-- Central Tech turned in a strong defensive effort Saturday on the way to its first victory, 16-8 over East at Veterans Stadium. The Falcons limited the Warriors to minus-18 rushing yards and 158 total yards. Central Tech also intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble.

-- Central Tech revved up its running game behind Davone Stoval and Kaylon Mims. Stoval rushed for 130 yards on 26 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion. Mims ran for 108 yards and 26 rushes, including a 1-yard TD run.

-- The Falcons went for two-point conversions after both of their second-quarter touchdowns and converted both.

-- East made things interesting in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Gary Brown hit James Paul for an 18-yard touchdown. He then hit Jermaine Gillespie on a two-point conversion pass. Brown completed 5-of-12 passes for 164 yards in relief of season-long starter Corey Ratliff, who completed just 2-of-9 for 12 yards and was sacked six times.

-- East's losing streak reached 22 games.

-- Sharon (4-0, 3-0) took a big step toward a Region 3 title Saturday with a 17-10 victory over Slippery Rock (3-1, 2-1). The defenses took over in the second half as both teams went scoreless.

-- A couple of big dates lie ahead in the Region 3 race. On Oct. 3, Sharon, ranked No. 2 in Class AA in District 10, visits No. 1-ranked Wilmington (4-0, 2-0). On Oct. 24, Wilmington will visit Slippery Rock, which is ranked No. 4.

-- If you look at the Times-News rankings, it appears Erie County will have a difficult time winning its first District 10 Class AA title in 15 seasons. Erie County hasn’t won a Class AA title since Northwestern won in 1993. When General McLane dropped from Class AAA to AA this season, some felt the Lancers could make a run at the Mercer County powers, but the Lancers have started 2-2. Fairview (3-0), which had a rare idle week, is ranked No. 3 in District 10 Class AA, while North East (3-1) is ranked No. 5.

-- Mercyhurst Prep’s 58-12 win over Cochranton was highlighted by a 413-yard rushing performance. Tyler Helffrich’s 164 yards on 11 rushes. Helffrich, a 5-foot 8-inch, 160-pound junior, scored on TD runs of 54 and 57 yards and added a 68-yard punt return.

-- Mercyhurst completed just one pass in four attempts, but it was a big completion. Marshall Huntsman hit Tony Cordovano on a 40-yard TD strike in the second quarter, helping the Lakers to a 24-12 halftime lead.

Look for Saturday Morning Quarterback and the Sunday update again next week.