By Michael Love

Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 8:54 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, August 30, 2012

To say that Gateway has had Latrobe's number the past several seasons would be an understatement.

Last year, the Gators won, 45-7, and Gateway has outscored the Wildcats, 174-14, over the past four meetings combined.

Gateway hopes to maintain that domination Friday as it begins its quest for its first conference championship since 2009.

The Gators and Wildcats will do battle at 7:30 p.m. at Gateway's Antimarino Stadium.

Conference play begins early for both Gateway and Latrobe, which are part of a nine-team conference under the new WPIAL three-conference format for Quad-A.

The Gators play five conference games before an Oct. 5 showdown with North Allegheny.

The game with the Tigers is Gateway's only nonconference contest this season.

In last year's home victory over Latrobe, senior quarterback Thomas Woodson had one of his best games in his two seasons as a starter.

The University of Arizona recruit completed 15 of 20 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns and added 53 yards rushing and another score.

Fellow Gators senior Jaymar Parrish, a Pitt recruit, caught six of Woodson's passes for 178 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Defensively, Gateway held Latrobe to 117 yards of total offense, with 101 of those yards coming from the running attack.

Robert Vasinko had a team-best 39 rushing yards in that game, and he returns as the Wildcats' leading rusher from 2011.

Also back for Latrobe is junior quarter back Logan Cairns in the team's wing-T offense under head coach Ray Reitz. Cairns is a dual threat in the offense, which features a lot of misdirection plays.

The Gators got a boost last week, as star receiver Ricky Rogers, an offseason transfer from Keystone Oaks who initially was ruled ineligible to play football by the WPIAL Board of Control, had that ruling overturned by the PIAA.

Michael Love is a staff writer with Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-388-5825 or at mlove@tribweb.com.

1. Pens will unveil even bigger TV screen for fans in Game 5
2. Whitehall couple sues Pittsburgh zoo over son’s mauling by painted dogs
3. Kovacevic: It’s about time for these Penguins
4. Neal, Iginla get back on track to lead Penguins
5. Steelers veteran outside linebacker Woodley: ‘I’m good to go’
6. Jordan Miles hires two attorneys for civil trial against Pittsburgh officers
7. Steelers notebook: Slimmed-down Redman optimistic for 2013
8. Penguins turn Game 4 into a blowout victory over the Senators
9. Senators on cusp of ouster against Penguins
10. Woman cut from car after Washington Township wreck
11. Suspect surrenders in foundry evacuation

There are currently no comments for this story.
Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers.