PIAA Class 2A semifinal preview: Steel Valley vs. Westinghouse

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, December 1, 2022 | 5:10 PM

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PIAA Class 2A semifinals

Steel Valley (12-0) vs. Westinghouse (13-0)

7 p.m. Friday at West Mifflin

On the air: 100.1 FM, 1020 AM

How they got here: WPIAL champion Steel Valley defeated Beaver Falls, 34-14, to win the District 7 title. City League champion Westinghouse rolled past District 10 champion Farrell, 34-6, in the PIAA quarterfinals.

Winner plays: Winner of District 4 champion Southern Columbia (11-3) and District 3 champion Trinity (10-4) in the PIAA championship game at 1 p.m. Dec. 9, at Cumberland Valley.

Coaches: Ray Braszo, Steel Valley; Donta Green, Westinghouse

Players to watch: Cruce Brookins, sr., QB/S, Steel Valley; Keyshawn Morsillo, sr., QB, Westinghouse

Factoids: Steel Valley won its sixth WPIAL title last week, and it was the first for coach Ray Braszo, now in 34th season and fourth at Steel Valley. The Ironmen are seeking their second PIAA title after beating Southern Columbia, 49-7, in 2016. Brookins leads the Steel Valley attack. The Kent State-bound QB, who received offers from Pitt and Syracuse this week, has run for more than 1,600 yards and thrown for 700 more, factoring in on 41 touchdowns. In the WPIAL final, he scored three times and ran for 170 yards. His top target is Mekhai Valentine. Lineman Greg Smith is a Miami (Ohio) recruit. The Ironmen have been solid on both sides of the ball all season, averaging 44.0 points per game and allowing just 7.9. Both were tops in WPIAL Class 2A. … Westinghouse continued it’s dominance over postseason foes last Saturday in the PIAA quarterfinals with a 28-point victory over Farrell. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 592-107 this season, including a 270-50 margin of victory in the playoffs. Morsillo has thrown for nearly 2,400 yards and 41 touchdowns and also run for more than 600 yards with 16 scores. Senior Sincere Smith has over 1,100 receiving yards and 20 scores. Khalil Taylor ran for 106 yards and two scores Saturday. Westinghouse’s defense allowed just 4 yards after halftime in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs are looking to become the second City League team to win a PIAA title, following Perry (1989).

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Steel Valley, Westinghouse