Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 5

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 | 4:53 PM

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Class 6A

Hempfield (2-3, 0-2) at 5-Canon-McMillan (3-2, 1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Canon-McMillan Stadium, Canonsburg

Hempfield allowed 45 or more points for the third time this season as it fell to No. 2 Mt. Lebanon, 48-14. The Spartans trailed 45-0 at the half. Jake Phillips threw second-half touchdown passes to Kieran Lippman and Daniel Katonka. The game was moved to Mt. Lebanon because Hempfield is having its track resurfaced at Spartan Stadium. … Canon McMillan won last year’s matchup 45-14. The Big Macs rolled past Baldwin, 61-7, to move to 1-1 in conference play. Mike Evans completed 8 of 9 passes for 205 yards and touchdowns to Austyn Winkleblech, Owen Carter, LaMont Lyons and Anthony Finney. Braiden Africa had a blocked punt return score.

Norwin (2-3, 0-2) at Baldwin (0-5, 0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Cibic Stadium, Whitehall

Norwin returns to action after it forfeited last week to Seneca Valley over covid-19 protocols. The Knights had enough players but did not want to risk injuries to backups, particularly on the line. The Knights have two straight losses after winning two in a row. Running back Dom Barca is a player to watch in a balanced offense. … Baldwin, coached by former Derry coach Tim Sweeney, has given up 253 points, the most in the WPIAL. The Highlanders have surrendered 61 the last two games (Canon-McMillan and North Allegheny).

Class 5A Big East

Franklin Regional (1-4, 0-0) vs. Connellsville (0-5, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Falcon Stadium, Connellsville

The Panthers enter the game on a four-game losing streak, and the Falcons are winless in their five games. Both teams lost to Kiski Area and both have new coaches — Lance Getsy at Franklin Regional and Bill Maczko at Connellsville. … Franklin Regional senior Caden Smith has 16 catches for 197 yards and has scored four touchdowns. He also has completed 4 of 6 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Zak David has scored two touchdowns for the Falcons. He ran 24 yards for a score against Kiski Area.

Latrobe (2-3, 0-0) vs. 4-Gateway (3-2, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Pete Antimarino Stadium, Monroeville

This game features one of the top running games in Class 5A in Latrobe and one of the top passing teams in the WPIAL in Gateway. Both teams are coming off nonconference losses. … The Wildcats feature the dynamic duo of Drake Clayton and Kyle Brewer, who has scored nine touchdowns. Dominck Flenniken has scored in consecutive games for Latrobe. Gateway’s offensive line has to do a better job protecting quarterback Brad Birch, who is second in the WPIAL in passing, completing 74 of 126 passes for 1,142 yards. Birch was sacked 10 times against Pine-Richland.

Penn-Trafford (3-2, 0-0) vs. Woodland Hills (1-4, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Wolvarena, Turtle Creek

Penn-Trafford got back on the winning track with an impressive victory at Shaler. The Warriors’ passing attack was solid as quarterback Carter Green completed 13 of 19 passes for 218 yards. Woodland Hills did not play last week because of covid-19 concerns. … Warriors running back Cade Yacamelli rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Tommy Kalkstein threw a touchdown pass and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Jeannette transfer Louis Callaway leads Woodland Hills with five catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Woodland Hills dropped two one-point decisions.

Class 4A Big Eight

Laurel Highlands (5-0, 2-0) at 1-Belle Vernon (4-0, 2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, James Weir Stadium, Belle Vernon

Rodney Gallagher is one of the top playmakers in the WPIAL, a Division I recruit in football and basketball. He powered the Mustangs to a 27-7 win over West Mifflin as he rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown and hit on 11 of 22 pass attempts for 108 yards and three scores. The Mustangs are averaging 39.2 points. … Belle Vernon, not far behind at 38.3 points a game, is coming off a statement win over previous No. 1 Thomas Jefferson that saw the Leopards win in walk-off fashion. Quarterback Devin Whitlock, similar to Gallagher in dual-threat style, scored on a 40-yard run on fourth-and-13 with 4.5 seconds left for a 28-21 win. Whitlock ran for 163 yards and two scores, and sophomore Quinton Martin had a 50-yard TD run and scored on an 87-yard kickoff return. Martin was injured last week and is questionable this week.

Class 3A Interstate

4-Mt. Pleasant (3-2, 1-0) at Yough (0-5, 0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Cougar Mountain Stadium, Herminie

A decisive conference-opening victory has Mt. Pleasant back in a rhythm. The Vikings took care of visiting Southmoreland, 34-7, as running back Robbie Labuda and quarterback Tyler Reese returned from injuries. Labuda ran for 195 yards and scored three touchdowns, and Reese threw for a score and had a 73-yard pick-six on defense. The Vikings defense was strong in limiting the Scotties’ RPO offense and forced two fumbles. … Yough is struggling to move the football and sustain drives. The Cougars have been outscored 191-14 and lost to then-winless South Allegheny, 56-8, last week. Kaden Bizzozero’s 86-yard kick return touchdown was a bright spot for the Cougars, but South Allegheny scored on an interception return and a blocked punt.

Class 2A Allegheny

5-Ligonier Valley (5-0, 0-0) vs. Steel Valley (4-0, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, William V. Campbell Field, Munhall

After opening the season with impressive road wins at Indiana and Elizabeth Forward, the Rams have posted three consecutive easy home wins against Jeannette, Frazier and Carrick. The past three weeks have been costly as the Rams have suffered three major injuries. Steel Valley opened the season with a 14-12 win at Clairton. The Ironmen have allowed 25 points in four games. … LV running back Nick Beitel rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns against Carrick. Wide receiver Matt Marinchak caught two touchdown passes last week. Ironmen running back Nijhay Burt rushed for 197 yards and four touchdowns against Brentwood.

Class A Eastern

Greensburg C.C. (3-2, 1-1) at Springdale (3-2, 0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, at Veterans Memorial Field, Springdale

Greensburg Central Catholic is in a four-way tie for second in the Eastern Conference with Leechburg, Imani Christian and Jeannette at 1-1. Clairton and Bishop Canevin, both in the top five of the Trib HSSN Class A rankings, lead the way with 2-0 marks. The Centurions lost a close matchup with Bishop Canevin, 20-14, last Saturday. Tyree Turner led GCC with 145 passing yards. The Centurions own wins over Seton LaSalle (17-7) and Apollo-Ridge (33-7) and a forfeit win over Imani Christian. … Springdale is hoping to snap a two-game losing streak after a 3-0 start and avoid an 0-3 start to conference play. The Dynamos fell behind Leechburg, 34-8, last Friday before losing 41-22. Legend Ausk threw for two touchdowns against the Blue Devils and has 424 passing yards through five games. … GCC owns a 10-5 lead in the all-time series with Springdale. The Dynamos won last year’s meeting 45-22 as part of a 4-0 start.

Leechburg (4-1, 1-1) at Jeannette (1-4, 1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, at McKee Stadium, Jeannette

Leechburg leads WPIAL Class A in scoring after five games at 46 points a game. The Blue Devils topped Springdale, 41-22, last week. Thomas Burke III threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns against Springdale, and he has 688 yards and six TDs over the past two games with 1,175 yards and 10 scores for the season. Tyler Foley paced the receivers with four catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. …The Jayhawks got a touchdown run from Tyler Horn in last week’s 14-7 loss to Imani. Horn has three of Jeannette’s five touchdowns this season. Jeannette didn’t score a point until Week 3 when it topped Riverview, 28-6. … Jeannette owns a 13-1-1 advantage in the all-time series with Leechburg. The Blue Devils won 9-6 in 1987. Leechburg has never beaten Jeannette at McKee Stadium, but it won WPIAL titles there in 1953 (Baldwin) and 1966 (Avella).

Class A Tri-County South

Monessen (3-2, 2-0) vs. Mapletown (2-3, 0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Mapletown Athletic Field, Greensboro

Monessen has won three consecutive games, starting with a Week 2 victory over Charleroi. It owns conference wins against Bentworth and Jefferson-Morgan. Mapletown has dropped consecutive conference games to Carmichaels and California. … Daevon Burke carried the ball three times for 28 yards and two touchdowns against J-M. Quarterback Lorenzo Gardner scored on a 1-yard run. Mapletown is led by Landan Stevenson, who has rushed for 818 yards, caught seven passes for 100 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

Nonconference

Derry (0-4) at Southmoreland (3-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Russ Grimm Field, Alverton

Covid protocols forced Derry to cancel last week’s game at Freeport. The Trojans had a team-wide quarantine that lasted until Tuesday when they returned to practice. The Trojans have allowed a conference-worst 243 points and have scored only 29. Injuries also have played a part in coach Vince Skillings having to play backups. … Southmoreland was confident and playing well heading into Mt. Pleasant, but the Scotties fell behind 14-0 and could not recover in a 34-7 loss. Quarterback Anthony Govern threw for 99 yards and ran for 83, scoring on a short run, but was challenged by Mt. Pleasant on every deep throw. Govern is one of the WPIAL’s top dual-threat quarterbacks and plays behind an athletic line. Receivers J.J. Bloom and Isaac Trout are playmakers.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Baldwin, Belle Vernon, Canon-McMillan, Connellsville, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Laurel Highlands, Leechburg, Ligonier Valley, Mapletown, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Springdale, Steel Valley, Woodland Hills, Yough