Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2025 Week 8

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, October 16, 2025 | 6:57 PM

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Welcome to Week 8 of the high school football regular season as the “Stretch Run” continues with the final two weeks of the regular season.

Only 49 WPIAL football playoff spots are guaranteed up and down the six classifications with another 16 wild card spots to be determined by the WPIAL football steering committee the day the regular season concludes.

Heading into Week 8, only 13 of the 49 postseason berths have been determined.

Those lucky 13 include Central Catholic, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Woodland Hills, South Allegheny, Seton LaSalle, Washington, Keystone Oaks, Fort Chery, Laurel, South Side, Clairton and California.

Here is a look at some of the top high school football matchups for Friday in Week 8.

Nonconference

Class 6A No. 2 North Allegheny (7-1, 4-1) at Class 5A No. 1 Pine-Richland (7-1, 4-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Pine-Richland Stadium at Pine-Richland

Coaches: Art Walker, North Allegheny; Jon LeDonne, Pine-Richland

On air: Audio stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: North Allegheny 21, Canon-McMillan 13; Pine-Richland 43, Latrobe 7

Players to watch: Brady Brinkley, North Allegheny (Jr., 6-3, 185, QB/FS); Aaron Strader, Pine-Richland (Jr., 5-11, 175, QB/DB)

Team notes

North Allegheny: The Tigers were named the most recent Trib HSSN Team of the Week following a victory over Canon-McMillan that clinched another playoff berth for North Allegheny and was win No. 200 as NA coach for Art Walker. Tigers junior quarterback Brady Brinkley completed 15 of 24 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns to Camron Kushner and Kory Pitts Jr., and senior running back Luke Rohan carried the ball 25 times for 109 grinding yards and a touchdown.

Pine-Richland: It’s back to the postseason for the defending Class 5A champion Rams as they clinched a playoff berth even before their Week 7 nonconference victory over Latrobe. Pine-Richland junior quarterback Aaron Strader completed 17 of 31 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns to stud wide receiver Khalil Taylor. Carter McKissick led the Rams on the ground with 20 totes for 120 yards while Strader added three touchdown runs. Taylor also returned a punt 67 yards for a Rams score.

Historic factoids

• This is the 22nd all-time meeting between these northern rivals. While the teams have split their last 14 contests, North Allegheny holds the lead over Pine-Richland, 13-8.

• Last year in Week 8, North Allegheny edged Pine-Richland in a nonconference game, 28-21. The game was tied at 14 at the half before NA rallied with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Brady Brinkley threw three TD passes and had a scoring run for the Tigers while Maclane Miller had two touchdown runs for the Rams.

• While last year’s game was close and the teams are 7-7 the last 14 times they have played, the games themselves have usually not been close. The average margin of victory between the two over the last decade has been over 23 points per game.

• The Tigers and Rams first played 62 years ago when North Allegheny blanked Pine-Richland 33-0 in 1963. The programs have met twice in the WPIAL postseason with Pine-Richland beating NA both times in the 6A playoffs. The Rams won in the 2017 semifinals, 49-25, and again two years later in the 2019 final four, 49-14.

Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference

No. 4 Upper St. Clair (7-1, 2-1) at Moon (5-2, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Tigers Stadium at Moon

Coaches: Mike Junko, Upper St. Clair; Ryan Linn, Moon

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Upper St. Clair 57, Bethel Park 32; Moon 40, Baldwin 7

Players to watch: Dante Coury, Upper St. Clair (Sr., 5-8, 180, RB/LB); Andrew Cross, Moon (Sr., 6-0, 190, QB/P)

Team notes

Upper St. Clair: The season has been perfect for the Panthers outside of their Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference loss to Peters Township. USC won its first five games of the season and its last two conference games over South Fayette and Bethel Park by a combined score of 107-46. Against the Black Hawks last week, Upper St. Clair had two running backs rush for more than 100 yards in Dante Coury with 144 yards and three touchdowns and John Banbury with 101 yards and two scores.

Moon: The Tigers are in win-one, lose-one mode that they hope to snap against USC after beating Baldwin last week. Moon has won two in a row once — in the first two weeks of the season. A lot of players saw action last week against the overmatched Highlanders. For the season, the Tigers have been led on offense by senior quarterback Andrew Cross, who has thrown for 620 yards and nine touchdowns, and is second on the team in rushing behind Antione Arnett with nearly 300 yards.

Historic factoids

• Despite having played each season since expansion in 2016, this is only the 15th meeting between Upper St. Clair and Moon. USC leads the all-time series, 10-4.

• In Week 8 of last season, Upper St. Clair led by seven points at halftime then pulled away from visiting Moon in the second half, 35-7. John Banbury scored on two runs and a touchdown pass from Ethan Hellmann, who had two scoring tosses in the fourth quarter.

• The four Tigers wins in this series came in the first matchup in 1967 (19-13), 1968 (32-0), 2019 (20-6) and the most recent Moon win in 2021 (16-13).

• The wildest game between these two cats was two years ago in 2023 when Upper St. Clair outlasted Moon in double overtime, 43-42. Each team scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to send the game into OT tied 28-28. Paul Bronaugh had three touchdowns and Joshua Bladel scored twice for the Tigers; however, the Panthers pulled out the win in the second overtime when Ethan Hellmann hit Charlie Bywalski with a 13-yard scoring strike, then hit Van Hellmann with the game winning 2-point conversion.

Class 4A Big Six Conference

Thomas Jefferson (6-2, 2-1) at Chartiers Valley (6-2, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Colts Stadium at Chartiers Valley

Coaches: Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson; Steve Spence, Chartiers Valley

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Thomas Jefferson 42, Ringgold 6; Trinity 42, Chartiers Valley 18

Players to watch: Tyler Eber, Thomas Jefferson (Jr., 5-10, 182, RB/LB); Luke Miranda, Chartiers Valley (Sr., 6-0, 170, QB/DB)

Team notes

Thomas Jefferson: The Jaguars responded from a disappointing loss a week earlier to Class 4A Big Six Conference leader Trinity with a dominant performance against Ringgold last week. Leading the way was junior running back Tyler Eber, who carried the ball an incredible 38 times for 279 yards for an average of more than seven yards per tote. He scored all of TJ’s six touchdowns on runs of 2, 40, 1, 2, 6 and 7 yards as Thomas Jefferson returned to a ground-and-pound attack in the victory.

Chartiers Valley: The dream season the Colts are having took a step back last week when they lost to Trinity in a battle for first place in the Class 4A Big Six Conference, thus ending their six-game winning streak. Chartiers Valley trailed by nine at the half but was outscored 21-6 in the final two quarters. CV senior quarterback Luke Miranda was busy in Week 7, completing 24 of his 40 passes for 323 yards and two touchdown tosses to Julius Best and Damien Holloway, plus Miranda scored on a 3-yard run.

Historic factoids

• This is only the 22nd meeting between Thomas Jefferson and Chartiers Valley with the Jaguars dominating the all-time series, 17-3-1.

• These teams played each other in all but four years from 1988-2011; however, last year was the first meeting in 13 years. In Week 8 of the 2024 season, TJ rolled past CV, 49-7. The Jaguars, who scored 28 points in the second quarter, were led by Tyler Eber, who scored five touchdowns in the game. Jake Lewis scored the lone touchdown for the Colts on a 76-yard run.

• This is the 37th anniversary of the first clash between Thomas Jefferson and Chartiers Valley. The game in the fall of 1988 ended in a 21-21 tie.

• The Jaguars have won 16 straight games in this series. The only three Colts wins came in 1989 (19-8), 1990 (14-6) and 1994 (8-7).

Class 3A Western Hills Conference

No. 5 Central Valley (4-4, 4-1) at Hopewell (6-2, 2-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Tony Dorsett Stadium at Hopewell

Coaches: Mark Lyons, Central Valley; Matt Mottes, Hopewell

Last week: Central Valley 63, Quaker Valley 21; Hopewell 48, Freeport 20

Players to watch: Braddock Ambrose, Central Valley (Jr., 6-1, 160, QB/DB); James ‘Boo-Boo’ Armstrong, Hopewell (Soph., 6-2, 210, QB)

Team notes

Central Valley: After surviving a season-opening three-game losing streak against Class 4A powers Montour, Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon, the Warriors have won four of their last five games and are enjoying their second two-game winning streak. Following a close win against North Catholic, Central Valley jumped out to a 49-point halftime lead and won by 42 over Quaker Valley. Junior quarterback Braddock Ambrose threw for 132 yards and a touchdown, plus he ran for a score in a 63-point explosion.

Hopewell: The Vikings survived and rebounded from a two-game Class 3A Western Hills Conference losing streak with three straight wins. Last week was a nonconference victory, handing host Freeport their second loss of the season. Hopewell blew open a close game with 21 third-quarter points. Sophomore quarterback James “Boo Boo” Armstrong threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Vikings running back Nasir Wade had a big game, rushing for 161 yards with a TD run and a 100-yard interception return.

Historic factoids

• History is on the side of visiting Central Valley on Friday. This is the 14th meeting between the teams and the Warriors have won 12 times compared to only one for the Vikings.

• In Week 8 of last year, Central Valley topped Hopewell, 44-20. Mason Dixon had two touchdown runs for the Warriors while James Armstrong had a touchdown pass and run for the Vikings. Both kickers shined in the game with Domenic Pratt kicking three field goals for CV, including a 47-yarder, while Rocco Marcantonio kicked two field goals for Hopewell.

• Hopewell won the first meeting in this series in 2010, 26-22. Since then, the Warriors have dominated the series, outscoring the Vikings in their 12 consecutive wins, 539-147, for an average score of 45-12.

• Before the merger that formed Central Valley in 2010, Hopewell was 8-12-1 all-time against Monaca and 1-3 against Center.

Class 2A Century Conference

No. 2 Seton LaSalle (7-1, 4-0) vs. Keystone Oaks (4-4, 4-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Dormont Stadium

Coaches: Tim Storino, Seton LaSalle; Steve McCormick, Keystone Oaks

Last week: Seton LaSalle 47, Shady Side Academy 6; Keystone Oaks 21, Waynesburg Central 14

Players to watch: Kymarr Freeman, Seton LaSalle (Soph., 5-9, 165, RB/LB); Owen Gearhart, Keystone Oaks (Sr., 5-11, 175, QB/DB)

Team notes

Seton LaSalle: The Rebels are on a big-time roll. Following a loss in the season opener to North Catholic, the 2024 Class 2A runners-up have won seven consecutive games in impressive fashion. Seton LaSalle has outscored its last seven opponents, including its first four Class 2A Century Conference foes, by a total of 312-48 with two shutouts. In a nonconference win last week over Shady Side Academy, senior running back Kymarr Freeman rushed for 260 yards on 12 carries and scored four touchdowns.

Keystone Oaks: It has been a see-saw season for the Golden Eagles, who lost their first three games, won three in a row, got crushed by Washington in a Class 2A Century Conference showdown and then rebounded to knock off Waynesburg last week. Senior quarterback Owen Gearhart only threw for 30 yards but rushed for 203 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner on a 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter.

Historic factoids

• This is the 28th meeting between Seton LaSalle and Keystone Oaks with the Rebels leading the all-time series against the Golden Eagles, 18-9.

• In Week 8 last year, Seton LaSalle defeated Keystone Oaks, 42-6. The Rebels pulled away with 28 unanswered points in the second half. Michael Pastirik threw three touchdowns for Seton, including two to Khalil Taylor. Billy Bricker had the lone score for KO.

• These are the two closest schools in distance in the state. They are right across the street from each other on McNeilly Road. The neighbors faced each other every season from 2008-2018. In that 11-year run, the Seton LaSalle was 7-4. The Rebels and Golden Eagles have split their last four meetings.

• The first meeting between the schools was 43 years ago. Seton LaSalle defeated Keystone Oaks, 27-8, in 1982. KO won in each of the next two years to take its only lead in the series.

Class A Big 7 Conference

No. 5 South Side (7-1, 4-0) at No. 4 Laurel (7-1, 4-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium at Laurel

Coaches: Luke Travelpiece, South Side; Brian Cooper, Laurel

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: South Side 35, Neshannock 7; Laurel 42, Shenango 0

Players to watch: Andrew Corfield, South Side (Sr., 6-1, 175, RB/DB); Luca Santini, Laurel (Sr., 6-0, 164, QB/DB)

Team notes

South Side: The Rams can win the Class A Big 7 Conference championship with a victory Friday. Since losing to rival Western Beaver in Week 1, South Side has won six consecutive games, including all four conference contests. Last week, the Rams spotted host Neshannock a seven-point lead only to score the final 35 points thanks to the running of senior Andrew Corfield, who rushed for 256 yards on 21 carries with three touchdown on runs of 48, 7 and 84 yards.

Laurel: The Spartans have won four straight games, all Class A Big 7 Conference victories, since suffering their only loss of the season to Bishop Canevin, 46-28. In those four wins, Laurel has outscored their opponents, 195-8. In the shutout win over Shenango last week, Spartans senior quarterback Luca Santini completed 6 of 9 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Kolton Carlson rushed for 80 yards and a score and Nathan Hill ran for 64 yards and three touchdowns for the green and white.

Historic factoids

• This is the 18th meeting between Laurel and South Side. The Spartans have 12 wins and the Rams have four victories with one tie.

• Last fall in Week 8, Laurel held off a South Side rally to win, 27-13. Kolton Carlson scored three touchdowns for the Spartans, including a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown. Andrew Corfield and Mateja Pavlovich scored rushing TDs for the host Rams.

• Laurel won eight straight games in the series prior to 2023. Two years ago, South Side ended the skid with a 35-7 win. The previous South Side win over Laurel was in 2004.

• The first meeting between Laurel and South Side was 63 years ago and produced the series’ lone tie. The Spartans and Rams played to a 13-13 deadlock in 1962.

Tags: Central Valley, Chartiers Valley, Hopewell, Keystone Oaks, Laurel, Moon, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Seton La Salle, South Side, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair