Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 2

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 | 7:10 PM

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Nonconference

Class 3A No. 1 Belle Vernon (1-0) at Class 4A No. 2 McKeesport (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Weigle-Schaeffer Stadium, McKeesport

Belle Vernon opened the season with a 41-20 win over Laurel Highlands as standout running back Quinton Martin, the top recruit in Pennsylvania for the junior class, ran for three touchdowns. Quarterback Braden Laux ran for two scores, including a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter. … McKeesport outslugged defending Class 5A WPIAL and state champion Penn-Trafford, 19-7, as Bobbie Boyd ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns and intercepted three passes. The Tigers, from their triple-option offense, rushed for 241 yards, including 50 from quarterback Jahmil Perryman. Devin Long led a pressuring defense with nine tackles.

Charleroi (0-1) at Yough (0-2)

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

Charleroi was blanked in its season opener, falling 48-0 to California. The Cougars are preparing to play in a very athletic Class 2A Century Conference against Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Washington, Brentwood, Sto-Rox and Waynesburg. … Yough is seeking its first win under new coach Ben Hoffer. The Cougars lost last week to Mt. Pleasant, 35-7, allowing 308 yards rushing. Gavin Roebuck has been a bright spot in the backfield. Run defense has been a question mark early on for the Cougars.

Fox Chapel (0-2) at Norwin (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon

Fox Chapel is off to a slow start, having been outscored 84-13 in losses to Peters Township and Plum. Christian Gaston scored on a 93-yard kickoff return last week for the Foxes. Landyn Moore caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ben DeMotte, who was 15 of 30 passing. This will be Fox Chapel’s 600th game. … Norwin also is looking for its first win. The Knights have played a pair of quarterbacks in senior Nick Urey and freshman Tristyn Taveres, the latter of whom last week threw for 99 yards and a touchdown to Jackson Pons, who had a 90-yard TD catch from Urey in Week Zero. The Knights have struggled to run the football out of a new offense. The Knights and Foxes have never played.

Franklin Regional (0-1) at Connellsville (1-1)

7 p.m., Friday, Connellsville Stadium, Connellsville

Franklin Regional opened the season by dropping a thrilling 36-33 decision to Latrobe. Connellsville, after opening the season with a win to end a 17-game losing streak, was beaten by an improved Hempfield squad, 49-0. … Panthers quarterback Roman Sarnic rushed for two touchdowns and threw a 33-yard TD pass to Ayden Hudock, who had four catches for 118 yards. Zach Bewszka rushed for 100 yards and a score. Connellsville has turned to three ex-players — Mick Lilley, Chad Lembo and Jace McLean — to coach the team back to the prominence the program experienced when Dan Spanish was the coach in the mid 1990s.

Greensburg Salem (1-1) at Ligonier Valley (2-0)

7 p.m., Friday, Weller Field, Ligonier

After a disappointing opening loss to rival Hempfield, the Golden Lions bounced back to defeat Derry, 26-17. Ligonier Valley raced out to a first-half lead and held on for a 27-18 win over Southmoreland. … This isn’t the first meeting between the teams. They met the 1928 and 1929, and Greensburg won both games. The Golden Lions rely on the one-two punch of quarterback Cody Rubrecht and running back Kai Brunot. Ligonier Valley’s wing-T running attack has been led by halfback Haden Sierocky, who has scored five touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving and two returns, interception and kickoff).

Jeannette (0-2) at Jefferson-Morgan (1-1)

7 p.m., Friday, Parker Field, Jefferson

After dropping games to two larger schools (Class 2A Burrell and 3A East Allegheny), Jeannette finally gets to face a Class A team as it heads to Greene County. Jefferson-Morgan defeated Waynesburg for its first win of the season, 15-8. … One area Jeannette first-year coach Tommy Paulone Jr. must shore up is special teams. The Jayhawks have allowed three punt returns for touchdowns this season. Noah Sanders is one of the leading receivers in the WPIAL with 17 catches for 149 yards. Jefferson-Morgan is led by quarterback Cole Jones, who has rushed for three touchdowns, and wide receiver Ewing Johnson, who has scored twice.

McGuffey (2-0) at Mt. Pleasant (1-1)

7 p.m., Friday, Mt. Pleasant Stadium, Mt. Pleasant

McGuffey is off to a good start to the season with wins against Southmoreland and Ringgold. Mt. Pleasant bounced back from a loss to Greensburg Central Catholic to defeat Yough, 35-6. … Former Mt. Pleasant coach Ed Dalton brings the Highlanders to a familiar place. Running back Kyle Brookman is someone the Vikings must contain. He’s scored five touchdowns in two games. QB Philip McCuen ran for two scores and threw for another against Ringgold. Mt. Pleasant senior running back Robbie Labuda has rushed for 405 yards and scored six touchdowns. Lane Golkosky has scored twice and rushed for 74 yards, and wide receiver Lucas Nicotera has seven catches for 77 yards.

Monessen (0-2) at Frazier (0-2)

7 p.m., Friday, Frazier Field, Perryopolis

Monessen has opened the season with losses to Class 2A Washington and Cornell. Frazier is also off to a 0-2 start under first-year coach Mike Shannon. The Commodores lost to California and Mapletown. … Monessen is coached by Wade Brown. Daevon Burke rushed for 93 yards in a 35-6 loss to Cornell. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the season opener at Washington. Frazier got a touchdown from Austin Wilson in its loss to Mapletown.

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

7 p.m. Friday, Trojan Stadium, Derry

Southmoreland is looking for its first win under new coach Tim Bukowski. The Scotties rallied for two second-half touchdowns after falling behind 27-6 at halftime last week against Ligonier Valley. Ty Keffer caught a scoring pass from Kaden Keefer, and Austin Mough had a 70-yard scoop-and-score off a fumble recovery. … Derry, led by first-year coach Mike Arone, fought back against Greensburg Salem before falling 26-17. Ahmad Ward ran for 154 yards and a touchdown, and Blake Revoir threw a touchdown pass to Roman Darazio. The Trojans have lost 11 straight games.

West Greene (0-2) at Greensburg C.C. (1-1)

7 p.m., Friday, Greensburg Central Catholic Stadium, Greensburg

West Greene was the preseason favorite to win the Tri-County South Conference, but it stumbled with losses to Cameron (W.Va.) and Chartiers-Houston. Greensburg Central Catholic, which lost to West Greene in the WPIAL playoffs in 2020, opened the season by defeating Mt. Pleasant but lost to the top Class A team in the WPIAL, Bishop Canevin, 30-14. … West Greene is led by running back Colin Brady, who rushed for 435 yards and seven touchdowns this season. QB Cooper Chambers has completed 8 of 17 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. GCC is led by junior quarterback Tyree Turner, who has completed 17 of 33 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Da’sjon Craggette and Jaydin Canady are the leading rushers.

Woodland Hills (1-1) at Class 5A No. 4 Penn-Trafford (1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Harrison City

Woodland Hills was blanked by Gateway, 21-0, after trailing 7-0 for three quarters. Gateway scored its final points on a pick-six. The Class 5A Wolverines defeated a non-WPIAL opponent to start the year, holding back York William Penn, 28-24, in the Chambersburg Peach Bowl Showcase. … Penn-Trafford suffered a rare home loss, 19-7, against McKeesport. Conlan Greene, who threw for 335 yards in the opener against Canon-McMillan, was held to 12-of-38 passing for 115 yards and three interceptions. The Warriors did gain some traction in the running game as sophomore Tasso Whipple ran for 75 yards and a score behind a massive front line.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Connellsville, Derry Area, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Frazier, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Ligonier Valley, McGuffey, McKeesport, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, West Greene, Woodland Hills, Yough