Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Westmoreland County in Week 5 of the 2024 season:
Class 6A
Hempfield (1-4, 0-2) at Canon-McMillan (2-3, 1-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Canon-McMillan Stadium, Canonsburg
Last week’s result: Central Catholic 42, Hempfield 0; Canon-McMillan 17, Mt. Lebanon 14 (OT)
Last year’s meeting: Did not play
Hempfield dropped its second straight conference game as Central Catholic did all of its scoring in the first half and kept the Spartans out of the end zone. Hempfield is allowing a conference-high 36.8 points. … Zach Barzd kicked a 32-yard field goal to lift Canon-McMillan past Mt. Lebanon. He also made a 27-yard attempt to open the scoring and a 26-yarder as well. Matt Kocan had a rushing touchdown.
Class 5A Big East Conference
Kiski Area (1-4, 0-2) at Franklin Regional (4-1, 2-0)
7 p.m. Friday at Franklin Regional Panther Stadium, Murrysville
Last week’s result: Penn-Trafford 33, Kiski Area 7; Franklin Regional 36, Gateway 34
Last year’s meeting: Did not play
Kiski Area has lost its past four games after opening the season with a victory against Knoch. Penn-Trafford used a big second half to pull away for the win. Quarterback Carson Heinle has completed 53 of 86 passes for 713 yards and six touchdowns. Running back Landon Kucic has rushed for 452 yards and seven touchdowns. … Franklin Regional running back Kyle Dupill has rushed for 783 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 211 yards and two scores against Gateway. Quarterback Chase Lemke has completed 35 of 79 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.
Woodland Hills (3-2, 1-0) at Latrobe (4-1, 1-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Latrobe Memorial Stadium, Latrobe
Last week’s result: Woodland Hills 49, Shaler 7; Latrobe 14, Armstrong 0
Last year’s meeting: Did not play
Woodland Hills piled up 392 yards, including 246 on the ground, and had three interceptions in the rout of Shaler. Scoop Smith had a 69-yard touchdown catch, and Prince Tarrant returned an interception 40 yards for a score. Cam Walter is an experienced quarterback. … Latrobe went more than seven quarters without scoring a touchdown but finally broke through with a pair of 34-yard scores from John Wetzel and Brady Prohovic in the fourth quarter to top Armstrong. Alex Tatsch ran for 117 yards but did not play in the second half because of shoulder pain. Latrobe has not allowed a touchdown in eight quarters.
Class 4A Big Six Conference
Belle Vernon (1-2, 0-0) at No. 3 Thomas Jefferson (5-0, 0-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Thomas Jefferson Stadium, Jefferson Hills
Last week’s result: South Fayette 27, Belle Vernon 14; Thomas Jefferson 35, West Mifflin 7
Last year’s meeting: Thomas Jefferson 24, Belle Vernon 19
A longtime rivalry between a pair of perennial powers that feature two of the game’s top coaches in Matt Humbert and Bill Cherpak. Belle Vernon dropped its second straight, the first time that has happened since 2019. Kole Doppelheuer had an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown and also caught a scoring pass in the loss. … Thomas Jefferson cruised past West Mifflin as Tyler Eber and Brayden White scored two touchdowns apiece.
Class 3A Interstate Conference
Greensburg Salem (4-1, 0-0) at Elizabeth Forward (2-3, 0-0)
7 p.m. Friday at Warrior Stadium, Elizabeth
Last week’s result: Ambridge 27, Greensburg Salem 8; Elizabeth Forward 40, Baldwin 0
Last year’s meeting: Elizabeth Forward 48, Greensburg Salem 13
Greensburg Salem had its four-game winning streak snapped by Ambridge. Running backs Kai Brunot and Brady Smith lead the ground attack. The Chismar brothers (Brody and Peyton) share the quarterback duties. … Elizabeth Forward is coming off a 40-0 thumping of Baldwin. Quarterback Ryan Messina has completed 46 of 69 passes for 598 yards and six touchdowns. Running back Charlie Nigut has rushed for 528 yards.
Mt. Pleasant (2-3, 0-0) at Yough (2-3, 0-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Cougar Mountain Stadium, Herminie
Last week’s result: Laurel Highlands 21, Mt. Pleasant 20; Blackhawk 57, Yough 6
Last year’s meeting: Mt. Pleasant 27, Yough 13
Mt. Pleasant has played three one-point games this season, also falling to Jeannette, 28-27, and edging Greensburg Central Catholic, 36-35, in overtime. The Vikings scored last in overtime last week but couldn’t convert the 2-point conversion. Jonah Townsend caught a scoring pass, and Steve Predajna scored two touchdowns, one on a fumble recovery. … Yough took a step back, dropping its third straight after a 2-0 start. The Cougars could not slow the run against Blackhawk, which ran for seven touchdowns, including a 90-yard burst from Sam Stewart. Raidon Kuroda threw for 139 yards and a score but was intercepted three times.
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Class 2A Allegheny Conference
No. 4 South Allegheny (4-1, 1-1) at Ligonier Valley (2-3, 1-1)
7 p.m. Friday, Weller Field, Ligonier
Last week’s result: South Park 48, South Allegheny 38; OLSH 28, Ligonier Valley 7
Last year’s meeting: Did not play
The high-scoring Gladiators, who average 35.2 points, saw their four-game winning streak snapped by South Park. Quarterback Ryan Cortez has completed 69 of 112 passes for 1,040 yards and 11 touchdowns. Drew Cook has 34 catches for 652 yards, and Cameron Epps has rushed for 428 yards. … Ligonier Valley was stunned by Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The Rams had a difficult time moving the ball. Quarterback Bowie Schreyer has completed 24 of 48 passes for 514 yards and six touchdowns. John Jablunovsky has rushed for 712 yards, and twin brother Mark has 13 catches for 320 yards.
Class A Eastern Conference
Jeannette (4-1, 1-1) vs. No. 2 Clairton (5-0, 2-0)
Noon Saturday, Thomas Jefferson High School Stadium, Jefferson Hills
Last week’s result: Leechburg 35, Jeannette 13; Clairton 60, Frazier 0
Last year’s meeting: Clairton 60, Jeannette 14
Jeannette welcomes back middle linebacker Eli Jones, who has missed the past two games while serving a suspension. Jeannette’s offense, led by Kymon’e Brown, must find a way to score against Clairton’s stingy defense, which is allowing 1.4 point per game. … Clairton is led by quarterback Jeffrey Thompson and running back Drahcir Jones. Thompson has thrown for 875 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Jones has gained 561 yards and has eight touchdowns.
Riverview (2-1, 1-1) at Greensburg Central Catholic (2-2, 1-1)
7 p.m. Friday, Centurion Stadium, Carbon
Last week’s result: Greensburg Central Catholic 34, Brentwood 12; Riverview 41, Springdale 0
Last year’s meeting: Greensburg Central Catholic 21, Riverview 14
Greensburg Central Catholic snapped a two-game losing streak as Samir Crosby threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Landon Honick had a 47-yard grab, and Alex Snively added a 21-yard score. Tucker Lloyd also scored for the Centurions. … Rio Stotts had two passing touchdowns and also ran for a score in the Raiders’ win over rival Springdale. The Raiders controlled the line of scrimmage and established the run early in the win, which also ended a two-game skid. They had 306 total yards. … GCC leads 11-7 in the series. The Centurions have won nine of the last 10 games, with the Raiders’ last win coming in 2016, 13-7.
Nonconference
Monessen (4-1) at No. 3 South Side (4-0)
7 p.m. Friday, South Side High School Stadium, Hookstown
Last week’s results: Fort Cherry 35, Monessen 14; South Side 34, Shenango 21
Last year’s meeting: South Side 39, Monessen 0
These teams met in the 2023 WPIAL Class A playoffs with the Rams winning 39-0. Monessen had its four-game winning streak snapped by Fort Cherry. TyVaughn Kershaw has rushed for 767 yards and 19 touchdowns. … South Side relies on the running duo of AC Corfield and Mateja Pavlovich, who have combined for 651 yards. Pavlovich ran for 129 yards and two scores in last week’s win over Shenango.
North Hills (4-1) at No. 5 Norwin (2-3)
7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium
Last week’s result: North Hills 48, Fox Chapel 7; North Allegheny 36, Norwin 14;
Last year’s meeting: Did not play
Class 5A North Hills’ only loss is to Pine-Richland, 29-24. Last week, seven players scored a touchdown. The Indians had a 34-point first half. Quarterback Kelly McCarthy passed for three touchdowns and ran for another. North Hills beat Hempfield, 22-0. … Norwin plays its fourth home game in six weeks and look to snap a three-game losing streak. They had a 14-8 lead over No. 1 North Allegheny but didn’t score again as the Tigers ran off 28 unanswered points. Tristyn Tavares ran for 126 yards and two scores, including an 80-yard burst.
Plum (1-4, 1-1) at Penn-Trafford (3-2, 1-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Harrison City
Last week’s result: Pine-Richland 43, Plum 7; Penn-Trafford 33, Kiski Area 7
Last year’s meeting: Penn-Trafford 21, Plum 6
This is an old Keystone Conference rivalry. The Mustangs are coming off a tough loss to Pine-Richland. Wide receivers Darius Nelson and Sloan Humphries combined on 36 catches. Nicky Odom has rushed for 302 yards. … The Mustangs must find a way to slow Penn-Trafford running back Tasso Whipple, who has rushed for 749 yards. He ran for 185 yards against Kiski Area. Jack Weishaar is the leading receiver with 20 catches for 229 yards. … Penn-Trafford holds a 16-6 lead in the series that dates to 1972, the first year of P-T when both were Keystone Conference members. Plum has lost the last 10 games against P-T with its last victory coming in 2001, 14-3.
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