Rediscovered: Pioneers trek back into land of postseason
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
West Greene’s Connor Main (85) reaches for a pass thrown by Monessen quarterback Dawayne Howell (28) to running back Elijah Davis (32) during their game at Kennedy Field on Friday night. Main intercepted the ball and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. The Pioneers won, 48-16, to clinch a WPIAL playoff berth for the first time since 1993.
Monessen's Isaiah Beltram (17) helps bring down West Greene running back Christian Fox (23) after a good gain as the Greyhounds' Luke Farmer (74) closes in during their game at Kennedy Field on Friday night.
West Greene quarterback Zach Pettit (10) prances into the end zone on a seven-yard touchdown run against Monessen during their game at Kennedy Field on Friday night. The Pioneers won, 48-16, to clinch a WPIAL playoff berth for the first time since 1993.
West Greene's Connor Main (85) is upended by Monessen's Dawayne Howell (28) after catching a pass from Zach Pettit during their game at Kennedy Field on Friday night.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
West Greene’s Nathan Brudnock (22) confronts Monessen’s Isaiah Beltram (17) during their game at Kennedy Field last season. The Pioneers won, 48-16, to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 1993.
The scoreboard tells a happy story for West Greene coach Rod Huffman as he surveys the field early in the third quarter during the Pioneers' game against Monessen at Kennedy Field, on Oct. 13, 2017. West Greene won, 48-16, to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 1993. Huffman guided West Greene to another postseason berth and a share of the Tri-County South title in 2018.
West Greene running back Ben Jackson (34) out-runs Monessen's Gage Hayden (11) and Isaiah Beltram (17) on his way to a 59-yard touchdown run during their game at Kennedy Field on Friday night.
History was made in Rogersville last Friday, as the West Greene football team qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1993 after a 48-16 rout of Monessen at Kennedy Field in Tri-County South Conference action.
“This is super big for us and for the school,” West Greene coach Rodney Huffman said. “The kids fought hard and it’s been a long time coming. We knew this season was right around the corner. We set this goal three years ago, and it feels good to accomplish it tonight.”
On Senior Night, the Pioneers (6-2, 4-2) exploded with the opening 41 points and set up a post-game celebration that was 24 years in the making.
“This is just incredible to take this in (making the playoffs),” West Greene senior quarterback Zach Pettit said. “I’m not even sure how we are going to react to this. This team has been a family since day one and I’m really glad we get to enjoy this together.”
Pettit accounted for 91 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, while sophomore running back Ben Jackson was once again the workhorse for West Greene with 172 yards on 17 carries and two scores.
The Pioneers opened up a 12-0 lead after a 27-yard scoring toss to senior tight end Connor Main from Pettit and a 6-yard plunge into the end zone from senior fullback Patrick Brady.
West Greene opened its bag of tricks on its next drive, as Jackson threw a 20-yard halfback pass to junior wide receiver Nathan Brudnock for a score.
The defense also got into the scoring midway through the second quarter, when Main intercepted a Greyhound pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.
“Monessen has big-play, strike-ability on offense,” Huffman said. “They throw the ball down the field a lot, but they also have a screen package. Our secondary read their routes and reacted to the plays. Of course the sloppy field slowed them down, but our kids always hustle on defense.”
The Pioneers scored two more touchdowns in the final two minutes of the second quarter, courtesy of a 19-yard touchdown run by Jackson and a 7-yard sprint to end zone from Pettit. Sandwiched around two scores by Monessen in the second half was a 59-yard scoring run by Jackson in the third quarter.
Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan continued their heated Greene County rivalry last Friday, as the Mikes got the better of the play with a 41-7 triumph at home.
With the win, the Mikes (5-2, 5-1) are currently in second place in the TCS and still have a shot of hosting a first round playoff game.
“We told our guys that we’re going to see how much guts we had,” Carmichaels coach Ryan Krull said. “It was a super competitive week of practice, definitely the most competitive week we’ve had this season. (I’m) super proud of the way our kids responded … after a game like last week.”
The loss did not knock the Rockets (3-5, 2-5) out of the playoff picture with J-M sitting in fifth place in the conference. Mapletown and Monessen are also still in contention with J-M for the final playoff spot.
“I feel like they came out ready to play and we did not,” Jefferson-Morgan coach Aaron Giorgi said. “Getting ready to play, that’s on the coaches, but our kids didn’t adjust to the game. They just took it to us. This isn’t the team that we are.”
Carmichaels led 14-0 at the end of one quarter after a 10-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Brennen Pelzer and a 10-yard scoring completion to senior tailback Nathan Broadwater from sophomore quarterback Kevin Kelly.
The Mikes compiled two more touchdowns in the second quarter, courtesy of a pair of scoring runs by senior running back Nick Mundell. Mundell finished his night with 175 yards on 25 carries.
“Churning out tough yards, that’s the kind of running back he (Mundell) is. He’s a patient runner, he hits his spots and finishes runs. He did a nice job,” Krull said. “Give those guys up front a lot of credit. We had our halfbacks getting some nice blocks and our receivers did a nice job on the edge.”
After a 22-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Jacob Lowry in the third quarter, the Mikes’ final score of the night was a 2-yard keeper by Kelly.
J-M avoided the shutout with a 34-yard scoring run by senior tailback Colten Davidson in the fourth quarter. Davidson had a team-high 136 yards on the ground.
Waynesburg Central suffered an overtime loss to non-conference foe Bentworth last week, 28-27.
Senior Eli Kiger gave the Raiders (1-6, 1-5) an early 7-0 lead after a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. Waynesburg led 14-7 at halftime, as freshman running back Nate Stephenson tallied a 2-yard score in the second quarter.
Stephenson, who had 32 carries for 139 yards, added a 1-yard plunge into the end zone in the first overtime.
After two touchdowns by Bentworth, Waynesburg scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Avery McConville from senior quarterback Dylan Scritchfield, but the ensuing extra point kick was no good and the game was over.
Mapletown was handed its fourth straight loss after being shutout, 42-0, by Fort Cherry last Friday.
The Maples (2-6, 1-5) trailed 21-0 at the end of one, and the Rangers tacked on 21 more points in the second quarter. Sophomore tailback Zachary Greene led Mapletown with 44 yards on eight rushes as senior Dylan Rush was held out of the game due to injury.
Carmichaels travels to Fort Cherry tonight with second place in the conference up for grabs, while J-M hosts first place California. Waynesburg welcomes in Derry in Interstate Conference action and Mapletown ventures out to Jeannette for non-conference action. All games kick off at 7 p.m.
West Greene is off tonight, but will travel to Western Beaver on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m.
The Waynesburg University football team continued its struggles in 2017 with a 59-7 loss to Thomas More last Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets (0-7, 0-5) avoided the shutout with a 3-yard scoring run by Jake Dougherty in the fourth quarter. Waynesburg Central graduate John-Glen Davis registered a team-high 13 tackles, while West Greene graduate Will VanNorman posted 10 stops and a had a sack.
Waynesburg is off this weekend and will host Thiel College on Nov. 28 at John F. Wiley Stadium.