FREEPORT, Pa. — Five-hundred wins.
That’s an achievement not many football programs have reached.
Freeport became the latest, only the 17th in WPIAL history, to reach the magic number when it beat visiting Deer Lakes 37-7 Friday night thanks to a huge second half.
"It feels great to put our mark on Freeport football history," senior Darius Frantz, who ran for 104 yards on four carries, told the Valley News Dispatch.
Things looked dicey for Freeport at halftime, with the Yellowjackets leading just 3-0 against a Deer Lakes squad that has won just twice this season. But Freeport broke out in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered third-quarter points.
"The coaches were pretty upset," Frantz told the Dispatch about the halftime talk. "This being Senior Night and all, we need to be fired up. We came out in the second half ready to play."
The win keeps Freeport (7-1) in contention for the WPIAL Class AA Allegheny Conference title. The Yellowjackets are tied with Shady Side Academy atop the conference. Shady Side Academy beat Freeport 20-14 in Week 2. Freeport ends the regular season at two-win Summit Academy, while Shady Side Academy plays at Deer Lakes. Freeport hasn't won a conference title since 1992.
Jeannette playoff streak in jeopardy
Jeannette's annual rivalry game with Greensburg Central Catholic takes on additional meaning this week. The Jayhawks are trying to avoid missing the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in 15 years but need to beat their archrival in order to do it.
That's because Jeannette (5-3) suffered a 13-0 loss unbeaten Mt. Pleasant on Friday night, the second consecutive loss for the Jayhawks and their third in four games after starting the season 4-0. Greensburg Central Catholic (6-2) is coming off a 55-13 win over South Allegheny and has won four straight.
Speaking of Mt. Pleasant, someone should take notice of the Vikings defense. The shutout of Jeannette was the third straight for Mt. Pleasant, and the Vikings have allowed seven points over the last four weeks. Only Greensburg Central Catholic, which lost 36-35 to the Vikings, has scored more than 13 points on Mt. Pleasant this season.
McKeesport, Jeannette play 1,000th games in program history
While the outcome wasn't what it was hoping for, Jeannette's game against Mt. Pleasant did hold historical significance, as it was the 1,000th played in the program's history. In fact, the Jayhawks were one of two WPIAL programs to play in their 1,000th game Friday night, as McKeesport also accomplished the feat in a 56-0 win over Hempfield.
Both programs started in 1900, according to the Pennsylvania Football News, and are two of the oldest in the district, which was actually formed after the schools started playing football. In fact, the first game either of them played was against each other, with Jeannette pulling out a 41-33 victory.
McKeesport's win this past week raises the Tigers' record to 7-1 on the season and 577-376-47 all time, while the Jeannette loss drops the Jayhawks to 656-296-48 all-time. Jeannette is the second-winningest program in WPIAL history behind New Castle, while McKeesport is 10th all-time, one win behind Beaver Area.
Gateway; McKeesport to meet for Quad South title, potential No. 1 seed in playoffs
If McKeesport is able to pick up win No. 578 this week, it would be a huge one. That's because the Tigers are hosting unbeaten Gateway (8-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday night with the WPIAL Class AAAA Quad South title on the line.
Both squads are 5-0 in the section and haven't really been tested. Gateway has won its five section games by an average score of 54.2 to 7.6, including a 76-0 win over Connellsville this past week, while McKeesport has cruised along by an average margin of 54.2 to 6.0, with the only close game being a 16-14 win over Erie McDowell.
The winner of the game also probably has the inside track on the top seed in the upcoming WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs that start next week, while the loser is sure to be in the top four seeds, as well. Gateway has a balanced offense that has passed for nearly as many yards (1,401) as it has run for (1,681).
Senior quarterback Rob Kalkstein leads the Gators, completing 64.8 percent of his passes (61-of-94) for 1,372 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions. Steve Vranka has been his top target with 20 grabs for 552 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Gators' running game is paced by three backs all over 300 yards. Orne Bey leads the way with 594 yards and eight touchdowns, Brendon Felder has 434 yards and six scores and Markie'd Jones adds 374 yards and six scores.
McKeesport, on the other hand, loves to run the football out of the triple-option attack. Darien Robinson has been the top ball carrier and had rushed for 1,126 yards going into Friday night's game with Hempfield. Including the Hempfield game, he has scored 13 rushing touchdowns this season. Quarterback Ty'mer Brown is also a threat to beat teams with both his arms and his legs, having thrown six touchdown passes on the season and run for 10, while Sam Gooden has added nine rushing touchdowns to go along with a pair of punt returns for scores. Richard Cleveland has caught four of the Tigers' scoring tosses, with the other two coming from E'vander Wright, who has also run for four scores and returned a punt for a touchdown.
Last season, Gateway beat McKeesport 31-27 in the regular-season finale to claim the Quad South title, the first year both teams were in the Quad South after a WPIAL realignment. In 2007, while playing in different sections, Gateway claimed a 17-6 win over the Tigers. McKeesport's last win over Gateway was a 38-32 regular-season win in 2006.
Three unbeatens suffer losses
Three unbeaten teams are no more after last weekend, as Center knocked off previously unbeaten Beaver Falls 21-7 in WPIAL action, Moniteau stunned Karns City 22-21 in District 9 play and Clearfield toppled Central-Martinsburg 27-14 in play involving District 9's Bisons and District 6's Scarlet Dragons.
Beaver Falls entered the weekend as the No. 1-ranked WPIAL Class AA team by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and 16th in Pennsylvania by MaxPreps.
Meanwhile, Moniteau's win over Karns City marks the second straight regular-season win for the Warriors against their Butler County rivals, something that hadn't happened since winning five in a row from 1975 to 1979. Now if only Moniteau could beat the Gremlins in the District 9 Class AA title game. Karns City has taken the last two D9 Class AA championship contests from the Warriors by scores of 42-9 last year and 50-14 in 2007.
Central-Martinsburg must be tired of seeing Clearfield when the Scarlet Dragons are unbeaten because this is the second straight year Clearfield has knocked Central-Martinsburg from the ranks of the unbeaten. Last year, the Bisons topped 49-21.
Thomas still headed to Pitt
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Todd Thomas, a former standout football and basketball player at Beaver Falls, is still planning on honoring his commitment to the University of Pittsburgh to play football.
Thomas signed with the Panthers in February, according to the paper, but instead enrolled at Milford Academy in New York to take care of academics. According to his mother, Jodie, Thomas will enroll at Pitt in January in order to participate in spring drills. Thomas was a star at both wide out and defensive back for Beaver Falls but is playing only on the defensive side of the football for Milord's junior varsity team.
