Five things we learned in Week 5 of H.S. football: Blowouts the norm

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 29, 2018 | 9:24 PM

Quaker Valley accomplished a rare feat Friday, as did Indiana, West Allegheny and a half-dozen other WPIAL teams.

They all celebrated close wins.

Consider there were 52 WPIAL football games Friday night, and only nine were decided by a touchdown or less. Among the closest, Quaker Valley and Indiana each won in overtime, West A won by one point over Woodland Hills, and Beth-Center beat Charleroi by a point.

In an era of blowouts, the close wins stand out.

“I think I needed to go to UPMC to have my heart checked out afterward,” Quaker Valley coach Ron Balog said with a laugh.

In contrast, 40 of Friday’s 52 games were decided by three touchdowns or more. In 11 of those, the final margin was 42-0 or larger. The lopsided scores included 54-0 victories by California and Sto-Rox, a 57-0 win by West Greene, and 65-0 wins by Franklin Regional and Aliquippa.

But in a game with nine lead changes and four ties, Quaker Valley didn’t clinch its 50-43 victory until senior Ethan Moore made a goal-line tackle in overtime. Facing fourth-and-21, Keystone Oaks quarterback Logan Shrubb scrambled toward the end zone before Moore and teammate Ryan Jackovic stopped him at the 1.

“KO kept punching. We kept punching. Neither side gave up. Neither side quit,” Balog said. “It was a great, great experience for our kids to go through because I think we grew up a lot. I can tell you they were sky-high afterward.”

Balog, a former Central Catholic assistant, thought back five years to a game with almost as much excitement. Memories of wins such as Friday’s — with close scores and dramatic finishes — are the ones that linger the longest, he added.

In his mind, they’re also the most beneficial.

“You find out stuff about your kids,” Balog said. “You find out when the chips are down, and the chips were down a few times.”

In the other close Week 5 finishes, Montour defeated Knoch, 35-33, North Allegheny defeated Seneca Valley, 10-6, Hampton defeated Kiski Area, 34-31, Baldwin defeated Chartiers Valley, 21-14, and Elizabeth Forward defeated Derry, 25-22.

Indiana defeated Trinity, 27-21 in overtime, on a 7-yard touchdown run by Luke Thomas.

All were conference matchups, which only increased the intensity.

In Week 4, only three conference games ended within seven points. There were 10 conference nail-biters in Week 3, eight in Week 2 and four in Week 1.

2. Kicking when they’re down

As teams have seen all too often, extra points in high school aren’t automatic. Failed fourth-quarter kicks doomed Woodland Hills and Charleroi in their one-point losses Friday.

Charleroi scored what nearly was a tying touchdown with 5:41 left, but the Cougars’ extra point missed. The team executed just one of three kick attempts Friday, leading to a 28-27 loss to Beth-Center that was Charleroi’s first this season.

Woodland Hills had a similar fate in a 14-13 loss to West Allegheny. The Wolverines scored with 85 seconds left, but the tying extra-point snap was high, forcing the holder to scramble unsuccessfully for the end zone.

3. WPIAL committee has work ahead

The pairings meeting is still weeks away, but seeding the Class 2A bracket could be a challenge for the WPIAL football committee. At least, that’s how it looks after Week 5.

Shady Side Academy (5-0, 3-0), McGuffey (6-0, 4-0) and Burgettstown (5-0, 4-0) remain undefeated while recent WPIAL champions Steel Valley (4-1, 3-1) and Washington (5-1, 2-1) are among eight others with only one loss overall.

Class 2A is the largest classification in the WPIAL with 31 teams divided into four conferences. The top four teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.

4. Pine-Richland’s line looks Ram tough

A year ago, Pine-Richland’s top talent was behind center. This year, it’s with the big guys in front of the quarterback. The Rams flexed their muscles and rushed for 421 yards and six touchdowns to defeat No. 3 Central Catholic, 42-21, on Friday.

The top-ranked Rams showed a willingness to run behind an oversized offensive line that features five seniors, three returning starters and two Division I commits. Along with Notre Dame recruit Andrew Kristofic (6-6, 270) and Indiana recruit Michael Katic (6-3, 280), the team starts Michael Dorundo (6-1, 260), Brian Bails (6-0, 295) and Tyler Rudduck (6-3, 275).

“How can we not run with the linemen we’ve got?” said junior running back Luke Meckler, who rushed for 280 yards and four touchdowns. “They’re huge. They’re amazing.”

5. Caldwell first passer with 400

Western Pennsylvania saw the season’s first 400-yard passing performance Friday, but it wasn’t in the WPIAL.

Ligonier Valley’s John Caldwell completed 20 of 23 attempts for 402 yards and seven touchdowns in a 67-30 District 6 victory over Purchase Line. Caldwell edged another Westmoreland County passer for the region’s best performance.

Kiski Area’s Ryne Wallace owns the top WPIAL output this season with 380 passing yards Sept. 14. Next best was Washington’s Zack Swartz with 375.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.