Trib HSSN Player of the Week for Nov. 8, 2020

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, November 8, 2020 | 5:22 PM

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When Josh Hough became a big part of the Beaver Falls offense as a sophomore in 2018, people looked at his name and didn’t know if it rhymed with rough or rogue.

Now that he has made a name for himself as a big bruising running back, it is Hough as in rough and tough.

But the beauty of the Syracuse recruit’s game is he just doesn’t bowl you over, but he can run past you, as well.

“I tell everyone that he just gets all this recognition for being one of the top big backs in the country, but his athleticism is underrated,” Beaver Falls coach Nick Nardone said. “He showed that again on Friday. When he gets through holes and makes guys miss and then outruns them at his size, he is very impressive to me.”

Hough ran through and around Apollo-Ridge defenders to the tune of 368 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 50-27 triumph in a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Friday.

“Our entire team has been cranked up the last few weeks,” Nardone said. “It’s the playoffs, and these guys are all hungry for a championship.”

Hough was the Tigers’ leading rusher last year with 1,273 yards in 11 games. After Friday’s performance, the senior running back has 1,816 yards in nine games with 26 touchdowns.

“I think a huge credit needs to go to our offensive line,” Nardone said. “Those guys have made huge strides this season and have opened up some big holes for Josh and the rest of the running backs. Josh worked hard this offseason. He worked on his speed and cutting ability, and I think his vision has improved also.”

Against previously unbeaten Apollo-Ridge, Beaver Falls hit on some early passes before the Tigers turned to the run and grounded out the 23-point victory.

Beaver Falls junior quarterback Jaren Brickner was 6 of 13 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown.

“Throwing the ball is always a part of the gameplan,” Nardone said. “Jaren is a great quarterback, and we know he has the ability to make big plays in the passing game and our wide receivers are very dangerous. When we needed them to step up and make big plays for us Friday, they did.”

The amazing thing about Beaver Falls’ 9-0 season is they are doing it with a young team. Besides Hough, the Tigers only have four other seniors.

“All of our seniors stepped up their leadership roles this year,” Nardone said. “This is one of the best groups of seniors I’ve ever had at Beaver Falls. They all do a tremendous job of holding their teammates accountable and making sure the team is focused on doing their job to win.”

Beaver Falls has reached the WPIAL title game for the fifth time in the last 20 years with runner-up finishes in 2001, ’07 and ’08 and a district championship in 2016.

The top-seeded Tigers will battle third-seeded Sto-Rox in the Class 2A title game at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“They are an extremely dangerous and athletic team,” Nardone said. “Well-coached and precise at what they do. They will be a huge challenge for our team.”

WPIAL Week 9 honorable mentions

Eli Jochem, Pine-Richland

We have given a lot of love in this section to Pine-Richland quarterback Cole Spencer, and rightly so. He had another huge night Friday with 338 passing yards with three touchdown passes and two scoring runs.

However, this time the love goes to his top target. Senior wide receiver Eli Jochem caught eight passes for 193 yards and touchdowns of 10 and 46-yards.

For the season, Jochem has 43 catches for 938 yards and 17 touchdowns. His latest efforts led the Rams to a 49-14 win over Penn-Trafford and a berth in the WPIAL Class 5A title game.

Andrew Massucci, Peters Township

This honorable mention has as much to do with what Massucci did on the football field on Friday as well as what he did on the football pitch this past week.

On Friday, Massucci kicked three extra points, including the winning point after a Logan Pfeuffer-to-Corban Hondru touchdown pass with 4 seconds left to lift the Indians into a second straight Class 5A title game appearance with a 21-20 thriller over Gateway.

Massucci also scored both goals Wednesday, including the winner in double overtime to lead the Peters Township soccer team to a 2-1 win over Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals.

Jonte Sanders, Clairton

The last couple of weeks, we have acknowledged one of the top running backs in the WPIAL in Clairton senior Dontae Sanders.

Now we tip our cap to his cousin Jonte after the senior quarterback’s performance in a semifinals win over Shenango.

Sanders threw for 169 yards on seven completions and two touchdowns, plus he rushed for 132 yards and a score as the defending champion Bears beat the Wildcats, 55-16.

2020 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 8 – Logan Harmon, Apollo-Ridge

Week 7 – Dontae Sanders, Clairton

Week 6 – Ethan Dahlem, Upper St. Clair

Week 5 – Jaedan Zuzak, California

Week 4 – RaShawn Reid, Rochester

Week 3 – Ryan Hubner, Plum

Week 2 – Logan Shrubb, Keystone Oaks

Week 1 – Devin Whitlock, Belle Vernon

Tags: Beaver Falls