WPIAL Friday Night HighLights for Week One

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, August 31, 2013 | 10:08 AM

The curtain lifted on the First Friday of the 2013 WPIAL football season with plenty of tightness. Yeah, there was the pressure of playing conference games right out of the gates, but tight muscles and cramps were everywhere on a humid end to what has been a pleasant month of August. Despite injury issues, here are the top performers who didn’t let their opponents or the weather ‘cramp’ their style.

Ben DiNucci & Connor Slomka – Pine-Richland

It’s ironic that a new era at Pine-Richland would begin with a solid performance by quarterback Ben DiNucci. New Rams head coach Eric Kasperowicz could sling the pigskin back in his playing days and helped guide North Hills to a WPIAL and PIAA championship. DiNucci hit the ground throwing Friday night, hitting on 10 of 14 passes for 244 yards and a score while teammate Connor Slomka rushed for 172 yards and scored five touchdowns as the Rams beat the host Fox Chapel Foxes 49-18 in a Quad-A Northern Conference opener.

Billy Kisner – Penn Hills

Once an elite team in Class AAAA, Penn Hills has struggled to find their footing in recent year, however the team came flying out of the gates in their 2013 Quad-A Southeastern Conference opener thanks to Billy Kisner. The Indians sophomore quarterback let his feet do the talking as he rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, plus he added a scoring toss as the Indians pulled away in the final quarter from the Canon-McMillan Big Macs 39-17.

James Wheeler – West Mifflin

The wheels on the West Mifflin bus went round and round last year, all the way to the 2012 Class AAA finals. Ray Braszo’s squad had a championship look in their 2013 debut thanks once again to senior running back James Wheeler. The diminutive tailback was dominant on opening night, rushing for 359 yards on only 16 carries and scoring two touchdowns, one on a 91-yard jaunt as the Titans cruised past the Laurel Highlands Mustangs in a Triple-A Big Nine Conference contest 59-0.

Brett Brumbaugh – South Fayette

One of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL a year ago hasn’t missed a beat form the off season in leading his high powered South Fayette offense to an easier than expected win in a Double-A Century Conference opener. Brett Brumbaugh, still only a junior, hit on 17 of 24 passes for 245 yards and threw touchdown passes of 10, 21 and 6 yards as the Lions jumped out to a 21-0 lead after one and extended it to 34-0 by halftime before cruising to a 41-14 triumph over the host McGuffey Highlanders.

D’Andre Pickens – Steel Valley

In a Double-A Century Conference opener at Dormont Stadium, it was slim ‘Pickens’ for host Keystone Oaks, who could not find a way to slow down Steel Valley’s top offensive weapon.  After an injury filled junior season, D’Andre Pickens proved he’s the real deal by rushing for 214 yards and scoring on four touchdown jaunts and hauling in a scoring pass from SV quarterback Connor Stevens as the Ironmen pounded the Golden Eagles 47-13.

Shai McKenzie – Washington

Like everybody else, the top rusher in the district a year ago suffered through cramp issues early Friday in a Double-A Interstate Conference early season showdown. But an emotional halftime speech help Shai McKenzie bust loose in the second half. McKenzie rushed for 234 yards and scored three long touchdowns on runs of 61, 64 and 29 yards with 188 yards and all three scores coming in quarters three and four as the host Washington Little Prexies knocked off the Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 26-14.

Demetrius Houser – Valley

A 22-game losing streak and a struggling program a few years ago had everybody wanting to play Valley in their homecoming game. But after a turnaround season last year that included a playoff berth has few teams looking forward to a date with the Vikings. Deer Lakes was Double-A Allegheny Conference victim number-one Friday when senior Demetrius Houser ran wild, rushing for 287 yards and three touchdowns including jaunts of 71 and 65 yards as the Vikings sailed past the Lancers 42-16.

Elijah Harvey – Summit Academy

Summit Academy is a school in Herman, Pa (Butler County) four court adjudicated youths who never know what kind of team they will field from week-to-week, yet alone from year-to-year. Part of that might explain why they have never qualified for the WPIAL football playoffs with their ever changing roster. But 2013 started on a high note thanks to a big game by Elijah Harvey, who rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, including a 95-yard run to pay dirt as the Knights cruised past the host east Allegheny Wildcats 35-6 in a Double-A Allegheny Conference opener.

Koltan Kobrys – Fort Cherry

Seconds into the 2013, fans at Honus Wagner Field in Carnegie knew that while there wasn’t going to be much of a breeze on a hazy, humid evening, but there was going to be plenty of Kobrys for visiting Fort Cherry in a Single-A Black Hills Conference battle against host Carlynton. Koltan Kobrys returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, then rushed for 215 yards and one more score in leading the Rangers past the Cougars by a score of 46-31.

Brandon Lawless – Carmichaels

In the old west, a lawless community was not a place you wanted to hang around. However it appears for Carmichaels fans that they are plenty happy and comfortable being part of a ‘Lawless’ community. Senior quarterback Brandon Lawless opned up the Coach Ryan Krull era on a high note as he hit on 10 of 16 passes for 242 yards three touchdown passes, all to Ty Aeschbacher, plus Lawless ran for a score in an easier than expected 36-0 victory over the Jefferson-Morgan Rockets in the Single-A Tri-County South Conference opener.

Tags: Carmichaels, Fort Cherry, Valley, Washington, West Mifflin