A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 2

By: Michael Love
Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 5:45 PM

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Class 5A nonconference

Franklin Regional (0-1, 0-1) vs. Fox Chapel (0-1, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel Stadium, Fox Chapel

Both teams are coming off big losses to two of the top teams in Class 5A – Franklin Regional fell 41-7 to Gateway and Fox Chapel dropped a 53-7 decision to Pine-Richland. Pass defense was not good for either team as each gave up five touchdown passes. … Franklin Regional got a touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Brncic to Jeff Downs, while Fox Chapel’s score came on a 45-yard hook up from Justin Rice to Colin Kwiatkowski. Both coaches will find out a lot about their teams.

Kiski Area (0-0, 0-0) at Connellsville (0-1, 0-1)

7 p.m. Monday, Falcon Stadium, Connellsville

The Cavaliers will be making their season debut. They had to postpone last week’s scheduled opener against Penn Hills after reporting the identification of coronavirus exposure. … Senior Kenny Blake is a cornerstone of the Kiski Area offense. In seven games last year, the running back tallied 980 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 168 carries. The Cavaliers hope to make the WPIAL playoffs for the third consecutive year. … Connellsville is hoping to bounce back defensively from last week’s 60-20 loss to Woodland Hills. Senior dual-threat quarterback Gage Gillott paced the Falcons with touchdown runs of 3 and 18 yards and a scoring strike to junior Josh Marietta. Connellsville also features 1,000-yard rusher in senior Ky’ron Craggette.

Class 4A greater allegheny

Indiana (0-1, 0-1) at Plum (1-0, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Plum Mustangs Stadium, Plum

Plum made a successful season and Class 4A debut last Friday with a 36-13 victory at Greensburg Salem. Indiana hopes for better fortunes after a 21-7 loss at Armstrong. The Mustangs and Little Indians meet for the first time since the opening week of the 2009 season. Plum won that game, 26-6, and went on to qualify for the WPIAL Quad-A playoffs. … Freshman Eryck Moore made his varsity debut for the Mustangs and rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Plum was as balanced as a team can be with 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing against Greensburg-Salem. … Indiana finished with 272 yards of offense against Armstrong, all of it on the ground. Junior Devin Flint led the Indians with 117 yards and his team’s lone touchdown.

Knoch (0-1, 0-1) vs. Greensburg Salem (0-1, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Offutt Field, Greensburg

These teams haven’t meet since 2015 when both were in the Greater Allegheny Conference. Greensburg Salem has spent the past four seasons in the Big Eight. The Golden Lions need one victory to reach historic 700. Both teams dropped their conference openers – Knoch to Highlands, 39-7, and Greensburg Salem to Plum, 36-13. … J.J. Szebatskie, who moved from running back to quarterback this season, scored the Knights’ only touchdown. … Greensburg Salem running back Alex Briggs, who rushed for 621 yards as a junior, scored a touchdown and quarterback Hayden Teska tossed a 50-yard score to Cody Rubrecht.

Class 3A allegheny

Derry (0-1, 0-1) at Deer Lakes (0-1, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Lancers Stadium, West Deer Township

Both the Trojans and Lancers are seeking their first win of the season. Derry hopes to bounce back from last Friday’s 55-7 loss to Class 3A No. 2 North Catholic, while Deer Lakes looks to get on track after a 29-7 setback to rival Freeport. … Derry is under the tutelage of first-year coach and Trojans alum Vince Skillings, who played at Ohio State and was a 1981 NFL draft pick. Nick Detore threw 48 yards to Hunter Wack for Derry’s lone score against North Catholic. … Deer Lakes freshman Derek Burk made his varsity debut against the Yellowjackets and threw for 158 yards. Senior Bruce Allman added 32 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Lancers. … Derry scored a 42-0 win over Deer Lakes last year and won 37-0 in 2018.

Burrell (1-0, 1-0) at East Allegheny (1-0, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Churchman Stadium, North Versailles

Friday’s game originally was to be played at Burrell’s Buccaneers Stadium but was switched to East Allegheny. Burrell’s field turf and track replacement project at the stadium is not done. … Burrell’s 22-13 win over rival Valley on Friday was its 16th in 41 all-time matchups between the teams. Known for its wide-open passing game, the Bucs got in some ground work Friday with Caden DiCaprio carrying the ball 30 times for 166 yards and a 14-yard touchdown. Quarterback Alex Arledge added 125 yards and a touchdown in the win, and AJ Corrado caught five passes for 109 yards and the receiving TD. … East Allegheny had no trouble with Brownsville last week. QB John DiNapoli accounted for three scores, throwing for 125 yards and two touchdowns and adding a 5-yard TD run. … The teams last met in 2017 with East Allegheny taking the nonconference matchup 27-6. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 15-9-1.

Valley (0-1, 0-1) at No. 2 North Catholic (1-0, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars

The teams are playing for the first time since 1997. Valley leads the all-time series 8-6. … Valley battled into the fourth quarter with Burrell last Friday before falling 22-13. The Vikings got touchdown runs from Justin Hooper and Adisun Jackson. Cayden Quinn led the Valley offense with 90 passing yards, while Elijah Murray tallied five catches for 69 receiving yards. … North Catholic QB Joey Pernice paced his offense in last Friday’s 55-7 rout of Derry, going 9 of 13 for 218 yards and four touchdowns. He added 114 rushing yards and two scores. The Trojans have won 14 straight conference games dating to a 27-0 loss to Derry in Week 4 in 2018.

Class A eastern

No. 1 Clairton (1-0, 1-0) at Leechburg (1-0, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Veterans Memorial Stadium, Leechburg

The early-season lead in the conference is on the line as the Bears and Blue Devils hope to keep their momentum going. The Blue Devils are 0-25-1 against the Bears all-time with a 6-6 tie in 1992. … Leechburg quarterback Dylan Cook delivered in last Friday’s 55-37 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic. He accounted for 342 total yards of offense and three touchdowns. … Clairton edged Eastern Conference rival Jeannette, 34-28, in Week 1 behind senior running back Dontae Sanders, who tallied 209 yards and three touchdowns. The defending WPIAL Class A champions have won 171 games the past 12 seasons, the best total in the district.

Springdale (1-0, 1-0) at Bishop Canevin (1-0, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Dormont Stadium, Dormont

A share of the top spot in the early-season conference standings is on the line. Springdale won last year’s meeting, 41-6. The Dynamos and Crusaders split the last four meetings in the series since the PIAA went to six classifications for the 2016 season. … Springdale rolled past rival Riverview, 41-7, last Friday as Logan Dexter caught a touchdown pass and ran for another, Legend Ausk threw for 116 yards and two scores, and Cavin Kindler added 100 rushing yards on 11 carries. … Bishop Canevin is under the direction of first-year coach Richard Johnson, an assistant at Baldwin the past two seasons. The Crusaders finished 1-9 overall last year and are 7-23 the past three years. They kicked off the 2020 season with an 18-12 win over Imani Christian. The team’s passing (Willie Banks), receiving (Xavier Nelson) and rushing (Keyshawn Harris) leaders all returned from last season.

No. 3 Jeannette (0-1, 0-1) at Riverview (0-1, 0-1)

Noon Saturday, Riverside Park, Oakmont

Jeannette gave top-ranked Clairton all it could handle before falling, 34-28. The loss was exhausting but may have revealed the Jayhawks’ offensive newfound identity with freshman quarterback Brad Birch throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns, including two to senior James Sanders, who had eight catches for 152 yards. Sanders also intercepted a pass. Fourteen penalties plagued Jeannette, particularly pre-snap whistles. Emilio Huerta, Eli Binakonsky and Ryan Kimmel played well on defense in the loss. … Riverview allowed rival Springdale to build a commanding halftime lead and fell, 41-7. Michael Lewis pulled in a late touchdown pass from Ryan Abel, a bright spot for the Raiders. Logan Dexter scored three times for the Dynamos and Legend Ausk passed for 116 yards.

Nonconference

Apollo-Ridge (1-0, 1-0) at Freeport (1-0, 1-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, Sarver

The Vikings and Yellowjackets meet for the 41st time and first time since 2017 when both were members of the Class 3A Allegheny Conference. Freeport leads the all-time series 33-7. Freeport won the 2017 meeting, 49-7, avenging a 36-7 loss to Apollo-Ridge one year earlier. … The Yellowjackets, who started 0-3 the past two seasons, opened their season with a 39-7 win over Deer Lakes. Sophomore Zach Clark completed 11 of 13 passes for 142 yards, sophomore Ben Lane caught a touchdown and ran for another, and junior Cole Charlton picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown. … Apollo-Ridge’s potent offense racked up 360 yards of total offense in dispatching WPIAL newcomer Ligonier Valley, 44-7. The defense surrendered just 183 total yards. The Vikings featured three senior performers. Jake Fello threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns, Klay Fitzroy caught seven passes for 128 yards and two scores, and Logan Harmon had 14 carries for 116 yards and a TD.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Bishop Canevin, Burrell, Clairton, Connellsville, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Indiana, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Mars, North Catholic, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley