Under the Lights: Week Twelve
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 | Week Eleven
It wasn't always a pretty game for Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's Regional's offense, but the Green Knights will care little after comfortably winning their state semifinal playoff game and advancing to a championship showdown at Kean University. Pitt commits Matt Alaimo (tight end) and Nick Patti (quarterback) were mostly held in check by Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII, but the team still emerged with a 28-7 playoff victory. Alaimo caught one pass on the day for five yards, part of a Patti effort that ended with a 6-for-12 passing statline for 71 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and four rushing yards. St. Joe's defense won the day, forcing five turnovers and holding Pope John XXIII scoreless through the first three quarters of the contest as the Green Knights raced out to a 21-0 lead at halftime.
St. Joe's will play DePaul Catholic at Kean University on December 2nd at 1 PM as they seek to defend their state title from last season and repeat as champions. The Green Knights previously defeated DePaul, 28-21, on at home on November 4th.
Check out Alaimo's highlights from the game below:
Chase Brown's final game of junior college football concluded with a victory on November 12th. Brown and his teammates on the Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna Community College Falcons traveled to Huntington (W.V.) and defeated Georgia Military Academy at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Stadium, a thrilling 41-34 victory. Check out Brown's highlights from the season below:
Devin Danielson, Noah Palmer, and the Thomas Jefferson (Pa.) Jaguars' defense continued their startlingly dominant run through the WPIAL play on the biggest stage yet, dominating an upstart Montour (Pa.) team en route to a 27-0 victory. The win over the Spartans completed the Jaguars' three-peat at Heinz and gave Danielson and Palmer their third regional title as varsity players. Thomas Jefferson completed a 96-0 run through the WPIAL playoffs with the victory, a dominant stretch that has largely been led by the Jags' dominant defensive line play.
Danielson accounted for five tackles on the day while Palmer added three of his own. The defense collectively held Montour to just 64 yards of total offense, forcing three turnovers on the day. While it didn't always show up on the stat sheet, both future Pitt linemen generally lived in the Montour backfield and made life hell for quarterback Kavon Morman.
Next week, the Jaguars will travel to Erie (Pa.) Veterans' Stadium for a Friday night matchup against 4A powerhouse Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep. Prep has ended Thomas Jefferson's season in each of the last two years and the Jaguars will be seeking revenge.
Wendell Davis Jr.'s high school career at Richmond (Va.) Benedictine School came to an end on November 11th. 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. Davis' senior highlights are not yet available.
David Green's high school career ended on Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic defensive tackle and Pitt commit was in a bid to repeat as a WPIAL champion alongside his Vikings teammates, but Central ran into a Pine-Richland (Pa.) buzzsaw led by Notre Dame commit Phil Jurkovec and others. Green finished with one tackle in the game, a contest that finished in a 42=7 final score. Green's completed senior highlights are not yet available, but check out his midseason highlights below:
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 senior highlights below for Kradel, the country's 28th-ranked offensive tackle:
Pitt defensive end commit John Morgan's high school career ended in a playoff loss to rival Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep, a 17-14 defeat at the hands of the eventual WCAC champ on November 11th. Check out senior highlights for Morgan, the country's 31st-ranked strongside defensive end.
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.
Devin Danielson, Noah Palmer, and the Thomas Jefferson (Pa.) Jaguars' defense continued their startlingly dominant run through the WPIAL play on the biggest stage yet, dominating an upstart Montour (Pa.) team en route to a 27-0 victory. The win over the Spartans completed the Jaguars' three-peat at Heinz and gave Danielson and Palmer their third regional title as varsity players. Thomas Jefferson completed a 96-0 run through the WPIAL playoffs with the victory, a dominant stretch that has largely been led by the Jags' dominant defensive line play.
Danielson accounted for five tackles on the day while Palmer added three of his own. The defense collectively held Montour to just 64 yards of total offense, forcing three turnovers on the day. While it didn't always show up on the stat sheet, both future Pitt linemen generally lived in the Montour backfield and made life hell for quarterback Kavon Morman.
Next week, the Jaguars will travel to Erie (Pa.) Veterans' Stadium for a Friday night matchup against 4A powerhouse Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep. Prep has ended Thomas Jefferson's season in each of the last two years and the Jaguars will be seeking revenge.
It wasn't always a pretty game for Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's Regional's offense, but the Green Knights will care little after comfortably winning their state semifinal playoff game and advancing to a championship showdown at Kean University. Pitt commits Matt Alaimo (tight end) and Nick Patti (quarterback) were mostly held in check by Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII, but the team still emerged with a 28-7 playoff victory. Alaimo caught one pass on the day for five yards, part of a Patti effort that ended with a 6-for-12 passing statline for 71 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and four rushing yards. St. Joe's defense won the day, forcing five turnovers and holding Pope John XXIII scoreless through the first three quarters of the contest as the Green Knights raced out to a 21-0 lead at halftime.
St. Joe's will play DePaul Catholic at Kean University on December 2nd at 1 PM as they seek to defend their state title from last season and repeat as champions. The Green Knights previously defeated DePaul, 28-21, on at home on November 4th.
Highlights are not yet available for Patti.
Pitt defensive back commit Judson Tallandier's high school career ended in a playoff loss to rival Washington (D.C.) St. John's College Prep, a 17-14 defeat at the hands of the eventual WCAC champ on November 11th. Senior highlights for Tallandier, the country's 58th-ranked cornerback, are not yet available.
Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons may have entered the state of Florida's 5A playoff bracket as an underdog - more than 20 teams were seeded above the Chiefs - but nobody is sleeping on Gibbons now. Pitt cornerback commit Marquis Williams and his teammates have reached the finals of Region 4, the state quarterfinals, after a 19-14 defeat of second-seeded Rockledge (Fla.). Williams notched a tackle in the victory, but was rarely thrown at. This victory comes on the heels of an upset of third-seeded Orlando (Fla.) Jones in the opening round.
On Friday night at 7 PM, Williams and his teammates will have a chance to avenge their lone loss of the season. Cardinal Gibbons will have a rematch in the regional finals against Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, who defeated the Chiefs 23-19 on October 13th. After the loss, Cardinal Gibbons won a strong run to close their season and beat their final regular season opponents 164-18.
Blake Zubovic's high school career ended on Friday, November 10th in a WPIAL playoff loss to conference rival and eventual 4A WPIAL champ Thomas Jefferson (Pa.). The Pitt offensive tackle commit and his Belle Vernon (Pa.) teammates fell in a 27-0 affair in the WPIAL semifinals. Senior highlights are not yet available for Zubovic, but are expected to be ready soon.