PIAA football playoffs: 30 years in 30 days — South Side captures ’99 title

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | 6:27 PM

The PIAA had been hosting state playoffs in all but one fall high school sport since 1976. Soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf, cross country and field hockey all crowned state champions once the district playoffs concluded.

The lone exception to the fall state playoff slate was high school football.

It wasn’t until 1988 when PIAA officials finally pulled the trigger on the idea of having a yearly state football playoff.

From George Novak and Woodland Hills losing in a mud pit to Bob Palko and West Allegheny finding the third time really was the charm to Neil Walker and Pine-Richland competing in a heartbreaking overtime loss in a snowstorm and to Tyler Boyd and the golden Bears of Clairton winning four straight state championships.

There have been a lot of thrills and heartbreak in three decades of state championship football. Leading up to the 2018 state finals, the TribLIVE High School Sports Network will look back at how WPIAL teams have fared in the PIAA championships with 30 years in 30 days.

The Year: 1999

The Site: Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey

The Champs: Central Bucks West, Strath Haven, Tyrone, South Side Beaver

The Headline: Wet and wild Rams golden while West A falls in first of Indians vs. Panthers trifecta

The Lowdown: It was the back half of a seven-year stretch where the WPIAL Class A Big 7 was dominating the state.

From 1995-2001, a team from the Big 7 won six PIAA championships.

Farrell claimed back-to-back titles in 1995 and ’96. Rochester won state gold in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and a school from Hookstown, Pa. stunned the state with a championship run in 1999.

In 1998, South Side finished tied for second place in the Big 7 with Monaca and Farrell, two games behind eventual WPIAL and PIAA champion Rochester.

A year later, the king Ram in the conference was South Side. The Rams were a perfect 14-0 with six shutouts in winning the conference, the WPIAL championship 21-14 over Monaca, and a PIAA semifinals victory over Bishop Carroll.

South Side would face District 4 power Southern Columbia. The Tigers were making their fifth trip to the Class A state title game in six years, but were 1-3 in the finals to that point.

Playing in a steady rain, Cory Boyd scored on a 2-yard run for South Side and quarterback Sean McCune connected with David Brandon on a 5-yard scoring pass in the second quarter. SSB kicker Jared Lewis hit a 35-yard field right before the half to give the Rams a 15-7 lead.

Trailing 21-7 in the second half, Southern Columbia rallied and tied the game on a 22-yard touchdown pass with just over 5 minutes left in regulation.

After McCune’s quick kick put Southern Columbia deep in their own territory, the Tigers decided to be aggressive and it did not pay off.

Southern Columbia quarterback Matt Kaskie was behind his intended target and was picked off by South Side defensive back Rob Melnick, who returned to the Tigers 35 with 1:04 left.

McCune hit Dan Nale on a pass and run that covered 30 yards. Two plays later, Boyd scored on a 3-yard run with only 9 seconds left to cap off a perfect season for the Rams, 27-21.

“You work all your life to be a state champion,” South Side coach Glenn McDougal said after the game. “It’s an unbelievable feeling with a lot of emotion.”

• The high felt by South Side from Friday afternoon did not carry over to West Allegheny on Friday evening.

West Allegheny, playing in its first PIAA championship game, was blown away by District 1 champion Strath Haven, 21-7.

The WPIAL champion Indians’ passing game struggled as a strong wind over 30 miles per hour was consistent throughout the game. Thus, super sophomore Tyler Palko was only 2 of 5 passing.

The Panthers, meanwhile, were led by Tennessee recruit Mark Jones, who rushed for 114 yards on 21 carries and also caught three passes for 53 yards.

The three touchdowns scored by Strath Haven was a bonanza against a West Allegheny defense that had only surrendered seven touchdowns the entire season leading up to the PIAA finals.

These same two teams would play for PIAA Class AAA gold the next two years, as well, with Strath Haven winning two of the three championship games.

Tags: South Side, West Allegheny