WPIAL Saturday’s Scholastic Starz – Week Eight

By: Bruce Markey
Sunday, October 25, 2015 | 9:08 AM

With only two games on the Week 8 Saturday docket, lets give a team of the cap to Western Beaver. Going into Saturdays game, the Golden Beavers were 0-7 and had scored only 29 points in a looooong year. They fell behind playoff bound Union 19-0 after one quarter and could have rolled over and taken it on the chin again. But Matt Gray’s team badly outplayed the Scotties the final three quarters and if not for two touchdowns called back and a dropped touchdown late, could have and should have pulled off the stunning upset. A great effort and kudos to Western Beaver. 

Nasan Tibbens – Riverview

In an old-school Class A Eastern Conference clash between long-time rival who will once again be on the sidelines listening to exclusive coverage of the WPIAL football playoff on the MSA Sports Network, Nasan Tibbens of Riverview was a bright star on a gray day. Tibbens rushed for 180 yards and scored the games first four touchdowns on runs of 18, 7, 60 and 30 yards as the host Raiders cruised to a 40-6 victory over the Wilkinsburg Tigers.

Union – Special Teams

it was a tale of two games with playoff bound Union jumping out to an early first quarter lead before winless Western Beaver dominated the final three quarters and nearly pulled off a shocker. But it was the special teams play of the Scotties early and late that proved to be the difference as Jordan best returned a punt 90 yards in a first quarter in which Union led 19-0, then after the Golden Beavers scored with less than two minutes left to take their first lead of the season at 22-19, Trevon Charles took a reverse hand-off on a kickoff return and raced 75 yards for the winning score in a 26-23 Class A Big 7 Conference thriller in Industry.