It would not be a stretch to call East Allegheny senior Jared Smith a scatback.

That's because Smith is listed at 5 feet 4 and 165 pounds, and has a knack for making opposing tacklers miss.

"He'd be the No. 1 running back on most teams," East Allegheny coach Dennis Edwards said. "We just happen to have Monte Ashby, so Jared is No. 2, but we try to get him in as much as we can."

Smith displayed his cutting ability Friday in the Wildcats' 43-6 victory against Washington. He returned not one, but two punts for touchdowns. Smith scored on a 38-yard jaunt on the first one and went 59 yards on the second.

"I know Washington is struggling right now, but they still have some athletes," Edwards said. "So, to return two punts for scores against them is doing something."

What's interesting is that the punt returns were the first for Smith this season. Ashby is usually East Allegheny's deep man, but Smith was put in to give Ashby a break.

Smith also was coming back from a knee injury he sustained the previous week against McGuffey.

"He's got good speed. You'd have to describe Jared as a scatback," Edwards said. "He's very fluid when he runs."

Ashby, by the way, gained 172 yards on 16 carries against Wash High and now has 649 yards rushing on 79 attempts.

For anyone who thought East Allegheny would just be an also-ran in the Class AA Interstate Conference after losing to Jeannette, 43-0, in the season opener ... think again.

Since that first week, East Allegheny has defeated Charleroi, 45-15; McCuffey, 27-14; and Washington.

"I've been here three years as the head coach and the first two we opened against [Greensburg Central Catholic] and this year it was Jeannette," Edwards said. "That's just the way it is in Double-A. Just about everybody opens up with a conference game. For us, it just happened to be Jeannette.

"We knew our toughest game would be the opener."

Being shut out like that the first week of the season can often have a lasting effect on a team. But Edwards and his staff minimized the damage.

"We just said after that one that every week would be the biggest game of the season for us," he said. "Like Washington was the biggest game of the season for us last week and this week it's Mount Pleasant."

Franklin Regional played host to Plum a week ago in the FSN Game of the Week. There are a number of drawbacks to playing on Thursday night.

"It does mess you up some and you have to eliminate some things that you would normally do," Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta said. "Especially from a conditioning standout ... things like lifting and running that you would normally do early in the week."

The positive side of being a part of the Thursday night game is that Friday becomes an off day.

"Coaches go seven days a week starting Aug. 12 until into November and beyond if you make the playoffs," Botta said. "So, we give all the coaches the day off after the game so they can take their wives out to dinner or whatever. If somebody wants to go watch a game, that's fine, but they can just go and enjoy."

Gateway coach Terry Smith has been selected as the head coach for the East team in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 3 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Smith has been an assistant coach in the game twice, including last January.

"It's like a lot of all-star games in that they want you to be an assistant first before they'll consider you for the head coaching job," Smith said. "I'm excited about coaching the team. It's a nice honor."

Bill Redell from Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, Calif., has been selected to coach the West squad.

The East-West series in the bowl is tied, 4-4.

Here are four games to check out this weekend.

Tomorrow, Central Catholic (3-1) plays Woodland Hills (1-3) at 7 p.m. at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek in the Big East Conference opener for both. Don't be fooled by Woodland Hills' record -- the Wolverines are usually tough at home.

Greensburg Salem (2-2, 1-0) travels to Uniontown (3-1. 2-0) in an important Class AAA Keystone Conference contest and Burrell (2-2, 2-2) will try to slow down visiting Shady Side Academy (4-0, 4-0) in a Class AA Allegheny Conference game.

Saturday, Riverview (2-2, 2-0) will try to stay unbeaten in the Class A Eastern Conference when it entertains Carlynton (2-2, 1-1) at noon at Riverside Park in Oakmont.