Westmoreland high school football notebook: Late comebacks define Week 2

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 4:39 PM

Down but not out.

Week 2 was known for its comebacks as several local teams staged late-game rallies.

Penn-Trafford trailed Moon, 24-12, early in the fourth quarter before the Warriors scored twice in a six-minute span Friday to upend the 5A No. 5-ranked Tigers, 25-24.

Landyn Stikkel hauled in a 15-yard touchdown from Nate Desmond with 6.8 seconds left for the win.

The Warriors forced a punt and got the ball back with 58 seconds left and no timeouts before driving 95 yards to stun the Tigers.

“I am really proud of the kids’ character,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “They didn’t pack it in. They found a way.”

More rallies:

• Belle Vernon edged favored Central Valley, 25-22, but not before the Leopards dragged a 22-17 deficit into the fourth.

Curty Wade scored on a short TD run and added the 2-point conversion for the difference.

• Burrell was down 21-14 going to the fourth but erupted for two touchdowns to down Mt. Pleasant, 28-21, for first-year coach Dom Girardi’s first win.

• Derry also needed some late drama to get around Deer Lakes, 24-21. Noah Stough pulled in an 11-yard touchdown from Anthony Sacco with 11 seconds left for the difference. The Trojans scored 15 points in the final frame.

• Greensburg Central Catholic and Greensburg Salem also had to dig out of early holes to post victories.

GCC trailed Apollo-Ridge at the half 16-7 before piling up 28 second-half points to win 35-16.

Valley led Greensburg Salem 10-9 at the break before the Golden Lions put up 17 points in the third for a 26-10 win.

What a grab

Jeannette wide receiver Jayce Powell turned heads with one of the WPIAL’s top plays Friday night, a SportsCenter Top 10-worthy highlight against Ligonier Valley.

Late in the first quarter, Powell caught a pass in the flat from Kymon’e Brown, leaping and snaring the ball with one hand, then turned upfield to send McKee Stadium into a frenzy.

The shifty junior made four defenders miss as he tightroped the sideline before cutting back across midfield to complete a 75-yard scoring play in a 31-0 win.

Had a good catch tonight!! 1 hand to the crib! @PickerWally @WPIAL_Insider @wpialsportsnews @WestmorelandSN @Jeannette_FB @t_paulone13 @PRZVicCastillo @PA_TodaySports pic.twitter.com/uWiyT3WJg8

— Jayce Powell | Jeannette PA | WR (@jaycepowell12) September 6, 2025

“One-handed, five yards from scrimmage,” Jeannette coach Tommy Paulone said. “Then he turns upfield and takes it to the house? Just unbelievable what that kid can do.”

Powell had five catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns in Jeannette’s home opener.

“He beat our entire defense,” Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel said. “Great player. Great play.”

Said Jeannette two-way lineman Wyatt Shaffer: “Jayce is a special athlete. He is electric and gets us going.”

Great Scotties

Southmoreland is making a habit out of mercy-ruled victories under new coach Dustin Shoaf.

The Scotties (3-0) cruised past Laurel Highlands, 54-7, on the new turf at Russ Grimm Field as quarterback Dawson Wolfe accounted for 298 yards and three TDs.

The Scotties had two defensive scores: Luke Stinnett recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, and Jake Hull had a 21-yard fumble return for a score.

Southmoreland is the third highest-scoring team in the WPIAL behind North Catholic (60.3) and Fort Cherry (47.6). The Scotties have outscored teams 143-14.

They have a tough road test next week at Blackhawk (1-2), which lost in a shootout to North Catholic, 65-49.

Smith wins opener

Sophomore quarterback Anthony Smith wasted no time getting acclimated at Fairmont Senior High in Fairmont, W.Va. The former WPIAL standout, who was ruled ineligible for one season after his transfer from Southmoreland to Seton La Salle and moved out of state, started Friday night for the Polar Bears in a 35-9 win over Robert C. Byrd.

Smith threw a touchdown pass on his first attempt of the season, a 25-yard strike to Jason Walker, and finished 12 of 20 for 135 yards and two TDs.

“He came in, competed for the job and the thing about our kids here is we always put winning first,” Fairmont coach Mark Sampson told wvmetronews.com. “They’re all getting along and can obviously see he’s a great player. Their chemistry off the field is building every day, and it’s been really fun to watch how the other guys are gravitating towards him and making him feel welcome.”

Extra points

Norwin blanked Latrobe, 35-0, for its first shutout since 2021. … Norwin’s Giovanni Rothrauff and Jet Taylor of Franklin Regional have rushed for 100 or more yards in every game so far this season. … Running back Ben Grabowski did not play Friday for Penn-Trafford. … Mt. Pleasant continues to battle injuries. Nineteen players missed practice during the week because of injuries or concussions. … Valley avoided opening the season with three straight shutout losses, something that hadn’t happened since 1969. … Burrell had not beaten Mt. Pleasant since 2018. … Top local games next week include Penn-Trafford at Woodland Hills, Clairton at Greensburg Central Catholic, Hempfield at North Allegheny, Norwin at Seneca Valley, McKeesport at Belle Vernon and Franklin Regional at Latrobe.

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

Tags: Burrell, Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford