Confident Highlands overwhelms East Allegheny

By: Brennan Valladares
Friday, September 12, 2025 | 11:02 PM

Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg rushed for 67 yards and three touchdowns as Highlands (2-2, 1-0) dismantled East Allegheny (0-3, 0-1), 42-15, for the Golden Rams’ first Section 3-3A win.

Highlands had 237 yards of total offense, with 120 of those coming on the ground. The Golden Rams also recorded 17 first downs in the 35-point win.

Quarterback Jamarkus Prager threw for 117 yards and one touchdown, while Taiy Partlow had 45 yards rushing and one touchdown. Marqis Johnson led the Golden Rams with 86 yards receiving and a touchdown.

For East Allegheny, Cedric Mack threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Ronte Lawrence had 79 yards receiving and one caught touchdown.

“We just played hard,” said Cratsenberg.

“We came out with a lot of confidence, and we just got the job done.”

And his team’s confidence was on full display from the opening kickoff. With East Allegheny electing to defer to the second half, Highlands’ Jah’mar Wright lined up to receive the kickoff. Catching the ball at the 10, Wright broke out a 90-yard return to give the Golden Rams a 6-0 lead with 12 minutes still on the clock.

Highlands’ defense was able to force a three-and-out on the Wildcats’ first drive. Then, because of a short punt, Highlands was given scoring position again at the 9-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Cratsenberg received the handoff and rushed for his second touchdown in three minutes of game time.

On the next East Allegheny possession, Mack dropped back to pass, but Cole Shaffer’s strip sack gave the Golden Rams the ball back at the Wildcats’ 7-yard line.

Two run plays later for Cratsenberg and the Golden Rams were up 21-0 with over half the quarter left. Cratsenberg score one final time a minute later after lining up in the wildcat formation.

Asked what his mentality is when the ball is put in his hands, Cratsenberg said, “I’m just trying to score every time, but if I don’t score, I try to make a big play and get every yard I can.”

East Allegheny’s first score wouldn’t be until the 8:37 mark of the second quarter, when Mack found Tanner Loya on a 7-yard pass that Loya ran in.

The Golden Rams would respond on their next drive, courtesy of Partlow’s legs. Partlow got the drive started with 20-yard dash to get on East Allegheny’s side of the field. After two straight completions from Prager, Partlow got two handoffs, with the latter resulting in the Golden Rams fifth touchdown of the half.

In the second half, East Allegheny was shut out on its first drive, which set up a 54-yard catch-and-run by Johnson on the next one. East Allegheny was able to stop the running clock after a seven-minute drive that resulted in Mack touchdown pass to Lawrence. Mack then completed the 2-point conversion to Damarje Warren, bringing the final score to 42-15.

Highlands will prepare for a matchup agaisnt Imani Christian on Sept. 19, while East Allegheny will take on Deer Lakes.

Tags: East Allegheny, Highlands