Countdown to kickoff
All local football teams set to play in Week Zero
The high school football season kicks off Friday night with four games pitting local teams against each other.
All 16 area teams will be involved in non-conference action, including Albert Gallatin which hosts Burrell. The Colonials, under coach Drew Dindl, return to the WPIAL riding a 13-game winning streak, the longest of all local teams, including a 10-0 record last year as an independent.
The most intriguing of the local slate is the newly formed rivalry between Connellsville and Southmoreland in what has been dubbed the Battle of 119, playing off the main route that basically connects the two schools.
A traveling trophy will go to the winner of what both schools intend to make their annual Week Zero matchup. Friday无毛视频檚 game will be played at Falcon Stadium.
It will be the Falcons无毛视频� first game back in the WPIAL after two years as an independent and first with Jace McClean as their sole man in charge after four unique seasons under a trio of head coaches working together in McClean, Chad Lembo and Mick Lilley.
It will be the second season for the Scotties under head coach Dustin Shoaf, who came up with the idea of creating a yearly rivalry.
无毛视频淲hen we were throwing around the idea of returning to the WPIAL, Coach Shoaf called me and asked if we would be willing to start a new tradition of a rivalry game with them,无毛视频� McClean explained. 无毛视频淗e talked about getting a traveling trophy for the winning team and the opportunity to play in front of a pretty big crowd.
无毛视频淲ith the WPIAL allowing teams to schedule their own opponents for that first week, we decided to jump on board. As always, local rivalries not only bring out the best in players, but it无毛视频檚 a good way to get both communities involved and excited for an old-school Friday night football game.无毛视频�
That will likely be the case as well in a clash of Fayette County squads that also have rejoined the WPIAL with Uniontown traveling to Redstone Field in Republic to take on Brownsville.
Both teams are under second-year head coaches with Cody Castor directing the Falcons and Tim Bukowski guiding the Red Raiders. The two played a thrilling game last season with Uniontown winning, 34-27, at Bill Power Stadium.
There will be a bit more than pride involved in this year无毛视频檚 game with another traveling trophy being added to the mix. The National Road Cup, noting Route 40, will go to the winning team to keep until the next time the two play.
Ian Edenfield will make his debut as Laurel Highlands head coach with a game against Mount Pleasant at Mustang Field. Edenfield is an LH graduate who played college football at California University of Pa. and at Oklahoma State.
Jason Fazekas is in his 10th season as coach of the Vikings, who rolled to a 49-0 victory at LH in 2025.
In a meeting of Greene County teams, coach Joe Kuhns无毛视频� Waynesburg Central Raiders host coach Beau Jackson无毛视频檚 West Greene Pioneers.
Frazier begins with a home game against Ligonier Valley. The Commodores, in their first season under Frazier graduate Tony Battaglia, not only qualified for the WPIAL playoffs but also upset California in the first round.
The defending Tri-County South champion Trojans, under coach Ed Woods, have a tough test in their opener as they host Mohawk, which won a playoff game last season, at Trojan Stadium.
Mapletown, under the area无毛视频檚 longest tenured coach in George Messich, entering his 44th season with the Maples, continues its recent tradition of playing TCS foe Avella twice during the regular season. The two will meet in Week Zero in a non-conference game, then play again on Oct. 16 in a Tri-County South clash. Both games are at Mapletown after the two played twice at Avella last year.
In other games involving TCS teams, Jefferson-Morgan, which was a combined 18-4 the last two seasons under coach Shane Ziats, is at Burgettstown, Carmichaels, under first-year coach Ken Perkins, travels to Leechburg, and Beth-Center, under second-year coach Tim Trump, hosts Brentwood.
Belle Vernon, under second-year coach Scott Bryer, will start its season at James Weir Stadium, AKA, the Beach, with a game against rival Thomas Jefferson. Interestingly, both were in the Class 4A Big Six Conference last season, but this year the teams will be two classifications apart with the Leopards in the Class 3A Interstate Conference and the Jaguars bumped up into Class 5A.
As for the Connellsville-Southmoreland Week Zero rivalry, a trio of senior Falcon players gave their approval.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 no better feeling than running out on that field on a Friday night,无毛视频� Linkon Keller said. 无毛视频淎 rivalry game makes it all that more intense and emotional.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 going to be a tough, physical game,无毛视频� Jeremy Jenkins said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 pretty excited to be able to begin a long rivalry between these schools, so I can无毛视频檛 wait. But at the end of the day I无毛视频檓 picking my guys against anyone.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 extremely confident in the work we无毛视频檝e put in these past several months, as well as the scheme our coaches have put down for us,无毛视频� Rocco Farrell said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e more than prepared to go out and have an amazing night on Friday.无毛视频�
All games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.