Southmoreland shuts out rival Mt. Pleasant, improves to 8-0 for 1st time since 1964
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Friday, October 10, 2025 | 11:05 PM
Southmoreland’s Ty Wjoric (8) celebrates as Averyon Darnell scores a first-quarter touchdown against Mt. Pleasant on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Stanley Chapman drops Mt. Pleasant’s Richard Shawley for a loss Friday.
Southmoreland’s Ty Wjoric intercepts a pass intended for Mt. Pleasant’s Jonah Townsend on Friday.
Southmoreland’s David Sager (78) and Dawson Wolfe drop Mt. Pleasant’s Stephen Predajna on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Averyon Darnell intercepts a pass intended for Mt. Pleasant’s Jonah Townsend on Friday.
Mt. Pleasant’s Brady Brooks breaks into open field against Southmoreland on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Jackson Mickens gets past Mt. Pleasant’s Stephen Predajna on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Averyon Darnell gets outside on the Mt. Pleasant defense Friday.
Mt. Pleasant’s Stephen Predajna stiff-arms Southmoreland’s Makel Darnell on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Justin Hribal pressures Mt. Pleasant’s Dane Firmstone on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Stanley Chapman celebrates after dropping Mt. Pleasant’s Richard Shawley for a loss Friday.
Southmoreland’s Stanley Chapman (1) and Jake Hull take down Mt. Pleasant’s Nick Morell on Friday.
Mt. Pleasant’s Robert Hixon defends on a pass intended for Southmoreland’s Ty Wjoric on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Averyon Darnell intercepts a pass intended for Mt. Pleasant’s Jonah Townsend on Friday.
Southmoreland’s Makel Darnell gets past Mt. Pleasant’s Lukas Gonzales on Friday.
Linebacker Stanley Chapman did not make every tackle for the Southmoreland football team Friday. It just seemed like he did.
In a showdown for first place in the WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference against rival Mt. Pleasant on Friday at Russ Grimm Field, the senior led the Scotties to a thrilling 14-0 victory in a defensive struggle before a standing-room only crowd.
“I did not make all the plays. I had a lot of help,” Chapman said. “I feel our defense is one of the best in the WPIAL. We are always thinking about getting the stop. We are thinking let’s go 100% all the time.”
It’s the first time since 1964 that the Scotties have started 8-0 and the first time they have won three consecutive games against Mt. Pleasant in the all-time series.
“Beating them for first time in three consecutive games is huge,” Chapman said. “It his great for morale and great for the community. It is definitely good going into next week’s game against Elizabeth Forward. We want to go 1-0 every day this week.”
No. 4 Southmoreland (8-0, 3-0), which clinched a berth in the WPIAL playoffs, will have another first-place showdown at home against No. 3 Elizabeth Forward (7-1, 3-0).
The Scotties could not have asked for a better start on homecoming.
Cam Lee returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, and following a fumble, the Scotties converted on a short field as Averyon Darnell scored from the 5 with 8:23 left in the first quarter.
That was it for the scoring as the defenses took over.
Mt. Pleasant’s defense slowed down the Scotties. Southmoreland was held to 151 yards total (90 yards rushing and 61 passing).
And the Scotties defense bottled up Mt. Pleasant, which came into the game averaging more than 40 points in the past four games.
The Vikings were held to 103 total yards (48 rushing, 55 passing).
The Vikings turned the ball over three times. Ty Whoric and Darnell had interceptions for the Scotties.
“I am proud of the kids to go 1-0,” Southmoreland first-year coach Dustin Shoaf said. “It is tough to win football games in the fall. We are playing meaningful football.
“Stanley is playing lights out. He knows it is not just him. It takes 10 other guys to make the defense work. We are proud of our defense to continue to fly around and make plays.”
Mt. Pleasant threatened twice late in the second quarter but was turned away.
The Vikings put together another good drive in the third quarter only to have junior tackle David Sager stop Mt. Pleasant back Stephen Predajna on fourth-and-goal on the Southmoreland 3.
“It does not make it easy when we allow a kickoff return and a short drive to begin the game,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “We were trying to play catch up. Give them credit, they made the plays.
“(Chapman) was all over the field. I do not know how many tackles he made, but he was disruptive.”
Fazekas added that he was proud of his defense because they gave the team a chance to win.
Southmoreland’s offense struggled much of the night, but it did a good job killing the clock in the fourth quarter.
Darnell had a potential 50-yard touchdown run wiped out by an inadvertent whistle.
Mt. Pleasant (5-3, 2-1) plays Derry (4-4, 1-2) next week.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland
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