McKeesport plays to strengths in Class 4A win over Armstrong

By: Adam Brewer
Friday, November 12, 2021 | 11:41 PM

When it comes to the postseason, teams have to play to their strengths and stay true to their identity.

On Friday night in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal contest against Armstrong, McKeesport relied on its triple-option rushing attack, hit some big pass plays and was relentless on the pass rush en route to a 35-21 triumph at home.

“We ran our stuff, and I thought the kids were energized the whole night,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “We didn’t back down, and it was a total team effort tonight. I liked how we responded to that Belle Vernon loss at the end the season, and this team really took advantage of our first-round bye.”

The Tigers (9-2) are now 7-5 in the quarterfinal round since 2006 and avenged last year’s round-of-eight setback to Plum. This is the third time they have advanced to the semifinals in the last five seasons.

McKeesport will play No. 2 Aliquippa, a 36-0 winner over Laurel Highlands, in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at a neutral site to be determined.

“I haven’t watched too much film on Aliquippa this season,” Miller said. “Obviously they are a solid team with a strong winning tradition. From our perspective, we have to be able to control the ball and chew up clock. We have to run our stuff and stick with it throughout the game.”

The River Hawks (8-4) couldn’t avenge a 24-14 regular season loss to the Tigers on Sept. 10.

On the fourth play of the game, McKeesport went up 7-0 when quarterback Caleb Reist found Amario Fleming streaking in the middle of the field for a 44-yard scoring toss at the 10:04 mark of the first.

After both teams were forced to punt on the next two drives, Armstrong got their pass-happy offense going and quarterback Cadin Olsen threw a 16-yard dart to the back of the end zone to Jon Yancy for a 7-7 tie with 1:47 remaining in the opening period.

It was all Tigers in the second quarter, as they racked up 165 yards and 21 points.

After the River Hawks failed on a fourth-and-1 at their own 24-yard line, the Tigers took a 14-7 lead four plays later after a 1-yard keeper by Reist.

McKeesport kept things rolling after a three-and-out by the visitors, as Kenneth Thompson capped off a 10-play, 86-yard drive with an 11-yard reverse for a score with 1:07 left before halftime.

“That second quarter was huge for us,” Miller said. “We established our offense and kind of wore their defensive line down with our running game. It gave us a huge boost and took the monkey off our backs. We are a different team when we play with the lead.”

After another three-and-out by the River Hawks, the Tigers pulled out some trickery on the next play after the visitors’ punt when Jahmil Perryman threw a 50-yard halfback pass to Dennis Jackson to give the home team all the momentum going into halftime with a 28-7 lead.

“We haven’t run that play all year, and I had an assistant coach suggest that before the series, and I said, ‘Why not?’” Miller said. “We really didn’t have anything to lose. I thought we executed that play really good. It was a strong toss by Perryman and an excellent catch by Jackson to track that ball down.”

Armstrong started the second half strong, as Olsen threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Brown on a quick five-play, 59-yard drive.

The River Hawks couldn’t continue their offense pressure through the air the remainder of the game, as the Tigers’ pass rush continued to put pressure up the middle and around the edges on Olsen.

With 9:48 left in the fourth quarter, McKeesport mounted a game-sealing drive with a 12-play, 62-yard march that took nearly six minutes off the clock and resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Thompson on fourth-and-goal.

Bobbie Boyd was clutch on the drive, running three times for 25 yards. Boyd finished with 133 yards on 23 carries but did exit the game late in the fourth after an injury on defense.

“Bobbie is special and really drove the offense,” Miller said. “He is our workhorse, and he gets those tough yards. If you give him a small crease, he can fill the hole and break one loose. He loves getting those difficult yards, and he only gets stronger as the game goes along.”

Olsen, who garnered 270 yards on 21-of-36 passing, secured the final score of the night with a 6-yard rushing score in the final minute of regulation.

After a failed onside kick attempt, McKeesport was able to get into victory formation and drain out the clock.

Reist had two completions on the night, the 44-yard touchdown pass to Fleming on the first drive and then a 41-yard completion to Jackson in the second quarter. Jackson finished with two catches for 91 yards, while Thompson ended his night with 53 rushing yards.

The defense sacked Olsen five times and only allowed five rushing yards on the night.

“Our defensive coordinator was dialing in some good calls and blitzes against their quarterback,” Miller said. “We didn’t want him to feel comfortable at all and we had to hit him in the pocket. We challenged our D-line this week and they answered the call. I thought we won the line of scrimmage tonight.”

Watch an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Armstrong, McKeesport