Fox Chapel’s Thomas having a ball
Fox Chapel’s Zidane Thomas shares the same name as a fútbol legend. Zinedine Zidane was a three-time FIFA Player of the Year who led France to a World Cup title in 1998.
A little over two decades later, the Western Pa. Zidane is making a significant impact on the field, too.
Only it’s in the “other” football.
Thomas is a senior who is having a big season as a standout running back-linebacker. He ranks second among WPIAL Class 5A players in rushing and is also one of Fox Chapel’s leading tacklers.
“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s done it well,” Fox Chapel coach Tom Loughran said of Thomas, a two-year starter.
The 683 yards Thomas has amassed trails only PennTrafford’s Cade Yacamelli (708) in the classification. AndThomas has needed only 85 carries to do it, good for an average of eight yards per tote. He has also scored a team-best eight touchdowns.
After his performance last week against Shaler, there should be no doubting Thomas. Not after rushing for a career-high 186 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries in Fox Chapel’s 28-14 win. Thomas scored on runs of 22, 77 and 39 yards.
A solidly built 6-foot, 205 pounds, Thomas has pounded his way to 100-yard rushing efforts in four of Fox Chapel’s six games. But Thomas isn’t all thunder. Nicknamed “Ziggy,” he has some zigzag and lightning, too.
“He’s more of a power guy, but I don’t want to downplay his elusiveness,” Loughan said. “He runs with some strength, but he also has the capability of running away from people.”
Thomas has helped Fox Chapel win two of its last three games to improve to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the Northeast Conference. The Foxes have already exceeded their win total from last season when they finished 2-5. They travel to Kiski Area (5-1, 0-1) on Friday.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’ve been getting better,” Loughran said.
Mt. Lebanon
For Mt. Lebanon teammates Joey Daniels and Eli Heidenreich, their chemistry with one another began in fourth grade when they became football teammates for the first time.
“We went undefeated and won the championship,” Daniels recalled. “That was a great introduction to Eli. Ever since then, we’ve been great friends.”
Now high school seniors, the rapport between the two is as strong as ever. They make up arguably the best quarterback-receiver duo in the WPIAL, and just like in fourth grade, their team is undefeated. All that is missing is another championship, which would be the program’s first since 2000.
Friday, Daniels and Heidenreich will try to help Mt. Lebanon (6-0, 3-0) seize a huge statement win when they host Central Catholic (5-1, 30), the two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion and the team that ended Mt. Lebanon’s season each of the past two years.
When Mt. Lebanon has needed a big play this season, coaches simply dial 3-8. That’s because when Daniels (No. 3) throws the ball to Heidenreich (No. 8), it often results in a touchdown. The two have hooked up for 10 touchdowns, the most of any pass-catch combo in the WPIAL.
A chemistry that is in full view of fans and cameras on Friday nights has been strengthened by the time the two have put in when nobody is watching, like this past summer when they would get together several times a week to run routes at Mt. Lebanon High School.
“We’realways on the same page,” Heidenreich said. “He always knows where I’m going to be. We’ve always had that connection.”
Heidenreich is a Navy recruit, but his rapport with Daniels has more of an Air Force vibe to it. The aerial attack has seen Heidenreich make 19 catches for 573 yards, giving him a ridiculous 30 yards per catch average. Not bad for a player who was always a running back before switching to wide receiver in ninth grade.
“There are a lot of things that make him who he is,” Daniels said. “There’s his speed. He just blows by everybody. His footwork on the line, his ability to make one cut and go a completely different direction. His routes are very tight, very crisp. He’s just an all-around incredible receiver.”
Daniels is a three-year starter who has picked up right where he left off last season when he earned all-conference honors. He has completed 45 of 77 passes for 935 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has been intercepted just three times.
“He’s a great leader,” Heidenreich said. “He’s just really smart and knowledgeable about the game. He makes all the right reads and is a gifted athlete.”
But when Mt. Lebanon and Central Catholic last met, Daniels was running for his life. In last year’s WPIAL semifinals, the Vikings sacked Daniels eight times and held the Blue Devils to minus-36 yards rushing in a 35-0 win. Will Mt. Lebanon’s offensive line hold its own against Central Catholic’s outstanding defensive front? That’s one of the biggest keys in this game. The Vikings feature defensive lineman Donovan Hinish, a Notre Dame recruit who had four sacks last week, and linebacker Anthony Speca, who is considered one of the top sophomore linebackers in the country.
“Our offensive line has been doing a great job,” Daniels said. “They haven’t been letting up many sacks. I think we’ll definitely be a lot better.”
Armstrong
It’s no surprise that Cadin Olsen is among the WPIAL passing leaders again this season. The junior at Armstrong led the WPIAL in passing yardage during the 2020 regular season and is third so far this season, having thrown for 1,180 yards and 17 touchdowns. But did you know Olsen is making a lot of plays with his legs this season, too?
During Armstrong’s 37-0 win at Mars last week, Olsen (6-5, 205) rushed for 142 yards on 18 carries (both career highs) and scored three touchdowns. Olsen also passed for 144 yards and a touchdown.
It marked the second time Olsen has gone over 100 yards rushing this season. He ran for 106 against Hampton. Olsen’s 422 rushing yards on 57 carries leads the team, as does his six touchdown runs. In eight games last season, Olsen rushed for 167 yards on 25 carries and no touchdowns.
Better late than never
A pair of Class 4A teams scored in the final seconds to rally for wins last week.
With his team trailing by three points, Chris Hood connected with Austin Kelly for an 18-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left to give New Castle a 14-10 home win against Montour. It was New Castle’s fourth win in its past five games.
Trinity claimed its dramatic win not with a touchdown, but with a field goal. Alex Tush booted a 19-yard field goal with five seconds left to propel visiting Trinity over West Mifflin, 20-19. This came after West Mifflin rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to take the lead.