Live blog from tonight's Apollo-Ridge at Shady Side Academy game. For score updates, look to the right of this blog for @PGVarsityXtra's Twitter account. You can "tweet" score updates or photos to @PGVarsityXtra with #WPIAL.
FINAL SCORE: APOLLO-RIDGE 46, SHADY SIDE 20
Shady Side Academy gets 4-yard TD run from Hackaday.
APOLLO-RIDGE 46, SHADY SIDE 14
Bright spot for Shady Side. Tyler Hackaday, a freshman, comes off bench and scores 2 yard TD. Has 38 yards on nine carries.
APOLLO-RIDGE 46, SHADY SIDE 7
Have you heard this before? Duane Brown another TD. Seventh touchdown of the night. It's 46-7. Mercy rule.
APOLLO-RIDGE 39, SHADY SIDE 7
And Brown scores his sixth TD. This one on defense. Picks up fumble and returns it 29 yards. Vincent Austin made the hit on QB forcing fumble.
APOLLO-RIDGE 33, SHADY SIDE 7
Duane Brown scores his fifth TD. This one a 13-yard run on first drive of second half.
Photo courtesy of the fine Matt Freed of Post-Gazette. Apollo-Ridge's Duane Brown falls into the end zone for a score.
8:14 Barring total collapse, Apollo-Ridge will be in Class AA playoffs. Vikings moved up to Class AA this year. If A-Ridge was still in Class A, Vikings would definitely be challenger to make it to Heinz.
Now it's 54-6 Clairton in second quarter. Will Jeannette even challenge Clairton in the regular season? Maybe not.
8:08 Tre Tipton has been good, if not spectacular. Love his ability to cut. Athletically, he's on a different level than everyone else in this game, which should come as no surprise. Still averaging 8 yards a carry.
Will be very interesting to see what position he ends up at Pitt. Was recruited as a receiver. He does look like a playmaker.
Big Class AA game. Highlands leads Kittanning, 14-6, at half.
Is Clairton going to get 70 again? Really? Leading Springdale, 40-6, in second quarter.
Woodland Hills leads Baldwin, 7-0, after first.
Big Quad-A game, Penn Hills leads Mt. Lebanon, 10-0. Penn Hills bouncing back after loss to Central Valley. If Penn Hills doesn't put the ball on the ground, Indians are pretty decent.
HALTIME: APOLLO-RIDGE 26, SHADY SIDE ACADEMY 7
Halftime stats: Duane Brown 165 yards on eight carries for A-R. Tre Tipton 63 yards on 8 carries. Tipton is 1 of 4 throwing and Brown 0 for 1. A-R has 271 yards rushing.
Jackson Fitzgerald workhorse for Shady Side. Carried 19 times for 48 yards.
7:49 Little better job defensively by Shady Side. Finally gets a stop. Forces A-R to punt. Less than two minutes left in half.
APOLLO-RIDGE 26, SHADY SIDE ACADEMY 7
Shady Side gets on the board. 57-yard drive in nine plays. Jackson Fitzgerald caps with 4-yd TD run. 26-7
Here we go again. Clairton leading Springdale, 32-0.
Seton-LaSalle leading Steel Valley, 7-0, in second.
APOLLO-RIDGE 26, SHADY SIDE 0
Fourth TD for Brown. This one for 31 yards.
APOLLO-RIDGE 19, SHADY SIDE 0
Duane Brown 1-yard TD run.
APOLLO-RIDGE 12, SHADY SIDE 0
Duane Brown scores 1-yard TD run after 54-yard game by him. And Apollo-Ridge recovers short kickoff.
7:12 Shady Side yet to get a first down after three possessions.
APOLLO-RIDGE 6, SHADY SIDE 0
Duane Brown moves to running back and goes 64 yards for TD
7:04 Both teams go three and out.
7:02 And same official goes down when A-R has the ball. Tough night for him. A-R with ball on 35.
7:00 Shady Side Academy receive. Start at 36. And A-R Tre Tipton makes his first hit on second play. And it's on an official. Accidentally levels an official.
PREGAME
And now I can make a first-time statement in 30 plus years of covering WPIAL football. Here goes: "I am covering Apollo-Ridge."
Hey, the Vikings are 3-0 and Shady Side Academy is 3-0. But when talking about Apollo-Ridge, what is grabbing everyone's attention is senior Tre Tipton, a Pitt recruit and Mr. Everything for Apollo-Ridge. He had been a receiver but now is playing mostly at quarterback. He still sees time at receiver, though.
From what I hear Shady Side Academy is a little banged up with injuries.
And now, the serene Shady Side Academy campus
Pink-out night
It's "pink-out night" at Shady Side for breast cancer awareness. Love the sign.
