Under the Lights: Week Ten
High school playoffs have begun around much of the country and many of Pitt's commits are in competition for state championships as their senior years wind to a close. Check in on the future Panthers and their performances.
READ ALSO: Under the Lights: Opening Weekend | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Week Six | Week Seven | Week Eight | Week Nine
Pitt commits Matt Alaimo and Nick Patti, teammates at Montvale (N.J.)'s St. Joseph's Regional, finished their final regular season campaign with a promising victory heading into the playoffs. The Green Knights knocked off Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic at home in the regular season finale, taking down the Spartan's 28-21. The victory gives St. Joseph's a 6-3 record heading into the New Jersey Non-Public Group 3 playoffs, a bracket headed by that very same DePaul Catholic as the top seed. St. Joseph's will enter the playoffs as the three-seed in the bracket and could potentially find a rematch with the Spartans if they can reach the championship game.
Tight end Matt Alaimo finished the game with three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown, with that score coming as part of a furious fourth-quarter rally from the Green Knights that was needed to earn the victory. Quarterback Nick Patti finished the game with two touchdowns - one each through the air and on the ground. He was 14-of-30 on passing attempts for 206 yards, one score, and one interception while adding 48 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
St. Joseph's will have a chance to defend their championship from last season once again, beginning with their opening round playoff game against Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic on Saturday, November 11th at home. In addition to defeating DePaul, St. Joseph's also owns a 20-14 regular season victory over seven-seed Pope John XXIII. If both teams advance out of the first round, the Green Knights would have a rematch against Pope John XXIII in the the semi-finals on November 17th.
Check out Alaimo's highlights from the game below:
Chase Brown and his teammates at Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna Community College were off for a bye week this weekend ahead of a November 12th matchup against Georgia Military College in Huntington (W.V.) at Marshall University's field. Lackawanna will enter the game with a 6-2 record.
If a 35-0 victory in the regular season wasn't enough to make the differences between the two teams stark enough, Thomas Jefferson (Pa.)'s dominant 42-0 smackdown of Washington (Pa.) Trinity in the opening round of the 4A WPIAL playoffs answered any remaining questions.
Pitt's duo of defensive line commits was as dominant for the Jaguars as we've come to expect in recent seasons. Defensive tackle Devin Danielson accounted for two sacks, a quarterback hurry, and two tackles from the nose tackle position. Defensive end Noah Palmer wreaked just as much havoc, causing a fumble, batting down a pass, hurrying the quarterback, and notching four tackles on the evening. Highlights are not available for either player.
After the victory, Thomas Jefferson will continue their title defense campaign with a rematch against the only team who bloodied their nose this season, conference rival Belle Vernon (Pa.). On Friday night at Baldwin, the two will meet for the second time this season. In the first game, a home affair for Belle Vernon, the Leopards defeated the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars by a 21-17 tally. Belle Vernon took care of business against Mars in dominant fashion, 42-7, in the first round and will look to continue their undefeated season.
Richmond (Va.)'s Benedictine School had rocky patches during Pitt linebacker commit Wendell Davis' senior season, but the Cadets ended the regular season with a statement heading into the playoffs. Benedictine finished the season with two victories by a combined score of 48-0, including a 35-0 stampeding of St. George (Va.) Blue Ridge on the road.
The victory gives Benedictine a 6-3 record to finish the year. On Saturday, the Cadets will advance to the playoffs for an opening round road matchup against Flint Hill in Oakton (Va.). Flint Hill is 9-0 heading into the game. The teams did not face one another in the regular season, but did share two common opponents - Bishop Ireton and Blue Ridge. Benedictine was 2-0 with a very nice combined victory margin of 69-0. Flint Hill was also 2-0, winning their games by an aggregate score of 98-20.
Stats aren't available for Davis, but you can check out a brief highlight from the weekend's win embedded below:
It was closer than expected, but the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic Vikings continued rolling with a first-round playoff victory, their fifth win in a row overall. The Vikes defeated Peters Township by a 27-20 tally in the opening round of the WPIAL's 6A playoffs, where they were slated as the two-seed following an 8-2 regular season record.
The Vikings advance to keep their hopes alive of defending their WPIAL title from last season. On Friday night, they'll take on conference foe Penn Hills at Fox Chapel's stadium at 7:30 PM. Penn Hills, the 6A bracket's six-seed, defeated Bethel Park on the road, 30-28, to advance out of the first round. Penn Hills and Central Catholic faced off in the final game of the regular season, where the Vikings won handily (21-0) at home and suffocated a usually-potent Penn Hills offense.
Stats or highlights are not available for David Green, a Pitt defensive tackle commit and Central Catholic standout.
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:
A dominant 50-0 victory over Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll is doubtlessly a massive confidence boost for the Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic Stags heading into the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. The Stags - and Pitt commits Judson Tallandier (defensive back) and John Morgan (defensive end) - closed their regular season with 49-6 and 50-0 wins on the road to finish with a 6-4 record.
Now, the Stags will have a chance to redeem their losses that came against familiar conference foes throughout the year as the playoffs begin. In Saturday's round one game, DeMatha will take on a Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep team that defeated them 38-22 in a regular season matchup on October 21st. Should they get their revenge against St. John's, DeMatha would advance to play the winner of a contest between Gonzaga and Our Lady of Good Counsel in the championship round. Both of those programs based in the nation's capital defeated DeMatha during the regular season, by scores of 26-20 and 20-14, respectively. Only time will tell if DeMatha gets their revenge tour or if the Stags will fall victim to these familiar foes.
Neither stats nor highlights are available for Morgan or Tallandier.
Although the Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood Gators defeated Selma (Ala.) Morgan Academy on the road earlier in the season, Morgan returned the favor in Glenwood's house on Friday night. The Gators fell in the first round of the playoffs in the rematch as Morgan Academy came out on top, 21-14. Stats or highlights aren't available from O'Neil, who reportedly spent much of the game on the sidelines being supported by crutches. O'Neil has not yet responded to inquiries about the injury.
If a 35-0 victory in the regular season wasn't enough to make the differences between the two teams stark enough, Thomas Jefferson (Pa.)'s dominant 42-0 smackdown of Washington (Pa.) Trinity in the opening round of the 4A WPIAL playoffs answered any remaining questions.
Pitt's duo of defensive line commits was as dominant as we've come to expect in recent seasons. Defensive tackle Devin Danielson accounted for two sacks, a quarterback hurry, and two tackles from the nose tackle position. Defensive end Noah Palmer wreaked just as much havoc, causing a fumble, batting down a pass, hurrying the quarterback, and notching four tackles on the evening. Highlights are not available for either player.
After the victory, Thomas Jefferson will continue their title defense campaign with a rematch against the only team who bloodied their nose this season, conference rival Belle Vernon (Pa.). On Friday night at Baldwin, the two will meet for the second time this season. In the first game, a home affair for Belle Vernon, the Leopards defeated the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars by a 21-17 tally. Belle Vernon took care of business against Mars in dominant fashion, 42-7, in the first round and will look to continue their undefeated season.
Pitt commits Matt Alaimo and Nick Patti, teammates at Montvale (N.J.)'s St. Joseph's Regional, finished their final regular season campaign with a promising victory heading into the playoffs. The Green Knights knocked off Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic at home in the regular season finale, taking down the Spartan's 28-21. The victory gives St. Joseph's a 6-3 record heading into the New Jersey Non-Public Group 3 playoffs, a bracket headed by that very same DePaul Catholic as the top seed. St. Joseph's will enter the playoffs as the three-seed in the bracket and could potentially find a rematch with the Spartans if they can reach the championship game.
Quarterback Nick Patti finished the game with two touchdowns - one each through the air and on the ground. He was 14-of-30 on passing attempts for 206 yards, one score, and one interception while adding 48 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Tight end Matt Alaimo finished the game with three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown, with that score coming as part of a furious fourth-quarter rally from the Green Knights that was needed to earn the victory.
St. Joseph's will have a chance to defend their championship from last season once again, beginning with their opening round playoff game against Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic on Saturday, November 11th at home. In addition to defeating DePaul, St. Joseph's also owns a 20-14 regular season victory over seven-seed Pope John XXIII. If both teams advance out of the first round, the Green Knights would have a rematch against Pope John XXIII in the the semi-finals on November 17th.
Check out Patti's highlights from the game in the video below, running from the 4:21 mark to the 7:00 mark:
A dominant 50-0 victory over Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll is doubtlessly a massive confidence boost for the Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic Stags heading into the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. The Stags - and Pitt commits Judson Tallandier (defensive back) and John Morgan (defensive end) - closed their regular season with 49-6 and 50-0 wins on the road to finish with a 6-4 record.
Now, the Stags will have a chance to redeem their losses that came against familiar conference foes throughout the year as the playoffs begin. In Saturday's round one game, DeMatha will take on a Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep team that defeated them 38-22 in a regular season matchup on October 21st. Should they get their revenge against St. John's, DeMatha would advance to play the winner of a contest between Gonzaga and Our Lady of Good Counsel in the championship round. Both of those programs based in the nation's capital defeated DeMatha during the regular season, by scores of 26-20 and 20-14, respectively. Only time will tell if DeMatha gets their revenge tour or if the Stags will fall victim to these familiar foes.
Neither stats nor highlights are available for Morgan or Tallandier.
Pitt defensive back commit Marquis Williams celebrated his 18th birthday on Thursday, but the real festivities came the next night when Williams and the high-flying Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons defense shut down yet another opponent. Hollywood Hills failed to notch a point as Gibbons cruised to a 49-0 victory to end their nearly perfect 9-1 regular season campaign. Over the final four contests of the season, the Chiefs have outscored their opponents 164-18 as they head into the playoffs.
In Florida's massive state-wide playoff system, the Chiefs will enter the playoffs as the six-seed of 5A's Region 4 bracket. In the opening round, they'll travel north to Orlando (Fla.) to take on Jones, a 10-1 squad that lost only their regular season opener in an out-of-state contest against Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep. Cardinal Gibbons will be asked to string together five consecutive victories against some of the most talented teams in the country to earn a Florida state championship, but that's exactly what the Chiefs aim to do.
Belle Vernon (Pa.) keeps taking care of business, as does their top player and one of the team's leaders, Pitt offensive tackle commit Blake Zubovic. While it's difficult to track statistics for high school offensive linemen, the final stat-line should explain everything that one would need to know about Zubovic's performance. In a dominant 42-7 beatdown of Mars (Pa.), the Leopards rushed for 305 yards and four touchdowns on 45 rushing attempts behind the dominant offensive line, nearly hitting at seven yards per carry. Zubovic's highlights from the game are available below.
Next week, the Leopards will have stiffer competition to face in the WPIAL semi-finals. If they wish to earn a championship berth and keep their undefeated season alive, Belle Vernon will have to once again take down their conference rival and the defending 4A WPIAL champions, the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars of Jefferson Hills (Pa.). In their first match-up, Belle Vernon earned a 21-17 victory at home and held off an attempted final scoring drive from the Jaguars to hang on to the win. On Friday night at 7:30 PM, the two rivals will have their rematch at Baldwin.