Shady Side Academy finishes perfect
The sky is the limit for Shady Side Academy, the No. 1 team in WPIAL Class 2A after the unbeaten Indians clinched the Allegheny Conference championship Friday night with a hard-fought 28-10 victory at Avonworth.
Shady Side Academy quarterback Skyy Moore used his feet more than his arm to secure the victory. Moore rushed for 336 yards on 27 carries and scored all four Indians touchdowns on runs of 78, 37, 34 and 3 yards. Moore also completed 6 of 10 passes for 104 yards.
The big rushing night gave him 1,373 yards on the ground for the season on just 98 carries, good for an average of 14.0 per attempt.
The Indians (9-0, 6-0) defense also did an outstanding job, holding Avonworth quarterback Derek Johncour to 89 yards passing. The Antelopes were also held to 58 yards rushing. Johncour entered the contest with 2,331 yards passing this season.
The lone bright spot for Avonworth was an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jax Miller. Despite the loss, Avonworth (7-3, 4-2) also is headed to the playoffs as the third-place team in the Allegheny Conference.
More Class 2A
Seton LaSalle 20, Carlynton 13: The Rebels (5-5, 4-3) got an overtime touchdown via a 6-yard run by Jamar Shegog to claim a Three Rivers Conference victory at Carlynton (2-8, 1-6). Seton LaSalle rallied from a 13-0 second-quarter deficit to finish in third place in the conference.
Serra 19, Fort Cherry 7: Khalil Smith and Ray Holmes rushed for 110 yards each to lead the Eagles (6-4, 4-3) to a Three Rivers Conference home win against the Rangers (2-8, 1-6) to clinch a playoff berth for Serra. Smith scored on a 30-yard run and Holmes scored on a 9-yard run. Nik Fedora kicked field goals of 30 and 29 yards for Serra.
Burgettstown 39, South Allegheny 6: The host Blue Devils (9-0, 7-0) completed a perfect regular season by downing the visiting Gladiators in the Three Rivers Conference, knocking South Allegheny (4-6, 3-4) out of the playoff picture. Shane Kemper led No. 3 Burgettstown with 131 yards rushing on six carries while scoring on runs of 11, 11 and 22 yards. Burgettstown only attempted one pass, an incompletion.
Washington 42, McGuffey 36: The Little Prexies (9-1, 6-1) earned second place in the Interstate Conference at home against the Highlanders (8-2, 5-2). Washington trailed, 30-26, going into the fourth quarter. Dan Walker led Washington with 227 yards rushing. Walker scored four touchdowns including two in the pivotal fourth quarter on runs of 7 and 23 yards. Christian Clutter led No. 5 McGuffey with five touchdowns, including one on a defensive fumble recovery return of 48 yards.
Beth-Center 36, Frazier 0: The Bulldogs (7-3. 5-2) blanked visiting Frazier (4-6, 3-4) in the Interstate Conference to claim fourth place in the conference against the Commodores. Bailey Lincoski led Beth-Center with 146 yards rushing on 12 attempts, good for two touchdowns which included a 75-yard run.
Steel Valley 53, South Side Beaver 6: Todd Hill rushed for 274 yards on 18 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the No. 2 Ironmen (8-1, 6-1) to a non-conference home victory against South Side Beaver (7-3). Steel Valley held a commanding 26-8 edge in first downs and 525-191 lead in total yardage. South Side Beaver only rushed for 8 yards. Hill scored on runs of 30, 34, 26 and 7 yards for Steel Valley.
Freedom 33, Western Beaver 0: The Bulldogs (9-1, 6-1) routed Western Beaver (3-7, 2-5) in the Midwestern Conference to finish in second place. Cody Ross rushed for 152 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Freedom enters the playoffs on a six-game winning streak.
Charleroi 34, Apollo-Ridge 24: The Interstate Conference champion Cougars (8-1) finished the regular season with a non-conference home victory against the Vikings (28) who led, 17-7, at halftime. Fourth-ranked Charleroi avoided the upset by scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter. Geno Pellegrini led the Cougars with 306 yards passing and two touchdowns.
New Brighton 22, Riverside 16: The Lions (5-5, 5-2) got a 3-yard touchdown run by Ashton Fath in the fourth quarter and as New Brighton rallied to defeat the host Panthers (6-3, 4-3) in a battle for third place in the Midwestern Conference. Both teams are playoff bound.
Class 1A
California 35, Mapletown 0: The Trojans (6-4, 6-1) ended the regular season on a five-game winning streak to finish in a threeway tie for first place with Monessen and West Greene in the Tri-County South Conference. Jelani Stafford led California to its victory at home against the Maples (0-10, 07). Stafford finished with 77 yards on seven carries, scoring on a run of 14 yards. Malik Ramsey also scored on a 67-yard kickoff return to begin the second half. California led 27-0 at halftime.
Monessen 30, Avella 0: The Greyhounds (7-2, 6-1) finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Tri-County South standings. A coin-flip Monday will determine playoff positions among Monessen, California and West Greene. Justin Towler led Monessen with two rushing touchdowns, covering 35 and 55 yards. Fowler finished with 111 yards rushing.
Rochester 56, Bishop Canevin 0: The No. 4 Rams (9-1, 6-1) finished second in the Big Seven Conference as Rochester outgained the Crusaders (3-7, 1-6), 307-121, in total offensive yardage. Noah Whiteleather scored two touchdowns.
Our Lady of Sacred Heart 27, Cornell 0: Austin Wigley rushed for 140 yards on 33 carries while scoring two touchdowns for the No. 3 Chargers (9-1, 7-0), who wrapped up the Big Seven Conference title.
West Greene 20, Union 6: The Pioneers (7-3) completed the regular season with a non-conference home win against Union (37). West Greene held the Scotties to minus21 yards rushing.
Greensburg Central Catholic 27, Southmoreland 14: The Centurions (7-3) held the host Class 2A Scotties (4-6) to 21 points below their scoring average in this non-conference game. Max Pisula carried the ball 42 times, accumulating 234 yards while scoring two touchdowns for the Centurions.
Sto-Rox 70, Riverview 6: Eric Wilson completed 13 of 18 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Vikings (6-4) against the visiting Raiders (2-8) in a non-conference contest. Wilson has passed for 3,003 yards and 37 touchdowns this season.
Leechburg 44, Springdale 21: The Leopards (5-5, 2-4) routed the host Dynamos (06, 1-8) in the Eastern Conference. Jake Blumer rushed for 261 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries for Leechburg.