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Friday, August 23, 2024 | 11:49 p.m.

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The first three times Monessen’s Tyvaughn Kershaw touched the ball in the Greyhounds’ Week Zero game against Mon Valley rival Charleroi, he landed in the end zone.

Only two of those touches counted as points, but that was more than enough for Kershaw and the Greyhounds, who earned a 59-12 victory over the Cougars on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

“It was a typical Week Zero game,” Monessen coach Wade Brown said. “I’m glad to come out of here with a win, and it’s a big win in a rivalry game. It was a good start, but we still have a lot to learn and build on. We have to iron out the mental mistakes. But our conditioning was good tonight and the guys really wanted the ball. It was a productive night for our offense.”

The season-opening victory was the Greyhounds’ first (1-0) since 2018.

The Greyhounds totaled over 400 yards on offense, led by Kershaw, who rushed for 169 yards on just seven attempts and was responsible for five total touchdowns: three rushing and two on kickoff returns.

Dennis Hawkins played strongly at quarterback for the home team, the sophomore completing 10 of 11 passes for 176 yards and scoring three points. Rodney Johnson was Hawkins’ main target, the 6’1″, 230lb tight end catching four balls for 108 yards and scoring one point.

Despite the clear defeat, the Cougars (0-1) delivered an outstanding game with quarterback Jackson Keranko, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 262 yards, scored two touchdowns and made three interceptions.

Daniel Nusida caught eight balls for 103 yards and a touchdown, and Noah Pletcher caught three balls for 59 yards and a touchdown. Charleroi was hoping for its first win over Monessen since 2017.

“It was a tough loss, but I’m still excited about our progress,” said Charleroi coach Ty Aeschbacher. “We’ve made significant progress since Week 0 of last season. It’s a night and day difference. We’re so shorthanded right now and we don’t practice kickoffs much, so those returns killed us. The turnovers and bad snaps are also deadly. But the guys fought to the end and our passing game was effective.”

Kershaw started scoring from the opening kickoff, making a cut and standing virtually untouched in the middle of the field for a 98-yard touchdown.

After a high snap led to a Cougars fumble, the Greyhounds increased their lead to 13-0 when Kershaw scored from 15 yards out, followed by a successful PAT by Kayden Kolbeck.

Hawkins found Johnson for a 23-yard catch-and-run to give Monessen a 19-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“We have a lot of playmakers now and we want them all to touch the ball,” Brown said. “Our offense isn’t just Tyvaughn. We can attack you in a lot of different ways. Dennis was solid at getting the ball to the open man. A lot of our receiving yards came after the catch. We were tough to stop tonight.”

The Cougars offense got going on their first drive of the second quarter and made it to the 6-yard line, but the Greyhounds managed a takeaway with an interception by Tavian Taylor in the end zone.

After a 40-yard pass to Johnson, the home team increased its lead to 25-0 when Hawkins and Tim Kershaw completed a 15-yard touchdown pass with 5:12 minutes left in the first half.

Charleroi recovered on its next possession, taking the ball to the end zone on an eight-play, 75-yard drive. The drive was capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Keranko to Pletcher on fourth-and-4.

Monessen regained the lead on the ensuing kickoff when Tyvaughn Kershaw broke free for an 89-yard return. The Greyhounds led 33-6 at halftime.

After the Cougars had reduced the deficit to 33-12 with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Keranko to Nusida, the Greyhounds struck back with two points within 12 seconds.

Hawkins completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Devontae Robinson, and after Monessen recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Taylor ran to the goal line and scored a 15-yard touchdown.

Tyvaughn Kershaw, who had already rushed for over 2,000 yards in his two years with the Greyhounds, scored the last two points of the game with runs of 32 and 50 yards in the final quarter.

“It’s a good win, but it’s only going to get tougher for us,” Brown said. “We have to learn from our mistakes and want to get better every week. We limited their running game and only allowed 12 points, but they made some great passing plays against us. We have to communicate better in the secondary and guys just have to play against those fighting catches.”

Both teams will play at home for non-conference play next Friday when Monessen hosts West Greene and welcomes Charleroi Yough.

Tags: Charleroi, Monessen