Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2024 Week 3

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, September 12, 2024 | 7:23 PM

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Welcome to Week 3 of the 2024 WPIAL football regular season and the opening of conference play for 12 of the 17 WPIAL conferences.

Once again, the obligatory hope that the weather is not a factor after Mother Nature wreaked havoc in the area the past two Friday nights.

So in those dozen of sections that kick off conference play this weekend, how did their collective teams fare in three tuneup weeks filled with nonconference action?

Class 6A was a combined 7-13 overall with North Allegheny and Norwin combining for five of those wins.

In 5A, the Big East Conference was 12-9 with all seven team collecting at least one win. The Northeast Conference was an even 8-8.

In 3A, the Allegheny Seven Conference was 9-11 with Deer Lakes and Imani Christian combining for six wins, but Burrell, East Allegheny and Valley combining for nine losses. In the Western Hills Conference, they were a not-so-hot 6-12 with only Beaver and Hopewell over .500.

In 2A, all three conferences were each combined under .500. The Allegheny Conference was 9-10, the Century Conference was 8-10 and the Midwestern Athletic Conference was 8-10.

Class A was much better. The Black Hills Conference was 13-6, the Eastern Conference was 13-8, the Big 7 Conference was 7-9 and the Tri-County South Conference was 9-12.

Here is a look at some of the top high school football matchups for Friday in Week 3.

Class 6A

Mt. Lebanon (0-3) vs. Class 6A No. 2 Central Catholic (1-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Titans Stadium at West Mifflin

Coaches: Greg Perry, Mt. Lebanon; Ryan Lehmeier, Central Catholic

Last week: Peters Township 28, Mt. Lebanon 0; Central Catholic 54; Woodland Hills 14

Players to watch: Patrick Smith, Mt. Lebanon (Jr., 6-3, 215, QB/LB); Jy’Aire Walls, Central Catholic (Sr., 6-2, 195, QB)

Team notes

Mt. Lebanon: It has been a rough start to the Greg Perry regime at Mt. Lebanon as the Blue Devils have allowed the second-most points in Class 6A and scored the second-fewest points in three losses to Upper St. Clair, Penn-Trafford and Peters Township, who are a combined 8-1 this season. Junior quarterback Patrick Smith struggled in a shutout loss to Peters Township with 9 of 23 passing for 56 yards and 5 yards rushing on seven carries after leading Lebo in rushing the first two weeks.

Central Catholic: Following back-to-back losses to national power St. Frances (Md.) in Week Zero and to undefeated Pine-Richland in Week 1, the Vikings picked up their first win of the season in a big way at Woodland Hills. Senior quarterback Jy’Aire Walls connected on 11 of 19 passes for 162 yards and two touchdown tosses along with two scoring runs. Senior running back Elijah Faulkner rushed for 128 yards on 25 carries.

Historic factoids

• These teams met twice last year. In their first meeting, Central Catholic blanked Mt. Lebanon in Week 3, 49-0. Vikings quarterback Payton Wehner was 12 of 20 passing for 170 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 75 yards and a score. Patrick Smith led the Blue Devils with 26 yards rushing. In the 6A semifinals, the Vikings rolled past the Blue Devils, 42-7. Elijah Faulkner rushed for 192 yards on 13 carries with five touchdowns.

• Central Catholic leads the all-time series, 12-9. Since expansion to six classes in 2016, these teams have met 10 times, including five playoff games.

• In the postseason, the Vikings are 5-2 with wins in 2011, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. The Blue Devils’ two wins in the playoffs over Central were in 1997 and in the 2021 Class 6A championship game, 47-7.

Class 4A vs. 5A nonconference

West Allegheny (0-0) at Moon (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Moon Tigers Stadium

Coaches: Dave Schoppe, West Allegheny; Ryan Linn, Moon

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: McGuffey at West Allegheny was postponed; Penn-Trafford 14, Moon 7

Players to watch: Brock Cornell, West Allegheny (Sr., 5-11, 178, RB/FS); Andrew Cross, Moon (Jr., 5-11, 175, QB/FS)

Team notes

• West Allegheny: Following no game in Week Zero and back-to-back games against Chartiers Valley and McGuffey that started but were delayed due to weather and eventually postponed, the Indians are the only team in the WPIAL still without a win or a loss. In his brief time on the field this season, senior running back Brock Cornell is over 100 yards rushing. Another West Allegheny senior running back is Roman Police, who leads the team in scoring with two touchdowns.

Moon: The Tigers were impressive in a Week Zero shutout victory over Trinity. Their game in Week 1 against Montour was delayed and then postponed. Last week, Moon lost at Penn-Trafford by a touchdown. Junior quarterback Andrew Cross connected with junior wide receiver Paul Bronaugh on a 27-yard touchdown for the Tigers’ only points of the game. It was Cross’ third scoring toss and Bronaugh’s third touchdown of the season.

Historic factoids

• These West Hills rivals have met every year since 2008 with West Allegheny leading the all-time series, 29-19-1. However, the meetings have been more balanced in the last seven years with Moon holding the edge, 4-3.

• From 1997-2016, the Indians dominated the series with 18 victories while the Tigers only won twice in that time frame, in 2003 and again in 2006.

• In last year’s matchup, West Allegheny edged Moon, 20-17. Roman Police and Brock Cornell combined for 147 yards and three touchdowns for the Indians while Andrew Cross threw for 103 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. This marks the 75th anniversary of the first game between the two. West Allegheny defeated Moon, 25-6, in the fall of 1949.

Class 3A vs.4A nonconference

Class 3A No. 3 Avonworth (1-1) at Class 4A No. 3 Thomas Jefferson (3-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Thomas Jefferson Stadium

Coaches: Duke Johncour, Avonworth; Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson

On the air: Video stream on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last week: Aliquippa 46, Avonworth 20; Thomas Jefferson 34, McKeesport 31 in overtime

Players to watch: Bryce Metz, Avonworth (Soph., 5-11, 170, RB/MLB); Tyler Eber, Thomas Jefferson (Soph., 5-11, 172, RB/LB)

Team notes

Avonworth: The Antelopes had the district on upset alert after one quarter of action last week as they led Class 4A No. 1 Aliquippa, 14-0; however, the Quips scored 40 unanswered points thanks to a 27-point second quarter. The loss for the ‘Lopes dropped them to 1-1 for the season. Early on, sophomore running back Bryce Metz scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and freshman running back Gavin McDowell added a fourth-quarter score on a 44-yard touchdown run.

Thomas Jefferson: The Jaguars needed a big comeback and overtime to shake off an old nemesis in Week 2. Trailing McKeesport 28-7 at halftime, Thomas Jefferson rallied to tie the game with 21 second-half points, and then won it on a 1-yard sneak by senior quarterback Luke Kosko to help TJ improve to 3-0. Sophomore running back Tyler Eber has emerged to become the go-to guy in the Jaguars backfield, rushing for 186 yards on 39 carries and scoring three touchdowns.

Historic factoids

• This is the first meeting between Avonworth and Thomas Jefferson.

• What a difference two decades make. In 2004, Thomas Jefferson shut out rival West Mifflin to win the Class 3A championship game, 20-0. Three weeks later, the Jaguars rolled past Manheim Central to win the PIAA 3A crown, 56-20. It was the first of TJ’s five state championships. That same fall, Avonworth finished 0-9.

• Five years ago, both of these programs were raising gold. Thomas Jefferson completed a perfect 16-0 season with a rout of Belle Vernon in the WPIAL finals, 41-7, and destruction of Dallas in the PIAA title game, 46-7, to sweep district and state gold in Class 4A. Meanwhile, Avonworth was nearly perfect. The Antelopes claimed their second WPIAL championship with a win over Washington, 28-6, but eventually fell in the PIAA 2A finals to Southern Columbia, 74-7.

Class 3A Western Hills Conference

Hopewell (2-1) at Beaver (2-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Pat Tarquinio Field at Gypsy Glen Stadium at Beaver

Coaches: Matt Mottes, Hopewell; Curt Rowse, Beaver

Last week: Hopewell 35, Ambridge 34; Imani Christian 42, Beaver 28

Players to watch: James Armstrong, Hopewell (Fr., 6-3, 210, QB/DB); Travis Clear, Beaver (Jr., 6-0, 175, QB)

Team notes

Hopewell: A year ago, the Vikings finished in last place in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference with an 0-6 league record and a 1-9 mark for the season. We haven’t even hit mid-September and Hopewell has more wins this season. Victory No. 2 was a wild one last week as a fourth-quarter safety tied the game against Ambridge, 27-27. In overtime, afetr a Bridgers touchdown put them up by seven points, freshman quarterback James Armstrong scored on a 2-yard run then ran the two-point conversion into the end zone for a wild win, 35-34. Armstrong threw for 168 yards and ran for 73 more.

Beaver: In a battle of 2-0 teams in a Class 3A nonconference showdown last week in Wilkinsburg, the Bobcats took it on the chin early against Imani Christian, allowing 22 first-quarter points and 34 points by halftime. Beaver was steady offensively, scoring a touchdown in each quarter thanks to the play of junior quarterback Travis Clear, who was 26 of 44 passing for 300 yards and four touchdown passes, two to senior wide receiver Brady Mayo and one each to senior wide out Amari Jackson and senior running back Drey Hall.

Historic factoids

• This is the 33rd meeting between the schools with Beaver holding a commanding edge, 26-6.

• The Bobcats have won the last nine meetings in the series, including all five contests since 2016. Beaver has dominated those recent games, outscoring Hopewell 245-61 for an average score of 49-12.

• The most recent victory for the Vikings in this series was 33 years ago when they defeated the Bobcats 21-13 in 1991. The first clash between the two was in 1943 when Beaver blanked Hopewell, 14-0.

Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference

Mohawk (1-1) at No. 2 Ellwood City (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Helling Stadium at Lincoln HS in Ellwood City

Coaches: Tim McCutcheon, Mohawk; Dan Bradley, Ellwood City

Last week: Mohawk at Shenango was postponed; Ellwood City 28, Neshannock 21

Players to watch: Bobby Fadden, Mohawk (Jr., 6-1, 165, QB/DB); Elijah Palmer-McCane, Ellwood City (Sr., 6-0, 200, RB)

Team notes

Mohawk: Through the first two games of the season, the Warriors are dead even in more ways than one as they prepare for their 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference opener. Mohawk is not only 1-1 but has scored 69 points and allowed 69 points. The Warriors’ game with Shenango was postponed due to weather, this following a loss to Neshannock and a victory over Laurel. Senior athlete Bobby Fadden leads the team in passing with 386 yards and three TDs, leads in rushing with 222 yards and is second in scoring with three touchdowns.

Ellwood City: To this point, the Wolverines and Warriors have played the same schedule. Ellwood City defeated Laurel and Neshannock while Mohawk split with them, plus both teams had their games against Shenango postponed. Last week, Ellwood City picked up an impressive road win at Neshannock as senior running back Elijah Palmer-McCane rushed for 200 yards on 29 carries and scored on a 6-yard run. He also caught a 56-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Chris Smiley. Palmer-McCane now has 339 rushing yards through two games.

Historic factoids

• This is the 22nd all-time meeting between the schools. Mohawk has 12 wins and Ellwood City has nine victories.

• The Warriors have dominated the series of late, having won the last six meetings against the Wolverines. In the four wins this decade, Mohawk has outscored Ellwood City 148-34 including a convincing triumph a year ago, 38-14.

• The first clash between these northern foes was 42 years ago when Ellwood City won in the fall of 1982, 18-6. In fact, the Wolverines won the first five games between the two until the Warriors picked up their first victory in a 2008 wild one, 60-37. The last Ellwood City win in this series was in 2015, 48-6.

Class A Tri-County South Conference

California (1-2) at Bentworth (2-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Bentworth Athletic Field

Coaches: Ed Woods, California; David Pordash, Bentworth

Last week: Waynesburg 28, California 18; Bentworth 35, Charleroi 28

Players to watch: Lee Qualk, California (Sr., 5-9, 175, RB/LB); Ben Hays, Bentworth (Jr., 6-0, 172, RB/DB)

Team notes

California: The Trojans began the season with a bang, dropping 62 points on Serra Catholic in a Week Zero victory. However, California has only combined to score 21 points the last two weeks in losses to Cornell and Waynesburg. Trojans senior running back Lee Qualk, who rushed for a district week high 363 yards on opening night, ran for 149 yards on 15 carries last week, with a good chunk of that coming on a 78-yard scoring run.

Bentworth: The Bearcats can match their win total from all of last year on Friday. Bentworth won three games in 2023, but enters its Class A Tri-County South Conference opener at 2-1 following a seven-point victory on the road at Charleroi last week. Junior running back Ben Hays ran for 144 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown on a fourth-quarter 57-yard run, plus he threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Lucas Burt.

Historic factoids

• In a series that was even six years ago, California has won six straight and now leads the all-time series, 19-13-1.

• The Trojans have dominated this series since 2018. They not only have won all six games, they have scored over 60 points four times and have outscored the Bearcats in the last three years 187-14.

• This year’s matchup marks the 50th anniversary of the first game played between the schools in 1964. California pitched a shutout in that contest, beating Bentworth, 33-0. This is also the 30th anniversary of the one and only tie between the Trojans and Bearcats. In the fall of 1994, the two played to an unusual battle of defense and safeties as the game ended with the rare final score of 2-2.

Tags: Avonworth, Beaver, Bentworth, California, Central Catholic, Ellwood City, Hopewell, Mohawk, Moon, Mt. lebanon, Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny