VANDERGRIFT: Kiski Area scored 40 points Friday night, but Cavalier fans were much more concerned about No. 41. Senior running back/linebacker Chris McKillop, a Pitt recruit, might have been seriously injured when he was tackled near midfield early in the third quarter of the Cavaliers' 40-7 Quad South Conference victory over Latrobe at Davis Field. The Cavaliers might have lost the standout linebacker for an extended period of time after he injured his left ankle following a 12-yard rush with 9:45 left in the quarter and Kiski Area ahead, 27-0. After McKillop was tackled by two Latrobe defenders, he attempted to get back on his feet, but grabbed his leg in obvious pain. A 15-minute hush came over the crowd as McKillop winced and rolled around near midfield, his hands bracing his head. He was carried off the field on a stretcher. He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital by ambulance, Kiski Area coach Dave Grimm said. The team huddled together and said a prayer while medical personnel attended to McKillop. "This is a big loss for us," said Kiski Area junior quarterback Adam Gunn. "We have to keep on winning for Chris ... all the way to Heinz Field." Kiski Area, ranked No. 4 in the Valley News Dispatch Class AAAA Coaches Poll, improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the Quad South Conference. Even with their minds elsewhere, Kiski Area wasted little time pulling away from another Quad South team that was expected to give it problems this season. The Cavaliers defeated Penn-Trafford, 27-0, in Week 3, and showed little mercy against the Wildcats, who suffered their second consecutive loss and slipped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference. The WPIAL handed the Cavaliers their first loss of the season this week after it was determined they used an ineligible player Week 1 against Butler.Losing McKillop hurt a lot more. "This has been an up and down week," Grimm said. "We won, but right now, I'm down." McKillop scored the game's opening touchdown on a 1-yard run, and his brother Scott McKillop followed with a 12-yard score to give Kiski Area a 13-0 lead after the first quarter. "I'm pretty worried right now," said Scott McKillop, Chris McKillop's younger brother, who rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown. "I didn't think about it until I got to the sideline, and it hit me. It's hard for all of us." Scott McKillop tried to hold back tears after the game. "Our offense is clicking right now, but it was hard to concentrate when Chris got hurt," he said. A tight Kiski Area defense handled Latrobe's spread offense well. The Wildcats, still reeling from a 26-10 home loss to Canon-McMillan, could not find the end zone until early in the fourth quarter. Latrobe quarterback Ryan Flynn, who completed 16 of 32 passes for 163 yards, tossed a 51-yard touchdown to Andy Sorice. "The kids played a hell of a game," Grimm said. "This is a nice win for us. It's nice to be on top and have teams come in with their A games. Teams are coming in here planning to knock us off." Gunn, who passed for 145 yards, threw a 19-yard scoring pass to tight end Jason Plowman, and a 26-yarder to Greg Hutcherson, both in the second quarter. Hutcherson's catch was tipped by intended receiver Anthony Cellitti. "We're playing good football right now, but we can't get big heads," Gunn said. "We have to stay focused and take it one at a time." Cellitti, who also had an interception, picked up a fumble and ran it in four yards in the third to make it 40-0. Hutcherson, who also intercepted two passes, caught a 22-yard TD pass in the third on a post pattern. He added a two-point conversion catch on Plowman's TD.His third-quarter score came after a blocked punt by Cavs senior DeJuan Turner."We still want that shutout, though," Hutcherson said. "We're still waiting for that to happen. "But right now, though, we hope Chris is OK. That's the important thing."

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