Sep 10, 2023 By The Herald-Standard 8 min read

Southmoreland’s Jake Kaylor hit a 32-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter Friday night for a 24-21 non-conference victory over visiting Derry.

The Scotties (3-0) moved the ball from their own 15-yard line to the Trojans’ 15 to set up the game-winning field goal. Ward’s return, plus a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, placed the ball deep into Southmoreland territory. However, Southmoreland held on fourth down.

Kaylor tied the game at 21 with a 24-yard field goal with 9:09 left in the game.

Derry didn’t go away quietly, though. The visitors’ drive came to an end with Wyatt Richter’s interception with 48 seconds left in the game.

Southmoreland bolted out to an early 12-0 lead on Da’sjon Craggette’s 59-yard run and Kadin Keefer’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Ty Keffer as time expired in the first quarter.

Keefer completed 7-of-16 passes for 80 yards and two interceptions. Craggette gained 133 yards on the ground, and Keffer caught five passes for 77 yards.

Derry’s Ahmad Ward scored the only touchdown of the second quarter on a 5-yard run with 8.7 seconds left in the first half. Gabe Gess’ extra point made the score 12-7 at halftime. The Trojans moved the ball 90 yards on the ground in the last two minutes to set up Ward’s run.

The Trojans moved ahead midway through the third quarter on Ward’s 1-yard dive into the end zone.

Southmoreland regained the lead 23 seconds later on Craggette’s 53-yard touchdown run. The run attempt failed for an 18-14 lead.

Derry (1-2) rallied for the lead on Damauri Robinson’s 17-yard run and Gess’ kick at 3:16.

The Trojans’ Mason Beeman completed 10-of-20 passes for 128 yards and two interceptions. Ward carried the ball 34 times for 146 yards rushing. Jonathan Shumaker caught three passes for 59 yards.

Belle Vernon 21, McKeesport 14, OT — Braden Laux powered into the end zone on a 3-yard run in overtime to lift the Leopards to a non-conference home victory over the Tigers.

Anthony Crews scored in the first and fourth quarters. His 31-yard touchdown reception from Laux gave Belle Vernon a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. He scored on a 65-yard run in the fourth quarter to tie the game.

Crews carried the ball three times for 81 yards and caught five passes for 43 yards. Laux completed 13-of-21 passes for 102 yards and two interceptions.

Anthony Boyd’s 30-yard run tied the game in the second quarter. Garret Tarker’s 12-yard run pulled the Tigers (2-1) into a 14-7 lead in the third quarter.

Boyd carried the ball 26 times for 92 yards.

Franklin Regional 38, Connellsville 0 — The Falcons’ season-opening winning streak came to an after after they suffered a non-conference road loss to the Panthers.

Kyle Dupill scored two touchdowns and gained 131 yards rushing for Franklin Regional (2-1). Jude Gentile also ran for two touchdowns.

Connellsville goes to 2-1 overall with the loss.

Fort Cherry 49, Beth-Center 6 — Matt Sieg ran for two touchdowns, threw for one and returned an interception for another in the Rangers’ non-conference win at Beth-Center.

Fort Cherry put the game away with 28 points in the second quarter.

Sieg had touchdown runs of 32 and 2 yards, threw a 14-yard touchdown pass and had a 36-yard interception return.

Beth-Center’s Cyncere Cruz sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown run with 1:59 left in the game.

Avella 14, Mapletown 7 — The Eagles scored two touchdowns in the second quarter for a non-conference victory at Mapletown.

Caleb Rush had a 5-yard scoring run and Cole Jaworowski hit Isaiah Bradick on a 23-yard touchdown pass for Avella.

Mapletown scored first on Evan Griffin’s 23-yard run at 8:36 of the first quarter. Griffin finished with 54 yards rushing.

The Maples’ A.J. Vanata missed the game due to injury.

Elizabeth Forward 45, East Allegheny 15 — Charlie Nigut and Jace Brown both ran for two touchdowns in the Warriors’ non-conference win over the visiting Wildcats.

Nigut scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards, and Brown had touchdown runs of 11 and 10 yards for Elizabeth Forward (3-0).

The Warriors’ Ryan Messina had touchdown passes of 57 and 14 yards, and finished with 184 yards on 10 completions. Will Sinay made four extra points and a 37-yard field goal.

Monessen 48, Frazier 19 — Daevon Burke scored touchdowns on runs of 5, 31 and 69 yards to lead the Greyhounds to a non-conference home victory against the Commodores.

Burke finished with 139 yards rushing on just eight carries.

Tyvaughn Kershaw (27), Rodney Johnson (4, 2), and Tavian Taylor (27) also had touchdown runs for Monessen (1-2). Kershaw carried the ball four times for 77 yards.

Chase Fulmer scored on a 13-yard run for Frazier (0-3), as well as on touchdown passes of 56 and 16 yards from Dailan McManus.

McManus completed 14-of-25 pass attempts for 188 yards. Fulmer caught six passes for 82 yards and Andrew Bandish had four receptions for 79 yards.

Leechburg 28, Bentworth 21 — Vitali Daniels 16-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Burt drew the Bearcats to a touchdown, but the Blue Devils managed to hold on for the non-conference road victory.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter when Leechburg’s Jayden Floyd returned a blocked field goal 75 yards for a touchdown and Daniels found Burt open for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Leechburg scored the next two touchdowns on short scoring runs by Floyd in the second quarter and Jake Cummings in the third quarter.

Daniels found Burt again early in the fourth quarter for a 24-yard touchdown pass, but Floyd’s 23-yard run gave Leechburg a two-touchdown lead.

Daniels completed 12-of-21 passes for 168 yards.

West Allegheny 48, Ringgold 6 — Demitri Lowe scored on a 43-yard interception return for the Rams’ lone score in a non-conference road loss.

Brock Cornell returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown for West Allegheny (2-1), and added scoring runs of 10, 1 and 4 yards.

Greensburg C.C. 48, West Greene 30 — The Centurions scored 27 points in the second quarter to pull away for a non-conference road win at West Greene.

West Greene’s Billy Whitlach scored on an 8-yard run that tied the game in the first quarter. Colin Brady’s 4-yard touchdown run gave the Pioneers (2-1) the lead early in the second quarter.

Greensburg C.C. (2-1) then ran off 34 unanswered points, including 27 in the second quarter.

Brady scored on a runs of 7 and 24 yards in the second half. Brady carried the ball 30 times for 209 yards.

Jeannette 31, Jefferson-Morgan 20 — The Jayhawks scored the first 17 points and maintained the advantage for a non-conference home win.

Deakyn Dehoet scored on a kickoff return and 49-yard pass from Houston Guseman. He ran for 49 yards and caught five passes for 69 yards.

Colin Basceglia had a 39-yard touchdown run for the Rockets (1-2). He finished with 81 yards rushing.

Mount Pleasant 26, McGuffey 21 — The Vikings scored the deciding points in the third quarter to rally for a non-conference victory at McGuffey.

Garrett Eicher’s 5-yard run and Jarrett Garn’s point-after with 41 seconds left in the third quarter gave the Vikings (2-1) the last lead of the game.

Mount Pleasant (2-1) drew close earlier in the third quarter on Cole Chatfield’s 39-yard scoring pass to Luke Nicotera at 6:04.

Eicher scored the first touchdown of the game at 9:50 of the first quarter on a 3-yard run.

McGuffey (1-2) scored the next 14 points, but Chatfield’s 78-yard interception return with 5:47 left in the first half cut the deficit to 14-12.

McGuffey’s lead grew midway through the third quarter on Connor Crowe’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Lincoln Johnson.

Yough 20, Charleroi 14 — Raidon Kuroda scored the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter on a 5-yard run in the Cougars’ non-conference road victory at Charleroi.

Kuroda also scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Kuroda ran for 98 yards on 15 carries for Yough (1-2) and had a 22-yard scoring pass to Ryan Sarver. julian Varrenti gained 102 yards rushing.

Charleroi (0-2) scored on Noah Pletcher’s 16-yard touchdown reception from Jackson Keranko and Tyler O’Neill’s 29-yard interception return.

Northern Garrett (Md.) 27, Albert Gallatin 6 — Caleb DeHaven scored the Colonials’ lone touchdown on a 75-yard run in the second quarter in a non-conference home game.

DeHaven ran for 114 yards on eight carries.

Northern Garrett held a 6-0 lead at halftime and 13-6 after the third quarter.

Carmichaels 27, Chartiers-Houston 7 — The Mikes defeated the visiting Bucs for their first victory of the season.

Aydan Anderson opened the scoring for Carmichaels (1-2) on a 3-yard run midway through the first quarter. Ambrose Anderson powered into the end zone from four yards out push Carmichaels’ lead to 14-0 with 54 seconds left in the first quarter.

Will Murray had a 24-yard scoring run with 3:06 left in the half to give the Mikes a 20-0 at halftime.

AJ Donaldson scored the Mikes’ last touchdown on a 46-yard run with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

Chartiers-Houston falls to 0-3 overall.

Buckeye Local (Ohio) 40, Brownsville 6 — The Falcons (0-3) lost a non-conference game on the road to the Panthers (1-3).

Kaeden Wimmer scored the lone touchdown for Brownsville.