MSA Sports Saturdays Scholastic Starz for Week Five

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 2, 2016 | 9:45 AM

After a couple of lean Saturday scholastic football slates, the WPIAL kicked off the month of October with five conference contests. All three Class 1-A games were played under some sun which followed morning showers, while the Class 3-A and Class 2-A games were played on Saturday night to wrap up the high school football weekend. Here are the five standout Saturday performances from Week Five.

Duane Brown – Apollo-Ridge

Without senior Duane Brown in the line-up, Apollo-Ridge is a good team. With the Robert Morris University recruit dressed and ready to go, A-R becomes a dangerous team in the Class 3-A Allegheny Conference. In his second game from from a torn ACL six months ago, Brown scored on a 4-yard run from the wildcat formation to start the scoring, plus he had five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winning 45 yard scoring pass with under three minutes left as the Vikings edged the host Seton-LaSalle Rebels 35-28.

Lance Fisher – Riverside

A trap game is when you are playing a team below you in the standings prior to a contest against a team even or above you in your conference. Riverside avoided the Homecoming trap set up for them by host Freedom thanks to the running of Lance Fisher, who rushed for 121 yards and scored all three of his teams touchdowns on scoring runs of 20, 14 and 70 yards as the Panthers beat the Bulldogs 18-10 to remain unbeaten in the Class 2-A Midwestern Athletic Conference prior to its big showdown with Neshannock in Week Six.

Lamont Wade – Clairton

It was a slow track at historic Graham Field in Wilkinsburg, the home of Imani Christian football. The muddy field made for a perfect backdrop for a possible major upset. But it was a shocker that after an early 6-6 tie after one quarter, disappeared quickly thanks to 30 second quarter points scored by top-ranked Clairton. No surprise Lamont Wade played a big role, rushing for 179 yards and scoring on three runs and a scoring reception as the Bears rolled to a 48-6 rout of the Saints in a Class 1-A Eastern Conference tilt.

Tacore Penn and Tyler Harrison – Summit Academy

After a couple of winless seasons in a row, Summit Academy is celebrating a second victory in a span of three weeks thanks to a dynamic pass-catch duo that hit on the trifecta Saturday at The Summit. Quarterback Tacore Penn connected with receiver Tyler Harrison five times for 74 yards, but the two hooked up for three touchdowns on passes of 14, 24 and a game winning 40 yard strike in the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 26-20 victory over the visiting Union Scotties in a Class 1-A Big 7 Conference game.

Brayden Smiley – Shenango

There hasn’t been a lot to smile about for Shenango fans after their team won a conference title a year ago but was still searching for victory number one at the midway point this season. That changed on Saturday when Brayden Smiley rushed for 175 yards on 26 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 8 and 3 yards in the second quarter as the Wildcats snap a 5-game skid with a 28-0 whitewash of host Western Beaver in a Class 1-A Big 7 Conference contest.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Clairton