Trojans edge No. 4 Panthers

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic rallied to edge Riverside Friday night, 29-28, in a showdown for first place in the Class 2A Midwestern Conference at North Park’s Stone Field.

Joe Meinert’s 13-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run, followed by a 2-point reception from Zach Rocco, proved to be the winning points for the unranked Trojans (6-2, 5-0) against the No. 4 Panthers (52, 5-1).

Meinert finished with 111 yards rushing on 21 carries. Tyree Brown scored on a pair of receptions from Rocco. Noah Harris led Riverside with a 4-yard touchdown run and 18-yard scoring reception from Ben Hughes. The touchdown reception gave the Panthers a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter.

Rocco completed 14 of 21 passes for 226 yards for North Catholic. Hughes passed for 151 yards to lead Riverside. earned a road victory at Class 2A Frazier (1-7) in a non-conference matchup. Sam Fairley’s 18-yard touchdown reception from Tawan Wesley clinched the victory for Imani Christian.

Fort Cherry 42, Mapletown 0: The Rangers (6-1, 4-1) romped past the host Maples (2-6, 1-5) in a TriCounty Conference contest. Ryhan Culberson rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Culberson also scored on a 69-yard punt return. The Rangers amassed 240 yards total offense and held Mapletown to 58.

Clairton 40, Leechburg 7: The visiting Bears (5-2, 4-1) buried the Leopards (0-8, 0-6) in the Eastern Conference. Tre’sean Howard scored twice on pass receptions and also on a 70-yard punt return. Brandon Parsons passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears. Parsons completed 9 of 13 pass attempts.