High School football preview
Colonials already playing catch-up after postponed opener The first high school football game of the 2004 WPIAL season is now history, which means every team finally got a chance to hit full force, work out the kinks and get some rhythm.
Well almost every team.
Albert Gallatin had its opener at Hubbard, Ohio, cancelled due to lightning, which puts the Colonials a step behind everyone else going into Week 2.
Tonight’s lineup of non-conference games, all beginning at 7:30, has AG at Montour, Uniontown hosting Elizabeth-Forward, Laurel Highlands traveling to Ringgold, Brownsville hosting Deer Lakes, Belle Vernon at Peters Township, Connellsville hosting Greater Latrobe, California at Charleroi, Frazier at Fort Cherry, Carmichaels hosting Bentworth, Geibel Catholic at Beth-Center, Southmoreland at Burrell, Mapletown hosting Chartiers-Houston, Waynesburg Central at Ford City, and Jefferson-Morgan hosting Burgettstown.
In District 5 play, Turkeyfoot Valley opens its season at home against Hundred on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The Colonials will join the Rams as the only local teams to begin their season tonight.
“It kills us, not being able to play that first game,” Albert Gallatin coach Chuck Colborn said. “We preach to the kids about practice and practice, but now this week it’s been very monotonous. Last week we had a good week and were looking forward to playing. Hubbard has a good program, we thought we were evenly matched and thought it was going to be a great game for us.
“Both teams really wanted to play. We made the trip out there and stayed to about 9:15 p.m., but there were tremendous storms around Youngstown, which was just a couple miles from us. We just couldn’t get the game started and then it was too late to do so.”
Laurel Highlands had its game at West Allegheny cut short due to lightning as well, but the Mustangs did play into the third quarter in its 7-0 loss.
Even that would’ve been enough for Colborn.
“Even if we just played a half it would’ve benefited us greatly,” Colborn said. “It’s frustrating not being able to get on the field and play somebody when you’re all ready to go.
“Now, this week, we’re probably going to make those first-game mistakes you wouldn’t normally make the second game of the season.”
At least Colborn has been able to settle on a starting quarterback. Sophomore Nate Turner will get the nod, with Travis Embacher coming off a recent injury.
“Travis has been out about two weeks, but he’ll be ready to go if we need to play him,” Colborn said. “Nate will start the game, though.”
The Colonials will be up against one of the WPIAL’s top players in Spartans tight end/defensive end Josh Byrom, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior.
“He’s a really good player, a Division-I player,” Colborn said. “His dad is the head coach. We’ll make everyone aware of him, but we’re not going to change everything we do because of him. He’s definitely a threat, but they have a good quarterback and tailback, too.”
Montour fell to visiting Chartiers Valley in its opener, 28-0.
Laurel Highlands will hope to ride some momentum from what was a solid effort against West Allegheny into Ringgold to face Russ Moore’s Rams, who fell on the road to highly ranked Moon last week, 29-6.
Mustang quarterback Jared Jodon completed six of 12 passes for 67 yards against the Indians before the game was halted with 9:51 left in the third quarter. He threw three interceptions, however.
Laurel Highlands was led on the ground by Eric Yauger, who churned out 30 yards in 10 carries. Jodon ran six times for nine yards and Alex Bota ran once for two yards.
James Wilhelm caught two passes from Jodon for 22 yards and Yauger had two receptions for 16 yards. Jodon’s other completions went to Keleb Ramsey for 23 yards and Bota for six yards.
West Allegheny moved the sticks nine times to six for LH.
The Mustangs forced two turnovers. Jimmy Blosser intercepted a Greg Marshall pass and Tommy Newman recovered a fumble. Newman also sacked Marshall once.
Laurel Highlands was hurt by five penalties for 56 yards in little over a half.
Connellsville will play its first game on the new artificial surface at Falcons Stadium against Latrobe after dropping a tough 15-14 game at Uniontown in its opener. The Wildcats are coming off a 14-9 loss at Derry.
“We can’t wait to play on this field and sort of show it off to everyone,” said Falcons coach Andy Robertson, who gambled on a potential game-winning two-point conversion late in the game against the Red Raiders, only to be foiled by a great defensive play by Uniontown’s John Farrell.
Uniontown will try to make it two straight wins against visiting E-F. Nick Neratka ran for 108 yards and a touchdown, and Steve Kezmarsky threw for 100 yards, including a key 63-yard scoring strike to Zack Sawka in the fourth quarter in the win over the Falcons.
“Neratka did a fine job,” Red Raiders coach John Fortugna said. “He gives 110 percent every play. He’s a hard worker.”
Kezmarsky was already looking ahead after the thrilling victory.
“We have to keep getting better and work on improving every week,” Kezmarsky said.
The Warriors won at Mount Pleasant last week, 19-14.
Brownsville, which fell to visiting Clairton, 40-0, will try to get its first win under second-year coach Andy Assad against a Deer Lakes team coming off a 35-0 win at Avonworth.
Southmoreland, which lost to visiting Yough, 41-8, will attempt to give first-year coach John Bainbridge his first win when the Scotties battle a Burrell squad that blasted host Apollo-Ridge, 40-6.
Belle Vernon lost its opener to visiting Thomas Jefferson, 28-0, and now the Leopards host another WPIAL playoff team from last year in Peters Township. The Indians won at McGuffey in their opener, 22-13.
California, Frazier, Car-michaels, Beth-Center, Mapletown and Waynesburg Central will all try to go to 2-0 tonight.
The Trojans defeated visiting Riverview, 14-6, while Charleroi lost at Monessen, 28-14.
The Commodores topped visiting Wilkinsburg, 27-8, while Fort Cherry lost at North Catholic, 35-20.
The Mikes blasted host Burgettstown, 52-19, while Bentworth fell at Mapletown, 21-13.
Jefferson-Morgan, which lost to visiting Beth-Center, 16-14, gets Burgettstown next, while the Bulldogs go up against a Gator squad that fell to visiting Serra Catholic, 17-14.
The Maples should get a stiff test from C-H, which hammered host Cornell, 44-14.
The Raiders, coming off a furious rally that lifted them to a 29-27 win over visiting West Greene, clash with a Ford City team that lost at Jeannette, 21-0.