High school football roundup for Aug. 23, 2024: West Mifflin hangs on to defeat Elizabeth Forward

By: Triblive
Saturday, August 24, 2024 | 12:26 AM

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Armand Hill ran for 84 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining, to help West Mifflin earn a 17-16 nonconference victory over Class 3A No. 4 Elizabeth Forward (0-1) on Friday night.

The Warriors nearly tied the game when Ryan Messina found Charlie Nigut on a 7-yard TD pass as time expired. A fumble on the point-after attempt, however, allowed West Mifflin to escape with a victory.

Hill added 84 rushing yards, and freshman QB Zahir Ismaeli threw for 74 yards and ran for 101 yards and a 25-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for West Mifflin (1-0), which trailed, 10-3, heading into the final quarter.

Nigut also scored on a 6-yard run for the Warriors.

In other games:

Allderdice 20, Fox Chapel 9 — In nonconference play, Nasir Scott rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown as Allderdice (1-0) beat Fox Chapel (0-1). Trecyn Ford threw for 126 yards and a touchdown in the win. Joe Geller connected with Victor Nernberg on a 20-yard TD pass for the Foxes.

Ambridge 30, Western Beaver 14 — Class 4A Ambridge (1-0) beat visiting Class 2A Western Beaver (0-1).

Bentworth 48, Brownsville 0 — Ben Hays rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns to lead Bentworth (1-0) to the nonconference win against Brownsville (0-1).

Blackhawk 57, Beaver Falls 0 — Class 4A Blackhawk (1-0) outgained Class 2A Beaver Falls (0-1), 483 yards to 64, in its nonconference win. Stephan Knallay threw for 176 yards and four touchdowns while Brandon McCarthy caught six passes for 132 yards and two TDs.

California 62, Serra Catholic 26 – Lee Qualk ran for 363 yards and six touchdowns to lift California (1-0) to a nonconference win over Serra Catholic (0-1). De’reon Washington had eight catches for 158 yards and two scores for the Eagles.

Carlynton 33, Carrick 18 — DeVonte Dean threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 61 yards and a TD as Carlynton (1-0) beat Carrick (0-1) in nonconference play.

California 62, Serra Catholic 26 — California (1-0) downed Serra Catholic (0-1) in nonconference play.

Deer Lakes 28, Keystone Oaks 7 — Jake Fleischer threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to Zack Grant, as Deer Lakes opened with a 28-7 nonconference win. Zier Williams also scored twice, once on a pass from Fleischer and once on the ground. Deer Lakes (1-0) led 21-0 at halftime. Fleischer was 9 of 12 for 246 yards and three touchdowns, and Grant had six catches for 163 yards and two scores.

Jack Hrivnak caught a TD pass from Brenden Quarles in the fourth quarter to account for the lone score for Keystone Oaks (0-1).

Elwood City 14, Laurel 7 — Elijah Palmer-McCane scored on a 3-yard run in overtime as Class 2A No. 4 Ellwood City (1-0) beat Class A Laurel (0-1). Palmer-McCane rushed for 139 yards and scored Ellwood City’s other touchdown on a 2-yard run in the second quarter. Luca Santi threw for 129 yards and a 12-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Kolton Carlson.

Fort Cherry 39, Northgate 0 — Matt Sieg threw for 52 yards and one touchdown, ran for 62 yards and a TD and returned a punt 55 yards for another score to lead top-ranked, defending WPIAL Class A champion Fort Cherry (1-0) to the nonconference win against Northgate (0-1). Fort Cherry outgained Northgate, 277 yards to 87 yards while holding the Flames to just three first downs.

Freedom 7, Quaker Valley 0 — Isaiah Leasha’s 20-yard scoring pass to Kaden Bailey in the first quarter was the game’s only touchdown as Class 2A Freedom (1-0) beat Class 3A Quaker Valley (0-1).

Freeport 30, Indiana 7 — Quinn Lipniskis, Owen Neistein, Amos Glenn and Drew Ross all scored on touchdown runs as Class 3A Freeport (1-0) won on the road at Class 4A Indiana (0-1). The Yellowjackets also opened the scoring with a safety after Indiana’s snap went out of the end zone on a punt attempt.

Greensburg Central Catholic 46, Shady Side Academy 40 – The Centurions (1-0) got a big game from quarterback Samir Crosby en route to a 1-0 start with a nonconference win over Class 2A Shady Side Academy (0-1). Crosby ran for five touchdowns and threw another.

Greensburg Salem 28, Albert Gallatin 6 — Brady Smith ran for 58 yards and Peyton Chismar threw for 52 as Greensburg Salem won a nonconference game.

The Golden Lions accumulated 156 yards on the ground, and the Greensburg Salem defense held Albert Gallatin (0-1) to just 178 total yards. Greensburg Salem outscored the visitors 21-0 in the second half.

Hampton 22, University Prep 18 — Carson Potter ran for two touchdowns and Porter Kelly threw for 145 yards as Hampton (1-0) defeated University Prep (0-1) in nonconference play. Daimere Adair threw for 126 yards and two touchdowns for University Prep.

Jefferson-Morgan 35, Chartiers-Houston 6 — Houston Guseman threw for 201 yards and four touchdowns to lead Jefferson-Morgan (1-0) to the nonconference win at Chartiers-Houston (0-1). Deakyn Deboet caught four passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns for the Rockets.

Lake, Ohio 36, McKeesport 35 (2OT) — Ty DeGeorge scored on a 7-yard run, followed by his two-point conversion run, as Lake, Ohio (1-0) defeated Class 4A No. 4 McKeesport (0-1) in double overtime at the KDKA Kickoff Classic at Wolvarena. DeGeorge ran for three touchdowns and teammate Alexander Quior tossed for 108 yards and one TD. Kemon Spell rushed for three touchdowns for McKeesport.

Laurel Highlands 45, Uniontown 20 — Laurel Highlands (1-0) defeated Uniontown (0-1) in nonconference play.

Mapletown 20, Avella 6 — Carson Vanata ran for 111 yards and a touchdown as Mapletown (1-0) defeated its Avella (0-1) in a nonconference game. The teams will face each other again in a Tri-County South matchup on October 4.

McDowell 34, Woodland Hills 28 — McDowell (1-0) defeated Class 5A No. 3 Woodland Hills (0-1) in nonconference play.

Moon 21, Trinity 0 — Andrew Cross threw two touchdown passes as Class 5A Moon (1-0) shut out Class 4A Trinity (0-1).

Neshannock 42, Mohawk 37 — Anthony Eakin rushed for 127 yards and Jino Mozzocio threw for 147 yards as Class A No. 4 Neshannock (1-0) beat Class 2A Mohawk (0-1). Bobby Fadden threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns for Mohawk.

New Brighton 9, Shenango 7 – New Brighton went winless the past two seasons, but got off to a good start to 2024. Michael Veon returned a free kick following a first-quarter safety 59 yards for a touchdown as Class 2A New Brighton (1-0) beat Shenango (0-1). A.J. Ferilla scored Shenango’s only touchdown on a 2-yard run in the second quarter.

New Castle 49, General McLane 47 — New Castle (1-0) outlasted General McLane (0-1) in a nonconference contest.

North Allegheny 22, St. Frances Regional Academy (Md.) 20 – Defending WPIAL Class 6A champion North Allegheny (1-0) opened the season with a nonconference victory over St. Francis.

North Hills 22, Hempfield 0 — North Hills (1-0) made two big plays in the first quarter to grab a season-opening nonconference win over Hempfield (0-1). Josiah Mathias scored on a 65-yard screen pass on the first play from scrimmage and Stephen Murphy scored on a 55-yard fumble return to give North Hills a 14-0 lead. Jack Scarcella tacked on a pair of field goals for the Indians.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 12, Rochester 6 – Vann Kavals connected with Iseia Fields Schulz for the winning score on an 81-yard strike as OLSH (1-0) beat Rochester (0-1) in a nonconference game.

Peters Township 42, Canon-McMillan 17 — Nolan DiLucia threw for 289 yards and a touchdown as Class 5A No. 1 Peters Township (1-0) beat Class 6A No. 3 Canon-McMillan (0-1). Nick McCullough caught five passes for 174 yards and a touchdown for Peters Township. Ty Jarisma threw for 181 yards and one touchdown for Canon-McMillan.

Pine-Richland 35, Hilliard Davidson, Ohio 24 — In nonconference play, Class A No. 2 Pine-Richland (1-0) went on the road to beat Hilliard Davidson, Ohio (0-1).

Riverside 38, Hopewell 25 — Robert Janis rushed for two touchdowns and Ayden Garcia threw for one TD and ran for another as Class 2A Riverside (1-0) beat Class 3A Hopewell (0-1). James Armstrong threw for two touchdowns and ran for another for Hopewell.

Seton-La Salle 23, North Catholic 12 — Logan King rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns to lead Class 2A No. 5 Seton LaSalle (1-0) to the win against Class 3A No. 5 North Catholic (0-1). Joey Felitsky threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns for North Catholic.

Shaler 20, Butler 14 — Joe Rispoli rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns and Riley Douglas booted field goals of 36 and 29 yards as Shaler (1-0) beat Butler (0-1) in nonconference play. Jacob Kollinger ran for 112 yards and a 73-yard touchdown for Butler.

South Allegheny 28, Ringgold 14 – Ryan Cortes threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns as Class 2A South Allegheny (1-0) double-upped Class 4A Ringgold (0-1). Cam Epps ran for 207 yards and a score and Drew Cook caught seven passes for 195 yards and a TD.

South Fayette 26, Chartiers Valley 0 — Drew Wehorsky threw for 248 yards and one touchdown and ran for 174 yards and three TDs to lead Class 5A South Fayette (1-0) to the shutout against Class 4A Chartiers Valley (0-1).

South Park 30, East Allegheny 16 — Eric Doerue ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns to lead Class 2A No. 3 South Park (1-0) to victory over Class 3A East Allegheny (0-1). Cedric Mack threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

South Side 44, Sto-Rox 8 — Class A No. 3 South Side (1-0) won on the road at Class 2A Sto-Rox (0-1).

State College 49, Gateway 14 — In nonconference play, Eddie Corkey threw for 117 yards and two touchdowns as State College (1-0) defeated Gateway (0-1). Elvis Koutsakis threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns to Kacy Carter, who had three receptions for 107 yards, for Gateway.

Thomas Jefferson 63, Baldwin 12 — Class 4A No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (1-0) won big at Class 5A Baldwin (0-1).

Upper St. Clair 42, Mt. Lebanon 22 — Julian Dahlem threw for 62 yards and a touchdown and ran for 108 yards and another TD as Class 5A No. 5 Upper St. Clair (1-0) beat Class 6A Mt. Lebanon (0-1). Ethan Hellmann added two scoring passes while rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown. Patrick Smith threw for 162 yards for Mt. Lebanon.

Washington 14, McGuffey 7 — Tristan Reed hit Caleb Patton with scoring passes of 12 and 85 yards as Class 2A No. 2 Washington (1-0) defeated Class 3A McGuffey (0-1). Reed threw for 115 yards while Patton caught three passes for 109 yards. Malachi Ealy scored McGuffey’s lone touchdown on a 3-yard run.

Waynesburg Central 42, West Greene 7 — Class 2A Waynesburg Central (1-0) downed Class A opponent West Greene (0-1).

Yough 40, Brentwood 0 — Raidon Kuroda threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more to lead Class 3A Yough (1-0) to the shutout over Class A Brentwood (0-1). Aidan Shaffer and Ryan Sarver scored two touchdowns each.