No. 4 Knoch, No. 5 East Allegheny to clash for Allegheny 6 championship

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 | 5:33 PM

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The last time Knoch won a football conference title was in 2011, when the Knights went 6-0 and captured the Class AAA Greater Allegheny Conference crown.

They advanced to the WPIAL title game before falling to Montour at Heinz Field and ended the season 12-1 overall.

East Allegheny has had a longer conference-title drought, not having claimed first place since 2000, when it finished at the top of the Class AA Century Conference.

The wait will be over for one team Friday as the Wildcats and Knights meet with at least a share of the Allegheny 6 title on the line. Kickoff at Knoch Knights Stadium is 7 p.m.

“We came in Monday, and the kids had already been watching the film of East Allegheny,” Knoch coach Tim Burchett said.

“They asked really good questions, had some good ideas from what they saw and were pretty dialed into the preparation for this week. They know what is in front of them and how big this game is with all of the implications for the conference title. East Allegheny is a good football team that has gotten better as the year has gone on. It should be a great atmosphere with a huge crowd Friday just like it was last week against Freeport.”

Both teams are 3-0 in the five-game conference sprint to the finish.

Knoch remained unblemished in conference play last Friday with a 19-0 homecoming victory over rival Freeport behind three touchdown passes from junior quarterback Codi Mullen.

Mullen finished with 200 passing yards, and Jackson Bauman caught four of Mullen’s passes for 102 yards.

Knoch led 7-0 at halftime, but two touchdowns within the first minute of the third quarter, both TD strikes from Mullen to Bauman, gave the Knights some breathing room.

The defense then turned Freeport over on downs three times, twice inside the 10, to preserve the shutout.

Ethan Alwine tallied 54 yards on eight carries and was on the receiving end of the first-half TD connection with Mullen.

“Like any game, we saw some really good things and some other things we still needed to clean up,” Burchett said.

“We missed some plays on offense, but we also made plays when we needed them the most. We were really strong on defense. We dropped maybe four or five interceptions, which we hoped to get, but the guys were in position to make those plays. A 19-0 result against a rival is pretty good. We talked a lot about what we can do better and what will get us into November.”

East Allegheny kept pace with a 17-13 home win over Deer Lakes last Friday.

The Wildcats are 6-2 overall and have won five in a row since a 45-15 loss to Elizabeth Forward in Week 2. They have scored at least 28 points in five of their six victories and tallied 41 or more in wins over South Allegheny, Greensburg Salem and Valley.

“That was our eighth year in a row making the playoffs,” Wildcats coach Dom Pecora said about the ramifications of last week’s win over the Lancers. “That was pretty cool. It wasn’t the prettiest game in the world, but the guys played tough and they were resilient. How the defense played in the second half was inspirational.

“It was easy to get them refocused and ready to concentrate on this week’s game. I try not to stress anything like a conference title. I just want them to be well prepared to go up (to Knoch) and win what will be a tough football game against a really good team.”

Geography and school sizes kept Knoch and East Allegheny from meeting on the football field until last year when they found themselves in the same conference.

The Wildcats won the 2022 contest 31-21, denying the Knights a late-season surge to a playoff spot. Knoch finished 1-9 overall, and East Allegheny made the WPIAL playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to WPIAL and PIAA champion Belle Vernon.

“We won last year, but it was a dogfight, and I could see how quickly (Knoch) would turn things around,” Pecora said.

“They have a lot of talented players, are well-coached and play fundamentally sound football. I knew that they would come back and be a really good team. We saw that on film. They are solid all the way around. It was no surprise they are where they are.”

Knoch’s only loss this year is a 19-0 setback to Elizabeth Forward to close the nonconference portion of its schedule.

“(Mullen) is a methodical quarterback who doesn’t make mistakes,” Pecora said. “They move the ball down the field systematically, and he makes really good decisions.”

East Allegheny senior Michael Cahill threw for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added 108 yards on the ground in last year’s win over Knoch.

Against Deer Lakes, Cahill caught a touchdown and threw for another, finishing with 156 yards through the air.

Senior Brennan Rutledge is one of Cahill’s top receiving targets.

“East Allegheny is highly explosive on offense and defense,” Burchett said. “They have playmakers all over the field. You want to play your game, but at any point, they can make a big play.

“(Cahill) is an outstanding football player. He’s not the biggest kid in the world, but he is tough. He’ll take hit after hit but will keep coming and will keep making plays. He’s always dangerous.”

Past conference laurels

The winner of Friday’s game clinches at least a share of its eighth conference title. Here are the previous conference winners from each team:

Knoch

1978 AIC North

1979 AIC North

1980 Greater Allegheny

1983 Greater Allegheny

1992 Greater Allegheny

2007 Greater Allegheny

2011 Greater Allegheny

East Allegheny

1964 West Penn

1970 West Penn

1974 Keystone

1980 Keystone

1992 Century

1993 Century

2000 Century

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: East Allegheny, Knoch