News, notes, scores, photos and videos from Week 1 of the high school football season.
All spring and summer, Shady Side Academy’s players received heaps of praise while performing well in the 7-on-7 circuit — but Bulldogs coach Chuck DiNardo viewed the compliments in a different light.
“We’ve got a nice freshman and sophomore class,” DiNardo said. “A lot of people were coming up and saying, ‘You guys are going to be good.’ I told them, ‘You should take that as an insult. They’re saying you’re going to be good like you’re not already good now.’”
Coming off a surprise trip to last year’s WPIAL Class 3A semifinals, Class 3A No. 5 Shady Side (2-0) backed up DiNardo’s proclamation with a thrilling 34-28 overtime win at home against Class 4A No. 5 North Catholic (1-1) on Friday night. Sophomore quarterback Devin Harris connected with freshman wideout Carter Bonner for the go-ahead score in OT, then Bonner secured the game-clinching interception moments later to set off a raucous celebration.
“It was crazy. It was back and forth. There were ups and downs. We were down 11 at the half,” DiNardo said. “We got stuffed at the 1-yard line right before the half. It was great to see the resilience of our guys. We kept battling and battling.”
Harris completed 16 of 29 attempts for 381 yards and four TDs, while Bonner caught 10 passes for 138 yards and two scores while also snatching a pair of interceptions. Senior running back Jack Fennell led the Trojans with 98 yards rushing on 11 carries in the defeat.
The Bulldogs started last season with a record of 1-4 before their late-season surge, but this time, they’re coming out hot and hoping to ride their wave of momentum all the way into the postseason. It’s still only a nonconference game, but DiNardo knows a win like this one can be a springboard toward even bigger and better things down the road.
“We saw that we had some pieces in place, that if we kind of came together and got some guys to step up and assume some roles, that we could have a shot at doing something really special,” DiNardo said. “That was a great win, but we reminded our guys, there’s still eight more to go.”
AVONWORTH AVENGES BACK-TO-BACK DEFEATS AGAINST CENTRAL VALLEY
Having lost back-to-back matchups in lopsided fashion against Class 4A No. 4 Central Valley the past two seasons, Class 3A No. 2 Avonworth had its sights set on revenge Friday night — and the Antelopes got it in a big way with an action-packed 28-20 victory. Avonworth jumped out to an early 14-0 lead thanks to a highlight-reel, 74-yard catch-and-run TD by Andrew Kuban and another 2-yard TD run by Brandon Biagiarelli, but the Warriors (1-1) stormed right back to tie things up, 14-14, going into the half. The Lopes came out strong in the second half, though, as Biagiarelli put them back on top, 21-14, with his second TD run of the game. Central Valley cut it to 21-20 in the fourth, but Kuban then added a 2-yard TD run for his second score to polish off the 28-20 win.
McKEESPORT OUTMUSCLES PENN-TRAFFORD
With Class 4A No. 3 McKeesport (2-0) holding a slim 3-0 lead late in the first half against visiting Penn-Trafford (0-2), the Tigers started a drive at their own 5-yard line before driving 95 yards in only two plays, scoring on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Valdez Stuvaints to Dom Cochran with 38 seconds left in the second quarter. Moments later, McKeesport added another touchdown on a 35-yard Hail Mary from Garrett Tarker to Cochran to end the half, giving the Tigers a 17-0 halftime lead that would hold up the rest of the way en route to a 17-7 triumph.
WOODLAND HILLS BLANKS GATEWAY
One of the most electrifying sophomores in the WPIAL, Scoop Smith put his talents on full display for Woodland Hills (1-1) in an eye-opening 27-0 win at the Wolvarena against Class 5A No. 3 Gateway (0-2). A 5-6, 140-pound receiver with blazing speed, Smith caught four passes for 120 yards and three TDs — all in the first half — to lead the Wolverines to the lopsided win. Elijah Nesby added an 85-yard TD scamper late in the third quarter to ice away the victory.
PETERS TOWNSHIP POUNDS SENECA VALLEY
Class 5A No. 4 Peters Township is firing on all cylinders to start the 2023 season, as the Indians (2-0) rolled over Seneca Valley (0-2) by the score of 48-7 for another mercy-rule win. Vinny Sarcone rushed for three TDs on the night for Peters Township, while Carter Shanafelt scored on a 25-yard blocked punt return while also converting 6 of 7 extra-point attempts.
MT. LEBANON OUTLASTS BETHEL PARK IN OT
New coach Mike Collodi couldn’t have asked for a much better start to his tenure at Mt. Lebanon. After a dominant win against then-Class 5A No. 1 Gateway last week, the Class 6A No. 3 Blue Devils (2-0) went on the road and edged Bethel Park (1-1) for a 19-16 overtime win. After Kaeden Wetzel made a go-ahead 27-yard field goal for the Black Hawks in OT, Mt. Lebanon answered with the game-winning TD on an 8-yard scoring strike from Michael Malone to Noah Schaerli.
PUP BITES
• Central Catholic (2-0) proved to be a force to be reckoned with, traveling out of state and throttling St. Ignatius (Ohio) in a 47-6 beatdown. Senior quarterback Payton Wehner passed for 230 yards to follow up his 298-yard, five-TD performance in a 43-7 win over Woodland Hills in Week 0.
• For the second year in a row, Class 4A No. 1 Aliquippa (2-0) found itself in a tight battle in the first half against Armstrong (1-1). But just like last year, the Quips seized control of the game en route to a 37-19 win in the grand opening of the brand-new Heinz Field at The Pit, formerly known as Carl A. Aschman Stadium.
• Neshannock (1-1) emerged victorious in a battle of fierce Lawrence County rivals, picking up a 39-22 win at Laurel (1-1) thanks to a strong performance from sophomore quarterback Jino Mozzocio. The sophomore quarterback completed all nine of his passes for 111 yards while racking up an additional 113 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
THREE STARS
*** — Logan Kushner, North Allegheny. The senior quarterback still isn’t getting enough credit for his stellar play under center, but that should be changing soon after he ran for 165 yards and three TDs while passing for 105 yards and another score in the Class 6A No. 2 Tigers’ 30-6 home win against Class 6A No. 4 Canon-McMillan.
** — Nate Deanes, South Fayette. One week after rushing for 128 yards and three TDs in the season opener, Deanes turned things up a notch with 136 yards on the ground and another trio of scores in a 31-14 win for the unbeaten Lions against visiting West Allegheny.
* — O’Malley Daly, Seton LaSalle. The Rebels pulled off perhaps the most shocking upset so far this season with a 41-21 road win at Serra Catholic, and they have Daly’s legs to thank for it. The workhorse running back carried the ball 24 times for 170 yards and four scores to lead Seton LaSalle to victory.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
Aliquippa 37, Armstrong 19
Ambridge 14, Freedom 7
Altoona 35, Allderdice 21
Avella 22, Bentworth 15
Avonworth 28, Central Valley 20
Beaver 31, Beaver Falls 28
Belle Vernon 40, Laurel Highlands 0
Bishop Canevin 26, Greensburg Central Catholic 6
Burgettstown 34, Beth-Center 0
Butler 27, Meadville 26
California 47, Charleroi 0
Central Catholic 47, St. Ignatius, Ohio 6
Connellsville 28, Hempfield 7
Cornell 20, Monessen 6
Deer Lakes 33, Burrell 0
Derry 26, Greensburg Salem 21
East Allegheny 33, Jeannette 30 (OT)
Elizabeth Forward 24, West Mifflin 7
Fort Cherry 55, Carmichaels 13
Franklin Regional 28, Latrobe 21
Freeport 47, South Allegheny 0
Highlands 33, Blackhawk 20
Hopewell 56, New Brighton 13
Imani Christian 52, Brentwood 14
Knoch 30, Indiana 24
Leechburg 59, Summit Academy 20
Mapletown 28, Frazier 0
Mars 42, New Castle 6
McGuffey 48, Ringgold 22
McKeesport 17, Penn-Trafford 7
Mohawk 42, Quaker Valley 8
Montour 35, Moon 21
Mount Pleasant 27, Yough 13
Mt. Lebanon 19, Bethel Park 16 (OT)
Neshannock 39, Laurel 22
Northgate 35, Springdale 21
Penn Hills 27, Norwin 0
Peters Township 48, Seneca Valley 7
Pine-Richland 48, Kiski Area 0
Plum 34, Fox Chapel 10
Seton LaSalle 41, Serra Catholic 21
Shady Side Academy 34, North Catholic 28 (OT)
Shaler 43, Hampton 8
South Fayette 31, West Allegheny 14
South Park 15, Keystone Oaks 10
South Side 35, Riverside 7
Southmoreland 48, Ligonier Valley 7
Spring Mills, W.Va. 41, Albert Gallatin 0
Steel Valley 35, Sto-Rox 0
Thomas Jefferson 49, Baldwin 3
Trinity 38, Chartiers Valley 0
Union 34, Ellwood City 21
Uniontown 34, Brownsville 8
Upper St. Clair 35, North Hills 7
Valley 18, Apollo-Ridge 7
Washington 26, Clairton 0
Waynesburg 19, Jefferson-Morgan 7
West Greene 56, Chartiers-Houston 13
Wheeling Central Catholic, W.Va. 20, Perry 18
Wheeling Park, W.Va 49, Brashear 8
Woodland Hills 27, Gateway 0
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
