MSA Sports Big Game Hunting – Week Three

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 11, 2013 | 1:54 PM

According to the weather folks; this Friday night will feel like fall, as we get set for week three. Let’s you and I have a little top-ten party for this week’s version of the football four-pack. As always with the recent re-alignment there is no shortage of big games in each of the classifications. But, week three presents a little extra, not just big, conference games but also, big games featuring both participants as ranking in the MSA Sports Top Ten as complied by the MSA team.

AAAA Northern Eight
#2 North Allegheny Tigers (2-0)(1-0) at #7 Seneca Valley Raiders (2-0)(2-0) Friday September 13^th at 7:30 @ Nextier Stadium on the campus of Seneca Valley high school. Broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and the North Allegheny Sports Network by Randy Gore and Rick Meister.

The Tigers have outscored their first two opponents by a margin of 97-14 in jumping out to a 2-0 start. They notched their first Northern Eight win of the year last week against Fox Chapel 42-7.

Quarterback Jeff Clemens has been efficient, completing 19 of 29 passes (66%) for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He has spread the ball around well, as well. Elijah Zeise , one of the best receivers in the WPIAL is getting the bulk of the looks with 10 catches for 238 yards, but in addition to Zeise, Clemens has found six other receivers that have catches on the year. That makes it tough for teams to consistently double Zeise in the secondary.

The Tigers also have a grand and varied rushing game with four different players having carried the ball ten times or more in just two games. Josh Bergman leads that impressive group with 27 carries for 174 yards and three scores. Sean Idowu also has scored three times and rushed for 121 yards. Clemens himself is averaging over seven yards per carry on the season.

Seneca Valley is perfect as well with pair of section wins for head coach Don Holl, including last Thurday’s 43-25 win on the road at Pine-Richland. The Raiders were in a close football game for the firat half and in fact trailed the game about halfway through the 3^rd quarter. Big credit must go to halftime adjustments Seneca Valley made on defense to shut down a very good Pine-Richland offense.

The Raiders have great balance offensively, including quarterback T.J. Holl who has thrown for 33 yards and rushed for over a hundred as well. Eric MrKonja is a big play threat every time he touches the ball and one of the key receivers for Holl. He caught two touchdown passes from Holl in the week two win over P-R.

On the ground Holl will keep it himself or hand it to Mason Dehart or Dom DiTommaso, the dou has combined for 160 yards rushing and Dehart has scored five touchdowns on the year.

Mike Smith is a standout on defense and special teams for the Raiders who came up with a, sack-strip-fumble recovery-return for a touchdown, that was a thing of real beauty against the Rams. Can the defense for Seneca Valley stop the Tiger offense? That will be a huge key to this game and finding out which of these  teams hangs around to fight it out with Central for the Conference title.

AAA Parkway Conference
#6 Moon Tigers (2-0)(2-0) at #1 West Allegheny Indians (2-0)(2-0) Friday September 13^th at 7:00 PM @ Joe P. DiMichela Stadium on the campus of West Allegheny high school. Broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Peter Blais and Steve Nagler.

Before I start on this Parkway tilt, let me just say one thing for the record. I hate the 7 o’clock start that so many teams are switching over to. We have three of them in this week’s BGH and I was just reminded of it by this game. What’s the big hurry? Life goes by too fast as it is. Give folks a chance to get home from work and get to the game. Thanks for allowing the editorial.

We are used to talking about big games in the Parkway but, Hello? The Moon Tigers are not usually playing in them. Mark Washington’s team gets off to a 2-0 start, winning big at Chartiers Valley in week one and then squeaking past Blackhawk at home in week two 14-6.

Sophomore quarterback Aleksei Yaramus has kept it pretty close to the vest so far through two weeks of play completing 17 of 26 passes for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior Cole Blake has taken the bull by the horns running the football for Moon with 28 carries for 225 yards through week two. Senior V.J.Dean has scored five touchdowns on the season, putting him amongst the tops in the WPIAL in the scoring category.

The Tiger defense has been pretty stingy through two weeks and they will need to be that way again Friday against one of the most powerful offenses in the WPIAL in West Allegheny.

Bob Palko’s Indians are 2-0 and have scored forty or more in both of their early season wins against Blackhawk in week one and Ambridge in week two.

Junior quarterback Andrew Koester has completed 13 of 20 passes for only 195 yards but, he has connected on three scoring strikes and not thrown an interception. Those numbers make him the perfect fit at quarterback for a club that might possess the most balanced and deep rushing attack in the WPIAL, in any classification.

The Indians have amassed nearly 500 yards rushing on the season already, led by junior Chayse Dillon who has rushed for 178 yards on 20 carries. Senior Tory Delmonico has scored five touchdowns and rushed for over one hundred yards on the season as well.

The West Allegheny defense is allowing a 2^nd lowest in the Parkway Conference, ten points per game in 2013. Moon counters that by allowing the third fewest points per game in conference at 14.5. Will Peter and Steve be calling a defensive struggle? I don’t think so, but hey what I think only matters if you took the time to read the first paragraph of this AAA preview.

AA Century Conference
#3 South Fayette Lions (2-0)(2-0) at #9 Steel Valley Ironmen (2-0)(2-0) Friday September 13^th at 7:00  PM @ Campbell Field in Munhall, PA. Broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Paul Paterra and Lou Rood 

While there may be a battle of top defenses brewing in our AAA regardless of my opinion. Nobody will be of the opinion that this is not a battle of two of the best offenses in the WPIAL. South Fayette and Steel Valley combined, are averaging over 100 points per game in the 2013 campaign. The scoreboard operator at Campbell Field will need to be ready to go Friday night.

The Ironmen are getting it done almost exclusively on the ground. Senior D’Andre Pickens and freshman Duane Murray have combined for 52 carries, 923 yards, and 11 touchdowns THROUGH THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON! Pickens ranks second in the WPIAL with 517 yards and Murray ranks 6^th with his 406. Pickens sits atop the WPIAL with 9 touchdowns on the year.

The Ironmen play on defense as well, allowing just eight points per game on that side of the ball. That defense is led by four returning starters in the trenches. Vincenzo Steele, Corey Pinkerton, Tyrell White and Shane King have shut off running lanes and gotten to opposing quarterbacks with great regularity so far in 2013.

That group will be facing a different offense though when they face-off with the Lions Friday.

Junior quarterback Brett Brumbaugh is back for Joe Rossi and has picked up right where he left off after throwing for almost 3,000 yards last season. Brumbaugh has come out of the gate completing 23 of his first 33 passes for over 400 yards and five touchdowns so far.

Eight different Lions have caught passes so far in 2013 led by Conner Beck with seven catches for 77 yards. Their big play guy is Justin Watson who has caught only six passes but for an impressive 156 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 26 yards per catch.

The Lions can rush it as well, Grant Fetchet and Hunter Hayes have combined for 329 yards and five touchdowns so far.

 The Lions have allowed just 14 points on the season, including shutting out Keystone Oaks in wee two 59-0. 

Check the light bulbs on the scoreboard at Campbell, now and make sure they are ready for this one.

A Big Seven Conference
#4 Neshannock Lancers (2-0)(2-0) at #2 Sto-Rox Vikings (2-0)(2-0) Thursday September 12^th  at 7:00 PM @ Sto-Rox Memorial Stadium on the campus of Sto-Rox high school. Broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and WJST-AM 1280 by Mark Schaas and Lee Mohn

The Vikings Lenny Williams is worth the price of admission by himself. The senior is averaging more than 22 yards per completion. He is almost perfect throwing the football so far in 2013 hitting on 25 of 31 attempts for a breathtaking 81% completion rate. He has thrown for 564 yards (tops in the WPIAL) and eight touchdowns (second in the WPIAL) and has yet to throw an interception.

The Vikes have four players averaging over 20 yards per catch on the season. Mallory Clayborn leads them with 10 catches for 248 yards and a pair of scores. Javell Kirkland has caught six passes for 148 yards and he has scored four touchdowns.

On the ground Brendan Blair and Damian Danenas will share the load and both are averaging over six yards per carry for the year.

The Lancers have a returning dual threat quarterback in Ernie Burkes who threw for over 1500 yards in 2012. Burkes has not tossed it in the air quite as often so far in the 2013 campaign completing 13 of just 23 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns. He has rushed the football 20 times for 228 yards and another three scores.

Burkes and the Lancers will also look to junior running back Eli Owens who is back after a solid sophomore season that saw him wrack up 1268 yards and nine scores. His junior year has started out in the same fashion with a workmanlike 37 carries through two games and an artisticlike 341 yards and three touchdowns on the year.

Can the Lancers chew up time with the ground game combo and keep Williams and that quick-strike Vikings offense off the field? That will be the key for Nehannock to pull off the upset on Thurdsday night.

Tags: West Allegheny