Stretch run: Only 4 games remain in high school football regular season
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
High school football has turned for home and is hitting the home stretch with just four games remaining in the regular season.
Uniontown has an off week but all 15 other area squads will be in action during Week Six tonight, including Brownsville which hosts Carrick at Redstone Field.
The Falcons put up an admirable fight in a 49-28 loss to the visiting Red Raiders last week, putting up their first points of the season after a tumultuous 10-day span.
Von Braddock, who took over as head coach on Sept. 18, is hoping that performance indicated a sign of things to come.
“This week we asked our players to compete,” Braddock said after the Uniontown game. “Against Carrick we’re going to ask them to win.”
Albert Gallatin (3-3) hosts Clear Spring of Maryland (3-1) and Connellsville (1-5) goes to North Star (5-1) in the other two games involving independent teams.
Laurel Highlands (0-1, 3-2) hopes to bounce back after giving up a second-half lead at Chartiers Valley last week with a Class 4A Big Six Conference game tonight against Ringgold (0-1, 1-5) at Mustang Field.
Also in Big Six action, Belle Vernon (0-1, 1-3) hosts Chartiers Valley (1-0, 3-2).
In Class 3A Interstate Conference play, Southmoreland (1-0, 5-1) hosts Yough (0-1, 2-4) and Mount Pleasant (1-0, 3-3) is at Greensburg Salem (0-1, 4-2) after the Vikings pulled out a 22-19 win at Yough thanks to a late touchdown run by Stephen Predajna.
“We’re expecting another pretty tough conference game,” Mount Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “Their film tells you they’re a pretty good football team. They’ve got some kids that can play on both sides of the ball. They’re well coached. We know going in this is definitely going to be a big test for us.”
The Vikings will play their final three games at home, which Fazekas welcomes.
“It’s always better when you can play at home,” Fazekas said. “It makes the logistics better, the atmosphere is always great in our stadium. It’s definitely something we’re going to look forward to. But that’s next week. Right now, we’re focusing on Greensburg.”
Predajna has been a key figure near the end of three different tight Mount Pleasant games. He scored the winning two-point conversion in a 36-35 win at Greensburg Central Catholic on Aug. 30, he was stopped inches short of a potential game-winning two-point try after scoring an overtime touchdown in a 21-20 loss to Laurel Highlands, and scored the winning TD against Yough with 14 seconds left.
“Stephen was hurt last year when he was a freshman or you probably would’ve heard more about him last season, too,” Fazekas said. “We have a good situation at running back with him and Brody Hutter. They’re both very capable. Throughout the game they split time, split series. Sometimes when Stephen’s been in near the end of the game it’s kind of where we’re at in the rotation. They’re both playing defense also.
“In the game against Yough, I think Brody was in to start that series and we put Stephen in that last part because I felt maybe he had a bit of a rest and had maybe a little more in the tank then. He’s definitely been doing a nice job in those close games at the end.”
In Class 2A Century Conference play, Waynesburg Central (1-1, 3-3) hosts Carlynton (0-2, 3-3) and in Class 1A Eastern Conference action, Frazier (0-3, 1-5) hosts unbeaten Leechburg (3-0, 6-0).
In the Class 1A Tri-County South Conference, Mapletown (0-3, 1-5) hosts Avella (1-2, 2-4) in their second meeting of the season with the Maples claiming a 20-6 home win in Week Zero, West Greene (2-1, 2-4) hosts Bentworth (2-1, 4-2), California (3-0, 4-2) hosts Carmichaels (1-2, 2-2) and undefeated Jefferson-Morgan (3-0, 6-0) makes the short trip to Beth-Center (0-3, 0-5).