5 things we learned in opening round of WPIAL football playoffs

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 31, 2020 | 5:21 PM

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Sto-Rox’s coach LaRoi Johnson has a bundle of 2-point plays he will call in any situation, but with Friday’s game on the line, he summoned his sophomore kicker.

Johnson admits even he wouldn’t have predicted that’s how his Vikings would win their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal. Yet, Adam Devine made the winning kick with less than 5 minutes left to give Sto-Rox a 21-20 edge over Laurel.

“He was calm as a polar bear in an igloo,” Johnson said. “I just say, ‘Hey man, hit this.’ He said, ‘All right.’ That’s what I like about him.”

Devine is 11 for 14 on extra-point kicks. In contrast, the Vikings have converted 32 2-point attempts this season.

Sto-Rox tried for two after its first two touchdowns Friday, converting one. Johnson said he never had coached an offense with a reliable kicker, but his trust in Devine has grown.

The Vikings faced a similar situation in Week 3 against Shady Side Academy. With 12.2 seconds left and tied 42-42, they went for two and won 44-42.

This time, they kicked.

“My kickers coach told me he’d been money all week,” Johnson said. “He’d been kicking it well in warm-ups. He was kicking it well on Thursday. … Adam has gotten better each and every week. I said, I need to have some faith. This was rewarding for him.”

Good company

This was a wild weekend for current and former Pine-Richland quarterbacks.

Rams senior Cole Spencer became the team’s all-time leader in touchdown passes Friday when he threw three in a 47-7 playoff win over South Fayette, raising his career total to 75.

What made the accomplishment more impressive was the guys he passed on the list.

On Saturday, 2018 graduate Phil Jurkovec quarterbacked Boston College against Clemson, the No. 1 college team in the country. On Sunday, 2015 graduate Ben DiNucci will make his first career NFL start for the Dallas Cowboys.

DiNucci graduated with 72 touchdown passes and Jurkovec had 71.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, especially with the two guys before me who are incredible,” Spencer said Friday.

Home sweet home

Home field truly was an advantage Friday night as visiting teams went 3-19 in the opening round of the WPIAL playoffs.

In Class 6A, Central Catholic won at Mt. Lebanon, 35-0. In Class 2A, Serra Catholic won at McGuffey, 21-14. In Class A, Shenango won at California, 28-21. Otherwise, home teams defended their turf.

Now, half of Friday’s winners will play at home again next week. The WPIAL traditionally has given higher seeds home games only in the first round, but that luxury was extended through the semifinals this year because of covid-19 concerns.

No mercy

For the eighth time in eight games, Central Valley celebrated a mercy-rule victory Friday night, defeating East Allegheny, 56-7, in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal.

Under the mercy rule, the clock runs continuously once a team takes a 35-point lead in the second half. CV’s wins this season have been by 49, 43, 28, 50, 51, 35, 51 and 49 points. The Warriors allowed a late touchdown in their 28-point win over New Castle.

In 2016, Steel Valley became the first team to win every game by the mercy rule after the PIAA adopted the rule in 1998. Central Valley’s next opponent is Keystone Oaks, a 28-24 winner over South Park on Friday.

Farewell

Until next year, say goodbye to the Class 2A Century and Class A Tri-County South conferences. Those conferences failed to advance any teams to the second round of the WPIAL playoffs.

In the Century, McGuffey and Washington were eliminated. California and Avella exited in the Tri-County South.

Two conferences went unbeaten Friday night. Central Valley and Keystone Oaks both advanced in the Class 3A Northwestern Six. Wins by Apollo-Ridge and Serra Catholic also kept the Class 2A Allegheny undefeated.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.