Aug 29, 2025 By Rob Burchianti 4 min read

A year later the tables were turned.

Albert Gallatin, Connellsville and Mount Pleasant all suffered season-opening losses in 2024 but all three head into the second week of the high school football season on a high note, having avenged those defeats.

The Colonials lost at Greensburg Salem, 28-6, last season but rolled to a 48-33 home victory over the visiting Lions last Friday night, rushing for 402 yards. Connellsville fell at Falcon Stadium to Latrobe, 41-0, last season but earned a 28-13 road win over the Wildcats in last week’s rematch. The Vikings were handed a tough 28-27 loss at Jeannette last year but stormed back from a 23-0 deficit to stun the Jayhawks, 29-23, at Mount Pleasant in their 2025 opener.

In Week One games tonight, Albert Gallatin is on the road at Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh to face Carrick, Mount Pleasant hosts Greensburg Central Catholic and the Falcons travel to Meadville as each will try to open the season 2-0.

“It’s a revenge tour,” said Connellsville junior Linkon Keller, whose three consecutive second-half touchdowns sparked the Falcons’ to victory last week. “I don’t think any of us were happy with the results last year. We had this game (Latrobe) circled and then the next two (a 48-41 four-overtime home loss to Meadville and 29-26 defeat at Albert Gallatin that went down to the final seconds in 2024), we thought both were games we should’ve won and we let slip away. We’re determined to not let that happen this year.”

Two teams open their season tonight. Belle Vernon first-year coach Scott Bryer faces a stiff challenge as his Leopards host perennial power Aliquippa at The Beach, while Carmichaels hosts Sto-Rox at Coaches Field.

All games are non-conference with 7 p.m. kickoffs except for Uniontown, which, like AG, travels to Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh but with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Perry Traditional Academy.

Laurel Highlands, coming off a 27-0 win in Aaron Raffle’s head-coaching debut against the Red Raiders at Bill Power Stadium, plays its home opener at Mustang Field against Ambridge while Brownsville and first-year head coach Cody Castor tries to rebound from a loss at Bentworth as it hosts St. Clairsville, Ohio, at Redstone Field.

Two games have area teams facing off against each other as Frazier and first-year coach Tony Battaglini tries to start 2-0 as it travels to Mapletown and Jefferson-Morgan puts its 12-game regular season winning streak on the line against a Waynesburg Central squad it upset on the road a year ago. The Rockets triumphed over Chartiers-Houston, 42-7, and the Raiders cruised past the Pioneers, 50-6, last week.

California, coming off a 44-14 win at Serra Catholic, looks to avenge a 27-3 loss at Cornell in Week One last year as it hosts the Raiders tonight. Also at home are Beth-Center against Leechburg and West Greene against high-scoring Monessen.

Southmoreland, which gave Dustin Shoaf a 40-0 win over visiting Valley in his head coaching debut last week, travels to East Allegheny.

Keller felt Connellsville’s determination in the offseason to reverse last year’s disappointing 3-6 record paid dividends for the Falcons and was a key factor in their win at Latrobe.

“A lot of us who were coming back from last season matured a lot in the offseason and I think we got stronger and faster as a team,” Keller said. “Everyone was excited all week and working hard getting ready for the Latrobe game. The big emphasis was to start out hot and we did that with a touchdown on the first drive, with everyone working together to help us push the ball downfield. It just gave everyone confidence for the rest of the game that we can do it.”

Jace McClean, one of the Falcons’ three head coaches, lauded Keller, whose touchdowns came on a 55-yard interception return, an 18-yard run and a 72-yard punt return after the game.

“It’s hard to sum it up, other than saying Linkon is a very special kid,” McClean said. “Personally, I am proud of the way he represents the team and our school in all aspects of his life. We’re excited to see him continue to develop and lead our team.”