Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for Week 4

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, October 4, 2020 | 10:00 PM

Two years ago, Rochester was playing for a WPIAL title, which just seemed right in the small Beaver County town.

Last year, an 0-7 start dropped the Rams out of the playoff chase for one of the few times in the 20 years Gene Matsook has been coach. Rochester finished sixth in the Class A Big 7 Conference.

There was hope, however, as the Rams won their final three games of 2019 and are off to a 4-0 start this season. Rochester’s seven-game winning streak is the second-longest current streak behind Thomas Jefferson (19).

Rochester’s latest victory was an impressive 47-21 conquest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which beat the Rams in the 2018 championship game.

“To be 4-0 at this time is good, but we’re only halfway up the mountain,” Matsook said. “We need to keep on improving.”

Rochester has plenty of talent at a position that has proven so important to their success through the years: running back.

Junior Denny Robinson was the Rams leading rushing coming into Week 4 with 456 yards. However, he took a back seat to senior RaShawn Reid against OLSH.

“We have a trio of backs that are capable of getting carries,” Matsook said of Robinson, Reid and junior Sal Laure. “He (Reid) made the most of his carries and stepped his game up Friday night.”

Reid finished with 169 yards rushing on nine carries. Six went for touchdowns as he scored on runs of 5, 6, 75, 25 and 22 yards, plus he caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Parker Lyons.

Matsook said Reid’s vision and decision making were big parts of his huge night.

“His speed and agility were exceptional. He was very elusive. He is seeing the field much better and he’s making the cuts at the right times.”

The victory was a big one. Coming into the night, Rochester was tied with OLSH and Shenango for first place in the Big 7 Conference.

“I always say big players make big plays in big games,” Matsook said. “He did that Friday night.”

Now the Rams and Wildcats sit atop the conference at 4-0 with a showdown in Week 7 set for Rochester.

Matsook will not look ahead though, as his focus is on Week 5 and a game at Fort Cherry.

“We need to continue to work to get better.”

WPIAL Week 4 honorable mentions

Ryan Angott, Canon-McMillan

After losing to Central Catholic in the season opener by 28 points, Canon-McMillan’s two-year playoff streak no longer was on the Class 6A radar. However, two straight impressive wins and the Big Mac blips are off the chart.

On the heels of a Week 2 upset of Mt. Lebanon and an unscheduled week off last weekend, Canon-McMillan cracked the top four of the standings thanks to the running of junior Ryan Angott.

Angott ran wild against Hempfield, rushing for 262 yards and five touchdowns in the Big Macs’ 45-14 rout of the host Spartans.

Evan Lewis, Elizabeth Forward

The stage was set for a showdown in the Class 3A Interstate Conference in Week 4 as unbeaten Elizabeth Forward visited undefeated South Park.

The anticipation for this one ended rather quickly thanks to the arm and legs of EF quarterback Evan Lewis.

The senior threw for 75 yards and two touchdowns, plus he rushed for 175 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 63, 39 and 13 yards as the Warriors showed no mercy in a 35-0 whitewash of the Eagles.

Maddox Trueschal, Fort Cherry

Fort Cherry entered Week 4 looking for a win, any win that would end a nightmarish losing streak that had climbed to 21 games over the course of three seasons.

Junior quarterback Maddox Trueschal helped rally the Rangers to the program’s first victory since an Aug. 31, 2018 win over Carlynton.

Trueschal connected on 10 of 12 passes for 246 yards and two touchdown passes to go with a 19-yard scoring run as Fort Cherry rolled past host Northgate, 38-8 to douse the Flames on their losing skid.

2020 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 3 – Ryan Hubner, Plum

Week 2 – Logan Shrubb, Keystone Oaks

Week 1 – Devin Whitlock, Belle Vernon

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Elizabeth Forward, Fort Cherry, Rochester