WPIAL Class 6A final preview capsule: Pine-Richland vs. Seneca Valley

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 16, 2018 | 2:06 PM

WPIAL Class 6A championship

No. 2 Pine-Richland (9-2) vs. No. 5 Seneca Valley (9-3)

8 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field

On the air: WPCW-TV; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Coaches: Eric Kasperowicz, Pine-Richland; Ron Butschle, Seneca Valley

Winner plays: The winner of District 2 champion Delaware Valley (9-3) and District 6 champion State College (11-1) in a PIAA quarterfinal.

WPIAL titles: Pine-Richland 3 (2003, ’14, ’17), Seneca Valley 0

How they got here: Pine-Richland received a first-round bye and defeated No. 3 Mt. Lebanon, 46-16, in the semifinals. Seneca Valley defeated No. 4 Central Catholic in the first round, 15-14, and No. 1 North Allegheny in the semifinals, 31-14.

Statistical leaders

Passing: PR: Cole Spencer, 101-165, 1,184 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INTs; SV: Gabe Lawson, 86-157, 1,169 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INTs

Rushing: PR: Luke Meckler, 136-1,138 yards, 18 TDs; SV: Matt Stanger, 154-537 yards, 5 TDs; Jake Mineweaser, 78-494 yards, 5 TDs

Receiving: PR: Eli Jochem, 31-288 yards, 1 TD; SV: Josh McLean, 30-541 yards, 7 TDs

Notable: Pine-Richland defeated Seneca Valley, 21-7, in Week 8. … Pine has the highest-scoring offense in WPIAL Class 6A and averages 35.8 points per game. Seneca Valley has the top defense, allowing only 9.9 points on average. … Pine-Richland has three seniors committed to Division I schools: linemen Andrew Kristofic (Notre Dame) and Michael Katic (Indiana) and linebacker/fullback Tyler King (Navy). … Seneca Valley seeks its first WPIAL title after runner-up finishes in 1989 and 2016.

Probable lineups

Seneca Valley

Starting offense

LT, 55, Kevin Meeder, 6-5, 275, jr.

LG, 53, David Tkatch, 6-3, 265, sr.

C, 54, Josh Kaltenberger, 6-5, 260, jr.

RG, 58, Drew Robertson, 6-2, 285, sr.

RT, 76, Marcus Might, 6-6, 280, sr.

TE, 33, Jake Stebbins, 6-2, 220, sr.

WR, 5, Josh McLean, 6-3, 185, sr.

WR, 3, Luke Smith, 6-1, 185, sr.

QB, 11, Gabe Lawson, 6-2, 290, jr.

RB, 26, Jake Mineweaser, 6-0, 185, sr.

FB, 22, Evan Smith, 6-1, 190, jr.

K, 29, Seth Winters, 5-10, 160, sr.

Starting defense

DE, 88, Felipe Junqueira, 6-0, 190, jr.

DE, 58, Drew Robertson, 6-2, 285, sr.

DT, 53, David Tkatch, 6-3, 265, sr.

DT, 64, Tyler Proctor, 6-0, 250, sr.

LB, 1, Saige Ley, 6-2, 220, sr.

LB, 33, Jake Stebbins, 6-2, 220, sr.

LB, 22, Evan Smith, 6-1, 190, jr.

CB, 8, Brennan Hayes, 5-7, 160, sr.

CB, 7, Ryan Kristobak, 5-11, 150, sr.

S, 5, Josh McLean, 6-3, 185, sr.

S, 23, Conor Hayes, 6-2, 180, jr.

P, 11, Gabe Lawson, 6-2, 290, jr.

Pine-Richland

Starting offense

LT, 65, Brian Bails, 6-0, 295, sr.

LG, 72, Tyler Rudduck, 6-3, 275, sr.

C, 64, Michael Dorundo, 6-1, 260, sr.

RG, 68, Michael Katic, 6-3, 280, sr.

RT, 73, Andrew Kristofic, 6-6, 270, sr.

WR, 7, Luke Miller, 6-1, 190, so.

WR, 10, D’Avay Johnson, 6-1, 180, so.

WR, 5, Eli Jochem, 5-11, 165, so.

WR, 1, Shane Cafardi, 6-1, 175, sr.

QB, 4, Cole Spencer, 5-10, 180, so.

RB, 2, Luke Meckler, 5-10, 175, jr.

FB, 8, Tyler King, 6-1, 230, sr.

K, 40, Mason Pruhs, 6-1, 160, sr.

Starting defense

DE, 56, Miguel Jackson, 6-0, 225, so.

DE, 63, Trent Miller, 5-11, 235, jr.

DT, 73, Andrew Kristofic, 6-6, 270, sr.

DT, 64, Michael Dorundo, 6-1, 260, sr.

LB, 8, Tyler King, 6-1, 230, sr.

LB, 34, Anthony Cerminara, 5-10, 220, sr.

LB, 13, Merrick Miller, 5-11, 200, sr.

CB, 12, Dylan Stenson, 6-1, 190, sr.

CB, 6, Conner Hetzel, 6-0, 180, sr.

S, 2, Luke Meckler, 5-10, 175, jr.

S, 20, Chance Boyd, 5-11, 175, jr.

P, 40, Mason Pruhs, 6-1, 160, sr.

Check out a preview feature on the WPIAL Class 6A championship game and also tune in to Trib HSSN for a live audio broadcast.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley