Chicks Picks – Championship Saturday – 11/26/2015

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, November 26, 2015 | 9:57 AM

Welcome to Championship Week of the high school football season.

Chick’s Picks never understood why the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” was a Christmas carol, when the title clearly explains WPIAL football Championship Week.  First, Thanksgiving.  Then, Championship Saturday.  What time of year could possibly be more wonderful than that?

In the midst of this most wonderful time of the year, Chick’s Picks took a moment to reflect on all that she is thankful for this year.  First and foremost, she is thankful for her loved ones that will place the fate of their Thanksgiving dinners in her hands on Thursday.

Chick’s Picks is thankful for her prized crystal ball, which helped her to once again finish the season as the WPIAL’s top prognosticator.  Chick’s Picks is also thankful for all of the WPIAL players and coaches, who provide us plenty of excitement to cover on the field.

Chick’s Picks is grateful for the entire MSA Sports Network crew—some of the best people she knows—who all share a great admiration for high school sports.

Last but not least, Chick’s Picks is thankful The Boss—our fearless leader who makes all of this possible.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Good luck to all teams on Championship Saturday!

Chick’s Picks finished last week with a perfect 8-0 (100%) record, upping her season total to 532-108 (83%).

CLASS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP:

#5 Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings (11-1) vs. #2 Penn-Trafford Warriors (12-0)

How They Got Here:

First Round: Central Catholic 49 – Upper St. Clair 0, Penn-Trafford 56 – North Hills 7

Quarterfinals: Central Catholic 31 – North Allegheny 17, Penn-Trafford 39 – McKeesport 32 (OT)

Semifinals: Central Catholic 24 – Woodland Hills 6, Penn-Trafford 38 – Pine-Richland 34

Central Catholic squares off against Penn-Trafford in the second game of Saturday’s WPIAL Championship quadruple header at Heinz Field.  The Vikings look to avenge last year’s title game loss to Pine-Richland and bring home the school’s fifth WPIAL championship.  Sophomore quarterback Troy Fisher leads Central Catholic with 1,138 passing yards and 14 touchdowns on the year.  The Vikings also boast a solid running game behind Ronnie Jones, who has rushed for 1,259 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Penn-Trafford features one of the WPIAL’s top quarterbacks this season in Brett Laffoon, who has thrown for 2,304 yards and 31 touchdowns.  Laffoon’s favorite target is Timmy Vecchio, who has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and caught 20 touchdown passes this season.  The Warriors can also get it done on the ground, behind Jonah Lisbon’s 1,300 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.  Chick’s Picks knows the Warriors are seeking their first WPIAL Championship in school history, but they will not get it this time around.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Penn-Trafford

CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP:

#1 Central Valley Warriors (11-1) vs. #6 Thomas Jefferson Jaguars (10-2)

How They Got here:

First Round: Central Valley 59 – Laurel Highlands 14, Thomas Jefferson 42 – Armstrong 7

Quarterfinals: Central Valley 42 – Hampton 9, Thomas Jefferson 14 – West Allegheny 0

Semifinals: Central Valley 48 – Mars 41, Thomas Jefferson 34 – Franklin Regional 21

Top-ranked Central Valley battles Thomas Jefferson for the WPIAL Class AAA title in the finale of Championship Saturday.  Heinz Field is familiar territory for the Warriors, who look to defend last year’s WPIAL title.  The Jaguars will be looking for their sixth WPIAL championship – their first since 2008.  The season got off to a slow start for both of these squads.  Central Valley fell to Montour in Week 1, 17-14.  TJ dropped its first two games to Ringgold and Belle Vernon.  Since then, though, the Jaguars have gone (10-0), outscored opponents 389-69, and recorded five shutouts.  Chris Callaghan leads Central Valley with nearly 2,300 passing yards and 14 touchdowns on the year.  Thomas Jefferson’s strong ground game is led by Quinton Hill, who has racked up over 1,300 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.  Chick’s Picks knows that the Jaguars got hot at the right time this season, and predicts that the Warriors will not stand in the way of title number six.

Thomas Jefferson over Central Valley

CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP:

#1 South Fayette Lions (12-0) vs. #2 Aliquippa Quips (12-0)

How They Got Here:

First Round: South Fayette 63 – Burgettstown 6, Aliquippa 42 – Keystone Oaks 26

Quarterfinals: South Fayette 54 – Beaver 7, Aliquippa 46 – Seton-LaSalle 6

Semifinals: South Fayette 27 – Steel Valley 19, Aliquippa 36 – Freeport 14

South Fayette faces off against Aliquippa for the WPIAL Class AA title in a rematch of last year’s championship, where the Lions came away with a 31-22 victory.  Both the Lions and the Quips have remained perfect this season.  South Fayette and Aliquippa combine for 20 WPIAL titles, including the last four straight.  Drew Saxton runs the show for the Lions, passing for 1,546 yards and 27 touchdowns this season.  The Quips rely on the ground game of Kaezon Pugh, who has rushed for 1,829 yards and 27 touchdowns on the year.  South Fayette also boasts a solid defense which has allowed only 8.4 points per game – nearly half that of Aliquippa.  Chick’s Picks predicts that the Quips will go out of their last Class AA season in style…gold, that is.

Aliquippa over South Fayette

CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP:

#1 Clairton Bears (12-0) vs. #3 Jeannette Jayhawks (11-1)

How They Got Here

First Round: Clairton 70 – Carmichaels 6, Jeannette 27 – Chartiers-Houston 7

Quarterfinals: Clairton 46 – Avonworth 21, Jeannette 25 – Neshannock 15

Semifinals: Clairton 56 – Frazier 15, Jeannette 22 – Cardinal Weurl North Catholic 14

Clairton looks to defend its title when it takes on Jeannette to open Championship Saturday in the Class A title game.  These two met earlier this year in Week 6, when the Bears handed the Jayhawks their only loss of the season, 56-29.  Clairton’s powerful offense is run by Aaron Matthews, who has passed for over 2,200 yards and 29 touchdowns this season.  The Bears’ backfield tandem of Lamont Wade and Harrison Dreher have combined for over 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns on the year.  The trio leads a powerful Clairton offense that is averaging 59 points per game – 20 points per game more than Jeannette.  Jayhawk quarterback Gio Vonne Sanders has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year, and stepped up in the ground game in the absence of running back Kareem Hall, who suffered an ankle injury in the final week of the regular season.  Hall missed the first two weeks of the postseason and played sparingly in last week’s semifinals, but is expected to fully return to action in the title game.  Chick’s Picks knows the Jayhawks rallied without Hall, and predicts that they will pull the upset with him back in action.

Jeannette over Clairton

Tags: Aliquippa, Central Valley, Clairton, Jeannette