Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2025 Week 7

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, October 9, 2025 | 5:39 PM

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Welcome to Week 7 of the high school football regular season and the start of the stretch run of the 2025 WPIAL campaign.

The stretch run is the time of year where conference championships are secured and district postseason berths are earned.

A perfect example of that comes this weekend where there are seven head-to-head battles between unbeaten teams in their respective conferences fighting for first place.

They include Mars at McKeesport, Chartiers Valley at Trinity, Mt. Pleasant at Southmoreland, Apollo-Ridge at South Allegheny, South Side at Neshannock, Leechburg at Clairton and Bishop Canevin at Fort Cherry.

Here is a look at some of the top high school football matchups this weekend in Week 7.

Class 6A

No. 4 Canon-McMillan (4-3, 2-1) at No. 2 North Allegheny (6-1, 3-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Newman Stadium at North Allegheny

Coaches: Brian DeLallo, Canon-McMillan; Art Walker, North Allegheny

On air: Audio stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Canon-McMillan 33, Seneca Valley 29; North Allegheny 28, Mt. Lebanon 19

Players to watch: Ty Jansma, Canon-McMillan (Jr., 6-1, 190, QB/S); Luke Rohan, North Allegheny (Sr., 6-0, 210, RB/LB)

Team notes

Canon-McMillan: A year after losing a heartbreaker in Week 6 to Seneca Valley, the Big Macs rallied to make sure history would not repeat itself. Canon-McMillan scored the final 14 points in the final quarter to move into a playoff spot with a four-point victory. Junior quarterback Ty Jansma was 12 of 21 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown while Buffalo commit T.J. Sabatucci scored twice in the comeback win. The Big Macs are tied with Norwin, a half-game behind North Allegheny for second place in 6A.

North Allegheny: The Tigers bounced back from their first and only loss of this season with a home victory last week over Mt. Lebanon. Senior running back Luke Rohan carried the ball 21 times for 144 yards and scored a touchdown for North Allegheny, while quarterback Brady Brinkley completed 14 of 27 passes for 188 yards and a 65-yard touchdown pass to Kory Pitts, who also returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a score for NA.

Historic factoids

• Canon-McMillan has never beaten North Allegheny in 12 previous meetings, including 0-5 in the WPIAL playoffs.

• In Week 7 a year ago, NA blew open a close game with 17 unanswered points in the second and 14 more points in the fourth quarter to win, 38-6. Brady Brinkley had two touchdown passes and Nicholas Humphries and James Donaldson returned punts for scores for the Tigers. Ty Jansma started the scoring with a 26-yard scoring pass to Roman Cimarolli for the Big Macs.

• In their five WPIAL playoff meetings, North Allegheny has outscored Canon-McMillan, 194-46. In three of the last four years, the Tigers eliminated the Big Macs — in the 2021 quarterfinals, 49-26, in the 2022 semifinals, 7-0, and again in the semis in 2023, 49-7. NA won 41-6 in the 2002 Class 4A first round and prevailed again in the 2019 6A quarterfinals, 48-7.

Class 5A Big East Conference

No. 3 Woodland Hills (4-2, 2-0) at Gateway (2-5, 2-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Pete Antimarino Stadium at Gateway

Coaches: Brian Tarrant, Woodland Hills; Don Holl, Gateway

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Woodland Hills 50, Armstrong 14, Penn-Trafford 33, Gateway 23

Players to watch: Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills (Sr., 5-6, 170, WR/DB); Mayson Mitchell, Gateway (Fr., 5-10, 165, QB);

Team notes

Woodland Hills: The Wolverines led host Armstrong by only five points heading into the fourth quarter of their Class 5A Big East Conference showdown for first place last week when they blew the River Hawks out of the air with 31 unanswered points in the final period to cruise to a key victory. Senior wide receiver Scoop Smith had 11 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Cam Walter completed 19 of 23 passes for 311 yards and three TDs for the Wolverines, who sit alone in first place.

Gateway: It has literally been an up-and-down season for the Gators, who lost their first three games then won their first three Class 5A Big East Conference contests before losing two heartbreakers in a row to Armstrong by one point and to Penn-Trafford by 10. Gateway freshman quarterback Mayson Mitchell hit on 21 of his 34 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns in the loss last week. Shawn Moorefield Jr. had two scoring receptions as the Gators led 23-7 before the Warriors rallied to win.

Historic factoids

• This is the 32nd all-time meeting between these neighboring schools with Woodland Hills winning 21 times and Gateway at 10 victories in the series.

• From 2017-2022, Gateway won five consecutive games in this series; however, Woodland Hills has won the last two games, including a thriller in 2024. The Gators led the Wolverines 14-13 after three quarters before the teams combined for 28 fourth-quarter points. Nico Mager scored twice and Cam Walter connected with Scoop Smith on a 12-yard TD pass to put Woodland Hills up, 28-14. Gateway countered with an Elvis Koutsakis to Shawn Moorefield scoring pass and a 14-yard scoring run by Amari Gans, but the point after kick was no good and turned out to be the difference in the game.

• Woodland Hills and Gateway have met five times in the WPIAL playoffs. The Wolverines won in the 2002 Class 4A semifinals, 34-17, in the 2009 WPIAL 4A championship game, 10-0, and in the 2012 4A quarterfinals, 17-14. The Gators prevailed in the 2004 4A quarterfinals, 31-12, and in the 2017 5A quarterfinals, 40-28.

Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference

No. 1 Mars (6-1, 2-0) at No. 2 McKeesport (4-3, 2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, George Smith Field at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium at McKeesport

Coaches: Eric Kasperowicz, Mars; Matt Miller, McKeesport

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: McKeesport 28, West Mifflin 21; Mars 56, Knoch 0

Players to watch: Ayden Yocum, Mars (Sr., 5-8, 175, RB/DB); Kemon Spell, McKeesport (Jr., 5-11, 211, RB/DB)

Team notes

Mars: The Fightin’ Planets have won three straight games since suffering their only loss of the campaign in Week 3 to Aliquippa. Mars has dominated in the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference, beating West Mifflin and Knoch by a combined score of 102-0. Last week, senior running back Ayden Yocum continued his big season with 15 carries for 227 yards and four touchdowns. He is now only 10 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the season and has scored 11 touchdowns.

McKeesport: The Tigers are 2-0 in the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference and have won three of their last four games, but it was a struggle last week against a 1-6 West Mifflin team. Junior running back and Penn State commit Kemon Spell rushed for 169 yards on 19 carries and scored twice, including a game-winning 50-yard run in the fourth quarter. McKeesport quarterback Matt Miller threw for only 40 yards and rushed for 16 more but scored twice for the Tigers.

Historic factoids

• This is only the fourth meeting between McKeesport and Mars with the Tigers having won the first three contests.

* These two teams met twice in 2024. In Week 7 of the regular season, McKeesport won at Mars, 28-7. Anthony Cromerdie and Kemon Spell each scored two touchdowns for the Tigers while Gabe Hein had the lone Fightin’ Planets score. The two would collide again four weeks later in the 4A semifinals at Gateway. This time Spell ran for three TD’s as McKeesport overcame an early 7-0 deficit to win handily, 35-7.

• The only other meeting between the teams took place in the 2022 WPIAL 4A first round and it was all Tigers. Quarterback Jahmil Perryman rushed for 200 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns, plus he threw a 65-yard scoring pass to Caiden Holtzman in a 43-0 rout of the Fightin’ Planets.

• Within the last 30 years, McKeesport has reached the WPIAL championship game five times, winning gold in 1994 and 2005 while falling short in 1999, 2016 and in 2023. In that same time span, Mars has played for district gold twice, losing in the 2A finals in 1996 and 2002.

Class 3A Western Hills Conference

North Catholic (5-2, 2-1) at Beaver (4-3, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Pat Tarquinio Field at Gypsey Glen Stadium at Beaver

Coaches: Chris Rizzo, North Catholic; Cort Rowse, Beaver

Last week: Central Valley 34, North Catholic 28; Beaver 45, Deer Lakes 7

Players to watch: Joey Felitsky, North Catholic (Sr., 6-1, 180, QB); Travis Clear, Beaver (Sr., 6-1, 180, QB)

Team notes

North Catholic: The Trojans fell behind big in the first half last week against Central Valley, rallied in the second half with 28 points but fell short in the big comeback attempt to lose for the second straight week and for the first time in Class 3A Western Hills Conference play. North Catholic senior quarterback Joey Felitsky was 22 of 33 passing for 372 yards and three touchdown passes, two of which went to his favorite target, Preston Simko, who had seven receptions for 207 yards and two scores.

Beaver: The Bobcats went out of conference last week to pick up a second straight victory and a third win in the last four weeks. Beaver jumped out to a 31-0 lead at halftime before cruising past Deer Lakes. Senior quarterback Travis Clear threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns passes, one each to Philip Marino and Micah Pupi. Bobcats running backs Jonah Justice and Avery Scales combined for 23 carries for 181 yards with one touchdown each in the home victory.

Historic factoids

• This is only the fifth meeting between North Catholic and Beaver and the second since 1991. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 3-1.

• In Week 7 a year ago, Beaver used a 27-point third quarter to win at North Catholic, 48-10. Amari Jackson had a big game for the Bobcats as he scored four touchdowns, two on scoring passes from Travis Clear, one on a short run and another on a 70-yard pick-six. The only Trojans touchdown came on a fourth quarter pass from Joey Felitsky to Jack White for a 62-yard score.

• The Bobcats beat the Trojans in back-to-back seasons in the early ’90s. Beaver won in 1990, 14-0, then a year later, defeated North Catholic again, 41-14. The first meeting between the two produced the only win for North Catholic in the series. Fifty-one years ago in the fall of 1974, the Trojans knocked off the Bobcats, 34-8.

• Beaver won WPIAL gold in 1981 and 1982 while North Catholic’s only football championship came 12 years ago in 2013.

Class 2A Allegheny Conference

Steel Valley (4-3, 2-1) vs. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (3-4, 2-2)

7 p.m. Saturday, Tigers Stadium at Moon

Coaches: Ray Braszo, Steel Valley; Don Militzer, OLSH

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Apollo-Ridge 18, Steel Valley 14; OLSH 14, South Park 13

Players to watch: Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley (Sr., 5-11, 185, RB/WR/CB); Jamire Samuels, OLSH (Fr., 5-7, 200, RB/LB)

Team notes

Steel Valley: The Ironmen had won three straight games, including two victories in the Class 2A Allegheny Conference, when they hit the road for the first time in five weeks and traveled to Apollo-Ridge last week. Steel Valley looked like it was in control when senior running back Da’Ron Barksdale scored on a 48-yard run to put the Ironmen up 11 in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings rallied and scored the game winner on a TD pass in the closing seconds. Barksdale led Steel Valley with 120 yards rushing and a score. The Pitt commit is ninth in the WPIAL in rushing and is 37 yards shy of 1,000 for the season.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart: The Chargers have climbed back into the Class 2A Allegheny Conference playoff chase with their second conference win in three games. OLSH went to South Park last week and handed the defending champs a one-point loss. The Chargers’ J.J. Hayden hit Thomas Pinno with a 26-yard scoring pass for the only points in the first three quarters. After falling behind, OLSH freshman running back Jamire Samuels first scored on a 3-yard run, and then added the game-winning two-point conversion run.

Historic factoids

• This is only the second meeting pitting the maroon and gold against the purple and gold.

• The first meeting between Steel Valley and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart took place in Week 7 of last season. In Munhall, the Ironmen crushed the Chargers, 42-7, scoring all of their points in the first half. The Barksdale brothers dominated for Steel Valley with Donald scoring four touchdowns on runs of 1, 19, 2 and 43, and Da’Ron scoring twice on runs of 9 and 7 yards. Ethan Davis had the lone touchdown run for OLSH.

• Seven years ago, both of these programs were on top of the district. Steel Valley cruised past South Side to win the WPIAL 2A title, 48-6, while OLSH captured its first and only football crown with a victory over Rochester in the Class A championship game, 28-6.

• The game Saturday will be played at Tigers Stadium at Moon, the home field for the Chargers. It is right down the road from Joe Walton Stadium at Robert Morris, where Steel Valley knocked off Neshannock and South Side to win the 2016 and 2018 WPIAL 2A titles.

Class A Black Hills Conference

No. 3 Bishop Canevin (5-1, 3-0) at No. 1 Fort Cherry (7-0, 4-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Jim Garry Stadium at Fort Cherry

Coaches: Rod Steele, Bishop Canevin; Tanner Garry, Fort Cherry

Last week: Bishop Canevin 54, Serra Catholic 14; Fort Cherry 56, Cornell 20

Players to watch: Brady Wagner, Bishop Canevin (Jr., 6-2, 180, QB/DB); Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry (Sr., 6-0, 180, QB/DB)

Team notes

Bishop Canevin: After losing their first two games of the season, the Crusaders have been on a roll with five straight wins. They have outscored their opponents in those wins by a combined score of 197-55 against teams that are a combined 19-16. Bishop Canevin junior quarterback Brady Wagner has been lights out since being ruled eligible, last week connecting on 8 of 9 passes for 167 yards and five touchdowns. Leading rusher and scorer Myontae Mott scored his 11th touchdown last week.

Fort Cherry: The two-time defending champion Rangers remain undefeated at 7-0 on the season, outscoring their opponents 341-63. Fort Cherry has won 14 straight regular season games, last losing Sept. 30, 2022 to Bishop Canevin, 60-7. Last week, senior quarterback Matt Sieg led the way on the ground for the Rangers in the win over Cornell with 18 carries for 214 yards and adding to his district record with three more touchdowns. He is 32 yards passing or rushing from breaking another WPIAL record: career offensive yards (passing and rushing combined) set by Lenny Williams of Sto-Rox from 2010-2013.

Historic factoids

• This is the 21st meeting between Bishop Canevin and Fort Cherry. The Crusaders have 11 victories and the Rangers have nine wins, including six in their last seven battles.

• In Week 7 of the 2024 season, both offenses were on display at Dormont Stadium as Fort Cherry defeated Bishop Canevin, 49-34. The Rangers trailed the Crusaders after three quarters, 34-28, before scoring the final 21 points of the game in the fourth quarter. Penn State commit Matt Sieg opened the scoring with a 60-yard touchdown pass to Shane Cornali, then ran then ran for five touchdowns for Fort Cherry. Kole Olszewski had a touchdown pass and scoring run and Myontae Mott had a TD run for Bishop Canevin.

• The Crusaders and Rangers have clashed three times in the WPIAL playoffs. Bishop Canevin beat Fort Cherry in the 2010 Class A first round, 14-6. A year later, the Crusaders topped the Rangers in the 2011 quarterfinals, 16-6. Finally, Fort Cherry got the upper hand when the two squared off in the 2023 semifinals, 33-21.