Rogan Katchur, special teams lead Hempfield to win against Greensburg Salem
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Friday, August 25, 2023 | 10:34 PM
Hempfield’s Brady Ewing dives into the end zone past Greensburg Salem’s Keegan Young on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield coach Nick Keefer celebrates with Nicholas Marquis after Marquis’ touchdown against Greensburg Salem on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield readies to take the field against Greensburg Salem on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield cheerleaders celebrate after a touchdown against Greensburg Salem on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield’s Keiran Lippmann gets past Greensburg Salem’s Anthony Matthews on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Greensburg Salem’s Brady Smith tries to spin away from Hempfield’s Rafael Batista and Brayden Gerst on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield coach Nick Keefer speaks to the team before his first game as head coach before playing Greensburg Salem on Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield’s Rogan Katchur bulls into the end zone through Greensburg Salem’s Keegan Young Friday Aug.25, 2023 at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield’s Rogan Katchur bulls into the end zone through Greensburg Salem’s Keegan Young on Friday.
Two special teams plays and a three-touchdown performance by junior Rogan Katchur helped make new Hempfield coach Nick Keefer smile.
The young Spartans overcame a sluggish first quarter to defeat rival Greensburg Salem, 45-6, on Friday in the 58th meeting between the neighboring schools at Spartan Stadium.
It was the seventh consecutive win in the series by the Spartans, who hold a 42-15-1 lead.
And while there were smiles on the Hempfield sideline, it wasn’t a happy homecoming for new Greensburg Salem coach Ty George, a 2015 Hempfield graduate. Too many mistakes forced the Golden Lions to play catch up.
Penalties hampered both teams early, and then Hempfield got its first special teams break as a high snap in punt formation gave the Spartans the ball at the Greensburg Salem 20.
After quarterback Keiran Lippmann connected on a 15-yard pass to Dom LoPinto to convert a third down, Katchur scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 4-yard run.
On the Spartans’ next possession, Greensburg Salem actually blocked the kick, but an alert Dom Detruf picked up the ball behind the line of scrimmage and advanced it for a first down. A couple of plays later, Lippmann tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Marquis for a 14-0 lead.
“It was a big team effort win, especially those plays by the Doms,” Lippmann said. “They made super-big plays. Multiple people stepped up. Rogan had a helluva game, running for three touchdowns. I believe Rogan will be a big name in the WPIAL.”
The Spartans made it 21-0 as Lippmann engineered a 40-yard drive, as Katchur scored on a 14-yard run.
Greensburg Salem got on the board on its next drive as Adam Dipasquale connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Julian Stevens, who made a remarkable one-handed catch down the sideline.
Dipasquale was in at quarterback because starting quarterback Peyton Chismar is serving a two-game suspension after being ejected in the final game of 2022.
Hempfield put together its best drive on the night just before halftime, driving 75 yards, all on the ground, in six plays with Katchur racing 29 yards for the score.
Katchur rushed for 48 yards on five carries, and Lucas Moore added 89 yards on 13 carries. He scored in the third quarter.
“You have to take advantage of your breaks if you want to win against a well-coached team like Greensburg,” Keefer said. “I was glad our kids were locked in. They took advantage of some of those things, and we limited our mistakes.
“I’m just so proud of our players because they’ve been working since March since the staff came together. They’ve been doing all the little things that we’re been preaching.”
The Spartans put the game into mercy rule (35-point lead in the second half) by getting a 43-yard field goal by Joshua Reilly, a 32-yard interception return by Anthony Puskar and a Moore run of 14 yards.
“I like the way we competed at first,” George said. “Then a couple breaks didn’t go our way. But congratulations to Hempfield. They played hard, and they executed.
“It’s definitely something we have to work on. I have to find the positives, and we need to continue to get better. I saw some growth since the scrimmage against Ringgold.”
Hempfield’s defense came away with three interceptions in the third quarter: Puskar, Jacob Hornyak ad Henry Mutschler.
Lippmann completed 8 of 15 passes for 94 yards. Dipasquale was 8 of 18 for 99 yards.
“We’ll enjoy this for 24 hours, and then we’ll focus on Connellsville,” Keefer said. “I’m expecting a tough game down there.”
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Greensburg Salem, Hempfield
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