Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week 2022: Week 2

By: Don Rebel
Monday, September 12, 2022 | 5:57 PM

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When Ellwood City sophomore running back Elijah Palmer-McCaine scored the second of his three touchdowns in Week 2 in the first quarter that put the Wolverines up for good, little did he know that he was making history.

Palmer-McCaine rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 14, 5 and 11 yards as Ellwood City ended the longest current losing streak in the WPIAL at 27 in a row with a 46-6 win over visiting Carlynton.

It was the Wolverines’ first win since Oct. 26, 2018, a 34-26 victory over Brentwood in the regular season finale.

At the time, Palmer-McCaine was in sixth grade.

“It was a feeling of great relief,” Ellwood City first-year coach Dan Bradley said. “Like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders.”

The Wolverines led 18-6 after one quarter, extended the lead to 19 points by halftime, and a 21-point third quarter put the exclamation point on the long awaited victory.

Another talented sophomore, Chris Smiley, gives the Wolverines hope that the wait until the next Ellwood City football victory will not be as long. The quarterback threw for 179 yards and a touchdown.

Bradley built Our Lady of the Sacred Heart into a championship team before leaving there and taking the Ellwood City job in the offseason.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at all the places I’ve been,” Bradley said. “I’m rooting for those guys (OLSH). They are my guys, too. But I’m really enjoying my time here.”

After a 1-2 overall start to the season, Ellwood City will open up play in the tough Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference in Week 3 with a visit to Freedom (1-2).

With five teams making the playoffs out of the MAC, Bradley believes despite the poor recent track record, his Wolverines have as good a shot at the postseason as some of the others.

“The first goal is to win every week,” he said. “Is that attainable? Usually not, but we want to get better every week. Our goal coming into conference play is to make the playoffs. I think we have a group of guys are ready to buckle up and compete.”

WPIAL Week 2 Honorable Mentions

Canon-McMillan Big Macs

You hate to say a Week 2 football game is a must win, but Canon-McMillan came as close as you can as they prepared for another Class 6A opponent.

Four of five teams qualify for the playoffs in Class 6A; however, there is little margin for error, especially when there is little separation from most of the five teams. Having lost to North Allegheny in their 6A opener at home, the Big Macs could not afford to lose on the road at Seneca Valley.

Senior running back Jake Kasper rushed for 153 yards and scored four touchdowns while junior quarterback Mike Evans threw for 150 yards and a touchdown as Canon-McMillan evened its 6A record at 1-1 with a big win, 33-21, at Seneca Valley.

McKeesport Tigers

When discussing some of the WPIAL Class 4A football heavyweights before the 2022 season began, talk of teams like Aliquippa, Central Valley, Thomas Jefferson, North Catholic, Armstrong and Laurel Highlands popped up.

Folks might not have been talking about McKeesport in August, but they may be discussing the Tigers a lot over the next three months.

After an impressive road win in Week 1 at defending 5A champion Penn-Trafford, McKeesport followed up with a home victory over the top-ranked team in Class 3A, Belle Vernon.

Senior running back Bobby Boyd rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown while sophomore Michael Sapos added 76 yards on the ground while the McKeesport defense held Belle Vernon junior running back Quinton Martin to only 28 yards on 11 carries as the Tigers won the heavyweight fight over the Leopards, 14-6.

Summit Academy

Well, since we are celebrating streak busters this week with Ellwood City, let’s give a mighty huzzah to Summit Academy, which also ended a lengthy losing streak Friday.

The visiting Knights stunned Springdale, 18-14, to end a 14-game losing streak.

Because Summit Academy did not play during the covid-19 season in 2020, the last time the Knights won before Friday was Oct. 12, 2019, a 14-0 shutout of Valley.

2022 HSSN Teams of the Week

Week 1 – Bethel Park Black Hawks

Week Zero – Mars Fightin’ Planets

Tags: Ellwood City