Under the Lights: Week Seven

SEE ALSO: Under the Lights: Opening Weekend | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Week Six

While Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's Regional and their pair of Pitt commits, quarterback Nick Patti and tight end Matt Alaimo, have grown used to their high-flying offense, the team was locked into a defensive battle over the weekend. St. Joseph's survived a late rally from Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII, winning 20-14 and improving to 4-2 on the season under head coach Augie Hoffman. Alaimo recorded two receptions for 21 yards in the victory.

Lackawanna Community College got back to their winning ways on the road this weekend. The Scranton (Pa.) junior college powerhouse earned a dominant shutout victory over New Rochelle (N.Y.) Monroe College, the country's 15th-ranked community college football program. The Falcons finished with a 19-0 final score, improving to 5-1.

While defending WPIAL 4A champion Thomas Jefferson suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night, blame certainly couldn't be laid at the feet of Pitt defensive line commits and Jaguar teammates Noah Palmer and Devin Danielson. In a road game at undefeated conference rival Belle Vernon (7-0), the Jaguars fell 21-17 despite dominant line play. Danielson accounted for a sack and four tackles for loss on the night, collapsing the line of scrimmage and helping to hold the Leopards to just 161 total yards. Ultimately, the four turnovers were too much to overcome for Thomas Jefferson, but it's likely that these two programs have not seen the last of each other.

Wendell Davis and his teammate at Richmond (Va.) Benedictine School enjoyed a bye week and did not play over the weekend. However, Davis did publish his midseason highlights and you can view his accomplishments and best plays from the year so far below.

For the second straight game, the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic Vikings absolutely smoked their competition. While it's a down year for the Vikes and they seem unlikely to match the heights of recent seasons, schools like Altoona (Pa.) still provide near-junior varsity level competition for Central. Central Catholic rolled the Mountain Lions by a score of 59-14 on Friday night, improving to 6-2. Games against Norwin and Penn Hills remain to close out the schedule and their regular season. Pitt defensive tackle commit David Green recorded four tackles on the night.

A tough season continues for the Butler (Pa.) Golden Tornadoes and Pitt offensive guard commit Jake Kradel. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound lineman continues leading his team and producing at multiple positions, but the results simply haven't been there for Butler this season. Friday night was the closest loss of the season so far. A contest with Norwin (Pa.) was tied 0-0 heading into the fourth quarter before the Knights took a 7-0 lead over Butler on a 12-yard pass. Butler scored late in the fourth quarter and decided to roll the dice on their home field, but came up short on a two-point conversion attempt and dropped to 2-6 on the season on a 7-6 final score. Check out Kradel's highlights from the game and from the midway point of his senior season below.

Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic came into the season as one of the most highly-regarded teams in the country, but the Stags fell to 4-3 on the weekend after a second consecutive close loss to a team within their region. Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel won in overtime on the road at DeMatha, coming out on top by a score of 20-14.

Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood improved to 5-3 on Friday night with a 24-6 victory over visiting Bessemer (Ala.) Academy. Pitt wide receiver commit Cameron O'Neil came up huge in the victory, causing a fumble on the defensive side of the ball and finishing off the ensuing offensive drive with a 29-yard touchdown reception. Glenwood racked up a 24-0 lead before giving up a touchdown to Bessemer Academy late in the 4th quarter.

While defending WPIAL 4A champion Thomas Jefferson suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night, blame certainly couldn't be laid at the feet of Pitt defensive line commits and Jaguar teammates Noah Palmer and Devin Danielson. In a road game at undefeated conference rival Belle Vernon (7-0), the Jaguars fell 21-17 despite dominant line play. Palmer racked up three sacks on the night and spent his entire evening terrorizing the Belle Vernon backfield, proving to be a deadly edge rusher. Ultimately, the four turnovers were too much to overcome for Thomas Jefferson, but it's likely that these two programs have not seen the last of each other.

While Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's Regional and their pair of Pitt commits, quarterback Nick Patti and tight end Matt Alaimo, have grown used to their high-flying offense, the team was locked into a defensive battle over the weekend. St. Joseph's survived a late rally from Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII, winning 20-14 and improving to 4-2 on the season under head coach Augie Hoffman. Patti completed six of 11 passes for 76 yards on the day as the Green Knights leaned heavily on the running game.

Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic came into the season as one of the most highly-regarded teams in the country, but the Stags fell to 4-3 on the weekend after a second consecutive close loss to a team within their region. Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel won in overtime on the road at DeMatha, coming out on top by a score of 20-14.

It's been an incredible season for Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons, but the Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night against some of their toughest competition to date. Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, one of the country's most talented programs and a fellow south Florida powerhouse, came to Cardinal Gibbons and earned a road victory, 23-19. Pitt commit Marquis Williams continued his dominant 2017 season, forcing a fumble on a punt and making two tackles. Williams was tasked with guarding Rivals250 wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, an Under Armour All-American, and the lockdown corner held him to zero catches on the evening.

Pitt offensive tackle commit Blake Zubovic had a triumphant Senior Night on his home field, playing a key part in Belle Vernon (Pa.)'s 21-17 rivalry victory over visiting conference foe Thomas Jefferson. While both teams entered the stadium undefeated at 6-0, Belle Vernon played the role of underdog in most narratives entering the Friday night contest. After a 21-17 victory, however, the Leopards stand alone atop the Big Nine conference and have placed themselves among the favorites to claim the WPIAL's 4A title this fall.