After giving Aliquippa all it could handle in the 2023 WPIAL Class 4A championship, expectations were through the roof for McKeesport going into 2024. But at the midway point of the season, the Tigers found themselves in unfamiliar territory heading into conference play with an overall record of 1-4.
Turns out, records can be deceiving. And as the old saying goes — it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
“We knew we were going to be a good team. We just weren’t good yet,” said McKeesport coach Matt Miller. “And of course, the old adage that iron sharpens iron. We were playing really good teams.”
The Class 4A No. 4-ranked Tigers continued their second-half surge on Friday with a pivotal 28-7 road win at Class 4A No. 5 Mars, taking over sole possession of first place in the Greater Allegheny Conference and taking the inside track to a potential top-three seed for the WPIAL playoffs in the process. McKeesport (4-4, 3-0) now has won three games in a row and four of its past five, while the Planets (3-5, 2-1) had their two-game winning streak snapped.
“We knew first place was on the line. It was a big motivation for us that we had all year,” Miller said. “We’re blessed with some really talented players.”
Star sophomore Kemon Spell ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns to power the Tigers’ vaunted rushing attack, which tallied 397 yards on the ground. Anthony Cromerdie also rushed for two TDs in the win for McKeesport, which limited Mars running back Eric Kasperowicz Jr. to just 47 yards on 11 carries.
Talented wideout Gabe Hein had a huge game for the Planets, racking up 7 catches for 93 yards to go with 102 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries.
“You would like to stop everybody, but they have a lot of weapons and they’re very crafty about outnumbering you,” Miller said. “They were able to make some plays, and you have to tip your cap every once in a while.”
After a double-overtime loss in the season opener against Lake, Ohio, the Tigers ran into a buzzsaw at reigning WPIAL Class 5A champion Peters Township the following week. Another heartbreaking overtime loss at Class 4A No. 3 Thomas Jefferson followed, before McKeesport finally picked up its first win against defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion Belle Vernon. The Tigers then fell to the top-ranked team in Class 5A, Upper St. Clair, in their final non-conference game — leaving them with a disappointing 1-4 record, but also with more vital big-game experience than most teams can even dream of.
Now, with two games left on the schedule against Indiana and Knoch, McKeesport is looking like a shoe-in to wrap up the conference title and enter the postseason with a full head of steam. And with a superstar such as Spell leading the charge, the Tigers certainly will be a threat to take down any team that crosses their path come playoff time.
“That’s the goal — learn from your exhibition games, try to get better, and hopefully we get a home game [in the first round],” Miller said. “We’ve got to take care of business the next two weeks, but it gives us time to improve before the playoffs.”
FORT CHERRY OUTLASTS BISHOP CANEVIN
For the second year in a row, Class 1A No. 1 Fort Cherry and Class 1A No. 3 Bishop Canevin staged an epic battle at Dormont Stadium to decide the Black Hills Conference champion, and once again it was the Rangers (8-0, 5-0) who emerged victorious, 49-34. After scoring seven touchdowns in a 48-41 win a year ago over the Crusaders (5-2, 3-1), Fort Cherry phenom Matt Sieg accounted for six TDs (1 passing, 5 rushing) while rushing for 208 yards in the win. With the Rangers trailing in the fourth quarter, 34-28, senior Shane Cornali returned an interception for a go-ahead touchdown, then Sieg ran for two more scores to polish off the victory.
ELLWOOD CITY’S STORYBOOK SEASON CONTINUES
Senior tailback Elijah Palmer-McCane rushed for 148 yards on 26 carries — giving him an even 1,000 yards rushing on the year — and Chris Smiley punched in a go-ahead 1-yard TD midway through the fourth quarter to help Class 2A No. 3 Ellwood City survive a scare and keep its perfect record intact with a 13-9 road win against Riverside (4-4, 3-2). Now two wins away from completing an unbeaten regular season, the Wolverines (7-0, 5-0) have won their first seven games for the first time in 80 years.
IMANI CHRISTIAN DISMANTLES DEER LAKES
Few teams can lay claim to a resume as impressive as Class 3A No. 1 Imani Christian, which steamrolled another top-five foe with a 48-0 home win over Class 3A No. 5 Deer Lakes (6-2, 3-1). Star sophomore Gabe Jenkins delivered another dazzling performance for the Saints (8-0, 4-0), rushing for 256 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 carries while senior quarterback Steve Vandiver completed 17-of-20 attempts for 240 yards and 2 TDs. Imani outgained the Lancers by nearly 500 yards (568-93) en route to posting its fourth shutout of the season.
PETERS TOWNSHIP POURS IT ON AGAINST SOUTH FAYETTE
Defending WPIAL Class 5A champion Peters Township didn’t have much time to pout after losing its perfect record Sept. 27 against Upper St. Clair. After rallying to a hard-fought win over Moon last week, the Class 5A No. 4 Indians cruised past South Fayette (6-2, 1-2) for a 38-3 victory in a crucial Allegheny Six Conference clash. Junior quarterback Nolan DiLucia put his dual-threat abilities on full display for Peters Township (7-1, 2-1), completing 15-of-20 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown to go with 9 carries for 108 yards and a score.
SOUTHMORELAND ROLLS PAST MOUNT PLEASANT
In a matchup of two teams vying for the Class 3A Interstate Conference title, Southmoreland ventured into enemy territory and took home a 28-7 win at rival Mount Pleasant (4-4, 2-1). Freshman sensation Anthony Smith continued his breakout campaign for the Scotties (7-1, 3-0), completing 16-of-28 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Elliot Premus caught five passes for 52 yards and a TD while rushing for another score, and Makel Darnell hauled in four receptions for 116 yards and a TD.
UPPER ST. CLAIR BEATS BETHEL PARK IN BATTLE OF UNBEATENS
For the third week in a row, Class 5A No. 1 Upper St. Clair took down an undefeated conference rival thanks to another outstanding defensive performance. This time, the Panthers escaped with a 14-10 triumph at Class 5A No. 3 Bethel Park (7-1, 2-1), which entered the evening with the WPIAL’s top-ranked offense at an average of 51 points per game. Ethan Hellmann fired a game-winning touchdown pass to Charlie Bywalksi with 48 seconds remaining to lift Upper St. Clair (8-0, 3-0) to the dramatic rivalry win.
CLAIRTON’S SCORELESS STREAK SNAPPED IN WIN OVER LEECHBURG
After posting six consecutive shutouts without allowing a point on defense all season, Class 1A No. 2 Clairton finally gave up its first defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter of a one-sided 44-7 rout at Class 1A No. 4 Leechburg (7-1, 4-1). The Bears entered Friday’s contest with only 7.0 points allowed, which came on a fumble return in a season-opening 30-7 win over Steel Valley. Dion Pompey opened the scoring with a 60-yard pick-6 and Drahcir Jones ran for two touchdowns to lead Clairton (8-0, 5-0) to victory against the Blue Devils.
PENN HILLS OUTLASTS MT. LEBANON
In one of the most entertaining games of the night, Naytel Mitchell and Martel Palmer helped propel Penn Hills to a 42-34 non-conference win against visiting Mt. Lebanon. Mitchell carried the ball 29 times for 182 yards and 3 TDs, and Palmer caught 8 passes for 103 yards and two scores for the Indians (4-4). Despite the loss, Pat Smith had a career game for the Blue Devils (1-7), completing 15-of-24 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 213 yards and 3 TDs.
NESHANNOCK NIPS SOUTH SIDE
In a battle for first place in the Class 1A Big 7 Conference, Neshannock came from behind to defeat South Side, 21-19, on Jino Mozzocio’s 21-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter. Mozzocio rushed for 114 yards and 3 TDs on 23 carries for the Lancers (7-1, 4-0), while A.C. Corfield led the way for the Rams (5-2, 3-1) with 133 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
PUP BITES
- The Big East Conference rivalry between Woodland Hills and Gateway didn’t disappoint, as the Wolverines held off the Gators’ furious fourth-quarter rally for a nail-biting 28-27 victory. Gateway scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes, but Woodland Hills blocked what would have been the game-tying extra point to seal the win.
- Ky’mone Brown was like money in the bank for Jeannette in an action-packed, 42-41 win at Brentwood. Brown completed 21-of-32 passes for 343 yards and 4 touchdowns while rushing for 2 more scores, cashing in the game-winning 2-yard TD run and 2-point conversion with eight seconds remaining.
- It has been a disappointing season for Serra Catholic, but senior wideout De’reon Washington has been one of the few bright spots for the Eagles. In a 33-7 win against Chartiers-Houston, Washington caught 8 passes for 170 yards and 3 TDs.
THREE STARS
*** — Tasso Whipple, Penn-Trafford. One week after overtaking Cade Yacamelli for fifth place on Penn-Trafford’s career rushing leaderboard, the standout senior with the old-school style ran for 90 yards and 2 TDs in a 26-10 win over Franklin Regional to surpass 3,000 yards for his career.
** — Eric Doerue, South Park. A tough-as-nails running back who doubles as an outstanding linebacker, Doerue eclipsed 4,000 yards rushing for his career with 192 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 33-0 win against Ligonier Valley.
* — Nico Mauro, Trinity. Mauro turned in one of the top individual performances of the year for the Hillers in a 49-21 win at Chartiers Valley, rushing for 353 yards and 5 TDs on 28 carries.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
Class 6A
Quad-County Conference
Central Catholic 59, Norwin 13
North Allegheny 38, Canon-McMillan 6
Seneca Valley 27, Hempfield 15
Class 5A
Allegheny Six Conference
Moon 55, Baldwin 26
Peters Township 38, South Fayette 3
Upper St. Clair 14, Bethel Park 10
Big East Conference
Kiski Area 21, Armstrong 14
Penn-Trafford 26, Franklin Regional 10
Woodland Hills 28, Gateway 27
Northeast Conference
North Hills 28, Shaler 10
Plum 49, Fox Chapel 10
Class 4A
Big Six Conference
Belle Vernon 47, Laurel Highlands 10
Trinity 49, Chartiers Valley 21
Greater Allegheny Conference
Knoch 38, Hampton 14
McKeesport 28, Mars 7
West Mifflin 44, Indiana 0
Parkway Conference
Aliquippa 48, Blackhawk 13
Montour 47, Ambridge 13
West Allegheny 32, New Castle 8
Class 3A
Allegheny 7 Conference
East Allegheny 41, Valley 26
Imani Christian 48, Deer Lakes 0
Highlands 61, Burrell 0
Interstate Conference
Elizabeth Forward 45, Yough 7
Greensburg Salem 28, Derry 0
Southmoreland 28, Mount Pleasant 7
Western Hills Conference
Avonworth 41, McGuffey 13
Beaver 48, North Catholic 10
Central Valley 52, Quaker Valley 20
Class 2A
Allegheny Conference
South Allegheny 41, Apollo-Ridge 29
South Park 33, Ligonier Valley 0
Steel Valley 42, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 7
Century Conference
Carlynton 40, Sto-Rox 0
Keystone Oaks 27, Waynesburg 7
Washington 41, Charleroi 6
Midwestern Conference
Ellwood City 13, Riverside 9
New Brighton 34, Beaver Falls 22
Union 36, Freedom 23
Class 1A
Big 7 Conference
Laurel 28, Shenango 14
Neshannock 21, South Side 19
Black Hills Conference
Fort Cherry 49, Bishop Canevin 34
Monessen 34, Burgettstown 17
Serra Catholic 33, Chartiers-Houston 7
Eastern Conference
Clairton 44, Leechburg 7
Greensburg C.C. 51, Springdale 0
Jeannette 42, Brentwood 41
Tri-County South Conference
California 48, West Greene 14
Carmichaels 19, Avella 6
Jefferson-Morgan 44, Bentworth 12
City League
Westinghouse 43, University Prep 6
Non Conference
Cornell 40, Rochester 22
Freeport 35, Hopewell 25
Meyersdale 42, Brownsville 8
Penn Hills 42, Mt. Lebanon 34
Northern Garrett, Md., 58, Uniontown 6
Pine-Richland 42, Latrobe 0
Redbank Valley 42, Brashear 7
University, W.Va., 31, Connellsville 13
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
