News, notes, scores, photos and videos from Week 8 of the high school football season.
West Mifflin freshman Armand Hill opened a lot of eyes last week when he rushed for more than 300 yards and five touchdowns in just one half of action due to the mercy rule.
Friday night, Hill opened up the WPIAL record book and signed his name on the No. 2 line among the best single-game rushing performances in league history.
Hill ran for 495 yards and 5 touchdowns on 27 carries in a 42-7 win against visiting Hopewell in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference. The yardage total ranks second in WPIAL history behind only Mapletown graduate Dylan Rush, who rushed for 524 yards against Avella in 2017.
“He opened the game with an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game. We then just kept feeding him and he kept breaking runs,” said West Mifflin coach Rod Steele. “He has something special about him. I’ve had a lot of great backs in my coaching career, and he has that special tangible of being able to make people miss.”
Over the past two weeks, Hill, a Duquesne resident who is 5 feet 10, 170 pounds, has rushed for 808 yards and 10 touchdowns … and that’s only in three halves of action.
West Mifflin (5-4, 4-1) won for the fifth time in six games, while Hopewell (1-8, 0-5) was handed its seventh consecutive loss.
WESTINGHOUSE ADVANCES TO CITY FINAL
After leading No. 4-seeded Allderdice (1-8) by just one point at the half, No. 1 and defending champion Westinghouse (8-0) pulled away in the second half on its way to a 42-18 win in a City League semifinal at Cupples Stadium. It’s Westinghouse’s sixth consecutive trip to the championship. The Bulldogs led just 7-6 at the half before outscoring the Dragons, 35-12, in the second half. Westinghouse defeated the Dragons, 20-2, in the regular season. The Bulldogs will meet No. 2 University Prep (6-2) at 3 p.m. next Saturday in the championship game at Cupples Stadium.
USC OUTLASTS MOON
In a game with major playoff implications, Upper St. Clair (7-2, 2-2) used an unforgettable play from brothers Ethan and Van Hellmann on a 2-point conversion in the second overtime to beat visiting Moon (4-5, 2-2), 43-42. After Charlie Bywalski hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Hellmann to pull Upper St. Clair within, 42-41, the Panthers elected to go for 2 and the win. That’s when Ethan connected with brother Van for the winning margin. Upper St. Clair’s win means that the Panthers and Moon are still in contention for the two conferences’ two playoff berths.
KEYSTONE OAKS STUNS NO. 1 WASHINGTON
Keystone Oaks (5-4, 3-2) pulled the biggest stunner of the night by going on the road and upsetting Class 2A No. 1 Washington (8-1, 4-1), 21-14, in Century Conference play. The Golden Eagles trailed, 14-7, going into the fourth quarter but got a 10-yard touchdown run by Billy Bricker and a 2-yard scoring run by Dimajio Locante in the final 12 minutes to grab the win. Locante also ran for a 7-yard touchdown earlier in the game. Washington’s loss means there are no longer any unbeaten teams in Class 2A.
PINE-RICHLAND DOMINATES WOODLAND HILLS
In a showdown of ranked Class 5A teams, No. 4 Pine-Richland (6-3, 3-1) rolled to a 28-0 win at No. 3 Woodland Hills (6-3, 3-1) in the Northeast Conference. It was the Ethan Pillar Show again for Pine-Richland. Taking direct snaps as wildcat quarterback, the senior ran for 141 yards on 34 carries, scoring on touchdown runs of 27 and 2 yards. Pillar set a WPIAL single-game record a month ago when he carried the ball 56 times in a win against Central Catholic. Freshman Aaron “Oobi” Strader also accounted for two touchdowns for the Rams, throwing a 10-yard scoring strike to Tanner Cunningham and running for a 1-yard touchdown.
SOUTH SIDE TOPS UNION
In a battle for sole possession of first place in the Class 1A Big 7 Conference, No. 3 South Side (9-0, 5-0) got five touchdown runs from Ryan Navarra to storm to a 49-15 win at No. 4 and defending WPIAL champion Union (7-2, 4-1). Navarra and Brody Almashy ran for two touchdowns apiece to vault South Side to a 28-7 halftime lead, and Navarra added three more touchdowns in the second half. Union’s Braylon Thomas passed and rushed for scores.
WRIGHT RUNS MARS TO WIN
Evan Wright rushed for 244 yards and 5 touchdowns on 28 carries, helping visiting Mars (7-2, 5-0) strengthen its grip on the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference lead by beating Hampton (3-6, 3-2), 42-15. Wright, who came into the game ranked No. 5 in the WPIAL in rushing, ran for touchdowns of 70, 27, 3, 33 and 5 yards. On the season, Wright now is up to 1,313 yards and 26 touchdowns.
PETERS TOWNSHIP STAYS UNBEATEN
The No. 1 team in Class 5A remained unbeaten Friday but had to survive a scare to do it. In a nonconference matchup, host Peters Township (9-0) scored two touchdowns in the final 2:46 of the game to hold off Class 6A No. 3 Canon-McMillan (5-4), 24-10. With the score tied, 10-10, Peters Township surged ahead on Nolan DiLucia’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Preston Blair and got some insurance 33 seconds later on Vinny Sarcone’s 26-yard scoring run. DiLucia completed 25-of-34 passes for 212 yards, while Sarcone ran for 104 yards and two scores.
CENTRAL VALLEY RALLIES TO BEAT WEST A
Freshman Jance Henry rushed for two touchdowns and Class 4A No. 5 Central Valley (7-2, 5-1) rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat host West Allegheny (6-3, 4-2), 29-20, in the Parkway Conference. After trailing West Allegheny, 14-13, at the half, Central Valley scored the next 16 points to pull ahead. Domenic Pratt kicked a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter and Mason Dixon (4 yards) and Henry (59 yards) added fourth-quarter touchdown runs. Henry rushed for a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Central Valley plays host to No. 1 Aliquippa next week.
PUP BITES
- Bethel Park (4-5, 3-1) earned a big win in its quest for a postseason berth by beating visiting South Fayette (4-5, 1-3), 49-29, in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference. Among the top performers for Bethel Park were Tanner Pfeuffer (212 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown) and JaVaughn Moore (185 yards rushing, 3 touchdowns). South Fayette’s Nico Lamonde completed 26-of-36 passes for 446 yards and 3 touchdowns. Teammate Mike Gimigliano finished with 10 receptions for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns.
- East Allegheny (7-2, 4-0) remained red hot, winning its seventh game in a row after slipping past host No. 4 Knoch (7-2, 3-1), 14-13, in overtime in the Class 3A Allegheny 6 Conference. East Allegheny’s Mike Cahill found Brennan Rutledge for a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, and the Wildcats converted the extra point. Knoch’s Codi Mullen responded with a rushing score, but the extra point was blocked. East Allegheny clinched at least a tie of first place in the conference.
- Class 5A No. 5 Gateway (5-4, 5-0) remained unbeaten in the Big East Conference after thumping host Norwin (2-7, 1-3), 48-20. Gateway quarterback Brad Birch had another huge game, accounting for 290 yards of offense and 5 touchdowns. Birch was 13 of 25 for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns and ran for 71 yards and 1 touchdown.
THREE STARS
*** — Quadir Stribling, Serra Catholic. Stribling put together a terrific performance, throwing for 387 yards and 5 touchdowns in Serra’s 46-28 win against visiting Apollo-Ridge.
** — Cedric Davis, Brentwood. Davis passed for 179 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards and 1 touchdown to propel host Brentwood to a 44-15 win against Charleroi.
* — Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon. The Penn State recruit needed just nine carries to collect 148 yards while leading Class 3A No. 1 Belle Vernon to a 49-7 win at Southmoreland. Martin scored his lone touchdown on a 62-yard run in the second quarter. The Leopards outgained Southmoreland, 425-138.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
CITY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Semifinals
Westinghouse 42, Allderdice 18
WPIAL CLASS 6A
Tri-County Five Conference
Central Catholic 42, Seneca Valley 7
WPIAL CLASS 5A
Allegheny Six Conference
Bethel Park 49, South Fayette 29
Upper St. Clair 43, Moon 42 (2 OT)
Big East Conference
Gateway 48, Norwin 20
Plum 38, Hempfield 20
Northeast Conference
Penn Hills 14, Shaler 0
Pine-Richland 28, Woodland Hills 0
WPIAL CLASS 4A
Big Seven Conference
Laurel Highlands 21, Ringgold 19
McKeesport 42, Latrobe 14
Thomas Jefferson 61, Connellsville 0
Greater Allegheny Conference
Mars 42, Hampton 15
North Catholic 42, Indiana 6
Highlands 17, Armstrong 15
Parkway Conference
Aliquippa 53, Chartiers Valley 0
Central Valley 29, West Allegheny 20
Montour 45, Blackhawk 13
New Castle 27, Ambridge 17
WPIAL CLASS 3A
Allegheny 6 Conference
Deer Lakes 41, Shady Side Academy 35
East Allegheny 14, Knoch 13 (OT)
Freeport 27, Valley 0
Interstate Conference
Belle Vernon 49, Southmoreland 7
Elizabeth Forward 48, Greensburg Salem 13
Mount Pleasant 42, South Allegheny 27
Western Hills Conference
Avonworth 35, Seton LaSalle 20
Beaver 56, Quaker Valley 7
West Mifflin 42, Hopewell 7
WPIAL CLASS 2A
Allegheny Conference
Derry 29, Burrell 22
Imani Christian 31, Ligonier Valley 0
Serra Catholic 46, Apollo-Ridge 28
Steel Valley 35, Yough 14
Century Conference
Brentwood 44, Charleroi 15
Keystone Oaks 21, Washington 14
Sto-Rox 18, Waynesburg 13
Midwestern Conference
Beaver Falls 36, Freedom 0
Neshannock 42, Ellwood City 14
Riverside 23, New Brighton 14
Mohawk 31, Western Beaver 21
WPIAL CLASS 1A
Big 7 Conference
Laurel 30, Summit Academy 6
Rochester 42, Northgate 8
South Side 49, Union 15
Black Hills Conference
Bishop Canevin 41, OLSH 7
Burgettstown 28, Avella 6
Cornell 39, Chartiers-Houston 0
Fort Cherry 42, Carlynton 0
Eastern Conference
Clairton 50, Frazier 6
Greensburg C.C. 21, Riverview 14
Jeannette 49, Springdale 12
Tri-County South Conference
Bentworth 20, Carmichaels 12
California 62, Beth-Center 6
Monessen 36, Mapletown 20
West Greene 31, Jefferson-Morgan 16
NONCONFERENCE
Albert Gallatin 43, Brownsville 8
Jersey Shore 63, Brashear 0
Kiski Area 39, Fox Chapel 8
Leechburg 27, Shenango 26
Linsly School, W.Va., 27, Trinity 3
McDowell 52, Butler 12
McGuffey 31, South Park 14
Mt. Lebanon 37, Baldwin 7
North Allegheny 48, Penn-Trafford 14
North Hills 16, Franklin Regional 14
Peters Township 23, Canon-McMillan 10
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.