Hard-nosed Warriors shoot for 3-0 start
CHERRY TWP — Wade Vogan likes hard-nosed football.
But sometimes the Moniteau head football coach would like senior running back Josh McBride to sidestep contact instead of initiating it.
“He's a tough kid,” Vogan said. “He likes to run over people. Sometimes I get a little antsy when he does that.”
It's working for McBride and Moniteau (2-0), which is shooting for its first 3-0 start since 2011.
McBride has rumbled for 259 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries this season and has formed a potent 1-2 punch with senior quarterback Cody Skiver, who has added 198 yards and two TDs on 25 rushing attempts.
“Cody Skiver, everyone knows he's a threat,” Vogan said. “And McBride is doing what he's been doing.”
Vogan will hope they keep doing what they are doing when they host struggling Port Allegany (0-2) at 7 p.m. Friday.
The Gators have been out-scored 87-16 in the first two weeks of the season and have mustered just 144 yards of offense in the two losses.
The ground game has produced just 1.4 yards per rush.
Vogan, though, is aware that Port Allegany has shown flashes of an effective short passing game behind quarterback Jordan Seefeldt.
“We're going to have to play pass coverage and have good technique,” Vogan said. “We preach finding the ball and getting 11 black helmets to the ball.”
The good start has created a buzz around the team.
“It's definitely a big plus,” Vogan said. “It always makes things a little easier when you are winning. I want these kids to believe they can win and they are buying into the program. It's great to see.”
7 p.m., FridayLast Week: Knoch defeated Greensburg Salem 19-14; Ringgold defeated Uniontown 56-21.Numbers: Ringgold QB Nico Law threw for 150 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 143 yards and two scores last week. ... RB Chacar Berry ran for 123 yards and WR Dalton Holt caught two TD passes in win over Uniontown. ... Knoch QB Dan Farinelli leads Butler County with 298 yards passing after two weeks, completing 24 of 41 tosses. ... Knight receivers Asa Adams (4 catches, 81 yards) and Cole Shinsky (5 catches, 76 yards) are also among the county leaders. ... Knoch RB Cody Milsom has 41 carries and four TDs thus far.Notes: Nick Milchovich is in his first season as Ringgold head coach. ... Law passed for 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns, ran for 1,100 yards and 15 TDs last year as the Rams reached the WPIAL playoffs. ... The teams are meeting for the first time since 2007, a 39-29 Knoch win at Ringgold.
7 p.m., FridayLast Week: Franklin Regional clobbered Hollidaysburg 33-7; Mars shut out Yough 54-0.Numbers: Panthers' RB/LB Brett Zanotto sustained a shoulder injury in a Week 1 loss against Knoch. He returned to rush for 142 yards and three TDs last week, but did not play on defense. Franklin Regional head coach Greg Botta said he will be cautious with how he uses Zanotto following the injury. ... In his first season as a starter, Mars senior QB Jake Rosswog has completed 9-of-19 passes for 191 yards with two TDs and one INT. Freshman WR Robby Carmody (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) could become a major downfield threat. He caught a 75-yard TD pass in last week's win.Notes: The Panthers handed Mars its lone regular-season loss last year (20-13).
7 p.m., FridayLast Week: Karns City defeated Brashear, 55-7; St. Marys shut out A-C Valley, 23-0.Numbers: St. Marys RB Nathan Straub had eight carries for 78 yards and two TDs vs. A-C Valley. T.J. Hogan added 15 carries for 96 yards and has 30 carries for 168 yards in two games. ... QB Nick Cunningham completed 7 of 10 passes for 81 yards last week. ... KC RB Tristan Rhoades leads a balanced Gremlins ground attack with 158 yards on 10 carries. ... Karns City used 11 different ballcarriers last week, 14 in Week 1. ... QB Cody Deal has completed eight of 11 passes for 146 yards while sharing time with Caleb King.Notes: Tony Defilippi is in his second stint as St. Marys head coach. He last coached there in 2003 and took a record of 12-38 at the school into this season. ... KC's Collin Dunmyre has scored five touchdowns in two weeks. ... Karns City has won six of the seven meetings between the schools since 2005, including a 42-0 decision last year. ... The Gremlins have outscored their first two opponents 115-13 thus season.
7 p.m., FridayLast week: Freeport beat Ford City 19-0; Deer Lakes lost to Highlands 35-13.Numbers: Deer Lakes is on a 12-game losing streak. The Lancers haven't won since a 28-6 win over Quaker Valley to end the 2011 season. ... Steve Sciullo is in his first year leading Deer Lakes after T.J. Wiley resigned to take the job at Northgate. ... Junior fullback Ian Miller was a workhorse for the Yellowjackets last week. He carried the ball 20 times for 64 yards and scored two touchdowns. ... Jacob Sarver made two field goal attempts for Freeport.Notes: The Yellowjackets have won three straight against Deer Lakes.
8 p.m., FridayLast week: North Catholic beat Chartiers-Houston 49-0; Avonworth beat OLSH 37-26.Numbers: Trojans running back/defensive back Jerome Turner scored three touchdowns last week bringing his total to seven this season. Turner scored on runs of 80 and 60 yards. He also returned an interception 27 yards for a score. ... North Catholic's defense limited Chartiers-Houston to 54 yards of total offense. ... The Trojans will look to cut down on penalties, they had over 100 yards last week. ... The Chargers forced Avonworth to turn the ball over five times last week. ... Quarterback Joey Sebes has tossed four touchdown passes this season for OLSH. ... John Truskowski leads the team in rushing with 87 yards.Notes: The Chargers beat the Trojans 7-6 in their last meeting Oct. 14, 2011.
7 p.m., FridayLast week: St. Marys beat A-C Valley 23-0; Brookville beat Union 28-20.Numbers: A-C Valley has lost 14 straight games since a 21-7 win over Keystone Oct. 12, 2012. ... The Falcons have been outscored 77-0 in their two losses this season. ... Union will return quarterback Lane Cicciarelli this week. He missed most of the Knights' 28-20 loss to Brookville last week with a hip pointer. ... Cole Morris played quarterback in Cicciarelli's absence and threw a 53-yard touchdown to Tyler Wiser. ... The Knights only came away with eight points during their first five trips to the redzone in the first two weeks.Notes: Union leads the all-time series 32-14-1. The Knights have an 8-game winning streak in the series.
7 p.m., FridayLast week: Beaver beat Summit Academy 54-16; New Brighton beat Ellwood City 38-13.Numbers: Javon Thomas (205 yards) and Dametrius Addison (93) yards lead the Knights in rushing. ... Addison and Justin Showalter score Summit Academy's first touchdowns last week after the Knights were shut out in Week 1. ... Beaver gained 316 yards against Summit Academy's defense last week, while limiting the Knights to 216 yards of offense. Summit Academy finished with eight yards passing. ... Scott Florence rushed for 170 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Lions last week. ... New Brighton gained 309 yards on the ground against Ellwood City.Notes: This is the first meeting between the schools.
