Freshman RB Armand Hill shines again as West Mifflin tops Mt. Pleasant in 1st round

By: Nathan Breisinger
Friday, November 3, 2023 | 11:20 PM

It’s been no secret over the past three weeks that West Mifflin running back Armand Hill has emerged as one of the top names across Western Pennsylvania.

Two weeks ago he came within a few yards of the single-game WPIAL rushing record. In three games, he has amassed more than 1,000 yards on the ground.

The freshman phenom yet again paved the way Friday night, this time in the postseason, as the sixth-seeded Titans took down No. 11 Mt. Pleasant, 40-14.

In the first round of the Class 3A playoffs, Hill found himself in the end zone four times against the Vikings (6-5) as he rushed for 219 yards on 19 carries.

“He does some electrifying things that you just can’t teach as coach,” West Mifflin coach Rod Steele said. “He’s a natural, and that’s why a lot of Power Five schools are taking notice of him at a young age.”

Hill, who holds offers from Penn State and UNLV, was complemented by senior DelRico White, who finished with 169 rushing yards, including a breakaway 69-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

“We switch every time when one of us gets tired,” Hill said. “The O-line has been great, and we’ve just been hitting the hole.”

Not only did Hill pace the offense, but he stood out on the defensive side of the ball as well. Hill was lockdown at the corner position, including an interception and a pass batted down that landed in the hands of Jo Fleming.

With the ball in his hands, Fleming weaved his way down the field for the 67-yard score late in the third quarter, which was ultimately the backbreaker for Mt. Pleasant.

“I saw my teammate in front of me and just tried to tip it to him,” Hill said.

“That was a big flip in the game,” Steele added. “Hill went up and tipped the ball and Fleming took it back.”

West Mifflin (7-4) capitalized on all three Mt. Pleasant turnovers, including on the first two drives of the game.

On the opening drive, Mt. Pleasant’s Brody Hutter fumbled in the end zone and it was recovered by Richard Fix. West Mifflin and Hill took advantage as he totaled 65 yards on the opening drive for the Titans, capped by a 10-yard run that gave the Titans a quick 6-0 lead.

“They came out, won the toss, but we were able to get the big strip fumble,” Steele said.

After Hill’s interception on the subsequent drive, the Titans once again made the Vikings pay. In the blink of an eye, West Mifflin was back in the end zone, this time from White, who found a hole straight up the middle and took off for a 69-yard score.

“We didn’t finish some drives in the first half,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said about the turnovers.

After two deflating drives, Mt. Pleasant finally got its offense to stay disciplined, leading to a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Junior quarterback Cole Chatfield completed the drive by finding senior Dante Giallonardo in the flat for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

All of the confidence that was built by a well-sustained drive for the Vikings quickly was diminished by once again a huge gain from White to start West Mifflin’s subsequent drive. White found green turf in front of him for a 74-yard gain and would’ve found the end zone if it wasn’t for a last-ditch diving tackle from Jarett Garn. It didn’t matter. Hill was in two plays later on a run that bounced to the outside for a 5-yard score.

Facing a 13-point deficit late in the first half, the Vikings needed to fight through adversity in order to climb within striking distance.

After exiting the game two plays prior due to a rough sack, Chatfield returned and showed his leadership and toughness to get the game back within a score. On fourth down, Chatfield stood tall in the pocket and found Giallonardo all alone and delivered a strike for a 30-yard score.

“The kids did a really good job executing, and they were making some plays for us early in the game,” Fazekas said.

Chatfield completed 14 of 20 passes for 211 yards and the two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. On the receiving end, to go along with the two touchdowns, Giallonardo caught seven passes for 124 yards.

After halftime, West Mifflin found its rhythm and hung 20 unanswered points in the third quarter to finish off the Vikings with Hill scoring twice, including a 70-yard touchdown, along with the Fleming pick-6.

“We were able to calm the kids down at the half,” Steele said. “We made an adjustment, and it showed. We come out in the third quarter, got the opening kickoff and went straight down the field. I think at that point, we had the momentum and the defensive adjustment we made was pretty good.”

West Mifflin will now hit the road for a Class 3A quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 Elizabeth Forward (9-1). The Titans fell earlier this season to the Warriors, 24-7.

“Both our teams are familiar with each other,” Steele said. “They have some good athletes over there, just like we do. It should be a good ballgame, and it will go back to the team that makes the least mistakes.”

Tags: Mt. Pleasant, West Mifflin