Five things we learned in Week 3
Each Monday we’ll look back at some of the highlights from the week that was in local high school football.
Avella is making history: With an 18-6 win over West Greene Friday, Avella continued its strong start to the season.
How strong?
It’s the first time the Eagles are 4-0 since 2013. They entered Friday having a 3-0 record for only the second time since 2020. It was a battle with the Pioneers, but a Chas Rush 8-yard touchdown run with just over four minutes remaining sealed the deal. Rush finished with 147 passing yards and two touchdown runs. Noah Kimberland also played a key role with 89 yards and a touchdown run 58 seconds into the game.
Avella’s defense has been impressive. Opponents have been limited to six points per game, literally.
Every team that Avella has played has scored six points. No more. No less. The Eagles have outscored opponents 101-24.
Next week Avella hosts California for an intriguing Tri-County South Conference matchup. The Trojans are 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference after some late heroics got them an 8-7 win over Bentworth. Eli Carpenter caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Logan Hartley in the fourth quarter and Malachi Peak’s two-point conversion proved to be the difference.
Ringgold’s on a roll: With a 33-13 win over Greensburg Salem Friday, Ringgold ran its record to 3-1 and has already surpassed last year’s win total. Ringgold hasn’t won three games in a season since 2021. The last time the Rams won four or more games was in 2016, an 8-3 season. It was also the last time they had a three-game winning streak and made a playoff appearance.
It is a marked improvement for a program that owned the longest losing streak in the WPIAL at 27 games not all that long ago.
Quarterback Robert Hawkins, running back Amoni Ward, and wide receiver Demitri Lowe have formed a formidable and versatile attack. Hawkins threw three touchdown passes, two to Lowe and one to Ward in the win over Greensburg Salem. Hawkins went 14 for 20 passing for 220 yards. Ward had 163 yards rushing.
The Rams have one more nonconference tuneup at Southmoreland Friday before diving into Class 4A Big Six Conference play.
B-C gets Trump a ‘W’: It’s too early to know if Tim Trump will make Beth-Center great again, but he got to celebrate his first win as the Bulldogs’ coach Friday.
Beth-Center cruised past Carmichaels, 35-6, in the Class A Tri-County South opener Friday night.
Trump, a Beth-Center grad, is in his first season as the Bulldogs’ coach and hopes to return the program to a playoff contender.
Beth-Center last made the playoffs in 2018, the last of 16 consecutive years it qualified for the postseason.
Chase Bebout threw a pair of touchdown passes to Teagan Veatch in the win.
Wright stuff: Aayden Wright may only be a freshman, but he seems to make a highlight-reel play just about every week for South Fayette.
He had two more on Friday night in the Lions’ 27-24 win over Elizabeth Forward.
Wright scored on a 92-yard run in the first quarter and caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Drew Welhorsky. He finished with 145 rushing yards.
Two weeks ago, Wright returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same half in a 35-27 win over Shaler. The second one came with 43 seconds remaining in the half and gave the Lions a 28-20 lead.
Wright’s explosiveness has helped the Lions to a 3-1 record.
Peters Township is still a powerhouse: Through the first four games, Peters Township has been as good as anyone in the WPIAL and that continued Friday night with a 31-12 win at Trinity.
The Indians, last year’s Class 5A runnerup, have allowed only 26 points all season. They’ve posted two shutouts and have beaten two Class 6A teams, Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon, and two Class 4A playoff teams in the Hillers and McKeesport, which played in the 4A title game last year.
Villanova recruit Nolan DiLucia has paced the offense. He had 172 passing yards on nine completions. Seven of them went to Lucas Rost, who had 158 receiving yards. Cole Neupaver ran for 119 yards.
DiLucia is third in the WPIAL in passing yards with 935 yards.
Staff writer Jerin Steele can be reached at jsteele@observer-reporter.com