Football Roundup: WCAL schools go 7-1 in Week 1
Week 1
Rittman 32, Strasburg 6
Rittman won its eighth consecutive nonconference opener in convincing fashion, part of a hugely successful night for the Wayne County Athletic League. The WCAL's members combined to go 7-1 Friday night.
Rittman's sophomore running back Artie Sonego was at the center of the winning effort, rushing for 142 yards and two scores on 23 carries. QB Jaxon Miller also added 108 yards passing and a touchdown pass — a 14-yarder to Jonah Carr.
Dak Mutter also played a big role in the win, returning an interception for a 20-yard TD. Logan Pelfrey scored the Indians' final touchdown on a 50-yard fumble return.
Smithville 49, Cleveland Central Catholic 6
Smithville never trailed in a dominant season-opening win over Cleveland Central Catholic, forcing a whopping nine turnovers in the victory.
Gavin Copenhaver shined during his first game as the Smithies' starting running back, rushing for 119 yards and three TDs on 19 carries. Smithville ended up rushing for 277 yards as a team.
Smithville could have scored even more if not for losing three fumbles, but it also recovered six Central Catholic fumbles and intercepted three passes.
Bryce Butcher went 7-of-14 for 84 yards and TD in his first start as Smithville's QB, tossing a 31-yard touchdown to Mac Butzer. Gabe Copley also had two touchdown runs and Mason Haines added a final rushing score late in the win.
Tuslaw 49, Conotton Valley 48 (2OT)
Tuslaw coaches, players and fans might need to take it easy for a few days after a dramatic win over Conotton Valley.
The Mustangs saw Conotton Valley score 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take a 34-27 lead, but Troy Harbeitner's 9-yard pass to Max Cooper forced overtime. From there, Landon Shirley scored both of Tuslaw's touchdowns in the overtime periods and the Mustangs stopped Conotton's final two-point attempt to escape with the win.
Tuslaw and Conotton Valley combined for 986 yards, with the Mustangs going for 515.
Shirley was on the receiving end of 158 of Harbeitner's 256 passing yards, scoring three times and finishing with 10 total catches. Harbeitner also scored two rushing TDs.
Getting his first taste of being a lead back, Devyn Vanest passed the test with flying colors, rushing for 155 yards and a score on 20 carries.
Northwestern 44, Keystone 33
In another high-scoring matchup with Keystone, Northwestern came out victorious this time behind a big game from Ethan Siders and some big defensive plays.
Siders threw for 215 yards and two scores and added 43 yards on the ground to lead the Huskies, who lost to Keystone 39-35 last year. Nolan Hartsel and CJ Reed were on the receiving end of 11 of Siders' passes, with Reed catching five balls for a team-high 94 yards and a TD and Hartsel going for seven catches, 54 yards and two TDs.
Trent Sigler also threw a touchdown on his only passing attempt for a 5-yard score.
The Huskies also scored a defensive touchdown, with Gavin Phillips picking up a fumble and returning it 30 yards for a score. Cade St. Clair also came up with an interception for Northwestern.
Collin Good led Northwestern with 75 yards rushing on 11 attempts.
Dalton 42, East Canton 14
Dalton showed no signs of slowing down after reaching the regional finals last year, owning the line of scrimmage in a win over East Canton.
The Bulldogs rushed for 327 total yards, with Greyson Siders and Sammy Tomlinson showing out during their first big varsity chances. Siders was everywhere, rushing for 132 yards and three TDs on 10 carries and catching two passes for 110 yards and a TD. Tomlinson added 133 yards and two scores on just nine carries.
Colin Pearson also made his first varsity start at QB, passing for 128 yards and a TD without an interception.
Waynedale 21, Tusky Valley 20
Brant Herman's blocked extra point in the fourth quarter helped Waynedale pick up the narrow win over Tusky Valley.
After not playing football for a few years, Timmy Short was perhaps the best player on the field Friday night, catching four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns while also coming down with an interception. Both of Short's TDs were 75-plus yards.
The Golden Bears finished with three picks, with Jaden Zuercher and Jeremy Reber also adding interceptions. Those turnovers proved to be the difference as Waynedale finished plus-three in the takeaway battle.
Bears QB Jaiden Barnes finished his day with 182 yards and two TDs passing and rushed for a 5-yard touchdown.
Full recaps of the area's other games can be found below:
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Football Roundup: WCAL goes 7-1 in Week 1
