WPIAL Football First Round Recaps 2012

By: Bruce Markey
Saturday, November 3, 2012 | 1:00 AM

The ribbon was cut and the orange barrels were tossed aside as the four week ride on the Highway to Heinz began on a chilly but DRY evening. With all of the games being played on artificial surfaces, conditions were not a factor in the 32 postseason lidlifters. Here are the recaps from all the First Round games, which can be heard archived here on the MSA Sports Network.

A special thanks to Gary Frankhouser, Michael Porembka, Mike Sackley, Dennis Fischer, Brandon Showers, Randy Gore, Adam Hoerner, Terry Neary, Mike Azadian, Glenn Thompson, Bob Gregg, Mark Schaas, Tom Hays, Kyle Templin, Mark Uriah, Justin McKim, Steven Nagler, Jason Tennant, Bob Orkwis, Matt Harkins, Greg Warnock, T.J. DiStefano, Brian Mroziak, Scott Briggs, Bob Barrickman, Rich Mastowski, Adam Gusky and Josh Rowntree for their great work on all these recaps! 

WPIAL CLASS AAAA First Round:

North Allegheny Tigers 42 – Altoona Mountain Lions 14 
The two-time reigning champion North Allegheny Tigers rolled to a 42-14 victory over the Altoona Mountain Lions in the opening round of the Quad-A playoffs on Friday night.  Mack Leftwich fired two touchdown passes in the first quarter to lift the Tigers to a 13-0 lead.  Leftwich hit Zach Lyon for a 19-yard score and found Elijah Zeise for a 78-yard TD strike.  In the second quarter, running back Josh Bergman plunged into the end zone three times from short distance, tallying TD runs of 2, 2, and 1-yard to help NA to a 35-0 halftime lead.  In the second half, the Tigers found the end zone one more time when back-up QB Cage Calupi tossed a 77-yard touchdown pass to Gregg Garrity, who did most of the work himself on a terrific run after the catch.  Altoona got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when Avery Howsare scored on a 2-yard run and Tyler Ray recovered an NA fumble and returned it 35-yards for the game’s final TD to bring the score to 42-14.  Leftwich finished the night with 198 yards passing and Garrity pulled in three passes for 122 yards.  For Altoona, Kevin Givens was the top ground gainer with 36-yards on 10 carries and quarterback Brennan Luciano threw for 87 yards.  Luciano was sacked four times, threw one-interception and lost one fumble as he was harassed by the Tigers defense throughout the night.  North Allegheny improves to 10-0 and advances to the quarterfinals to face Bethel Park.  Altoona concludes their season with a 4-6 record. 

Bethel Park Black Hawks 31 – McKeesport Tigers 20 
The Highway to Heinz began in a familiar place for the Bethel Park Blackhawks as they traveled to McKeesport to take on the McKeesport Tigers for the 2^nd time in 3 years; this is the 3^rd time in 5 years that the Blackhawks faced the Tigers in the WPIAL playoffs.  The previous two times the Blackhawks defeated the Tigers in 2008 and 2010.  Freshman Quarterback Levi Metheny played more like a 2 year starter as he led Bethel Park down the field for four touchdowns in the first half, Metheny rushed for 2 of them.  Zach Enick also had a great game as he found all the running holes created by the offensive line and helped set up 3 of the 4 Bethel Park touchdowns.  Danny Emma was all over the field, whether it was helping the offense move the ball down field or making tackles on the defensive side of the ball.  The Blackhawks Offensive and Defensive lines won the battle of the line of scrimmage throughout the night as the offensive line opened up holes for the running game and kept Metheny off the ground and the Defensive line contained the Tigers rushing attack.  The McKeesport Tigers never really could get any consistency going on offense.  Any time the Tigers got something going on offense in the first half, their drives stalled quickly after they crossed the 50 yard line.  Quarterback Eddie Stockett couldn’t get anything going on the ground or through the air as he had 7 rushing attempts for 10 yards and was 4 of 7 for 35 yards passing in the first half.  The Tigers defense came ready to play at the start of the game, but they were on the field for most of the first half and began to wear down as the game reached halftime.  The Tigers, however, came out firing in the second half behind the arm of Quarterback Eddie Stockett as they scored 20 points.  The Tigers defense held the Blackhawks to 3 points in the 2^nd half, but it was too little, too late as the Bethel Park Blackhawks defeated the McKeesport Tigers 31-20.  The Bethel Park Blackhawks will now prepare to take on the top seed North Allegheny Tigers in the second round of the AAAA WPIAL  playoffs.

Seneca Valley Raiders 50 – Hempfield Spartans 20 
The Raiders were out to prove that they are for real this year at a shot for the Quad-A title as they beat Hempfield by a final of 50-20.  The score read 43-0 at halftime after SV dominated the first two quarters of play.  Scoring was opened on a 1-yard TD run by Forrest Barnes for Seneca Valley on the opening drive.  Hempfield would response by driving down to the SV 10-yard line but a high snap forced the Spartans back to the 30-yard line for a 2nd and goal from there.  Hempfield wasn’t able to do anything with it from there as the Raiders would go on to score on their next 4 possessions.  Forrest Barnes finished the night with 13 carries for 104 yards with 2 TD’s, and 3 catches for 99-yards and 2 TD’s; giving him 203 total yards and 4 TD’s in only one-half of play.  The highlight of the night came on a Forrest Barnes 35-yard screen pass that looked like a video game run with plenty of jukes and a hurdle over a defender at the 5-yard line before finding the endzone.  The Raiders move on to face Mt. Lebanon next Friday, and the Blue Devils will definitely have their hands full with Seneca Valley.

Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 31 – Butler Golden Tornado 7 
The Golden Tornado’s first trip to the WPIAL playoffs since 1998 was short and not so sweet thanks to the play of Blue Devils quarterback Tyler Roth. Roth hit on 20 of 27 passes for 288 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes as Mount Lebanon jumped out to a 31-0 lead and won 31-7.  Mark Buda cuaght both scoring passes for the Blue Devils, who also got two short touchdown runs from Jack McMahon and Tim Biercheck. Butler, who ends up 4-6, scored on a fourth quarter Robert Vernick run. Mount Lebanon is now 8-2 and will battle Seneca Valley in the Quarterfinals next week.

Gateway Gators 35 – Peters Township Indians 19 
The game may not have went as expected, but Gateway came out victorious on Friday to move into the Quarterfinals. Gateway QB Thomas Woodson led the way, going 14-22 for 253 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Darin Franklin ran wild, with 14 carries for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. What kept Peters Township in the game was Gateway penalties and turnovers, which the Gators committed 10 and 2 respectively. Peters Township kept it close with their running game, where they rushed for a total of 214 yards. Mike Minjock led the way for the Indians, rushing for 138 yards on 26 carries and 2 scores. Gateway (9-1) advances to the quarterfinals to take on Woodland Hills. Peters Township’s season ends at 5-5 overall.

Woodland Hills Wolverines 27 – North Hills Indians 7
A stellar defense and a steady ground attack led Woodland Hills past North Hills, 27-7 at the Wolvarena on Friday night. For the second game in a row, the Wolverine defense shut out their opponent. The lone Indian score came on a fumble return for a touchdown. Freshman, Miles Sanders led Woody High offensively, with 106 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. With the victory, Woodland Hills advances to the WPIAL Quarterfinals to take on the Gateway Gators in a rematch of the 2009 WPIAL Championship Game.

Upper St. Clair Panthers 49 – Kiski Area Cavaliers 0 
The Panthers dominated this opening round contest, out gaining the Cavaliers 314-63 in a 49 point rout at home. USC quarterback Pete Coughlin hit on 5 of 7 passes for 117 yards with two touchdown tosses and a 32-yard scoring run. Mac Pope had a scoring catch and run for the Panthers while Ben Haus also scored twice, including a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Upper St. Clair is now 9-1 and will face Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the quarterfinals next week while the Kiski Area season ends with a record of 4-6.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 30 – Penn-Trafford Warriors 27 
The 11^th seeded Vikings were able to capitalize on great first half field possession and several Penn-Trafford mistakes to prevail in this contest at Warriors Stadium. Mitch MacZura capped off the opening drive for Central Catholic with a 23-yard field goal but the Warriors answered back with a Tom Stinelli 2-yard run to take a 6-3 lead. The Vikings scored the next two touchdowns as J.J. Constentino capped off a short 22-yard drive with a 1-yard QB sneak. Then after Rich Ryan recovered a Penn-Trafford fumble, Luigi Lista-Brinza found the end zone from 15-yards and the Vikings had built a 17-6 lead. Penn-Trafford went into its bag of tricks and pulled out the hook-and-lateral on the final play of the first half. QB Dorian Stevens hit Brian McDonough at the 33-yard line. McDonough then pitched the football to Dom Cima who streaked the final 33-yards for the touchdown to make it a 17-12 game at halftime. Lista-Brinza would score his second touchdown on an 8-yard run to put Central Catholic ahead 24-12 but the Warriors countered with Stevens hitting McDonough for a TD on a 24-yard post pattern to pull within 5 points once again at 24-19. Early in the 4^th quarter, Niko Thorpe scored his first TD of the season on a 10-yard run and the Vikings led 30-19. On the next possession, Stevens found Cima streaking down the near sideline and connected on a 57-yard scoring strike and when Stevens hit McDonough with the 2-point conversion pass, it was a 30-27 ballgame. Penn-Trafford would get two more opportunities with the football. The first possession ended when Joe Tindal intercepted a Stevens’ pass intended for Cima at the Vikings one-yard line. The Vikings would punt after three runs and three Warriors timeouts which gave Penn-Trafford possession at the Central Catholic 48-yard line. But with no time outs and a half a minute remaining, Penn-Trafford looked to pass and the Vikings defense would come up with a strong effort, sacking Stevens for the 3^rd and 4^th times in the game to hold on for the three point victory. Lista-Brinza paced the Vikings offensively in the win gaining 168-yards to go with his two touchdowns. Stevens ended his high school football career with a strong effort, throwing for 196-yards and two scores for Penn-Trafford. The6th seeded Warriors end their season ay (7-3). Central Catholic is now (8-2) and the Vikings move on to the WPIAL AAAA Quarterfinals to face #3 Upper St. Clair (9-1). The quarterfinal matchup is a rematch of last season’s semi-final contest which the Panthers won 28-14.

———————————————————————–

WPIAL CLASS AAA First Round:

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 63 – Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers 19 
Leading 7-6 in the first quarter, Thomas Jefferson scored the next 28 points, including a 70 yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 61-yard punt return for a score by Zach Talley as the Jaguars coasted to the 44-point victory. TJ quarterback Joe Carroll hit on 8 of 22 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Luke Deanavich scored on a pair of touchdowns as well as the Jaguars remain unbeaten at 10-0 and prepare to face Franklin Regional in the Quarterfinals in a rematch of the 2005 WPIAL Class AAA championship game. The Golden Tigers season ends with a 3-7 record and their first ever WPIAL playoff loss.

Franklin Regional Panthers 44 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors 7
Three punting miscues and two turnovers doomed Elizabeth Forward as Franklin Regional dismantled the Warriors 44-7. Dane Brown scored three first half touchdowns on the ground and Charan Singh returned an interception 75 yards to give Franklin Regional a 31-7 lead at halftime. Brown and Singh each added touchdowns in the second half to end the Warriors season at 6-4. Dane Brown finished the night with 148 yards rushing, putting him over 4000 for his career.

West Allegheny Indians 48 – Ringgold Rams 7 
At West Allegheny High School in WPIAL  first round AAA football action the West Allegheny Indians defeat the Ringold Rams by a score of 48-7. The 4th seeded Indians started the game on defense, and defense ruled as they forced  the Rams to  fumble the ball on the first play from scrimmage. West Allegheny took over at the 5 yard line of the Rams and two plays later Tory Delmonico scored on a 2 yard run and it was 7-0 Indians. This would start an onslaught of defense as the Indians would not allow a first down until mid way thru the second quarter and hold the Rams to 35 yards on offense in the first half. West Allegheny would score 5 more first half TD’s to lead 41-0. Nick Halbedl scored on 2 runs of 1 yard each, and a 7 yard run, and Chayse Dillon would score on runs of 10 and 58 yards as the Indians rolled to a 41-0 halftime lead. The Rams would fumble 3 times and throw an interception in the first half helping the Indians to  great field position. The worst field position the Indians would have would be starting at thier own 37 yard line. The second half was a running clock and West Allegheny would put the reserves in. Ringold would score in the fourth quarter on a Demetrius Louis 14 yard TD run to cut the score to 41-7 before West Allegheny would put a cap on the game with a Jordan McCasland 3 yard TD run to make the final score 48-7. For the Indians Chayse Dillon had 105 yards on 7 carries. The Rams end their season falling to 4-6. The Indians improve to 9-1 and will move on to the quarterfinals where they will face conference foe the Montour Spartans at a site and time to be determined.

Montour Spartans 27 – Trinity Hillers 6 
Montour scored the first three times they had the ball to jump out to a 21-6 first quarter lead on Trinity…as the Spartans downed the Hillers 27-6. Ryan Mihelcic’s six-yard touchdown run and Cole Macek’s 10-yard scamper, set up by a Kevin Klemmer interception, put Montour up 14 to nothing. The teams then traded scores. Trinity’s Jason Vankirk hooked up with Corey Hunsberger for a 69-yard catch and run to get the Hillers on the board. But the Spartans answered with a 55-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Mihelcic-to-Devin Wilson 12-yard touchdown with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter. The only other score came on Macek’s 22-yard touchdown run with 7:34 left in the game. Macek carried 16 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Mihelcic completed 10 of 13 for 182 yards. He ran for one score and passed for another. Wilson caught six passes for 79 yards and one touchdown, all in the first half. And Montour tight end Lucas Parrish had 3 catches for 77 yards, as the defending triple-a WPIAL champions advance to next week’s quarter finals with a 27-6 win over Trinity.

Mars Fighting Planets 45 – Blackhawk Cougars 21 
Some had predicted that 2^nd-ranked Mars would go down in the first round of the Class AAA WPIAL football playoffs to No. 15 Blackhawk. When it came down to business, though, Josh Schultheis and the Planets’ defense quelled the upset chatter right from the outset.  Sparked by Schultheis’ 251 yards rushing and four touchdowns, Mars (9-1) cruised to a quarterfinals matchup against West Mifflin with a 45-21 victory over the Cougars.  Senior Alex Smith’s 64-yard return on the opening kickoff gave the Planets’ offense prime field position at the Blackhawk 13-yard line. Two plays later, Schultheis, a sophomore, scored on a 7-yard TD run for the early 7-0 lead. That score led to Mars scoring TDs on three of its first five plays, jumping out to a 21-0 lead, which extended to 28 after Schultheis’ longest scoring run of the night, 43 yards, late in the first half. The Planets would go on to rush for 363 yards on 40 carries.  Meantime, Mars’ defense was suffocating, holding Blackhawk senior RB Cole Chiappialle, whom entered the game with 1,469 yards rushing and a 404-yard game on his belt, to 19 yards on 10 carries. While Cougars junior QB Chandler Kincade may have accounted for three touchdowns and 337 yards passing, the Planets defense had the Pitt recruit on the run throughout the game, sacking him five times. Senior Jake Tumminello accounted for two of those Mars sacks. The closet Kincade got Blackhawk (3-7) was 28-14 after his early second half 2-yard TD run. The Planets responded with Schultheis’ final TD of the night, leading to 17 unanswered points.

West Mifflin Titans 28 – Knoch Knights 14 
Big Plays – Big runs – Big win.  That’s how it added up for the West Mifflin Titans as they defeated the Knoch Knights Friday night 28-14 in a WPIAL class AAA first round match-up.  The Titan’s Jimmy Wheeler opened the game with a 68 touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage establishing the first big play run of the night.  However, Wheeler would finish the first half with a total of 66 yards rushing as the Knight’s defense held the Titans to just 20 more yards of offense after Wheeler’s first carry.  Knoch scored on a 26 yard run by Ben Tackett to tie the score at seven with a little less than 5 minutes gone in the contest.  Knoch dominated the first half on both sides of the ball but came up short late in the half on a 4^th and goal from the 2.  With the score 7-7 into the third quarter, West Mifflin quarterback Derrick Fulmore ripped off a 71 yard TD run to give the Titans a lead they would never relinquish.  After Knoch fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Wheeler scored his second TD on the night on a 16 yard run and the Titan held a 21-7 lead with just 9:33 to play in the game.  Knoch battled back as senior quarterback Dakota Bruggeman scampered 11 yards to cut the lead to 21-14 just 28 seconds later.  But the Knight would get no closer as Wheeler scored the final points of the night on a 55 yard run with just under eight minutes play.  Penalties and turnover hampered the Knights in the second half and West Mifflin took advantage of them and advanced in the playoff to face the Mars Planets next weekend.

Central Valley Warriors 17 – Belle Vernon Leopards 16 
Playing without injured quarterback Nathan Climo and running back/defensive back Jordan Whitehead, along with suspended wide receiver Robert Foster, Central Valley was able to advance to round number two of the Wpial playoffs with a hard fought 17-16 victory over the Belle Vernon Leopards. Belle Vernon was also playing wihtout their starting quarterback, Travis Snyder due to a knee injury. Sophomore running back Anthony Levis scored two touchdowns to pace Belle Vernon along with a 32 yard Field Goal by senior kicker Tyler McCullough. Central Valley received touchdown runs by running back Ja’Quan Pennington and quarterback John George before their fantastic finish. With just 12 seconds remaining, CV advanced to the BV 5 yard line to set up a 22 yard field goal attempt. The kick by senior Elliott Taylor just clered the uprights and Central Valley avoided the upset bid by the Leopards. Both sophomore quarterbacks John George (CV) and Jake Gherardini (BV) played well for their respective teams. Central Valley will now face Parkway conference foe Hopewell in the quarterfinals next week. 

Hopewell Vikings 14 – Hampton Talbots 6 
The #11 seeded Hopewell Vikings advanced to the Quarterfinal round of the WPIAL Triple A football playoffs with a hard-fought 14-6 win over the #6 seeded Hampton Talbots at Fridley Field in Hampton on Friday night.  Both defenses were outstanding. After a scoreless first half, all three of the game’s touchdowns came in a flurry of action in the last six minutes of the third quarter.  Hopewell opened the scoring with 5:48 to play in the quarter on a 22 yard pass from quarterback Stefan Mrkonja to Bryce Smith, Nate Bowman’s extra point making the score 7-0.  Hampton answered at the 2:08 mark on a two yard run by Ben Foreman, but the point after sailed wide left, Hopewell maintaining the lead, 7-6.  The Vikings then added an insurance touchdown as time expired in the quarter when Tyler Ishman ran it in from one yard out.  Bowman’s extra point ended the scoring. Hopewell (5-5) will play Central Valley, a 17-16 winner over Belle Vernon, in the quarterfinals at a site and day to be determined.  Hampton’s season ends with a 7-3 record.

————————————————————————-

WPIAL CLASS AA First Round:

Aliquippa Quips 55 – Steel Valley Ironmen 0 
Davon Henry ran for three touchdowns and Terry Swanson ran for two more as the defending class AA champion Aliquippa Quips defeated the Steel Valley Ironmen 55 – 0 in a first round WPIAL playoff matchup at Moon High School this evening.  Henry scored from 6, 47 and 54 yards as the Quips raced to a 34 – 0 halftime lead in this rematch from last year’s playoffs.  Swanson’s two TDs were from 53 and 3 yards, the second one coming after Shaquere McBride returned an Ironmen punt to the 3 yard line late in the second quarter. The Quips (10-0) advance to meet the winner of the Burrell – Mt. Pleasant contest.  The Ironmen end their season at 4 – 6.

Mount Pleasant Vikings 48 – Burrell Buccaneers 28
Except for a late 4th quarter scare, the#9 Mt Pleasant Area Vikings dominated the #8 Burrell Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs enroute to a 48-28 win Friday night at Valley High School. The lone score in the first quarter was by the Vikings Tyler Mellors on a 22 yard touchdown run, his first of four on the night, making it 7-0 Vikings after one. Burrell got on the board for the first time at the 10:45 mark of quarter two on a Cole Bush 3 yard TD run tying the game at 7-7. Mt Pleasant would go ahead  on a pair of Mellors touchdown runs, a 1 yard run at the 6:55 mark and a 54 yard run at 5:09 giving the Vikings a 21-7 lead at the half. The only score of the 3rd period was Tyler Mellors fourth touchdown of the night at 7:48 from 2 yards out making it 28-7 Vikes after three. The 4th quarter was action packed with both teams scoring three times and Burrell giving the Vikings a scare late. The Buccaneers scored first at 10:09 on a Cole Bush 14 yard touchdown run making the score 28-14. The Vikings would answer about four minutes later on Taylor Allison’s first of three rushing touchdowns in the quarter a 16 yard run at the 8 minute mark making it 35-14. The Vikings extended the lead to 41-14 at the 4:31 mark on an Allison 26 yard touchdown run and a John Anys missed extra point. However, the pesky Buccaneers wouldn’t go away just yet as they scored the next two times starting with 3 minutes left in the game when quarterback James Liput connected with Mitch Pollino from 17 yards out cutting the lead to 41-21. Burrell would attempt the onside kick and after recovering it drove quickly down the field scoring at the 2:33 mark on a James Liput 17 yard touchdown pass to Cole Bush, who caught it in double coverage cutting the Vikings lead to 41-28. But, that would be as close as the Buccaneers would get as they tried another onside kick and this time Mt Pleasant’s Joey Paul would recover. The Vikings put the game away with 1 minute left on a Taylor Allison 36 yard touchdown run making the final 48-28 in favor of the Vikings. Mt Pleasant was led by Tyler Mellors with 20 carries 185 yards and four touchdowns and Taylor Allison with 8 carries 108 yards and three touchdowns. Burrell’s Cole Bush, the second leading rusher in the WPIAL was held to 23 carries for 84 yards two rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown. Bush had 14 carries for 46 yards in the first half. Mt Pleasant improves to 8-2 and has a tough test next Friday against  the #1 Aliquippa Quips. Burrell finishes the year 8-2.

Jeannette Jayhawks 40 – South Allegheny Gladiators 7 
It was a tale of two halves for the 4th-seeded Jeannette Jayhawks (9-1) on Friday night at Norwin High School. #13 South Allegheny (7-3) gave Jeannette all it could handle for one half, but the Jayhawks’ relentless offense was just too much for the Gladiators, as Jeannette would win comfortably, 40-7. The first half though was a battle for both squads offensively. South Allegheny would score on their second drive of the game on a 61-yard scamper by Brandon Murn. Unfortunately for the Gladiators, it would be their last taste of the endzone on the night. Jeannette would lock down defensively, forcing South Allegheny’s backup quarterback Ty Cook into five turnovers on his own. Cook started in place of the injured Dustin Anderson, who sat for the second week in a row with an undisclosed injury. Jeannette would fail to capitalize on terrific field position numerous times in the first half, missing two field goals and turning the ball over on downs on drives that started on the South Allegheny side of the field. Chiron Alexander (13 yards) and Seth Miller (1 yard) would put up the two Jeannette touchdown runs of the first half. But the second half is where the Jayhawks exploded, scoring 28 points on touchdown runs by Jordan Edmunds (1 yard), Anthony Canady (11 yards) and Nathan Childs (1 yard), as well as an 84-yard fumble return by Canady. Edmunds finished with 116 yards and a score for Jeannette, which rushed for a team total of 325 yards on the evening. South Allegheny, who played their first playoff game since 1986, put up just 200 yards of total offense and six turnovers in the game. Murn had 111 yards and their lone touchdown. Jeannette, who has struggled with penalties all season, had eight for 75 yards in the game, but overcame it. They move into the WPIAL Quarterfinals, where they will face #5 Beaver next Friday. 

Beaver Bobcats 28 – Valley Vikings 14 
Running back Anthony Keriotis scored on runs of 34 and 15 yards to pace the host Beaver Bobcats to a 28-14 victory over Valley in a WPIAL AA first round game Friday night.  A 1-yard run by back Anthony Fidurski gave Beaver a 13-0 lead at the intermission.  However, the visiting Vikings scored two touchdowns on consecutive snaps to take a 14-13 lead early in the third period.  Defensive back Demetreus Houser, who entered the game with 1,100 yards rushing, recovered a Beaver fumble on an aborted punt attempt and went nine yards for a score to make it 13-7 with 10:18 left.  Thirteen seconds later, Kevin Frame stripped the ball in mid air on the kickoff and traveled 29 yards for a touchdown to give Valley a 14-13 edge.  But, the Bobcats regained the lead when receiver Alex Rowse caught an 18-yards halfback option pass from Jordan Yates with 5:49 left in the third.  Keriotis added a 2-point conversion run to make it 21-14.  Then, Keriotis capped a 75-yard drive with his run just 14 seconds into the final quarter.  In a lengthy game that saw 206 total yards in penalties, Beaver had two touchdowns called back due to offsetting penalties.  Beaver is now 9-1 and will meet Jeannette in the quarterfinals.  Valley finished its season at 6-4.

South Fayette Lions 49 – Freedom Bulldogs 13 
Grant Fetchet had 89 yards rushing on 6 carries and 3 touchdowns of 5,22,and 22 yards, to help lead the South Fayette Lions (10-0) to a 49-13 win over the Freedom Bulldogs.  South Fayette also had TD runs by Zach Challingsworth (8 yards) and Jared Walker (17 yards) while using mostly the ground game (189 yards) to get the victory.  Brett Brumbaugh, the WPIAL’s leading passer, was only 5 of 12 for 115 yards, but had a 81 yard TD pass to Justin Watson.  Zach Walker also scored on a 75 yard fumble return. Freedom was lead by Kahlil Caracter who had 25 carries for 119 yards and touchdowns of 29 and 10 yards. Freedom was able to move the ball for 241 total yards including 209 rushing yards but turned the ball over 4 times.  Down 7-0 in the first quarter, Freedom moved the ball 70 yards to the 3 inch line, but was stopped on 4th down.  Freedom’s season ends with a 4-6 record. The undefeated South Fayette Lions will now face the Tigers of Beaver Falls in the Quarter finals.

Beaver Falls Tigers 28 – Freeport Yellowjackets 14 
Any football coach will tell you their game is played to make adjustments and that is just what Beaver Falls head coach did tonight.  Ryan Mastook was able to make all the right adjustments at half time and win the game in the 2^nd half.  Freeport started out the scoring at the 2:07 mark of the 1^st quarter when senior quarter back Brendan Lynch scored on a run from 24 yards out.  The next score wasn’t until the first drive of the aforementioned second half when Freeport started the scoring with a 65 yard run from Lynch and they were able to put in a two point conversion to make it 14-0.  After that it was all Beaver Falls Tigers as they scored 28 unanswered points beginning at the 8:44 mark of the third on a response drive to Freeport’s score when junior running back Damian Rawl scored from 26 yards out.  At the 3:00 mark junior quarter  back Dan Stratton scored on a 15 yard run making the score 14-12 after both PATs were missed.  Rawl again scored from 4 yards out at the 9:55 mark of the 4^th quarter and the Tigers took a 20-14 lead after the two point conversion.  Beaver Falls would add one more at the 4:33 mark of the 4^th on a Stratton 4 yard TD run.  They again converted the two point conversion making the final score 28-14.  Beaver Falls will take on the South Fayette Lions next Friday in their next stop on the high way to Heinz and Freeport will end their season 7-3.

Washington Little Prexies 47 – Shady Side Academy Indians 12 
Shai McKenzie scored six times on 16 carries as Washington rolled to a 47-12 win over Shady Side Academy.  McKenzie finished the game with 260 yards rushing.  With the score tied at 6-6 midway through the second quarter, the Little Prexies (10-0) recovered a muffed punt at the Indians’ 33 yard line.  Four plays later, McKenzie scored from six yards out to give Washington the lead for good.  McKenzie scored to finish the Little Prexies’ next four possessions, putting the game away.  Mike Pohl kicked two first-half field goals for Shady Side Academy (6-4).   After the Indians rolled up 116 yards in the first quarter, Washington held Shady Side to just 67 yards the rest of the game.

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 28 – Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 10
The 6th seeded Seton-LaSalle Rebels took advantage of three Greensburg Central Catholic turnovers and salted the game away with an effective ground game as they defeated the 11th seeded Centurions 28-10 at Chartiers Valley High School Friday evening. GCC got on the board first, taking advantage of a Rebels turnover as QB Chase Keller rushed 70 yards to the endzone. But it was pretty much all Rebels from there. Early in the 2nd quarter, Keller threw an interception to Seton-LaSalle’s Scott Orndoff, who took it 30 yards to the endzone to tie the game. On the very next play from scrimmage for GCC, Tyler Balla fumbled, giving Seton-LaSalle a short field. Luke Brumbaugh hit paydirt on a 1 yard touchdown run to put the Rebels 14-7. Seton-LaSalle would score another TD before half as Nick Swywj’s 52 yd TD run made it 21-7. GCC’s Jack Fagan 37 yd FG made it 21-10 at half. In the 2nd half, another GCC turnover led to 4 yd TD run from Tom Rizza. The Rebels ran the ball effectively to run out the clock in the 4th quarter. The Rebels scored 21 points of Centurions turnovers. In addition to his 52 yd TD run, Swywj had two interceptions on defense. With the win, Seton-LaSalle will take on the 3rd seeded Washington Little Prexies next week. The Centurions finish the season at (6-4).

—————————————————————————–

WPIAL CLASS A First Round:

Clairton Bears 58 – Frazier Commodores 6
Tyler Boyd rushed for 234 yards on 10 carries and scored 6 touchdowns as the top seeded Clairton Bears extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 57 games downing the Frazier Commodores 58 to 6 in a WPIAL “A” 1st Round Game at James Weir Stadium in Belle Vernon on Friday Night.  Frazier actually struck 1st as Charlie Manack’s 1 yard touchdown run gave the Commodores an early 6 to 0 lead 4 minutes into the game.  Clairton then reeled off 58 unanswered points including 9 touchdowns.  Boyd’s 6 touchdowns came on runs of 50, 26, 45, 25, 19 and 46 yards. Boyd now has 101 career touchdowns.  Terrish Webb added 2 touchdowns for the Bears, one on a 39 yard pass from Armani Ford and the other on a 7 yard run.  Robert Boatright added the final touchdown of the night for the Bears as he intercepted Frazier quarterback Charlie Manack and returned it 43 yards for the score.  Clairton is now 10-0 on the season, they will meet Brentwood in the quarterfinals.  Frazier’s season ends at 7-3.      

Brentwood Spartans 34 – Springdale Dynamos 6 
All eyes were on Springdale senior running back Sean Dugan as he was set to break the all time rushing record. However, Brentwood had a running back of their own, in junior, Justin Vickless, who was also looking to make a statement. Springdale jumped on the board late in the 1st quarter with 52 seconds left on a 10 play 99 yard drive that was capped off by a Kyle Rodgers 23 yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jacob Helman. After a botched extra point, the score had Springdale leading 6-0 at the end of the 1st quarter. Shortly after a Bill Madeja interception off of Sprindale quarterback Helman, Brentwood got on the board with 2:57 left in the half with a Justin Vickless 27 yard run. After a successful extra point Brentwood pulled ahead 7-6. The third quarter was hard fought, but with 3:40 left in the third, Justin Vickless ran in a touchdown from 11 yards out to put Brentwood ahead 14-6 (after another successful extra point). The 4th quarter was all Brentwood as quarterback Chris Shortley threw two touchdown passes to put Brentwood in a commanding lead. The first touchdown pass, Shortley threaded a needle to Mike Andrews from 16 yards to put his team ahead 21-7 with 9 minutes left in the quarter. Then Shortley threw a 53 yard rocket touchdown pass to Brian Jowers with 6:22 left to bring Brentwood to a commanding 27-6 lead. The very next play after a second interception by Madeja of Helman, ended up being the nail in the coffin as Vickless trotted into the end zone untouched to put Brentwood ahead 34-6 with 5:32 seconds left in the game. The final play of the game was a Springdale sweep from Dugan to the left side for no gain, leaving him with 102 total rushing yards on the night and just 13 yards shy of the career rushing record. Despite amazing numbers by the Brentwood offense, the Brentwood defense was the star of the night with 5 forced turnovers.

Neshannock Lancers 42 – Jefferson-Morgan Rockets 14
Ernie Burkes accounted for all 6 touchdowns as the Lancers picked up their first ever playoff win with the victory at Waynesburg High School. Burkes opened the scoring on a 26 yard run on Neshannock’s first play from scrimmage. Burkes hit Alex Welker for a 23 yard touchdown on the opening play of the second. Neshannock scored twice in the final two minutes of the half, Burkes scored from 35 out and hit Steven Jefferies for a 1 yard td with 1 second remaining. Burkes added a 18 yard td in the third and a 22 yard pass to Alex Welker in the 4th. Burkes ran for 109 yards on 8 carries, he was 6-11 for 124 yards passing. Eli Owens ran for 138 yards on 13 carries, the Lancers posted 289 yards on the ground and 413 yards. Dustin Conti scored both on a 1 yard run and a 8 yard run late. Conti ran 28 times for 153 yards to close out his career. Neshannock is now 9-1 overall and will meet Monessen in the quarterfinals. Jeff-Morgan ends the season at 7-3.

Monessen Greyhounds 48 – Apollo-Ridge Vikings 19
The Greyhounds led 21-6 after one quarter and 35-12 at halftime and were never threatened in the second half as they cruised past the Vikings by 29 points. Chavas Rawlins connected on 11 of 28 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown pass while running for three short scores as Monessen improves to 9-1 and prepares for a battle with Neshannock in the Quarterfinals next week. Apollo-Ridge ends their season at 6-4.

Sto-Rox Vikings 40 – Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 7
The Sto-Rox Vikings advanced to the quarterfinals of the McDonald’s WPIAL Class-A Football Playoffs with a 40-7 win over the Carmichaels Mighty Mikes at North Hills’ Martellotti Stadium.  The game was a lot closer than the final score indicated, at least for the first 30 minutes or so.  The Mikes were able to slow the pace of the first half with their ground game, only allowing Sto-Rox to possess the ball a total of four times.  Sto-Rox scored on their opening drive when Lenny Williams completed a 9-yard pass to Ben Shackleford.  An Elisha Bonner extra point made the score, 7-0.  On the Vikings’ second possession, Carmichaels forced a punt, which set the Mikes up with good field position.  Josh Mundell rolled off what would’ve been the biggest offensive play of the game for the Mikes when he ran the ball to the Sto-Rox 30-yard line, but a questionable holding call put the ball back in Mikes’ territory, where the offense was forced to punt.  Sto-Rox quickly capitalized with a 39-yard touchdown run by Williams to go up 14-0.  The Vikings got the ball back deep in their own end with 4 minutes left in the half but fumbled it back to Carmichaels after a first down completion.  The Mikes took it to the Vikings’ 13-yard line before being forced to pass with only 20 seconds left and eventually threw an interception on the final play of the half.  The second half, couldn’t have started better for the Mikes as they pinned Sto-Rox to their own 5-yard line on the kickoff and then forced a short punt.  Carmichaels, as they did throughout the night, moved the ball on the ground, but would eventually stall out on 4th down and short.  Sto-Rox immediately capitalized with a 78-yard pass from WIlliams to Javelle Kirkland, which really opened things up 4 minutes into the third quarter.  The Mikes cut the score to 20-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run from Josh Mundell, but as good teams do, Sto-Rox answered immediately, capping a drive with a 9-yard run by Williams to go up 27-7, which put the game away at the end of the third quarter.  The Vikings added touchdowns from Brendan Blair and another Williams to Kirkland connection in the fourth quarter.  Williams was the star of the show, with 345 all-pupose yards and a hand in five of the six Vikings’ scores.  His first touchdown pass of the night was the 60th of his career and he also passed the 300-mark for career completions late in the game.  Sto-Rox moves on to play Union in the quarterfinals.

Union Scotties 21 – Beth-Center Bulldogs 7 
Beth Center scored first on a one yard run kick good at 424 of first quarter.  Union scored on a 21 yard return on a Beth Center fumble at 805 of the second.  Halftime score 7-7.Union controlled the second half keeping Beth Center off the board and scoring twice on a 47 yard pass Selman to Ben Young and a five yard bootleg by Joe Selman. Both kicks good by Selman.

Rochester Rams 35 – Avonworth Antelopes 15 
A lot was expected of the Rochester Rams’ running back Dante Marsick heading into the 2012 WPIAL Class A playoffs and he didn’t disappoint in the opening round.  Having amassed 1,735 total yards from scrimmage and 27 TDs in the regular season, Marsick picked right up where he left off by gaining 195 yards on 23 carries and scoring four touchdowns as the Rams breezed to a first-round victory against the Avonworth Antelopes.  Marsick scored on first-half TD runs of 2, 1 and 97 yards en route to Rochester’s 28-0 halftime lead.  He also added a 51 yard TD reception to his resume in the 2^nd half. The Rams also scored on a 43-yard TD pass from Ben Richko to Brent Johnson with less than a minute to go in the first half.  Richko ended the game having completed 5/9 passes for 137 yards and two TDs.  Avonworth was able to score a pair of touchdowns in the second half on Zach Chandler to Ryan Welsh hook-ups (10, 42).  Chandler, only a freshman, finished 26/46 for 256 yards.  With the loss, Avonworth finishes their season at 5-5 while Rochester will now head into the Quarterfinals and will face North Catholic next week.

North Catholic Trojans 21 – Bishop Canevin Crusaders 0 
This opening round contest was going to come down to which team could set the tempo. Would it be North Catholic sophomore P.J. Fulmore on the ground or Bishop Canevin senior Nico Dipaolo through the air? On this night, it would turn out to be the former as the Trojans, after missing the 2011 postseason, took down one of last year’s semifinalists in the Crusaders at Lt. J.C. Stone Field in North Park. Fulmore got the only points the home team would need midway through the first quarter, making DiPaolo pay for an interception with a 41-yard touchdown run. The Crusaders’ quarterback would commit another costly turnover early in the third, fumbling a high snap, and Fulmore capped the ensuing drive with a two-yard plunge. The Trojans’ tailback would complete the hat trick with a four-yarder early in the final quarter. Fulmore finished the night with 228 yards on 30 carries. DiPaolo wound up 7-for-17 passing for 62 yards and was sacked four times along with the aforementioned interception. Picking up three of those sacks was Jarred Fragapane, who also gained 46 yards on nine carries backing up Fulmore. Bishop Canevin’s season ends at 6-4 while North Catholic improves to 8-2 and will draw Rochester in the quarterfinals next Friday night.