Rushing trio of Spell, Cromerdie, Boyd leads McKeesport past Mars

By: Sean Saputo
Friday, October 11, 2024 | 11:43 PM

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McKeesport’s trio of Kemon Spell, Anthony Cromerdie and Anthony Boyd combined for 350 yards on the ground and four touchdowns (two each by Spell and Cromerdie), giving the Tigers sole possession of first place in the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference with a 28-7 victory over Mars.

McKeesport wasted no time getting the offense going, scoring a touchdown on each of its first three drives: one by Cromerdie from 17 yards and two by Spell of 46 and 15 yards.

“We were able to get some matchups we wanted, and with the triple option, it’s all about numbers and counts. But if all else fails, get the ball to Kemon (Spell) and let him do something amazing,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said.

Spell was the catalyst in the first half, rushing for 114 yards on just eight carries, including the two touchdowns. He ended the night with 13 carries for 199 yards.

“I’ve never seen anyone at his age do what he does,” Miller said. “I’ve seen great athletes and players over the years, but it’s normally seniors.”

Other than the three scores by the Tigers in the first half, Mars scored its lone touchdown of the night after McKeesport took a 14-0 lead, when Gabe Heim scored on an 80-yard run.

Heim was the focal point of the Fightin’ Planets offense, totalling 210 all-purpose yards, doing so on seven carries and nine receptions.

“He’s probably the best athlete on the team,” Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “Wherever we line him up he makes a play.”

Cromerdie scored the lone touchdown of the second half on a 13-yard run. Mars would come away empty handed on a few occasions, leaving potential points off the board.

“Too many unforced errors on ourselves,” Kasperowicz said. “We shot ourselves in the foot. We missed two field goals, a couple interceptions, we were inside the 20-yard line five or six times and came away with no points.”

McKeesport, with its run-heavy offense, ended the night with 397 yards on the ground and 39 in the air for a total of 436 yards. The Tigers came in averaging 236 per game rushing and 293 total yards.

McKeesport sits alone atop the Greater Allegheny Conference at 3-0 and 4-4 overall and moves on to face Indiana, a team that is largely unknown to the Tigers.

“They’re the only team we haven’t seen yet in the conference,” Miller said. “We’re going to watch the film, run the football and, hopefully, play really good defense and just get better this week.”

Mars, on the other hand, moves to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in the Greater Allegheny Conference and has a big matchup at Hampton, which is fighting for its playoff life.

“They’re a tough team, well coached and it’s at their place so they’re going to be fired up for it,” Kasperowicz said. “They run the ball, similar to this, more of a wing-T, so we need to slow the ball down and get into the end zone.”

Tags: Mars, McKeesport