Oct 6, 2015 By Eleanor Bailey 7 min read

How important is South Fayette’s football game against Steel Valley this Friday?

So significant that Joe Rossi requested two things from fans. In an email detailing the squad’s entire schedule for the week, he has instructed the Lion faithful to set the DVR on Root Sports as the game will be broadcast live, beginning at 7:30 p.m. And, sport those school colors.

“A green and white crowd will be much needed,” Rossi said, “as Munhall is a tough place to play.”

And, the Ironmen are sure to make it tough for the defending WPIAL and state champions as they attempt to stretch their winning streak to 38 games. Steel Valley, like the Lions, are 5-0 overall this season, but 4-0 in the Century Conference.

“Steel Valley is playing extremely well,” said Rossi. “Not only are they undefeated, they return many players from last year’s playoff team.”

Plus, the Ironmen boast Dwayne Murray. He has rushed for 453 yards on 46 attempts for a 9.85-yard average and eight scores this season.

“(Murray) is one of the best players in the WPIAL,” said Rossi. “He is a Division 1 tailback who will pose a great challenge to our defense.”

The Lions have multiple weapons that pose threats to opposing teams. They exhibited many of them during their 62-14 pummeling of Carlynton last week.

Hunter Hayes romped for touchdowns of 36 and 30 yards while Johnny Beck and Geavonie Love rushed for other scores of 20 and 30 yards. Drew Saxton tossed touchdown passes of 22, 21 and 21 yards to Dan Trimbur, Nick Ponikvar and Camron Garland.

Hayes has 415 yards rushing this season for an 11.86-yard average and six scores. Saxton has completed 41 of 53 passes for 650 yards and 13 scores.

But the Lions have sparkled on the defense and special teams. Against the Cougars, Shafique Patterson returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. Ben Coyne recovered a fumble for a 5-yard score. Dom Malosh returned an interception 26 yards for another TD.

So another such effort is required of the Lions, who have outscored opponents, 268-41, because the Ironmen have only allowed 34 points this season.

“On defense,” Rossi said. “Steel Valley is fast and athletic. They blitz often and they have great cover personnel.”

Carlynton at KO

Four is the magic number for Keystone Oaks this week as the Golden Eagles attempt to stretch their winning streak and improve their overall record, too, when they host winless Carlynton at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at Dormont Stadium.

“Carlynton is struggling. Their numbers are down and that has contributed to their bad run, but they will be hungry to get a win,” said KO coach Greg Perry.

“We know that but we are trying to get No. 4. If we get it, the win will help us get into the playoffs, a place we haven’t been in a while. It would be nice to get in there because the playoffs are a big part of western Pennsylvania football.”

The Golden Eagles experienced what is was like to win big under the Friday Night Lights when they toppled South Allegheny, 61-23, last week to improve to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the Century Conference.

In the triumph, Alex Smith submitted his third straight 300-plus game yardage-wise passing. He completed 21 of 27 aerials for 346 yards to go over the 1,000-yard mark. He stands at 1,262 for the season. Smith also tossed four scoring strikes of 53, 7, 8 and 45 yards to Dylan Knorr, Leo Palmer and Shayne Farrell.

“When you have a kid behind center that can pull the trigger, that takes time to get used to,” said Perry. “Alex is growing and learning and we are progressing and doing well,” Perry added of the system he employed at Seton-La Salle when he developed quarterbacks like Bruce Gradkowski. “The offense is quarterback and wide-receiver friendly. The kids are enjoying it.”

Palmer certainly did against the Gladiators. He had eight receptions for 136 yards. He leads KO with 24 grabs for 382 yards while Nick Hrivnack follows with 22 catches for 314 yards.

On the ground, Stephen Kazalas-Kelley rolled up 160 yards against SA. He has 444 for the season and seven scores, including three against the Gladiators.

While Smith and Palmer also rushed for touchdowns, Brendan Forrester returned a kickoff 90 yards to complete KO’s scoring.

“We are taking care of what we need to do,” Perry said. “We are taking care of the teams we need to take care of. The kids are playing well and things are going well for us right now.”

SLS at E-Allegheny

After routing Sto-Rox, 46-8, to improve to 4-1 overall in the Century Conference, Seton-La Salle travels to East Allegheny (1-4).

In the Rebels’ win against the Vikings, Nolan Abbiatici completed 7 of 12 passes for 162 yards and three scores. Lionel Deanes caught a TD aerial of 69 yards and rushed for three scores of 40, 15 and 2 yards. Paris Ford caught a 35-yard scoring strike. Liam Sweeney also had a 22-yard TD reception and two extra points. Matt Banbury also contributed to the scoring with a 7-yard TD run.

USC at Baldwin

The Panthers (2-3, 2-2) look to snap a three-game losing streak when they travel to Baldwin (1-4, 0-3) for a Southeastern Conference fray at 7:30 p.m.

Last week, USC faltered against top-ranked Woodland Hills, 35-7. The Panthers trailed, 14-7, at halftime. In the loss, Thomas Vissman rushed for 103 yards and the lone score, a 1-yard TD. Kevin Chrissis grabbed five passes for 78 yards.

Woodland Hills at C-M

The Wolverines travel to Canonsburg to take on Canon-McMillan, which snapped a 17-game losing streak with a 21-0 win against Fox Chapel last week.

For the Big Macs, Dom Eannace starred, completing 11 of 18 aerials for 164 yards. Jordan Smith was his top target with five receptions for 102 yards and a 56-yard touchdown. Bryan Milligan accounted for the other two touchdowns on runs of 1 and 31 yards. Milligan finished with 147 yards rushing.

Other games

After Bishop Canevin defeated Chartiers-Houston, 26-17, in Black Hills Conference action, the teams take on quite different opponents this week. The Crusaders will host Avonworth, which is undefeated and ranked No. 3 in Class AA, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at Dormont Stadium, while the Buccaneers face winless Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Friday, Oct. 9.

In their win against C-H, the Crusaders took advantage of Austin Scott’s fine showing behind center. He completed 6 of 9 passes for 109 yards. He also rushed for two 1-yard scores. Sean Fitzgerald caught four of those aerials for 102 yards, including an 80-yard score. Donovan Leckie caught a 19-yard touchdown that helped Canevin erase a 17-12 deficit in the fourth quarter.

For the Bucs, Ty Wormsley rushed for a 41-yard touchdown. Mike Cushma kicked the extra points and a 23-yard field goal. Plus, Ethan Shober hauled in a 32-yard scoring strike from T.J. Johnston.

Finally, Peters Township will visit Penn Hills for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Oct. 9. The Indians are 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the Southeastern Conference after their loss to Mt. Lebanon.

Chartiers Valley (3-2, 3-1) looks to recover from its 34-0 loss to Bethel Park when it returns to Parkway Conference action on Oct. 10. The Colts travel to Moon (1-4, 1-3) for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

After beating the Colts, BP head coach Jeff Metheny said, “Their kids played well. CV is a most improved team and Niel (Loebig) is doing nice things over there. They have some good players.”