MSA Sports Friday Night HighLights for Week Seven

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 15, 2016 | 11:24 AM

Wonderful weather made for an excellent start to the MSA ‘Stretch Run’ to this high school football regular season. an old children’s song contained the lyrics, “bend and stretch, reach for the stars.” Well these players took those words to heart and were shining bright on the gridiron in leading their teams to key victories with the scent of postseason noticeably in the air.

Zane Dudek – Armstrong

Well here’s something you don’t see much. If memory serves, this is only the seventh time in eight weeks this guy has turned up on the HighLights as Armstrong senior Zane Dudek continues to break more record than Demolition Disco night at old Comiskey Park in Chicago (YouTube it kids). Dudek rushed for 248 yards with touchdown runs of 4, 75 and 64 yards, plus he added to his impressive repertoire with a 65-yard interception return for a score and a 66 yard touchdown after a blocked field goal as the River Hawks cruised to a 42-17 thumping of the visiting Penn-Trafford Warriors to remain tied for first place in the 5-A Big East Conference.

Micah Morris & Nick Gizzo – Fox Chapel

After an 0-5 start, there wasn’t much to brag about at Fox Chapel High School. But even though its to late for a playoff run, FC has won three straight games with a vaunt ground attack that produced two big rushing numbers on Friday. Micah Morris ran for 213 yards and scored three times on touchdown runs of 12, 5 and 3 yards while teammate Nick Gizzo ran for 190 yards and scored bookend touchdowns of 27 and 2-yards as the visiting Foxes beat the Baldwin Highlanders 35-14 in a Class 5-A Allegheny Nine Conference game.

Quinton Hill – Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson has a long, storied history. Of success? yes, but I was talking about turning much anticipated showdown games into one-sided mercy provoking laughers. They did it again on Friday in a battle of the unbeaten in a Class 4-A Big Nine Conference fight for first place thanks to the rushing of Quinton Hill, who gained 189 yards on the ground and scored on touchdown runs of 56 and 45 yards, plus added a third score on a two-yard fumble return as the Jaguars avenged a loss to the Belle Vernon Leopards a year ago to the tune of 55-0.

George Martin – Ringgold

It was a finish that still has players, coaches and fans from both sides scratching their heads and asking what happened. Ringgold quarterback George Martin finished with 18 of 29 passing for 328 yards and had a pair of earlier touchdown tosses before scoring on a 2-yard run AND connecting with Darius Tyree on a 17-yard scoring pass…both in the final EIGHT seconds of the game as the Rams pulled out a miracle 29-26 victory over the host West Mifflin Titans in a Class 4-A Big Nine Conference thriller.

Lionel Deanes – Seton-LaSalle

With their backs to the wall, Seton-LaSalle has discovered that their best mode of transportation up Route 28 and around the A-K Valley in a trip that eventually leads to the Highway to Heinz is by hopping on the Lionel Train. The conducted and engineer is Lionel Deanes, who Friday rushed for 296 yards and scored the game clinching touchdown on a late 72-yard run as the Rebels stayed alive for a playoff berth with a 34-25 victory over the host Freeport Yellow Jackets in a Class 3-A Allegheny Conference tilt.

Alex Smith – Keystone Oaks

One of the complaints about the expansion to six classifications in high school football is the amount of travel for some teams. Mapquest has the distance traveled by Keystone Oaks Friday for their Class 3-A Allegheny Conference game against Apollo-Ridge as a trip of about 40 miles one way. That excursion for KO was made a lot easier cruising on the right arm of quarterback Alex Smith, who connected on 18 of 29 passes for 286 yards with five touchdown tosses and a pair of scoring runs as the Golden Eagles soared to a 49-21 triumph over the Vikings to remain in sole possession of first place.

Ryan Harper – Steel Valley

Steel Valley has destroyed every team they have played this season. Would host East Allegheny, with a perfect record in the Class 2-A Three Rivers Conference be able to contend against the maroon and gold with sole possession of first place at stake. Not so much. SV quarterback Ryan Harper hit on 8 of 11 passes for 215 yards and three long touchdown tosses of 52, 36 and 33 yards as the Ironmen flexed their muscles and showed they are the team to beat in all of Class 2-A with a convincing 66-0 thrashing of the Wildcats.

Khalil Smith – Serra Catholic

To say Serra Catholic has struggled on the gridiron this decade would be a bit of an understatement. SC had a total of ten wins in the first six years of this decade, winning no more than 3 in a campaign. But this year is different. This year won’t end when the regular season concludes. Khalil Smith rushed for 230 yards and scored both touchdowns on a reception and a run to lead the Eagles to a Class 2-A Three Rivers Conference playoff clinching 12-0 victory over the host Carlynton Cougars.

Lamont Wade – Clairton

A week after a stunning rout of Aliquippa in a non-conference game of the ages, there was no let down for top-ranked Clairton as they returned to action in Class 1-A’s Eastern Conference. It was business as usual for Lamont Wade, who rushed for 265 yards and scored four long touchdowns on runs of 9, 64, 64 and 80 yards as the Bears weren’t caught looking ahead to Week 9 and a showdown at Jeannette as they cruised to a 44-0 whitewash of the visiting Leechburg Blue Devils.

Josh Hughes to Ben Peternal – Bentworth

It didn’t mean anything to Bentworth in their chase for a Class 2-A Century Conference postseason spot, but it almost turned into a humbling Non-Conference loss to a winless Class 3-A team. Quarterback Josh Hughes hit on 27 of 40 passes for 298 yards and four touchdown passes, two of them going to Ben Peternal who ended up with 14 receptions for 190 yards as the Bearcats erased a 15-14 halftime deficit with a 28-15 victory over the host Waynesburg Raiders. 

Tags: Armstrong, Bentworth, Clairton, Fox Chapel, Keystone Oaks