Big Game Hunting – Week Fourteen 2014

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 | 10:12 PM

The four WPIAL champions venture into the PIAA tournament this coming weekend carrying the District 7 banner with them. These teams hold the hopes of garnering state titles 36-39 for the WPIAL firmly in their hearts. MSA Sports follows each team in the PIAA Quarters. The WPIAL champs enter the PIAA tournament with a combined five state titles, Clairton owns four and South Fayette one. Good news is that no quarter-final opponent has ever won a PIAA championship. A pair of District 7 quarterbacks could potentially break all-time state records in this tournament. We continue to go Big Game Hunting!

PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (13-0) vs State College Little Lions (6-6) AT Mansion Park in Altoona on Saturday, November 29th at 1:00pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and WQWK 1450 AM by Mark Snyder and Charlie Weston

Pine-Richland does get an extra day to bask in their fourth WPIAL championship after a 21-13 triumph over the Central Catholic Vikings. But they will have some serious travel to do as the head down the road to Altoona for a match-up with the District 6 champion State College.

The Rams Ben DiNucci has had an incredible season throwing the football; he was 16 of 29 for 174 yards (his lowest output of the season yardage-wise) against Central and tossed a touchdown pass. DiNucci has been so spectacular that the all-time single season passing yardage mark in the state seems within his reach. DiNucci has completed 207 of 288 passes for 3470 yards and 35 scores. The yardage mark is help by Port Allegany’s Matt Bodamer who threw for 3951 yards in 2012. DiNucci needs 482 yards to break that mark. If the Rams can make it to the state title game he would only need to average 161 yards per game to get there. It says here both of those things are likely to happen.

Mike Merhaut and D’Ondre Gastion continue to be the go-to receivers for DiNucci. Merhaut is just three catches behind Conner Beck of South Fayette for second place in the “catches in a single season” category for the WPIAL. Carmen Connelly’s 116 catches in 2004 would appear to be safe. Merhaut has 81 catches for 1289 yards and 13 touchdowns. Gastion has 49 catches for 1049 yards and 12 scores. He was huge in the Rams’ defensive effort against Pittsburgh Central in the WPIAL title game.

Conner Slomka’s season continues to sparkle as well. Slomka has rushed the football 194 times and I chatted with him after the game Friday at Heinz Field he looked as fresh as a daisy, like talking to a kid who was just getting ready to go to training camp not one who has amassed 1285 yards and 35 touchdowns the hard way.

Joe Leiberman is a kid you have to see in person defensively for the Rams to understand his real impact on a game. He is not a huge kid at 6’ and 205 pounds but his motor just goes all-out on every play and he frustrates opposing offenses tremendously.

State College knocked off McDowell 27-6 to arrive in the state quarter-finals to the surprise of many. The District 6 champions are balanced in their offensive attack with senior quarterback Johnny Weakland completing 126 of 220 passes for 1473 yards and 13 scores. Weakland has also thrown 13 interceptions. He will be facing a tough secondary for the Rams featuring Merhaut and Gastion and he better be careful with the ball in this game or things will get out of hand quickly.

The Little Lions have a great junior running back in Jordan Misher who has piled up 235 carries on the year. Misher has rushed for 1387 yards and 16 touchdowns here in 2014. He also has 19 catches for 168 yards and a score.

Juniors Brett Graham and Kellin Valentine have combined for 57 catches for 760 yards and eight touchdowns on the receiving end of the passing game.

Defensively Jonathan Seighman at safety leads State College with 70 tackles. Barrett McMurtry has 4.5 of the teams 22 sacks and Tommy King has recorded the only interception of the year for the Little Lions.  A single interception secondary against Ben DiNucci has to be a scary thought for Little Lion fans.
CENTRAL VALLEY WARRIORS (13-0) vs Conneaut Eagles (11-1) AT North Allegheny High School on Friday, November 28th at 7:00pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and WBVP AM 1230 and WMBA AM 1460 by Bob Barrickman and Tom Hays

The Warriors won arguably the most exciting WPIAL championship game, playing until almost midnight to beat their rival West Allegheny 35-28 behind just incredible play from Jordan Whitehead.

Conneaut, like Central Valley is a new school. The Eagles have been in existence just three years and knocked off the highly-regarded and highly-ranked Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers in the District 10 championship game 14-7 on a touchdown pass with seven seconds remaining in regulation.

Pitt recruit Jordan Whitehead was the difference in the District 7 championship game for the Warriors with 12 rushes for 107 yards and a score, and six catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

Whitehead has been the difference maker all season long for Mark Lyons’ team. For the year he has a staggering 2701 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns.

John George is completely healthy at quarterback and he puts so much pressure on a defense to contain him it opens up things for everyone else.

BJ Powell has a team high 40 catches for 795 yards. He caught just two passes in the WPIAL Championship, both were for touchdowns including the game-winner.

Rocco Martini and Preston Johnson continue to lead a dominant defense for the Warriors.

Conneaut’s only loss of the year came back in week five to General McClane. They are led by a solid junior quarterback in Hunter Merritt, 6’1’’ 185 pounds smart and fast. Merritt is a dual threat running and passing the ball. The Eagles will run the read option for the most part.

Senior running back Elijah Anderton is a tough hard-nosed runner. The Eagles have had a week off to prepare for and scout the Warriors, many were in attendance including the coaching staff at Heinz Field for the Central win over West Allegheny.

It will be interesting to see how Conneaut responds to winning their first ever District 10 championship. Are they able to come down off of that high of beating the third ranked team in the state and get set to face the 2^nd ranked team in the state in Central?

SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS (13-0) vs Karns City Gremlins (11-1) AT Clarion University on Friday, November 28th at 7:00pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and WJPA-FM 95.3 by Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah

This is a rematch of the PIAA quarterfinals from last year when, in this same location South Fayette rolled the Gremlins 57-21. That win spring-boarded the Lions chase to the State Championship. The Gremlins are the District 9 Champions.

The Gremlins are rushing for just over 282 yards per game on the season.

They have Tristan Rhoades and Collin Dunmyre running the football in dominant fashion here in the post season. Rhoades is returning from a leg injury but should be ready to go against the Lions. Again this is a quarter-final opponent that had the chance to visit Heinz Field and scout the District 7 champ in person. Seniors Caleb King and Cody Deal have both seen time at quarterback for the Gremlins this season.

The challenge for Karns City will be trying to derail a kid in Brett Brumbaugh who may well be on his way to becoming the all-time leader in the state of Pennsylvania in terms of career passing yards.

Following a championship game that saw him complete 24 of 35 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns, Brumbaugh has now completed 188 of 310 passes for 3279 yards and 38 touchdowns on the season. For his career he has thrown for 10625 yards he needs 324 yards to become the all-time leader in passing yards for a career in the state of Pennsylvania surpassing Port Allegany’s Matt Bodamar who threw for 10948 between 2009 and 2012.

Logan Sharp and Nick Ponikvar continue to be the leading pass catchers for the Lions. Ponikvar made an amazing play against the Quips in the championship game catching a short pass to the left flat and breaking one attempted tackle, before just out-racing everyone 87 yards for a touchdown. Keep an eye on Dan Trimbur as well he seems to always be around the ball on offense and defense.

If the weather makes it difficult to throw the Lions may lean even more heavily on senior running back Hunter Hayes who has been a huge weapon here in 2014, Hayes is strong, fast, smart, has great vision and great blockers, the combination of all that and the powerful passing attack the Lions have makes them unstoppable so far here in 2014., that and Joe Rossi’s playoff beard.
CLAIRTON BEARS (13-0) vs Berlin-Brothersvalley Mountaineers (12-1) AT Elizabeth Forward High School on Friday, November 28th at 7:00pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Paul Paterra and Lou Rood

The Mountaineers are the District 5 champions, they are winners of eight in a row with their only loss coming back in week four to Portage 38-27.

Berlin Brothersvalley is run oriented averaging 266.9 rushing yards per game as opposed to just over 76 passing yards per game.

Junior quarterback Brentson Harding has completed 60 of 117 passes for 990 yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. He is also a threat to run with over 500 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.

Cole Booth and Zane Yanosky have combined to catch 25 passes for 474 yards and six touchdowns.

The Mountaineers will lean heavily on the rushing of junior Braden Fochtman who has carried the ball 176 times for 1822 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has amassed 2296 all-purpose yards on the season.

Junior defensive end Dante Paul has totaled 105 tackles on the year for the Mountaineers defense. That defense Paul also has 6.5 of Berlin’s 29 sacks on the season. Senior Bryce Fochtman has five of the team’s 22 interceptions.

The numbers are mind-numbing for the Clairton Bears who throttled Avonworth in the District 7 title game.

Clairton will be trying to make it five state championships in six years after winning four straight titles from 2009-2012.

Ryan Williams has completed 124 of 224 passes for 2533 yards and 32 touchdowns and only thrown four interceptions. The kid has moxy and all the throws, he has a great ability to get it to his guys even when they are not wide open.

Aaron Matthews has 42 catches for 721 yards, Jamie Hines has 32 catches for 821 yards the duo has combined to score 25 touchdowns on the year.

On the ground Lamont Wade has become a flat-out superstar. The sophomore has rushed for 2230 yards (tops in the WPIAL) and scored 41 touchdowns (tops in the WPIAL) on 148 carries and adds another 250 yards on a dozen catches. Oh and he also had four interceptions in the championship win over Avonworth.

Ramone Clifford is just a football player, always around the ball on defense for the Bears and one of the surest tacklers in the WPIAL.

Tags: Central Valley, Clairton