Full slate of football on tap Friday
While some schools, mostly the largest in classification, started the season last week, the 2016 high school football campaign commences with a full slate of games scheduled in the WPIAL. Area teams, indeed, are ready for some football Friday, Sept. 2.
“We are ready,” Keystone Oaks coach Greg Perry said enthusiastically. “The kids are ready. They have been in school for a full week, and they have adjusted to their normal routine. So we are ready to go when the lights go on.”
The halogens warm up at 7 p.m. as the Golden Eagles travel to New Kensington to take on Valley in the Allegheny Conference opener. KO prepared for this Class 3-A clash with two pre-season scrimmages, the most recent against Bishop Canevin, which is expected to challenge for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Crusaders have a big test at Clairton at 7 p.m. Sept. 2.
Against the Crusaders, who boasted talents such as Austin Scott (1,056 yards passing and 10 TDs) and Maliek Hemingway (548 yards rushing and 108 yards in receptions), the Golden Eagles flexed their muscles particularly from the skill slots, too. Keystone Oaks boasts Alex Smith at quarterback, Nick Hrivnak and Dylan Knorr at wideouts as well as Devin Thomas, Dylan Holland and Dan Black in the backfield. Smith passed for 2,027 yards and 14 touchdowns last fall, while Hrivnak hauled in 37 receptions for 584 yards and Knorr hauled in 33 aerials for 497 yards. Each scored five TDs.
“Our skill players are where we want them to be,” Perry said after training camp broke. “Our line has held up, too. We had questions about the O- and D-lines, but they are all doing well.
“And,” Perry added, “everybody is healthy. That’s one benefit to not playing a game in Week 0. You are healthy and that’s a big plus going into Friday night.”
Against Valley, the Golden Eagles face a club that finished 5-4 in 2015.
“They return a lot of linemen that are thick and burly. Valley runs a Pro-style offense, preferring to run the ball as opposed to spread it out,” explained Perry. “We want to get their offense off the field by playing tough defense. We can’t let them control the pace of the game. We want to get our offense out there and put points on the board.”
Bethel Park
Bethel Park, meanwhile, faces the same obstacles and maintains the same objectives as the Golden Eagles when they travel to Wexford for a 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2 game with North Allegheny. The non-conference clash pits two of the top teams in the newly created 6-A classification.
The Hawks compete in the Southeastern Conference with teams such as Mt. Lebanon, Canon-McMillan, Peters Township, Altoona, Norwin and Hempfield while the Tigers battle in the Northern Seven league with Central Catholic, Shaler, Butler, Seneca Valley, Penn Hills and Pine-Richland. North Allegheny boasts one of the most successful athletic programs in the WPIAL. The Tigers have won three of the last six WPIAL Quad-A football championships.
“They have a great program,” acknowledged BP skipper Jeff Metheny. “Artie (Walker) does a nice job over there. NA is a big challenge,” Metheny added.
While the Tigers opened the season with a 30-29 loss to Olentangy Liberty from Ohio, the Hawks did not play a game in Week 0 of the season. Unlike other 6-A teams, the Hawks scrimmaged Beaver Falls on a steamy Saturday afternoon at Geneva College.
“Not playing a first game puts us behind the eight ball, but we do have the advantage of seeing them on film and we are all healthy going into this game,” Metheny said.
“Plus, maybe not this week, but later in September, you do get one or two of those really hot nights for football, so this prepared us for that. I think we are in good shape heading into this game. The kids are positive and working hard. We are definitely in a place where we want the team to be.”
While the Hawks continue to break in Cole Rogers at the quarterback slot, they will rely on speedy backs such as Terron Murphy, who rushed for 1,225 yards and averaged 8.4 yards per carry in 2015.
“We have talent. We have speed. But,” Metheny injected. “we are a work in progress.”
How well the Hawks progress against the Tigers will depend on several factors.
“They want to speed things up and we want to slow it down,” Metheny explained. “If we move the chains, that will help us. We want to control the clock. But the more their quarterback has the ball in his hands, the more dangerous they are.”
Because of numbers, NA is dangerous. Metheny said the Tigers outnumber the Hawks, 2-1.
“They have 100 guys and we just have 50. So it’s a numbers thing,” he said. “We can’t let them make it a track meet. We are not made to do that.”
The Hawks, however, were created to compete. Regardless of unfavorable odds, BP has always found a way to be competitive against every opponent. Metheny said that is because his teams are fundamentally sound and they are exposed to good coaching. Plus, the Hawks don’t typically turn the ball over. As a result, Metheny said, “We usually are in most games and we have a chance to win.”
In the end, he added, “It all comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes and who has the best players. That’s who usually wins.
“We have the ‘X’ factor, though, in speed, and we are capable of making big plays. We have to turn that into our advantage.”
Mt. Lebanon
The Blue Devils (1-0) will attempt to take advantage of cooler temperatures when they host Pine-Richland (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2. The event is scheduled also as Military Appreciation Night.
“It will feel like a fall evening,” said Lebo’s Mike Melnyk of temperatures projected to be in the high 50s by kickoff. “It should be a great setting in Western Pennsylvania for a football game. We are hoping to get a great turnout to honor our servicemen, present and past.”
The past weekend, Lebo prepped for Pine-Richland, which is ranked No. 2 in Class 6-A, by exhausting Fox Chapel, 44-13. The game against the Foxes was played under hot and humid conditions for a late-August night.
In the triumph, David Harvey rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns. James Stocker completed 14 of 23 passes for 166 yards and a 16-yard TD strike to Patrick Moeller, who caught six aerials for 56 yards. Additionally, Emmanuel Komolafe rushed for a 10-yard score, Mason Ventrone returned a fumble for a 22-yard TD, and Garrett Montilla kicked three field goals and converted five extra points.
“I was pleased with our overall team effort,” Melnyk said. “We were solid in all three phases of the game.
“James (Stocker) had a very solid first game, but we expected that from James, and he will continue to get better weekly. David (Harvey) led our rushing, but Emmanuel (Komolafe) and Tony LaSota were also effective. We had great effort from our receivers, with several having multiple catches. Edgar (Parrilla), Garrett (Montilla) and Mason (Ventrone) all had an impact in the special teams.”
In the Rams, however, Lebo faces the challenge of containing Phil Jurkovec, as well as contending with Max Carrigan.
While Carrigan is a 6-7, 250-pound offensive lineman who recently committed to the University of Pittsburgh, Jurkovec is just a junior who is already committed to Notre Dame. Jurkovec completed 20 of 31 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 108 more yards and another score in Pine-Richland’s opening-season loss to St. Edward of Ohio, 28-27. The game was televised on ESPN.
“I don’t think you can shut down their QB, you just have to try and limit his big plays,” said Melnyk.
“Pine Richland will provide a whole different level of competition,” Melnyk continued. “This will give us an early gauge of where we are and what we need to work on.”
Seton-La Salle
During training camp, Seton-La Salle worked on many things that have now prepared the Rebels and their new head coach, Rob Carter, for their Allegheny Conference opener against Shady Side Academy. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
“Camp was great,” said Carter, who had been a SLS assistant coach since 1998. “We tested the boys both mentally and physically. Obviously, we didn’t stay as healthy as we wanted too, but this is a physical game played by tough young men. The boys took care of their bodies and worked hard to be in a position physically to play this great game. I could not be more proud of this team and how they have handled the last few weeks.”
This week, the Rebels’ assignment is to handle the Panthers. Carter anticipates they will be as anxious as SLS to embark on the 2016 season.
“Shady Side Academy will be a great first test,” Carter said. “Coach Havern will have his team ready and coached up. We have played them in years past, so we are somewhat familiar. The Rebel boys need to play their game and play together. Be unselfish and work as a team. If we do that, everything else should work out alright.”
Carter expects a battle up front in the trenches, and the victory will go to the team that wins that fray. Additionally, he noted how each club has a fair distribution of talented athletes. However, ultimately, the Rebels must fulfill these keys.
“We must be able to run the ball, control the tempo and play physical defense. We need to play within ourselves and not think we are Superman.”
South Fayette
Although they have moved up two classifications to 4-A, the Lions started the season proving they just might be the super men in the Northwest Nine. After beating Central Valley, 28-17, the Lions host Mars at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 in the conference opener. The Planets are a traditional Wing-T style football team that consistently makes a run in the playoffs. In fact, the Planets lost to Central Valley in last year’s Class AAA semifinal game.
Offensively, Mars boasts Max Chizmar, who has multiple scholarship offers, as well as Isaiah Thomas in the backfield. Zachary Kramm anchors the offensive line.
“Mars has three tremendous running backs who all touch the ball,” said SF coach Joe Rossi. “Max is a big bruiser of a back and Isaiah is a speedster. Kramm is one of the best lineman. On defense, they fly at the ball.”
Drew Saxton leads the Lions on offense. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 259 yards and one score against Central Valley. While Noah Plake caught seven passes for 105 yards, Dan Trimbur hauled in five aerials for 96 yards.
Defensively, Alex Minford led with 11 tackles and a sack. Thayer Phillips and Plack each had seven takedowns. Ray Eldridge, Andrew Gedrys and Luke Meindl collected six tackles.
PT edges CV
TJ Plack’s debut as Peters Township head coach was a success, as he guided the Indians to victory, 21-13, against Chartiers Valley in Week 0 of the season.
TJ Kpan rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns of 20 and nine yards to lead the offensive attack. Defensively, Drew Blon picked off a pass and returned the miscue into a 76-yard touchdown. Blon also recovered a fumble. Al Calfo registered five sacks.
“(Calfo’s) a program player and an animal in the weight room,” Plack said. “We liked what we saw on the film when we came here and saw he is a heck of a football player.”
The Indians will travel to Seneca Valley for a non-conference contest at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2, while the Colts look to regroup with a visit to Hampton in the Allegheny Nine Conference opener.
In the loss to Peters Township, CV played well on special teams. Collin Eger recovered two fumbles, and Bret Hicks pounced on another. Offensively, Steven Alauzen caught a 43-yard TD strike from Reed Bruggeman, and Connor Barrett rushed for a 3-yard score. Zach Thomas kicked an extra point.
Canon-McMillan
After thumping Kiski, 42-22, the Big Macs embark on Southeastern Conference action when they travel to Hempfield for a 7 p.m. kickoff Sept. 2.
In the win against the Cavaliers, Jordan Casteilli completed 16 passes for 269 yards. Rahaiere Knight hauled in six of those aerials for 156 yards. Knight caught TD passes of 60 and 58 yards. He also returned a kickoff for a 96-yard score. Doug Kotar caught a 32-yard TD strike. Greyden Piechnick had a 48-yard pick for a score.