Trib HSSN High School Football Team of the Week for 2024 Week 3

By: Don Rebel
Monday, September 16, 2024 | 7:13 PM

Trib HSSN football team of the week – South Allegheny Gladiators

Coach: Brian Hanson (second season)

Result: South Allegheny 23, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 7

Record: 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the 2A Allegheny Conference

#Earned: These are good times happening on the hill in Glassport as South Allegheny is off to its best start in nearly five decades. The last time the Gladiators were perfect through four games was in the fall of 1977. Following a 3-0 start in nonconference games, South Allegheny opened up play in the Class 2A Allegheny Conference last week and the wins kept coming. Leading visiting Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 8-7 at the half, the Gladiators ended the game on a 15-0 run in the second half in defeating the Chargers, 23-7.

Statistical standouts: Senior quarterback Ryan Cortes continues to shine this season for South Allegheny. He completed 9 of his 15 passes for 134 yards in Week 3, with touchdowns passes to junior wide receiver Drew Cook and senior wide out Tyreeke Chatman. For the season, Cortes is 57 of 84 passing for 819 yards and nine touchdowns. On Friday, the running back duo of sophomore Derrick Pace and senior Camden Lewis combined for 32 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown against OLSH. The two took over for senior running back Cameron Epps, who has 418 yards rushing on 42 carries with five touchdowns in three games. He missed the win last week due to an ankle injury.

Last year: The Brian Hanson era began last year at South Allegheny after four successful seasons as head coach at West Greene. The season began with a bang for the Gladiators as Epps rushed for 226 yards on 26 carries as South Allegheny defeated host Yough, 28-14. However, that was the highlight of the season for the Gladiators as they lost the final nine games, including all five 3A Interstate Conference contests. SA was outscored in those final nine games by a combined 420-135.

Remember when: While there is a long road ahead for the 2024 Gladiators, they are trying to carve a historic dream season from so many nightmarish campaigns over the decades. The team took one step toward a 2A Allegheny Conference crown Friday with the win over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the conference opener, but with hurdles such as Ligonier Valley (2-2), preseason 2A top-ranked Steel Valley (1-3) and this week’s opponent, South Park (3-1), still in the way, South Allegheny hopes to win the school’s first conference championship since 1986. The Gladiators’ 4-0 start is their best since the magical season of 1977. It was 47 years ago when future pro and college stars Dave Opfar and Darnell Richardson guided the Gladiators to their only WPIAL football championship game. In the Class 2A finals, South Allegheny edged Laurel, 12-6. Richardson and Ron Miller had short scoring runs for SA.

Week 3 Honorable Mention

Canon-McMillan, Penn Hills, McKeesport, Central Valley

The fearsome foursome above were all playoff teams a year ago with high hopes for this season, but the math wasn’t adding up in the first three weeks of 2024. The Big Macs, Indians, Tigers and Warriors were a combined 0-12 heading into Week 3. All tasted victory on Friday with Canon-McMillan outscoring Armstrong, 45-35, Penn Hills crushing Fox Chapel, 54-0, McKeesport ending Belle Vernon’s winning streak, 28-7, and Central Valley blanking McGuffey, 49-0.

Waynesburg Raiders

Despite a 2-1 start to the season, Waynesburg was not on many people’s radar heading into their Week 3 Class 2A Century Conference opener at defending conference co-champion Washington. The Raiders had defeated West Greene and California with a loss to Jefferson-Morgan in between, three teams from the Class A Tri-County South Conference. Waynesburg is on the 2A radar now as senior quarterback Jake Stephenson rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 70 yards and a score as the Raiders stunned the host Little Prexies, 21-13.

Shenango Wildcats

It has already been an emotional season for Shenango. Following a surprise 9-7 loss to New Brighton in Week Zero, the Wildcats’ Week 1 game against Ellwood City was postponed following the tragic death of coach Jimmy Graham’s teenage son. The following week, Mother Nature won out as the game against Mohawk also ended up postponed. So with only one game under their belt, the Wildcats won their Class A Big 7 Conference opener senior quarterback Sam Patton rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns for a much-needed morale boost for Shenango in a win at Northgate, 25-20.

2024 HSSN Teams of the Week

Week 2 – Jefferson-Morgan Rockets

Week 1 – Bethel Park Black Hawks

Week Zero – Blackhawk Cougars

Tags: South Allegheny