WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Eight – 10/15/2014

By: Bruce Markey
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 | 5:08 PM

Before we move on to week eight here at Big Game Hunting, a reminder, you need to go into the archive and listen to Lanny and Bobby on the call of the West Allegheny overtime win against Woody High in week seven. It is a shining example of why you should never ever find yourself anywhere else on a Friday night other than right here at The Network. Go ahead, I will wait, in fact here is the link http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/woodland-hills-boys-football-at-west-allegheny-boys-football-0

I was on my way home from North Park and sat in the garage listening to the thrilling finish. I would have backed out of the garage and headed to a week eight game right that moment, if my wife hadn’t seen me park already. As it is, I am chomping at the bit to go Big Game Hunting!

AAAA Northern Eight Conference
#4 Pine-Richland Rams (6-0)(7-0) vs #1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings (5-0)(7-0) Friday October 17th at 7:30 pm @ Highmark Stadium at Station Square broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and 1410 AM KQV by Lanny Frattare and Bob Orkwis

You can’t have a #1 v #1 battle every week, but Lanny and Bob got together with the boss and said, “Hey how about the top-scoring offense in AAAA against the top-scoring defense in AAAA in a battle for the Northern Eight Conference Championship?” That discussion did not take long and you will reap the benefits Friday night.

Pine-Richland will literally be bringing the Ben DiNucci show to town. The Rams top-scoring offense is running it up to the tune of 46.4 points per game and their senior quarterback is leading the way. In fact he is leading the way for all passers in the WPIAL with 109 completions in 144 attempts for 1915 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has only thrown three interceptions.

DiNucci has all the throws in his repertoire and he spreads the ball around nicely. Four different Rams have double-digit catches led by senior Mike Mearhut who has caught 38 passes for 678 yards and eight touchdowns. D’ondre Gastion and Anthony Battaglia have combined for 43 catches for 814 yards and a dozen touchdowns.

The Rams are not all pass though. They will run and when they do it will be senior Connor Slomka carrying the ball. Slomka has 87 carries for 609 yards and 14 touchdowns. The run game for the Rams might be a big key to this game as they will need to run it successfully in my opinion to keep the Vikings defensive front seven honest.

Defensively the Rams lean on a great line-backing corps. Senior Joe Leiberman has recorded 53 total tackles from his outside linebacker position. Junior defensive end Matt Hampson has 5.5 of the teams 15 sacks. Gastion leads a secondary that has six interceptions, with a pair of picks.

Central’s defense is allowing 3.4points per game in AAAA that is tough to overstate. The Vikings front seven is spectacular and their secondary might be a little bit better than that.

The Vikes have rercorded 11 interceptions including 1 each for defensive linemen Jordan Scarborough and Rashad Wheeler. Bricen Garner and Damar Hamlin each have a pair of picks.

The Vikes have recovered nine fumbles giving them 20 turnovers on defense. Ask Mike Tomlin if that would help his team.

Offensively the Vikes are tun first but they will throw. Mike Navarro has completed 25 of 35 passes for 341 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception. John Petrishen is a fantastic playmaker for them leading them in receptions with 11 for 209 yards he has scored seven touchdowns.

Grant Foster leads the Vikes in carries and yards with 454 yards on 73 carries, he has scored a dozen touchdowns. Ronnie Jones and Vinny Emanuele will spell Foster and fullback Brian Totten gets the tough yards for Central.
AAA Greater Allegheny Conference

Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers (3-3)(4-3) vs Mars Fighting Planets (3-3)(4-3) Friday October 17th  at 7:00 pm @ Mars Athletic Complex in Mars, PA broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Matt Vandriak and Adam Hoerner

Six teams remain alive for three spots in the GAC, it is a log jam with five of those teams having identical 3-3 records. Week eight has a way of helping to clean these messes up a bit. The Golden Tigers have been the definition of an up and down team especially thhe last few weeks with a win one lose one streak going. Mars had their three game win streak snapped last week in a 14-7 loss to Knoch.

Senior quarterback Josh Bickley has completed 63 of 121 passes for Hollidaysburg totaling 633 yards but only four socres to go along with seven interceptions. Bickley has also rushed for 397 yards and four touchdowns on the year.

The Golden Lions have a pair of Zach’s running the ball. Kovach and Weaver have combined for 603 yards and five touchdowns. Kovach leads the team with 96 attempts.

Junior Ryan Adams leads Hollidaysburg with 163 catches on the year.

Defensively Zack Weaver has recorded 58 tackles, Mike Roberts has a team-high four sacks and Mitch Augustine has four interceptions for a Golden Lions defense that is allowing 16.1 points per game.

Mars has gotten great play from senior Ori Rinaman in the wake of an early season injury to Josh Schultheis. Rinaman has responded with an astounding 907 yards on 137 carries for a team-high 14 touchdowns.
Planets quarterback Jake Rosswog has completed 38 of 82 passes for 624 yards and eight touchdowns.

Rosswog’s top target has been junior tight end John Castello, who at 6’5” and 215 pounds presents a great target. Castello has ten catches for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Rinaman leads the Planets defensively with a pair of interceptions.

AA Century Conference
#1 South Fayette Lions (7-0)(7-0) vs # 3 Seton-LaSalle Rebels (7-0)(7-0) Friday October 17th at 7:00 pm @ Colts Stadium on the campus of Chartiers Valley high school broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Sam Hall and Steve Nagler

There will be a lot of footballs flying through the air Friday night at Chartiers Valley high school.

Both quarterbacks in this game have thrown for more than 1300 yards and they have combined for 39 touchdown passes between them.
This has become really one of the games you look forward to every year in the Century. In the last seven years these clubs have met nine times with South Fayette holding a slight 5-4 edge in margin of victory.

This game will likely not only give the winner the Century title but also give the winner the best opportunity to remain on the opposite side of the bracket from the Aliquippa Quips.

The Lions have won 23 games in a row behind the WPIAL’s all-time leading passer Bret Brumbaugh. This season Brumbaugh has completed 86 of 133 passes for 1537 yards and 20 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions.

Nick Ponikvar and tight end Logan Sharp each have more than 20 catches for the season and both have eclipsed the 400 yard mark. Sharp has scored seven touchdowns. Ponikvar has added four scores.

The Lions are not one dimensional, they will run it well behind a strong offensive line that has become a trademark for Joe Rossi in his 8th season. Hunter Hays has 77 carries for 637 yards and has scored a team-high 15 touchdowns on the year.

The Rebels have been tested a couple times this season and responded well under first year head coach Damon Rosol. Their stated goal as a team is the state championship. I love that and I truly respect a team that comes out and says that the way they do. The test becomes a tough mid-term this week.

Seton has a lot in common with South Fayette an experienced, accurate, confident, great thrower of the football at quarterback is one thing. Tyler Perone has thrown for 1344 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season, completing 101 of 146 passes thrown.

Danzel McKinley Lewis is the ultimate playmaker for them at wide receiver. McKinley-Lewis has 35 catches for 444 yards, he has also rushed for nearly 200 yards and scored 10 touchdowns on the year. Paris Ford and DeQuay Broadwater, along with Matt Reinmund are threats in the passing game as well.

On the ground the Rebels rely heavily on Ricky Mellick, the senior has 112 carries (more than the rest of the entire Rebels squad combined) for 690 yards (also more than the rest of the squad combined) and seven touchdowns.

Both teams will be facing the best defense they have seen this season. Seton is allowing 9.6 points per game, while South Fayette is allowing just 9.7 points per game.

Could this turn into a defensive battle?

A Eastern Conference
# 7 Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions (5-1)(5-2) vs # 10 Springdale Dynamos (3-3)(4-3) Friday October 17th at 7:00 pm @ Veteran’s Memorial Field in Springdale Pennsylvania broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Rob Longo and Greg Kuntz

The Centurions have won four in a row and the Dynamos have a two game winning streak coming into this game. Springdale is in a do-or-die situation as far as their playoff hopes are concerned.

GCC will have to be careful not to get caught looking ahead to their week nine showdown with rival Jeannette for second place in the conference because the Dynamos are the real deal.

For the Centurions Tommy Pellis has completed 38 of 83 passes for 564 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he has tossed five picks, he will need to take care of the football down the stretch for GCC to complete their goals.
Pellis’ favorite target is his brother J.P. who has 13 catches for  159 yards.

The GCC running game has a dynamic duo in juniors Sam Nowicki (417 yards and eight touchdowns) and Brian Pervarnik (534 yards and ten touchdowns). Jassam Eubanks has added 156 yards and three scores to that running game as well.

The Dynamos like to pound the ball with 5′ 9” 205 pound senior fullback Austin Kline. Kline leads Springdale with 538 yards on 96 carries for the season. He has a team-best nine touchdowns on the season. Joel Wunnenberg, Mike Banachoski and Ben SAowinski have all gone over the century mark rushing the football this season for Springdale as well.

Quarterback Daniel Franskousky has completed 23 of 48 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns. Like Pellis, Franskousky has had trouble keeping the ball away from the other team, tossing six interceptions for the season.

It may be that the team that gives up the least amount of turnovers comes away with a monster win this week in Springdale.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Hollidaysburg