WPIAL Saturdays Scholastic Starz – Week Seven

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, October 15, 2017 | 2:00 PM

The first Saturday edition of the ‘TribLive Stretch Run’ was a good one weather wise and performance wise too. Five district high school football games were on the docket and four of them carried playoff implications for both teams. Here are the players that helped their teams clinch a playoff spot, improve their positioning or stay alive for a postseason berth.

Romello Freeman – Highlands

The Northwest Nine Conference in Class 4-A is like the old AAA Greater Allegheny Conference. Both were made up of teams from here, there and everywhere. So when Highlands made the long trek to Reeves Field at Geneva College to face Blackhawk, it was a battle of two teams trying to stay alive. Receiver Romello Freeman’s big night has Highlands alive and well thanks to his four receptions (all for touchdowns) for 266 yards in the Golden Rams big 56-12 elimination of the Cougars.

Jeddy Young – Western Beaver

Coaches always want to see how young players bounce back after losses that are tough to swallow. After being stunned by Sto-Rox in a Class 1-A Big 7 Conference contest in Week 6, Jeddy Young and Western Beasver answered the call at home on Saturday as he scored four touchdowns on runs of 2, 14, 38 and 19 yards in the Golden Beavers 47-12 dousing of the Northgate Flames.

Deion Liddell – Sto-Rox

Fox five weeks, recent power Sot-Rox had literally nothing to show for their efforts in the 2017 campaign as they were winless and at the bottom of the Class 1-A Big 7 Conference. But suddenly the green and white are in the playoff hunt thanks to back-to-back conference wins, the latest coming when quarterback Deion Liddell hit on 10 of 17 passes for 110 yards and tosses a pair of third quarter touchdowns that were the difference in the Vikings 20-16 win over the host Summit Academy Knights.

Dylan Hargenrader – Springdale

Running the football at Springdale High School is what they do. Its ingrained in their DNA. In a pass happy era of high school football, Springdale ended up with zero yards passing and yet scored 38 points and won a big Class 1-A Eastern Conference game against Bishop Canevin. Dylan Hargenrader led the visitors on the ground with 123 yards on only 9 carries and a touchdown as the visiting Dynamos knocked off the Crusaders 37-27.

Devon Binz – Riverview

After a Week One victory over Leechburg, the season took a big turn south for Riverview with five consecutive conference losses in which they were outscored 207-31. But on this sunny day at scenic Riverside Park in Oakmont, all was good for the hosts as Devon Binz rushed for 106 yards and scored four touchdowns on runs of 1, 1, 19 and 17 yards as the Raiders ended their losing streak with a 43-0 whitewash of the Avella Eagles in a Class 1-A Non-Conference tilt.

Tags: Highlands, Western Beaver