WPIAL Friday Night HighLights for 10/31

By: Bruce Markey
Saturday, November 1, 2014 | 11:07 AM

You remember some of the homemade costumes from back in the day, don’t you? While all the neighborhood kids had fancy costumes, you had a while cloth diaper on your head with a while coat and were supposed to be a doctor. Or you had a big box on your torso and a little one on your head and each box was covered with aluminum foil and you were a robot. Or grab the bed sheet, cut out some eyes and a ghost was born. Those Halloween costumes pail to what these young men wore on Friday night as they collected a pillow case full of tasty big plays dressed up in various super hero costumes in leading their teammates past all of the tricks and on to the treat of playing in the WPIAL Quarterfinals.

Ben DiNucci – Pine-Richland

Pine-Richland did exactly what you are supposed to do (take note Steelers) when you are a heavy favorite…jump on the opponent early and leap often. The WPIAL’s leading passer led the way through a misty drizzle by hitting on 11 of 14 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns of 30 and 6 yards as the top-seed Rams led 28-6 after one and 42-6 by halftime en route to a 63-6 drubbing of the wild card Connellsville Falcons in a Class AAAA First Round game.

Eli Mencer – Altoona

There were a lot of first in the #8 vs #9 game in the districts highest classification. It was the first WPIAL playoff game played in Blair County which turned into the first WPIAL postseason victory for host Altoona. Eli Mencer rushed for 206 yards and scored three touchdowns on runs of 21, 44 and 24 yards…the final one a game sealing score in the fourth quarter to lift the Mountain Lions to a roaring 27-17 Class AAAA First Round victory over the Bethel Park Black Hawks.

Jordan Whitehead – Central Valley

All season long, Jordan Whitehead of Central Valley has been the king of the one play drive, so it is no surprise that the trend continued into the postseason. The Pitt recruit rushed for 277 yards (remember, he a wide receiver) and scored four touchdowns on first quarter runs of 70, 80 and 90 yards along with a third quarter 75-yard kickoff return for a score as the top-seed Warriors beat the visiting Laurel Highlands Mustangs 48-26 in a Class AAA First Round game.

Ori Rineman – Mars

Ori sounds like a name of a far away galaxy, or perhaps the name of an object shot into space to assist on some probe or satellite. Friday at Montour High School, Ori was the name of a running back who was out of this world. Ori Rineman of Mars rushed for 239 yards and accounted for all six of his teams touchdowns on runs of 3, 6, 9, 21, 35 and 5 yards as the Fighting Planets stunned the Spartans in a Class AAA First Round eye-brow raiser 42-27.

Austin Kemp – Thomas Jefferson

One of the top running backs in the WPIAL was banged up down the stretch run and missed some action because of an injured shoulder. Many thought Austin Kemp would sit out in Round One in the hopes that Thomas Jefferson could advance and he would be set for Round Two. Moon wishes it played out that was as Kemp returned and rushed for 244 yards and did what he does best, score touchdowns with three long scoring runs as the host Jaguars cruised to a 49-14 victory over the Tigers in a Class AAA First Round matchup.

Trevor Salopek – Mount Pleasant

On a night when the Mount Pleasant defense was perfect, Trevor Salopek led the offense in what turned out to be an easier than expected Class AA First Round victory for the hosts. Salopek ran for a district high 282 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 15 and 73 yards in the first half as the Vikings methodically disposed of the Shady Side Academy Indians 38-0 to set up a Week 8 rematch with Aliquippa in the Quarterfinals.

Tyler Perone and Danzel McKinley-Lewis – Seton-LaSalle

While a lot of focus coming into the game was on the high powered McGuffey offense going up against a strong Seton-LaSalle defense, but it was a pair of Seton offensive players that helped steal the show. Quarterback Tyler Perone hit on 15 of 21 passes for 200 yards and a 27-yard touchdown toss to Danzel McKinley-Lewis, who caught 6 passes for 132 yards as the Rebels defense won that other battle vs the Highlanders ‘O’ in convincing fashion in a 20-0 whitewash in a Class AA First Round shutout.

Brett Brumbaugh – South Fayette

What would Friday Night HighLights on Halloween be like without a little treat from the districts all-time leading passer of candy and footballs. South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh connected on only 7 of 10 passes, but those 7 completions went for 204 yards and four of them ended up in touchdowns on tosses of 21, 58, 29 and 56 yards as the top-seed Lions cruised past the visiting Waynesburg Raiders 65-6 in a Class AA First Round matchup.

Lamont Wade, Ryan Williams and Aaron Mathews – Clairton

The postseason is a time for the cream to rise to the top. At Neil Brown Stadium on Friday night, there was plenty of cream for Bears fans to scream for in running, throwing and catching the pigskin. Lamont Wade rushed for 269 yards and scored six touchdowns while quarterback Ryan Williams hit on 12 passes for 237 yards with 7 of those throws being caught by Aaron Mathews for 138 yards as the Bears destroyed the Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 62-3 in a Class A First Round matchup.  

Jason Dambach – Riverside

There weren’t a lot of eye-brow raisers on the opening night cruise on the Highway to Heinz, but one of them did take place from a northern team taking the long trip south. Riverside quarterback Jason Dambach was 10 of 22 passing for 188 yards and tossed a pair of touchdown passes, including a 15-yard throw to brother Austin Dombach in what turned out to be the game winning points as the Panthers prevailed 21-20 in a Class A Firsr Round upset of the #4 host Beth-Center Bulldogs.

Kittanning Wildcats

They did not win, losing 55-20 to #2 Aliquippa, thus a football program over a century old is done as Kittanning and Ford City will merge after this school year to form Armstrong High School.

Tags: Altoona, Central Valley, Clairton, Kittanning