Trib HSSN PIAA football preview capsules for Week 13

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, November 21, 2024 | 4:43 PM

While a lot of eyes will be on the four WPIAL championship games at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, the big weekend of high school football begins Friday with three area teams taking part in PIAA quarterfinals.

Newly minted WPIAL champions Central Catholic in Class 6A and Thomas Jefferson in 4A, along with City League champion Westinghouse in Class A, are all in action fighting for a spot in the state final four.

Here is a look at all three of the state quarterfinals set for Friday night in Altoona, Windber and Natrona Heights.

PIAA 6A quarterfinals

State College (11-1) vs. Central Catholic (10-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Mansion Park in Altoona

Coaches: Matt Lintal, State College; Ryan Lehmeier, Central Catholic

How they got here: State College was the winner in 6A from District 6 and then defeated Erie McDowell in a PIAA preliminary round game before crushing District 4 winner Williamsport in a state first-round game last week. Central Catholic knocked off North Allegheny last week to claim the WPIAL 6A championship.

Last week: State College 75, Williamsport 14; Central Catholic 45, North Allegheny 14

Players to watch: Eddie Corkey, State College (Sr., 6-2, 190, QB); Jy’Aire Walls, Central Catholic (Sr., 6-1, 183, QB)

Team notes

State College: The District 6 champion Little Lions have won nine straight games since their only loss, a 7-6 defeat at the hands of Harrisburg in Week 2. In the state playoffs, State College has dominated District 10 winner Erie McDowell and D-4 champion Williamsport by a combined score of 108-21. Senior quarterback Eddie Corkey was nearly unstoppable last week, connecting on 10 of 13 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns in the victory over the Millionaires in which the Little Lions scored 42 points in the opening quarter and added 27 more before halftime. Senior Ty Salazer leads State College in receiving with 126.7 yard per game, scoring with 22 touchdowns and interceptions with four.

Central Catholic: It wasn’t the 69 points that State College scored in the first half against Williamsport, but the Vikings sealed the deal early on their ninth WPIAL football championship with 28 points in the first quarter and 45 points by the third quarter before North Allegheny scored the game’s final 14 points. The tone was set on the first play from scrimmage as Central Catholic senior quarterback Jy’Aire Walls hit senior wide receiver Bradley Gompers on a 45-yard scoring strike. Walls finished 10 of 17 passing for 213 yards and three touchdowns in the title game. He is now 8 yards shy of 2,300 yards passing for the season. Against NA, senior running back Elijah Faulkner ran for 192 yards and a score.

Historic factoids

• This is the fourth meeting between Central Catholic and State College with the previous three coming in the PIAA playoffs. The Vikings have defeated the Little Lions in all three meetings.

• The first time these programs collided was in the 2003 Class 4A semifinals and the Vikings won, 30-0. In the 2015 4A quarterfinals, Central Catholic prevailed, 19-3, and then in the 2019 6A quarterfinals, the Little Lions lost, 24-21.

• Central Catholic is 17-5 in PIAA playoff games, including a 6-1 record in the quarterfinals. The last time the Vikings qualified for the state playoffs, they had to forfeit a game to Erie McDowell due to covid-19 issues in 2020.

• State College has a 13-18 record in the PIAA postseason, including 4-9 in the quarterfinals. The only time the Little Lions reached the state championship game in 18 appearances was 15 years ago when they lost 24-7 to LaSalle College in 2009.

• The winner advances to the PIAA Class 6A semifinals against the winner of the District 3 championship game Saturday between Harrisburg and West Lawn Wilson.

PIAA 4A quarterfinals

Clearfield (12-0) vs. Thomas Jefferson (13-0)

1 p.m. Saturday, Mansion Park, Altoona

Coaches: Myles Caragein, Clearfield; Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson

How they got here: Clearfield won the District 9 Class 4A crown before defeating University Prep from the City League in a PIAA preliminary round game and knocking off District 10 champ General McLane in the first round last week. Thomas Jefferson secured its 11th WPIAL football title with a victory last week over McKeesport.

Last week: Clearfield 27, General McLane 26; Thomas Jefferson 28, McKeesport 7

Players to watch: Brady Collins, Clearfield (Sr., 6-0, 175, RB/WR/CB); Tyler Eber, Thomas Jefferson (Soph., 5-11, 170, RB)

Team notes

Clearfield: The Bison cruised through the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. However, the PIAA postseason has been a grind for Clearfield, beating City League University Prep by 10 and then winning a nail-biter that came down to the final seconds against D-10 champion General McLane. Bison senior running back Brady Collins scored on a 10-yard run with under two minutes remaining to put Clearfield up by one point, but the Lancers drove to the Bison 9-yard line before a game-winning 25-yard field goal attempt was blocked for the Clearfield win. Collins, the Bison’s all-time leading rusher, rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he is averaging 214 yards per game.

Thomas Jefferson: A couple of big plays by senior wide receiver Brayden White broke open a tight game right before halftime as the Jaguars won the fight for Class 4A gold against the Tigers. White caught a pass from senior quarterback Luke Kosko and raced 53 yards for a score with 1:16 left in the first half to put Thomas Jefferson up 14-0. With McKeesport trying to move down the field quickly before the second quarter ended, White picked off a pass and returned it 85 yards for the touchdown on the final play of the half. White ended up with six catches for 68 yards while sophomore running back Tyler Eber ran the ball 33 times for 162 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Historic factoids

• This is the first meeting between Clearfield and Thomas Jefferson.

• This is the 10th appearance in the PIAA playoffs for Thomas Jefferson with a record of 15-4. The Jaguars are 5-3 in the quarterfinals, but four of the five wins led to state championships. The lone exception was in 2006 when they beat Selinsgrove in the quarters and lost to General McLane in the semis.

• This is the 11th appearance in the state postseason for Clearfield with a record of 4-11. The Bison are 0-4 in state quarterfinals, losing to Erie Central in 1994, Perry in 2002, Allentown Central Catholic in 2010 and Berwick in 2013.

• The winner advances to the PIAA Class 4A semifinals against the winner of the District 3 championship game Friday between Wyomissing and Lampeter-Strasburg.

PIAA Class A quarterfinals

Bishop Guilfoyle (12-1) vs. Westinghouse (9-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Golden Rams Stadium at Highlands

Coaches: Justin Wheeler, Bishop Guilfoyle; Donta Green, Westinghouse

How they got here: Bishop Guilfoyle won the District 6 Class A championship with wins over Juniata Valley in the D-6 quarterfinals, Claysburg-Kimmel in the semifinals and Northern Cambria in the championship game. Westinghouse won the District 8 City League title with a victory over Allderdice before crushing Windber in the PIAA first round last week.

Last week: Bishop Guilfoyle 42, Northern Cambria 18; Westinghouse 61, Windber 6

Players to watch: Chase Kissell, Bishop Guilfoyle (Sr., 6-2, 185, QB/FS); Khalil Green, Westinghouse (Sr., 5-7, 179, QB)

Team notes

Bishop Guilfoyle: The Marauders won another District 6 title with a convincing three-week run in which they defeated Juniata Valley, Claysburg-Kimmel and Northern Cambria by a combined score of 140-25. The three wins came on the heels of the Marauders’ lone loss of the season in the regular season finale to Penn Cambria, 28-27. In the District 6 finals, senior quarterback Chase Kissell was near perfect, hitting on 8 of 9 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown to senior running back Hamilton Gates, who also led the Marauders in rushing with 86 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns.

Westinghouse: So rest did trump rust for the Bulldogs in the opening week of the PIAA postseason. Following a victory over Allderdice in the City League championship game, Westinghouse had not one but two weeks off before the PIAA first round. After falling behind Windber early, the Bulldogs scored 61 unanswered points, including 47 points in the first half. Westinghouse senior quarterback Khalil Green connected on 13 of 20 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns, including two to sophomore wide receiver K’Shawn Hawkins. Senior running back Khalil Mitchell scored three touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Historic factoids

• This is the first meeting between Bishop Guilfoyle and Westinghouse.

• This is the eighth appearance for Bishop Guilfoyle in the PIAA playoffs with a 11-3 record. The Marauders have only played in three quarterfinals and are 2-1. They defeated Camp Hill in the quarters in both 2014 and 2015 and lost to eventual champion Southern Columbia in the 2022 second round. Bishop Guilfoyle won three state championships from 2014-2016 and won a fourth PIAA crown in 2021.

• This is the sixth appearance in the PIAA postseason for Westinghouse, which has a record of 7-4 all-time. All seven wins have come in the last three seasons. The Bulldogs are 2-0 in the quarterfinals, beating Farrell in the 2022 second round, 34-6, and then eliminating the Steelers again in 2023, 36-20.

• The winner advances to the PIAA Class A semifinals against the winner of the Muncy vs. Delone Catholic quarterfinals game Friday.

Tags: Central Catholic, Thomas Jefferson, Westinghouse