Senior duo leads Penn Hills to win
Hollis Mathis and Tank Smith are proving to be a dynamic duo for Penn Hills.
The seniors, who both committed to Howard University, combined for 401 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns to guide the No. 2-ranked Indians to a 46-20 Class 5A Northern Conference win against visiting Armstrong Friday night at Yuhas Stadium.
Mathis completed 14 of 17 passes for 179 yards and four touchdowns for Penn Hills (6-0, 4-0). He also rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Cory Thomas, Daequan Hardy, Richard Martin and Aakeem Snell were on the receiving end of those touchdown passes.
Smith collected 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. He scored on runs of 1 and 85 yards.
Jalen Price led Armstrong (3-3, 1-2) by gathering 122 yards of total offense. Price rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown as well as had 66 passing yards and a touchdown. Isaac Ridinger paced the River Hawks offense with 87 rushing yards on 17 carries.
Despite committing 13 penalties for a loss of 108 yards, Penn Hills built a 26-0 halftime lead and held on to hand Armstrong its third loss in four games.
More games
Gateway 45, North Hills 0: The top-ranked Gators (6-0) not only held the visiting Indians (3-1) to no points, but Gateway’s defense stifled North Hills’ offense all-together. The Gators outgained the Indians in total offensive yards, 505-0, in the non-conference contest. Quarterback Brendan Majocha completed 10 of 15 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 95 yards on nine carries. Courtney Jackson had three receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while Derrick Davis also scored twice. Through six games, Gateway is outscoring opponents by an average of 45.5-5.6.
Penn-Trafford 45, Plum 3: Gab Dunlap threw for 141 yards and three touchdowns to guide the No. 4 Warriors (4-2, 4-1) to a Big East Conference win on the road against the Mustangs (1-5, 0-5). Dunlap completed 6 of 10 pass attempts. Dimitri George scored two touchdowns and collected 87 receiving yards on three catches. Caleb Lisbon rushed for a game-high 165 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Tyler Kolankowski scored Plum’s lone points with a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Penn-Trafford has won four in a row by a combined score of 192-15.
Bethel Park 38, Moon 14: One week after suffering a non-conference loss by one point against Central Catholic, the Blackhawks (32, 2-1) rebounded with a big Allegheny Eight Conference victory on the road against the Tigers (3-3, 1-2). With both teams tied at halftime, Bethel Park went on to score 24-unansered points in the second half, including 17 points in the fourth quarter. Sean McGowan powered the Blackhawks offense by rushing for a game-high 202 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Luke Surunis chipped in with three touchdowns, scoring on runs of 23, 3 and 2 yards. Jamal Littlejohn led the Tigers with two touchdowns. He scored on a 3-yard run and followed up with a 41-yard interception return. Donte Clay threw for 106 yards.
Baldwin 21, Chartiers Valley 14: Mason Stahl scored on a 75-yard touchdown run with less than seven minutes remaining in the Allegheny Eight Conference game to surged the host Highlanders (4-2, 2-2) past the Colts (33, 0-3). Stahl finished with 99 rushing yards on 11 carries. He also completed 13 of 24 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Stahl connected with Jarren Kelly on both touchdown passes. Kelly collected 101 receiving yards and two scores on seven receptions. Connor Barrett led Chartiers Valley with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
West Allegheny 14, Woodland Hills 13: The visiting Wolverines (1-5, 1-4) were inches away from picking up their second win of the season. The Indians (4-1, 4-1), however, stuffed a 2-point conversion run attempt at the goal line with less than two minutes remaining in the Allegheny Eight Conference showdown. Woodland Hills quarterback Gavin Gurreri-Judson threw for 141 yards. John Rink and Drevon Baldwin each scored for West Allegheny. Baldwin’s touchdown proved to be the winner when he scored on a 90-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Baldwin, a senior, transferred from Woodland Hills to West Allegheny after his sophomore year.
Franklin Regional 65, Albert Gallatin 0: Zak Gordon and Nick Leopold each scored three touchdowns to propel the No. 5 Panthers (5-0, 3-0) to a Big East Conference blowout at home against the Colonials (0-6, 0-5). Gordon rushed for 109 yards on 12 carries. He scored on rushed of 20, 20 and 2 yards. Leopold caught two touchdown passes from Adam Rudzinski as well as scored on a 90-yard punt return.
McKeesport 45, Latrobe 13: The visiting Tigers (5-1, 4-1) jumped to a 23-0 halftime lead and run away with a Big East Conference win against the Wildcats (1-5, 1-3). Quaran Sayles averaged 22.6 yards a carry and finished with 113 rushing yards and a touchdown on just five carries. Konota Gaskins gathered 148 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. He rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Devari Robinson also chipped in with two rushing touchdowns. Zakharee Williams scored both of Latrobe’s touchdowns. He scored on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Branden Crosby before scoring on a 7-yard run.
Hampton 34, Kiski Area 31: Harper Cook nailed a 22-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the Northern Conference contest to help the visiting Talbots (2-4, 1-4) upset the Cavaliers (3-3, 2-3). Hampton, which snapped a four-game losing streak, scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and were led by Max Obenrader, who rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. He also completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Will Schuit. Ryne Wallace paced Kiski Area by completing 10 of 19 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Upper St. Clair 33, Fox Chapel 7: Jason Sweeney threw for 232 yards and scored three touchdowns to power the Panthers (5-1) past the host Foxes (1-5) in non-conference action. Sweeney completed 13 of 16 pass attempts and connected with Brandon Shearer on a 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Antonio Orsini rushed for a game-high 126 yards on 17 carries, while Chris Pantellis had four receptions for 107 yards. Graham Childs scored Fox Chapel’s lone touchdown on a 27yard pass from Shane Susnak.