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WPIAL Class AAAA Roundup: Mt. Lebanon shows no fear at Wolvarena
Saturday, September 01, 2007

Games are listed according to the classification of the winning team.

Last night, Mt. Lebanon went where no Blue Devils team had gone before -- and stuck a pitchfork in a perennial power.

Dave Offner rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Blue Devils to a 21-12 non-conference win at Woodland Hills.

Mt. Lebanon had been the only WPIAL Class AAAA team that had never played at the Wolvarena, Woodland Hills' stadium.

Offner was a workhorse, carrying 22 times. He opened the scoring with a 22-yard run in the first quarter, then added touchdowns of 2 and 71 yards in the third quarter.

Woodland Hills never led but trailed only 7-6 at halftime after Josh Powell's 2-yard run, then 14-12 in the third on Kalieb Hines' 29-yard pass from Joe Shaffo. But on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Offner broke loose for his third score.

Powell gained 115 yards on 25 carries and Shaffo completed 13 of 22 for 198 yards. Woodland Hills lost two fumbles, though.

The Blue Devils lead the all-time series, 5-2.

OTHER GAMES

North Allegheny 19, Bethel Park 16

Carl DeCiantis' 4-yard run in the fourth quarter, his third score of the game, enabled the Tigers to rally for a home victory against the Black Hawks.

Bethel Park went up 10-0 in the second quarter on Ethan Talbott's 39-yard field goal and Lyle Marsh's 2-yard touchdown run. DeCiantis' 3-yard run made it 10-7 at halftime, and a 4-yard bolt in the third put North Allegheny ahead for the first time, 13-10.

Marsh, who gained 139 yards on 29 carries, put Bethel Park on top again on a 7-yard dart in the fourth. DeCiantis then scored the winner for the Tigers, who are No. 3 in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL Class AAAA rankings.

Eric Olson completed 12 of 19 for 145 yards for Bethel Park.

Hempfield 27, Greensburg Salem 14

Ryan Hayden carried only three times, but two of them went for 71- and 45-yard touchdowns as the Spartans defeated their neighboring rival for the seventh consecutive season.

Hayden rushed for 118 yards and Shawn Faulk scored on a couple of 2-yard runs for Hempfield, which was celebrating the start of its 50th anniversary season. This was the Spartans' 250th victory, and it gave them a 32-14-1 lead in the series.

The Golden Lions, a Class AAA team, got touchdown runs of 27 and 2 yards from Jerry Cooley, who finished with 89 yards on 16 carries. His second score gave Greensburg Salem a 14-7 second-quarter edge.

Plum 6, Franklin Regional 3

The host Panthers were 3 yards shy of a potential winning score but lost a fumble with 1:30 left and the Mustangs ran out the clock.

Troy Besterci scored the only touchdown in the second quarter on a 75-yard return of a blocked kick. The score remained 6-0 until Nathaniel Ondeck kicked a 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the Panthers, a Class AAA team.

Franklin Regional's Anthony Vendemia completed 8 of 16 passes for 128 yards. Each team had three turnovers.

Kiski Area 31, Butler 0

Josh Vick's wounded knee appeared sound, as he threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cavaliers to a road triumph.

Vick, who missed the second half of last season after surgery, completed 12 of 21. He opened the scoring with a 26-yard throw to Tyler Emerson in the first quarter, then passed 26 yards to James O'Quinn in the second and 45 yards to Bret Williams in the third for touchdowns.

Norwin 27, Seneca Valley 7

The visiting Knights lost two fumbles and an interception, but amassed 421 yards of balanced offense en route to victory.

Matt Griffith carried 22 times for 196 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown in the third quarter, to lead the way.

Norwin's Alex Dennison completed 7 of 12 passes for 136 yards and touchdowns of 36 yards to Mike Shanahan and 7 yards to Mike Salopek in the first half. Dan Sudsina made it 27-0 in the third on a 21-yard interception return.

Shaler 31, Baldwin 21

Dan Wirkowski scored three times, on 21- and 2-yard runs and a 21-yard pass from R.J. Palso, as the visiting Titans prevailed.

Quinn Hood carried 19 times for 147 yards, inclduing scores of 20 and 7 yards, for the Highlanders.

Connellsville 28, Uniontown 26

The host Falcons survived four touchdowns and 188 yards rushing by the Red Raiders' Daylan McLee to win this matchup of Fayette County rivals.

Lance Straughters scored on runs of 2 and 55 yards for Connellsville, which took a 28-14 lead in the third quarter. But the Red Raiders, a Class AAA team. drew within two on 30- and 3-yard scores by McLee.

Uniontown missed a 2-point conversion pass after the final touchdown, and neither team scored in the fourth.

Canon-McMillan 34, Trinity 13

Sophomore Mike Hull carried 17 times for 177 yards, scoring from 5 and 41 yards, as the host Big Macs broke open a close game with a 28-point second half.

Latrobe 35, Derry 33

The host Wildcats took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter, then had to thwart a 2-point conversion pass to hold on for a triumph.

Eric Shaffer accounted for four Latrobe touchdowns -- passes of 10 yards to Tony Lonigro and 18 to Ryan Laduke, a 51-yard run and a 50-yard interception return. Shaffer carried 13 times for 87 yards and completed 9 of 14 for 99. Laduke also scored on a 17-yard interception return.



First published on September 1, 2007 at 12:19 am