5 to watch: Top high school football games this weekend

By Mike White/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Here are some top games on the slate for district high school football this weekend:

Game of the Week

Aliquippa (0-0) at Avonworth (2-0), Friday at 7 p.m.: Maybe Aliquippa will get to actually play a full game this week. The Quips didn’t have a Week Zero gamem and last week’s contest against Belle Vernon was stopped in the first half because of lightning. The game was not resumed and is declared a “no contest.” So, new Aliquippa coach Vashawn Patrick is still looking for his first win.

This non-conference contest matches two No. 1-ranked teams — Aliquippa in WPIAL Class 4A and Avonworth in 3A. Aliquippa is the definite favorite and one of the keys to the game is how Avonworth’s defense can deal with Aliquippa’s run game. Aliquippa’s Tikey Hayes needs less than 100 yards to reach 6,000 for this career, but the Quips have another talented RB in sophomore Sa’Nir Brooks, a transfer from Central Catholic.

Predicted winner: Aliquippa

Latrobe's Alex Tatsch, left, is a running back-linebacker headed to Penn State while John Wetzel is a quarterback-defensive back who has committed to Marshall. (Mike White/Post-Gazette)

And four more …

Latrobe (2-0) at Norwin (2-0), Friday at 7 p.m.: You’ll have a hard time finding the last time Latrobe and Norwin met in one of the top games in the WPIAL. Norwin is 2-0 for the first time since 2014. Latrobe is trying to go 3-0 for the first time since 2005. Latrobe has two FBS recruits in LB-RB Alex Tatsch (Penn State) and QB/DB John Wetzel (Marshall). In two games, Tatsch has 227 yards rushing (14.2 ypc), three catches, 19 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles.

Predicted winner: Latrobe

Franklin Regional (2-0) at Upper St. Clair (2-0), Friday at 7 p.m.: These teams were quite offensive in the first two games, with Franklin Regional scoring 91 points and Upper St. Clair 83. So which team’s defense steps up might be the key. Upper St. Clair played most of last week’s game without starting QB Ethan Hellmann after he left with a concussion. But even if Hellmann isn’t back this week, USC still has a talented QB in Julian Dahlem, a WR/DB who split time with Hellmann at QB two years ago.

Predicted winner: Upper St. Clair

Moon (1-0) at Penn-Trafford (1-1), Friday at 7 p.m.: Power play will be featured Friday in Harrison City, and we’re not talking hockey. Both Moon and Penn-Trafford like to play a physical brand of football. Moon uses an old-school type of offense that relies heavily on power running. The Tigers switched to this style a year ago. Penn-Trafford also likes life on the run, especially with Tasso Whipple (310 yards rushing) in the backfield. But don’t forget Penn-Trafford QB Johnny Lovre, who was 17 of 26 for 217 yards last week.

Predicted winner: Moon

Elijah Palmer-McCane does a lot of heavy lifting for the Ellwood City football team and is close to 3,000 yards rushing for his career. (J.J. LaBella/For the Post-Gazette)

Ellwood City (1-0) at Neshannock (2-0), Friday at 7 p.m.: When Dan Bradley took over as Ellwood City’s coach in 2022, the Wolverines were 0-25 in the three previous seasons. Now look at Ellwood City, ranked No. 5 in WPIAL Class 2A. Neshannock, the No. 4 Class 1A team in the state, has an explosive offense, led by dual-threat QB Jino Mozzocio. But Ellwood City has some talented skill players, also, including RB Elijah Palmer-McCane, who is close to 3,000 career yards rushing.

Predicted winner: Neshannock

Last week’s record: 1-3. Season: 4-5