Football teams taking it one game at a time
Eli Grape (No. 50) led the Upper St. Clair defense with 12 tackles and a fumble recover during the season-opening win against North Hills.
Up for grabs is this pass as USC receivers Dom Cepullio (No. 34) and Kahlil Jackson (No. 10) battle a pair of North Hills defenders for possession.
Jack Burton breaks a tackle and rambles for big yardage during Upper St. C lair's win against North Hills.
The adage “one game at a time” rings true for all coaches, even Jim Render, who recorded his 385th career victory when Upper St. Clair defeated North Hills, 28-7, in the Allegheny Nine Conference football opener.
“Well, you know that I’m a coach, right?” Render replied to a television announcer’s inquiry after the triumph. “I’m not going to say we are going to skip ahead. We are playing Moon (this week) and we are preparing for them.”
After handling the Indians, USC appears to be prepared to entertain the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9. The Tigers are coming off a 35-0 loss to Armstrong in their season opener.
The Tigers will have their hands full attempting to contain USC’s rushing attack. When Thomas Vissman suffered a bruise to his lower limb after scoring the Panthers’ first touchdown, USC tapped its depth at tailback. Jack Burton led all rushers with 82 yards on seven carries. Plus, he scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard romp with 1:42 left in the second stanza. Blake Kadar added a 15-yard score with 11:52 to play.
“Every coach in the world wants depth, and we do have talented running backs,” said Render. “We have guys who can carry the ball and want to carry the ball. If you have Secretariat in the barn, you got to run him. If you have more than one horse, like we do, then we’re going to run them.”
And if you put 11 players in the box to stop the rush, then the Panthers are going to hurt you with the pass. They did that on their final score, when Jack Hansberry hooked up with Jackson Geisler for a 31-yard TD aerial. “I got tired of us getting beat up so we threw one more pass,” Render explained.
Actually, the Panthers did not tire. They excelled on defense and special teams. Eli Grape recovered a fumble, and Matt Kissinger intercepted a pass that set up a score.
“Eli played well on defense,” Render said. “Burton did a good job on both sides of the ball. We got positive yards on that fullback trap. And Kissinger has been a big addition after being out last year and come back this season.”
Whether the opener indicates success down the road, Render is unsure but he is certain the contest revealed USC’s tenacity and fortitude. He was uncertain how the team would respond because North Hills had a game under its belt while the Panthers had scrimmaged, using its starters for only two quarters.
“It may be hard and too early to gauge where we are,” Render said, “but I was proud of the fact that we played hard for four quarters. I asked them to battle. We made a lot of mistakes but we certainly battled for four quarters. We played tough.”
PT at BP
Jeff Metheny could say the same about his Black Hawks as Bethel Park (0-1) gave No. 4 North Allegheny (1-1) all it could handle before succumbing, 21-14, in a non-conference game. Christian Frazier and Jeremy Lazzari rushed for 18- and 2-yard TDs for the Hawks. Shawn Halligan kicked the extra points.
“North Allegheny was a quality opponent that wins a lot of games,” said Metheny. “We have to clean up some stuff and our young guys need to continue to get experience and grow. But, I was pleased with our toughness and how we hung in there.”
The Hawks are going to have to summon that same energy and effort when they host Peters Township (1-1) in their Southeastern Conference opener at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9. The Indians are coming off a 48-24 loss to Seneca Valley.
“The key to the game will be the guys up front and how well they improve,” Metheny said. “We need to control the football because Peters has a dangerous offense. TJ (Plack) does a nice job over there.”
Jake Cortes operates the offense. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 153 yards in the loss to the Raiders. He tossed TD strikes of 65 yards each to Alan Snyder and Josh Casilli. Raegan Lawlor converted the extra points as well as a 17-yard field goal.
While the Hawks need to get their ground game in gear – they rushed for only 80 yards against NA – Cole Rogers has the air attack in sync. The senior, who had limited playing experience coming into the season, having backed up a four-year starter, completed 11 of 17 attempts for 174 yards against the Tigers.
“Cole did a some nice things. He made some nice runs and some nice throws,” said Metheny. “He doesn’t have that much game experience but he is doing well. Our running game has just got to get better. Our skill guys need to get the ball.”
Carlynton at KO
Alex Smith is getting the ball into the hands of his skill guys and, as a result, Keystone Oaks is off to 1-0 start after dispatching Valley, 42-20, in the Allegheny Conference opener. The senior signal caller connected on 14 of 18 aerials for 200 yards and two scoring strikes. Smith also rushed for a 71-yard touchdown.
Nick Hrivnak pulled in five catches for 56 yards, and Dylan Knorr made four grabs, including one for a 6-yard score. Knorr also rushed 12 yards for a touchdown. Michael Daure had a 33-yard TD reception. Joey Tortorella returned an interception 33 yards for another score, while Devin Thomas returned a kickoff 80 yards for another TD.
“We spread it around pretty good on offense,” said KO coach Greg Perry. “Defensively, Dan Black and Joey (Tortorella) played very well. Overall, we played pretty well but we have a lot to clean up to get where we need to be.”
The Golden Eagles have a week to get there as they host Carlynton in a non-conference contest before returning to league play against Deer Lakes.
“The first game is out of the way so that is good,” Perry said. “Against Carlynton, we need to come out and play better so to set the tone and game momentum. They have some big linemen, so we need to be prepared because we have a big matchup the following week with Deer Lakes. We are healthy, so that’s a bonus,” he added.
Lebo at Hempfield
Despite losing to Pine-Richland and heralded quarterback Phil Jurkovec, 42-31, Mt. Lebanon emerged from defeat with a pretty big bonus of its own. The Blue Devils discovered they could play with anybody, even a team that boasts a Notre Dame recruit in Jurkovec, who is just a junior.
“We found out a lot about our team,” said Mike Melnyk. “You always wonder how good you really are and we found out that we are pretty good. Now the question is, how good do we want to be? What are we willing to do to get better and take the next step? It is a journey that unfolds week to week.”
This week, Lebo commences its journey toward a conference championship. The Blue Devils tackle undefeated Hempfield. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in Westmoreland County.
“Hempfield is 2-0, playing good football and playing at home,” Melnyk said. “We will have a target on our back but we will be prepared, clean up the mistakes form the Pine game and continue to get better. We will need to have a great week of practice and develop some consistency to pull out a big win in our conference opener.”
Lebo almost pulled off a victory against Pine-Richland. Even though Jurkovec passed for 351 yards, he did not secure the win until he rushed for back-to-back touchdowns of 8 and 24 yards in the final quarter.
In the loss, Lebo again demonstrated balance and versatility. James Stocker completed 12 aerials for 190 yards. Jack Young, who hauled in a 26-yard scoring strike, had seven receptions for 172 yards. David Harvey rushed for 101 yards and one score. He also tossed a TD pass of 11 yards to Edgar Parilla, staking Lebo to a 7-0 lead. Garrett Montilla kicked the extra points as well as a 27-yard field goal.
“I was pleased with our physicality and determination to come back when it seemed the game was slipping away,” Melnyk said of the Pine-Richland game. “We showed great character.”
Penn Hills at C-M
Canon-McMillan suffered a setback when the Big Macs dropped their Southeastern Conference opener to Hempfield, 35-12. Despite dominant individual efforts, the Big Macs slipped to 1-1 overall. Anthony Sacco rushed for 210 yards. Jordan Castelli completed 13 of 21 passes for 184 yards. Dog Kotar hauled in six aerials for 133 yards. Sacco rushed for a 1-yard score and Kotar caught a 48-yard TD strike from Castelli.
The Big Macs will host Penn Hills at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in a non-conference game.
SF at Ambridge
South Fayette looks to run its record to 3-0 when the Lions travel to Ambridge for a Northwest Nine Conference game set for 7 p.m. Sept. 9. The Lions are coming off a win against Mars, 35-14.
In the victory, Drew Saxton completed 15 of 24 passes for 190 yards and four touchdowns. Dan Trimbur caught two scoring strikes of 5 and 14 yards while Cameron Garland and Noah Plack added 14- and 7-yard touchdowns. Geavonie Love rushed for 105 yards.
Latrobe at CV
Chartiers Valley overcame a 16-0 halftime deficit and defeated Hampton, 24-16, in Allegheny Nine Conference action. The Colts now host Latrobe at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in a non-conference contest.
In the win, Steven Alauzen rushed for scores of 85, 9 and 10 yards in the second half. He finished with 160 yards on 16 carries. The Colts also took advantage of a safety, a two-point conversion run by Alauzen and the kicking of Derek Glausser, who accounted for the other extra points.
Valley at SLS
The Rebels outgunned Shady Side Academy, 44-35, giving Rob Carter his first victory as Seton-La Salle head coach.
In the triumph, Lionel Deanes rolled up 287 yards rushing, while Matt Banbury completed six passes for 143 yards. Deanes put an end to a see-saw game, which was tied at 7, 14 and 28, before he rambled for scores of 17 and 60 yards. SLS also capped the game with a safety, and Nolan Abbiatici caught an 86-yard scoring strike from Banbury. Cullen Vereb kicked the extra points for the Rebels, who will host Valley at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in another Allegheny Conference contest.
Canevin
The Crusaders dropped their Eastern Conference opener, 58-8, to Clairton. Tyrese Jennings caught an 11-yard pass from Brian DeSchon and Maleik Hemingway rushed for the conversion to account for Canevin’s only points.
C-H at Bentworth
Chartiers-Houston looks to recover from a 59-14 loss to Jeannette when the Buccaneers visit Bentworth on Sept. 9.
In the loss to the Jayhawks, T.J. Johnston tossed 17 passes for 241 yards. Jordan Davis had five of those grabs for 70 yards. The Bucs took a 14-0 lead in the game when A.J. Myers and Davis caught TD strikes from Johnston.