2010 WPIAL Football Championship Factoids

By: Bruce Markey
Friday, November 26, 2010 | 12:00 AM

The only numbers that count on Championship Saturday are the final digits posted on the giant scoreboard at Heinz Field. However before then, here are some interesting numbers to think about for each game in the 2010 WPIAL Football Championships, all of which can be heard Saturday exclusively on the MSA Sports Network.

WPIAL CLASS A: Clairton Bears (12-0) vs. Rochester Rams (12-0) at 9:37am

• This marks the second straight title game meeting between these two teams, the fourth championship match-up between them in the last seven years and the fifth overall meeting of the Bears and Rams in the WPIAL finals. Each team has beaten the other for gold twice.

• Clairton is trying to become the first WPIAL Class A team to win three consecutive championships since Rochester did it in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

• Rochester is searching for its eighth WPIAL football title after winning championships in 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. The Rams have won three PIAA state championships – 1n 1998, 2000 and 2001.

• Clairton is also searching for its eighth WPIAL football crown after winning gold in 1929, 1931, 1954, 1989, 2006, 2008 and 2009. The Bears have won one PIAA state championship – in 2009.

• In the last 25 years, Rochester has made it to the WPIAL finals 11 times, the second most of any district school behind Aliquippa. Clairton has now made the trip six times, tying them for sixth place on the WPIAL list.

WPIAL CLASS AA: Aliquippa Quips (12-0) vs. South Fayette Lions (12-0) at 1:00pm

• No WPIAL football program has been better than Aliquippa over the last quarter-century. The Quips are making their 12th trip to the WPIAL championship game over the last 26 years.

• Aliquippa is searching for its 14th WPIAL football championship after winning titles in 1952, 1955, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008. The Quips has won two PIAA state championships – in 1991 and in 2003.

• South Fayette is searching for its third WPIAL football gold after winning crowns in 1936 and 1964. The Lions have never won a PIAA state championship.

• The last time a Century Conference team squared off against a Midwestern Conference team in the WPIAL finals was in 2004 when Seton-LaSalle edged Aliquippa 42-35.

• This is the fourth time in last ten year history of title games at Heinz Field that an Interstate Conference team was not involved in the Class AA finals. 2002 when Seton-LaSalle beat Mars, 2004 when Seton-LaSalle beat Aliquippa and 2008 when Aliquippa edged Beaver Falls.

WPIAL CLASS AAA: Montour Spartans (12-0) vs. Central Valley Warriors (9-3) at 4:30pm

• This is the second straight year that the Class AAA championship game pits a pair of Parkway Conference teams. Last year, West Allegheny beat Hopewell in the finals.

• There has been a Parkway Conference team in every WPIAL Class AAA championship game at Heinz Field except for a three year run from 2003 to 2005 when Pine-Richland beat Thomas Jefferson, TJ knocked off West Mifflin and Franklin Regional upset Thomas Jefferson.

• This is only the second time in the last twenty years that a WPIAL Class AAA championship game has not featured Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny, Hopewell or Blackhawk. The other was the 1995 title game when Belle Vernon beat Franklin Regional 22-6.

• Montour is searching for their fifth WPIAL football title after winning championships in 1957 (co-champs with Avella), 1958, 1963 and 1964. The Spartans have never won a PIAA state championship.

• Central Valley is searching for their first ever WPIAL football crown (duh) because this is the schools first year of existence. The district does have some football gold however. While Center never won a WPIAL title, Monaca did win gridiron championships in 1975, 1982 and 1985. The district has never won a PIAA state championship.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA: North Allegheny Tigers (11-1) vs. Woodland Hills Wolverines (9-3) at 4:30pm

• This is the tenth time that the WPIAL finals have been held at Heinz Field. Woodland Hills is making its fifth trip to the not so grassy North Shore big house, tying them with Clairton and Aliquippa, one behind Thomas Jefferson and two behind Rochester for most trips to Heinz Field.

• Woodland Hills is searching for their sixth WPIAL football championship after winning titles in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2009. The Wolverines have never won a PIAA state championship.

• North Allegheny is searching for their second WPIAL gold after winning a crown in 1990. The Tigers also won a PIAA state championship in 1990.

• This is the fourth time North Allegheny has qualified for the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game. They won in 1990 and lost in 1998, plus in 1996 they made it to the finals at Three Rivers Stadium where they lost to Woodland Hills 22-15.

• Since Class AAAA was formed in 1980, 2010 will mark the 29th time in 31 years that an Allegheny County school will win the districts highest classification football championship. The two lone exceptions were in 1991 when Connellsville beat Upper St. Clair and in 1998 when New Castle edged North Allegheny.

Tags: Aliquippa, Avella, Beaver Falls, Belle Vernon, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Clairton, Franklin Regional, Hopewell, Mars, Montour, Pine-Richland, Rochester, Seton-LaSalle, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny, West Mifflin, Woodland Hills