Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2024 Week 8

By: Bill Beckner Jr. And Paul Schofield
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 | 7:43 PM

Class 6A

Mt. Lebanon (1-7, 1-3) at No. 4 Hempfield (3-5, 2-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Bill Abraham Field at Spartans Stadium, Hempfield

Last week’s results: Penn Hills 42, Mt. Lebanon 34; Seneca Valley 27, Hempfield Area 15

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• The winner has the inside track to qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs. Mt. Lebanon has one victory this season but has played a difficult schedule. QB Pat Smith has completed 107 of 187 passes for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns for Mt. Lebanon. He has rushed for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns. Noah Schaerli has 45 catches for 634 yards and three touchdowns. … Hempfield QB Dom Detruf has completed 93 of 174 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. Jack Kopas is his main target with 25 catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Aidan Allison and Aidan Stinebiser have five touchdowns each. If the Spartans win, they are in the playoffs.

Norwin (2-6, 0-4) at No. 5 Canon-McMillan (2-6, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, AHN Field at Big Mac Stadium, Canonsburg

Last week’s results: Central Catholic 59, Norwin 13; North Allegheny 38, Canon-McMillan 6

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Norwin is hoping to get standout quarterback Tristyn Tavares back from a sprained knee before the end of the season. He did not play against Central Catholic and is listed as week-to-week. The Knights have dropped six in a row. … Canon-McMillan has lost three in a row. The Big Macs have played two overtime games, defeating Mt. Lebanon, 17-14, and falling to Hempfield, 33-27. Ty Jansma threw for 149 yards and a touchdown last week on 18-of-35 passing.

Class 5A Big East Conference

Latrobe (4-4, 1-3) at Gateway (3-5, 2-3)

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

Last week’s results: Pine-Richland 42, Latrobe 0; Woodland Hills 28, Gateway 27

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Latrobe, decimated by injuries, continued to slide. The Wildcats dropped their third straight game and were shut out for the second time this season, as Pine-Richland opened its passing game. Latrobe plays Penn-Trafford next week. … Gateway was edged by Woodland Hills in one of the best Big East games of the season. Elvis Koutsakis went 19 of 35 for 170 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score. Amari Gans scored a rushing touchdown with just under three minutes left for the Gators, but Earl Perry of Woodland Hills blocked the extra point.

Penn-Trafford (6-2, 3-1) at Armstrong (2-6, 0-4)

7 p.m. Friday, David “Red” Ullum Field, Kittanning

Last week’s results: Penn-Trafford 26, Franklin Regional 10; Kiski Area 21, Armstrong 14

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Penn-Trafford can ill-afford a letdown after defeating Franklin Regional last week. RB Tasso Whipple rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns, but the P-T offense had a rough game against Franklin Regional’s stingy defense. The Warriors’ special teams blocked a punt and a field goal, and the defense forced four turnovers. Whipple has rushed for 3,031 yards in his career. … Armstrong QB Jaydon Oliver has completed 95 of 174 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns. WR Kyan Kline has 32 catches for 583 yards and seven touchdowns. Oliver has rushed for 333 yards and four TDs.

No. 5 Woodland Hills (6-2, 4-0) at Franklin Regional (6-2, 3-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Franklin Regional HS Stadium, Murrysville

Last year’s results: Woodland Hills 28, Gateway 27; Penn-Trafford 26, Franklin Regional 10

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Woodland Hills held off a second-half rally by Gateway last week. WR Amari Smith had eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, and QB Cam Walters completed 14 of 28 passes for 184 yards and a score. Walters has thrown for 1,133 yards and 12 scores. … Franklin Regional’s defense was solid in a loss at Penn-Trafford. Special teams and turnovers cost the Panthers. RB Kyle Dupill rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. He has rushed for 1,378 yards and 14 scores. MacAllister Bresnahan has 17 catches for 375 yards.

Class 4A Big Six Conference

No. 5 Belle Vernon (3-3, 2-1) at Ringgold (1-6, 0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Joe Montana Stadium, Monongahela

Last week’s results: Belle Vernon 47, Laurel Highlands 10; Thomas Jefferson vs. Ringgold, postponed

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Belle Vernon is starting to find some traction after some early-season injuries. QB Curtis Wade threw three touchdown passes and rushed for a score against Laurel Highlands. Wade completed 7 of 11 passes for 111 yards, and RB Kole Doppelheuer scored two touchdowns and rushed for 169 yards. … Ringgold forfeited its game against Thomas Jefferson because an alleged incident between teammates. The school’s superintendent pulled the plug on the game to investigate the incident. Ringgold has scored only 10 TDs this season.

Class 3A Big East Conference

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

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

Last week’s results: Greensburg Salem 28, Derry 0; Southmoreland 28, Mt. Pleasant 7

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Derry’s losing streak reached three as the Trojans were shut out for the first time this season. They managed just 84 yards of offense while allowing 258. The Trojans are averaging a conference-low 15.1 points. … Third-place Mt. Pleasant gave up a number of big pass plays to Southmoreland and managed only 49 rushing yards. Jarett Garn had a touchdown and blocked an extra point. The Vikings use several running backs, including Garn, Brody Hutter and Stephen Predajna.

Greensburg Salem (5-3, 1-2) at Yough (2-6, 0-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Cougar Mountain Stadium, Sewickley Township

Last week’s results: Greensburg Salem 28, Derry 0; Elizabeth Forward 45, Yough 7

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• Greensburg Salem snapped a three-game losing streak with a shutout of Derry. Kai Brunot ran for two touchdowns, Brady Smith added another and Dom Rosensteel pulled in a scoring pass from Brody Chismar. The Golden Lions are chasing their first winning season since 2011 and first playoff berth since 2018. The program now has 716 all-time wins. … Yough has lost six in a row after a 2-0 start but has been in a number of games, competing late into the fourth quarter. Raidon Kuroda has developed into one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in Class 3A. He threw a scoring pass to Ryan Sarver last week.

Class 2A Allegheny Conference

No. 5 Steel Valley (5-3, 3-1) at Ligonier Valley (3-5, 1-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Weller Field, Ligonier

Last week’s results: Steel Valley 42, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 7; South Park 33, Ligonier Valley 0

Last year’s meeting: Steel Valley 35, Ligonier Valley 0

• The Ironmen have found their mojo since starting the season 1-3. They have won four consecutive games and are averaging 46.5 points per game. Donald Barksdale has rushed for 1,239 yards and 20 touchdowns. Da’Ron Barksdale, who lines up at quarterback, has seven touchdowns and 284 yards rushing. … Ligonier Valley was blanked by first-place South Park last week. Senior RB John Jablunovsky has rushed for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns. His twin brother, Mark, has 15 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns. The Rams have played well at home.

Class A Eastern Conference

Greensburg Central Catholic (5-2, 4-1) at Frazier (1-6, 0-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Commodore Field, Perryopolis

Last week’s results: Greensburg Central Catholic 51, Springdale 0; Riverview 55, Frazier 20

Last year’s meeting: Greensburg Central Catholic 31, Frazier 6

• GCC kept pace with Leechburg for second place in the conference, scoring at least 40 points for the fourth time this season. The Centurions are averaging 36.2 points. Samir Crosby is one of the top players in Class A, but a supporting cast includes Landon Honick, Jackson McMullen, Jerry Davis and others. Crosby ran for two scores, threw for another and scored on a punt return last week. … Derek Diamond scored three touchdowns for Frazier, but the Commodores gave up big plays at Riverside Park. Frazier allows 39.4 points and has lost five in a row.

Springdale (0-7, 0-5) at Jeannette (5-3, 2-3)

7 p.m. Friday, McKee Stadium, Jeannette

Last week’s results: Greensburg Central Catholic 51, Springdale 0; Jeannette 42, Brentwood 41

Last year’s meeting: Jeannette 49, Springdale 12

• Springdale, which has struggled to field a team of 20 players, has lost 14 straight games. The Dynamos have not scored since Week 2 and have been shut out six times. … Jeannette found itself in a shootout last week but avoided overtime by going for two after scoring with 7 seconds left to get within 41-40. The win kept their playoff hopes intact. Kymon’e Brown accounted for a career-high 458 yards and six touchdowns, throwing for 366 yards and four scores while rushing for two TDs. Jayce Powell caught a career-high 10 receptions for 128 yards.

Class A Black Hills Conference

No. 5 Monessen (7-1, 3-1) at No. 3 Bishop Canevin (5-2, 3-1)

7 p.m. Saturday, Dormont Stadium, Dormont

Last week’s results: Monessen 34, Burgettstown 17; Fort Cherry 49, Bishop Canevin 34

Last year’s meeting: Did not play

• The winner will have the inside track to second place. Leading the way for the Greyhounds is junior running back TyVaughn Kershaw, who has rushed for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has 10 catches for 173 yards and four scores and has six returns for scores (three kickoffs, a punt, a fumble and an interception). QB Dennis Hawkins has completed 46 of 82 passes for 867 yards and 10 TDs. … The Crusaders are led by QB Kole Olszewski, who has completed 68 of 124 passes for 1,177 yards and 16 touchdowns. Demar Olds has 24 catches for 479 yards and nine touchdowns, and running back Myontae Mott has rushed for 667 yards and 12 scores.

Tags: Armstrong, Belle Vernon, Bishop Canevin, Canon-McMillan, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Frazier, Gateway, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Ringgold, Springdale, Steel Valley, Woodland Hills, Yough