Under the Lights: Week Four
Pitt's commits were in action again this week at the high school level as Under the Lights reaches week four and spotlights their performances.
Pit commits across the country moved on to week four of their high school schedules (or as far ahead as week five or as far behind as week two, in some cases) this past weekend and the future Panthers were nearly unanimously productive. Check out highlights and notes from their performances.
Another week, another huge performance for Pitt linebacker commit Cameron Bright. The Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing standout helped to pitch yet another defensive clamp-down with his teammates as they steamrolled Russell County by a score of 65-6. Bright himself accounted for nine tackles (seven of them solo), two tackles for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and numerous quarterback pressures. It was a big day for Bright and his teammates.
Normally when an offense barely has the ball in their hands, the results aren’t very good. However, that was not the case for the Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage Patriots squad and Pitt wide receiver commit Dontavius Butler. Butler’s teammates on the defensive side of the football scored a stunning five defensive touchdowns in a victory over Coconut Creek (Fla.). The Patriots cruised to a 48-6 victory and only attempted two passes, neither of which went to Butler. It’s hard for anybody to complain about a win like that, regardless of the numbers on the box score.
In game that was expected to be a high-flying shootout between the WPIAL’s two most productive quarterbacks, the Pine-Richland Rams and Pitt tight end commit Grant Carrigan won a 52-21 victory over Penn Hills with an impressive ground game and stifling defense. Carrigan caught one reception for 26 yards and drew another huge defensive pass interference call in the end zone against Penn Hills to give his team a first down from a fourth-down try, but his biggest roles were on defense and in the run blocking game. Carrigan notched a sack and four tackles on the evening, but those numbers don’t tell the full story about how aggressively he was harassing Penn Hills quarterback Cam Tarant and forcing him into mistakes in the passing game.
Kirk Christodoulou resides in Australia and does not take part in the American high school football season.
It’s hard to track individual stats like pancakes and pressures allowed for offensive linemen at the high school level, so often times the road graders in front will simply settle for the approval of their coaches and their teammates on the offense. Pitt commit Owen Drexel, an offensive center out of Montclair (N.J.) certainly earned both of those in a huge 56-0 shutout victory of Livingston. Drexel and the line helped pave the way for the Mounties to rack up 326 rushing yards at an unbelievable clip of over 11 yards per carry.
Paris Ford and his Steel Valley (Pa.) Ironmen teammates scored early and scored often in a dominant victory over the Valley (Pa.) Vikings. Ford scored the opening touchdown for the Ironmen with a receiving touchdown on a fade route from 18 yards out and they didn’t let up from there. After a big effort from Ford that included a 60-yard punt return touchdown, another would-be touchdown that was called back on a block in the back (video embedded below), and a stifling defensive effort, Steel Valley held a 62-0 halftime lead. Valley rallied to make it a less embarrassing final score of 68-29, but Ford and teammate Dewayne Murray dominated every facet of Friday’s affair.
As we noted above with Owen Drexel, it can be difficult to quantify the stats of offensive linemen directly, especially at the high school level, but the final score tells the tale for Pitt tackle commit Gabe Houy. Houy and his Upper St. Clair (Pa.) Panthers teammates grinded Baldwin to a pulp, with a final score of 42-3 and nearly 300 yards of rushing at a clip of almost nine yards per carry. Houy got involved on the defensive side of the football, notching two tackles and a tackle for a loss, but his biggest contributions were at his future position of offensive tackle.
Nothing seems to slow down Kyle Nunn and the Findlay (Ohio) Trojans. Nunn and his teammates play in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference, the top league in the Toledo area and one of Ohio’s toughest arenas for competition, but they notched their first conference win this weekend. Findlay improved to 4-0 as they defeated the St. Francis de Sales Knights by a score of 42-13. Nunn didn’t score on the night, but he played a large role in the defensive effort for Findlay once again.
It was a tough loss Ocean Township (N.J.) and Pitt’s 2017 quarterback commit Kenny Pickett. Pickett and his teammates came up short against Middletown South by a score of 37-22, their second straight loss, and fell to 1-2 on the season. Pickett was 16 of 26 passing on the night for 220 yards and two touchdowns, but also turned the ball over with two interceptions. Pickett and his teammates will look to rebound against Red Bank Catholic (N.J.) as they search for their first league win.
Tyler Sear and his New Castle (Pa.) Neshannock teammates rebounded in a major way from last week’s loss, storming over the New Brighton (Pa.) Lions and pouncing on them with a final score of 49-0. The Lancers’ was never in doubt and Pitt tight end commit Tyler Sear was a big part of that. Sear caught four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, also snared a reception for a successful two-point conversion try. As per usual, Sear double-shifted and saw time on the defensive side of the ball where he helped to pitch a shutout against the Lions.
Todd Sibley and his teammates played host to some foes from the Great White North as Canada’s Royal Imperial Collegiate came to town to face off against the Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban Knights. Sibley set the tone with a quick score and never looked back, taking the ball 70 yards for a house call on the Knights’ first play from scrimmage. Hoban never trailed in the game and Sibley largely let his quarterback Danny Clark take the reins after his early touchdown, as Clark racked up four touchdowns through the air.
It was a tough loss for Pitt wide receiver commit Darian Street and his Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty Hurricane teammates on Friday night. The Hurricanes suffered their first loss of the season (and first conference loss) as the Whitehall (Pa.) Zephyrs downgraded their record to 3-1 on the young season. Street was his usual self and the main focal point of Liberty’s passing offense – which admittedly is not as robust as its rushing attack – and caught three receptions for 86 yards, including a 50-yard bomb. However, Whitehall made a point of limiting Street’s impact on the game and often blanketed and double-teamed the young receiver.
Albert Tucker and his Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders teammates had an off night for a bye week this weekend. They’ll resume play against Hallandale (Fla.) on Friday at home.
Another week, another win for the Worthington (Ohio) Kilbourne Wolfpack and Pitt commit Carson Van Lynn, who double-shifts as a defensive end and offensive tackle for Kilbourne. Van Lynn and his team defeated a local opponent, the Thomas Worthington (Ohio) Cardinals, by a score of 43-6. After a close week one overtime victory, Kilbourne has routed their last three opponents by a cumulative score of 119-25. Individual stats were unfortunately not available for this rivalry, colloquially known as the “Wo-Town Showdown” for the location of both schools in Worthington.