Derry lineman leaves on stretcher in high-scoring win vs. Greensburg Salem

By: Dave Mackall
Friday, October 10, 2025 | 11:19 PM

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It went quiet for a time at Greensburg’s Offutt Field on Friday night when Derry lineman Aiden Piper lay still on the turf.

“From what I know, he’s stable and moving his legs,” senior Trojans lineman Dylan Pitzer said after Derry raced past Greensburg Salem, 43-28, to end a three-game losing streak.

Both players are part of a big, physical Derry front.

Piper was injured in the second quarter, delaying the game for 15 minutes while the 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior was being examined. He eventually was transported off the field on a stretcher and taken to a hospital.

“He’s going to be OK,” Derry coach Mike Arone said. “They were worried about his back. He could move everything. He made a tackle, and the kid landed on him. He had a lot of tenderness in his back.”

Without Piper, the Trojans “didn’t miss a beat” with junior Aspen Blystone filling in, Arone said.

Anthony Sacco threw two touchdown passes to Karsen Weiers, including a 65-yarder on the game’s first play, and Max Doherty scored four touchdowns for Derry.

While the Trojans (4-4, 1-2 Interstate Conference) ended their skid, they extended the Golden Lions’ losing streak to five.

“It’s hard. Our game is so driven by results on the scoreboard,” Greensburg Salem coach Ty George said. “That’s what determines the record. That’s what everyone looks at, what everybody sees. Where we’re at and what we’re trying to build and do, we just have to keep seeing growth, keep seeing the kids compete and get better. And they’re doing that.”

Greensburg Salem (2-6, 0-3) got three touchdowns from — oddly enough — a player named LeTrey Derry, including an 85-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter that brought the Golden Lions closer to the lead but with little time remaining.

Sacco needed five completions in seven attempts to finish with 162 yards passing for Derry. He connected with Weiers on a 27-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter.

Doherty rushed 23 times for 125 yards and scored on runs of 2, 1, 45 and 1 yard for the Trojans, and Weiers had three receptions for 142 yards.

“Everyone held up really good,” Doherty said. “We knew what needed to be done. We focused all week and stuck together as a team.”

With Derry coming off its worst showing of the season a week prior — a 56-7 loss to Elizabeth Forward — Arone said the focus now shifts to next week and a meeting with Mt. Pleasant.

“One at a time,” he said.

“After a win you always feel a lot better. I don’t think we’ve put a full game together. We just make too many mistakes. We’ve got some aggressive players, and we need to cut down the penalties and mistakes. We took advantage of opportunities tonight, but there were too many mistakes.

“And you know, it’s really hard to pull them back when it’s aggressiveness. We have to be smarter.”

There was no shortage of action once the game began as both teams found the end zone on their first possessions.

Derry led 15-6 after 3 minutes, 42 seconds had elapsed.

On the first play from scrimmage, Sacco fired a 65-yard touchdown pass to Karsen Weiers before connecting with Kaden Weiers on a 2-point conversion pass to give the Trojans an 8-0 lead.

Greensburg Salem responded with the running back Derry’s 5-yard touchdown run less than a minute later. The play followed a 36-yard run by quarterback Brody Chismar, who wound up 17 for 31 for 186 yards.

Derry answered with another score after Karsen Weiers returned a kickoff 66 yards. Doherty’s 2-yard touchdown run gave the Trojans a 15-6 advantage with 8:18 left in the first quarter.

They stretched their lead to 29-6 with a pair of second-quarter scores on Doherty’s 1-yard run and Karsen Weiers’ 27-yard pass from Sacco.

Greensburg Salem closed within 29-14 with 4:34 remaining before halftime when Chismar found Braydon Miller for a 59-yard scoring pass.

The Golden Lions reached the Derry 2 with time winding down before intermission, but a penalty pushed them out of range as time expired.

Derry’s 4-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter pulled Greensburg Salem within 29-21, but Doherty scored on runs of 45 and 1 yard giving Derry a 43-21 lead early in the fourth.

“We showed some spark,” George said. “Our kids are sticking with it. Derry has some big, physical kids, one of the biggest teams we’ve faced. That’s a good test for us to see kids that size and to get that experience for those kids who are sophomores playing for the first time.”

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Pitzer finished with five sacks to lead Derry.

“With Aiden out, we were able to figure it out,” Pitzer said. “I went to (Blystone) and said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to step up now. This is your time to shine.’ I think that’s what gave us some momentum.”

Tags: Derry Area, Greensburg Salem