No. 1 Pine-Richland aims to topple two-time defending champ Central Catholic in Class 6A final

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 17, 2017 | 9:33 AM

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This week, the eight days between the WPIAL semifinals and the bus ride to Heinz Field, is kind of like Super Bowl week on the Western Pennsylvania high school level.

There are special events: Pine-Richland quarterback Phil Jurkovec received his U.S. Army All-American jersey at a school assembly.

Honored to welcome 4️⃣⭐️ Notre Dame commit @pjurkovec to the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. ??? #ArmyBowl #WeAreND #FightingIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/QmHkJSvweA

— Selection Tour (@SelectionTour) November 16, 2017

And, mostly, there’s a lot of time to wait.

“It seems really long,” Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz said after Thursday’s practice. “The last time we were in the WPIAL championship it was Thanksgiving week and Thanksgiving Day kind of broke it up a little bit for you. (This week) definitely seems long. It seems extra long.”

Maybe that’s in part because Pine-Richland has anticipated this week since at least August. Maybe since last November, when the Rams’ 2016 season ended short of the finals.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, No. 1-seed Pine-Richland (12-0), the preseason favorite and regular-season bulldozer, has the chance to win the Class 6A title. The Rams will make their first Heinz Field appearance since 2014, and they’ll face a Central Catholic team that’s already very familiar with championship week.

No. 2 seed Central Catholic (10-2) is a two-time defending WPIAL champion and has reached the finals for the fifth consecutive year.

“We were ready to play on Tuesday,” Kasperowicz said. “We had a good week of preparation so far. They’re kind of anxious, chomping at the bit, ready to get after it on Saturday.”

The weeklong goal is balancing practice with patience.

“It’s hard,” Kasperowicz said. “We’ve been saying all week, don’t listen to the noise. Don’t listen to how big of a game it is, or about Heinz Field. Just go play and everything will work out.”

If Central Catholic has an edge Saturday, it’s the team’s championship experience. Vikings quarterback Troy Fisher is 2-0 in WPIAL finals and will make his third start at Heinz Field, while seniors David Green, Cam Laconi and Liam Slattery all were contributors in last year’s 42-7 win over Seneca Valley.

“They’ve certainly been in big football games,” Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said.

But as Central practiced this week, those seniors experienced championship week as underdogs for the first time.

“We were the prohibitive favorite the last two years, so it’s a little different,” Totten said. “But what we’re asking is that they uphold the tradition of Central Catholic football.

“Despite the talent level or whatever, you’ve got to come out and really play our kind of football, which is hard and physical,” Totten added. “That’s all you can ask of them really. The chips will fall where they will.”

The Northern Seven rivals meet for the seventh time in four years, including Pine-Richland’s 21-13 win in the 2014 Class 4A final.

This year, Pine-Richland won 47-17 at home when they played in Week 5. Central Catholic managed only a first-half field goal and trailed 47-3 at halftime after Pine-Richland running back Jordan Crawford scored seven touchdowns in the win.

Led by Jurkovec, a 3,003-yard passer with 30 touchdowns this season, the Rams have scored at least 41 points in every game this season and outscored opponents 595-153.

No team has come within 20 points of Pine-Richland, which started the season ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 6A and only strengthened its favorite status.

Jurkovec has dominated in the playoffs. In two postseason games, the Notre Dame commit has passed for 667 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 222 yards and two more scores.

“We know we’ve got a giant challenge in front of us,” Totten said. “The last time we didn’t do so well against Pine-Richland during the season, so I think my guys are ready. … We’ve got to tackle better than we did. They pressure you at every point on the field, so a lot of it is one-on-one football. You’ve got to make that tackle or you’re in for a long night.”

Kasperowicz said receiver Raymond Falcone and cornerback Thomas Burns, who missed last week to injury, are expected back Saturday.

Injuries have hurt Central Catholic, which is on its fourth tailback this season. With senior Khalil Weathers hurt, the Vikings start Dontre Jones in the backfield. The sophomore has 368 yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries.

“I hope (our mindset) isn’t we’re just happy to get there,” Totten said, “but it’s kind of incredible that we are there.”

When Pine-Richland arrives Saturday at Heinz Field, it will be the first North Shore appearance for this roster, but Kasperowicz isn’t worried his team will arrive wide-eyed.

“A big game is a big game,” Kasperowicz said. “These kids have played on ESPN twice. They’ve been on big stages before.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Central Catholic, Greensburg C.C., Pine-Richland