James “Booboo” Armstrong isn’t one of Hopewell’s team captains this season, but that’s only because the sophomore quarterback declined the honor.
He had the votes.
“I called him into my office and said, ‘Look, Booboo, you were voted a captain,’ and he got this big smile on his face,” Hopewell coach Matt Mottes said. “But there were some seniors who’d lost to him by a vote. So, he looked me in the face and said, ‘I don’t want to be a captain. I want to be a leader. Let the seniors be the captains.’ ”
A 6-foot-3, 215-pounder with a Pitt offer, Armstrong headlines a talented class of 10th-grade quarterbacks that’s growing up fast. On Friday night, five of the top 10 passers from WPIAL or City League schools were sophomores.
That list included the 15-year-old Armstrong, who completed 16 of 19 passes for 229 yards in a 31-6 victory over New Castle. He also rushed for 109 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries.
The Vikings improved to 2-0 and are ranked third in WPIAL Class 3A.
“First of all, he’s extremely smart,” Mottes said. “He understands how to read defenses. He understands what routes will be open. … And with his arm, his accuracy, his decision making — he really is the total package.”
Armstrong had some competition Friday for best sophomore showing.
• Shady Side Academy sophomore Javon Johnston led all Week 1 passers with 357 yards in a 56-26 win over Burrell. Johnston completed 14 of 19 passes and threw three touchdowns, but this wasn’t the first time his athleticism has shown.
A WPIAL and PIAA track medalist last spring, Johnston also won the triple jump for his age group at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor in June.
• Brashear sophomore David Kessler led all City League passers with 306 yards in a 48-24 loss to Butler. Kessler completed 23 of 51 attempts and threw three TDs.
• USO’s Dai’Mere Adair was a close second to Kessler on Friday with 302 passing yards in a 41-24 loss to Hickory of District 10. Adair threw two TDs and completed 17 of 24 passes.
• Greensburg Central Catholic sophomore Bobby Smithnosky completed 14 of 22 passes for 223 yards and three TDs in a 40-7 win over Mt. Pleasant.
Elsewhere, Central Catholic sophomore quarterback Owen Herrick led the Vikings to 34-20 victory over Pine-Richland in a battle of defending WPIAL champions. A 6-2, 185-pounder with a Syracuse offer, Herrick passed for 135 yards and a touchdown. Another sophomore QB with Division I offers, Anthony Smith recently left the WPIAL and transferred from Seton LaSalle to Fairmont, W.Va.
Armstrong, who received a Pitt offer in January, leads the class. In two games this season, he has completed 76% of his passes, thrown for four touchdowns and rushed for five.
The multi-sport athlete also is a standout in baseball and basketball. Akron, Delaware State and Sacramento State also offered him scholarships.
“He absolutely deserves it,” Mottes said. “Honestly, I’m surprised there’s not more.”
Return to sender
Long kickoff returns might be the most exciting plays in high school football, so two of them can be electric.
Just ask Central Catholic’s Chrys Black and Pine-Richland’s Khalil Taylor, who scored on consecutive kickoffs in a 28-second span Friday. Or South Fayette freshman Aayden Wright, who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns himself, both 90 yards or longer.
In all, there were 11 touchdowns scored on kickoff returns in Week 1.
Black took the opening kickoff near the goal line and sprinted 99 yards to the end zone. Not to be outdone, Taylor returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a 7-7 tie.
“I’ve never been a part of an opening part of a game (like that one) with two plays and it’s 7-7,” said Central Catholic coach Ryan Lehmeier, whose Vikings won 34-20.
Wright scored on kickoff returns of 90 and 92 yards in South Fayette’s 35-27 win over Shaler.
Leading the way
If there were any questions whether Upper St. Clair’s Ethan Hellmann and Avonworth’s Carson Bellinger can spark an offense, the senior quarterbacks have answered them all. Both were returning starters this season, but neither was the focal point of their offense before now.
Bellinger passed for 1,075 yards last year as Avonworth ran to a WPIAL Class 3A title behind a wildcat offense. Hellmann passed for 960 yards for a run-heavy USC offense that won the Allegheny Six.
Now, they each rank among the top WPIAL passers after two games.
On Friday, Bellinger passed for 217 yards and two touchdowns as the Antelopes improved to 2-0. He also had 180 yards and three touchdowns in Week Zero.
Hellmann threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers (2-0) on Friday. A week earlier, he passed for 273 yards and four touchdowns.
Explosive offenses
A dozen WPIAL teams are averaging 40 points or more after two games, a list topped by North Catholic with 116 combined points in two wins.
Led by 2024 WPIAL passing leader Joey Felitsky, the Trojans have victories this year over Seton LaSalle, 47-14, and Knoch, 69-10. They average 58 points.
Also averaging 40 points or more after two games are Jefferson-Morgan (49.5), Clairton (45.5), Fort Cherry (44.5), Southmoreland (44.5), Hopewell (43.5), Shady Side Academy (42), Upper St. Clair (41.5), Ringgold (41), South Allegheny (41), California (40) and Waynesburg (40). Aliquippa scored 42 points in one game.
Annual event
Latrobe outlasted Plum in a triple-overtime win Friday that took place almost exactly one year since the last three-OT game in the WPIAL.
On Aug. 30, 2024, Highlands defeated Elizabeth Forward, 53-52, after the third overtime in their Week 1 game. That was the only three-OT game last season.
This time, Latrobe’s A.J. Yeboah scored a go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run, and the Wildcats defense forced an incomplete pass from Plum on fourth down to win.