Five things we learned in Week One
Each Monday we’ll look back at some of the highlights from the week that was in high school football. Because of the Labor Day holiday this week’s column is in the Tuesday edition.
Kick returns are still a highlight in high school: A kickoff return for a touchdown in the NFL nowadays is about as rare as a Bigfoot sighting. Even with some rule changes geared toward more return opportunities, they just don’t happen much.
In high school, however, that exciting play still exists and it happened in four local games in Week One.
In fact, Aayden Wright doubled up on kick return touchdowns for South Fayette. Both were in the first half. He had a 92-yard kick return in the first quarter and a 90-yarder just before halftime.
Jefferson-Morgan had a pair of kickoff returns in its 57-30 win over Waynesburg. Deakyn DeHoet had an 85-yarder and John Woodward returned a kick 58 yards to the end zone.
Belle Vernon’s Chace Petrosky had an 87-yard kick return in the first quarter for the Leopards’ lone touchdown in a 42-7 loss to Aliquippa.
Leechburg’s Tim Andrasy returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a score as part of a seven-touchdown night in the Blue Devils’ 58-6 win over Beth-Center.
Late heroics propel Mapletown: Mapletown coach George Messich played to win and it paid off.
After Carson Vanata scored on a three-yard run with three seconds remaining against Frazier to pull Mapletown to within 21-20, Messich decided to go for the two-point conversion. Vanata came through and the Maples won 22-21.
It capped an impressive night for the junior running back who rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 56-yard score in the second quarter.
The Maples trailed most of the game, including 21-14 with 4:39 remaining, but didn’t wilt and avenged a 36-0 loss to the Commodores last year.
Burgettstown defense shines: When Ben Hays scored twice in Bentworth’s first three plays it looked like it might be a long night for Burgettstown.
But the Blue Devils’ defense responded in a big way. It forced three consecutive turnovers in the second quarter and two more in the second half to help preserve a 23-20 victory.
Colton County strip sacked Bentworth quarterback Ty Watson and Adam Baloga recovered in the final seconds.
An interception by Lance Duran and a pair of fumble recoveries were the three consecutive turnovers forced in the second quarter.
The Blue Devils also recovered a fumble on a kickoff return in the second half. Burgettstown is 1-0 again after beating Bentworth last year to begin the season, but it was its only win. The Blue Devils host Jefferson-Morgan Friday.
J-M still looks strong: Jefferson-Morgan lost some quality players from its Tri-County South Conference championship team, including quarterback Houston Guesman, but the Rockets don’t look like they’re taking any steps back in 2025.
They rolled to a 57-30 win over Waynesburg Friday, which was a much more lopsided result than the 34-28 victory last year.
DeHoet, Woodward and quarterback Triton Farabee have all been dynamic threats through the first two games. DeHoet had five touchdowns in Friday’s win over the Raiders. Woodward scored two touchdowns and Farabee threw a 31-yard touchdown to DeHoet.
Cal scores one for the TCS: The Tri-County South is not revered in WPIAL circles because of its lack of playoff success, but in a head-to-head matchup with a good Cornell team from the vaunted Black Hills Conference, California came away with a signature win for the conference.
California upended Cornell, 36-32, at Trojan Stadium and did so in comeback fashion. The Trojans trailed 26-20 at halftime, but outscored the Raiders 16-6 in the final two quarters.
Brandon Meier had a pair of touchdown runs in the second half, including the game-winner, a 7-yarder in the fourth. Malachi Peak and Logan Hartley had a touchdown run apiece in the first half for California, which is 2-0.
Staff writer Jerin Steele can be reached at jsteele@osbserver-reporter.com