Mt. Lebanon tackles Central Catholic in conference opener
Conference action in Class 6A of the WPIAL commences on Sept. 12 and Mt. Lebanon couldn’t have picked a tougher opponent to host than Central Catholic at 7 p.m.
The Vikings are favored to win their 10th WPIAL title in program history this autumn. They boast one of the biggest offensive lines, averaging 6-feet-6, 285 pounds with all positions having Power 4 offers, including juniors Jimmy Kalis and James Halter.
Additionally, linebacker Colsen Gatten is headed to Duke and defensive end Ashton Blatt is a North Carolina commit.
And don’t forget about Roman Thompson. A PIAA bronze medalist at 215 pounds in wrestling last winter, the senior running back, who is also a middle linebacker on defense, scored three touchdowns and rushed for 130 yards in Central’s 34-20 win against Pine Richland on Aug. 29.
“Roman is an impressive football player on both sides,” said Lebo head coach Greg Perry.
“Looking at Central Catholic, they don’t have any weaknesses and have plenty of depth. They have a dozen kids with D1 offers so the task is monumental.”
Perry noted that LaSalle College made the Vikings “look human” in the season opener, a 26-3 Central loss, but they “came back strong” against Pine-Richland, which he predicts should win the Class 5A championship.
Lebo, meanwhile, started the season by falling to Upper St. Clair, 35-14, and Penn-Trafford, 26-18. In the loss to the Warriors, Patrick Smith rushed for 276 yards and passed for 115 more on 10 completions. He scored all three of Lebo’s touchdowns, two in the final quarter.
Lebo’s strategy against the Vikings is simple but not easy to implement.
“We need to try and control the ball and move the sticks to keep their offense off the field. Easier said than done,” Perry said.
Perry also noted the advantage Central Catholic has had in creating a dominant program in the WPIAL.
“They have done a good job of bringing in some really good players the past few years and built a quality roster which most of us can’t do. They are solid, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.”
HAMPTON AT USC
After opening the season with back-to-back routs of Class 6A opponents, Mt. Lebanon and Canon-McMillan, as well as a visit to Franklin Regional on Sept 5 (results unavailable at presstime), Upper St. Clair returns home to Panthers Stadium to host Hampton at 7 p.m. Sept. 12.
Though it’s another non-conference clash, the contest is an important one for the future of the USC football program because it’s youth night.
“We want to make sure we entertain the young people in our community with sound football on both sides of the ball,” said USC coach Mike Junko.
The Panthers had done that to date.
“We have done a good job in the early going of getting fast starts,” Junko said. “We need to continue to get stops on defense and allow our offense to operate with positive field position.”
There were plenty of positives in USC’s 48-0 victory against Canon-McMillan.
Ethan Hellmann completed 14 of 18 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns, a pair of 45- and 68-yard strikes to Drew Sanderson and a 19-yard aerial to Logan Lapinski.
Dante Coury and Josh Snyder rushed for touchdowns and Jacobo Echeverria kicked four field goals, ranging from 23 to 39 yards. Nico D’Orazio, who had three receptions for 60 yards on offense, picked off the lone pass in the game while John Banbury spearheaded the defense with eight solo tackles.
One negative was the loss of Kenny Davis to a knee injury. A senior, Davis had replaced Reese Pirain at tackle on the offensive line after he suffered an ACL tear and was lost for the season. Jamie Gardner moved into the position and played much of the game against the Big Macs.
“Losing Kenny was tough, especially after having lost Reese, but Jamie did a nice job for us,” Junko said. “He’s a senior. He’s been around a long time. So next man up. We’ve got to figure it out and stay healthy.”
In Hampton, the Panthers face an opponent with its own pedigree. The Talbots are coached by Steve Sciullo. A Shaler High School Hall of Fame linemen, he started 52 consecutive games at Marshall University before being selected in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. An offensive lineman, he also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers. After retiring in 2007, he started working in the Hampton Township School District. He became the head football coach in 2022.
“Hampton has a great coach and a group of kids that play hard for him,” Junko said.
Last fall, USC defeated Hampton, 62-7. Despite the lopsided victory, Junko said he was “impressed” with how hard the Talbots played as well as with the community’s support.
“Hampton is a proud program that has a great foundation in Coach Sciullo,” he said.
CV at BALDWIN
Chartiers Valley visits Baldwin on Sept. 12.
The Colts are coming off a thrilling overtime win against West Allegheny, 29-28.
Owen Weagraff led the way in the triumph. Filling in for the injured Luke Miranda, Weagraff passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
“Owen did a very nice job,” said CV skipper Steve Spence. “He’s an outstanding athlete, a baseball player and he has sharp intelligence.”
Weagraff completed back-to-back scoring strikes to Julius Best then connected with Damien Holloway for the decisive two-point conversion that ended the game. Earlier, Weagraff hooked up with Justin Terhune for CV’s first score.
Tayshawn Lewis had the second touchdown on a 22-yard scoring run.
Spence was pleased with his team’s fortitude and ability to battle back from a 14-0 halftime deficit.
“This was the first time this season we really dug deep and found what it meant to play hard and physical,” he said. “We hung tough. West-A is well coached and physical and we matched that physicality. This game showed our players that we can compete physically with teams we play down the road.”
The win marked the first triumph for Spence in his position as CV head coach.
“It’s nice to get that first W,” admitted Spence, “but the thing is I’m really happy for the coaches, school, community and especially the players and seniors. They deserved it and earned it every step of the way. They put the work in and they have been committed.”
While the focus is on the Highlanders this Friday, the Colts will not deviate from their plan for turning the program around under Spence.
“There is a ton of work to do and a lot of areas to improve but we can build on the West-A win,” he said. “We made mistakes and things need to be corrected but we are making progress.
“It’s the little steps you take, the doing the little things right that lead to success. Every week we preach to our guys about getting better. We are in a position to take nothing for granted.”
PT AT TRINITY
After hosting Mt. Lebanon on Sept. 5 (results unavailable at presstime), Peters Township travels to Trinity for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 12.
The Indians are rolling behind Nolan DiLucia and their vaunted defense. The combination led to a 35-0 shutout against highly regarded McKeesport.
A Villanova recruit, DiLucia completed 15 of 18 passes for 212 yards and a pair of scoring strikes to Lucas Rost, measuring 8 and 14 yards. Rost finished with four receptions for 45 yards.
Reston Lehman ignited the Indians with a Pick-6 in the second quarter. He rambled 54 yards into the end zone after the interception. He had a second interception that set up Cole Neupaver’s 2-yard scamper into the end zone that gave the Indians a 21-0 halftime advantage.
Mark Ripepi also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown for the Indians.
BP AT WEST MIFFLIN
Bethel Park looks to recover from a 17-13 loss to Mars when the Black Hawks travel to West Mifflin on Sept. 12.
In the loss to the Planets, William Sabatos returned a fumble 12 yards for BP’s lone touchdown. Xavier Jackson kicked field goals of 29 and 21 yards for the Black Hawks.
Dom DeBasi and Liam Corcoran rushed for touchdowns and Ethan Kresinski had a Pick 6 for 35 yards to account for Mars scores. Colin Yurisinec rushed for 176 yards for the Planets.
South Fayette hosts Elizabeth-Forward at 7 p.m. Sept. 12.
The Lions previously scored a 35-27 win against Shaler.
Drew Welhorsky rushed for 169 yards. He tossed a 14-yard scoring strike to Alex Deanes.
Bo Stover scored twice on runs of 6 and 2 yards.
Special teams played a key role in the triumph. Aayden Wright managed two kickoff returns for touchdowns of 92 and 90 yards. Jayden Conrad also returned a fumble 22 yards for another SF score.