Football roundup: Union/A-C Valley pounds Otto-Eldred; Seneca Valley, Knoch lose first games with new coach
Max Gallagher ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and Logan Skibinski chipped in three more scores, including one on a blocked punt return, as Union/A-C Valley football roughed up host Otto-Eldred 42-6 in Friday’s season opener.
Skibinski scooped the ball up after Gallagher blocked a first-quarter punt, racing 24 yards for the game’s opening touchdown. Then it was all Gallagher for the rest of the first half. The senior ran into the end zone from 4, 5 and 11 yards out to build a 28-0 halftime lead.
Skibinski got back in on the fun in the second half, rushing in from 1 and 15 yards out to trigger the running clock.
QB Andrew Kifer debuted with 63 yards on 7 of 12 passing. Gallagher added eight tackles on defense, and Noah Yori had an interception and sack.
Bethel Park 43, Seneca Valley 26 — Alumnus Don Barclay will have to wait a week for his first win as Raiders coach. But the offense showed some explosiveness in its road loss as quarterback Andrew Loebig went 11 of 19 for 267 yards and three touchdowns, plus a long scoring run.
Down 14-0 early, Loebig hit Rory O’Shea for a 55-yard score to cut the deficit to 14-6. Later, down 28-6, Loebig connected with O’Shea for a 68-yard score, then broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run after Seneca Valley converted an onside kick, making it 28-19. But that’s as close as the Raiders got.
Loebig finished with 80 yards on seven carries. O’Shea finished with 123 yards on two catches, both going for scores. Danny Drennan led the defense with 10 tackles, and the Raiders recorded two interceptions.
Kiski Area 21, Knoch 0 — It was the Cavaliers’ Colin Haugh that came out on top in a battle of first-year coaches.
Two first-half turnovers stalled the Knights’ attempts to cut down an early deficit. No stats were reported as of 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Fairview 28, Slippery Rock 21 — Slippery Rock led much of the night, but Fairview scored two unanswered touchdowns to win 28-21.
Former Moniteau running back Kole Scott got on the board first for the Rockets on a 1-yard plunge in the first quarter, then QB Doug Popovec connected with Logan Schlobohm for an 84-yard scoring bomb to make it 13-0 in the first half.
Fairview jumped ahead 14-13 in the third on a Joey O’Reilly touchdown, then Scott put SRHS back ahead on a 7-yard cutback run early in the fourth. But it didn’t last. O’Reilly broke free for a 63-yard score to tie it, then Carlo Cimino won it for the Tigers on a 4-yard run with 41 seconds left.
Other local scores — Karns City routed St. Marys 61-6 in a rematch of a controversial game last year in which the Gremlins won 61-0 after the Flying Dutchmen refused to play the second half.
North Catholic won in a blowout, 47-14 over Seton LaSalle. Summit Academy was blanked 51-0 by Frazier.
