News, notes, scores, photos and videos from Week 0 of the high school football season.
It might not quite be the high school football equivalent of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, but it’s the closest thing you’ll find to it in the WPIAL — and for the fourth year in a row, bragging rights belong to Upper St. Clair.
Led by senior quarterback Ethan Hellmann — who now holds the rare distinction of owning a 4-0 record as a starter against archrival Mt. Lebanon — the Class 5A No. 4 Panthers raced out to a 35-point halftime lead in enemy territory, then coasted the rest of the way en route to a commanding 35-14 victory against the Class 6A No. 3 Blue Devils. Hellmann completed 17 of 22 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions, starting off his final season with a near-flawless performance.
“Mt. Lebanon is a talented football team,” said Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko. “It was a really good test for us. I’m just happy to see that our kids came out of the locker room ready to play. … I know that our town cares very deeply about the outcome of this football game. We understand the expectation. We embrace that.
“Any time you have a four-year starter at quarterback, it gives you a chance.”
Taking over as Hellmann’s go-to target in the passing game, senior Nico D’Orazio hauled in five catches for 127 yards and three TDs for the Panthers. That included a 48-yard score less than two minutes into the game and a 45-yard TD that helped put the game out of reach late in the first quarter.
“I think the big play was early on,” Junko said. “That kind of set the tone. The mood shifted on our sideline. You could really feel like that had shifted the momentum, and we didn’t have any intention of giving it back.”
Making his return from a season-ending injury in 2024, senior running back Dante Coury rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries in the win. His younger brother, sophomore Luca Coury, finished with 46 yards on seven carries, while fellow sophomore Josh Snyder ran for 42 yards and a score on six carries.
“We had some really great runs to keep drives going,” Junko said. “I think a lot of our success tonight was all about the start. A lot of people will talk about the offensive explosion in the first half, but our defense — I think it was the fourth or fifth drive before Mt Lebanon was able to get a first down.
“That was a big part of it. We kept them pinned back.”
Mt. Lebanon quarterback Patrick Smith fired a 96-yard touchdown pass to Maxton Siegel to get the Blue Devils on the board late in the third quarter, but it turned out to be far too little too late. And despite losing a handful of impact players from last year’s team that finished undefeated in the regular season, Upper St. Clair proved that it is certainly capable of competing for another Allegheny Six Conference title this fall — and maybe even more.
For now, though, Junko and his players are going to take a little bit of time to enjoy the sweet taste of victory on opening night.
“I’m a guy who got to play in this one,” Junko said. “I got to coach as an assistant at Mt. Lebanon in this game, and now being a head coach in this game — the intensity never changes. The expectation in the locker room on both sides is the reason you play and coach high school football.
“It was just one of those great Friday nights in Western Pa.”
MOON STUNS TRINITY WITH LAST-MINUTE TOUCHDOWN
In what may have been the most dramatic finish of the night across all of Western Pa., Moon quarterback Andrew Cross tossed a game-winning 35-yard touchdown strike to Savario Vandetti with 23 seconds remaining, lifting the Tigers to a 14-13 road win at Trinity. For the Hillers, quarterback Jonah Williamson finished with 142 yards rushing on the night, including an 82-yard score early in the fourth quarter.
MOHAWK PULLS AWAY FROM NESHANNOCK IN SECOND HALF
Dual-threat quarterback Bobby Fadden showcased his talents for Mohawk by completing 10 of 16 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown to go with 82 yards rushing and two TDs on the ground in a 37-20 home win against Class 1A No. 3 Neshannock. Cash Stratton tacked on 136 yards rushing and a pair of TDs along with a 47-yard TD reception for the Class 2A No. 4 Warriors, while Joe Nail pulled in five catches for 101 yards in the win.
PENN-TRAFFORD HANGS ON TO TOPPLE NORWIN
In a showdown between two fierce Westmoreland County rivals, host Penn-Trafford built enough of an early cushion to withstand a spirited rally by Norwin, with the Class 5A No. 5 Warriors’ defense forcing and recovering a fumble at the goal line late in the fourth quarter to secure a narrow 34-31 triumph. Junior tailback Ben Grabowski rushed for 188 yards and three TDs on 26 carries in the win, while Knights quarterback Tristyn Tavares tallied four total touchdowns (one passing, three rushing) in the nail-biting defeat.
NORTH ALLEGHENY RALLIES PAST WOODLAND HILLS
Junior quarterback Brady Brinkley completed a go-ahead touchdown pass to senior running back Luke Rohan on fourth-and-goal, lifting Class 6A No. 2 North Allegheny to a thrilling 28-26 win against Class 5A No. 3 Woodland Hills in a back-and-forth affair at the Wolvarena. After scoring on a highlight-reel 60-yard TD reception in the first half, star wide receiver Scoop Smith nearly ran in the game-winning score on the game’s final play for the Wolverines, but the Tigers’ defense forced him out of bounds just inside the 10-yard line to clinch the victory.
IMANI CHRISTIAN SPOILS CLAIRTON’S OPENING NIGHT
In the first game ever played at Clairton‘s newly renovated Tyler Boyd Stadium, Class 3A No. 2 Imani Christian turned in a stifling defensive performance to outlast the Class 1A No. 2 Bears for a hard-fought 19-12 victory. Gabe Jenkins tossed a touchdown pass and ran for another score for the Saints, while fellow Penn State recruit David Davis added a rushing TD of his own for Imani in the win.
PUP BITES
• Seven different players found the end zone for Fort Cherry in a 49-6 win at Northgate, as star senior Matt Sieg completed 3 of 4 passes for 68 yards and two TDs while rushing for 51 yards and a score on three carries. Evan Rogers and Landon Trynavsky were the recipients of Sieg’s TD passes, while Jordan Bianchi, Ryan Huey, Eli Salvini and Christian Yanosko each added rushing TDs for the Rangers.
• For the second year in a row, Allderdice opened up its season on the road with a win at Fox Chapel, this time by a score of 30-7. Tre Ford completed 10 of 16 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on the ground for the Dragons, and Brandon Beachum tallied four receptions for 84 yards and a TD.
• Peters Township quarterback Nolan DiLucia showed why he is considered arguably the best pure passer in the WPIAL, completing 14 of 21 attempts for 252 yards with three TDs for the Indians in a 42-14 win against visiting Canon-McMillan.
THREE STARS
*** — Gabe Hein, Mars. This star senior wide receiver put on an out-of-this-world performance for the Planets, notching six receptions for 142 yards and four TDs in a lopsided 47-6 win at Beaver.
** — Ben Hays, Bentworth. A speedy big-play threat who rushed for 1,380 yards with 20 TDs as a junior, Hays had himself a game to remember in a 47-6 blowout against Brownsville, rushing for 184 yards and four scores on 14 carries while adding a 42-yard punt-return TD.
* — Dom Detruf, Hempfield. Taking the field for the first time since the death of his father, T.J. Detruf, while wearing his old No. 18 in his honor, Detruf completed 14 of 17 passes for 190 yards with three TDs and one interception, adding 62 yards on the ground for the Spartans in a 28-23 win over visiting North Hills.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
Albert Gallatin 48, Greensburg Salem 33
Allderdice 30, Fox Chapel 7
Apollo-Ridge 20, Leechburg 16
Avella 41, Mapletown 6
Avonworth 35, Burrell 7
Bentworth 47, Brownsville 6
Bethel Park 43, Seneca Valley 26
Blackhawk 14, Beaver Falls 12
Butler 32, Shaler 26 (OT)
California 44, Serra Catholic 14
Carlynton 20, Carrick 12
Connellsville 28, Latrobe 13
Cornell 35, Brashear 23
Deer Lakes 23, Keystone Oaks 7
Derry 33, Ligonier Valley 14
Fort Cherry 49, Northgate 6
Frazier 43, Summit Academy 40
Freeport 28, Indiana 0
Hampton 24, University Prep 14
Hempfield 28, North Hills 23
Highlands 31, Armstrong 28
Hopewell 56, Riverside 0
Imani Christian 19, Clairton 12
Jefferson-Morgan 42, Chartiers-Houston 7
Kiski Area 21, Knoch 0
LaSalle College 23, Central Catholic 6
Laurel 43, Ellwood City 14
Laurel Highlands 27, Uniontown 0
Mars 42, Beaver 7
Mohawk 37, Neshannock 20
Monessen 44, Charleroi 0
Montour 27, Central Valley 20
Moon 14, Trinity 13
Mount Pleasant 29, Jeannette 23
New Brighton 20, Shenango 7
New Castle 12, Penn Hills 0
North Allegheny 28, Woodland Hills 26
North Catholic 47, Seton LaSalle 14
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 27, Rochester 0
Penn-Trafford 34, Norwin 31
Peters Township 42, Canon-McMillan 14
Pine-Richland 38, Findlay, Ohio, 7
Plum 42, Franklin Regional 13
Quaker Valley 38, Freedom 20
River, Ohio, 36, Perry 12
Shady Side Academy 28, Greensburg C.C. 26
South Allegheny 33, Ringgold 21
South Fayette 38, Chartiers Valley 15
South Park 33, East Allegheny 26
South Side 48, Sto-Rox 6
Southmoreland 40, Valley 0
State College 41, Gateway 14
Thomas Jefferson 69, Baldwin 6
Upper St. Clair 35, Mt. Lebanon 14
Washington 28, McGuffey 7
Waynesburg 50, West Greene 6
Western Beaver 42, Ambridge 7
Yough 21, Brentwood 14
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
