News, notes, scores, photos and videos from Week 3 of the high school football season.
A week ago, Franklin Regional took on one of the top teams in WPIAL Class 5A and gave up 45 points in a lopsided loss.
Friday, the Panthers had to play yet another ranked Class 5A opponent,
This time, the defense not only bounced back, but it also produced a shutout.
In a game that saw no scoring over the first 3½ quarters, Joey Bayne kicked a 22-yard field goal with 4:59 left to propel host Franklin Regional to a 3-0 win against visiting Class 5A No. 5 Latrobe in the Big East Conference opener for both teams.
Just a week after being trounced on the road against No. 3 Upper St. Clair, Franklin Regional (3-1, 1-0) rebounded by handing Latrobe (3-1, 0-1) its first loss.
“I think they took that to heart, what happened to us last week. They knew that wasn’t us,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said. “The fact that our guys were able to respond was big.”
As was the field goal by Bayne, a senior who is in his fourth season as the team’s primary kicker. Bayne had missed a 35-yard attempt in the second quarter, but Getsy said he didn’t hesitate to give his veteran kicker a chance with the game on the line. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Latrobe 5 midway through the fourth quarter, Getsy elected to go for the field goal, and Bayne came through.
“I was confident,” Getsy said. “We were pretty close. If you give him two opportunities, he’s going to correct his mistake.”
Latrobe drove to its own 46 on the ensuing drive, but the Wildcats were unable to convert on fourth-and-14. Franklin Regional, which forced three turnovers in the game, took possession and ran out the clock.
“It’s a huge win, especially against a team like Latrobe that is a very good football team,” Getsy said. “To get that win is big, but we can’t settle for just the one. It’s going to take a lot more than that to make the playoffs.”
SENECA VALLEY PULLS UPSET
Seneca Valley (1-2, 1-0) built a 17-point halftime advantage by forcing three turnovers and held on to earn a 26-6 win at Class 6A No. 3 Norwin (2-2, 0-1) in the Quad County Conference. The Raiders got a strong performance by its defense and special teams, as Josiah Edwards returned a fumble 74 yards for a touchdown and Max Eisenhut made field goals of 46 and 41 yards.
SOUTH PARK WINS IN FINAL MINUTE
Robert Lenzi scored on a quarterback sneak on third-and-goal from the 1 with 57 seconds left to lift Class 2A No. 3 South Park (3-1, 1-0) to a 7-0 win against visiting Steel Valley (1-3, 0-1) in the Allegheny Conference. Kenyan Brown then sealed the victory with a late interception. In a battle of standout running backs, South Park’s Eric Doerue finished with 33 carries for 160 yards, while Steel Valley’s Donald Barksdale ran 13 times for 76 yards.
WOODY HIGH TOPS PENN-TRAFFORD
Cam Walter’s three touchdown passes helped Woodland Hills (2-2, 1-0) begin Class 5A Big East Conference play on a high note following a 35-21 win at Penn-Trafford (2-2, 0-1). Walter hooked up with Malik McCloud on touchdowns of 14 and 7 yards and added a 9-yard scoring toss to Scoop Smith. Penn-Trafford got a pair of touchdown passes from Johnny Lovre to Jack Weishaar.
NORTH ALLEGHENY SURVIVES SCARE
In a game that was tied, 14-14, at the half, Class 6A No. 1 North Allegheny (4-0, 1-0) scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to claim a 42-14 win at Hempfield (1-3, 0-1) in the Quad County Conference opener. Luke Rohan ran for three second-half touchdowns, the first of which gave North Allegheny a 21-14 with 2:49 left in the third.
BROOKS DRIVES ALIQUIPPA TO WIN
Playing without star running back Tikey Hayes, who sat out the game due to undisclosed reasons, Class 4A No. 1 Aliquippa (2-0) captured a 42-17 non-conference win against visiting Mars (1-3). Sophomore Sa’Nir Brooks stepped up in Hayes’ place and led the way by running for 150 yards and three touchdowns, the scores coming on runs of 47, 4 and 8 yards. Marques Council threw for a pair of touchdowns for the Quips, the passes going to Arison Walker and Qa’lil Goode.
PINE-RICHLAND SLIPS PAST NORTH HILLS
In a showdown of unbeaten teams, Class 5A No. 2 Pine-Richland (3-0, 1-0) raced to a 17-point, second-quarter lead before holding on to defeat visiting North Hills (3-1, 0-1), 29-24, in the Northeast Conference. Pine-Richland led, 27-21, at the half, the only second-half scores coming on a Pine-Richland safety and North Hills field goal. Pine-Richland got a 48-yard interception return for a score by Jay Timmons and a pair of field goals from Grant Argiro.
CENTRAL VALLEY WINS FIRST
After starting the season with losses to three strong Class 4A teams, Class 3A No. 2 Central Valley (1-3, 1-0) rolled to a 49-0 win at McGuffey (0-3, 0-1) in Western Hills Conference play. The Warriors got a big game from sophomore Braddock Ambrose, who was 13 of 15 for 224 yards and five touchdowns. Mason Dixon added 112 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, two rushing and two receiving.
WAYNESBURG UPSETS WASH HIGH
Jacob Stephenson ran for a pair of touchdowns and added another through the air to propel Waynesburg (3-1, 1-0) to a 21-13 win at Class 2A No. 2 Washington (2-2, 0-1) in the Century Conference. Stephenson scored on runs of 4 and 25 yards and threw a 28-yard touchdown strike to Teagen Crouse. Waynesburg snapped a nine-game losing streak to Washington, its last win in the series coming in 2008.
BETHEL PARK BLASTS WEST MIFFLIN
In a matchup of ranked teams from different classes, Tanner Pfeuffer threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns to lead Class 5A No. 4 Bethel Park (4-0) to a 62-14 home win against Class 4A No. 5 West Mifflin (2-2). One of Pfeuffer’s touchdown passes went to Ja’Vaughn Moore, who also rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns. West Mifflin’s Armand Hill finished with 69 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
SIEG SHINES FOR FORT CHERRY
Star junior Matt Sieg ran for 225 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries to power Class 1A No. 1 Fort Cherry (4-0, 1-0) to a 42-6 win against visiting Chartiers-Houston (2-2, 0-1) in the Black Hills Conference. Sieg scored on touchdown runs of 29, 38, 56 and 57 yards to push his season touchdown total to 11.
PUP BITES
- After starting the season 0-3 with two of the losses coming in overtime, McKeesport (1-3) finally picked up its first win by defeating visiting Class 4A No. 4 Belle Vernon (1-1), 28-7. Super sophomore and Penn State recruit Kemon Spell scored on touchdown runs of 17, 71 and 20 yards, and Anthony Cromerdie scored on an 8-yard run.
- Class 1A No. 3 Bishop Canevin (2-1) got another big game from sophomore Myontae Mott to roll past host Laurel (0-4), 48-23, in a non-conference game. Mott scored four touchdowns — a 92-yard kickoff return, runs of 85 and 54 yards, and a 62-yard reception from Kole Olszewski. Mott finished with eight carries for 185 yards and four catches for 89 yards.
- Luke Kosko went 19 of 29 for 331 yards and three touchdowns to vault Class 4A No. 3 Thomas Jefferson (4-0) to a 44-7 non-conference win against visiting Class 3A No. 4 Avonworth (2-2). Kosko hooked up with Kane Eggerton for a pair of scores and threw another to Brayden White. The Jaguars also got a pair of rushing scores from Tyler Eber.
THREE STARS
***— Mike Pastirik, Seton LaSalle. Pastirik threw for six touchdowns, all of them coming in the first half, to lead Class 2A No. 1 Seton LaSalle (3-0, 1-0) to a 48-8 win at Charleroi (0-4, 0-1) in the Century Conference. Pastirik finished 11 of 15 for 229 yards.
**— Jay’mere Ellis, Penn Hills. Ellis put up big numbers through the air and on the ground to help Penn Hills (1-3, 1-0) throttle host Fox Chapel (1-2, 0-1), 54-0, in the Class 5A Northeast Conference. Ellis was 9 of 10 for 151 yards and two touchdowns and added 102 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
*— Brayden McCarthy, Blackhawk. McCarthy scored on three long touchdowns to push visiting Blackhawk (2-2) to a 45-20 win at previously unbeaten Southmoreland (3-1) in non-conference action. McCarthy returned the game’s opening kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown before adding 53- and 80-yard touchdown receptions from Stephen Knallay.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
WPIAL CLASS 6A
Quad County Conference
Central Catholic 59, Mt. Lebanon 7
North Allegheny 42, Hempfield 14
Seneca Valley 26, Norwin 6
WPIAL CLASS 5A
Big East Conference
Franklin Regional 3, Latrobe 0
Gateway 28, Kiski Area 7
Woodland Hills 35, Penn-Trafford 21
Northeast Conference
Penn Hills 54, Fox Chapel 0
Pine-Richland 29, North Hills 24
Plum 24, Shaler 7
WPIAL CLASS 3A
Allegheny 7 Conference
Deer Lakes 28, Freeport 21
Highlands 64, East Allegheny 36
Imani Christian 46, Valley 0
Western Hills Conference
Beaver 49, Hopewell 17
Central Valley 49, McGuffey 0
North Catholic 38, Quaker Valley 0
WPIAL CLASS 2A
Allegheny Conference
Ligonier Valley 40, Shady Side Academy 28
South Allegheny 23, O.L. Sacred Heart 7
South Park 7, Steel Valley 0
Century Conference
Keystone Oaks 24, Sto-Rox 8
Seton LaSalle 48, Charleroi 8
Waynesburg 21, Washington 13
Midwestern Conference
Ellwood City 41, Mohawk 34
New Brighton 32, Freedom 24
Riverside 21, Union 6
WPIAL CLASS 1A
Big 7 Conference
Neshannock 21, Rochester 0
Shenango 25, Northgate 20
South Side 42, Summit Academy 14
Black Hills Conference
Cornell 42, Burgettstown 0
Fort Cherry 42, Chartiers-Houston 6
Monessen 20, Serra Catholic 14
Eastern Conference
Brentwood 48, Springdale 6
Clairton 47, Greensburg Central Catholic 0
Jeannette 43, Frazier 24
Leechburg 43, Riverview 14
Tri-County South Conference
California 72, Bentworth 14
Carmichaels 18, Beth-Center 0
Jefferson-Morgan 62, Mapletown 14
West Greene 23, Avella 12
NON-CONFERENCE
Aliquippa 42, Mars 17
Allderdice 21, Uniontown 15
Ambridge 28, Mount Pleasant 10
Bellaire, Ohio 41, Brownsville 0
Bethel Park 62, West Mifflin 14
Bishop Canevin 48, Laurel 23
Blackhawk 45, Southmoreland 20
Canon-McMillan 45, Armstrong 35
Carlynton 42, Apollo-Ridge 15
Carrick 36, Brashear 2
Chartiers Valley 21, Baldwin 13
Connellsville 19, Berlin Brothersvalley 7
Derry 32, Burrell 13
Greensburg Salem 7, Ringgold 0
Hollidaysburg 24, Butler 0
Laurel Highlands 10, Indiana 7
McKeesport 28, Belle Vernon 7
Montour 44, Knoch 14
Moon 32, West Allegheny 24
New Castle 27, Yough 7
Northern Garrett, Md. 31, Albert Gallatin 21
Peters Township 35, Trinity 6
South Fayette 38, Elizabeth Forward 19
Steubenville, Ohio 38, University Prep 8
Thomas Jefferson 44, Avonworth 7
Upper St. Clair 62, Hampton 7
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.