Preview: Belle Vernon Leopards vs. Southmoreland Scotties
Belle Vernon is 1-0 against Southmoreland since October of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Belle Vernon Leopards will head out on the road to face off against the Southmoreland Scotties at 7:00 p.m. Belle Vernon is looking to tack on another W to their seven-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Last Friday, Belle Vernon took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 55-7 win over Mt. Pleasant. Given Belle Vernon's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 24th, while Mt. Pleasant is ranked 226th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Belle Vernon's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Quinton Martin, who rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and also picked up 44 receiving yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kole Doppelheuer, who gained 164 total yards and two touchdowns.
Southmoreland fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back victories it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They blew past Greensburg Salem 46-12 on the road. Southmoreland pushed the score to 46-6 by the end of the third, a deficit Greensburg Salem cut but never quite recovered from.
Dasjon Craggette continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Craggette is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played. Wyatt Richter was in the mix as well, providing Southmoreland with two touchdowns.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Greensburg Salem to a paltry 157 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Southmoreland's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out four times before it was all said and done. Leading the way was Makai Trout-Lewis and his two sacks.
Their wins bumped Belle Vernon to 6-1 and Southmoreland to 5-3.
Friday's match will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Martin and Craggette. Martin has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages of 66 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Craggette has averaged 120.6 rushing yards per game this season.
Everything came up roses for Belle Vernon against Southmoreland in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 48-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Belle Vernon since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
