Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football playoff matchups for 2021 Week 10

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 7:30 PM

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Welcome to the 2021 WPIAL football playoffs.

The postseason kicks off Friday with one game on the Road to Norwin in 6A, and 28 games on the Highway to Heinz.

There are 15 district teams that can relax and enjoy the first Friday of November as they earned a bye into the next round of the district playoffs.

All 29 games can been viewed or heard here on your exclusive home for the WPIAL football playoffs, the TribLive High School Sports Network. Here is a tasty six pack of games that stand out on opening night from each of the classes.

Class 6A quarterfinals

No. 5 Canon-McMillan (4-6) at No. 4 North Allegheny (6-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Newman Stadium at North Allegheny

On the air: Audio stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Mike Evans, Canon-McMillan; Art Walker, North Allegheny

Last week: Canon-McMillan lost to Central Catholic, 54-14; North Allegheny lost to Seneca Valley, 17-12

Players to watch: Michael Evans, Canon-McMillan (Soph., 6-1, 190, QB); Logan Kushner, North Allegheny (Soph., 5-10, 160, QB)

Four downs

1. Since beating Hempfield on Oct. 1, Canon-McMillan has lost four straight games. The Big Macs finished in a three-way tie for fifth place in 6A, but after head-to-head and Gardner Points were tied, Canon-Mac ended up with more WPIAL tiebreaker points over Baldwin and Norwin to secure a trip back to the postseason.

2. The Big Macs’ future looks bright thanks to the play of sophomore quarterback Michaels Evans. On a tough night in Week 9 against Central Catholic, Evans hit on 17 of 27 passes for 201 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses of 44 and 5 yards to Austyn Winkleblech.

3. North Allegheny lost out on a chance to finish in third place in 6A and earn a quarterfinals bye with a close loss at Seneca Valley in Week 9. After splitting their first six games this season, the Tigers’ loss to the Raiders last week snapped a three-game winning streak.

4. This game is a battle for a semifinals spot between teams led by young bucks at QB. Tigers sophomore quarterback Logan Kushner is 80 yards shy of 1,000 passing for the season thanks to another strong performance last week in which he threw for 210 yards and a 5-yard scoring pass to senior Dwayne Taylor for NA’s lone touchdown.

Extra point: North Allegheny beat Canon-McMillan, 36-14, three weeks ago. The Big Macs have never beaten the Tigers in six previous meetings. This is the third time the schools have met in the postseason. NA beat Canon-Mac, 41-6, in the 2002 Class AAAA first round and the Tigers prevailed over the Big Macs, 48-7, in the 2019 6A quarterfinals. The winner of this game will play at top-seed Mt. Lebanon in a 6A semifinal next week.

Class 5A first round

No. 9 Woodland Hills (4-6) at No. 8 Bethel Park (5-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Black Hawks Stadium at Bethel Park

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Tim Bostard, Woodland Hills; Brian DeLallo, Bethel Park

Last week: Woodland Hills defeated Connellsville, 42-7; Bethel Park lost to Upper St. Clair, 21-14

Players to watch: Deontae Williams, Woodland Hills (Sr., 5-11, 190, QB/WR/S); Troy Volpatti (Sr., 5-11, 195, RB/S)

Four downs

1. After winning only one game in its first six contests, Woodland Hills righted the ship and won three of its final four games, including two straight Big East Conference victories, to secure third place. The Wolverines scored only 25 points in five losses but are averaging over 35 points per game in their last three wins.

2. Senior quarterback Deontae Williams continues to be a handful for Wolverines opponents. Last week in a win over Connellsville, Williams threw for 56 yards on five completions, plus gained 90 yards on the ground and scored three touchdowns on runs of 2, 4 and 23 yards.

3. Bethel Park entered a Week 7 showdown at Moon with a chance to take over sole possession of first place in the Allegheny Six Conference. However, the Black Hawks were shut out by the Tigers, 30-0, then lost to rival Upper St. Clair last week in a fight for second place.

4. Despite the loss to the visiting Panthers, running back Troy Volpatti continues to shine. The senior rushed for 133 yards and scored on a 5-yard run, plus he threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to freshman Ryan Petras.

Extra point: Bethel Park has won the last two meetings, including the most recent contest, 29-16, in 2019. However, Woodland Hills has a big advantage in the overall series, leading 9-3. The Wolverines are a perfect 4-0 in the postseason, beating the Black Hawks in playoff games in 1999, 2002, 2009 and 2015. The winner of this game advances to the Class 5A quarterfinals and will visit top-seed and undefeated Moon.

Class 4A first round

No. 10 Laurel Highlands (7-3) at No. 7 Beaver (7-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Gypsy Glen Stadium at Beaver

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com with audio on WMBS-AM 590, WMBS-FM 101.1

Coaches: Richard Kolesar, Laurel Highlands; Cort Rowse, Beaver

Last week: Laurel Highlands defeated Uniontown, 42-14; Beaver defeated Blackhawk, 23-21

Players to watch: Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands (Jr., 6-0, 170, QB/CB); Jake Hilton, Beaver (Sr., 6-2, 190, RB/LB)

Four downs

1. The pendulum is back swinging on the good side for Laurel Highlands. The Mustangs won their first five games, then lost three straight Big Eight Conference games, then ended the regular season with two straight wins, including a Week 8 victory over Trinity that clinched a playoff berth.

2. The spotlight always seems to shine bright on quarterback Rodney Gallagher. He prepares for his first taste of postseason football after coming off a big game in Week 9 in which he registered 215 total yards from scrimmage with four touchdown runs in a 28-point win over rival Uniontown.

3. After losing its Parkway Conference opener to Aliquippa, Beaver ran the table in the conference with four straight wins and a second-place finish. It wasn’t easy though, as the margin of victory for the Bobcats was six, seven, seven and two points.

4. Trailing 14-6 in the second half last week against visiting Blackhawk, Bobcats senior running back Jake Hilton took control. He ended up with 177 yards rushing on 17 carries with back-to-back touchdown runs of 56 and 27 yards that helped Beaver secure second place in the conference.

Extra point: This is first playoff game since 2018 for Beaver and 2015 for Laurel Highlands. The Bobcats’ last postseason win was a first-round victory over Elizabeth Forward, 40-20, in 2017. The Mustangs have never won a WPIAL football playoff game with an 0-10 postseason record. This is the first meeting between Beaver and Laurel Highlands. The winner of this game advances to the 4A quarterfinals to visit No. 2 seed Aliquippa.

Class 3A first round

No. 10 South Allegheny (4-6) at No. 7 Keystone Oaks (5-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Dormont Stadium in Dormont

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: Frank Cortazzo, South Allegheny; Greg Perry, Keystone Oaks

Last week: South Allegheny defeated Mt. Pleasant, 21-7; Keystone Oaks defeated Ambridge, 27-7

Players to watch: Kavan Markwood, South Allegheny (Sr., 5-11, 177, RB/LB); Kevin Drew, Keystone Oaks (Sr., 6-0, 230, FB/DE)

Four downs

1. South Allegheny closed down venerable Glassport Stadium with a victory to clinch a playoff berth. The Gladiators will open up a new facility at the high school next season but made their final game a memorable one as they beat Mt. Pleasant and ended a nine-year playoff drought.

2. Leaving his mark in the regular season finale for the Gladiators was running back Kavan Markwood. The senior carried the ball 21 times for 186 yards and scored on touchdown jaunts of 5 and 12 yards as South Allegheny ended up in a three-way tie with Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland for second place in the Interstate Conference.

3. Keystone Oaks started the season with two wins, then hit a wall with five consecutive losses before rebounding with three straight conference wins that sealed the deal on a third-place finish and a playoff berth in the Northwestern Six Conference.

4. Greg Perry has a history of coaching successful quarterbacks, but the power behind the Golden Eagles late surge has been fullback Kevin Drew. The senior rushed for 133 yards on 26 carries in Week 9, putting him over 1,000 yards for the season at 1,132 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Extra point: These schools were old Class AA Century Conference foes for six years from 2010-2015. This will be the 10th all-time meeting between the two with Keystone Oaks winning six of the last seven meetings. Their most recent contest was in 2015 when the Golden Eagles won, 61-23. The Gladiators’ three wins over KO came in 2012 and in back-to-back years in 1966 and 1967. The winner of this game advances to the 3A quarterfinals to visit No. 2 seed North Catholic.

Class 2A first round

No. 12 Western Beaver (7-3) at No. 5 Beaver Falls (6-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Reeves Field at Geneva College

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com with audio on WBVP-AM 1230 and WBVP-FM 99.3

Coaches: Ron Busby, Western Beaver; Nick Nardone, Beaver Falls

Last week: Western Beaver lost to South Side, 27-7; Beaver Falls defeated Riverside, 58-0

Players to watch: Tyson Florence, Western Beaver (Soph., 5-11, 160, RB/DB); Jaren Brickner, Beaver Falls (Jr., 6-0, 170, QB/DB)

Four downs

1. After going 6-0, including wins in its first two Three Rivers Conference games, Western Beaver limped down the stretch, losing two of its final three games to drop from a first-place tie into third place. The Golden Beavers only scored seven total points in the losses to Sto-Rox and to South Side.

2. The Golden Beaver were very limited in offensive production in their regular season finale at home against the rival Rams. One of the bright spots was sophomore Tyson Florence, who rushed for a team-high 15 yards and also had 27 yards in receiving against the strong South Side defense.

3. After a slow start in which Beaver Falls lost its first three games, including its Midwestern Athletic Conference opener to Laurel, the defending Class 2A champions are flexing their muscles again, riding the wave of six straight wins into the postseason.

4. The Tigers picked up their second shutout of the season by blanking Riverside in the regular season finale. The star on offense was quarterback Jaren Brickner. The junior hit on 11 of 13 passes for a district-high 382 yards last week, with four touchdown passes, giving him 18 for the season.

Extra point: This marks the second straight year these teams will open the postseason against each other at Geneva College. In a 2020 2A quarterfinal, Beaver Falls took the first step toward a district title with a 42-14 victory over Western Beaver. Surprisingly, these two Beaver County teams only squared off one other time. The Golden Beavers beat the Tigers, 33-16, in 1979. The winner of this game will advance to the 2A quarterfinals to play the winner of the New Brighton at Washington game.

Class A first round

No. 12 Mapletown (6-4) at No. 5 Rochester (7-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Jimbo Covert Field at Freedom

On the air: Video stream at TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Coaches: George Messich, Mapletown; Gene Matsook, Rochester

Last week: Mapletown lost to West Greene, 31-12; Rochester defeated Northgate, 48-6

Players to watch: Landan Stevenson, Mapletown (Jr., 5-10, 175, RB/BB); J.D. Azulay, Rochester (Sr., 6-0, 175, QB/DB)

Four downs

1. Mapletown was riding high with a four-game winning streak into the regular season finale against Tri-County Conference champion West Greene, but the host Maples could only keep it close through three quarters before the Pioneers pulled away to a 19-point victory.

2. Star junior running back Landon Stevenson continues to do it all for the Maples. He rushed for 104 yards and a 2-yard scoring run, he connected on 2 of 4 passes for 50 yards, and he caught five passes for 104 yards and a 38-yard touchdown pass from senior Max Vanata.

3. Rochester finished with back-to-back wins to secure second place in the Big 7 Conference. The Rams won five of their last six games, including a 42-point win over visiting Northgate in the regular season finale.

4. Rams quarterback J.D. Azulay only threw five passes against the Flames but completed three of them, two for touchdowns. The senior also carried the ball three times for 18 yards and scored on the ground for only the fourth time this season.

Extra point: Rochester has won seven WPIAL championships, all coming between the years 1991-2004. Mapletown has never won a football playoff game in school history, going 0-7 in the district postseason. Its most recent playoff loss was in 2016. This is the second all-time meeting between the schools. The other encounter was also in the postseason. The Rams beat the Maples, 34-6, in the first round of the 1997 Class A playoffs. The winner of this game will advance to the Class A quarterfinals to face the winner of the Springdale at West Greene game.