Ty Kershaw, Monessen use big plays to rout Charleroi in game between rivals

By: Adam Brewer
Friday, August 23, 2024 | 11:49 PM

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The first three times Monessen’s Tyvaughn Kershaw touched the ball in the Greyhounds’ Week Zero matchup versus Mon Valley rival Charleroi, he wound up in the end zone.

Only two of those touches counted as scores, but that was more than enough for Kershaw and the Greyhounds as they rolled to a 59-12 win over the Cougars on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

“It was your typical, Week Zero game,” Monessen coach Wade Brown said. “I am happy to come out of here with a win, and it’s a big win in a rivalry game. It was a good start, but we still have a lot to learn and build from. Got to clean up the mental mistakes. But our conditioning was there tonight, and the guys were hungry to get the ball. It was a productive night for us on offense.”

The season-opening victory was the first for the Greyhounds (1-0) since 2018.

The Greyhounds amassed more than 400 yards of total offense, led by Kershaw, who ran for 169 yards on only seven carries and accounted for a total of five touchdowns: three rushing and two kickoff returns.

Dennis Hawkins had a strong game under center for the home team, as the sophomore wwent 10 of 11 for 176 yards and three passing scores. Rodney Johnson was Hawkins’ main target, as the 6-foot 230-pound tight end caught four balls for 108 yards and a score.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Cougars (0-1) got a stellar game from quarterback Jackson Keranko, who finished with 262 yards on 15-of-29 passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Daniel Nusida hauled in eight balls for 103 yards and a touchdown, and Noah Pletcher snagged three catches for 59 yards and a score. Charleroi was looking for its first victory over Monessen since 2017.

“It was a tough loss, but I am still so excited with our progress,” Charleroi coach Ty Aeschbacher said. “We have made substantial progress since Week 0 last season. It’s night and day. We are so low on numbers right now, and we don’t practice kickoffs too much. So those returns killed us. The turnovers and bad snaps are killers, too. But the guys competed till the end and our passing game was effective.”

Kershaw quickly started the scoring with the opening kickoff, as he made one cut and was basically untouched in the middle of the field for a 98-yard touchdown.

After a high snap resulted in a fumble for the Cougars, the Greyhounds made it 13-0 when Kershaw scored from 15 yards on the ground, followed by a successful PAT by Kayden Kolbeck.

Hawkins found Johnson for a 23-yard catch-and-run to give Monessen a 19-0 lead at the end of one.

“We have a lot of playmakers now, and we want them all to touch the ball,” Brown said. “It’s not just Tyvaughn with our offense. We can attack you in a lot of different ways. Dennis was solid with giving the ball to the open guy. A lot of our receiving yards was run after catch. We were tough to stop tonight.”

The Cougars’ offense found a spark on their first drive of the second quarter and drove it to the 6-yard line, but the Greyhounds played takeaway with an interception by Tavian Taylor in the end zone.

After a 40-yard completion to Johnson, the home team made it 25-0 when Hawkins hooked up with Tim Kershaw for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 5:12 left in the first half.

Charleroi bounced back on its next possession and punched it into the end zone with an eight-play drive that covered 75 yards and was capped with a 12-yard scoring strike to Pletcher from Keranko on fourth-and-four.

On the ensuing kickoff, Monessen grabbed back the momentum when Tyvaughn Kershaw broke loose for an 89-yard return. The Greyhounds held a 33-6 lead at halftime.

After the Cougars trimmed the deficit to 33-12 with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Nusida from Keranko, the Greyhounds bounced back with two scores in a 12-second span.

Hawkins connected with Devontae Robinson for a 10-yard touchdown pass, then, after Monessen recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Taylor dashed to the goal line for a 15-yard score.

Tyvaughn Kershaw, who came into the game with 2,000-plus rushing yards in his two years with the Greyhounds, added the final two scores of the contest via runs from 32 and 50 yards in the final quarter.

“It’s a good win, but it’s only going to get tougher for us,” Brown said. “We have to learn from our mistakes and come out with an attitude of wanting to get better every week. We limited their running game and only gave up 12 points, but they hit some big pass plays against us. We have to communicate better in the secondary, and the guys just have to make plays against those combat catches.”

Both teams will be back home in nonconference action next Friday, as Monessen hosts West Greene, and Charleroi welcomes in Yough.

Tags: Charleroi, Monessen