High school football roundup for Sept. 1, 2023: Avonworth takes down Central Valley

By: Tribune-Review
Saturday, September 2, 2023 | 12:31 AM

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Carson Bellinger threw for 105 yards and a touchdown as Class 3A No. 4 Avonworth earned a 28-20 victory over Class 4A No. 4 Central Valley (1-1) in a nonconference football game Friday night.

The Lopes (2-0) opened a 14-0 lead after Bellinger connected with Andrew Kuban on a 74-yard TD pass, and Brandon Biagiarelli ran in for a 2-yard score. Biagiarelli added a 6-yard run in the third quarter, and Kuban ran in from 2 yards in the fourth quarter.

Steven Rutherford threw for 70 yards and a touchdown and ran for a TD for Central Valley.

Ambridge 14, Freedom 7 — Carlito Chandler ran for 111 yards and one touchdown to lead Class 4A Ambridge (1-1) to the nonconference win against Class 2A Freedom (1-1). Matt Schultheis threw for 150 yards in the loss.

Avella 22, Bentworth 15 — Avella (1-1) beat Bentworth (1-1) in a nonconference matchup.

Beaver 31, Beaver Falls 28 — Drey Hall ran for 116 yards and a touchdown as Class 3A Beaver (2-0) beat Class 2A No. 2 Beaver Falls (1-1). Datalian Beauford ran for 117 yards and two Beaver Falls touchdowns.

Burgettstown 34, Beth-Center 0 — Rudy Brown ran for two touchdowns as Burgettstown (1-0) opened its season with a nonconference shutout against Beth-Center (0-2).

Butler 27, Meadville 26 — Braylon Littlejohn threw two touchdown passes and ran for 161 yards to lead Butler (1-1) to the nonconference win against Meadville (1-1). Brighton Anderson rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns for Meadville.

Central Catholic 47, St. Ignatius, Ohio 6 — Class 6A No. 2 Central Catholic (2-0) beat St. Ignatius, Ohio (1-2) in nonconference play.

California 47, Charleroi 0 – Behind 287 rushing yards from Spencer Petrucci, Class A California (2-0) beat Class 3A Charleroi (0-1).

Cornell 20, Monessen 6 — C.J. Jackson threw for 95 yards and two touchdowns to lead Cornell (2-0) to a nonconference win against Monessen (0-2).

Derry 26, Greensburg Salem 21 – Derry (1-1) snapped a 20-game losing streak — which was the longest among WPIAL teams — with a nonconference win over Greensburg Salem (0-2). Ahmad Ward ran 28 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans, who jumped out to a 26-0 lead. Greensburg Salem’s Julian Stevens had a 19-yard TD catch from Adam DiPascale with 5:14 left to make it 26-21, but Derry held on for the win.

East Allegheny 33, Jeannette 30 (OT) – East Allegheny (1-1) scored a touchdown in overtime after Jeannette (1-1) managed a field goal as the Wildcats won a nonconference contest.

Elizabeth Forward 24, West Mifflin 7 — Charlie Nigut ran for 136 yards and a touchdown and Jace Brown added 100 rushing yards and two TDs as Class 3A No. 2 Elizabeth Forward (2-0) defeated Class 3A No. 3 West Mifflin (0-2) in a nonconference game. DelRon White ran for 113 yards for West Mifflin.

Fort Cherry 55, Carmichaels 13 — Ethan Faletto rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns as Fort Cherry (2-0) scored 35 points in the first quarter in its nonconference win over Carmichaels (0-2). Matt Sieg threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a 62-yard TD while Shane Cornali added four receptions for 111 yards and two TDs. Ambrose Adamson scored both Carmichaels touchdowns.

Hopewell 56, New Brighton 13 — Class 3A Hopewell (1-1) won big at Class 2A New Brighton (0-2).

Imani Christian 52, Brentwood 14 — Class 2A No. 5 Imani Christian (1-1) defeated Brentwood (0-2) in nonconference play.

Knoch 30, Indiana 24 — A week after winning its season opener with nearly 400 yards passing, Knoch improved to 2-0 by dominating on the ground. Tony Nicolazzo scored on three 1-yard touchdown runs and quarterback Codi Mullen added a 9-yard TD run as the Knights (2-0) beat Indiana (1-1) in a nonsection game.

Leechburg 59, Summit Academy 20 – Jayden Floyd ran for 95 yards and two scores and threw for 60 yards and a touchdown as Leechburg (1-1) won a nonconference game over Summit Academy. Tim Andrasy ran for 107 yards and two scores, and Jake Cummings had 115 rushing yards and a TD for the Blue Devils.

Mapletown 28, Frazier 0 — Evan Griffin ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns as Mapletown (2-0) defeated Frazier (0-2) in nonconference play. A.J. Vanata threw for one touchdown and ran for another for the Maples.

Mars 42, New Castle 6 — Mars (1-1) beat New Castle (0-2) in a nonconference matchup.

McGuffey 48, Ringgold 22 — Connor Crowe threw for 98 yards and a touchdown and ran for 26 yards and two TDs as Class 2A McGuffey (1-1) defeated Class 4A Ringgold (0-2). Matthew Behanna tossed for 197 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Mohawk 42, Quaker Valley 8 — Jay Wrona threw for 182 yards and five touchdowns to lead Class 2A Mohawk (1-1) to the nonconference win over Class 3A Quaker Valley (0-2). Bobby Fadden caught three scoring passes for Mohawk while Black Logan added two touchdown receptions. Jack Diemert ran for 142 yards and a touchdown for Quaker Valley.

Montour 35, Moon 21 — Jake Wolfe threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns to lead Class 4A Montour (2-0) to the win at Class 5A Moon (0-2). Nazir Brookins ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns for Moon.

Mt. Pleasant 27, Yough 13 — Cole Chatfield threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns to lead Class 3A Mt. Pleasant (1-1) over Class 2A Yough (0-2) in nonconference play. Luke Nicotera caught six passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns for Mt. Pleasant while teammate Garrett Eicher rushed for 98 yards and a TD. Raidon Kuroda threw for 170 yards for Yough.

Neshannock 39, Laurel 22 — Jino Mozzocio completed all nine of his passes for 111 yards and rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown to lead Class 2A No. 4 Neshannock (1-1) to the win against Class A Laurel (1-1).

Northgate 35, Springdale 21 — Northgate (1-1) bounced back from a season-opening loss to Fort Cherry to knock off Springdale (0-2) in a nonconference matchup.

Penn Hills 27, Norwin 0 — Julian Dugger threw for 125 yards and a touchdown and ran for 88 yards and a 38-yard score to lead Class 5A No. 1 Penn Hills (2-0) to the shutout against Class 5A Norwin (0-2). Amir Key ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns for Penn Hills. Tristyn Tavares threw for 110 yards for Norwin.

Peters Township 48, Seneca Valley 7 — Vinny Sarcone rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns to lead Class 5A No. 5 Peters Township (2-0) to victory over Class 6A No. 5 Seneca Valley (0-2) in a nonconference game. Carter Shanafelt scored on a 25-yard blocked punt return for Peters Township while teammate James Spratt returned a fumble 5 yards for a TD.

Pine-Richland 48, Kiski Area 0 – Pine-Richland (1-1) ran for 268 yards and six touchdowns en route to a nonconference victory over Kiski Area. Bryce O’Brien and Ethan Pillar each ran for two scores for the Rams. Landon Kucic ran for 88 yards for the Cavaliers (0-2).

Plum 34, Fox Chapel 10 — In nonconference play, Nick Odom ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns to lead Plum (2-0) to the win over Fox Chapel (0-2). Sean Franzi threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns for Plum. Max Meloccho tossed for 110 yards for Fox Chapel.

Seton LaSalle 41, Serra Catholic 21 — O’Malley Daly ran for 165 yards and four touchdowns to lead Class 3A Seton LaSalle (1-1) to the win at Class 2A No. 3 Serra Catholic (0-2). Quadir Stribling threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

Shady Side Academy 34, North Catholic 28 (OT) — Devin Harris hit Carter Bonner with a 10-yard scoring pass in overtime to give Class 3A Shady Side Academy (2-0) the win over Class 4A North Catholic (1-1). Harris threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns, and Bonner had 10 catches for 138 yards and two scores. Harran Zureikat hit two field goals, including one to send the game into overtime. Jason Fiket threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns for North Catholic.

Shaler 43, Hampton 8 — Keegan Smetanka threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns to lead Class 5A Shaler (2-0) to victory against Class 4A Hampton (0-2). Joey DeSabato caught seven passes for 155 yards and one touchdown and returned a punt 74 yards for another score while teammate Nathan Rozzo rushed for 115 yards and one TD.

South Park 15, Keystone Oaks 10 — Zach Ludwig scored on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter as Class 3A No. 5 South Park (2-0) beat Class 2A Keystone Oaks (1-1).

South Side 35, Riverside 7 — Brody Almashy threw for 124 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 75 yards and one TD to lead Class A No. 3 South Side (2-0) to the win against Class 2A Riverside (0-1). A.C. Corfield caught one scoring pass and ran for two more.

Steel Valley 35, Sto-Rox 0 — Class 2A No. 1 Steel Valley (1-0) opened its season by blanking Class 2A Sto-Rox (0-1).

Spring Mills, W.Va. 41, Albert Gallatin 0 — Spring Mills, W.Va. (1-1) scored 27 second-half points in its nonconference win against Albert Gallatin (0-2).

Thomas Jefferson 49, Baldwin 3 — Elias Lippincott ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns and returned a fumble 28 yards for another score as Class 4A No. 2 Thomas Jefferson (2-0) downed Class 5A Baldwin (1-1) in a nonconference game. Luke Kosko threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns – both to Sean Sullivan — and ran for a TD. Sullivan caught seven passes for 121 yards.

Trinity 38, Chartiers Valley 0 — Jonah Williamson threw for 154 yards and three touchdowns as Trinity (2-0) beat Chartiers Valley (0-2) in nonconference play. Williams added a 15-yard scoring run while teammate Luke Lacock caught two passes for 102 yards and an 85-yard touchdown.

Upper St. Clair 35, North Hills 7 — Mason Chambers rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns as Upper St. Clair (2-0) beat North Hills (0-2) in a nonconference matchup. Ethan Hellmann threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns for Upper St. Clair. Connor Davis tossed for 105 yards and North Hills’ only touchdown.

Union 34, Ellwood City 21 — Braylon Thomas ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns to lead Class A No. 1 Union (2-0) over Class 2A Ellwood City (1-1).

Uniontown 34, Brownsville 8 — In nonconference play, Uniontown (1-1) defeated Brownsville (0-2).

Washington 26, Clairton 0 — Jahvon Woods ran for a touchdown and returned a fumble 23 yards for another score as Class 2A Washington (2-0) defeated Class A No. 4 Clairton (0-2).

Waynesburg Central 19, Jefferson-Morgan 7 — Breydon Woods ran for 156 yards and a touchdown and teammate Jacon Stephenson added 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns as Class 2A Waynesburg Central (2-0) defeated Class A Jefferson-Morgan (1-1).

West Greene 56, Chartiers-Houston 14 — Colin Brady ran for 254 yards and four touchdowns to lead Class A West Greene (2-0) to the win over Class 2A Chartiers-Houston (0-2). Billy Whitlach added 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns for West Greene.

Woodland Hills 27, Gateway 0 — Scoop Smith caught four passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns as Class 5A Woodland Hills (1-1) blanked Class 5A No. 5 Gateway (0-2). Cam Walter threw for 111 yards and two touchdowns while Elijah Nesby ran for 96 yards and a touchdown. Elsidro Bryant threw for 172 yards for Gateway.

City League

Altoona 35, Allderdice 21 — In nonconference play, Altoona (1-1) defeated Allderdice (0-2).

Wheeling Central Catholic 20, Perry 18 — Wheeling Central Catholic (1-1) slipped past Perry (0-2) in nonconference play.

Wheeling Park, W.Va. 49, Brashear 8 — Wheeling Park, W.Va. (2-0) defeated Brashear (0-2) in a nonconference contest.