At this point, Central Valley coach Mark Lyons might have to double check to make sure he isn’t living out a rendition of the movie “Groundhog Day.”
Last season, the Warriors started out with three consecutive losses for the first time in Lyons’ tenure before turning things around with a blowout win against McGuffey. Central Valley then followed that up with a big win over Beaver, and the Warriors wound up carrying that momentum all the way to Acrisure Stadium for the WPIAL Class 3A championship game.
Fast forward to 2025, and again, Central Valley started out the season 0-3 after a trio of tough losses against Montour, Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon. The Warriors then beat McGuffey last week for their first win of the season, even scoring the same amount of points they did against the Highlanders last fall.
So, what happened when Central Valley traveled to Beaver on Friday for a crucial Western Hills Conference clash against the Bobcats? Deja vu all over again, of course.
“I didn’t want to repeat the same thing starting out the year, but if that’s the path we’ve got to go down [to get to the championship game], we’ll take any path to get there,” Lyons said.
Just like last season, the Warriors (2-3, 2-0) hung 51 points on their conference rivals to pick up their second consecutive win, only this time they did so in emphatic fashion with the help of an impressive defensive performance. With Beaver (2-3, 1-1) coming off a 51-50 win against Hopewell last week, the Bobcats’ offense fell flat against Central Valley on Friday, as the Warriors’ defense limited the big plays en route to a convincing 51-19 road win.
“We wanted to stay away from the splash plays from them,” Lyons said. “We tackled well in space. We limited their yards after catch. That’s what you want to do. … I thought we did a great job preparing all week and understanding the game plan, and they went out and executed. It was fun to see.”
In his first year as a starter, junior quarterback Braddock Ambrose took some lumps while facing some stiff competition over the first month of the season. But Lyons and the Central Valley coaching staff didn’t lose faith in his ability, and neither did his teammates.
Now, they are reaping the rewards — just look at Ambrose’s numbers on Friday night for proof. He completed 10 of 11 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns while engineering the Warriors’ offense like a poised and polished veteran.
“When you go against some difficult teams who put some heat on him, you tend to get some happy feet,” Lyons said. “We always knew Braddock would settle down and get comfortable coming out of the exhibition season. We’re not shocked. I know the coaches and the players aren’t shocked.”
Elsewhere, Ethan Shearer had another big game for Central Valley with 87 yards rushing and a pair of scores, and Dominic Pratt converted three field goals in the win, including a 49-yarder. Aaron Lawson also excelled with five receptions for 85 yards and two TDs for the Warriors.
“I always say if they quit hearing the message, then I need to step aside,” Lyons said. “I never claim to know everything. I will find different ways to approach different things. To be quite honest, that’s why I still do this, because it challenges you in different ways. … If you’re going to navigate a tough exhibition schedule, it may serve you a couple losses. But you’d better learn from those losses.”
ALIQUIPPA AVENGES LOSS TO PENN HILLS ON FINAL PLAY
One week after rallying past Mars in the fourth quarter for a much-needed win, Class 4A No. 2 Aliquippa (3-1) took its late-game dramatics to a new level with arguably the most thrilling finish of the season so far, avenging a defeat from last season with a 21-16 victory against visiting Penn Hills (1-4). Trailing by one point on the final play of the game, Quips quarterback Marques Council fired a laser across the middle to Raymond Miller for a game-winning 28-yard TD as time expired. Josh Lay finished with eight receptions for 150 yards in the victory, while Qa’lil Goode added seven catches for 112 yards and a pair of TDs.
AVONWORTH HAMMERS HOPEWELL
For the third week in a row, Class 3A No. 1 Avonworth (5-0, 1-0) picked up a marquee win by pounding visiting Hopewell by a score of 48-14 in the Western Hills Conference opener. Led by dual-threat quarterback James Armstrong, the No. 5 Vikings (3-2, 0-1) put up 50 points in their previous contest against Beaver, but the Antelopes’ ferocious defense kept them out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter of this lopsided contest. Hopewell kicker Rocco Marcantonio tied a WPIAL record for the second year in a row by booting a 55-yard field goal in the defeat.
UPPER ST. CLAIR OUTLASTS McKEESPORT IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE
After quarterback Ethan Hellmann fired his first interception in nearly two full years for Class 5A No. 3 Upper St. Clair (5-0), the standout senior responded with a picture-perfect 49-yard TD strike to Bryce Jones midway through the fourth quarter to lift the host Panthers to a 17-14 win over Class 4A No. 3 McKeesport (2-3). Hellmann completed 9 of 18 passes for 152 yards and also rushed for 61 yards and a TD on 10 carries in the gritty comeback win.
SOUTH PARK NO MATCH FOR SOUTH ALLEGHENY
Top-ranked South Allegheny (5-0, 2-0) kept its perfect record intact, opening up Class 2A Allegheny Conference play with a 56-7 rout on the road against defending WPIAL champion South Park (3-2, 0-2). Joey Gamret rushed for 144 yards and four TDs for the Gladiators, while multi-sport star Drew Cook caught three passes for 60 yards and a score to go along with a 27-yard rushing TD and a punt return TD in the victory.
PUP BITES
• Senior running back David Dennison has already authored his fair share of standout games for Bethel Park, but Friday’s outing may have been his finest performance yet, as Dennison rumbled for 317 yards and six TDs — including three in the fourth quarter — in a 51-35 triumph against Trinity.
• Sophomore wide receiver-defensive end Jackson Mickens showcased his skills on both sides of the ball for unbeaten Southmoreland in a 28-7 non-conference win against visiting Ringgold, rushing for a 9-yard TD in the first half to get the scoring started before putting the finishing touches on the Scotties’ win with a 33-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter.
• After a slow start, three-time defending City League champion Westinghouse blew the game wide open in the second half against Butler en route to a 40-14 win. DeJheerit Mellix scored on a 94-yard kick return TD along with a 29-yard TD reception for the Bulldogs, who led by only one point at the half before erupting for 32 points after the break.
THREE STARS
*** — Marino Graham, New Castle. Arguably the most talented freshman quarterback in the area, Graham passed for 123 yards and three TDs while rushing for 221 yards and another score to help lead the Red Hurricanes to a 45-0 win at Knoch.
** — Ayden Yocum, Mars. The senior tailback carried the ball 38 times for 324 yards and three TDs, including a pair of scoring runs of 50-plus yards, to propel the Class 4A No. 4 Planets to a 29-21 non-conference win at Class 4A No. 5 Montour.
* — Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry. The WPIAL’s new all-time touchdown king resides in “The Fort,” as Sieg rushed for 152 yards and three TDs on 14 carries in a 55-6 win over Monessen to surpass former Clairton stars Tyler Boyd and Lamont Wade as the new WPIAL leader with 118 career TDs.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
Class 6A Quad-County Conference
Canon-McMillan 21, Mt. Lebanon 6
Central Catholic 59, Hempfield 7
North Allegheny 20, Norwin 17
Class 5A
Big East Conference
Armstrong 17, Latrobe 14
Gateway 33, Franklin Regional 28
Penn-Trafford 42, Kiski Area 0
Northeast Conference
North Hills 56, Fox Chapel 7
Pine-Richland 56, Plum 14
Class 3A
Allegheny 7 Conference
East Allegheny 14, Deer Lakes 7
Freeport 34, Burrell 7
Imani Christian 27, Highlands 7
Western Hills Conference
Avonworth 48, Hopewell 14
Central Valley 51, Beaver 19
North Catholic 63, McGuffey 0
Class 2A
Allegheny Conference
Apollo-Ridge 22, Shady Side Academy 14
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 40, Ligonier Valley 6
South Allegheny 56, South Park 7
Century Conference
Keystone Oaks 42, Charleroi 7
Seton LaSalle 49, Carlynton 0
Washington 49, Sto-Rox 6
Midwestern Conference
Beaver Falls 8, Mohawk 6
Ellwood City 28, Freedom 14
Riverside 40, New Brighton 6
Western Beaver 46, Union 14
Class 1A
Big 7 Conference
Laurel 40, Rochester 0
Neshannock 62, Northgate 27
South SIde 35, Shenango 7
Black Hills Conference
Bishop Canevin 44, Cornell 7
Fort Cherry 55, Monessen 6
Eastern Conference
Clairton 72, Frazier 0
Greensburg C.C. 34, Brentwood 6
Leechburg 36, Jeannette 27
Riverview 64, Springdale 14
Tri-County South Conference
Bentworth 42, Beth-Center 7
California 42, Avella 0
Jefferson-Morgan 33, Carmichaels 0
West Greene 40, Mapletown 0
City League
University Prep 54, Perry 0
Non-conference
Albert Gallatin 46, Uniontown 10
Aliquippa 21, Penn Hills 16
Ambridge 42, Greensburg Salem 32
Bethel Park 51, Trinity 35
Blackhawk 49, Yough 6
Buckeye Local, Ohio, 36, Carrick 30
Chartiers Valley 22, Hampton 13
Conotton Valley, Ohio, 46, Brownsville 0
Elizabeth Forward 57, Baldwin 0
Indiana 41, Derry 34
Mars 29, Montour 21
Morgantown, W.Va., 48, Connellsville 21
Mount Pleasant 49, Laurel Highlands 0
New Castle 45, Knoch 0
Peters Township 28, West Allegheny 0
Quaker Valley 29, Valley 20
Seneca Valley 31, Moon 23
Serra Catholic 39, Summit Academy 6
South Fayette 28, Belle Vernon 7
Southmoreland 28, Ringgold 7
Steel Valley 34, Waynesburg 0
Thomas Jefferson 35, West Mifflin 14
Upper St. Clair 17, McKeesport 14
Westinghouse 40, Butler 14
Woodland Hills 41, Shaler 7
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
