A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 6

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | 7:20 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Class 5A Northeast

Penn Hills (3-3, 1-1) at Fox Chapel (0-6, 0-2)

7 p.m. Friday, James Burk Complex, O’Hara Township

The Indians hope to shake off a two-game losing skid. Quarterback Julian Dugger is a veteran presence for the Indians. He has thrown for 706 yards, rushed for 329 more and accounted for seven total touchdowns (six passing, one rushing). Junior Amir Key leads the Penn Hills rushing attack with 765 yards on 116 carries and has 11 total touchdowns. … Fox Chapel was not able to get untracked last Friday in a 38-6 loss to North Hills. Junior quarterback Ben DeMotte got the Foxes on the board in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run. It was his first rushing score of the season. Penn Hills leads the all-time series 15-1. The only Fox Chapel victory came in 1997, 22-14.

Class 4A Greater Allegheny

Kiski Area (0-6, 0-3) at Mars (4-2, 1-1)

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

The injury bug has struck the Cavaliers through the first six weeks as several starters have been lost. Kiski Area recorded its highest point total of the season last Friday but was not able to overcome Indiana in a 47-28 final. . … Mars hopes to bounce back from last week’s 54-22 loss at Highlands. The Planets had won two in a row by a combined 88-7 over Indiana and Moon. Sophomore Eric Kasperowicz Jr., the son of first-year Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz, is 67 of 116 for 757 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions through six games. The all-time series between Kiski and Mars is tied 3-3.

Class 3A Allegheny 6

Shady Side Academy (1-4, 0-1) vs. Knoch (0-6, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Deer Lakes’ Lancers Stadium, West Deer Township

The teams will meet for the first time. Shady Side Academy led Freeport in the fourth quarter last Friday before the Yellowjackets rallied for a 12-7 victory. Max Wickland connected with Cam Malloy on a 50-yard touchdown for the Bulldogs’ lone score. The Bulldogs have averaged 20.2 points scored a game and have given up 19.6. … Knoch came very close to its first win of the season last week, but Deer Lakes prevailed 37-36. Junior Aidan Jones threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns in relief of starting signal-caller Cody Mullen, who left the game with injury in the first quarter. Coach Tim Burchett said Tuesday that Mullen, a sophomore, is recovering and will be day-to-day leading up to Friday’s game. Knoch will celebrate homecoming at Deer Lakes on Friday as renovations continue on its home field.

Class 2A Allegheny

Deer Lakes (3-3, 1-0) at Valley (1-5, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Valley High Memorial Stadium

The Lancers held on for a one-point victory, 37-36, at home against Knoch last Friday. Junior Derek Burk threw for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns to fellow junior Aiden Fletcher (3 catches, 91 yards). Deer Lakes averages 21.8 points through six games and has allowed 19.5. … Valley was not able to build on its first win of the season two weeks ago and fell to East Allegheny, 38-14, last Friday. Valley has dominated the all-time series, winning 17 of the 19 games played. The Lancers won a low-scoring game last year, 6-0, and the Vikings shut out Deer Lakes, 34-0, in 2020.

Imani Christian (2-4, 0-3) at Apollo-Ridge (3-3, 1-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Owens Field, Apollo

Apollo-Ridge ran into a buzz saw last week in a 42-7 loss at Class 2A No. 1 Steel Valley (5-0). The Vikings hope to keep pace in the conference playoff race. They are tied with Yough for fifth in the standings behind Steel Valley (3-0), Serra Catholic (3-0), Burrell (2-1) and Ligonier Valley (2-1). Senior Nick Curci was limited to 21 rushing yards on 16 carries against the Ironmen. He leads the team with 12 rushing TDs. Apollo-Ridge was held to 134 yards of total offense, well under its 318 yards-per-game average. … Imani Christian is one of two teams in the conference (Derry) still without a conference win. Freshman Dave Davis leads the way for Imani. He scored rushing touchdowns of 30, 1 and 10 yards against Burrell last week and went over the 700-yard mark for the season. This is the first meeting between Imani and Apollo-Ridge.

Ligonier Valley (4-2, 2-1) at Burrell (5-1, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Buccaneers Stadium, Lower Burrell

The Rams bounced back from a loss to No. 1 Steel Valley to defeat Yough, 48-14. Burrell has won consecutive games since falling to Serra Catholic, defeating Yough (42-6) and Imani Christian (41-30). This could be a battle for a WPIAL playoff berth. … Ligonier Valley’s Nick Lonas rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and John Jablunovsky chipped in with 105 yards and a touchdown against Yough. Quarterback Broderick Schreyer completed 4 of 7 passes from 75 yards and two touchdowns to James Pleskovitch. Burrell runs the ball almost exclusively and Dylan Beattie rushed for 298 yards and six touchdowns for the Bucs in their high-scoring affair against Imani Christian.

Class A Eastern

5-Leechburg (4-2, 2-1) at Jeannette (2-4, 2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, McKee Stadium, Jeannette

Leechburg is known for its high-scoring offense (49.8 points per game), but the Blue Devils have allowed just 54 points, the second fewest in Class A. Their losses are to 2A Apollo-Ridge (34-28) and Clairton (20-13). Braylan Lovelace, a Pitt recruit at linebacker, ran for 192 yards and six touchdowns last week in the win over Frazier. … Jeannette picked up its second win as it rolled past Riverview, 38-6. Noah Sanders had 199 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, while Payton Molter threw for 192 yards and four TDs, two to Sanders and two to Kymone Brown. This is the fourth of five home games for the Jayhawks, who are tied for first with Greensburg Central Catholic.

Springdale (0-6, 0-2) at Clairton (2-4, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Neil Brown Stadium, Clairton

Springdale returns to conference play this week after a 48-13 loss at Union last Friday. he Dynamos avoided a shutout with a pair of fourth quarter rushing touchdowns from junior quarterback Chase Weihrauch and junior running back Noah Bradley. Weihrauch returned to the starting lineup two weeks ago against Greensburg Central Catholic after recovering from injury. The Dynamos totaled 152 yards, all on the ground, against Union. … Clairton dropped out of the Trib HSSN Class A top five with its 34-18 setback to Greensburg Central Catholic last Friday. Clairton started the season 0-3. Senior Capone Jones is a multi-faceted offensive threat for the Bears. Against GCC, he scored on a 7-yard run and also thew a 12-yard pass for a TD to Donte Wright. The Bears own the second-most WPIAL football titles in WPIAL history with 14. Aliquippa leads the way with 18. Clairton leads the all-time series with Springdale, 30-3. The last Springdale win was in the 2007 WPIAL Class A semifinals, 22-21.

Nonconference

Highlands (6-0) at Woodland Hills (3-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Wolvarena, Turtle Creek

Highlands is 6-0 for the first time in eight seasons. The Golden Rams, up one spot to No. 4 in this week’s Trib HSSN WPIAL Class 4A rankings, made another statement last Friday with a 54-22 home victory over Mars in Greater Allegheny Conference play. Highlands is one of just 10 teams out of all six WPIAL classifications that remain undefeated. … Woodland Hills hopes to bounce back from last week’s 28-21 loss to Shaler. The Wolverines had won two straight, shutting out North Hills and Norwin. Junior Brandon Jones paced the Woodland Hills offense against Shaler with 106 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. It was his first touchdown of the season. Freshman Cameron Walter added a touchdown pass. Highlands and Woodland Hills will meet for the first time.

South Fayette (3-3) at Plum (3-3)

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

This is the first meeting between the schools. South Fayette snapped a two-game losing streak with a dominating 49-14 victory over Moon last Friday. The Lions’ offense has been balanced with 962 yards and nine touchdowns through the air and another 855 yards and 10 scores on the ground. Four running backs have at least 140 rushing yards. Junior Nate Deans leads the way with five touchdown runs. South Fayette coach Joe Rossi is a former coach at Riverview. He is 177-69 all-time as a head coach. … Plum was on its way to a victory last Friday against Franklin Regional before the Panthers rallied from a 21-7 deficit to win 31-28. Senior Eryck Moore rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, giving him 802 yards and nine rush TDs through six games. Sophomore Darian Nelson hauled in a TD pass from junior Sean Franzi.

Summit Academy (1-5, 0-3) at Riverview (2-4, 1-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Riverside Park in Oakmont

The Raiders will host their annual night game at Riverside Park. It also will be homecoming. The Raiders’ lone win last year was under the lights at Riverside Park, 42-12 over Imani Christian. Riverview will try to bounce back from a 38-6 loss to Jeannette last week. Junior Carlo Buzzatto finished the game with 13 carries for 101 yards, and he recorded 10 tackles on defense. Buzzatto, for the season, has 60 carries for a team-best 414 yards and three scores. … Summit Academy’s only win this season came in Week 2 at Springdale, 18-14. It has suffered four shutouts in six games, including the past two weeks by a combined 82-0 against Northgate and South Side. Summit Academy went 0-10 last year in its return to the football field after its 2020 season was canceled over covid concerns.

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, Burrell, Clairton, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Highlands, Imani Christian, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Mars, Penn Hills, Plum, Riverview, Shady Side Academy, South Fayette, Springdale, Summit Academy, Valley, Woodland Hills