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

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 | 4:51 PM

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Class 6A

Mt. Lebanon (2-3, 2-2) at Hempfield (1-4, 0-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Township

On the air: 107.1 FM; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Last week: North Allegeny 34, Mt. Lebanon 3; Canon-McMillan 20, Hempfield 14

Coaches: Mike Melnyk, Mt. Lebanon; Rich Bowen, Hempfield

Top players: Seth Morgan, Mt. Lebanon (Sr., 6-3, 175, QB); Nate Roby, Hempfield (Jr., 5-6, 155, RB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Roman Pellis, Hempfield (So., 5-10, 145, WR)

Momentum: Call it a draw. Hempfield played close with improved Canon-McMillan in a downpour last week but allowed some big plays in the passing game. Mt. Lebanon struggled against No. 2 North Allegheny.

Four downs: 1. Hempfield continues to develop a sound running game with Roby and sophomore Mario Perkins. 2. Mt. Lebanon, which has back-to-back losses, did not help its cause against No. 2 North Allegheny as it gave away three turnovers and had 11 penalties for 108 yards. 3. Hempfield quarterback Blake Remaley attempted 27 passes last week. He has shown a calm pocket presence but can scramble when necessary. 4. The Blue Devils thumped Hempfield last year, 31-0.

Extra point: Senior Everett Lefever is a go-to receiver for Mt. Lebanon, which defeated Canon-McMillan, 43-29. He had eight catches for 127 yards in that game. He threw a 53-yard touchdown pass against Seneca Valley.

Norwin (2-3, 1-2) at Butler (0-5, 0-3)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Art Bernardi Stadium, Butler

On the air: 1050 AM; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Last week: Pine-Richland 44, Norwin 7; Seneca Valley 37, Butler 0

Coaches: Dave Brozeski, Norwin; Eric Christy, Butler

Top players: Gianni Rizzo, Norwin (Sr., 6-2, 195, WR/LB); Byron Manchester, Butler (SO., 5-9, 155, RB/LB)

Keep an eye on: Jack Salopek, Norwin (Jr., 6-2, 175, QB)

Momentum: Norwin. The Knights have dropped two in a row but had some better second-half possessions against top-ranked Pine-Richland last week.

Four downs: 1. Salopek has one of the best arms in 6A but has had to do more with his legs in recent weeks as defenders have swarmed him. 2. Butler has been outscored 244-41 and is giving up 48.8 points per game. It allowed 32.4 points last year. 3. Rizzo, a Youngstown State recruit, has been disruptive on defense but has given the Knights a pass-catcher and power rusher on offense. 4. Zeke Houser leads the Knights in rushing with nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns.

Extra point: Norwin had trouble with the Golden Tornado last season, escaping with a 7-6 win at Butler.

Class 5A Big East

Franklin Regional (4-0, 2-0) at Albert Gallatin (0-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Albert Gallatin Stadium, Uniontown

Last week: Franklin Regional 35, Shaler 21; Penn-Trafford 70, Albert Gallatin 0

Coaches: Greg Botta, Franklin Regional; Drew Dindl, Albert Gallatin

Top players: Mike Evans, Franklin Regional (Sr., 6-1, 180); Braeden Moody, Albert Gallatin (Sr., 6-0, 195, QB)

Keep an eye on: Devon Powell, Franklin Regional (Sr., 5-10, 160, WR/SS)

Momentum: Franklin Regional. The Panthers are off to their best start since 2011 and have outscored their opponents, 125-48.

Four downs: 1. Franklin Regional returns to conference play after back-to-back nonconference games. 2. Evans returned from injury last week and caught six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. 3. Panthers quarterback Adam Rudzinski is having a career season. Last week, he tossed two touchdowns and ran for another. Sophomore Trevor Brncic also threw for a score. 4. Dindl is in his first season as coach of the Colonials. He replaced Shawn Liotta, who left to take the Burrell job. Dindl was an assistant for two years at California High School.

Extra point: Albert Gallatin has lost 10 of its last 11 games. The Colonials have been outscored 167-0 in their last three games and are giving up 51 points a game.

McKeesport (3-1, 2-1) at Latrobe (1-4, 1-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Latrobe

On the air: 1480 AM; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Last week: McKeesport 54, Plum 0; Latrobe 49, Connellsville 14

Coaches: Matt Miller, McKeesport; Jason Marucco, Latrobe

Top players: Konata Gaskins, McKeesport (Sr., 6-1, 190, QB); Zakharee Williams, Latrobe (Sr., 5-9, 170, RB/DB)

Keep and eye on: Rahmon Powell, McKeesport (Sr., 5-9, 175, RB)

Momentum: McKeesport. The Tigers bounced back from a loss to Penn-Trafford with an efficient win over Plum.

Four downs: 1. Latrobe took care of Connellsville for its first win of the season. Williams scored four touchdowns, three on runs and a 30-yard strike from Branden Crosby. 2. Gaskins hooked up with Deamontae Diggs for three first-half touchdowns last week. 3. Wildcats senior two-way lineman Trent Holler will play with less stress after committing to East Carolina last Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound center/defensive end also had offers from Pitt and West Virginia. 4. McKeesport flattened the Wildcats last year, 48-0, in a Saturday afternoon game.

Extra point: The Week 3, 20-9 loss to Penn-Trafford produced the Tigers’ lowest scoring output in 14 games. Franklin Regional clipped them in the opener last year, 13-7.

Penn-Trafford (3-2, 3-1) at Plum (1-4, 0-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum

Last week: Penn-Trafford 70, Albert Gallatin 0; McKeesport 54, Plum 0

Coaches: John Ruane, Penn-Trafford; Matt Morgan, Plum

Top players: Niko Rosso, Penn-Trafford (Sr., 6-1, 210, RB/LB); Billy Guzzi, Plum (So., 5-7, 155, RB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Dimitri George, Penn-Trafford (Sr., 5-10, 175, WR/DB)

Momentum: Penn-Trafford. After an 0-2 start, the Warriors have been on a tear, winning 57-3 over Connellsville, upsetting No. 3 McKeesport, 20-9, and trampling Albert Gallatin, 70-0.

Four downs: 1. The Warriors took a 56-0 lead into halftime last week. Running backs Caleb Lisbon and Sam Fanelli each scored two touchdowns. 2. Rosso had a 12-yard interception return for a score in the rout of the Colonials. The Warriors’ defense has been impressive. 3. Plum opened with a 32-14 win over Highlands but has struggled since, with lopsided defeats against conference powers Gateway and Franklin Regional, and also Connellsville. 4. The Warriors have platooned two quarterbacks at times in junior Gabe Dunlap and sophomore Ethan Carr.

Extra point: The 70 points were the most scored by the Warriors under Ruane.

Class 3A Big East

No. 2 Derry (5-0, 3-0) at Elizabeth Forward (4-0, 3-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Elizabeth

On the air: TribHSSN@triblive.com

Last week: Derry 27, North Catholic 0; Elizabeth Forward 7, Quaker Valley 6

Coaches: Tim Sweeney, Derry; Michael Collodi, Elizabeth Forward

Top players: Colton Nemcheck, Derry (Sr., 6-0, 185, RB/LB); Zach Benedek Elizabeth Forward (Sr., 6-1, 190, QB)

Keep an eye on: Justin Huss, Derry (Jr., 5-9, 155, RB/DB)

Momentum: Derry. The Trojans are coming off a dominating performance in a 27-0 victory against No. 2-ranked North Catholic.

Four downs: 1. Derry rushed for 242 yards and Justin Flack scored four touchdowns against North Catholic. 2. Elizabeth Forward scored a touchdown late in the first half on a pass from Benedek against Quaker Valley. 3. Derry’s defense limited North Catholic’s offense to 83 yards. 4. With Elizabeth Forward leading a halftime, the coaches decided to end the game because of heavy thunderstorms.

Extra point: Derry lost to Elizabeth Forward, 39-7, in Week 1 in 2017. The Trojans have won 13 consecutive regular-season games since.

Mt. Pleasant (1-4, 1-2) at No. 3 N. Catholic (4-1, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Mars Athletic Complex

On the air: TribHSSN@triblive.com

Last week: Deer Lakes 42, Mt. Pleasant 14; Derry 27, North Catholic 0

Coaches: Jason Fazekas, Mt. Pleasant; Pat O’Shea, North Catholic

Top players: Lucas Pieszak, Mt. Pleasant (Sr., 6-4, 190, QB/S); Zack Rocco (Jr., 6-2, 215, QB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Nikhai Hill-Green, North Catholic (Jr., 6-2, 190, TE/LB)

Momentum: North Catholic. After being embarrassed at Derry, look for the Trojans to rebound against the young Vikings.

Four downs: 1. The young Vikings have allowed 90 points the past two homes games. 2. The Trojans were held to 25 yards rushing by the Derry defense and shut out. 3. Mt. Pleasant wide receiver Jacob Johnson has caught a touchdown pass in every game this season and has seven overall. 4. Jarod Allen had an interception for North Catholic against Derry.

Extra point: North Catholic finished 10-3 overall and 7-0 in the Class 2A Midwestern Conference last season.

Yough (3-2, 3-1) at Freeport (1-3, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Freeport

Last week: Yough 35, Burrell 6; Freeport 55, Uniontown 16

Coaches: Scott Wood, Yough; John Gaillot, Freeport

Top players: Dustin Shoaf, Yough (Sr., 6-2, 215, RB/DB); Austin Romanchak, Freeport (Sr., 5-10, 175, QB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Gamal Marballie, Yough (So., 5-11, 170, WR/DB)

Momentum: Yough. Led by Shoaf, the WPIAL rushing leader, the Cougars put up their second straight win to climb into the playoff race.

Four downs: 1. Shoaf, who has 1,216 yards and 14 touchdowns, ran for 401 yards two weeks ago at Deer Lakes. He is has 4,300 career yards. 2. Quarterback Jake Sever threw two touchdowns last week, one to the up-and-coming Marballie, who also ran for a score. 3. Romanchak, a shifty runner for the Yellowjackets, has rushed and passed for more than 400 yards. Last week, he ran for 157 and four touchdowns, and also scored on a 22-yard pick-6. 4. Yogh’s defense forced three turnovers against Burrell, including two interceptions. Senior Mason Brunson grabbed his second interception of the season. Junior Russell Pytlak leads the Cougars with eight sacks.

Extra point: Freeport dodged its first 0-4 start since 1994 with a victory last week.

Class 2A Interstate

Southmoreland (3-2, 2-2) at McGuffey (5-0, 3-0)

7 p.m. Friday, McGuffey Stadium

On the air: TribHSSN@triblive.com

Last week: Southmoreland 59, Brownsville 0; McGuffey 48, Beth-Center 14

Coaches: Dave Keefer, Southmoreland; Ed Dalton, McGuffey

Top players: Ronnie Robinson, Southmoreland (Sr., 5-18, 170, RB); Christian Clutter, McGuffey (Sr., 6-0, 180, RB)

Keep an eye on: Brendan Crowe, McGuffey (Sr., 5-10, 185, WR)

Momentum: McGuffey. The Highlands are quietly undefeated and are coming off a surprisingly easy victory over Beth-Center.

Four downs: 1. Scotties QB Zack Cernuto was 12 for 13 for 278 yards passing and four touchdowns against Brownsville. 2. Highlanders QB Marshall Whipkey rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns against BC and completed 5 of 7 passes for 93 yards. 3. Robinson rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown against Brownsville. 4. Clutter rushed for 134 yards and two scores.

Extra point: While McGuffey is 5-0, it still has games against Charleroi and Washington the next five weeks.

Class A Eastern

Greensburg Central Catholic (3-2, 2-2) at Springdale (0-4, 0-2)

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

Last week: Imani 36, GCC 21; Jeannette 58, Springdale 0

Coaches: Aaron Smetanka, GCC; Seth Napierkowski, Springdale

Top players: Max Pisula, GCC (Sr., 6-2, 212, QB/LB); Josh Jones, Springdale (Sr., 6-0, 180, QB/DB)

Keep an eye on: Tom Voelker, GCC (Jr., 5-9, 175, RB/LB)

Momentum: GCC took Imani, ranked No. 2 in Class A, to the limit last week before suffering the conference setback. The Centurions led 21-20 in the fourth quarter.

Four downs: 1. Voelker scored a rushing and receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter against Imani as GCC rallied from a 20-7 deficit. 2. Three of Springdale’s first four opponents, including Imani in Week 1 and Monessen in Week 2, have spent time in the Class A rankings this season. 3. Pisula left last Friday’s game in the fourth quarter with a bone bruise in his leg, but Smetanka said Monday he is sore but will be good to go for Friday. 4. Christian Vokes, a junior running back, has scored all three Dynamos touchdowns this season.

Extra point: This is the fifth meeting between the two teams in the current conference series. Springdale won three of the first four, including last year’s matchup, 42-25.

Class A Tri-County South

Bentworth (3-2, 2-1) at Monessen (3-1, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Monessen

Last week: Bentworth 49, Mapletown 0; West Greene 24, Monessen 6

Coaches: Ron Skiles, Bentworth; Mike Blainefield, Monessen

Top players: Trent Cavanaugh, Bentworth (So., 5-9, 170, RB/MLB); Devin Whitlock, Monessen (Fr., 5-7, 145, WR/DB)

Keep an eye on: Vaughn Taylor, Monessen (Sr., 5-10, 190, RB/LB)

Momentum: Bentworth. The Bearcats are coming off an impressive victory against last-place Mapletown. A win could enhance their playoff hopes and hurt Monessen’s.

Four downs: 1. The Bearcats got two touchdowns each from Trent Cavanaugh and Owen Petrisek in their win against Mapletown. 2. The Greyhounds’ train was derailed by Ben Jackson and West Greene in their first-place showdown. They look to get the train back on track. 3. Bentworth QB Shawn Dziak has completed 49 of 103 passes for 570 yards and five touchdowns this season. 4. Whitlock has scored five touchdowns to lead the Greyhounds.

Extra point: Blainefield is trying to return Monessen to prominence, and he’s got the program headed in the right direction.

Nonconference

No. 1 Jeannette (5-0, 3-0) at Brownsville (0-5, 0-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Redstone Field, Republic

Last week: Jeannette 58, Springdale 0; Southmoreland 59, Brownsville 0

Coaches: Roy Hall, Jeannette; Scott Fichter, Brownsville

Top players: Justin Cramer, Jeannette (Jr., 5-11, 190, OL/LB); Quintin Mapstone, Brownsville (Sr., 5-7, 230, G)

Keep an eye on: Seth Howard, Jeannette (sr., 6-1, 170, QB)

Momentum: Jeannette. The Jayhawks are on a roll, but things get a lot tougher next week when Our Lady of the Sacred Heart visits McKee Stadium, which could be a preview of a Class A playoff game.

Fourth downs: 1. The Jayhawks have posted two shutouts and allowed 31 points this season. 2. The Falcons have only scored five touchdowns this season and have allowed have allowed 50 or more points in four consecutive games. 3. Marcus Barnes has scored six touchdowns this season for the Jayhawks. 4. Lucas Harn and Lucas Kremposky have each scored two touchdowns for the Falcons.

Extra point: Fichter was handed a tough situation at Brownsville, being hired in July. His job is to restore a once proud program.

District 6 Heritage

Purchase Line (1-4, 1-4) at Ligonier Valley (5-0, 5-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Weller Field, Ligonier

Last week: Purchase Line 22, Blairsville 20; Ligonier Valley 42, West Shamokin 12

Coaches: Matt Falisec, Purchase Line; Roger Beitel, Ligonier Valley

Top players: Josh Syster, Purchase Line (So., 5-9, 170, RB/LB); Christian Jablonski, Ligonier Valley (Jr., 6-5, 240, T/DE)

Keep an eye on: Kyrie Miller, Ligonier Valley (Jr., 5-8, 180, RB)

Momentum: Ligonier Valley. The Rams have won a Heritage Conference record 24 consecutive games and sit alone atop of the conference standings.

Four downs: 1. The Dragons claimed their first win of the season, defeating Blairsville. 2. LV junior running back Kyrie Miller has rushed for 507 yards and six touchdowns. 3. Syster is the Dragons’ go-to player with 10 catches for 141 yards and three scores, and has rushed for 395 yards and two touchdowns. 4. Ligonier Valley QB Josh Caldwell threw his first two interceptions of the season last week. He has completed 49 of 76 passes for 749 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Extra point: The only middle school team to defeat Ligonier Valley’s junior class was Saltsburg. Saltsburg forfeited to Ligonier Valley this season. However, four players from that team play at Kiski School.