ProfessorBriggs.com

(Statistical Information Courtesy of Professor Briggs' archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News)

WEEK SEVEN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

The seventh week of the 2018 season features a menagerie of region games, District 10 "crossover" games, inter-state games with some playoff implications and another Mercer County-Pittsburgh City League clash. Eleven games comprise this week's schedule.

The first outright region title can be awarded Friday night in Region 5 (Class 3A) as a Sharon win at Grove City would give the Tigers a 4-0 league record and the title. Grove City would clinch the top spot with a win over Sharon and a Conneaut (Pa.) loss to Slippery Rock.

Sharon at Grove City, 7:00 p.m.

Undefeated Grove City (6-0, 2-0) continues its late-season three-game homestand when the Eagles host Sharon (4-2, 3-0) in Region 5 action. Both teams are coming off sizable Homecoming wins in conference play last week. Grove City celebrated Homecoming with a 35-14 win over Hickory at Forker Field. Meanwhile, Sharon throttled Conneaut (Pa.), 48-12, at Tiger Stadium.

Grove City executed a season-high 83 offensive plays and picked up 20 first downs in its win over Hickory. Senior quarterback Brady Callahan completed 19 of 28 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He went over the 3,000-yard mark for his career and now has 3,170 passing yards. Ten of Callahan's completions went to senior wide receiver Logan Lutz, who gained 151 receiving yards and added 37 rushing yards.

Senior fullback Tyler Greer ran for 72 yards and a touchdown and also caught a touchdown pass from Callahan. Callahan continues to lead the county in completion percentage (77.7) and yards per attempt (11.6). Lutz's 612 receiving yards lead the county while his 35 receptions rank second. Lutz has 160 career catches, which is No. 2 all-time in Mercer County. He also went over the 2,500-yard mark for his career (2,503) last week.

Turnovers and penalties had plagued Sharon throughout the first half of the 2018 season. Last Friday night, the Tigers had only one penalty against Conneaut. The Tigers also turned two turnovers and a blocked punt into touchdowns in the first half as Sharon charged to a 34-6 halftime lead.

Sharon's defense held Conneaut's rushing attack to 90 yards. The Tigers held Conneaut to a 2-for-14 performance on third down as well.

Senior running back Jordan Wilson bulled his way to four touchdowns and 143 yards on 18 rushing attempts. Quarterback Lane Voytik threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-30 accuracy. Voytik surpassed the 4,000-yard mark for his career and now has 4,069 career yards.

C.J. Parchman and Frank Shaffer each had six catches for the Tigers. Sharon finished with 420 offensive yards.

Wilson leads the county with 106 rushing attempts and ranks third with 767 rushing yards. Voytik continues to lead Mercer County in passing yards (1,344), completions (100), attempts (169) and touchdowns (13). Parchman now ranks third locally with 29 receptions while Shaffer is fourth at 25. Parchman is also No. 3 with 521 receiving yards.

Grove City (373) and Sharon (334) rank 1-2 locally in offensive plays this season. The teams are at opposite ends of the turnover spectrum, however. Grove City has a county-high 19 takeaways and a plus-9 turnover margin. Sharon has turnover the ball a county-high 18 times and the Tigers are 12th out of 12 teams with a minus-7 turnover margin.

Sharon head coach Jim Wildman is 22-1 against Grove City. The lone loss came 30 years ago this week at Forker Field, when Grove City upset the eventual Keystone Football League champion Tigers, 12-7, on October 7, 1988. Quarterback Greg Stull scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter to put the Eagles ahead.

The Eagles have had several near-misses against Wildman-coached teams since then, however. In 1992, Grove City led 26-14 in the closing moments at Sharon but the Tigers rallied for a 27-26 win. The next year, an overflow crowd at Forker Field (which required temporary seating for the game) saw 7-0 Sharon clip 6-1 Grove City, 10-6. Sharon finished the regular season 10-0 and owned the lone Class AAA playoff berth from the Mercer County Athletic Conference. Grove City went 8-2 and missed the playoffs.

Six years later, Sharon held off Grove City, 16-14, by stopping a two-point conversion with four minutes remaining.

Sharon won the last meeting, 35-6, October 9, 2015 at Tiger Stadium. Sharon also won in Grove City, 36-14, in 2014. Grove City's last win in the series came in 2012, a 49-21 win at Sharon. Grove City's last home win over Sharon came October 12, 2007, when the Eagles prevailed in double-overtime, 42-36.

The game can be heard on Oldies Z-104 (WWIZ 103.9) as well as on 790 WPIC.

Slippery Rock at Conneaut, Pa., 7:00 p.m.

The inside track to a playoff spot out of Region 5 Class 3A is at stake Friday night when Slippery Rock (4-2, 0-2) treks to Linesville to face Conneaut (4-2, 1-1). It is the first-ever meeting between the programs.

Slippery Rock snapped a two-game slide last week with a 55-31 win at Titusville in non-conference play. Big plays sparked Slippery Rock, which led 28-0 after the first quarter. Junior quarterback Vito Pilosi threw three touchdowns in the first quarter to help the Rockets charge out to the large lead. Pat Shea caught an 85-yard touchdown bomb while David Duffalo caught a 70-yard touchdown pass. Nathan Hyatt added a 53-yard touchdown reception.

Pilosi finished with 208 passing yards. He also ran for 102 yards and a score. His 310 yards of total offense are the most by a local player this season. He now ranks fifth in the area with 975 total offensive yards.

Kaleb Kamerer added 64 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Hyatt and Kid Scarborough both returned interceptions for touchdowns.

Conneaut's bid to grab a share of first place in the region last Friday night evaporated at Sharon Tiger Stadium as the Eagles fell to Sharon, 48-12. Three turnovers and a blocked punt help doom Conneaut on the road.

Quarterback Kyle Sheets threw for a season-high 154 yards on 10-for-27 passing while Peyton Hearn ran for 61 yards. Conneaut went 2 for 14 on third down in the game.

Hearn leads Conneaut with 966 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Sheets has 676 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Conneaut would clinch one of the four playoff berths from the league with a win. Slippery Rock would improve its playoff chances with a win but the Rockets' postseason fate mainly rests on their Week Eight home date with Hickory. A win that night guarantees Slippery Rock a spot in the top four.

Conneaut, Ohio at Sharpsville, 7:00 p.m.

Friday night's inter-state Class 2A crossover battle has playoff implications for one team and is a tune-up for the de facto region championship for the other squad. Sharpsville (5-1) steps out of region play to host 4-2 Conneaut (Ohio) at McCracken Field. Conneaut is in contention for the Ohio playoffs, a process that includes all 10 regular season games. Sharpsville, meanwhile, will host Wilmington for the region title in Week Eight.

Sharpsville improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the region last week with a 73-0 win at Lakeview. Senior Kobe Joseph recorded five of Sharpsville's nine rushing touchdowns while rushing for 135 yards on seven carries. He now leads the county in scoring with 16 touchdowns and 96 points. Senior quarterback Nick Alexander threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-13 passing.

Joseph ranks fourth in the county with 612 yards rushing. He averages 10.7 yards per carry. Alexander is second with 1,205 passing yards. Senior Max Messett now leads the area in yards per catch (20.9). He is seventh locally with 18 catches, two spots behind senior Luke Levis. Levis has caught 21 passes for 374 yards. Messett leads the Devils with 377 receiving yards.

Defensively, Sharpsville recorded its first road shutout last week since September 10, 2016 -- a 33-0 win at Mercer. The Blue Devils held Lakeview to 52 yards and also forced two turnovers. Overall, Sharpsville is second in the county with 15 takeaways this year and third in turnover margin at plus-7. Sharpsville has also allowed a county-low two touchdown passes.

Conneaut improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 3 with a 62-0 win at Seneca. Seth Fedor paced the Spartans with 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns while Mike Williams added 97 rushing yards and three scores.

Williams leads Conneaut with 590 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Fedor has 381 yards and eight touchdowns while quarterback Rylan Davidson has rushed for 359 yards and seven scores. Davidson has also caught two touchdown passes this year.

Conneaut's two losses this year are to undefeated LaBrae (41-0) and Wilmington (55-14).

Conneaut is 12-4 against Pennsylvania schools since the start of the 2016 season. The Spartans are Division IV in Ohio nomenclature. Among the teams in Conneaut's OHSAA region are Girard (Ohio), Hubbard, Lakeview (Ohio), Poland, Ursuline and Struthers. Presently, the Spartans are 12th in their region. A win over Sharpsville would significantly boost Conneaut's chances of reaching the top eight and thus, qualifying for the postseason. Conneaut's final four opponents have a combined 19-5 record.

Head coach Rocco Dobran is 36-40 in eight seasons at Conneaut. He is 35-21 since the start of the 2013 season.

The game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7. Live stats available here.

Farrell at Cochranton, 7:00 p.m.

Undefeated Farrell visits Cochranton in a Class 1A crossover clash Friday night. Farrell remains the state's top-ranked team in Class 1A, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Farrell has recorded three straight shutouts, including last week's 47-0 home win over region foe Mercer. The Steelers defense held Mercer to 75 yards and two first downs. Farrell has allowed only 41 points this year and leads the county in scoring defense at 6.8 points per game.

Individually, three different Farrell players have outscored the opposition this season. Senior wide receiver Jourdan Townsend has 14 touchdowns and 88 points while senior running back Christian Lewis owns 12 touchdowns and 74 points. Senior quarterback Kyi Wright has eight touchdowns and four two-point conversions, good for 56 points.

Those three all rank among the county leaders in several offensive categories as well. Townsend ranks second in scoring and receiving yards (590). His 37 catches lead the county, as do his 12 touchdown receptions. For his career, Townsend now has 150 career receptions for 2,869 yards and 45 touchdowns. He ranks second all-time in county history in receiving yards and touchdown catches and ranks third in catches. Sharon's Ziyon Strickland holds the catches (246), yards (4,367) and touchdowns (49) standards.

Lewis leads Mercer County with 796 rushing yards. Wright is the county's top rated passer (224.9). He shares the county lead with 13 touchdown passes.

Last week against Mercer, Townsend caught nine passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Lewis ran for 72 yards on seven carries and also caught a 45-yard pass. Wright completed 9 of 13 attempts for 197 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw his first interception of the season, becoming the last local quarterback to be picked off.

Cochranton (1-5) rallied for a 34-18 win last Friday night at Saegertown. The Cardinals scored the final 22 points of the game to earn their first victory of 2018. Quarterback Kohl Bernarding ran for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and finished the game with five rushing touchdowns. He ran for 91 yards and also threw for 79 yards.

Fellow senior Curtis Freyermuth ran for a team-high 146 yards. He leads Cochranton with 432 rushing yards this year. Bernarding has 294 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He has also thrown for 718 yards and a pair of scores.  Garrett Long leads the Redbirds with 17 receptions for 211 yards.

Farrell and Cochranton met in 2016 and 2017 as conference foes. In 2016, Farrell earned a 48-0 home win in the regular season, then defeated Cochranton in the District 10 playoffs, 52-16. Wright had an 86-yard touchdown run and a 47-yard interception return in the playoff win.

Last year, Farrell rolled to a 62-0 win at Cochranton. Townsend and Lewis both returned punts for touchdowns.

Iroquois at Wilmington, 7:00 p.m.

Since allowing a 12-0 lead to evaporate in a 31-19 Week Two loss at Farrell, Wilmington has outscored its last four opponents 242-40. Friday night, the Greyhounds host rebuilding (and road-weary) Iroquois in a Class 2A crossover. It will be Iroquois' fifth road game in seven weeks.

Wilmington rolled to a 54-7 win at Greenville last week in region play. Senior halfback Cameron Marett ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Robert Pontius ran for 66 yards and two scores. Pontius also threw a touchdown pass to junior Junior McConahy, who finished with four catches for 71 yards.

Wilmington rolled up 425 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The 'Hounds finished with 496 offensive yards.

Defensively, Wilmington held Greenville to six first downs. The "Hounds Hammer" defense leads the county in rushing defense, holding opponents to 39.5 yards per game and 1.5 yards per carry. Overall, Wilmington limits the opposition to 143.0 yards and 13.8 points per game.

Wilmington averages a county-high 50.5 points per game. Wilmington also leads the county in rushing yards per game (344.5), rushing touchdowns (33), yards per carry (9.1), total yards per game (457.5) and yards per play (9.7).

Marett ranks third in the county with 86 points. His 593 rushing yards rank sixth locally. Ethan Susen averages a county-best 13.7 yards per rush this year. Pontius ranks third in the county in passer rating (183.2) and yards per attempt (10.7). McConahy has moved into second in the area in yards per catch, averaging 18.4.

Iroquois dropped a 28-21 decision to visiting Northwestern last Friday night. The Braves' Wing-T offense gained 271 rushing yards. Halfback Jeremy Laniewicz led Iroquois with 143 yards and a touchdown.

Laniewicz has rushed for 700 yards and six touchdowns this year while Matthew Tarr has added 400 yards. Iroquois has attempted only 18 passes all season. Iroquois' lone win came in Week Five at Vincentian Academy, 16-8. Lightning caused that game to be called in the second half.

Wilmington last lost to an Erie County opponent November 19, 2011, when the Greyhounds fell to General McLane, 21-18, in the District 10 Class AA semifinals. Wilmington is 9-0 in the regular season against Erie County teams since joining District 10 in 1994.

Northwestern at Lakeview, 7:00 p.m.

One of the biggest surprises this season in District 10, Northwestern (5-1) travels to Stoneboro to face Lakeview (1-5) in a Class 2A crossover game. Northwestern is 2-1 against Mercer County foes this year while Lakeview sports a 1-0 mark against Erie County opposition.

Lakeview dropped to 1-5 last week with a 73-0 loss to Sharpsville in region play. That marked Lakeview's 12th straight home setback. The Sailors' last home win came November 6, 2015, when the Sailors downed Grove City, 31-12, in Dan York's finale as head coach.

Senior fullback Jared Alcorn leads Lakeview with 113 rushing yards while halfback Lane Barber has 108 rushing yards. Quarterback Kendall Crocker has thrown for 137 yards this season.

Northwestern improved to 5-1 last week with a 28-21 win at Iroquois. Jeremy Dohanic ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Derek Albert ran for 89 yards and a score. Albert also threw a touchdown pass to Dohanic. The Wildcats finished with 345 rushing yards on 41 carries. Dohanic leads Northwestern with 504 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Albert has added 228 yards and two scores.

Despite its 5-1 record, Northwestern has a zero point differential (153-153) this season. Northwestern's 66-19 setback to Wilmington helped contribute to that statistical anomaly.  Northwestern owns wins over Greenville (19-12) and Mercer (10-7).

Lakeview launched its football program in 1966. That year, the Sailors faced Northwestern in the eighth game of the season and fell, 25-0.

Reynolds at Eisenhower, 7:00 p.m.

The Reynolds Raiders opened 2018 by going 3-1 in a four-game stretch of road games at the start of the season. Following consecutive home losses, the Raiders hope that a long trip will get the squad back on track.

Injuries hampered halfbacks Jordan DeCarmen and Tyrese Baker in last week's 42-6 loss to West Middlesex. DeCarmen had 39 yards on seven carries while Baker ran twice for five yards. DeCarmen leads the team with 604 yards this year while Baker has 443 yards.

Quarterback Sean O'Hara led the Raiders with 62 rushing yards on 13 attempts. He also threw a touchdown pass to running back Cole Toy. Senior Chance Westover, Reynolds' regular starting tight end, also saw time at quarterback last week.

DeCarmen still ranks fifth in the county in rushing yards while Baker is 10th.

Eisenhower (1-5, 1-2) held Cambridge Springs to 50 yards of offense last week but the Knights dropped a 14-6 home decision. Running back Ethan Chambers ran for 107 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Owen Trumbull completed 6 of 18 passes for 60 yards.

Chambers leads Eisenhower with 628 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He is also Eisenhower's leading receiver with 16 catches for 205 yards. Trumbull, a first-year starter, has thrown for 557 yards and six touchdowns. He has also been intercepted six times.

Eisenhower's last four defeats have been by a total of 19 points. The Knights fell to Northwestern, 37-34, in Week Five. Prior to that, Eisenhower dropped decisions to Union City (46-44) and Mercer (19-13). The Knights earned a 52-6 win at Saegertown in Week Four. That is how the 1-5 Knights actually have outscored their opponents this year, 151-149.

This is the first meeting between the teams in 11 years. Eisenhower picked up a 15-0 win at Reynolds September 1, 2007. Eisenhower won the last meeting in Russell, Pa., 12-0, in the 2006 opener.

Saegertown at Mercer, 7:00 p.m.

Two Class 1A foes will meet Friday in the county seat as Mercer (2-4) hosts Saegertown. Mercer will play its third home game in a four-week span and the Mustangs are in pursuit of their first home win. Saegertown, meanwhile, carries a 26-game losing streak into the game.

Mercer dropped to 0-2 in Region 1 play last week with a 47-0 defeat at Farrell. Senior halfback Brian Shevitz led the Mustangs with 45 rushing yards on eight carries. Farrell held Mercer to 75 yards and two first downs.

Shevitz leads Mercer with 321 rushing yards and sophomore halfback Aidan Bright has 263 yards and a team-high 5.6 yards-per-carry average. Quarterback Dylan Hetrick has thrown for 330 yards and is completing 54 percent of his passes. Shevitz leads Mercer with 14 catches and Bright has 13 receptions for a team-best 139 yards.

Mercer has outscored opponents 32-0 in the fourth quarter this season.

Saegertown led visiting Cochranton 18-12 in the fourth quarter before the Cardinals came back for the win. Ethan Hayes ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers while quarterback Alex Kightlinger went 4 of 7 for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Ezra Mattocks leads Saegertown with 220 rushing yards this year while Hayes has 135 yards. Kightlinger, Mason McClure and Jaden Wilkins have all seen time at quarterback.

Mercer closed the 2017 season with a 45-0 win over Saegertown. Hetrick went 5 of 6 for 132 yards and a touchdown. The Mustangs also earned a 48-20 win over Saegertown seven years ago in the District 10 Class A quarterfinals. In 2007, Mercer rolled to a 28-8 D-10 semifinal win over the Panthers.

Seneca at Greenville, 7:00 p.m.

Greenville will play its fourth home game in a six-week span Friday night when Seneca (0-6) visits Stone-Snyder Stadium/Stewart Field.

Greenville dropped to 0-2 in region play last Friday as Wilmington topped the Trojans 54-7. Greenville took a 7-6 lead in the first quarter on Jon King's six-yard touchdown pass to Blair Paxton. King led Greenville with 38 rushing yards. He also completed 8 of 19 passes for 30 yards.

Paxton caught two passes for 40 yards while halfback Brady Gentile had seven receptions for 24 yards. Gentile also threw a 34-yard completion to Paxton.

Gentile ranks ninth in the county with 461 rushing yards. His 16 catches rank ninth locally. The Trojans (1-5) have turned over the ball on five times this, which is the second-lowest total in the county.

Quarterback Wyatt Shaffer led Seneca with 61 rushing yards last week in a 62-0 home loss to Conneaut (Ohio). Seneca finished with 111 yards of offense and 105 penalty yards on nine infractions.

Shaffer leads Seneca with 379 rushing yards this year. He has also thrown for 206 yards this year. Head coach Scott Bollheimer is in his first season as Seneca head coach. He replaced Dave Frank, who resigned after a 9-1 mark in 2017. Four of Seneca's first five games have been at home this year.

Greenville downed Seneca, 29-22, in the District 10 Class 2A quarterfinals November 4, 2016.

West Middlesex at Cambridge Springs, 7:00 p.m.

West Middlesex heads to Crawford County Friday night to meet a familiar foe as the Big Reds will play Cambridge Springs for the sixth time since the start of 2014. This season represents a 180-degree turn for both programs.

West Middlesex finished 2-8 last year but has won five of its first six games in 2018. Cambridge Springs went 7-4 last year and advanced to the District 10 Class 1A title game. Graduation gutted the Blue Devils, however, who are 2-4 overall this year.

West Middlesex evened its Region 1 record last Friday night with a 42-6 victory at Reynolds. All six of the Big Reds' touchdowns came on the ground, led by a three-touchdown effort from senior fullback Clayton Parrish. Parrish finished with 126 yards. Quarterback Jake Bowen and halfbacks Zeb Rubaker and Brandon Smith also scored on touchdown runs. Bowen ran for 42 yards and completed 7 of 15 passes for 103 yards in the win.

Defensively, West Middlesex limited Reynolds to 125 rushing yards -- nearly 200 yards below the Raiders' season average entering the game. The Big Reds are third locally in yards per carry on defense, holding opponents to 3.5 yards per attempt. West Middlesex also ranks third in the area in scoring defense (12.5) and fourth in total defense (189.2 yards per game).

Parrish shares the county lead with 13 rushing touchdowns. He ranks second with 771 rushing yards and is on pace for his third straight 1,000-yard season. Parrish has 3,156 career yards and needs 109 yards to pass R.J. Bowers (1989-91) for second on West Middlesex's career rushing list. Eric Lucich (2011-14) holds the school record with 3,798 yards.

Senior wide receiver Kaz Hoffman ranks fourth in the county in yards per catch (17.9) and eighth in receiving yards (233).

Cambridge Springs snapped a three-game slide last Friday night by pulling out a 14-6 win at Eisenhower in conference play. The Blue Devils had been blanked in each of their previous three games before breaking through against Eisenhower. Ty Varndell's 65-yard punt return for touchdown opened the scoring while Jared Taylor's seven-yard touchdown run late in the first half gave Spa a 14-0 halftime lead.

Cambridge Springs had only 50 yards and five first downs on 40 offensive plays in the win. For the season, Chase Schultz leads Spa with 217 rushing yards. Taylor has 200 yards this year.

Cambridge Springs dropped a 10-6 decision to Girard in the opener before opening league play with a 32-8 win over Saegertown in Week Two. The Blue Devils then fell to Western Reserve (Ohio), 48-0, Maplewood (36-0) and Farrell (63-0).

West Middlesex and Cambridge Springs met in the 2014 and 2015 season openers with West Middlesex pulling out narrow wins in both games. Four years ago at Spa, West Middlesex secured a 28-22 win. In 2015, the Big Reds rallied for a 22-20 overtime win.

The teams met twice in 2016, with West Middlesex pulling out a pair of narrow wins. In the regular season, West Middlesex forced five turnovers in a 21-18 win at Cambridge Springs. The Blue Devils outgained West Middlesex, 364-231, but could not offset their turnovers and an 0-for-3 performance on two-point conversions. Parrish rumbled for 127 yards for West Middlesex.

In the D-10 semifinals, West Middlesex rallied for a 20-16 victory over Cambridge Springs. Parrish caught a 58-yard screen pass on fourth down late in the game to set up West Middlesex's go-ahead touchdown with 1:53 left. Last year, Spa earned a 33-14 win at West Middlesex. Parrish ran for 142 yards and a touchdown while Logan Hurley caught a touchdown pass.

Westinghouse at Hickory, 7:00 p.m.

For the third straight season, Hickory meets Westinghouse in non-conference play. The home team has won each of the previous two meetings. Two years ago, Hickory earned a 38-22 win while Westinghouse earned a 28-13 win last season in Pittsburgh.

Hickory fell at Grove City last Friday night, 35-14, in Region 5 action. Sophomore quarterback Michael Henwood threw for 160 yards and a pair of third quarter touchdowns. Senior Asher Patton caught a season-high five passes for 55 yards and a score while senior Michael Filardi had four receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Henwood also led Hickory with 17 yards rushing. The Hornets managed only 15 rushing yards on 24 total attempts. Hickory ranks 11th in the area in rushing yards per game (93.2) and yards per carry (3.1). Defensively, Hickory has faced more opponent offensive plays (375) than any other local team this season.

 Filardi is sixth locally with 19 catches while his 275 receiving yards rank seventh in the area. Kicker Sam Scarton leads the county with four field goals.

Westinghouse enters Friday's game at 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the Pittsburgh City League. The Bulldogs dropped a 27-14 decision to Brashear last Friday in City League play. That defeat snapped a two-game win streak. Westinghouse opened City League play September 13 with a 28-22 win at Allderdice. The next week, Westinghouse blanked Carrick, 58-0.

The Bulldogs opened the season with setbacks against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (41-6), Linsly School, W.Va. (41-14) and City League foe University Prep (18-14).

Junior defensive end/linebacker Dayon Hayes leads the Westinghouse defense after earning All-City honors last year. Head coach Monte Robinson is in his 11th season at Westinghouse. As a player, he helped lead Westinghouse to City League titles in 1992 and 1993.

Hickory last lost at home to a non-District 10 team September 6, 2002, when South Range (Ohio) defeated the Hornets, 28-16.