Under the Lights: Week Eleven
Pitt's commits around the country are battling to keep their high school careers alive for at least one more week, as playoffs are underway all around the country. Who can live to fight another day? Find out in Under the Lights.
READ ALSO: Under the Lights: Opening Weekend | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four| Week Five | Week Six | Week Seven | Week Eight | Week Nine | Week Ten
It was a dominant outing for Pitt commits Nick Patti and Matt Alaimo against Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic in the first round of the New Jersey private school playoffs, but especially for Patti. Pitt's quarterback commit accounted for four total touchdowns, two each through the air and on the ground. Patti completed nine of his 18 pass attempts for 133 yards and two touchdowns while rushing three times for 15 yards and two scores in the 49-13 blowout victory. Meanwhile, Alaimo hauled in two catches for 41 yards, including a 32-yard bomb.
It was a perfect day for the duo, who will look to defend their state title from last season moving forward. That state title defense will continue on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM with a game scheduled against Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII in the state semifinal. St. Joseph's defeated Pope John XXIII in mid-October by a tally of 20-14 and will look to do so again after the Lions upset the two-seeded Donovan Catholic in round one.
Chase Brown's final game of junior college football concluded with a victory on Sunday afternoon. Brown and his teammates on the Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna Community College Falcons traveled to Huntington (W.V.) to face off against Georgia Military Academy at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Stadium and came away with a thrilling 41-34 victory. Brown and his fellow offensive linemen helped pave the way to over 450 yards of offense for the Falcons, who finished the season with a 7-2 record.
Pitt commits Devin Danielson and Noah Palmer helped to put together one of the most dominant performances in the WPIAL playoffs in recent memory. The two leaders of the Thomas Jefferson (Pa.) Jaguars defense led a stifling front seven that held previously-undefeated Belle Vernon's offense to just one first down and 16 total yards on the night. Individual stats for the duo weren't available, but the 27-0 final score and complete shutdown of any attempted offense by Belle Vernon more than tells the tale. The Leopards attempted only five passes all night and completed just one attempt. Thomas Jefferson's 27-0 win in the rematch avenged their lone loss this season and also earned them a berth in the 4A WPIAL championship, where they'll seek to knock off Montour beginning at 8 PM on Saturday and capture a third consecutive WPIAL crown.
Wendell Davis Jr.'s high school career at Richmond (Va.) Benedictine School came to an end on Saturday. The distinguished Pitt linebacker commit and his teammates suited up for the Cadets one last time, but came up short in the first round of the playoffs against the Oakton (Va.) Flint Hill Huskies, 35-21. Flint Hill accounted for nearly 450 yards of offense in the victory over Benedictine. Neither stats nor highlights are available from the game for Davis, but senior highlights should be available in the near future.
Pitt defensive tackle commit David Green and the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic Vikings are back to business as usual. After a 17-8 victory over Penn Hills (Pa.) on Friday, the Vikes are headed back to Heinz Field for a WPIAL title appearance for the fifth consecutive season. In large part, this berth is due to a stifling defensive effort from the Vikings. Despite the Central Catholic offense giving the ball away frequently with four turnovers, Green and his teammates on the defense were able to hold Penn Hills to just a single touchdown on the night (scored by standout 2019 wide receiver Dante Cephas on an impressive pass from 2019 quarterback Hollis Mathis). Central Catholic forced three turnovers of their own and held Penn Hills scoreless in the second half. Neither highlights nor stats are available for Green.
Next week, the Vikings will have the Herculean task of slowing down Pine-Richland (Pa.) and All-American quarterback Phil Jurkovec, a Notre Dame commit, in the WPIAL title game. Pine-Richland dismantled Central earlier in the season, winning a 47-17 contest late in September, but the Vikes will have a shot at revenge. The game will kick off at 2 PM in Heinz Field on Saturday.
Following a 3-7 season, Butler (Pa.) will not participate in the Pennsylvania state playoffs at the conclusion of Pitt offensive line commit Jake Kradel's senior season and high school career. Check out Kradel's senior highlights below:
It was a brutal defensive battle for Pitt commits Judson Tallandier and John Morgan and their teammates at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic when they faced off against rival Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep in the first round of the WCAC playoffs. DeMatha defeated St. John's in last year's title game, but the Cadets got their revenge and knocked off DeMatha 17-14 on Saturday. Morgan accounted for three sacks for DeMatha in the effort. A receiving touchdown from former Pitt target and current Michigan commit Kevin Doyle to recent Pitt offer Rakim Jarrett late in the third quarter proved to be a winning scoring in what was mostly a defensive stalemate all game. High school football has ended for Morgan and Tallandier, who will look to sign with Pitt in the near future. Stay tuned for senior highlights from both prospects in the near future.
Cameron O'Neil's senior season came to an end on November 3rd in the first round of the Alabama state playoffs, as his Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood Gators fell in a rematch to Selma (Ala.) Morgan Academy, 21-14. Although his high school career has ended, you can check out O'Neil's senior highlights below.
Pitt commits Devin Danielson and Noah Palmer helped to put together one of the most dominant performances in the WPIAL playoffs in recent memory. The two leaders of the Thomas Jefferson (Pa.) Jaguars defense led a stifling front seven that held previously-undefeated Belle Vernon's offense to just one first down and 16 total yards on the night. Individual stats for the duo weren't available, but the 27-0 final score and complete shutdown of any attempted offense by Belle Vernon more than tells the tale. The Leopards attempted only five passes all night and completed just one attempt. Thomas Jefferson's 27-0 win in the rematch avenged their lone loss this season and also earned them a berth in the 4A WPIAL championship, where they'll seek to knock off Montour beginning at 8 PM on Saturday and capture a third consecutive WPIAL crown.
It was a dominant outing for Pitt commits Nick Patti and Matt Alaimo against Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic in the first round of the New Jersey private school playoffs, but especially for Patti. Pitt's quarterback commit accounted for four total touchdowns, two each through the air and on the ground. Patti completed nine of his 18 pass attempts for 133 yards and two touchdowns while rushing three times for 15 yards and two scores in the 49-13 blowout victory. Meanwhile, Alaimo hauled in two catches for 41 yards, including a 32-yard bomb.
It was a perfect day for the duo, who will look to defend their state title from last season moving forward. That state title defense will continue on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM with a game scheduled against Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII in the state semifinal. St. Joseph's defeated Pope John XXIII in mid-October by a tally of 20-14 and will look to do so again after the Lions upset the two-seeded Donovan Catholic in round one.
It was a brutal defensive battle for Pitt commits Judson Tallandier and John Morgan and their teammates at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic when they faced off against rival Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep in the first round of the WCAC playoffs. DeMatha defeated St. John's in last year's title game, but the Cadets got their revenge and knocked off DeMatha 17-14 on Saturday. A receiving touchdown from former Pitt target and current Michigan commit Kevin Doyle to recent Pitt offer Rakim Jarrett late in the third quarter proved to be a winning scoring in what was mostly a defensive stalemate all game. High school football has ended for Morgan and Tallandier, who will look to sign with Pitt in the near future. Stay tuned for senior highlights from both prospects in the near future.
Pitt cornerback commit Marquis Williams and the Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs survived and advanced one more week, knocking off the Orlando (Fla.) Jones Fightin' Tigers in a 43-30 upset in the first round of Florida's 5A state playoffs. Williams accounted for three tackles and 84 yards in punt and kick returns, including a 50-yard return off a kickoff.
To keep their season alive, the Chiefs will have to come up with another upset against the region's two-seed, Rockledge (Fla.). Rockledge has an 8-3 record going into the game and escaped with a 27-21 victory in overtime on Friday night over Palm Bay (Fla.). Gibbons and Rockledge will match up at 7:30 PM on Friday and the winner will advance to the regional finals.
Pitt offensive line commit Blake Zubovic and the Belle Vernon (Pa.) Leopards had ridden a perfect senior season through the first round of the 4A WPIAL playoffs, amassing a 10-0 record and a Big Nine conference championship. Unfortunately for the Leopards, a rematch with conference rival Thomas Jefferson - a battle that Belle Vernon won 21-17 the first time around - brought their perfect season to a crashing halt and ended Zubovic's high school career. The Leopards struggled moving the football against Thomas Jefferson and the Jaguars' dominant defensive line held Belle Vernon to just one first down and 16 yards total on the night, emerging with a 27-0 shutout victory. It was a hard-fought battle won at the line of scrimmage, with both teams combining to attempt just ten passes on the night.
Highlights are not yet completed from Zubovic's senior season, but are expected to be available to view soon.