Football

California running back Jaeden Zuzak works out during practice on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.

WPIAL Class A roundup: California’s Zuzak runs for 440 yards, 7 TDs in victory

October 10, 2020

Jaedan Zuzak ran for 440 yards and seven touchdowns to lead unbeaten California to a 65-22 victory against Jefferson-Morgan (2-3, 2-3) in the Class A Tri-County South Conference on Friday night.

Seneca Valley goes through drills during work outs Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at Seneca Valley High School.

WPIAL Class 6A roundup: Baldwin, Seneca Valley earn key wins

Colton Brain threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns to lead Baldwin to a 37-34 victory against Hempfield (1-4, 1-4) in a Class 6A Conference game Friday night.

Upper St. Clair quarterback Ethan Dahlem works out during practice on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Upper St. Clair.

WPIAL Class 5A roundup: Upper St. Clair tops West Allegheny in Allegheny 6

Ethan Dahlem threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more TDs to lead Upper St. Clair to a 37-27 triumph over West Allegheny (3-2, 1-2) in Class 5A Allegheny 6 Conference play Friday night.

Woodland Hills’ Deontae Williams, throwing a pass against Penn Hills earlier this season, threw two touchdown passes against Franklin Regional on Friday night.

Woodland Hills regroups, thumps Franklin Regional

Franklin Regional opened Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference game against Woodland Hills with a trick play.

North Hills hosts Penn Hills in a WPIAL Class 5A football game Oct. 9, 2020, at North Hills.

Penn Hills grinds out tough victory over conference foe North Hills

October 9, 2020

North Hills was looking to stay atop the Class 5A Northeast Conference when it met Penn Hills on Friday night. Penn Hills, meanwhile, was hoping to bounce back after being shut out the previous week.

Elizabeth Forward’s Chase Whatton (19) celebrates after the game-winning touchdown against South Allegheny on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.

Unbeaten Elizabeth Forward hangs on, beats South Allegheny in double OT

Over the course of a season, there are games that test a team like no other. Injuries, a tough opponent and a star running back can give that kind of challenge to any team with championship aspirations.

Thomas Jefferson head coach Bill Cherpak had no complaints about his team’s 58-0 victory over Laurel Highlands on Friday night.

Thomas Jefferson leans on ground game in win over Laurel Highlands

After Thomas Jefferson (4-0, 4-0) finished walloping Laurel Highlands (1-4, 1-3), coach Bill Cherpak addressed his team and simply said, “We played like we should,” and then called the team into a huddle.

Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock carries against Ringgold in their Big Eight Conference game Oct. 9, 2020, at Belle Vernon.

Devin Whitlock’s record touchdown helps Belle Vernon run through Ringgold

There’s no doubting Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock’s athletic talent. Now, the junior will hold a place in Leopards history as well.

Top-ranked North Allegheny runs its offense before its Class 6A game at Norwin on Oct. 9, 2020.

Top-ranked North Allegheny rolls past Norwin

A late arrival by North Allegheny to Westmoreland County didn’t manage to derail the WPIAL’s No. 1-ranked Class 6A football team on Friday night at Norwin.

Connellsville’s Ky’ron Craggette fights for yardage while being wrapped up by Latrobe’s Tucker Knupp (left) and Drake Clayton on Oct. 9, 2020, at Connellsville Stadium.

Latrobe makes defensive stand on game’s final play to stop Connellsville

Trailing by three points with four seconds left in the game, Connellsville had the ball at the Latrobe 5-yard line on fourth down. Instead of kicking a field goal to tie the game, Falcons coach Marko Thomas opted to go for the win.

Ligonier Valley’s Grant Dowden moves in to tackle Serra Catholic’s Zack Weber on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.

Serra Catholic catches stride, runs past Ligonier Valley

Ligonier Valley knocked Serra Catholic’s high-powered offense off kilter in the first half Friday night.

Fox Chapel hosts Kiski Area ion Oct. 9, 2020, at Fox Chapel

Jenkins leads Fox Chapel past Kiski Area

Contrasting styles clashed between Fox Chapel and Kiski Area, and the result was each team’s standout turn in a huge performance.

The Penn-Trafford football team prepares for opening night against Latrobe on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Harrison City.

Covid cases force Penn-Trafford to cancel game with Gateway

It doesn’t seem like Penn-Trafford and Gateway are meant to play football against each other this season.

New Castle head coach Joe Cowart works with his team during practice on Aug. 11, 2020, in New Castle.

Covid-19 case forces New Castle to shut down football activities for 2 weeks

New Castle is shutting down its football program for two weeks after a varsity player tested positive for coronavirus, costing the Red Hurricanes at least two games, athletic director Sam Flora said Friday.

Gateway head coach Don Holl during workouts Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at Gateway High School.

5 things to watch in Week 5: Gateway returns to ‘normal’

After a two-week coronavirus hiatus, Gateway’s football team is getting back to normal. Or as close to normal as possible in a week that starts on Wednesday and ends with a game Sunday night.

Chartiers Valley’s Isaac Minnetti-Houser celebrates with Jacob Adwar after Adwar scooped up a Blackhawk fumble Friday, Oct. 2, 2020 at Chartiers Valley High School.

Aliquippa, Chartiers Valley follow different routes to Parkway clash in Class 4A

October 8, 2020

Anthony Collura heard stories about the horse, the rider and the flaming spear that arrives at Aliquippa football games, but the Chartiers Valley senior wasn’t sure they were true.