5 overall, battled North Hills down to the wire Friday but was not able to come away with the win in a 17-10 setback.

The Foxes came into the game in a four-way tie for the conference lead with Pine-Richland, North Hills and Penn Hills. Fox Chapel hopes to solidify its playoff plans Friday at home against Pine-Richland.

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