Local football roundup: Trojans outlast visiting Maples, 34-28
Damani Stafford scored the winning touchdown with 4:12 left in the game last Friday night to lift California to a 34-28 victory over visiting Mapletown in Tri-County South Conference play.
The game seesawed throughout the four quarters.
Landan Stevenson spotted the Maples (0-2, 2-3) the lead at 10:14 in the first quarter on a 59-yard run. Stafford tied the game just over five minutes later on a 2-yard run.
California (1-1, 3-1) took the lead at 8:12 of the second quarter when Hunter Assad hit Connor Vig with a 22-yard touchdown pass. Stevenson brought the Maples back on a 17-yard run at 4:38, but the point-after was missed.
Stafford scored on runs of 14 and 4 runs to extend California’s lead to 28-13, but Clay Menear responded after Stafford’s second score with a 76-yard touchdown return. The two-point pass was successful to draw Mapletown to 28-21 after three quarters.
Stevenson returned the lead to Mapletown with 11:54 left in the game on a 4-yard touchdown run. He added the extra point to tie the game.
Stevenson finished with 261 yards rushing on 30 carries. He also caught one pass for 15 yards.
Stafford run for 166 yards on 22 carries. Assad completed seven passes for 127 yards. Ethan Fike was the top receiver with three catches for 37 yards.
Monessen 26, Jefferson-Morgan 0 — Monessen remained undefeated in the Tri-County South Conference with a victory over visiting Jefferson-Morgan.
The Greyhounds improve to 2-0 in the conference and 3-2 overall. The Rockets go to 1-1 in the conference and 1-4 overall.
Daevon Burke scored on runs of 19 and 4 yards for Monessen. Lorenzo Gardner plowed into the end zone from a yard out and Dayton Carson had a 10-yard touchdown run.
Charleroi 28, Waynesburg Central 7 — Charleroi built a 21-0 lead through three quarters in rolling past visiting Waynesburg Central in Century Conference action.
Kyle Piecknick returned the opening kickoff to spot the Cougars (1-1, 1-3) the lead just 14 seconds into the game.
Charleroi’s Niko Pelligrini scored on runs of 3 and one yards in the third quarter. Joshua Blatnick plowed in from eight yards in the fourth quarter.
Breydon Woods scored on a 12-yard run for the Raiders (0-2, 1-4) midway through the fourth quarter.
Woods gained 118 yards rushing on 25 carries. Jacob Stephenson completed 4-of-13 passes for 40 yards and ran for 52 yards on six carries.