5 things we learned in Week 8: Might WPIAL’s longest playoff drought be nearing its end?

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 19, 2024 | 9:23 PM

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Carlynton football hasn’t had many chances to celebrate in recent years, a harsh reality that coach John Tortorea doesn’t hide from his players.

In fact, the second-year coach often reminds them how the Cougars own the WPIAL’s longest active playoff drought. The team last reached the postseason in 2001, years before anyone on the current football roster was born.

“I talk about that with the kids all the time,” Tortorea said. “Twenty-three years is a super-long time, almost a quarter of a century.”

But their decades-old drought might end soon.

A 28-27 victory over Washington on Friday night moved the team closer to a playoff berth than they’ve been in years. Running back John Sciulli rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Devonte Dean also reached the end zone in the win.

Sciulli and Dean are part of a 17-person senior class that raised Carlynton’s hopes for this season. Talking about the drought might seem overly negative for some, but Tortorea sees it differently.

“Last night I said to them, ‘Twenty-some football teams that have played here haven’t had the opportunity you could have,’ ” he said. “Go play for those guys. Go take advantage of it.”

Carlynton (5-4, 2-3) isn’t in the playoff field yet but has a favorable path to finish fourth in the Century Conference. The team needs to defeat Charleroi (1-8, 1-4) next week and get some help.

Washington (5-4, 3-2) and Waynesburg (5-4, 3-2) are tied for third. Washington hosts top-ranked Seton LaSalle (8-0, 5-0). Waynesburg hosts Sto-Rox (0-8, 0-5).

Should the three likely favorites win, Carlynton would tie Washington for fourth and own the head-to-head tiebreaker. If so, Carlynton seems likely to earn one of the wild cards in 2A.

“That’s the plan,” Tortorea said.

That might’ve seemed like wishful thinking a few seasons ago. Carlynton went winless in four of its past 10 seasons. But Tortorea hopes his team’s success might offer some measure of inspiration to other struggling teams around the WPIAL.

A former head coach at Quaker Valley and most recently an assistant at Shaler, Tortorea knew the challenge he accepted at Carlynton. But Tortorea admits he has an affinity for programs that others might see as almost hopeless.

“It’s so rewarding for the community, the school and the program,” he said. “Hopefully, this proves (to other schools) that you can do it.”

Friday’s win came on the heels of two close losses. Carlynton lost to Keystone Oaks, 10-7, in Week 5 and in overtime to Waynesburg, 27-26, in Week 6. When Friday’s fourth-quarter lead was down to one point, Tortorea was concerned for his players.

“I was saying to myself, ‘This can’t happen to these kids three times,’ ” he said. “To their credit, they stepped up. They’ve learned how to play in those close games.”

Walker’s big night

If Aliquippa had won on Friday, the late-game heroics of Quips senior Arison Walker would’ve been the big story.

A wide receiver and defensive back, Walker caught two touchdowns in a 74-second span to flip a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The first covered 47 yards and the second was a 32-yarder.

Walker also intercepted a pass later in the quarter as his defense tried to shut down Montour. The 5-foot-9, 173-pounder finished the game with six catches for 97 yards, two touchdowns, five tackles and an interception.

“He’s a product of Aliquippa with the grit and the grind,” Aliquippa coach Vashawn Patrick said. “He strives every day in practice to get better. He’s a true leader and he tried to lead us to victory.”

Walker’s efforts ultimately were undone by a Montour touchdown run and two-point pass with 31 seconds left to hand Aliquippa a 36-35 loss.

Trophy case upgrades

WPIAL conference championship plaques are headed to some schools that haven’t got one in awhile.

After Friday’s win, Montour is guaranteed to finish atop the Parkway standings for the first time since 2012. Woodland Hills won its first conference title since 2009. Upper St. Clair waited seven years between conference titles.

Yet one school waited almost 30.

Ellwood City clinched its first conference title since 1997. The Wolverines (8-0, 6-0) defeated Union, 33-6, on Friday to earn the Midwestern crown. The conference title is the third in team history.

Wolverines QB injured

Woodland Hills won a conference title but lost one of the WPIAL’s top quarterbacks to injury.

Cameron Walter, a junior who already is the program’s all-time leading passer, hurt his knee on the second play of a 27-17 victory Friday over Franklin Regional. Wolverines coach Brian Tarrant said Walter was out “indefinitely” while they waited to learn the severity.

The win improved Woodland Hills to 7-2 overall, 5-0 in the Big East. Wolverines junior Prince Tarrant, the coach’s son, will play quarterback in Walter’s absence.

This isn’t the first big injury to hit the Wolverines. They lost top running back Ziggy Moore to a season-ending leg injury early in their schedule.

Only need 11

Westinghouse played a City League semifinal with only 11 eligible players, but that sure didn’t show on the scoreboard Friday. The Bulldogs defeated Perry, 68-0, to return to the City League championship game.

A number of Westinghouse players were disqualified a week earlier for leaving the sideline during an altercation against USO, making them ineligible against Perry under PIAA rules.

Westinghouse (7-1) defeated Perry (1-6) by the same 68-0 score when they met Sept. 12 in the regular season. The Bulldogs will face Allderdice in the City League final.

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.