Road trips on tap for football teams
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Matt Nguyen (12) celebrates with Ezra Heidenreich (10) after pulling in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Michael Malone for the decisive score in Mt. Lebanon’s 20-17 win over Moon. Heidenreich scored the team’s first TD on an 80-yard reception in the first frame.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mt. Lebanon quarterback Michael Malone (1) drops back to pass while getting protection from his lineman Lukas Bovino during a 20-17 victory against Moon. Malone passed for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Fred LaSota (4) follows his blockers Maddox Metzger (75), Benjamin Taback (50) and Connor Young (55) downfield for a big gain during Mt. Lebanon’s 20-17 win against Moon. LaSota picked up 113 yards rushing, 82 of them coming on a touchdown for the Blue Devils.
Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, South Fayette and Chartiers Valley take to the road for their football clashes on Sept. 22.
The Blackhawks don’t have to travel far as they visit rival Baldwin at 7 p.m. in their conference opener.
BP is well prepared as they have battled three Class 6A teams, including powerhouse Central Catholic, in the past three weeks. In that outing against the Vikings, who are the top-ranked team in the district and feature five power-5 conference football recruits, the Hawks tumbled, 62-46. They trailed, 62-20, at halftime.
BP’s veterans, however, put in solid work.
Tanner Pfeuffer completed 13 of 22 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for one score.
Ryan Petras, a baseball commit to Northwestern, hauled in six receptions for 114 yards and one score, a 37-yard pass from Pfeuffer.
Mitch Paschl (52) and Jack Bruckner (24) also pulled in scoring strikes from Pfeuffer.
Ja Vaughn Moore rushed for 51- and 5-yard touchdowns while David Dennison contributed a 13-yard scoring run. Moore rushed for a pair of 2-point conversions.
Mt. Lebanon heads to Seneca Valley for a conference clash. The Blue Devils opened league action against Central Catholic on Sept. 15.
The Blue Devils were 3-0 heading into the game after edging Moon, 20-17, in non-conference action.
In the win over the Tigers, Michael Malone threw for 184 yards. He tossed two touchdown aerials, including the game-winner to Matt Nguyen in the fourth quarter. Ezra Heidenreich pulled in an 80-yard TD from Malone to initial the scoring in the first quarter.
Fred LaSota scored on an 82-yard run and finished with 113 yards rushing. Ben McAuley kicked two extra points.
South Fayette is headed to Canonsburg for a non-conference confrontation with Canon-McMillan. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Sept. 22.
The Lions are coming off their conference opener with Peters Township as well as disappointing loss, 42-35, to rival Montour in a non-league game Sept. 8. The Lions led, 35-18, before surrendering the final 24 points of the game.
Jake Wolfe singlehandedly did in the Lions. He racked up 443 yards of total offense – 273 yards on 17 completed passes and 170 yards on 29 rushes.
In the loss, Nico Lamonde completed 22 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Gimigliano was Lamonde’s primary target, pulling in seven passes for 85 yards and a pair of TDs.
Nate Deanes led the ground attack. He rolled up 123 rushing yards and a 57-yard touchdown.
Finally, Chartiers Valley battles Blackhawk in Parkway Conference action at 7 p.m. The Colts have started the season with three losses, including a 35-15 defeat at Highlands on Sept. 8.