Montour High School football coach Lou Cerro didn’t want to leave his team’s WPIAL Class 4A playoff fate in the hands of a committee tasked with selecting two at-large wild-card teams.
So the Spartans took matters into their own hands Friday night, using a big night from senior running back Caden Halajcio to throttle West Allegheny, 34-13, at Joe P. DeMichela Stadium.
Montour finished the regular season with an overall record of 7-3 and wound up 4-1 in the Parkway Conference – good for a share of the conference title with New Castle. The Red Hurricanes, who beat Montour on Oct. 3, downed Blackhawk, 41-17, Friday night.
The Spartans figured to have stiff opposition from the Indians, who entered Friday’s game tied with Montour and New Castle for the top spot in the conference.
At the outset, it appeared that would be the case, as West Allegeny led 7-0 after one quarter. But from that point on, Montour reeled off 34 straight points before the Indians scored a touchdown with a little over 4 minutes to play in the game.
Montour coach Lou Cerro said there wasn’t anything complicated about what happened.
“After (West Allegheny) went up 7-0, our kids buckled down,” he said. “Our offensive line started moving people, we hit a couple big plays and got into the end zone.”
Montour mixed it up offensively, using a strong ground attack and some timely passing from sophomore quarterback Brandon Bennett. The Spartans used several bubble screens, and Bennett let his receivers do the heavy lifting – or in this case, the heavy running — after the catch.
Cerro said the bubble screen is a big play in Montour’s arsenal but some teams have been able to take it away. “They didn’t take it away after the first quarter,” Cerro said of West Allegheny.
After West Allegheny took its 7-0 lead, the Spartans got on the board when Bennett hit freshman Archie Collins on a bubble screen and he took it 11 yards for the score. Luke Medvitz’s PAT made it 7-7 with 10:39 to play in the second quarter.
Montour took advantage of a third-down pass interference call to set up shop at the Indians’ 23-yard line. Halajcio, who finished with 184 yards on 19 carries, pounded the ball inside to the 8-yard line, and Bennett picked his way off the left side and into the end zone to put the Spartans on top for keeps with 5:56 to play in the first half.
After an exchange of possessions West Allegheny had the ball with 44 seconds remaining in the half at its own 31 yard line. The Indians moved to the Montour 41, and quarterback Donovan O’Connor went to the air in search of the tying touchdown. But Collins picked off O’Connor’s pass and returned it 82 yards for another Montour score, giving the Spartans a 21-7 lead at halftime.
“That pick before the half was huge for us,” Cerro said.
Montour added to that lead three minutes into the third quarter when Halajcio took a direct snap and ran it in from a yard out, and a blocked PAT left the Spartans with a 27-7 lead.
Montour’s final score came with 4:18 to play in the quarter when Halajcio took another direct snap, this one from the 8 yard line, put a wicked move on a West Allegheny defender inside the 5 and went in for the touchdown. The PAT widened Montour’s lead to 34-7, and that essentially sealed the win.
Bennett finished the game with seven completions in 10 attempts for 61 yards and a score. Halajcio increased his rushing total on the season to 1,189 yards and was stout all night for the Spartans, who finished with a 300-195 edge in total yardage.
“He played well,” Cerro said of the senior running back. “He’s a warrior. He gets the hard yards, and he gets the easy yards.”
Cerro said his team certainly enjoyed its win. “They’re sky-high right now,” he said. “They’re just having fun – they’re going along for the ride.
“We hope it continues.”
Moon Area 24, South Fayette 21
Braeden Stuart ran for a pair of touchdowns and Andrew Cross threw for one score, helping the Tigers finish the regular season with a win over the Lions in a Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference game at South Fayette.
Moon, which already locked up a home playoff game next week, improved to 7-3 and wound up 4-1 in the conference, good for second place behind unbeaten Peters Township.
Stuart’s 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, followed by the first of three Evan Senkevich PATs, gave Moon a 7-0 lead, but a pair of South Fayette field goals trimmed that lead to 7-6 at halftime.
Stuart’s 8-yard run and another Senkevich PAT made it 14-6 in the third quarter. Senkevich extended the margin to 17-6 with a 47-yard field goal, and that would prove crucial.
South Fayette crept to within three points when Aayden Wright scored on a 30-yard run, and the Lions added a two-point conversion to get within 17-14.
That’s when Cross teamed up with Savario Vandetti on a 24-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Tigers some breathing room. South Fayette pushed across another touchdown with 2:29 remaining in the game, but Moon held on for the win despite being outgained 282-200.
Cross completed 7 of 13 passes for 81 yards and rushed for 19 yards. Dionte Henry led Moon’s ground game with 45 yards and Vandetti caught four passes for 43 yards.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 23, Keystone Oaks 8
The Chargers needed a victory to bolster their bid for a wild-card playoff spot in Class 2A, and they got one, methodically building a 23-0 lead on the way to a nonconference victory.
OLSH improved to 5-5 overall and finished 3-3 in the Allegheny Conference and now will await the WPIAL football committee’s decision. The group will meet Saturday and select four at-large wild-card teams to join the top three finishers in each of the three Class 2A conferences.
J.J. Hayden threw for two touchdowns – a 17-yarder to John Anderson in the first quarter and an 18-yard strike to Chris Harris in the fourth quarter – to spark OLSH’s offense.
TyTy Hawkins scored on a 9-yard run and Jamire Samuels added a pair of two-point conversion runs for the Chargers, who scored once in each of the first, third and fourth quarters to go on top 23-0.
Hawkins rushed for 84 yards on 12 carries and Samuels added 50 yards on 16 attempts as OLSH finished with 170 yards rushing on 40 attempts. Hayden completed 9 of 15 passes for 60 yards.
OLSH players wore a special uniform Friday night as they honored local veterans in their annual “Salute To Service Game” prior to the start of the game against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH players wore a special uniform Friday night as they honored local veterans in their annual “Salute To Service Game” prior to the start of the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH linebacker Jacob Boehm battles for position in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH running back Jamire Samuels picks up a first down in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH running back Jamire Samuels looks for running room in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH’s John Anderson slides inside the pylon to complete a touchdown reception in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH kicker Grant Griesacker gets ready to boot an extra point in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH quarterback Fabian Nixon looks for an opening in the Golden Eagles defense in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH wide receiver Christian Bush attempts to avoid a Golden Eagles defender in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH running back Jamire Samuels is tackled by a host of Keystone Oaks defenders in the Chargers’ matchup against the Golden Eagles at Moon Area High School. 
OLSH quarterback J.J. Hayden gets ready to launch a pass downfield in the Chargers’ matchup against Keystone Oaks at Moon Area High School.
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
Monessen 30, Cornell 28
Tavian Taylor’s two-point conversion run that followed his 15-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter proved to be the difference as the host Greyhounds edged the hard-luck Raiders in a key Class 1A Black Hills Conference game.
Taylor’s scoring run and two-point conversion erased a 28-22 lead that Cornell had built on a 25-yard scoring pass from M.J. Stuckey to Khylil Johnson, and Latae Littlejohn’s two-point conversion run with 4:12 to play in the third quarter.
The loss left Cornell with an overall 5-5 record for the regular season and a 2-4 mark in the conference. The Raiders lost their final two games of the season by a combined three points and lost another game by four points earlier in the season.
Rodney Johnson’s 2-yard first-quarter touchdown run gave Monessen a 6-0 lead, but Stuckey hit on a pair of touchdown passes – 25 yards to Isaiah Dawson and 7 yards to Johnson — and Johnson’s 56-yard touchdown run helped Cornell build a 20-14 lead at halftime.
Monessen went on top 22-20 on Taylor’s 2-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion, but Cornell answered with the 25-yard Stuckey-to-Johnson connection midway through the third quarter.
Waynesburg Central 43, Sto-Rox 6
Karick Willis scored the lone touchdown for the Vikings, who finished their season 1-9 overall and 1-5 in the Class 2A Century Conference. Waynesburg Central improved to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
Charleroi 30, Carlynton 6
The Cougars ended their regular season with their ninth straight loss. Carlynton finished 1-9 overall and 0-6 in Class 2A Century Conference action. Charleroi, which had lost three straight coming into the game, improved to 2-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
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