Westmoreland high school football notes: Derry finally shakes long losing streak

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, September 2, 2023 | 3:43 PM

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Derry did something Friday night it had not done since the disruptive, covid-plagued season of 2020: It won a football game.

The Trojans finally knocked down a losing streak that had bedeviled them for nearly three years, defeating Greensburg Salem, 26-21, to end a 20-game skid.

The longest active losing streak in the WPIAL no longer belongs to Derry, whose players were reminded what winning feels like.

“Lots of emotion,” coach Mike Arone said. “And some tears. Hopefully, this is just a springboard.”

Ahmad Ward rushed 29 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Trojans (1-1), whose last win came Oct. 9, 2020, a 19-6 victory over Valley.

But Ward didn’t stop there. He had a 100-yard pick-6, one of his two interceptions.

Arone thought his 2A team could defeat the Class 3A Golden Lions if it took some chances and avoided mistakes.

“I loved our enthusiasm and aggressiveness in the first half,” he said. “We executed well and made plays. It was also great to see us lock it down when we needed to on the last drive. We finished when we had to.”

Playing for a cause

Every time Payton Molter scores a touchdown for Jeannette for the rest of the season, he will make a donation to help a family friend.

Molter, the Jayhawks’ senior quarterback, vowed to support Lisa Friscarella, a Jeannette alum and mother of four who is undergoing treatment for a Mullerian tumor in her uterus, a very rare cancer that has reached Stage 4.

For each touchdown he scores, he will donate $20.

“I have known the family since I was very young,” Molter said. “Lisa’s oldest son was my brother’s best friend growing up, and her middle son is good friends with my younger brother.”

Molter is asking for help to follow through with his promise. Donations can be made to a GoFundMe page for Friscarella.

Molter asks that donors label their contribution with “Jayhawk Family Support.”

“This is what Jeannette does for one another,” he said. “And I know, God forbid, if my family needed help (the Friscarellas) would be at the front of the line to assist.”

Molter ran for a touchdown and threw for another in a 33-30 overtime loss to East Allegheny Friday night in North Versailles.

GS reunion

Greensburg Salem will honor one its best teams Friday night when the Golden Lions welcome Ligonier Valley to Offutt Field.

It will be the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Foothills Conference championship team.

The WPIAL introduced a new playoff format in ‘73. The Golden Lions made the postseason for the first time that season.

Crosby’s drive

When Greensburg Central Catholic senior quarterback and leader Tyree Turner went out with a minor injury early in the fourth quarter Friday night, the Centurions turned to backup Samir Crosby.

The sophomore led an impressive, five-play drive, connecting on 4 of 5 passes, including three in a row — 28 yards to Landon Honick, 7 yards to Pete Mazowiecki and 30 more to Honick — before he scored on a 12-yard run.

Crosby found a rhythm cold turkey, and energized GCC, which fell 26-6 to No. 2 Bishop Canevin. Later, with Turner back and playing wide receiver, Crosby found him down the far sideline for a 40-yard connection.

Honick and Turner made circus catches.

Crosby was 5 of 9 for 119 yards in limited action.

“He’s a special player,” Bishop Canevin coach Rich Johnson said. “We know what he can do. Their guys made some great catches.”

Turner is the main guy under center, but Crosby makes for a luxury as a backup.

Crosby, who also threw a touchdown in a 37-24 win over Mt. Pleasant in Week Zero, grew up playing quarterback in youth football.

He called his receivers’ grabs amazing.

“Tyree and Landon both made some amazing plays,” he said. “Me and Landon have been working on that all summer long. Me and Landon have that same connection that me and Tyree have.

“And Tyree … That man is a dog anywhere he plays.”

Scotties’ D

Southmoreland is known for having high-powered offensive teams. But defense has not been associated much with the program in recent years.

Things could be changing.

The Scotties handled Ligonier Valley on Friday, 48-7, holding the Rams to 91 yards of total offense. They produced 484.

Ethan Shawley had three sacks, and Eliot Primus added two.

The Scotties held Rams running back John Jablunovsky in check, and their back, Da’sjon Craggette, ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 411 yards in his first two games at Southmoreland.

The stop

Franklin Regional evened its record at 1-1 by using two goal-line stands in a 28-21 victory at Memorial Stadium.

But before the first goal-line stand in the second quarter, it was a play by defensive back Jamal V that proved to be even larger.

Latrobe quarterback John Wetzel connected on a pass to wide receiver Ja’Tawn Williams at the Franklin Regional 1. V made a big hit and didn’t allow Williams to advance further and wrestled him to the ground.

“That’s a tough thing to do to fight and battle and not allow them to gain any more yards,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said. “Jamal definitely fought. It was the fight and the will of our team to keep them out of the end zone.”

The Wildcats were forced to spike the ball to stop the clock with a second left, and Alex Tatsch was then stopped by the Panthers’ defense.

The Panthers’ defense also stopped Latrobe running back Brady Prohovic on fourth-and-1 near midfield in the third quarter. It set up the eventual winning touchdown drive, which was capped by Kyle Dupill’s 31-yard touchdown run.

Late in the game, the Panthers’ defense stopped Wetzel from the 1 twice in the final minute.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland