WPIAL Football Playoff First Round Recaps 2011

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 5, 2011 | 12:48 AM

32 teams were winners Friday night and now prepare for the Quarterfinals in the 2011 WPIAL Football Playoffs on 11-11-11. Meanwhile, 32 teams saw their dreams…and season come to an end as they were forced to take the first exit ramp on the Highway to Heinz. Here are recaps from the opening round of the District 7 postseason from all of the games heard right here on the MSA Sports Network.

Thanks to Dan Zangrilli, Dennis Fischer, Bob Orkwis, Jimmy Lee Santorella, Chuck Campbell, Greg Warnock, Justin McKim, Ken Laird, Randy Gore, Josh Rowntree, Brian Mroziak, Jim Frederick, Terry Neary, Larry Porterfield, Sam Hall, Brandon Showers, Lou Rood, John Klocko, Rich Mastowski, Mark Schaas, Bob Gregg, Rob Matzie, Gary Frankhouser, Bob Barrickman, Adam Gusky, Matt Vandriak, Mark Uriah and Don Rebel for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA First Round:

North Allegheny Tigers 53 – Fox Chapel Foxes 20
With an all around performance from junior quarterback Mack Leftwich, the North Allegheny Tigers coasted to a 53-20 victory over the Fox Chapel Foxes in the opening round of the Class AAAA Playoffs.  Leftwich passed for 112 yards and two scores, while adding 99 yards rushing on 10 carries and another touchdown via the ground game.  North Allegheny opened the scoring just over one minute into the contest when fullback Nick Passodelis rumbled 55-yards for a touchdown to put NA on top, 7-0. The 16th seeded Foxes reminded everyone that they were invited to the playoff party too and tied the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Noel Wilson to Ryan Frankert.  The Fox Chapel touchdown served as a wake up call for the reigning WPIAL and PIAA champions, and the Tigers kicked things into gear as Passodelis and Alex DiCiantis notched a pair of short yardage touchdown runs, and receiver James Kleinhample pulled in a 17-yard scoring pass from Leftwich to give NA a 28-7 halftime.  Rolling up 507 yards of total offense, the Tigers cruised to the victory in the second half.  Wilson had a respectable night for the Foxes with 96 yards passing and a score, with another 35 yards rushing and a touchdown.  Fox Chapel’s season ends with a record of 3-7.  The Tigers remain undefeated with a 10-0 mark and advance to the quarterfinals for a North Seven Conference rematch with the Seneca Valley Raiders.

Seneca Valley Raiders 30 – Penn Hills Indians 13 
You have heard so much about the Seneca Valley offense all season but say hello to the Seneca Valley defense. The Raiders’ “D” forced seven Penn Hills turnovers and stifled the Indians offense all night long in helping the ninth-seeded Raiders oust the eighth-seeded Indians 30-13. Seneca Valley scored on the opening drive of the contest as quarterback Jordan Brown tossed a screen pass to Forrst Barnes who showed incredible open field running in turning into a 47 yard touchdown. Barnes would score his second touchdown of the night on Seneca Valley’s second drive of the night as his two yard run capped an 87 yard touchdown drive and with 5:53 to play in the first quarter Seneca Valley led 14-0. Penn Hills would answer after a very short punt by the Raiders gave Penn HIlls the football at the Seneca Valley 16 yard line. Penn Hills quarterback Jaquan Williams found Chaz Whittaker in the back of the end zone from 14 yards out, and with still 1:06 to play in the first it was Seneca Valley 14, Penn Hills 7. The Indians would get no closer as the Raider defense began to play takeaway and never really stopped. Williams tossed three first half interceptions and the Raiders would also get a recovery of a Corey Jones muffed punt and tack on  field goals of 33, 24, and 35 yards from sophomore kicker Michael Denny, and head to the half leading 23-7. After a scoreless third quarter Barnes scored his third touchdown of the night in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on a three yard run and the Raiders lead was extended to 30-7. Penn Hills would get a 70 yard interception return for a touchdown from Jaquan Williams with 9:42 to play in regulation but it was too little too late as the Indians would get no closer. On the night the Raider defense picked off six Indian passes five off Williams, one thrown by Chaz Whitakker. Bradley Gresock picked off a pair, as did Jonathan Dorogy. Jordan Brown completed 23 of 37 for 279 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Barnes carried it 28 times for 102 yards and a pair of scores, he also caught 11 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. The Indians season ends at 5-5. The Raiders improve to 8-2 and head to the quarter finals to meet North Allegheny whom they lost to back on September 30th.

Penn-Trafford Warriors 21 – Bethel Park Black Hawks 0 
It was the Penn-Trafford defense that kept Bethel Park not only out of the end zone, but nearly off the stat sheets. In a total domination from the Warriors defense, they kept the Black Hawks on their own side of the field the entire game, only reaching the P-T 43 once. On offense, it was Manny Simpson controlling the ground game, while QB Zach Emerick controlled the clock. The Warriors scored on two Zach Emerick one yard dives, and a Manny Simpson 8 yard run to defeat Bethel Park 21-0 and give the Black Hawks an early exit from the playoffs. Penn-Trafford totaled 334 total yards of offense on 58 offensive plays, while their defense held the Black Hawks to just 79 total yards with only 5 first downs.

Gateway Gators 52 – Shaler Titans 13
In ten seasons as a head coach at Gateway, Terry Smith has never missed the WPIAL Playoffs. In the previous nine years, the Gators have won every first round match up. That streak would continue tonight at Antamarino Stadium as Gateway scored 20 1st quarter points on its way to the 52-13 win over the 12th seeded Titans. Darin Franklin capped off the opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Shaler was forced to punt on its initial possession, and Cody Conway blocked J.P. Holtz’ kick and Graham Davis recovered the ball in the end zone to put Gateway up 14-0. Devantae Butler would intercept Ryan Mincher on the next possession and Patrick Livsey would make that turnover hurt by scoring on a 2-yard run. With (4:29) remaining in the opening quarter, the Gators had jumped out to a 20-0 lead and this game was pretty much over. Thomas Woodson scored on a 26-yard run in the 2nd quarter and Franklin and Livsey would add their 2nd TD runs of the first half, and Gateway led 38-0 at halftime. Brian Jones added a pair of second half TD runs to round out the scoring for the Gators. Mincher, who finished with 151-yards passing for the Titans, would throw scoring strikes to Sean Gavin from 24-yards and to Alex Conway from 9-yards. The Gavin TD catch snapped Gateway’s scoreless streak at 165:24 minutes. Franklin finished with 107-yards rushing for Gateway, all in the first half, as the Gators rushed for 293-yards as a team. Shaler’s season ends at (5-5). Gateway (8-2), the 5th seed in the AAAA tournament, advances to the quarterfinals for a rematch with Penn-Trafford. The Warriors defeated Gateway 16-14 in week 4 on a 31-yard field goal by Matt Loughnane with (:01) remaining.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 42 – Peters Township Indians 14
The #2 seeded Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Quad A football playoffs with a 42-14 win over the #15 seeded Peters Township Indinas at Fox Chapel High School on Friday night. Luigi Lista-Brinza returned the opening kick-off 93 yards to put the Vikings into a lead they never surrendered.  Central added an 11 yard touchdown pass from Perry Hills to Anthony Nixon to close out the 1st Quarter scoring with the Vikings leading 14-0.  Central built its lead to 35-0 at the half with another Hills to Nixon connection, this from 66 yards out, and a pair of Damion Jones-Moore touchdown runs of 85 and 26 yards. Peters scored its first touchdown late in the 3rd Quarter when Indians quarterback RJ Pfeuffer found Kenton Latinovich in the end zone with an 11 yard touchdown pass.  Central responded with its final score, another Jones-Moore run, this time from 44 yards.  Peters Township concluded the scoring when, with 23 seconds remaining, Justin Miller ran it in from the 44 yard line. Central Catholic (10-0) will meet Mt. Lebanon next Friday night in the Quarterfinals.  Peters Township ended its season at 4-6.

Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 28 – Woodland Hills Wolverines 21
Luke Hagy found a way to get it done for Mount Lebanon again, except this time it was with his arm instead of his legs. The only second half score came in the third quarter when Hagy tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dan Graziano to break a 21-21 tie and lift the Blue Devils into a return trip to the Class AAAA Quarterfinals. The first half was wide open as Hagy ran for a 26-yard score and caught a pair of touchdown passes from Pat Goff of 22 and 42-yards. Woodland Hills scored on a 14-yard run by Ronald Brown and a pair of touchdown passes from Patrick Menifee, one of 31-yards to Shakim Alonzo and one of 9-yards to Tyrique Jackson. After Mount Lebanon took a 28-21 lead into the fourth quarter, Woodland Hills had a couple of chances, but a fumble and an interception by Menifee ended drives and the Wolverines season. Hagy finished the game with 146-yards rushing while Menifee hit on 10 of 17 passes for 115 yards. Woodland Hills finishes at 6-3 with three consecutive losses. Mount Lebanon avenges a Quarterfinals loss to the Wolverines a year ago by improving to 7-3 and will face Pittsburgh Central Catholic in Round Two next Friday.

Upper St. Clair Panthers 42 – Connellsville Falcons 0
The Upper St. Clair Panthers scored 6 touchdowns on all 6 of their first half possessions to beat Connellsville 42-0.  USC coach Jim Render rested all of his starters after halftime and there was no scoring in the second half.  Upper St. Clair QB, Dakota Conwell, was 8-10 passing for 150 yards and 2 TD’s, but only rushed 3 times for 33 yards, well below his rushing Average.  Mike Wilcox had TD receptions of 10 and 20 yards from Dakota Conwell.  USC had touchdown runs from 4 different players, Zack Deitrick (7 yards), Ryan Boyd (11 yards),  Alex Garwig (5 yards), and A.J. McGuire (22 yards). Killan Mulkern kicked all 6 extra points for the Panthers.  Zack Deitrick was the leading rusher for USC with 6 carries for 61 yards.  Connellsville was lead by Zach Cooper, who rushed for 44 yards on 11 carries, and QB Jade Maher who completed 3 passes, including a long pass to Zach Cooper which set up Connellsville’s best drive.  The drive was stopped when Connellsville failed to convert on a 4th and 1 around the USC 30.  Under first year coach Dave McDonald, Connellsville ends their season with a 5-5 record.  It’s their first non-lossing season since 2005.  For USC Coach Jim Render, it is win number 352, the most in the WPIAL and second best in the PIAA.  The Panthers (9-1) now advance to the Quarterfinals to face Erie McDowell.

Erie McDowell Trojans 42 – McKeesport Tigers 7
“Our defense is the weak point on our team especially our defensive backfield” was the rumor in the press box tonight from the Erie McDowell Trojans media staff.  Well that seemed to be the exact opposite as McDowell ran a tough bump and run cover two defense similar to what the Tampa Bay Bucanners run in the NFL.  McKeesport came into the game winning the toss and that was about the only bright spot they had in the game.  McKeesport electing to defer to the second half and that let McDowell’s offense set a slow methodical tempo with a running attack left right and middle. Erie McDowell went on an opening drive and they were able to put the ball in with a 31 yard rush over left side from Greg Garmon and that set the pace for the rest of the game.  On the ensuing drive for McKeesport the McDowell defense came up big forcing a turnover on downs and that would be where McDowell hit the skies.  McDowell threw their only pass of the game for a 44 yard touchdown pass to James Connor from Jarrett Koper. After recovering a McDowell fumble it seemed like McKeesport was going to swing the momentum after a 35 yard pass from Eddie Stockett to Elijah Thomas they threw a 13 yard fade to Jamar Clark cutting the lead to 14-7. McDowell was able to answer on their next drive and never looked back from there.  With 8:30 to go in the 2nd half McDowell put the ball in on a 2 yard Khyre Drayer run making it 21-7.  McDowell would score again just as the half time buzzer sounded from 3 yard Garmon run over left guard. The 3rd quarter was a back and forth and almost a feeling out process between the two teams looking to see what kind of adjustments were made at half time.  In the 4th quarter McDowell would score 14 points in 61 seconds.  McDowell started that scoring with a 53 yard run from Kopper.  Then after McKeesport took the kick off they promptly turned the ball over throwing a pick six at the 10:18 mark of the 4th quarter to Tyree Spearman on a 46 yard return.  That would be all the scoring as the mercy rule took affect and throughout the rest of the game we saw a total of 3 more drives as the clock was running. Stockett finished the game accounting for most of McKeesport’s offense going 13-34 180 yards 1 TD and a pick six.  His counterpart was able to go 1-1 44 yards 1TD and carried the ball 11 times for 93 yards and 1 TD.  The real workhorse though for McDowell was Khyre Drayer who had 18 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown.  Greg Garmon finsied with 10 carries for 77 yards and 2 Touchdowns.  McDowell will go on to play the Upper Saint Clair Panthers next week in a site to be determined.

WPIAL CLASS AAA First Round:

Central Valley Warriors 60 – Laurel Highlands Mustangs 20
The defending AAA champion Central Valley Warriors got off to a nice start in defending their title as the top seed rolled to a 60 to 20 1st round playoff win over Laurel Highlands.  The Warriors scored 5 1st quarter touchdowns to jump out to a 34 to 0 lead over the undermanned Mustangs.  First Quarter highlights included a 35 yd TD pass from Curtis Lewis to Chad Phillis on the Warriors 1st play from scrimmage. A Matt Bradford 25 yard interception return for a TD.  A Justin Shaw TD run.  A Curtis Lewis 80 yard interception return for a TD and a Robert Foster 27 yard TD run.  Shaw’s 2nd TD on a 7 yard TD run extended the lead to 41 to 0 before Danzel Beasley returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to cut the lead to 41 to 7.  Aaron Law scored on a 5 yard run to give the Warriors a 48 to 7 halftime lead.  Foster would return the 2nd half kickoff for a TD and Alex Miccos 3 yd 3rd quarter TD run gave the Warriors a 60 to 6 lead.  Dyquan Scott and Mike Mason would add late touchdowns for Laurel Highlands for the 60 to 20 final.  CV is now 10 and 0.. LH’s season ends at 4 and 6.  The Mustangs are still looking for their 1st ever playoff win.  CV will face Ringgold in the quarterfinals.  CV defeated the Rams in the 1st round of the playoffs last year.

Ringgold Rams 14 – Highlands Golden Rams 10
In a “Ram-Tough” battle of defenses, it was the host Rams who outlasted the Golden Rams in this opening round matchup from Joe Montana Stadium in Monongahela.  The big question prior to the game was would Ringgold QB Quad Law be 100%, as Law had been battling an ankle injury the past few weeks.  Law looked to be 100% healthy, as he was involved in both of the Rams scores and was effective through the air while making some timely runs as well.  The teams played a scoreless first quarter full of 3-and-outs on offense, before the 9th seeded Golden Rams finally broke through in the 2nd quarter.  Mike Masarik’s 40-yard field goal with 7:02 left in the 2nd gave Highlands a 3-0 lead.  The 8th seeded Rams would respond on the ensuing drive.  On Ringgold’s 2nd play after the Highlands score, Law found Fred Johnson on a 69-yard touchdown pass, giving the Rams a 7-3 lead with 6:07 left in the half.  Late in the 2nd quarter, Law found Joey Walls on a 43-yard pass to set Ringgold up inside the Highlands 5.  But Zach Mazur forced a fumble that was recovered by Gage Clark at the 4-yard line.  Highlands ran out the clock, and the the Golden Rams trailed 7-3 at the half.  Highlands would score on the opening drive of the 2nd half, as Gage Clark’s 21-yard touchdown run capped a 3:36 drive, putting the Golden Rams on top 10-7.  But again, Ringgold had an answer on the next drive.  Law would find Walls again, this time on 36-yard connection, setting the Rams up inside the Highlands 10.  On 4th and goal, Law as able to push across the goal line from a yard out, putting Ringgold up 14-10 with 4:48 left in the quarter.  Both defenses held their ground in the 4th quarter, as there was no scoring in the final period, and it was the Rams who held on for the win.  Ringgold (8-2) of the Keystone Conference, will move on to play #1 seed Central Valley in the quarterfinals.  That game will be a rematch of last seasons WPIAL 1st round, when Central Valley ended Ringgold’s perfect season en route to the Class-AAA title.  Highlands, from the Greater Allegheny Conference, finishes 2011 at 7-3.

West Mifflin Titans 21 – Mars Fighting Planets 8
Despite a game that was closer than many would think, the West Mifflin Titans were able to pull through and secure a hard fought 21-8 over the Mars Fightin’ Planets on Friday night at Titans Stadium in West Mifflin. The Titans grabbed an early 7-0 lead on a 65-yard touchdown run from Shamar Green, but the Mars Planets (6-4) immediately responded with a long drive and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Owen Nearhoof to Elliot Woodward with 6:00 left in the first quarter. Green would finish the game with 28 carries for 223 yards. From that point the game proved to be a defensive struggle as the score was 14-8 at the half and throughout the third quarter. In the fourth, Titans’ linebacker Kevin Clark picked off a Nearhoof pass with 6:48 left to play.  The Titans would drive 47 yards to score with 3:32 left when Derrick Fulmore would hook up with Luke Centofanti from 15 yards away to provide a huge insurance touchdown. The Titans improve to 9-1 and advance to the Quarterfinals.

Montour Spartans 55 – Chartiers Valley Colts 20
All of the Montour Spartans offensive weapons were on full display Friday night as they cruised to a 55 – 20 victory over the Chartiers Valley Colts in a first round WPIAL Class AAA playoff contest.  Quarterback Dillon Buechel threw six touchdown passes as the Spartans blew the game open with 28 second quarter points.  The Spartans scored on their first possession and never looked back, although the Colts hung in for about a quarter and a half. On the night Buechel was 13 of 21 for 183 yards with one interception.  He threw scoring strikes of 29 and 16 yards to Darren Massey, 9 and 15 yards to Devin Wilson, 30 yards to Julian Durden and 15 yards to Aaron Reed.  Durden also scored on a one yard run and Anthony Rippole found the end zone from 4 yards out.  Durden ended up rushing for 176 yards on the evening.  For Chartiers Valley Wayne Capers was 18 for 32 with three touchdown passes…two to Zach Chapman (76 and 35 yards) and one to Kevin Gillen of 30 yards.  But Capers also threw two costly interceptions and was sacked five times by a relentless Montour pass rush. The Spartans improve to 8 – 2 and will meet West Mifflin in a second round game next Friday night.  Chartiers Valley ends their season at 5 – 5.

Franklin Regional Panthers 28 – Belle Vernon Leopards 14
The AAA number 2 seeded Franklin Regional Panthers survived a scare Friday night in WPIAL First Round Playoff action by defeating the 15th seeded Belle Vernon Area Leopards in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.  BVA dominated most of the first half of play keeping Franklin Regional’s top back Dane Brown in check for the most part.  The Leopards started the scoring when Freshman Tailback Anthony Levis, who was in for Ian Dobbins who had left with an ankle injury, scored on a 12 yard run at the 2:21 mark of the 1st quarter.  Zach Weight’s extra point kick gave the Leopards a 7-0 lead.  They held this advantage until the 5:27 mark of the 2nd Quarter when Dane Brown got untracked with a 7 yard TD run.  Mike Roberge’s extra point tied the game at 7 and it looked like it might stay that way going into the half but Franklin Regional was able to strike late to take a 14-7 halftime lead.  Nico Lodovico connected with Graham Schilling on a 19 yard TD pass with 41 seconds left in the half to give the Panthers the lead and Roberge’s 2nd extra point made it a 7 point advantage at halftime for Franklin Regional. The second half was marked by big plays and momentum swings both ways.  With BVA driving on the Panthers, Dominic Matarazzo intercepted a Travis Snyder pass and returned it to the BVA 26 at the 10:50 mark of the 3rd Quarter.  Less than a minute later Cam Bell picked up a Nico Lodovico fumble and returned it to the Franklin Regional 1 yard line.  Only the great hustle of the Panther’s Mark Nicholaus kept Bell from scoring and 3 plays later he was rewarded for his hustle when Franklin Regional recovered a Travis Snyder fumble at their own 1 yard line on a 3rd and goal QB sneak at the 8:11 mark of the 3rd.  The Leopards defense was able to hold and force a punt which led to a drive that saw Ian Dobbins who returned from earlier injury draw BVA to within 1 point at the 3:05 mark of the 3rd Quarter on a 1 yard run with Weight’s kick notting the game at 14.  The score remained tied until the 11:42 mark of the 4th Quarter when Carter Henderson, who had a monster game all night for Franklin Regional, blocked a Tyler McCullough punt that teammate Dominic Matarazzo scooped up and followed a convoy of Panther blockers into the end zone for the go ahead TD.  Roberge made it a 7 point lead with the extra point and Panther fans started to breathe a little easier.  However BVA would not quit and was driving for the tying score when Corey Lauer picked off a Travis Snyder pass deep in Panther territory and returned it 67 yards to the Leopard 18 yard line.  A short time later Dane Brown picked up his 2nd TD on a 3 yard run at the 7:16 mark of the final stanza and Roberge closed out the scoring with the extra point that made it a 28-14 game. Dane Brown had a pair of touchdowns for the Panthers, but was held to 92 yards rushing on 21 carries by the Leopard defense.  BVA’s Ian Dobbins cracked the hundred yard barrier picking up 106 on 20 carries with 1 TD.  In the end though big plays on special teams and defense by Dominic Matarazzo who scored the game winning TD on a blocked punt, and Corey Lauer whose key interception stopped a potential game tying drive by the Leopards allowed Franklin Regional to escape with a hard-fought victory.  BVA finishes the season at 4-6 and Franklin Regional advances to the WPIAL AAA Quarter-Finals where they will meet the Hopewell Vikings.

Hopewell Vikings 41 – Indiana Little Indians 13
Rushel Shell is not done yet. The WPIAL’s all-time leading rusher movd into second place on the all-time PIAA rushing yards with 256 yards on 34 carries as the Vikings advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 28-point rout of host Indiana. Shell, who scored four touchdowns, now has 8,787 yards and trails Jeremiah Young’s all-time state rushing record by 240 yards. Shell also tied a national record with his 38th consecutive 100-yard rushing game, tying the mark set by former Oklahoma and Detroit Lions great Billy Sims back in 1975. Hopewell jumped out to a 21-7 lead by halftime and never looked back, pulling away on a pair of Shell touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. The Vikings improve to 7-3 with their third straight win and will advance to face Franklin Regional in Round Two. The Little Indians, which were led by quarterback Logan Weaver’s 155 yards passing and two touchdowns, ends their season at 7-3

Knoch Knights 28 – West Allegheny Indians 7
On an emotional night in Saxonburg, Knoch rallied around the accidental death of a classmate and cheerleader to power past West Allegheny Friday night 28-7 to remain undefeated on the season. Senior Alexis Summers was killed in a one-car accident Tuesday night. She was the girlfriend of star running back Andrew Rumberg-Goodlin, who rushed for 111 yards. West Allegheny actually scored first on a Dylan Bongiorni 1-yard run, but it was all Knoch after that. Knights quarterback Ky Kenyon hit on only 6 of 13 passes, but they went for 133 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored the games final touchdown on a 3-yard run. West Allegheny ends their season with a final record of 5-5 while Knoch moves on to the Quarterfinals when they will face Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 34 – Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions 28 in Overtime
The Thomas Jefferson Jaguars defeated the Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs 34-28 in overtime.  The Jaguars opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Dom Presto hit Zach Shademan with a 9-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was partially blocked and no good and the Jaguars led 6-0. The Golden Lions took the lead when quarterback Josh Falatovich hit Waylon Fink with a touchdown pass and Lukas Mangery added the extra point to make it 7-6 GS. Later in the first quarter Fink picked off a Dom Presto pass and returned it for a touchdown and Mangery added the extra point to give GS a 14-6 lead. TJ tied the score in the second stanza when Ryan Ruffing scored on 3-yard touchdown run.  Ruffing ran in the two-point conversion making the score 14-14.  Ruffing scored again later in the second and Stepehn Shelpman’s PAT made it 21-14 TJ. Josh Falatovich then hit Will Maschmeyer with a 3-yard touchdown pass for GS to make the score 21-21 at the half.  The only score in the third quarter came when the Golden Lions blocked a punt and Mike Kizzie recovered the ball in the end zone. Lukas Mangery’s PAT made the score 28-21 in favor of GS.  In the fourth quarter Thomas Jefferson would tie the game on a 38-yard pass from Dom Presto to Zach Shademan. Shelpman’s point after made it 28-28.  TJ had a chance to win the game in regulation but a field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter was partially blocked and the game headed to overtime.  Greensburg-Salem failed to score on their first possession of overtime but Thomas Jefferson converted a touchdown when Presto scored from a yard out making the final score TJ 34 GS 28. The Jaguars amassed nearly 460-yards in total offense while the Golden Lions managed 286-yards.  Ryan Ruffing led the Jaguars rushing attack with 210-yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns.  The Golden Lions finish the season at 7-3 while the Jaguars are now 7-3 and will face Knoch in the second round of the playoffs.
WPIAL CLASS AA First Round:

Aliquippa Quips 44 – Steel Valley Ironmen 14
How many playoff football games start off with consecutive kickoff returns for touchdowns and a total of 15 points in just a 26 second span…?  That was the formula for 16th seed Steel Valley and Number 1 Aliuiqppa at Moe Rubenstein Stadium in Ambridge—score early and often and the MAC Champion Quips did that and more in a 44-14 verdict over the Ironmen. Mike Todd of Steel Valley took the opening kickoff  92 yards for a score but Aliquippa’s Hassahn Thompson matched that with an 85 yard TD  to make it 7-6.  Following Dravon Henry’s 2-point conversion run..The 10-0 Quips would run off another 36 points unanswered in a lst round mercy-run contest. The tempo was set on the defensive side as the first 4 of 5 Ironmen possessions ended in turnovers….picks by Malik Shegog and Henry and fumble recoveries by linemen Khalil Seaburn and Donovan Cobb. Henry’s play was impressive with a 73 yard zig-zag return.  He would score twice more on runs of 50 and 2 yards as Aliquippa piled up 275 yards on the ground with 105 by another sophomore…Terry Swanson. That Quip defense limited Steel Valley to just 51 total yards for the game and -7 at the half.  Aliquippa will move on to the Class AA Quarterfinals to meet 8-2 Washington in its quest to return to the WPIAL Championship for the 4th straight year.  Steel Valley ended its season at 5-5.

Washington Little Prexies 30 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 14
Shai McKenzie blocked a punt, ran for 173 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Washington to a 30-14 opening-round win over Mt. Pleasant.  Josh Wise opened the scoring on a 4-yard quarterback keeper following the punt block.  Three minutes later, McKenzie dashed in from 40 yards out to make it 16-0.  The Vikings responded with a 77-yard drive, keyed by a diving 28-yard pass reception by Cody Monroe.  Six plays later, Tyler Mellors scored on a two-yard run.  Washington’s Chase Caldwell blocked the extra point, keeping the score 16-6 going into intermission.  Following a punt, the Little Prexies (8-2) drove 61 yards in six plays, capped by Daron Whitaker’s 13-yard sprint to the pylon.  Mt. Pleasant (6-4) got back to within eight points on a 10-play scoring drive which included a 20-yard seam pass to Mellors and a personal foul penalty on the Wash High defense on the play.  Taylor Allison scored from three yards out and Ryan Gumbita passed to Kevin Yanok for the two-point conversion, making it 22-14 with 14 minutes to play.  After an exchange of punts and interceptions, the Little Prexies sealed the home win with McKenzie’s second scoring jaunt of the evening, this one from nine yards out.  He then caught a pass from Wise to close the scoring.  Washington rushed for 232 yards on the night and picked up 12 first downs, ten of them rushing.  Mt. Pleasant ran for 119 yards, passed for 92 more and moved the sticks 14 times.  But the Vikings allowed the blocked punt, threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball away once.  The Little Prexies had two turnonvers, one fumble and one interception.  The Little Prexies now face Aliquippa in the quarterfinals.  The teams have split their two meetings since the turn of the century, but Washington has won five of the last six playoff meetings since 1990.

Ellwood City Wolverines 33 – Freeport Yellowjackets 26
The Ellwood City Wolverines rallied from a fifteen point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Freeport Yellow Jackets 33-26 on their home field. Sophomore quarterback Julian Cox scored on a one yard run with 22 seconds remaining for the game-winner, his second rushing touchdown of the night. Freeport scored on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Brendan Lynch went 75 yards for a touchdown, after a Scott Lewis 32 yard field goal on Ellwood’s first series, Lynch added a yard run in the final minute of the quarter, giving the Yellow Jackets a 13-3 lead after one. The Yellow Jackets extended the lead ten seconds into the second quarter, Damon Smith stepped in front of a Bryan Graebing pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown, the Pick 6 giving Freeport a 19-3 advantage. Cox scored his first touchdown on a 13 yards run, the two-point conversion cut the Ellwood City deficit to eight at the half. Freeport scored the only points of the third quarter, Lynch broke free on a 65 yard run, his third score of the night, putting the Yellow Jackets up 26-15, that lead held into the fourth quarter when Ellwood City head coach Don Phillips pulled out his bag of tricks. Cox handed off to Kyle Crawford, who then handed to Jared Myers on a reverse. Myers pulled up and tossed a jump ball that Nick Polka was able to pull down and break away from double coverage and take it for a 70 yard touchdown. Cox hit Crawford on a flood pass for the two-pointer, and just like that it was a one score game. Seth Mley made a diving interception of a Lynch pass to get the ball back for Lincoln High, Cox hit Alex Grimes for a 46 yard completion down the far sidelines to set up a Cox to Crawford three yard scoring strike, Lewis converted the point-after to tie the score midway thru the final frame. The Wolverines were able to take advantage of a Lynch fumble and a sack to force a punt, Ellwood City got the ball back and drove down the field. Cox completed a couple of passes for first downs, then Crawford got EC in great shape with a 23 yard run down to the onek to set up the game-winner by Cox. The officials did not immediately determine that Cox had scored, allowing at least six seconds to run off the clock. After a short kickoff, Freeport was able to move to the Ellwood 45 with nine seconds left on a Lynch to Sean Carson hookup. Lynch could not find a open receiver on the final play, pitching the ball to Smith, the Stanford-Cal play did not work and the Wolverines come away with the win. Cox was 8 of 13 for 99 yards for the Wolverines and one touchdown pass, he ran for 34 yards and the two scores. Crawford carried 13 times for 105 yards. Polka had seven catches for 113 yards. Smith and Lynch both had great rushing nights, Smith with 177 yards on 29 carries. Lynch had 10 carries for 127 yards. Freeport ends the season at 7-3. Ellwood City is now 7-3, the Wolverines will meet Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinal round next Friday night.

Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 24 – Ford City Sabers 3
The 5th-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions prevailed at home by a score of 24-3, beating the 12th-seeded Ford City Sabers at Centurion Field.  GCC earned the win without their head coach on the sidelines, as Muzzy Colosimo was suspended for the game for what Athletic Director Dan Mahoney called an “in-house matter.”  Colosimo is expected to return to the sidelines next week.  In his absence, Muzzy’s son Willie took over play-calling duties on offense and dialed up a few beauties, including an off-tackle run with 5:54 to go in the second quarter that resulted in an 81-yard TD burst by tailback Zach Guiser, a run that put Greensburg Central ahead by a score of 10-3.   Guiser also capped off a 5-play TD drive that opened the third quarter with an 8-yard TD run to increase the GCC lead to 17-3, all set up by a 34-yard strike from QB Bobby Noble to WR Justin Kempka on a post-route on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.  Central RB Jordan McCrae sealed the win with a 16-yard explosion around left end with 6:42 remaining for the game’s final points.  The Centurion defense was outstanding in the game, holding the Ford City offense to just three points on two trips inside the 5-yard line in the first half.  The Sabers made the 3-yard line on the game’s first series after a Devin Willyard 65-yard kickoff return set up excellent field position, but Ford City settled for a 23-yard Andrew Huska field goal and a 3-0 lead.  And late in the second quarter, GCC’s ‘D” held tight at the 4-yard line and forced Ford City to attempt a 27-yard field goal late, a kick that was originally ruled good by officials but later overturned for not adequately clearing the goal-post crossbar (an adjoining soccer goal crossbar provided the confusion).  The Sabers offense never really threatened in the second-half, and was forced to at times abandon their Wing-T scheme to play catch up on the scoreboard.  The result was a four-sack GCC performance of rotating Sabers QBs Hunter Bower and David Lattanzio as Greensburg pitched a second-half shutout.  Both Guiser and McCrae went over 100-yards rushing for the game, with Ford City’s Willyard exceeding 200 all-purpose yards.  Centurions WR Zach Herman also had an excellent day, hauling in three passes that resulted in 3rd or 4th-down conversions.  With the victory, GCC advanced to the WPIAL Quarterfinal Round for the 6th time in 8 seasons.

Jeannette Jayhawks 46 – Burrell Buccaneers 14
Demetrious Cox scored four touchdowns and the #2 Jeannette Jayhawks (10-0) used a 26-point second half to defeat the #15 Burrell Buccaneers (6-4), 46-14, at McKee Stadium. Cox, the Division I recruit with 19 college offers on the table, got the scoring started early and often for Jeannette. With starting quarterback Zach Middleby out with a shoulder injury, James Liput would get the start for the Bucs and throw an interception on the first possession of the game. Cox would drive the Jayhawks down the field and run off right guard, up the middle, for a 14-yard touchdown with 8:12 remaining in the opening frame, making it 7-0 Jeannette after a Seth Miller PAT. Cox would strike again at the 2:55 mark, this time going off right tackle and in from seven yards out, pushing the score to 14-0. Just over four minutes later, Cox would hit the endzone again, this time on a 3rd and 16 that he broke free for a 31-yard touchdown up the middle of the field, completing a ten play, 70-yard drive, making it 20-0 Jeannette after a failed PAT by Miller. Just when it looked like the Jayhawks were going to run away with it, Burrell fought back. Cole Bush would break a run for 38 yards, down to the 2 yard-line, that seemed to light a match under the Bucs. Two plays later, Bush would go in for his first touchdown of the night, cutting the score to 20-7. Just over seven minutes later, Bush would hit paydirt again, this time on a two-yard touchdown run after an 11-play drive, pulling to within six points at 20-14. Miller would miss a 47-yard field goal wide left as time expired in the first half and it was 20-14 at the break. Whatever third-year Head Coach Roy Hall told his Jayhawks in the locker room must have worked, because Jeannette exploded in the second half. Cox would score for a fourth time at the 4:15 mark of the third quarter on a 26-yard run up the middle and, after a failed 2-point conversion, the lead was pushed to 26-14. Then, with 0:27 left in the third, the Jayhawks put the game away. After a drive stalled at midfield, the Bucs were forced to punt to Shavonta Craft, who fielded the punt at his own 10-yardline, got solid blocks on the right sideline and broke it free for a 90-yard punt return touchdown, making it 32-14 Jeannette after another failed 2-pt conversion. Just when the third quarter could not get any worse for the Bucs, Liput would throw his second interception of the night, this one to Anthony Canady, who returned it 32 yards for the touchdown with no time remaining on the clock, pushing the lead to 39-14. Jordan Edmunds would tack on a 27-yard touchdown run with 9:24 to go in the game, making the final score 46-14. Cox threw for 44 yards, ran for 137 yards on only 14 carries, 4 of which were for touchdowns and also had an interception of Liput, who threw three picks and lost a fumble on the night. Cole Bush ran for 88 yards and a two touchdowns for Burrell, but was limited to only 20 yards rushing in the second half. Jeannette moves on to the Quarterfinals where they will meet #7 Shady Side Academy.

Shady Side Academy Indians 35 – Beaver Bobcats 21
Reggie Mitchell scored 4 times as the Indians defeated the Bobcats 35-21. Shady Side scored on the opening drive going 80 yards in four plays in less than a minute capped off by Mitchell’s first TD.  Beaver would answer on a Christian Herstine to Anthony Keriotis pass play and the score would be tied at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.  That would be the closest the Bobcats would get as the Indians would score 2 times in the second to lead 20-7 at the half.  Neither team would score in the third quarter before Beaver made things interesting  cutting the lead to 5, 20-15 scoring on the  first play of the fourth quarter.  But the Shady Side defense would answer with a safety making  the  score 22-15.  The Indians would recover the onside kick and then score 13 unanswered points.  Beaver would add a late score.  Beaver ends the season losing three of their last four games.

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 48 – East Allegheny Wildcats 12
Undefeated Seton-LaSalle continues to prove they have a lot of Hart as they advanced with a First Round victory over East Allegheny Friday night at Chartiers Valley High School. Senior running back Kevin Hart rushed for 224 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Rebels led 19-6 after one quarter, and put the contest away by outscoring the Wildcats 22-0 in the second quarter. Luke Brumbaugh hit Lou Rotunda ion a 42-yard scoring pass and Nick Sywyj scored on a pair of touchdown runs as Seton-LaSalle improved to 10-0 on the season. Kyle Whipple hit K.J. Marshall on a 10-yard scoring toss and Shawn Adair scored the games final touchdown for East Allegheny, as their season ends with a 5-5 record. Seton-LaSalle will now face fellow Century Conference opponent South Fayette in the Quarterfinals next Friday. The Rebels beat the Lions in Week 8 33-10.

South Fayette Lions 24 – Beaver Falls Tigers 14
In a game that saw each team commit five turnovers, South Fayette turned three of Beaver Falls miscues into points and the Lions won the first round WPIAL AA playoff game Friday night at Geneva College’s Reeves Field, 24-14.  The defending champions never trailed and opened the scoring on a 36-yard field goal from Tyler Yee.  Receiver Zach Challingsworth scored a pair of touchdowns for South Fayette and Mike Fetchet’s nine-yard reception for a score early in the third quarter gave the Lions a commanding 24-6 lead.  The Tigers got a 59-yard kickoff return from Damian Rawl for a touchdown and quarterback Weslley Nesmith got to pay dirt on a 15-yard scamper to pull Beaver Falls within ten points at 24-14.  But, the two best drives by Beaver Falls ended up with no points as the Tigers were stopped on downs at the South Fayette 10-yard line late in the first half and then another drive stalled in the fourth when the Lions intercepted a pass in the end zone.  Freshman Brett Brumbaugh played the entire game at quarterback for South Fayette, 7-3, while Beaver Falls finishes its season with the same record.  It’ll be a battle of brothers in the quarterfinals as South Fayette will meet Seton-LaSalle, featuring its quarterback in Luke Brumbaugh.
WPIAL CLASS A First Round:

Clairton Bears 54 – Cornell Raiders 0
Scoring started in the first quarter on an interception and twenty yard return for the touchdown by Clairton’s Terrish Webb.  the try for two was no good.  Clairton 6 Cornell 0.  At the 5:12 mark of the first quarter, Clairton once again took advantage of a short field , this time Tyler Boyd 15 yard run for the score and with the Trenton Cole Kick it was 13 – 0.  Trenton Coles added a Touchdown at 3:43 of the first and Quarterback Capri Thomson ran in the two pointer to make it 21-0.   Tyler Boyd added another 26 yard run for a score as Clairton took advantage of two bad snaps on Cornell punts with the second bad snap recovered by Eric Walker in the endzone. After another 2 point conversion the route was on at 34-0 as the second quarter started.    Clairton added a 52 yard pass from Bryon Clifford  to Terrish Webb on a double reverse pass at 6:23 in the second quarter and with the Coles kick it was 41-0.  The scoring ended in the first half when Cornell finally got into Clairton territory but a deflected pass fell into the hands of Trenton Coles who took it 70 yards for the score, his kick made the halftime score 48-0.  With the mercy rule in effect, Clairton took the second half kick off and essentially held the ball on the ground for almost the entire quarter and finally pushed it across at the 2:08 mark on a Rueben Kelly 1 yard run.  The extra point was not good as penalties took the ball all the way out to outside the 35 yard line where Clairton took a knee on the extra point.  That was all of the scoring that we would see as some reserves got some playoff experience and our final was Clairton 54- Cornell 0.  Very unofficially, Tyler Boyd had 6 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns and the total yards were dominated by Clairton 285 – 67.  Clairton moves to 10-0 on the season and picks up its 41st consecutive victory.

Springdale Dynamos 65 – Monessen Greyhounds 30
Host Monessen raced out to a 10-0 early lead before the Greyhounds were stopped in their tracks. Springdale would score 48 of the next 61 points in a wild 65-30 offensive shootout victory in this Class A playoff opener. The Dynamos scored 50 points combined in the second and third quarters led by Sean Dugan’s 221 yards rushing and three touchdowns while Chris Liberto gained 183 yards on thr ground and scored four touchdowns. The Hounds were led by Chavis Rawlins, who rushed for 127 yards and threw for 117 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned a kick 90-yards to paydirt. Monessen finishes with a 6-4 record while Springdale improves to 8-2 and prepares to play top-seed Clairton in the Quarterfinals.

Rochester Rams 48 – Northgate Flames 22
It was the DeAngelo Moon show from Rochester on Friday night.  The Senior rushed for 264 yds and 4 touchdowns{one in each quarter} as he led Rochester to a 48 – 22 first round playoff win over Northgate.  Freshman running back Preston Johnson also had a good night as he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. The score could have had a wider margin but Rochester had 4 turnovers and numerous penalties in the game. If they want to go deeper in the playoffs they will have to correct these problems. Senior QB John Girvin had a nice game for Northgate. He was under pressure most of the night but still managed to make some completions.  One for a touchdown to Jake Abernethy. He also ran for a touchdown on a scramble. Rochester will face Avonworth in the second round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Avonworth Antelopes 28 – California Trojans 16
The game began with both teams predominately running the ball, and having success doing so.  With 1:27 left in the 1st quarter, California fumbled the football on their own 17 yard line, and Avonworth recovered it.  With 10.5 seconds left in the 1st quarter, Avonworth took advantage of the turnover, and scored a touchdown.  Ricky Lawniczak ran the ball 17 yards into the end zone, and the PAT was good.  7-0 Avonworth at the end of the 1st quarter.  With 5:23 remaining in the first half, California was driving the ball, and got it all the way down to the Avonworth 1 yard line.  They were about to score when they (California) fumbled!  Avonworth recovered.  Later in the 2nd quarter, with 18.4 seconds to go in the first half, Avonworth was set to punt it away.  But after several Avonworth penalties, they were going to be forced to punt it at their own 10 yard line.  The snap was high, and the ball rolled into the end zone and out, and resulted in a safety for California.  It was then 7-2 Avonworth at the half.  Second half action.  7:40 to go in the 3rd quarter, Avonworth scored a touchdown, courtesy of an 8 yard run by Ricky Lawniczak.  The PAT was good, and it was 14-2 Avonworth.  Then, with 25.1 seconds to go in the 3rd quarter, Avonworth QB Brian Vales connected with Tight End Evan Krahe for a 14 yard touchdown pass.  The PAT was good.  It was 21-2 Avonworth at the end of the 3rd quarter.  In the 4th, only 5 seconds in at 11:55, Avonworth’s Ricky Lawniczak had a 5 yard touchdown run, with the PAT good.  It was 28-2 Avonworth.  Then, with 7:31 remaining, California QB Tyler Conway connected with Dylan Hunter for a 6 yard touchdown reception.  They went for the 2 point conversion which failed, and it was 28-8 Avonworth.  And in the final moments, with 1:26 remaining, Avonworth fumbled the ball, and California’s Demetri Clements recovered the ball, and ran 40 yards for a touchdown.  The 2 point conversion was successful off of a pass from Conway to Dylan Hunter, and the final score would be 28-16 Avonworth.  California had 3 big turnovers, and Avonworth’s Ricky Lawniczak had 3 touchdowns.  It was a good game, and Avonworth moves on to the next round.  Final score:  28-16 Avonworth.

Sto-Rox Vikings 69 – Frazier Commodores 25
 One game at a time. It might sound cliché, but that mantra for the Sto-Rox football team entering the 2011 WPIAL playoffs could not have been more appropriate. After all, the Vikings were upset in the first round a year ago against North Catholic in a two-point heartbreaker. On Friday night at home, Sto-Rox refused to let history repeat itself. Lenny Williams threw four first half touchdowns to four different receivers and the Vikings defense intercepted four passes, returning three for scores as Sto-Rox walloped Frazier, 69-25. The Vikings advance to the quarterfinals against Brentwood. Early on, Sto-Rox (10-0) seemed to be in a dogfight. The Commodores marched 72 yards on the game’s opening possession and scored on a Rock Vargo to Kyle Rodriguez 13-yard pass play for an early 6-0 lead. It was short-lived. Dontez Ford returned the ensuing kickoff to the Frazier 49-yard line, and Williams fired a laser to Kevin Hooper for a touchdown on the next play, sparking a 49-0 Sto-Rox run. Hooper would culminate a 37-point Vikings first quarter with a 54-yard interception return for a score. The Vikings led 55-19 at halftime. Marzett Geter returned the second half kickoff 71 yards for another Sto-Rox touchdown, his third score of the game. Frazier (6-4) was led by Chase Bertocci’s two 2nd quarter touchdowns. Ben Shackleford and Chris Richardson also returned interceptions for Vikings TDs.

Brentwood Spartans 20 – Western Beaver Golden Beavers 12
Brentwood was victorious Friday in a game that was a thriller from beginning to end. Brentwood started the scoring in the first quarter as Justin Vickless had a huge 63 yard run that set up his four yard touchdown carry and after Michael Hawrylak’s extra point it was 7-0. Western Beaver would answer though in the first quarter. After being forced to punt, Western Beaver kicked it away but Brentwood’s Spencer Hubsch fumbled the punt. Western Beaver would recover and on the next play, Eric Blinn would go 47 yards for a score but the two point conversion failed to make it 7-6. After a strong stance from Western Beaver’s defense, their offense was sparked by a big play. Eric Blinn hit Dustin Creel for a 52 yard touchdown strike and after another failed two point conversion, it was 12-7. After a scoreless third quarter, Brentwood’s special teams would come up with a big play to give them the spark they needed. Michael Kish would block Eric Blinn’s punt and they would take over on offense at the Western Beaver 25 yard line. On the next play, Chris Shortley hit Sean O’Brien for 25 yards and although Hawrylak’s extra point was no good, it was Brentwood with the lead at 13-12. Then after a three and out for Western Beaver, Brentwood would put together a drive that would seal the deal. The big play of the game was Shortley’s quarterback keeper for 18 yards on and 3rd and 18 that kept their drive alive while keeping the clock ticking. Vickless would then go off for a 31 yard touchdown scamper and after Hawrylak’s extra point, they had the game sewn away. Brentwood was victorious 20-12 to advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on Sto-Rox.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 27 – Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 23

Fort Cherry Rangers 33 – Beth-Center Bulldogs 14
Fort Cherry quarterback Tanner Garry ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 231 yards and three scores to lead the rangers to a first-round playoff win over Tri-County South champion Beth Center. Ft. Cherry’s defense turned the ball over on downs after Beth Center had a first and goal at the 9 yard line midway through the first quarter. The Rangers then marched 92 yards on 9 plays, with Garry scoring on a one-yard run to give Ft. Cherry a 7-0 lead. The Rangers defense then intercepted BC quarterback Sal Faieta on consecutive series. Garry returned the first pick to the bulldogs 23 yard line, leading to a 20-yard touchdown reception by Zack Dysert. Ryan Babirad’s pick of a Faieta pass in the end zone stopped another BC drive. Babariad was then on the receiving end of a 31-yard Garry td pass to give the rangers a 21-0 lead. The bulldogs scored on a Faieta to DeShan Brown 8-yard pass with less than a minute left in the first half. The rangers nearly scored again, but Garry fumbled in to the end zone and BC recovered right before halftime. A BC fumble led to another Garry td pass in the 3rd quarter. Tyler Weyers caught a 22-yard strike to make the score 27-7 FC. Faieta hit CJ Novak on a 66-yard screen pass as the bulldogs answered quickly, but a 12-play 80-yard touchdown drive sealed the win for Fort Cherry. Garry capped the drive with a 19-yard run. Beth Center was held to 23-yards rushing in the game. Faieta threw for 240 yards and two scores before leaving the game in the 4th quarter with an injury. Novak had 9 receptions for 171 yards and a td, while FC’s Ryan Babirad caught 5 passes for 160 and a score. Fort Cherry advances to the quarter finals against undefeated Canevin next week.