Quad-A football round-up
Thomas Vissman rushes for yardage during Upper St. Clair’s 21-14 loss to Bethel Park. The sophomore is the team’s leading running back with 250 yards on 43 carries for a 5.8-yard average. Vissman leads the Panthers into battle Sept. 19 against North Allegheny.
Doug Wagner stretches to make a reception against Bethel Park. Wagner’s 60-yard reception helped set up USC’s first score in a 21-14 loss to the Hawks. Wagner is USC’s second-leading receiver behind Andrew Bartusiak. Bartusiak has nine grabs for 169 yards; Wagner, seven catches for 154 yards.
The Blue Devils celebrated little their 54-14 victory over Baldwin because coming up this Friday is another important fray. Mt. Lebanon (3-0) travels to Penn Hills (2-1, 2-0) to battle the Indians for first place in the Southeastern Conference. The two teams are tied for the top slot with Woodland Hills, who are 3-0 overall and second-ranked in the WPIAL.
“Every week is a key game in this conference,” said Lebo head coach Mike Melnyk. “No matter who you play, a big win one week can turn into a huge disappointment the next. Our preparation is the same for everyone and our focus this week is squarely on Penn Hills.”
The Indians, who are coming off a non-conference loss, 35-14, against Central Valley, the No. 3-ranked team in Class AAA, are led by Te’Shan Campbell with six touchdowns and a near seven-yard average per carry, quarterback Billy Kisner, who is a dual threat to run or pass, and Isaiah Jones, who is averaging 13 yards a carry.
“Penn Hills is physical up front, experienced and fast at the skill positions,” said Melnyk.
In facing Baldwin, Lebo faced its share of skilled players. Doug Altavilla completed 15 of 29 passes for 174. His brother, Nick, hauled in six of those aerials for 103 yards and a 62-yard touchdown.
However, the Blue Devils dispatched the Highlanders because of their ‘relentless, physical’ play. The offensive line of Matt Hoffman, Chris Lippert, Matt Christman, Evan Averberg-Johnson and Paul Grattan excelled protecting Eddie Jenkins and carving out holes through which Joey Stabile ran. Stabile rushed for 198 yards and a six-yard TD. “He had a great week in practice and worked on making the right cuts. This week,” Melnyk continued, “Stabile made the right cuts a lot.”
Jenkins made the right reads a lot. The junior signal caller completed 17 of 24 aerials for 239 yards and four TDs. Jenkins also rambled 46 yards for another Lebo score.
Nick Tommasi caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns of 40 and 27 yards. Shane Lefever and Alex Englert also caught scoring strikes of 16 and 41 yards.
Rob Costantino converted 32- and 41-yard field goals as well as six extra points. Plus, David Harvey also ran for a two-yard score.
Melnyk said that he was pleased with the Blue Devils’ effort because for the first time this season they faced some adversity. “We stayed focused,” he said. “We continued to play physical and relentless football.”
Another such performance will be required to beat the Indians on their home turf. Melnyk says the keys to the game will be mistakes, turnovers and big plays. “We need to eliminate all of them.”
Bethel Park at Canon-McMillan
After a dramatic victory against Upper St. Clair, the Hawks prepare for their visit to Canonsburg. They face the Big Macs, who are coming off a 27-14 loss to Peters Township in Southeastern Conference action. Despite C-M’s winless record, the Hawks plan to be on their game.
“In this conference, you cannot take anybody for granted,” said BP running back Alex Minton, who rushed for over 200 yards against USC. “[Canon-Mac] has shown it can play. We treat them the same way as we have prepared for anybody else.”
It’s a different approach for the Hawks, says Minton, because the Big Macs have new offensive coaches and schemes. “It’s a whole new system,” he said. “We were used to defending their old schemes so we have to adjust. If we play great team defense, then we will be okay.”
For some spans against Peters Township, the Big Macs were okay. There were bright spots in their 13-point loss.
In his first start at running back, Brennen Handyside rushed for 106 yards on 20 carries. His runs set up two scores, a 19-yard scoring pass from quarterback Dom Eannace to Ahmad Morris Walker and an 18-yard strike to Jordan Smith that made it 21-14 in the third quarter. For the Big Macs, who had scored just seven points total in their first two games, also benefited from an interception by Dylan Dzikowski and 106 yards in penalties accessed to their opponent.
“Handyside has worked hard,” said C-M coach Ron Coder. “We knew he could get in there and maybe hide behind our line.”
The Hawks have been successful because of the play of their linemen: James Gmiter, Marc Dunlap, Josh Sosnak, Chris Pauley and Sean Davis. In addition to Minton rushing for 205 yards, quarterback Levi Metheny threw for 146 yards. He completed nine of 13 passes, two for touchdowns to Charlie Davis in the first half. Metheny connected with Jake Lewis for the game-winning score, a 14-yard strike, with 52.3 seconds to play. Metheny rushed for the two-point conversion.
USC at North Allegheny
The Panthers look to recover from their 21-14 loss to Bethel Park when they travel to North Allegheny for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Sept. 19 for a non-conference contest. The Tigers are 1-2 overall after their 28-7 loss to Central Catholic last week.
In the loss to the Hawks, USC overcame a 13-0 halftime deficit and surged ahead, 14-13, with two, third-quarter scores. Gunnar Lund and Marcus Galie rushed for five- and one-yard touchdowns. Max Herold kicked the extra points. For the game, Dan Trocano completed nine passes for 179 yards, his longest completion going for 60 yards to Doug Wagner. On the year, Trocano is 25 of 40 for 462 yards and three scores. Thomas Vissman leads the ground game with 250 yards on 43 carries for a 5.8-yard average.
Jesse Slinger led the defense. He recorded 12 tackles and recovered a fumble that triggered USC’s first score. Mike Krenn also pounced on a fumble. He finished with nine tackles while Blake Kadar and Sean Parker had eight tackles each. Slinger, Parker and Kadar are USC’s top tacklers so far this season while Ryan Harkleroad leads the squad in sacks.
New Castle at Peters Township
After beating Canon-McMillan, 27-14, for its first Southeastern Conference victory, the Indians host the winless Hurricanes in a non-league contest.
In the win over the Big Macs, Cory Owen completed 8 of 14 passes for 202 yards. He ran for two scores of 13 and 2 yards and threw for another touchdown, a 14-yard strike to Tim Swoope as the Indians built a 21-0 lead. Swoope finished with six catches for 158 yards, including a 52-yard double-pass that set up PT’s third straight score. T.J. Kpan also rushed for a 5-yard score in the victory, which was also PT’s first of the season.
“Every time Cory gets the ball, he makes something happen,” said PT head coach Rich Piccinini. “Swoope can do everything. He can catch, he can run, we can turn to him when we need a play.”