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A preview of Serra Catholic's WPIAL Class A playoff game against Springdale from Oct. 21, 2017.

By Josh Rizzo
SHALER TWP -- There was no hiding from the situation Tuesday night at Biles Field. The Shaler boys soccer team nearly conceded a two-goal lead and dropped a non-section game to Hampton.

While the the Titans scored twice in the final 9 minutes to score a 4-2 win, the members of Shaler's defense sought out coach Adam Hunter. If they didn't, Hunter would've addressed the situation quickly.

Both of Hampton's goals came from rocket shots, which were hit from close to Shaler goalie Matt Potock. Nick Bello scored for the Talbots (0-1) with 28 minutes remaining to cut the deficit to 2-1 by dribbling around the Titans defenders and depositing a shot past Potock.

Adam Zovko's 

"That was the whole point," Matt McAwley said. "To go into the second half with more fire. Looking to create more chances and get things on frame. We struggled in the first half to do that. In the second half, that was the main goal to put more shots on frame and test the goalkeeper. They did that well."

"It's something we talked about, they need to come out with the desire to do something and come back from a goal down," McAwley said. "I think they did that really well. It takes a different kind of animal to come from behind. Tonight, we were able to do that and things fell apart at the end."

"Play confident, that's actually twice they capitalized on goals where they dribbled around our backs and it was poor defending on our part," Hunter said. "They had two other opportunities where they dribbled across and we didn't step up and tackle. I don't know if it was afraid of getting penalty called against us or just a brain lapse, but our defenders are better than that."

​"I think communication is key," Jashinski said. "I don't see us talking much right now. I think once people start talking to each other and working together it will be easier."

"If you look at the second half, we were pinging passes around," Grzegorczyk said. "We were playing as a team, that would be nice to carry on."

By Josh Rizzo
​Looking at the results from Week One around the WPIAL and City League, it's easy to say the decision to play a game or have a scrimmage in Week Zero doesn't provide an advantage.

Teams from the WPIAL decided to have another scrimmage were 24-24 in their Week 1 games. In the city, Westinghouse and Perry both opened with wins after not playing games Week Zero.

Butler coach Rob Densmore didn't believe Penn Hills had an extra edge during its 54-21 win over the Golden Tornado due to the Indians' having played an extra game. The Indians never trailed in the teams' Northern Seven Conference opener and rushed for 419 yards.

"Honestly, I didn't factor that in at all," Densmore said. "I actually like the two scrimmages. It gives you a chance to work on what you need to work on. We went down to their Plum game and they played Plum well too. It's not like they were horrible at Plum and came out here ready to go."

Penn Hills beat Plum 26-0 at North Allegheny in Week Zero. Indians coach Jon LeDonne, who moved to 2-0 as Indians coach, was able to repair some holes in the line against the Mustangs.

"We had mishaps last week we needed to get corrected," LeDonne said. "We wanted to come out and correct the mishaps up front. Our offensive line did a good job rebounding from last week and knowing their responsibilities."

Overall, though, LeDonne didn't think the game gave them that big of an edges.

"The Week Zero game gives you an opportunity to get in a game-like situation," LeDonne said. "It really doesn't mean much beside playing four quarters of football in a game-like situation."

Here are some other news, notes and links from around the WPIAL and city:

LeDonne, who picked up his second win at Penn Hills last Friday, now has as many wins as he did in three years as Shaler coach. LeDonne was 2-27 with the Titans.

Franklin Regional landed one of several mild surprises Friday night. The Panthers 14-7 win sets up what should be a fun race in the Class 5A race between Franklin Regional, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford and Gateway. Read Paul Schofield's account of the game here. 

Bethel Park provided a non-conference shock, giving North Allegheny a 35-15 beatdown. After much-hand wringing over the imbalance in conference strength, it was good to see a Southeastern Conference team score a win. Read Sarah Spencer's story, here.

Aliquippa was back to business, beating down Beaver Falls 36-0. Unlike last year, don't expect a rematch at Heinz Field. Mike Bires covered the game.

By Josh Rizzo
PITTSBURGH -- Rod Rutherford hasn't attended many Perry football games since he graduated in 1998. Being back on the South Side for a game night brought out a different feeling.

The former Commodores and University of Pittsburgh standout felt like a backseat driver during his coaching debut Thursday night at Cupples Stadium, a 49-0 Perry win over Carrick.

"It's hard, being that I played on this field," said Rutherford, who led Perry to the 1997 PIAA Class 3A championship game. "Not being in control of my destiny in a way I guess. All I can o is call a play. I'm not out here creating and doing the things I would love to do. It was interesting."

Rutherford, a former quarterback, bounced between the NFL and various indoor leagues from 2004-2012. He also had stints as a coach at Pitt, St. Vincent College and Indiana (Pa.). What he's trying to bring to Perry, which hasn't won a City League championship since 2012, is variety.

"I think it's a fun offense," Rutherford said. "I think it gives a bunch of guys opportunities to make plays. I want to put them in a position to be successful."

Perry quarterback David Freeman helped keep the ball moving. Freeman tossed two touchdown passes to Randy Williams and returned an interception 37 yards for a score. The Commodores, which led 12-0 at the half, broke open the game with 30 third-quarter points.

Maleik mania

Bishop Canevin transfer Maleik Hemingway left an immediate impression on his Perry teammates. Fielding a punt off several bounces, Hemingway weaved through Raiders defenders for a 78-yard touchdown with 9 minutes, 29 seconds left in the first quarter.

"I was thinking I had to take it to the house," Hemingway said. 

Hemingway spent a lot of time there. He also scored on a nine-yard run in the third quarter and had two other touchdown runs called back by penalties.

Last season, Hemingway piled up over 1,500 yards rushing for Bishop Canevin. Hardship forced Hemingway back to his hometown school.

"The tuition at Bishop Canevin was putting me in a deep hole," Hemingway said. "I had to go to my home town school."

Fitting in hasn't been an issue. He played at wide receiver in the backfield. On defense, he was tasked with playing cornerback.

"The sky's the limit for him," Rutherford said. "We have to continue to keep working him hard."

Carrick fights through low numbers

Carrick, which dressed 19 players, had its best scoring drive halted at the Perry 7. At the beginning of the second quarter, a pass by Raiders quarterback L.J. Orbovich was tipped and intercepted by Perry defensive back Jakar Tucker in the endzone.

The Commodores intercepted four passes and wore down the smaller Raiders' team. Carrick (0-2, 0-1) has lost 14 straight and hasn't scored in double figures since a 34-26 win over Imani Christian Sept. 25, 2015.

"The kids come out and fight hard," Carrick coach Ed White said. "We condition hard and the kids work hard during the week. Once we get down, we go to the old mentality of the old Carrick. They look down and they try to question themselves some times. We're trying to change the culture. That's the biggest thing we can do. Even without as many kids as we should have. We want to change the culture."

By Josh Rizzo
SHALER TWP -- Given the option of a second scrimmage or another game, North Hills coach Pat Carey would rather have his kids lace them up.
For the second year since the PIAA expanded to six classes and added Week Zero, the Indians took on Shaler. Both teams were previously conference rivals when both were in Class 4A.
Now, the Class 6A Titans and 5A North Hills can only meet the first week. Friday at Shaler, the Indians collected a 45-17 win over Shaler, their sixth straight in the series.
"I like the fact they are our neighbor and one of our rivals from the past," Carey said. "I think going into conference play, there's nothing like game shape. Playing a football game is the best way to get into that."
North Hills subbed some of its first team in the second half, but running back Melvin Blanks didn't need long to make an impression. Blanks piled up 172 rushing yards and scored three times. The most devastating for Shaler was a 98-yard kick-off return right before halftime.
The Titans, who have lost 15 straight, had to play shorthanded. Wide receiver Michael Battaglia and running back Joey Pollak were both out with injuries. Joey Kremer stepped up in Pollak's absence, piling up 123 yards on the ground. Brian Colarusso also had a big game for Shaler, scoring both of the Titans' touchdowns and finishing with 120 receiving yards.
First-year Shaler coach Jim Ryan was pleased with the effort.
"I had confidence the guys behind them were going to step up and make plays," Ryan said. "It took them time to get going because they don't have the experience. Playing under Friday night lights is a different ballgame. I'm pleased with how they stepped up and I knew they would."
Carey was pleased with how North Hills defended Shaler. The Indians never let the Titans get going in the first half and suffocated the passing game early.
Prepping for the Titans wasn't perfect, but Carey feels they adjusted well.
"You can never trust what they do in a scrimmage is what they are going to do in the game," Carey said. "Our kids played really hard. We subbed out pretty early in the game. I thought our first-teamers played pretty well."

Here are some other items of interest from Western Pa. football:

31 years later
Quaker Valley coach Jerry Veshio picked up his first win as a head coach with the Quakers in three decades by guiding QV past Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 55-21.

Veshio was asked to take over after John Tortorea resigned suddenly at the beginning of August.

Gators have bite
Gateway jumped out to a 28-0 lead at the Wolverena and had to hang on for a 35-23 decision. The Gators should be one of the favorites to reach Heinz Field this season in 5A.

Gateway has experience at quarterback and a coach, Don Holl, who was known for having a dynamic offense at Seneca Valley.

Central Catholic takes beating
Cathedral Prep put a fierce beating on Central Catholic Friday night in Erie. Not sure what to make of how this impacts the WPIAL Class 6A favorites. The Ramblers are likely the front-runners for a state title in Class 4A. 

Central Catholic will likely still pile up a bunch of wins. Will the Vikings be able to top 6A's best? 

Photos from North Hills' 45-17 win over Shaler Saturday. As part of a notebook, there will be interviews from each coach as well as analysis from went on from an eventful Week Zero around the WPIAL.

Originally, this was going to be about predictions.

But with all the transfer news still coming in, include Maleik Hemingway's move to Perry from Bishop Canevin, accurately forecasting the City League and WPIAL champs was going to be tough. No way to digest all that information one day before kick-off.

Instead, here are things to think about:

How will Woodland Hills survive coaching change? 

Replacing George Novak, the only coach in school history, isn't going to be easy for the Wolverines. Woodland Hills already had to promote Tim Bostard to acting coach after Novak's replacement, Kevin Murray, was caught up in a non-football scandal.

​Other similar schools have had a mixed bag replacing legendary coaches.

McKeesport coach George Smith compiled a 196-106-3 record from 1982-2009 for the Tigers. After he retired, Jim Ward came in and the program went 19-11 in three seasons. 

​Perhaps looking at McKeesport is the best case scenario for the Wolverines. George Smith coached the Tigers from 1982 to 2009, piling up a 197-106-3 record and two PIAA titles before retiring. His replacement, Jim Ward, went 19-11 in three seasons before Smith returned.

Smith never won another WPIAL title and retired again after 2015. His replacement, Matt Miller, took the Tigers to the WPIAL Class 5A title game last season, losing a heartbreaker in overtime to West Allegheny.

North Hills hasn't been the same since Jack McCurry, who has 381 wins as coach, retired in 2013. McCurry's successor, Pat Carey, has made the playoffs in all four years as coach, but has yet to make the second round. The Indians are 20-21 since McCurry retired.

It will be interesting to see which way Woodland Hills goes.

State football rankings

Only one WPIAL team -- Class 3A Aliquippa -- is ranked No. 1 in its class. The WPIAL went 2-2 in PIAA title games last year, with Steel Valley (2A) and Beaver Falls (3A) taking the top spot.

Transfer madness

Maleik Hemingway's transfer from Bishop Canevin to the City League's Perry is sort of strange. Not because he shouldn't want to play in the community where he lives. Hemingway said he was happy and rolled up 1,579 yards for the Crusaders last season.

Perry having Rod Rutherford as coach and getting Hemingway may be enough to make the Commodores the City League favorite.

Imani Christian, North Allegheny and Pine-Richland also got richer through transfers in the offseason. Aliquippa was one of the rare schools which had a transfer denied.

Imani Christian

Will the Saints live up to their hype? Beating consistent powers Jeannette and Clairton in conference will be tough. Wilkinsburg-based Imani has become a hot spot for transfers the past two seasons. If the Saints are able to get everyone in tune by the beginning of the season, they could be a player in Class 1A. 

Quick predictions for WPIAL champs
6A-Pine-Richland
5A-McKeesport
4A-Thomas Jefferson
3A-Aliquippa
2A-Steel Valley
1A-Jeanette