Traditionally tough WPIAL rivalry produces stunning final score — 5 things we learned in Week 8

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, October 19, 2025 | 12:53 AM

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There were close to a dozen lopsided shutouts this week, but one final score stood out from the rest.

Pine-Richland 67, North Allegheny 0.

Traditionally a tough WPIAL rivalry game between neighbors in the north, this one wasn’t close. Bolstered by the return of two injured seniors, the Rams scored seven touchdowns in the first half alone. No opponent had ever scored more than 50 points against North Allegheny in the team’s history.

Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne credited a variety of factors.

“They had a couple of kids out that maybe impacted the game some, and our guys that were back were energized and ready to roll,” said LeDonne, whose Rams had lost twice to NA in the past two seasons. “What happened last year with us blowing a lead (in the fourth quarter) probably motivated some of the guys.”

Seeing Pine-Richland (8-1) play dominant football is no surprise. The Rams average 49.6 points per game as the top-ranked team in WPIAL Class 5A. Meanwhile, North Allegheny (7-2) hasn’t been its usual self lately. The Tigers had single-digit wins over Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon and Norwin.

Still, the margin of victory Friday was stunning.

The teams’ social media accounts traded AI-created images this week, with North Allegheny depicting a cartoon tiger chasing a frightened ram. But LeDonne said there was no bad blood between the programs.

“Not at all,” said LeDonne, whose biggest beef was with the schedule. “Me and coach (Art) Walker were talking before the game about this being a Week 8 nonconference rivalry game. We just want to get the heck out of there healthy.”

Walker couldn’t be reached Saturday.

The two coaches had agreed to play one another in Week Zero this season and last, but they canceled those plans when the WPIAL scheduled them in Week 8 instead. A rivalry game two weeks before the playoffs is tough.

“You’re coming out of the game with bumps and bruises for sure,” LeDonne said.

Of the two, Pine-Richland arguably had the more talented roster.

Senior defensive back/wide receiver Jay Timmons, a Florida State commit, returned from injury and scored three touchdowns. Senior running back Maclane Miller, who sat last week, also scored three times. Junior wideout Khalil Taylor, a recent decommit from Penn State, scored the other first-half touchdown.

North Allegheny played without running back Luke Rohan, the team leader in rushing yards and touchdowns.

Besides bragging rights, the Rams had more to gain Friday. The nonconference win might bolster their resume in the eyes of the WPIAL football committee, which seeds the playoff brackets. NA’s seed wouldn’t change, win or lose.

All combined, Pine-Richland led 27-0 after one quarter and 51-0 at half.

“Everyone was focused and locked in,” LeDonne said. “We created a couple of turnovers deep in their zone which contributed to quick scores. I just think we played a complete game in all facets.”

North Allegheny won 28-21 last season and 45-10 in 2023. Pine-Richland won 28-17 in 2022.

A Stern warning

Montour’s Zander Stern missed his entire sophomore season to a broken wrist, but nowadays he’s causing pain for opponents.

The junior wide receiver and defensive back keyed Montour’s victory Friday by catching two touchdowns and intercepting two passes in a 34-20 win at Aliquippa.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder now has 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s scored six times in the past four games.

“He’s having a big year for us,” Montour coach Lou Cerro said. “He’s not the biggest kid, but he’s doing big things for us on both sides of the ball.”

Cerro said Stern broke his wrist in camp prior to last season and the multi-sport athlete didn’t fully recover until a few weeks before baseball season started.

“The break was horrible,” Cerro said.

On Friday, Stern made a leaping interception in the end zone before halftime and sparked Montour’s offense with second-half touchdown catches of 35 and 58 yards. He also picked off a 2-point pass.

The victory has Montour (6-3, 3-1) in a three-way tie with New Castle (7-2, 3-1) and West Allegheny (4-4, 3-1) atop the Parkway Conference. The Spartans visit West A in Week 9.

“We believed we could be the best team in 4A all season, and I still think we are,” Stern said. “We’ve got a big week against West A.”

STERN IS THE WORD‼️🗣️

Brandon Bennett ➡️ Zander Stern

Touchdown, @MontourFootball 💪@WPIAL_Insider @KevMccabeFball pic.twitter.com/XMPywMFHqg

— 22 The Point (@22ThePoint) October 18, 2025

Turning back the clock

Former WPIAL star Dan Marino was leading the NFL in passing yards the last time either South Allegheny or Trinity won a conference title.

Their wait is over after 39 years.

For the first time since 1986, both South Allegheny and Trinity have each clinched at least a share of their conference’s title.

In the Big Six, Trinity (5-4, 4-0) clinched with a 48-0 victory over Laurel Highlands behind three touchdowns from Owen Gardner. The Hillers have a one-game lead over Thomas Jefferson (7-2, 3-1) and hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Jaguars.

In the Allegheny, South Allegheny (9-0, 5-0) has a one-game lead over both Apollo-Ridge (6-3, 4-1) and Steel Valley (6-3, 4-1). The Gladiators have already defeated Apollo-Ridge and play Steel Valley in Week 9.

Trinity coach Dan Knause is in his fourth season. South Allegheny coach Brian Hanson is in his third.

No rest for these 3

No one would blame Bethel Park’s David Dennison, Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Eber or Leechburg’s Tim Andrasy if they felt a little tired Saturday. Coaches kept the three workhorse running backs busy Friday night.

Dennison and Eber both shouldered 41 carries while Andrasy ran the ball 39 times — all in winning efforts. They were also the WPIAL’s top three rushers this week.

Andrasy rolled up 348 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Leechburg defeated Brentwood, 48-41.

Eber had 334 yards and four touchdowns in Thomas Jefferson’s 45-6 win over Chartiers Valley.

Bethel Park defeated South Fayette, 33-16, behind 244 rushing yards and five touchdowns by Dennison.

Adding up quickly

Bentworth’s Ben Hays, the WPIAL scoring leader, pushed his touchdown total to 34 with six more Friday.

The senior running back was the only player to reach the end zone in a 42-0 victory over Mapletown that clinched a WPIAL playoff spot for the Bearcats (7-2, 5-1) of the Class A Tri-County South. The six touchdowns were a season-high for Hays, who has scored at least once in every game this season.

Hays scored on runs of 12, 4, 33, 29, 20 and 76 yards.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.