WPIAL Class 5A championship primer: Penn-Trafford vs. Gateway

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, November 16, 2017 | 11:12 PM

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WPIAL football championship primer

Class 5A

No. 1 Penn-Trafford (11-1) vs. No. 2 Gateway (11-1)

5 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field

On the air: Tribhssn.triblive.com; 107.1-FM/AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh (tape delay)

Winner plays: The winner of Friday’s game between Hollidaysburg (7-3) and Grove City (11-0) in the PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 24 or 25.

What to watch

• Whose strength will win out?

The Penn-Trafford defense has been among the WPIAL’s best all season, allowing 10.7 points per game.

Gateway’s high-octane offense, led by a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard receiver, has produced 37.6 points per game.

When the teams met in Big East Conference play Sept. 29, it was the Warriors’ defense that persevered en route to a 28-0 win. P-T limited Gateway QB Brady Walker to 210 yards on 21 of 42 passing.

• Gateway running game an x-factor?

The Gators found success in the running game during a semifinal win over McKeesport and have relied on a group effort in the backfield that includes Isaiah Cameron (576 yards), Walker (527) and Derrick Davis (290).

• Will the Warriors be on the run?

Penn-Trafford running back John Gay IV gets the Warriors’ running game started. Gay is a third-generation running back. His father, John III, played at Gateway and West Virginia in the early 1980s. His grandfather was a standout rusher for Braddock in the 1950s.

Players to watch

• Caleb Lisbon: Penn-Trafford’s Lisbon (5-11, 190), a sophomore RB/WR/DB, has rushed for 818 yards and 15 touchdowns, second on the team.

• Nick Tarabrella: Penn-Trafford’s strong-legged senior kicker, Tarabrella (6-4, 180) has converted 53 extra point attempts and has three field goals.

• Derrick Davis: Davis (6-0, 175), Gateway’s freshman running back has stepped into the spotlight late in the season. He has rushed for 288 yards and caught 20 passes for 349 yards, combining for nine touchdowns.

• Brady Walker: The Gateway signal-caller upped his career passing yardage to 7,532 after throwing for 228 yards in last week’s 28-21 win over McKeesport. Walker (6-2, 180) is fourth on the WPIAL’s all-time passing list behind South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh (11,084, 2014), Sto-Rox’s Lenny Williams (8,509, 2013), and Pine-Richland’s Ben DiNucci (7,619, 2014).

Stat leaders

Passing: P-T: Cam Laffoon, 91-171-1,433 yards, 15 TDs, 5 INTs; G: Brady Walker, 207-332-3,394 yards, 37 TDs, 6 INTs

Rushing: P-T: John Gay IV, 153-1,231 yards, 17 TDs; G: Isaiah Cameron, 80-576 yards, 14 TDs

Receiving: P-T: Cam Suman, 23-417 yards, 3 TDs; G: Courtney Jackson, 63-1,382 yards, 20 TDs

By the numbers

All-time records: P-T: 281-185-10; G: 410-210-13

Last title: P-T: N/A; G: 1986

WPIAL titles: P-T: 0; G: 5

Did you know?

• Penn-Trafford is making its third trip to the WPIAL championship. The Warriors lost 28-27 to Upper St. Clair in 1997 and 24-17 to Central Catholic in 2015.

• Gateway is playing in its 12th WPIAL championship game. The Gators lost three straight between 2007-09.

• Junior DB Jeremiah Josephs has been a catalyst for the Gateway defense with 61 solo tackles, 14 passes defended, seven interceptions, a blocked punt, a sack, a fumble recovery and three forced fumbles.

• Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane spent six years as an assistant coach and two years as offensive coordinator at Gateway before becoming head coach at Penn-Trafford before the 2011 season.

Prediction

Penn-Trafford, 28-20

Tags: Gateway, Penn-Trafford