Jeannette holds off rally by GCC, Crosby for crucial Eastern Conference win
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Friday, October 3, 2025 | 11:14 PM
Jeannette’s Jayce Powell breaks up a pass intended for Greensburg Central Catholic’s Lucca Denis on Friday.
Jeannette’s Nick Mendoza breaks a tackle against Greensburg Central Catholic on Friday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Blase Bugosh is caught in the backfield for a loss in the first half against Jeannette on Friday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby breaks the tackle of Jeannette’s Anthony Stuchell and runs for a touchdown in the first half Friday.
Greensburg Central Catholic Lucca Denis catches a pass in the first half against Jeannette’s Anthony Stuchell on Friday.
Jeannette’s Jayce Powell breaks the tackle of Greensburg Central Catholic’s Lucca Denis on Friday.
Jeannette’s Xavier Odorisio-Farrow celebrates a touchdown with McAllister Steele against Greensburg Central Catholic on Friday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Colin Snively is wrapped up by Jeannette’s Jayce Powell in the first half Friday.
Jeannette’s Majhi Sanders reaches toward the end zone for a Jayhawks touchdown against Greensburg Central Catholic on Friday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby breaks up a pass intended for Jeannette’s Jayce Powell in the first half Friday.
Two lifelong friends who grew up together in Jeannette had another blast playing backyard football against each other, trading big runs and pass plays in the latest chapter of the Jeannette-Greensburg Central Catholic rivalry.
Jeannette and Kymon’e Brown won the first half.
Greensburg Central Catholic and Samir Crosby won the second.
Jeannette, ultimately, built enough equity to hold back the rival Centurions, 37-22, for a crucial Class A Eastern Conference victory Friday night at McKee Stadium.
Brown put up 286 yards — 146 rushing and two touchdowns, 138 passing and two scores — to lead the Jayhawks (4-3, 2-2), who moved into a third-place tie with Riverview.
“It came down to want-to,” Brown said. “We wanted it more. We were juiced up. Samir was breaking our contain. When he’s running full speed, that is 4.4 (40-yard dash) speed.”
Crosby, who was a game-time decision because of a concussion — he missed last week’s game at Riverview — not only played but he did his best to lead the Centurions (3-4, 1-3) back from a 30-6 halftime deficit with a sensational second-half effort.
He racked up 348 yards — 211 rushing and a touchdown and 137 passing and a score — moving to quarterback from receiver after halftime, as well as switching to linebacker.
“We took them too lightly coming in,” Crosby said. “Kymon’e is hard to stop. He is a hell of a player.”
Jeannette appeared headed for an easy night, but GCC didn’t fold up its playbook. Instead, it tweaked it.
“We may have made some changes that were too little too late,” GCC coach JT Thompson said. “We changed up our whole defense in the fly. No. 3 for them (Brown) made all the plays. He is dynamic, fast and elusive.”
Jeannette was in another try-to-give-it-away situation like it was against Mt. Pleasant and Leechburg but did enough to close the deal after a tenuous final two quarters.
“This was a monumental win,” Jeannette coach Tommy Paulone said. “I couldn’t be happier than to beat GCC. I have been dreaming about beating GCC every year since I was born.”
Bobby Smithnosky, who traded spots with Crosby and line up at receiver, scored on a short run early in the second half, following a 33-yard gain by Crosby, who added a 2-point run to cut it to 30-14.
Smithnosky had four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
GCC played without two starters: receiver, defensive back and kicker Jerry Davis and two-way lineman Sam Kifer.
With Crosby at linebacker, Brown then tossed a 33-yard TD to Noah Sunder for a 37-14 lead.
Crosby kept GCC in it, as he moved to quarterback and found his counterpart, Smithnosky, for a 12-yard score on fourth down.
Crosby added the conversion to trim it to 37-22 after three quarters.
“It was more of what they did in the second half,” Paulone said. “Samir is a true Warrior. Their film didn’t show him at QB all season. When they started to come back, we went to one play at a time.”
There was no scoring in the fourth, although GCC threatened as Jeannette labored to bleed the clock.
The Jayhawks had to stop GCC twice on downs, at their own 26- and 12-yard lines, to finally end it.
Crosby threw a 22-yard completion to Jackson Lowden as GCC drove into the red zone late. But Dhestin Sanders tipped away a pass attempt on fourth down.
A pair of first-quarter fumbles by GCC led to a pair of Jeannette touchdowns.
Crosby lost the handle on the first play from scrimmage, and Sunder recovered deep in Centurions’ territory.
Brown then gave Jeannette’s newest hall of famers in attendance something to enjoy, turning a fourth-and-12 that was going backward into a clip for his highlight film.
Pushed toward the far sideline, Brown reversed field, scrambled to an open spot and delivered a 31-yard touchdown strike to Xavier Odorisio-Farrow to put the Jayhawks ahead 7-0.
GCC responded instantly on a big play, one of few for the Centurions.
Crosby broke through an opening and sprinted to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown. The 2-point try failed, and it was 7-6.
Late in the first quarter, Brown found an opening on the left side and bumped outside for a 33-yard scoring run.
On the ensuing kickoff, GCC fumbled, and Odorisio-Farrow recovered for the Jayhawks at the GCC 41.
Five plays later, Majhi Sanders ran in from the 2 to make it 20-6 early in the second quarter.
The Jayhawks added a 32-yard field goal by McAlister Steele and a short TD run by Brown to build a 30-6 lead at the break.
Jayce Powell, who played with an ankle injury, had three catches for 72 yards for Jeannette.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Greensburg C.C., Jeannette
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