MSA Sports Friday Night HighLights – Week Five

By: Bruce Markey
Saturday, October 2, 2010 | 12:00 AM

Finally, all 16 conference in WPIAL football are playing games that will eventually decided who gets to ride in the Highway to Heinz this fall and which teams are home listening to the district playoffs on MSA Sports. Here are the players who picked it up a notch in the first Friday of October.

Luke Hagy – Mount Lebanon

Luke Hagy is a three-star athlete at Mount Lebanon High School. He can tote the pigskin, pass the rock and smack the horsehide…oh yeah, and he has a 4.0 GPA. Hagy rushed for 162 yards and scored three touchdowns in leading the Blue Devils to a 35-12 victory over the Canon-McMillan Big Macs as Mount Lebanon wins their Greater Allegheny Conference opener and remains perfect at 5-0.

Austin Hancock – Peters Township

Last year, Peters Township raced out to a great start and then collapsed once they started Great Southern Conference action. That made they GSC opener Friday home against Bethel Park very big…which is how their quarterback played. Austin Hancock was 9 of 11 passing for 116 yards and scored on the game winning touchdown on a 22-yard run with under 5:30 minutes remaining, then hit Andrew Erenberg on a two-point conversion pass for the final points in the Indians 21-14 triumph over Bethel Park, snapping the Black Hawks 12-game conference winning streak.

Leonard Graham and Aaron Frye – Kiski Area

Fox Chapel was missing its star running back Montay Green for this key Big East Conference fray, so host Kiski Area took advantage by delivering a big one-two punch. Leonard Graham rushed for 144 yards, most of which came on a back-breaking 94-yard touchdown run while teammate Aaron Frye rushed for 128 yards and four touchdowns as the Cavaliers delivered the knockout and in a 52-35 victory over the Foxes lifting Kiski Area into a tie for second place in the conference.

Julian Durden – Montour

Since coming to Montour from North Catholic this season, running back Julian Durden has been called a lot of things. Difference maker seems to be the most popular. Durden rushed for 245 yards, leaving him 52 yards shy of 1,000 yards at the midway point, plus he scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 57 and 46 yards as the top-ranked Spartans remained undefeated with a 24-6 Class AAA Parkway Conference victory over the 5th-ranked New Castle Red Hurricane.

Dylan Bongiorni – West Allegheny

Over the last year and a half, Bob Palko and his staff at West Allegheny have been wild about the wildcat offense. But with the maestro of said offense, Mike Caputo, out with an injury, West A coaches have no problem with chuckin the football as well. Junior quarterback Dylan Bongiorni had his biggest night this season, connecting on 13 of 17 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns as the Indians turned back the Ambridge Bridgers 41-28 to stay perfect in the Triple A Parkway Conference.

Christian Brumbaugh – South Fayette

In South Fayette's final tune-up before the big battle of the unbeaten in the Class AA Century Conference against Keystone Oaks next week, SF proved this green and white band is ready for Primetime. Quarterback Christian Brumbaugh was 15 of 19 passing for 290 yards and four touchdowns passes as the Lions improved to 5-0 for the season with a 48-7 rout of the Burgettstown Blue Devils.

Dylan Jones – Laurel

With little room for error in the standings of the Double A Midwestern Conference, host Laurel had to play catch up in the second half, and did so on the legs of Dylan Jones. Jones rushed for 225 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 29-yard scoring scamper that turned out to be the game winner in the Spartans 22-19 victory over the Freedom Bulldogs.

David Yakopec – Burrell

Burrell almost got caught looking ahead in the Class AA Allegheny Conference on Friday against winless Apollo-Ridge, but they survived thanks to the sure hands of David Yakopec. Yakopec had eight receptions for 170 yards, an average of over 21 yards per catch, plus he caught two touchdowns and ran for a score as the Buccaneers squeaked past the Vikings 26-21.

Deshan Brown – Beth-Center

Many times in the HighLights, we focus on the offensive players…this time we acknowledge an outstanding defensive performance from Friday. Beth-Center's Deshan Brown intercepted not one, not two, but three T.D. Conway passes, plus he scored a touchdown on offense as well in leading the Bulldogs to a hard-fought 46-32 victory over the California Trojans to remain undefeated into next weeks showdown in the Class A Tri-County South Conference against Monessen.

Derian Sziraki – Leechburg

We also don't get a chance that often to salute players from Leechburg on the HighLights, so when given the opportunity, we are glad to shine bright on the Armstrong County School. Derian Sziraki rushed for 164 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 23, 39 and 6 yards as the Blue Devils won for only the second time in their last 26 games with a 36-9 mashing of the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers.

Tags: Beth-Center, Burrell, Kiski School, Laurel, Leechburg, Montour, Mt. lebanon, Peters Township, South Fayette, West Allegheny