Gateway returned to its passing game last night, and put on an air show.

Aaron Smith completed 18 of 32 attempts for 263 yards and three touchdowns, as the Gators soared to a 28-0 victory at Fox Chapel in a Quad Southwest Conference matchup.

The Gators (5-1, 4-0), No. 5 in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL Class AAAA rankings, coasted to their fourth consecutive victory, second shutout in a row and 22nd straight conference win.

After throwing 64 times in the first two games, Smith attempted a collective 30 over the next three. He was busy last night, throwing for scores of 30 yards to David Williams, 3 to Jon Ditto and 18 to Charles King. Smith also had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Foxes (1-5, 1-2).

Gateway will play a non-conference game next Friday, but it is a most intriguing one. The Gators will play host to Thomas Jefferson (6-0), the defending PIAA Class AAA champion. The Jaguars are No. 1 in the WPIAL and PIAA.

Other games

Woodland Hills 41
Connellsville 7
The Wolverines were boorish guests, racing to a 34-0 bulge before halftime, then coasting to a Quad East victory.

Woodland Hills, No. 1 in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL rankings, did its part to set up a major showdown next Friday. The Wolverines (6-0, 4-0) will face No. 2 Central Catholic at Carnegie Mellon's Gesling Stadium. The Vikings (4-1, 3-0) will play Hempfield (1-4, 0-3) this afternoon.

Marcel Farrish scored on runs of 39 and 9 yards in the first half to spark Woodland Hills, which is No. 3 in the PIAA. He finished with 85 yards on 12 carries.

Vondre Griffin's 55-yard punt return, Joe Yezovich's 5-yard run and Farrish's two touchdowns made it 28-0. Keith Howell, back as the starting quarterback following a two-week suspension, had a 46-yard touchdown run and a 59-yard scoring pass to Devan Johnson.

Clay Hurley threw a 27-yard TD to Terrence McCrae for the Falcons (2-4, 1-3).

McKeesport 48
Kiski Area 7
Travis McBride ran for touchdowns of 46 and 16 yards, as the visiting Tigers raced to a Quad Southwest triumph against the Cavaliers (2-4, 2-2).

McBride gained 133 yards on 10 carries as the Tigers (4-1, 3-0) won their fourth straight game. McKeesport quarterback Dan Kopolovich ran for two scores and passed for one.

Penn Hills 38
Penn-Trafford 14
Chad Parker threw two touchdown passes and five players scored, as the visiting Indians (5-1, 3-1) breezed to a Quad East victory.

Penn Hills stopped Tyler Huether, the WPIAL's top passer. Penn-Trafford (1-5, 0-4) has lost five games in a row.

North Allegheny 27
Butler 24
Adam Neugebauer's 10-yard pass to Billy Knight in the second overtime gave the visiting Tigers a Quad North win.

Neugebauer completed 7 of 16 for 165 yards, topping 1,000 yards for the season for North Allegheny (2-4, 1-3).

Nick Monteleone, a junior, hit 18 of 26 for 269 yards for Butler (2-4, 0-4). He ran for a touchdown, threw for one and topped 2,000 career yards passing. Butler's Chris Haley made three field goals.

Shaler 49
Seneca Valley 14
Kevin Hathaway ran for four touchdowns and Matt Davis scored twice and was 12-of-14 passing for 169 yards to the pace the visiting Titans (3-3, 2-2) to a Quad North victory.

Shaler rolled to a 42-6 lead at halftime, then coasted.

Kevan Smith completed 8 of 12 for 130 yards for Seneca Valley (1-5, 0-4), but was intercepted twice.

Trinity 42
Latrobe 7
Ben Jennings bolted to touchdowns of 50 and 31 yards in the first quarter, and he and the Hillers rolled to a Quad Southwest Conference victory far from home.

Jennings scored four times overall, including runs of 1 yard and 6 yards for Trinity (4-2, 2-2). He gained 179 yards on 23 carries.

Latrobe (3-3, 0-3), which had three turnovers, has lost three in a row after a 3-0 start.

Plum 42
Knoch 8
The Mustangs returned from Butler County with a non-conference triumph, breaking a six-game losing streak that began in the 2004 playoffs.

Steve Jeanette scored three touchdowns and Gino Rometo passed for four for the Mustangs (1-5). Rometo completed 10 of 23 for 188 yards.

The Knoch Knights, a Class AAA team, fell to 2-4.