PUP high school football game of the week: Hempfield vs. North Allegheny (Week 3)

Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.

Between the hash marks

Who: Hempfield (3-0) at North Allegheny (3-0)

Where: North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The coaches: Nick Keefer (Hempfield); Art Walker (North Allegheny)

When they last met: North Allegheny took over what was a tie game at the half by scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half to claim a 42-14 win at Hempfield last Sept. 13. Luke Rohan ran for 94 yards on 14 carries and scored all three of his touchdowns in the final two quarters.

On deck: Hempfield will take on Class 6A top-ranked Central Catholic at West Mifflin, while North Allegheny will visit Norwin.

This and that: It’s a battle of two of the top three teams in Class 6A. While it’s no surprise that North Allegheny finds itself as No. 2 in the rankings, seeing Hempfield at No. 3 is unusual. But it has been a big start to the season for the Spartans, who are 3-0 for just the second time in the past nine seasons. They last started 3-0 in 2022, a season in which they rose to 5-0 before stumbling to a 6-4 finish. … Meanwhile, North Allegheny is looking to improve 4-0 for the fourth consecutive season. After using a last-minute touchdown to win at Woodland Hills in the season opener, the Tigers rolled to consecutive shutouts against Gateway (41-0) and Penn Hills (35-0). Led by defensive tackle and Pitt recruit Lincoln Hoke, the Tigers limited Gateway to 55 total yards and held Penn Hills to 117 total yards. Hoke has a team-best 17 tackles to go with 2½ sacks, while defensive end Owen Urschler leads the way with five sacks. Running back Luke Rohan and quarterback Brady Brinkley have been the catalysts offensively. Rohan has rushed for 271 yards and has scored a team-best seven touchdowns, while Brinkley is 34 of 54 for 453 yards and six touchdowns. … Hempfield’s wins have come against North Hills, Franklin Regional and Kiski Area. The Spartans have done a great job of closing games, rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat North Hills and outscoring Franklin Regional, 21-0, in the second half after the score was tied at the break. Quarterback Dom Detruf has been one of the WPIAL’s best stories. Detruf lost his father less than a month before the season, but the senior has shown lots of strength through his numbers and leading his team to victories. Detruf has completed 38 of 51 passes for 622 yards and eight touchdowns. He threw for three scores against North Hills and four against Kiski Area. Receiver Jack Kopas has scored four touchdowns on his 11 catches, and Aidan Stinebiser has rushed for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Like North Allegheny, Hempfield has a Division I-bound defensive lineman. Brock Heisler is a Harvard commit.

Expert picks (records in parentheses)

Steve Rotstein (2-1): North Allegheny 35, Hempfield 10

John Santa (2-1): North Allegheny 42, Hempfield 14

Brad Everett (1-2): North Allegheny 28, Hempfield 21

On the radar

Penn-Trafford at Woodland Hills, 7 p.m. Friday

It may only be the fourth week of the season, but this one could very well determine the Class 5A Big East Conference champion. Woodland Hills is the reigning champ after handing Penn-Trafford its only conference loss, 35-21, a season ago. No. 4 Penn-Trafford (3-0) has played in some nail-biters, its wins coming by a combined 12 points. While No. 5 Woodland Hills (1-2) has won just once, the Wolverines have played the more difficult schedule, their losses coming to Class 6A powers North Allegheny and Central Catholic. Penn-Trafford will need to do a better job of protecting the ball after committing four turnovers in last year’s matchup.

Thomas Jefferson at Avonworth, 7 p.m. Friday

Has any team ever defeated Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson in back-to-back weeks? As far-fetched as that sounds, Avonworth (3-0) can complete what would be an amazing set of wins when the Antelopes, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, host Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (3-0). Both teams are coming off of big road wins against physical teams, with Thomas Jefferson rallying late to beat McKeesport and Avonworth beating Aliquippa. With conference play nearing — Avonworth gets Hopewell next week — will either team decide to rest players? Avonworth’s Dimitri Velisaris and Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Eber rank among the WPIAL’s top 10 rushers.

Aliquippa at Mars, 7 p.m. Friday

Speaking of Aliquippa (1-1), the Class 4A third-ranked Quips hope to bounce back from their first home loss since 2021. But it won’t be easy against No. 2 Mars (3-0), which finally plays its home opener following three straight road victories. The Planets topped Class 5A foes the past two weeks, beating Bethel Park by four points and North Hills by three. Aliquippa will need to keep a close eye on Mars’ Gabe Hein, one of the WPIAL’s top receivers. In last year’s meeting, Aliquippa led, 15-11, at the half before pulling away in the final two quarters for a 42-17 win. The Quips have not lost consecutive regular-season games since 2008.

PUP ‘underdog’ to watch

Blackhawk (Hosts Southmoreland at 7 p.m. Friday)

Southmoreland started last season 3-0 before losing to Blackhawk, and it could be a case of deja vu for the 3-0 Scotties this season. Blackhawk has lost two straight and is just 1-2, but the Cougars have lots of offensive firepower, something they showed last week in a wild 65-49 loss to North Catholic. Brayden McCarthy ran for 304 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars racked up 562 total yards. McCarthy (639 yards) now leads the WPIAL in rushing. The question will be can Blackhawk slow down a Southmoreland offense averaging 47 points per game? Quarterback Dawson Wolfe has thrown for eight touchdowns and has rushed for five more.