Mt. Lebanon has guard up against Altoona
Aidan Cain fends off a Canon-McMillan tackler after making a big gain on a pass reception. The Mt. Lebanon senior had two TD receptions in a 24-17 win against the Blue Devils. In the game, Cain had nine receptions for 210 yards. For the season, he has 50 receptions for 869 yards and eight touchdowns
Coleman Coco celebrates after making a sack during Mt. Lebanon’s 24-17 win against Canon-McMillan.
Coleman Coco makes a tackle for a loss during Mt. Lebanon’s 24-17 win against Canon-McMillan.
After escaping Canonsburg with a 24-17 victory over Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon (3-1, 2-0) must make sure it doesn’t let its guard down when traveling to Altoona (1-3, 0-2) for its next football game. The Blue Devils take on the Mountain Lions at 7 p.m. Sept. 22.
“A team like Altoona is going to beat a good team this year,” said Lebo skipper Mike Melnyk, “and we are determined to make sure it is not us.”
A “hard” week of practice will assure a positive result, adds Melnyk.
In preparing for the Mountain Lions, the Blue Devils must compensate for mounting injuries. Both of their cornerbacks were “hobbled” in the game against the Big Macs. Plus, Lebo is focused on limiting other disruptions, such as the long road trip.
” Altoona is difficult because it forces your kids to deal with a bunch of distractions, so we will try to minimize those. My biggest concern is the health of some of our players. We continue to lose guys. So we are trying to take care of our guys.”
After a short rehab for a knee injury, James Stocker took care of leading the Blue Devils to victory against the Big Macs. The senior signal caller, who threw for more than 2,000 yards as a junior, completed 14 of 23 passes for 248 yards against Canon-Mac. He hooked up with Aidan Cain for two touchdowns, a 73-yard bomb for the game’s first score and a 51-yard toss.
“Stocker is getting back to his old self,” Melnyk said. “He had to knock some of the rust off after missing several weeks.”
Melnyk added that the Blue Devils are still “very comfortable” with Seth Morgan at QB if needed. The junior, who has thrown for more than 800 yards this season, led Lebo on “one nice drive” that resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Bart Barcic.
The contest with the Big Macs was a seesaw battle determined in the final minutes when Mike Palmer intercepted a pass on its own 9-yard line with 1:19 to play. Additionally, Coleman Coco, a Colgate recruit, came up with key sacks to thwart other C-M drives.
“Obviously,” Melnyk said. “I was glad to see Palmer get underneath one of their deep balls and make that pick to end the game. Coleman always plays hard,” Melnyk continued. “He has a great passion for the game.”
So did the Big Macs, who did not relent and took advantage of every opportunity the Blue Devils presented. Tre Lewis completed 20 of 28 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns to Greyden Piechnick, who had seven grabs for 92 yards. Josh Byers also contributed a 28-yard field goal.
With each game, Cain continues to improve for the Blue Devils. He had nine receptions for 210 yards. For the season, he has 50 receptions for 869 yards and eight touchdowns. Additionally, MaxPreps has him ranked No. 1 nationally among high school football leaders for receiving yards.
Lebo also continues to establish its ground game. Antonio LaSota rushed for 113 yards and scored once against the Big Macs on a 5-yard run.
PT vs. Hempfield
After a long journey to Altoona resulted in a 35-7 triumph, Peters Township (3-1, 1-1) aims to continue its historic season when the Indians host Hempfield (1-3, 0-2) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22. This is the first time since 2012 that the Indians have opened with wins in three of its first four games.
Jake Cortes leads the charges. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns to Josh Casilli. Additionally, Adrian Williams rushed for 108 yards and two scores. Ryan Magiske also ran for a 6-yard TD for the Indians.