Mustangs clinch playoff berth
Corey Nesser rushed for 209 yards and Tim Hirsch scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Laurel Highlands locked up a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 1989 with a hard-fought 32-27 victory over visiting Mount Pleasant on Friday night. “I’m proud of my kids,” said Mustangs coach Scott Knee after the important Keystone Conference win. “We got behind and we weren’t playing well. Maybe at a different time this year we wouldn’t have come back and won.”
“It feels great. I’m just happy we’re in the playoffs,” said Nesser, who averaged 11.6 yards a carry. “All the credit goes to the offensive line.”
The winless Vikings’ offensive line was just as impressive, helping Mount Pleasant grind out 303 yards on the ground in 64 carries. Coach Mark Lyons’ Vikings (0-8, 0-5) ran 70 plays to 40 by the Mustangs (4-4, 3-2).
The Vikings got short touchdown runs by quarterback Jeff Marker and John Pipak in the second quarter while the Mustangs scored on Nesser’s 19-yard run and Matt Humbert’s nine-yard pass to Greg Palladino with 37 seconds left in the half, but trailed 14-12 after failing on two extra points.
Laurel Highlands took its first lead on Humbert’s one-yard plunge in the third quarter, but the Vikings countered with a mammoth 21-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that ate up 10:41 off the clock. Marker’s one-yard plunge capped the march to put the Vikings up 21-18 with 8:41 left in the game.
The Mustangs regained the lead on a 68-yard drive sparked by Nesser’s 38-yard run and capped by Hirsch’s first plunge.
On the Vikings’ next possession, J.T. Stefanick stopped Pipak short of a first down on fourth and two and caused a fumble in the process that was picked up by Tom Wingard, who returned it 35 yards to the Mount Pleasant 33. Hirsch scored six plays later to make it 32-21.
Marker capped the game’s scoring with a one-yard dive with 46.9 seconds left in the game.
Mike Predajna led the Vikings with 103 yards rushing.
Hirsch had 71 yards on 12 carried for Laurel Highlands. Humbert completed seven of 17 passes for 71 yards.
Belle Vernon 30, Uniontown 14
The Leopards’ Jon Fowler kicked three field goals, and Belle Vernon scored 17 points over the final 3:12 in a Keystone Conference title-clinching victory over the Red Raiders.
Fowler’s third field came from 32 yards out and gave the Leopards the lead for good, 16-14, with 3:12 remaining. On Uniontown’s next play from scrimmage, Belle Vernon’s Trenton Scott picked off a Ryan Guthrie pass and returned it 10 yards to set up the Leopards at the Red Raiders’ 25.
Five plays later, on fourth-and-goal from the Uniontown one-yard line, Tamaar Pone scored to make it 23-14. On the second play after the kickoff, Belle Vernon’s Mike Davis stepped in front of a Guthrie pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with 4.4. seconds remaining.
Andrew Bell led Belle Vernon (7-1, 6-0) with 104 yards on 14 carries, while Pone added 79 on 10 rushes. After Uniontown took a 7-0 lead on Todd Jackson’s 26-yard run midway through the first quarter, Bell scored from 42 yards out two plays later.
Fowler’s first field goal, a 27-yarder, made it 10-7 with 7:02 remaining in the half.
Uniontown (5-3, 3-2) retook the lead with a 14-play, 80-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes of clock. On a third-and-goal from the Leopards’ nine-yard line, Guthrie found Eric Hughes alone in the corner of the end zone with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Belle Vernon answered with a 12-play, 53-yard drive which culminated in a 31-yard field goal with 8:02 to play and pulled the Leopards to within 14-13.
Bill McLee led Uniontown with 54 yards on 11 carries, while Jackson finished with 35 on 13 attempts.
Franklin Regional 32, Albert Gallatin 22
The statistics are improving, but the wins remain difficult to come by for Albert Gallatin, which lost to Franklin Regional in a non-conference game Friday night.
Albert Gallatin had as many first downs and penalties as the home team, and even had two fewer turnovers, but, as coach Chuck Colborn preached before the season started, winning is an attitude.
“The program’s still going in the right direction,” said Colborn, the second-year coach. “We’re not getting blown out. We’re not getting our brains beat in. We’re hanging. We’re playing well with people. We’ve just got to start to get some wins to take it to the next level.”
The loss dropped Albert Gallatin to 1-7 overall, but it appeared as if the Colonials were on course to match last year’s win total when they jumped on a misplayed squib kick to start the game at the Franklin 37-yard line. Three plays later, Vaughn Jones ripped off a 31-yard touchdown run off an option pitch from quarterback Zack Dawson. Jeff Tomi’s extra point gave Albert Gallatin a 7-0 lead, but that would be the Colonials’ only lead.
Franklin tied the game on Myke McAfoose’s 56-yard run five plays later. Franklin then took the lead on its second possession when quarterback Chris Streett passed 47 yards to Josh Kurz for a touchdown.
McAfoose, who finished the game with 269 yards on 23 carries, gave Franklin a 13-point cushion with a 44-yard touchdown run on a draw play with 8:12 left in the first half.
McAfoose ripped off a 33-yarder to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Streett early in the third quarter for what proved to be Franklin’s biggest lead of the game, 26-7.
Albert Gallatin matched the touchdown after Jones ran 42 yards to the Franklin 17. Five plays later, Dawson ran 8 yards for the score.
Franklin’s final touchdown, a 19-yard pass to Kurz, was matched by Albert Gallatin in the final minute, when Jones scored from a yard away. His 2-point conversion run with 28 seconds left accounted for the game’s final points.
Elizabeth-Forward 17, Brownsville 10
After all it has been through in the last week, the Brownsville football team gave a gutsy effort in the Falcons’ loss at Elizabeth-Forward Friday night.
In case you missed the news, Brownsville’s teachers are on strike, which meant the football coaches had to prepare their team for a game without the normality of classes during the day.
But the biggest shock wasn’t finalized until about noon Friday afternoon, when head coach Don Bartolomucci was suspended until further notice pending an investigation.
“I was made aware of that situation at about noon today,” assistant coach and athletic director Scooter Roebuck said after the game. “It’s been a tough week all around, but the kids really responded well tonight. It was a gutsy effort.”
If not for a few plays, the Falcons would have come out with a victory. However, as Steelers coach Bill Cowher keeps reminding us, you can’t take away those plays. In this case, they were a few running plays by Warriors senior tailback Ryan Abels. He had touchdown runs of 94 and 87 yards, en route to a 191-yard effort that broke the Falcons’ back.
Brownsville fell to 2-6 with this exhibition loss, while Elizabeth-Forward improved to 4-4.
Carmichaels 41, Geibel Catholic 8
Next!
The Carmichaels Mikes continued their dominance of the Tri-County South with an impressive win over the Geibel Gators, 41-8, Friday night at Carmichaels in front of a Senior Night crowd.
There are a few things you can count on in life – death, taxes, and the Mikes running the football. The Mikes certainly held up their end of the bargain.
The Mikes rushed for 246 yards on 28 carries. Colby Giles and Bobby Hathaway did their best impressions of Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside. Giles rushed for 120 yards on only three carries all outside the ends and Hathaway rushed for 107 yards on 12 rushes most of which came between the tackles. Each scored a rushing touchdown while Giles added another on a 15-yard reception from Jono Menhart.
Giles and Hathaway each enjoyed personal milestones on the evening. Hathaway’s 107 yards gives him a total of 1111 for the year and Giles first touchdown put him over 100 points along with teammate Hathaway.
It’s refreshing to see,” said Mikes coach John Menhart, who saw four different players score. “They don’t care who scores or how, as long as they win.”
Giles and Jeff Lapkowicz each scored twice and Hathaway and Justin Zielensky each reached the end zone once.
“We played a good football team tonight,” noted Geibel coach Angelo Dippolito. “They will represent the conference very well. John (Menthart) does a great job.”
Baldwin 33, Connellsville 0
The Connellsville Falcons fading playoff hopes were snuffed out Friday night, with a 33-0 loss to Baldwin.
The Falcons (1-7, 0-5) needed to defeat the Highlanders and Hempfield next week, plus a couple of losses by Norwin, to remain in the playoff hunt.
Baldwin(4-4, 3-2) ended all speculation, by turning loose a physical ground game, rushing for 261-yards on the night. Running back Fred Bacco led the Highlanders with 187-yards on 25 carries, and scored three touchdowns, to help the Highlanders lock up the final playoff berth in the Quad-East.
“The kids blocked and ran well tonight, we’re getting better,” Baldwin coach Don Yanessa said. “It’s nice to know we’re going to the playoffs instead of playing one of those crossover games, like we’ve done the past two years.”
Baldwin wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, taking the opening kickoff on their 40, they drove 60 yards on seven plays for the score. Bacco capped the scoring drive with an 11-yard run. The PAT by Ryan Larkin gave the Highlanders a 7-0 lead.
The Falcon offense struggled throughout the night. Each time it seemed like Connellsville would start finding a little rhythm, the drive would be stalled by a tackle for a loss, sack, incomplete pass or penalty.
“We had a good week of practice, and thought we had a chance at this game,” Connellsville’s Dan Spanish said. “This is not the same group of kids that played with the enthusiasm and hustle that won the game at Butler a few weeks ago.”
Frazier 21, Mapletown 20
The Frazier Commodores remained alive in a hunt for a playoff spot in the Tri-County South Conference with 21-20 win over Mapletown in double overtime.
Frazier’s Craig Neely led with 68 yards rushing and three touchdowns, two of which came in the overtimes. With Frazier down 20-19 in the second overtime, quarterback T.J. Martinak rushed for the game-winning two-point conversion to douse Mapletown’s hopes for post-season play.
Currently in section 4-A, California, West Greene and Frazier are all tied at 3-3 and are fighting for playoff spots.
Statistically speaking, Mapletown dominated every aspect of the game including 231 total offensive yards to Frazier’s 95.
Waynesburg 36, Southmoreland 7
Legal experts might say that possession is worth nine points of the law, but Waynesburg can paraphrase that argument just a bit.
The Raiders made three of their first possessions worth 18 points, and went on from there to defeat host Southmoreland, 36-7, in Interstate Conference action here Friday night. The win left the Raiders 6-2 overall, 4-1 conference, as they prepare to wind up the regular season on Friday night against backyard rival Washington.
Waynesburg took advantage of two Scottie miscues to build up a 22-0 halftime lead, and had a shutout until the last four minutes of the game. Six runners figured in a strong ground offense that netted 242 yards, plus 141 more in the air, with QB Cory Walsh completing six of 11 passes.
Raider coach Dave Sarra said, “Turnovers were a big key. We were aggressive and caused them, then converted them into scores. Our goal in every game is to win the battle for possession, then control the line of scrimmage and control the clock, two very big factors in winning. We had a good ground offense and we also threw the ball well, which complemented our running offense.”
Ball control was a big factor for the Raiders, who ran 47 plays to the Scotties’ 22, converting 11 times out of 17 tries in third down situations. Defensively, the Raiders, held Southmoreland at the W-47, 29, and 44 in the first half, and at the 33 in the second half before they scored with 3:50 left in the game.
Coach Bobby Thompson called Waynesburg “a very powerful team, and they executed very well. We knew we could not afford to make mistakes against a team like that, for if you do a good team will make you pay, and they did that on two mistakes we made right at the start. I think we looked better in the second half, but we didn’t have consistency in our plays.”
West Greene 12, California 7
West Greene built a 12-0 lead and then hung on to defeat host California in a Tri-County South battle.
The Pioneers’ A.J. Wilson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Keith Ross in the first quarter, and Tomm Golacinski scored on a six-yard run early in the second.
The Trojans’ Ryan Robinson broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run 41 seconds after West Greene’s second score. California (3-5, 3-3) had a chance to go ahead after blocking a punt late in the half, but fumbled on the Pioneer two-yard line.
The Trojans threatened again on their final drive, but were stopped at the West Greene 20 by another fumble.
Robinson led all rushers with 131 yards on 18 carries.
Cliff Anderson had 97 yards on 21 attempts for West Greene (5-3, 3-3). Wilson completed six of 12 passes for 107 yards.
Beth-Center 21, Chartiers-Houston 7
Three players scored for Beth-Center as the Bulldogs beat Chartiers-Houston in Black Hills Conference action.
Garrett Balis broke the ice as he capped a first-quarter drive with a one-yard plunge, before George Hilberding added an 8-yarder for a 14-7 halftime lead after Jordan Sweany added the PATs.
Chartiers-Houston scored its lone touchdown in the third quarter as Dan Frantz hit Dave Marx with an 82-yard pass. Tim Bett’s kick was good for the PAT.
Mike Morgan capped the Bulldogs’ scoring with an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Hilberding was the game’s top rusher with 159 yards on 34 carries, while Frantz was the top passer with six completions in 21 attempts for 135 yards.
Scores from around the state:
WESTERN REGION
Aliquippa 30, New Brighton 6
Altoona 42, Gettysburg 7
Bald Eagle Area 22, Philipsburg-Osceola 21
Baldwin 33, Connellsville 0
Bedford 32, Richland 17
Belle Vernon 30, Uniontown 14
Bishop McCort 29, Penn Cambria 16
Blacklick Valley 36, North Star 13
Blairsville 45, Penns Manor 32
Bradford 49, Bellefonte 6
Brashear 28, Oliver 22 (OT)
Brookville 28, Punxsutawney 21
Cambridge Springs 49, Cochranton 14
Carmichaels 41, Geibel 8
Central Cambria 14, Westmont Hilltop 0
Central Martinsburg 27, Somerset 6
Chartiers Valley 10, West Mifflin 9
Clarion 30, Allegheny-Clarion Valley 12
Clarion-Limestone 48, Moniteau 16
Clearfield 47, St. Marys 14
Conemaugh Township 20, Conemaugh Valley 19
Conneaut Valley 27, Conneaut Lake 8
Curwensville 29, Johnsonburg 13
East Allegheny 15, South Park 14
Eisenhower 38, Otto-Eldred 7
Elizabeth Forward 17, Brownsville 10
Elk County Catholic 24, Brockway 23
Everett 29, Glendale 7
Forest Hills 18, Bishop Carroll 12
Fort Cherry 43, Burgettstown 7
Fort LeBoeuf 31, North East 0
Fox Chapel 19, Trinity 0
Franklin Regional 32, Albert Gallatin 22
Frazier 21, Mapletown 20 (2 OT)
Gateway 24, Kiski Area 21
Girard 31, Iroquois 0
Greater Johnstown 27, Cambria Heights 0
Greensburg Central Catholic 14, Charleroi 12
Greensburg Salem 41, Yough 7
Greenville 36, Mercer 6
Grove City 32, Hickory 21
Hampton 21, Valley 13
Harbor Creek 21, Fairview 0
Hazleton 29, Williamsport 26
Hollidaysburg 42, Cedar Cliff 13
Homer-Center 28, United 6
Hopewell 48, Ambridge 0
Huntingdon 35, Lewistown 20
Indiana 20, Penn Trafford 17
Indiana 20, Penn-Trafford 17
Jeannette 28, Washington 7
Johnstown 27, Cambria Heights 0
Kane 32, Smethport 7
Keystone Oaks 54, Peters Township 23
Knoch 21, Highlands 7
Laurel Highlands 32, Mount Pleasant 27
Ligonier Valley 26, Saltsburg 14
Maplewood 33, Union City 20
Marion Center 39, Purchase Line 0
Mars 47, North Catholic 0
McKeesport 41, Ringgold 0
Meadville 63, West Shamokin 30
Mohawk 45, Neshannock 0
Monessen 22, Jefferson-Morgan 14
Moshannon Valley 21, Juniata Valley 7
Mount Lebanon 10, Butler 6
North Allegheny 7, Bethel Park 6
Northgate 12, South Fayette 7
Northwestern 21, General McLane 12
Norwin 7, Hempfield 0
Oil City 38, Du Bois 13
Peabody 32, Westinghouse 8
Penns Valley 24, Mount Union 0
Pine-Richland 44, Kittanning 0
Plum 32, Latrobe 13
Port Allegany 28, Youngsville 0
Portage 41, Meyersdale 31
Redbank Valley 41, Keystone 20
Reynolds 35, Wilmington 0
Ridgway 23, Cameron County 0
Rochester 20, Farrell 12
Saegertown 35, Lakeview 6
Seneca 13, Corry 7
Seneca Valley 26, Shaler 6
Seton-LaSalle 42, South Allegheny 0
Sharon 13, Slippery Rock 10
Shenango 28, Riverside 21
Southern Huntingdon 35, Tussey Mountain 0
State College 29, Central Mountain 0
Sto-Rox 32, Avella 6
Strong Vincent 27, East 6
Thomas Jefferson 49, McGuffey 0
Titusville 34, Franklin 26
Tyrone 34, Indian Valley 14
Upper St. Clair 21, Canon-McMillan 0
Warren 29, Erie Central 13
Waynesburg 36, Southmoreland 7
West Allegheny 42, Moon 0
West Branch 33, Williamsburg 7
West Middlesex 15, Kennedy Catholic 7
Windber 55, Shade 8
Woodland Hills 7, North Hills 0
EASTERN REGION
Altoona 42, Gettysburg 7
Bermudian Springs 7, Biglerville 3
Big Spring 30, Shippensburg 15
Bishop McDevitt 30, Kennedy-Kenrick 8
Bishop Shanahan 35, Harriton 15
Bloomsburg 29, Lewisburg 13
Boiling Springs 37, James Buchanan 0
Boyertown 17, Lansdale Catholic 14
Bucktail 48, Carson Long 22
Carbondale 27, Mid Valley 12
Catasauqua 32, Palmerton 13
Cocalico 27, ELCO 24
Conestoga Valley 19, Elizabethtown 0
Dallas 35, Tunkhannock 0
Dallastown 22, New Oxford 20
Danville 16, Central Columbia 0
Delaware Valley 22, Wallenpaupack 6
Downingtown 49, Norristown 6
Dunbar, D.C., 38, Glen Mills 6
Dunmore 41, Riverside 7
East Pennsboro 15, Susquenita 13
East Stroudsburg North 35, Pocono Mountain West 14
East Stroudsburg South 17, Nazareth 3
Emmaus 14, Allentown Allen 13
Freedom 42, Northampton 12
Governor Mifflin 15, Penn Manor 14
Halifax 30, Pine Grove 14
Hazleton Area 29, Williamsport 26
Hollidaysburg 42, Cedar Cliff 13
Honesdale 35, North Pocono 7
Hughesville 35, Montgomery 0
Juniata at Williams Valley, ppd.
La Salle 17, Father Judge 7
Lakeland 40, Lackawanna Trail 17
Lampter-Strasburg 49, Annville-Cleona 0
Lancaster McCaskey 9, Cedar Crest 0
Lebanon 47, Garden Spot 28
Littlestown 14, West York 10
Manheim Central 48, Ephrata 0
Marian Catholic 43, Shenandoah Valley 18
Methacton 41, Upper Dublin 17
Mifflinburg 34, Montoursville 13
Milton 7, Jersey Shore 0
Montrose 41, Bishop O’Hara 0
Mount Carmel 41, Shikellamy 7
Muhlenberg 34, Exeter 0
Nanticoke 35, Bishop Hoban 20
North Penn 28, Central Bucks East 21
Northern 46, Waynesboro 8
Northern Lebanon 14, Lancaster Catholic 13
Northern Lehigh 10, Northwestern 7
Notre Dame 49, Bangor 7
Old Forge 29 Western Wayne 8
Owen J. Roberts 31, Spring-Ford 8
Parkland 35, Liberty 0
Penn Charter 40, Haverford School 7
Penncrest 7, Marple Newtown 0
Pennridge 49, William Tennent 27
Pennsbury 35, Chester 20
Perkiomen School 20, Academy of New Church 13
Pius X 27, North Schuylkill 6
Pleasant Valley 20, Lehighton 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 22, Wissahickon 19
Pocono Mountain East 16, Stroudsburg 0
Pottsgrove 37, Phoenixville 0
Pottstown 26, Upper Perkiomen 0
Radnor 34, Conestoga 14
Reading Central Catholic 35, Wyomissing 21
Reading High 28, Hempfield 14
Reading Holy Name 49, Kutztown 14
Red Land 37, Carlisle 34
Red Lion 28, South Western 6
Ridley 40, Haverford High 0
Roman Catholic 21, Archbishop Ryan 14
Salisbury 10, Saucon Valley 0
Sayre 26, Canton 20
Schuylkill Haven 43, Jim Thrope 14
Scranton 35, Abington Heights 0
Scranton Prep 45, Susquehanna 15
Selinsgrove 24, Southern Columbia 7
Shamokin 13, Blue Mountain 9
South Williamsport 8, Warrior Run 7
Southern Lehigh 29, Palisades 0
Spring Grove 18, Central York 15
Springfield Montco 40, Morrisville 0
State College 29, Central Mountain 0
Strath Haven 35, Upper Darby 0
Sun Valley 21, Garnet Valley 6
Susquehanna Township 28, Hershey 0
Susquehannock 9, William Penn of York 7
Tamaqua 36, Panther Valley 0
Towanda 46, North Penn 18
Trinity 32, Scotland 8
Twin Valley 7, Daniel Boone 6
Unionville 50, Oxford 12
Upper Dauphin 20, Newport 19
Valley View 35, West Scranton 20
Warwick 34, Solanco 19
West Chester East 26, St. Mark’s, Del., 20, OT
West Perry 48, Greencastle-Antrim 6
Whitehall 15, Easton 13
Wilson 39, Manheim Township 3
Wyalusing 36, Troy 7
Wyoming Area 28, Wilkes-Barre Coughlin 0
Wyoming Valley West 28, Pottsville 13