Rams’ Jurkovec adds another record
Pine-Richland’s Phil Jurkovec is one of the most skilled WPIAL football players in recent memory. His on-field talent speaks for itself and he now has the stats to back it up.
Jurkovec, a Notre Dame recruit, surpassed 6,000 career passing yards while leading Class 6A No. 1 Pine-Richland past Peters Township (5-2) for a 56-7 non-conference triumph. He did it to perfection, too. Jurkovec completed 14 of 14 attempts for 244 yards. He now has 6,108 for his career.
Jurkovec hit Cameron Ballay for a 70-yard strike, then found Jordan Crawford for a 25-yard score and then found Lehigh recruit for a 51-yard strike.
It wasn’t just the Phil Jurkovec show for Pine-Richland (7-0); the running game was on point as well. Jordan Crawford ran it in from 62 yards. Kenny White, a standout running back who transferred to Pine-Richland from West Allegheny, returned from a leg injury that had kept him out for several games and scored on two short runs.
The Rams have topped 40 points in each game this season, and last night was the third time they scored at least 50. Their 56 points marked a season high. Black Hawks (5-1) posted a shutout through the first three quarters to earn the non-conference win over host Seneca Valley (1-5). John Doleno scored the first two touchdowns of the game. The first was a 4-yard run, followed by a 67-yard interception return by the speedy defensive back. Running back Tanner Volpatti also scored twice. He ran in a 6-yard run and hauled in an 8-yard pass. The Raiders’ Caden Smithco made things interesting with a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the lead that Bethel Park had built.
Central Catholic 49, Butler 14: scoring strike to Jordan Rheingrover, as the host Vikings (5-2, 4-1) crushed Butler (24, 1-4) in the Northern Seven Conference. Khalil Weathers ran for 129 yards on 13 carries and scored on runs of 1 and 52 yards for the Vikings, who took a 21-0 lead by halftime. Luke Michalek scored both of Butler’s touchdowns. the first was a plunge from a yard out before scoring again after an 8-yard run.
Canon-McMillan 28, Shaler 21: The longest losing streak in the WPIAL nearly came to an end before the Big Macs (4-3) scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to get by Shaler (0-7) in a non-conference matchup. With the game tied, 21-21, in the fourth, Davey Cooper punched in a 2-yard run to help the home team avoid the upset. Shaler’s losing streak is now at 21 in a row. Canon-McMillan’s Elijah Kremer scored finished with 125 yards on the ground. Jon Quinque connected on 11 of 17 attempts for 133 yards and an 8-yard score to Greyden Piechnick. The Big Macs benefited from two defensive touchdowns, including a 5-yard fumble return by Piechnick and a 2-yard fumble return by Cooper. Shaler’s Joey Kremer ran for 109 yards and scored on a 25-yard run. Darin Mizgorski threw for 248 yards.
Mt. Lebanon 35, Norwin 20: Aidan Cain, the leading receiver in the WPIAL, continued to distance himself from the pack with another big night. The senior wide receiver caught five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, as the host Blue Devils (5-2, 4-0) picked up a Southeastern Conference win. Cain now has 1,195 yards receiving this season. His quarterback, James Stocker, hit on 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards. Mt. Lebanon also had a stellar running game powered by Antonio LaSota’s 112 yards. Jack Salopek threw for 218 yards for Norwin (3-4, 2-3).
Altoona 48, Hempfield 47: The Spartans (1-6, 0-5) lost a Southeastern Conference shootout to host Altoona (25, 1-4) to accumulate their sixth consecutive loss. Hempfield’s Brendan Sliwoski had a hand in five touchdowns. He passed for three and ran in two more. Altoona snapped a five-game losing skid.