Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Playoff races coming down to wire

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, October 24, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The WPIAL football playoff picture won’t be in full focus for Westmoreland County teams until late Friday night or even Saturday afternoon.

Several teams’ seasons will come down to the final week of the regular season.

Area teams that already have clinched spots in the postseason are Penn-Trafford (7-2) and Franklin Regional (6-3) in Class 5A and Greensburg Central Catholic in Class A.

But several teams have a chance to clinch or improve their chances.

Belle Vernon (4-3) can clinch with a win over Trinity (4-5) in the Class 4A Big Six Conference.

In the 3A Interstate Conference, Southmoreland (7-2), Mt. Pleasant (5-4) and Greensburg Salem (6-3) are battling for spots.

If Southmoreland beats Greensburg Salem on Friday, Southmoreland and Mt. Pleasant will clinch.

But if Greensburg Salem wins and Mt. Pleasant knocks off Elizabeth Forward, Mt. Pleasant, Elizabeth Forward and Greensburg Salem qualify.

If Mt. Pleasant and Greensburg Salem win, Mt. Pleasant will finish first, Elizabeth Forward second and Greensburg Salem third.

In Class A, Monessen (7-2) can clinch with a win over Cornell (7-2) in Black Hills Conference play.

Jeannette (5-3) is hoping to be selected as a wild card in the Class A Eastern Conference.

For the first time, the WPIAL football steering committee will choose wild-card teams in five classifications — four in 2A and A, three in 5A and 3A, and two in 4A — and announce their choices Saturday.

Two for you

Hempfield gave senior Jake Zerbini a special moment in last week’s game against visiting Mt. Lebanon.

A receiver and defensive back, Zerbini is autistic. He had not played all season.

Hempfield coach Nick Keefer wanted to get him on the field for senior night, and found a way to do so in the fourth quarter.

Zerbini, this year’s homecoming king at Hempfield, scored an uncontested two-point conversion on a rush up the middle after Hempfield scored a late touchdown — a 23-yard pass from Dom Detruf to Jack Kopus that cut the deficit to 35-12.

A direct snap went to Zerbini, a 5-foot-8, 130-pounder who also ran a route in the 42-20 loss that eliminated the Spartans from playoff contention.

During the game, just before the play, Keefer ran across the field to tell Mt. Lebanon coach Greg Perry was he was doing.Mt. Lebanon obliged and helped to give Zerbini the limelight.

“Jake is such a great kid,” Keefer said. “He deserved to have a moment on senior night. I just wasn’t sure if we would have an opportunity for it. When we scored it just felt like the right thing to do at that point in the game, to give him a chance to get in a try a two-point conversion.

“He comes to practice every day with a great attitude and always gives great effort. He deserved his moment and I am glad he was able to have it. I am sure Jake and his senior peers will always remember it.”

Golden opportunity

Greensburg Salem improved to 6-3 overall with a win over Yough last week. The Golden Lions not only moved closer to a playoff spot, but they posted six wins for the first time in 13 years.

The last time they did that was in 2022 when they went 7-3. That also was the last year they had a winning season.

1,000 club

Five rushers from Westmoreland County are now over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

They are Kyle Dupill of Franklin Regional (1,582), Tasso Whipple of Penn-Trafford (1,327), TyVaughn Kershaw of Monessen (1,297), Trey Coury of Burrell (1,073) and John Jablunovsky of Ligonier Valley (1,010).

All of those players are running backs. Quarterback John Wetzel of Latrobe has 945 yards on the ground.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland