WPIAL Football Friday Playoff Summaries – 11/12/2016

By: Bruce Markey
Saturday, November 12, 2016 | 12:32 AM

The first district postseason on different paths continued on Friday with the final stop on the Highway to Heinz for 6-A, 5-A, 4-A and 3-A playing its Semifinals games while the Road to RMU hit the midway point as Quarterfinals Friday set the stage for the Final Four next Saturday. 13 of the 16 games were decided by double digits points with plenty of them ending in mercy rule fashion, however the three nail-biters that literally came down to the final play drummed up enough excitement to carry the night and make this a memorable round. Here are recaps form all 16 games played around the WPIAL on the second Friday of the district postseason.

A special thanks to Kyle Dawson, Rob McKinney, Donny Chedrick, Chuck Campbell, Brandon Showers, Mark Uriah, Rob Gregory, Kevin Zielmanski, Sam Hall, Jimmy Lee Santorella, Mark Schaas, Josh Rowntree, Randy Gore, Bob Gregg and Jason Colangelo for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS 6-A Semifinals:

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings  63  –  Pine-Richland Rams  34 
The Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings rolled over the Pine-Richland Rams 63-34 Friday to advance to the WPIAL 6 A title game at Heinz Field. The Vikes will be playing in the championship game in the WPIAL’s largest classification for a fourth straight season. Central scored on a three play drive to open the night David Marshall capping the drive with a 27 yard touchdown run. The Rams would answer though on their opening drive as Max DeVinney hit Cam Ballay on a six-yard scoring strike and Pine-Richland, with 6:28 to play in the opening quarter had a 7-6 lead. Central though immediately took control scoring five consecutive touchdowns capped by a Troy Fisher 62-yard touchdown pass to Justice Evans to take a lead of 42-7 with 8:50 to play in the opening half. Pine-Richland was game and DeVinney hooked up late in the first half with top receiver Ray Falcone from 10 yards out to pull the Rams to within 42-14. The Vikes could have gone to the locker room satisfied with a comfortable lead but they instead went the length of the field to score with 1:38 left in the half on a David Adams two-yard touchdown run. The Vikes scored on their first drive of the third quarter and quickly doused any thought of a Rams comeback when Tim Terry picked off a DeVinney pass and returned it 31 yards for a 63-14 lead with exactly four minutes to play in the third quarter. The Rams scored the final three touchdowns of the game to make the score look respectable. Max DeVinney threw four touchdown passes for Pine-Richland in the losing effort. J.J. Younger rushed for a pair of scores for the Vikes, as did David Adams, Cam Laconi added a punt return for a touchdown for Central catholic as well. Central improves to 11-1 and advances to the title game against Northern Seven foe Seneca Valley. The Rams season comes to a close at 7-5.

Seneca Valley Raiders  28  –  North Allegheny Tigers  27 
The Seneca Valley Raiders used two turnovers and a blocked extra point to outlast the North Allegheny Tigers in the WPIAL Class 6-A semifinals, 28-27, at Martorelli Stadium. Following a Griff Sestilli 3-yard touchdown catch for North Allegheny with no time remaining in the fourth quarter, the Raiders blocked the potential game-tying extra point to hold on for the one-point win and Seneca Valley’s first trip to the WPIAL championship since 1989. The Raiders will face the top-seeded Central Catholic Vikings on Friday at Heinz Field. After a scoreless first quarter, North Allegheny opened the scoring with a 20-play, 83-yard drive that was punctuated on 10-yard touchdown sweep by senior Niko Mermigas for a 7-0 lead. Seneca Valley tied the game at 7-7 on the ensuing possession thanks to a 2-yard touchdown run by Hank Royal with 3:35 left in the half. North Allegheny drove to the SV 12-yard line on the next drive but Raiders cornerback Walik Shabazz intercepted an Ethan Maenza pass in the end zone with 13 second remaining before halftime to keep the game tied at 7-7. North Allegheny opened the second half with the football and marched 68 yards on seven plays, culminating the drive on a 5-yard touchdown run by junior running back Turner White to give the Tigers a 14-7 advantage with 8:42 in the third quarter.  White finished the game with 130 yards on 22 carries for the Tigers. As they did in the first half, the Raiders promptly answered the Tigers and evened the score courtesy of a 43-yard swing pass by Jack Cook to Royal to bring the score to 14-14 with 6:23 remaining in the third period. Continuing to move the football, North Allegheny seemed poised to retake the lead late in the quarter and drove deep into SV territory. However, on a 2nd and 3 carry from the 5-yard line, White fumbled at the 1-yard line and the Raiders’ Jacob Holl recovered in the end zone for a touchback. Seneca Valley turned the turnover into points and marched 80 yards for a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Cook on a QB sneak on the first play of the fourth quarter to bring the score to 21-14, Raiders. North Allegheny responded with a 14-play drive and converted on two fourth downs along the way. The most critical of the conversions was a 4th and 12 at the Raiders 25-yard line when Maenza delivered a touchdown pass to Mermigas with 5:27 left in regulation to tie the score, 21-21. Maenza ended the night with 122 yards passing and two touchdowns, while rushing for another 116 yards. The seesaw nature of the game continued deep into the fourth quarter and the Raiders regained the lead, 28-21, on a 22-yard touchdown catch by Royal from Cook with just 1:27 remaining. Royal hauled in four receptions for 114 yards and two scores, while adding another 74 yards rushing and a touchdown. Undaunted, North Allegheny drove to the SV 3-yard line with just four seconds remaining. Time for one more play, Maenza tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Sestilli to cut the Raiders lead to 28-27 with no time remaining. Needing only an extra point to force overtime, Seneca Valley blocked the Tigers extra point try and the Raiders advanced to the WPIAL title game with a 28-27 triumph. Seneca Valley improves to 8-3 overall. For North Allegheny, the loss snaps an eight-game winning streak and the Tigers end the season with mark of 9-3.

WPIAL CLASS 5-A Semifinals:

West Allegheny Indians  35  –  Woodland Hills Wolverines  7 
Nick Ross connected on 9 of 12 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown pass to help lead West Allegheny to a 28 point victory over Woodland Hills Friday night at Baldwin High School. The win of the Indians was their second over the Wolverines in a four week span. After Kenny White started the scoring with a 14-yard first quarter run to give West A a 7-0 lead, Ju’Juan Hill scored on a two-yard run to tie the game for Woody High in the second quarter. Will Weber scored for the Indians on a 5-yard run to give West Allegheny a 14-7 lead going into halftime. The Indians then outscored the Wolverines 21-0 in the second half on touchdown passes by Ross and White and another scoring run by White. Woodland Hills season ends at 9-3 with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Indians, who beat them 53-13 on October 21st. Meanwhile, West Allegheny improves to 11-0 and advances to Heinz Field for the fourth time in five years where they will face New Castle in the first ever WPIAL Class 5-A championship game.

McKeesport Tigers  41  –  Gateway Gators  38 
Not sure where to start. In a game that could go down as one of the best WPIAL Playoff games of all-time, McKeesport defeated Gateway on a Hail Mary/Hook ‘n Ladder as time expired, 41-38. Tigers QB Jayvaun Shears passed the ball down the field to Layton Jordan, who executed a lateral back to John Harper at the 5 yard line. Harper ran in untouched and McKeesport booked a trip to Heinz Field. For a team that runs the ball all game, the Tigers hit a pass when it was needed. Three McKeesport players had over 100 yards on the ground – Shears, Ray Zellars and Carlinos Acie were those runners. Gateway got a great game from QB Brady Walker, who threw for nearly 300 yards with 4 TDs through the air and one on the ground. Without Jaquan Brisker the Gators didn’t miss a beat, but couldn’t hold the lead in the end. McKeesport will play West Allegheny next Friday at Heinz Field in a matchup between #3 and #1 in Class 5-A.

WPIAL CLASS 4-A Semifinals:

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars  35  –  West Mifflin Titans  7 
Quinton Hill rushed 35 times for 153 yards and two scores as No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (11-0) ran away with a dominant 35-7 win over No. 4 West Mifflin (9-3) in the 50th all-time meeting between the two rivals on Friday night at Elizabeth Forward High School. With the win, the Jaguars advance to Heinz Field for the second consecutive season, where they will meet No. 7 New Castle on Friday, November 18 in the WPIAL 4A Championship Game. Two weeks after beating the Titans 35-14 in a game that Thomas Jefferson surrendered just 79 yards of offense, the Jaguars bettered that, holding West Mifflin to only 78 yards, including 31 rushing yards. However, it was West Mifflin that struck first, as Dorian Johnson intercepted Jaguars’ quarterback Bobby Kelley on Thomas Jefferson’s third drive, returning the pick for a 21-yard touchdown, propelling the Titans to an early 7-0 lead. But West Mifflin would not even sniff the end zone again, as Thomas Jefferson answered with scores on back-to-back drives. The first was a 10-play, 58-yard series capped off by an 8-yard run by Hill, Thomas Jefferson’s all-time leading rusher who eclipsed 4,000 career yards during the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Jaguars’ kicker Tommy Campbell would angle a pooch kick to the sideline. The ball ricocheted off of a West Mifflin blocker, bouncing right to Thomas Jefferson’s Shane Stump. The special teams gaff set up a 7-play drive, finished off by an 11-yard pass from Kelley to wideout Zane Zandier on 4th down, giving the Jaguars a 14-7 lead at halftime. Thomas Jefferson’s second drive of the second half would start after a fumble by West Mifflin quarterback Gary Galiyas. Again with short field position, Kelley would mount a 4-play series that he ended with a 4-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars would put the game away on their ensuring possession with a 14-play, 71-yard drive that burned nearly eight minutes off of the clock. Hill would score for a second time, this on a two-yard plunge. Kelley would hit Zandier for a 15-yard leaping touchdown catch to close out the scoring at 35-7 with 4:07 left. Kelley finished 4-of-8 passing for 48 yards with two touchdowns and a rushing score. Zandier snagged three catches for 40 yards and a pair of acrobatic touchdowns. Thomas Jefferson dominated the possession stats, running 58 plays to West Mifflin’s 28, controlling time of possession 32:45-15:15 and picking up 17 first downs to the Titans’ five. Galiyas rushed nine times for 29 yards and was 3-of-9 passing for 47 yards.  Thomas Jefferson now leads the all-time series 36-13-1 over West Mifflin, a rivalry that dates back to 1960. In Thomas Jefferson’s 57 years of football, they have played their 4A Championship Game foe New Castle just once, a 47-20 semifinal win in 2008. That season, the Jaguars went on to win WPIAL and PIAA Championships. Thomas Jefferson will play in a Championship Game for the 8th time since 2003 and will be in search of the seventh victory.

New Castle Red Hurricane  38  –  Ringgold Rams  17
At Mars, Geno Stone’s big night helped lead the Red Hurricane to Heinz Field. Stone scored five rushing touchdowns and had three interceptions, as seventh-seeded New Castle weathered a late Rams rally and advanced to its first WPIAL title game appearance since 1998. The Red Hurricane will face Big Nine Conference champion and unbeaten Thomas Jefferson in the 4A final Friday. New Castle (8-4) led 24-0 after Stone’s third score on the first play of the fourth quarter. But the ‘Canes’ next possession started on their own one, and the Rams defense forced a safety one play later. Ringgold quarterback George Martin then found tight end Max Maciejewski with scoring tosses of 18 and 14 yards following the safety to cut the lead to 24-17 with 7:19 to play.  But Stone scored from 23 yards out, then picked off Martin leading to his fifth touchdown, a two-yard run, to ice the contest. The senior Stone rushed 12 times for 97 yards and the five scores, and had his hands involved on a fourth interception. Junior Marcus Hooker continued his late-season surge with 34 carries for 183 yards, including 132 in the second half. Martin was 18 of 38 for 216 yards and five interceptions in his final game for sixth-seeded Ringgold (8-3), looking for its first WPIAL title appearance since 1982. Maciejewski, a junior, had eight catches for 113 yards, and Dalton Holt made five receptions for 64 yards. Junior running back Tyrese Youngblood, starting for the injured Brenden Small, was contained with eight carries for 19 yards.

WPIAL CLASS 3-A Semifinals:

Aliquippa Quips  46  –  Derry Trojans  20 
Top seeded Aliquppa is moving on to the WPIAL 3-A title game after defeating the 4th seeded Derry Trojans 46-20.  The Quips scored twice in the first quarter with Avante McKenzie scoring from 3-yards out and then Davion Jones scored on a 5-yard run.  Both times the Quips failed to convert on the 2-point conversion and they led after one stanza 12-0.  Jones scored his second touchdown of the night in the 2nd quarter  on a 2-yard run and again the 2-point conversion failed making the score 18-0.  McKenzie then scored his second TD of the game on a 5-yard run.  This time the 2-point conversion was good and Aliquippa took a 26-0 lead.  Just before halftime the Trojans got on the board when QB Ryan Polinsky threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Balega.  The PAT was no good and Aliauippa lead 26-6 at the half.  Aliquippa’s Keion Fuchs opened the 2nd half scoring with a 23-yard run in the 3rd quarter.  The 2-point conversion was good and the Quips led 34-6.  Avante McKenzie then scored his third touchdown of the night with a 9-yard score.  The PAT failed and the Quips increased their lead to 40-6.  The Trojans got on the board when Justin Flack scored on a 53-yard run.  Justin Huss added the PAT to make the score 40-13.  On the ensuing kickoff Aliquippa’s Xavier Hardy returned the short kick 65-yards.  The 2-point conversion failed making the score 46-13.  Derry closed out the scoring in the  4TH quarter when Tyler Balega scored on a 3-yard run.  Justin Huss added the extra point to make the final score Aliquippa 46 Derry 20.  The Quips Avante McKenzie rushed for 146-yards and 3 TD’s while Davion Jones ran for 143-yards and 2 touchdowns.  The Trojans Tyler Balega rushed for 147-yards and 2 scores.  Aliquippa now moves on to the 3-A championship game against Beaver Falls.  Derry ends their Cinderella season with an 11-1 record.

Beaver Falls Tigers  28  –  Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles  21
Entering the 3A semifinal matchup at Ambridge, #2 Beaver Falls and #3 Keystone Oaks were both giving fewer than 21 points per game sporting two of 3A’s top defenses, and it took a strong defensive second half for the Tigers to move on to Heinz Field. A back and forth contest got going 10 minutes into the first quarter when KO quarterback Alex Smith, on 4th and 7, found Dylan Knorr in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to put the Golden Eagles in front 7-0. It’d take until the middle of the second for another score as Beaver Falls eventually answered on a 3-yard run by Torian Leak on his first carry of the night, capping a 74-yard drive to knot the contest at 7-all. Two minutes and 23 seconds later, Keystone Oaks, again on 4th down, this time 4th and 10 from the BF 25-yard line, scored on a 25-yard pass from Smith to Knorr, who finished the day, unofficially, with 91 yards on seven catches and the two scores. The Golden Eagles took a 14-7 lead to the locker room before coming out a bit flat in the third, as it took only three runs by Beaver Falls, ending with a 13-yard scamper by Malik Shepherd to pay dirt to give the Tigers the tie back at 14 apiece. Later in the third, Smith would run in for a score from three yards away, to give KO the lead back at 21-14. Smith ended the day with 157 yards on 26 carries from the QB position and the score, unofficially. Beaver Falls needed a strong defensive fourth, and it got one. In the third, Smith threw his first interception of the year and that got the defense for the Tigers going. Down seven, Beaver Falls went to the air to try and tie it and did with a 30-yard touchdown grab by Nate Stratton from Austin French. After losing a fumble at the 7-yard line of Keystone Oaks earlier in the fourth, Derrell Carter of Beaver Falls capped off a 93-yard scoring drive with the eventual game-winning touchdown from seven yards out. He scored with 20 seconds remaining, and on the next drive, Smith was intercepted again on a desperation ball and it sent the Tiger faithful and sideline into celebration as the Beaver Falls Tigers now look forward to a rematch from Week 1 against Aliquippa in the 3A Championship Game at Heinz Field, Friday, Nov. 18. The Quips won the first go around 44-13, but should be expecting a much better effort from the Tigers next week for all the marbles. That game will be on the MSA Sports Network.

WPIAL CLASS 2-A Quarterfinals:

Steel Valley Ironmen  50  –  Laurel Spartans  14 
The top seeded Steel Valley Ironmen easily defeated the #9 seeded Laurel Spartans in a Class 2A Quarterfinal game at West Allegheny High School 50-14. It was a dominating performance that saw the Ironmen score on offense, defense, & special teams. The dynamic duo of DeWayne Murray and Paris Ford, both Seniors, were the two best athletes on the field and they accounted for all of the touchdowns scored by Steel Valley. Laurel coach Brian Cooper knew he had to try his best to keep the ball out of the hands of the two Steel Valley stars so he made the bold call of attempting an on-sides kick to start the game. Steel Valley recovered the kick and promptly marched down the field on their opening drive which concluded with Murray scoring his first touchdown on a 6 yard run just 2:33 into the game. After forcing Laurel to punt after three plays, it was Murray again running behind the right side of the line for a 40 yard touchdown run. Penalties backed Laurel up to within inches of their own goal line and the Steel Valley defensive line capitalized by tackling the Laurel running back for a safety. It then became the Paris Ford show. Ford took a jet sweep to the right side of the field where he found no cracks in the Laurel defense, so he promptly reversed field, ran 15 yards toward his own end zone, and beat the Laurel defense to the opposite sideline where he sprinted for an electrifying 57 yard run. He followed that run with an even better one. Ford received a punt and ran toward the left sideline where it appeared that he would step out of bounds, but he didn’t! Instead, he reversed field again and headed for the right sideline where he turned the corner, made a couple defenders miss, and headed for the end zone on a scintillating 67 yard punt return for a touchdown. He wasn’t done. In the second quarter, he correctly read a quick out pattern and stepped in front of the intended receiver for a 35 yard pick 6. Murray and Ford each scored again before halftime and the Ironmen comfortably lead 50-0 at the break. Laurel scored twice in the second half: the first touchdown was a 37 yard run by Senior Phil Telesz and the second touchdown was a 4 yard run by Freshman Daniel Blank. Steel Valley advances to the Semifinals where the will play Riverside.

Riverside Panthers  21  –  Freedom Bulldogs  7
The Riverside Panthers  (9-2) wasted no time in establishing control of their WPIAL 2A Quarterfinal Matchup with the Freedom Bulldogs Friday night, as Quarterback Ben Hughes capped off a 69 yard game opening drive with a 21 yard scoring strike to Dylan Shannon.
Freedom tried to answer that score late in the opening quarter, but Austin Dambach picked off Bulldog Quarterback Zach Rosa’s pass and raced 71 yards for a Panther touchdown.  Instead of a potential tying score, Freedom now trailed 14-0.  Dambach was far from done, as later in the quarter he took a quick slant pass from Ben Hughes and turned it into a 77 yard score.  Trailing 21-0, Freedom tried to engineer a late first half touchdown drive of their own.  On 4rth and Goal, Rosa’s pass into the end zone fell incomplete and the Goal Line stand gave the Panthers the ball back with :02 remaining until intermission.  The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and pounded out an impressive 21 play touchdown drive.  As Cody Ross plunged in from 1 yard out, the Panther lead was narrowed to 21-7.  Though the Bulldogs did mount a second drive in the fourth quarter with a chance to pull to within one score, they would never get any closer to Riverside.  The game ended with Ben Hughes taking a knee and the Panthers celebrating their 2nd win of the year over their fellow MAC (Midwestern Athletic Conference) foe.  The top-ranked Steel Valley Ironmen await the Panthers in the Semi-Finals.

Washington Little Prexies  61  –  Brentwood Spartans  27 
Wash High took an early 21-0 lead and cruised to a 61-27 win over Brentwood.  Isaiah Robinson’s 40-yard punt return early in the second quarter put the Little Prexies (11-0) in control of the game and they never looked back.  The special teams touchdown followed Connor Bedillion’s one-yard sneak and Isaiah Schoonmaker’s 53-yard “Pick Six” in the game’s first 14 minutes.  Following Robinson’s score, the Spartans’ Tylen Neal sprinted 70 yards with the kickoff to give Brentwood (8-3) a spark.  That flicker was quickly and methodically doused as Zyan Wallace capped the next two Washington possessions with TD runs of 18 and 7 yards. The Spartans didn’t go away quietly as Michael Trent and Austin Veatch hooked up for the first of three scoring passes to close the gap to 35-13 at intermission.  Schoonmaker added two short TD runs and Wallace took a screen pass 61 yards to the endzone as the Little Prexies secured a second trip to the semifinals in three years and their third in five seasons.  Wash High ran for 289 yards against Brentwood, finishing with 381 yards of total offense.  Brentwood had -5 yards rushing, thanks in part to six sacks of Trent.  Veatch had five catches for 99 yards, part of Trent’s 299 passing yards.  Dorian Bowie also caught five passes for 92 yards.  The Spartans have now lost four straight quarterfinal games since last making the semifinals in 2006.

Neshannock Lancers  71  –  Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans  28
The Lancers piled up 591 yards of offense and have scored 131 points in two post-season games  with the win at Butler last night. Quarterback Frank Antuono threw for four scores, all to Danny Welker as Neshannock moves to 11-1. Neshannock possessed the ball for over 31 minutes and recorded 28 first downs, while holding the Trojans to just 78 yards rushing. The Lancers scored first on a Sean Doran 11 yard td run. The lead lasted just ten seconds as Joey Porter Junior returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for a score and a 7=7 game. Neshannock took back the lead for good on a 12 yard Antuono touchdown run. Neshannock pulled away in the second quarter as Antuono hooked up with Welker for td passes of 48 and 10 yards. CWNC moved quickly down field as Mario Latronica scored his 14th touchdown of the season on a 5 yard run but Neshannock answered with two more scores, a 13 yard scamper by Antuono and a 33 yard Antuono to Welker connection to put the Lancers up 43-14. That lead lasted 14 seconds as Michael Tomlin took the kickoff 75 yards to the house. Both teams scored again in the final two minutes of the half as the Neshannock duo racked up a 30 yard scoring strike and Latronica added a 71 yard run to make it 50-28 at the break. Following a turnover on the first play of the second half, the Lancers kicked in the mercy rule as Antuono notched a 3 yard touchdown. Doran added his 13th and 14th touchdowns on runs of 4 and 1 yard to close the scoring. Individually, Antuono, a Robert Morris defensive recruit, was 13 of 18 throwing for 260 yards, he carried 16 times for 133 yards, Doran ran 17 times for 130 yards and Welker had 6 receptions for 154 yards. The senior receiver now has scored 19 times on the year. With the 11 wins, the Lancers advance to the semifinals for the fourth time in five years and equal the school record for wins in a season. Neshannock will play a 13th game for the first time when they meet Wash High next week. Latronica had 111 of CWNC’s 205 total yards of offense. The Trojans lost quarterback William Gipson in the second quarter to an apparent leg injury. CWNC finishes the season at 6-5.

WPIAL CLASS 1-A Quarterfinals:

Clairton Bears  46  –  Fort Cherry Rangers  8 
Clairton exploded for 30 third-quarter points to break an 8-8 tie and defeat Fort Cherry 46-8 in the class A WPIAL quarter finals at Peters Township. Tre Howard returned the second-half kick off 79 yards for a touchdown. Lamont Wade had touchdown runs of 50 and 96 yards, and Kijafi Fuqua an eleven yard touchdown run, as the Bears scored four times in the third quarter. Wade also had a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and a 100-yard interception return for a score in the fourth. Wade racked up 206 rushing yards in the game on 17 carries, after being held to 52 yards on 12 carries in the first half. The Rangers scored first when Logan Higham pushed Noah Hamlin out of the back of the end zone for a safety on Clairton’s first possession of the game. Wade’s first touchdown run gave the Bears a 6-2 lead, which became 8-2 when Rhyan Culberson lined up to punt in his own end zone and the snap sailed over his head and out of the end zone for a safety with 7:09 to go in the first half. Fort Cherry’s lone touchdown came when Culberson ran for a six-yard score, capping a 13-play 71 yard drive. The score tied the game at 8 with 45 seconds to go in the first half. Clairton (11-0) moves on to next week’s semi-finals. The Rangers’ season ends at 9-2.

Northgate Flames  41  –  Bishop Canevin Crusaders  0 
It’s been since October 22 since the Northgate Flames defense have given up a point. That was to 1A Big East Section foe Summit Academy and the heat of the Flames defense hasn’t been put out since. They went on to finish their season with a 76-0 win then beat Mapletown in the first round of the playoffs 37-0 then followed that up with a 41-0 trouncing of the #5 seeded Bishop Canevin Crusaders tonight. The scoring started in the first quarter when Stefon Adams found Mike Allen in the end zone giving the Flames the lead 6-0 after a missed extra point. That drive was aided by three defensive offsides penalties committed by the Crusaders to allow the drive to continue. After giving up that score the Crusaders had their first of three fumbles and would rely on their defense to stop the high powered Flames and they did forcing a turn over on downs. Again the ensuing series the Flames were able to get another turnover this time an interception by Stefon Adams and the Crusaders defense would come up big again keeping their team in the game. We’d go to the 2nd quarter the score still 6-0 and things looking good for Bishop Canevin. That’s when the wheels would fall off though as the Flames found pay dirt four times beginning at the 10:39 mark when Surron Adams had barreled his way into the end zone 5 yards out and brother Stefon would convert the two point try running it in as well. After Bishop Canevin fumbled the ensuing kick off it’d take the Flames 1:30 to score again this time through the air when Stefon Adams hooked up again with Mike Allen from two yards out the two point try was no good making it 20-0. The Flames would add another score on a Mike Azzarello 15 yard TD run at the 4:43 mark the two point try was good this time as Stefon Adams found Mike Allen in the end zone giving the Flames the 28-0 advantage. Just 20 seconds later the aforementioned defense would point points on the board when Kaveh Bowie intercepted Austin Scott of Bishop Canevin and would score from 25 yards out and the route was on 35-0 going into the half. In the running clock third quarter there was no scoring and in the fourth with 2:51 to go Stefon Adams scampered in from 68 yards out splitting three Crusader defenders and scoring capping off the night 41-0 in favor of Northgate. The Crusaders final stats Austin Scott was 10/15 for 107yds and 3ints Maleik Hooker finished with 13 carries for 94 yards and as a team the Crusaders were penalized 10 times for 85 yards. The other side of things for the Flames Stefon Adams finished 7/12 for 132yds and 2tds also added 7 carries for 36 yards and a TD. Little brother Surron Adams finished with 17 carries for 79 yards and 1TD while Kenny Azzarello had 7 carries for 64 yards and a TD as well. Mike Allen had 5 catches all in the first half for 104 yards and 2TDs. Northgate will go on to play Clariton next Saturday November 19 at a site and time to be determined while the impressive Crusader season ends at 8-3.

Rochester Rams  32  –  Imani Christian Saints  6 
Imani Christian was in search for a “cinderella” story, as it battled the Rochester Rams. Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to complete the upset as they lost 32-6. Rochester Senior Quarterback Ian Kouba scored two total touchdowns, one on the ground and one in the air. Kouba passed for 65-yards, ran for 129 more and had two interceptions defensively. Rochester Senior Tailback Chris Hayes and Junior Tailback Caleb Collins both ran for over 100 yards. West Virginia University commit and Imani Christian starting quarterback Kenny Robinson was virtually shut down but did throw a five-yard touchdown pass to wideout Jermaine Rodgers. With the win, Rochester will move on to the semifinals and take on the Jeannette Jayhawks.

Jeannette Jayhawks  69  –  Springdale Dynamos  21 
Jeannette had their full roster back tonight as Gio Vonne Sanders returned at quarterback after missing last week with an injury, and they certainly have the look of a team on a mission to get to the wpial championship game for sure. The Jayhawks opened the game for the second week in a row by scoring on their first play from scrimmage. This time it was Robert Kennedy finding a big hole and running untouched 57 yards to give the Jayhawks a 7-0 lead. Jeannette then got a fourth down stop and struck again on a thirty yard touchdown run by Kareem Hall to open up a 14-0 lead. Josh Harmon recovered a fumble for Springdale on their next position on a punt, scored then on the next play. A 25 yard pass from Samm Carey to cut the Jeannette lead in half 14-7. But 18 seconds later, on the very next play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Ryan Swinton who fumbled that punt that led to the Springdale touchdown, broke loose for a 56 yard touchdown run and the rout was on Jeannette put up 48 points in the second quarter. Kareem Hall with two of those second quarter touchdowns finished with 116 yards rushing and four touchdowns. The Jayhawks lead 69-14 at the half and roll up 344 yards rushing on the way to a 69-21 win. Springdale ends their season 6-6, Jeannette moves to 11-1 and are on to the semi-finals against the Rochester Rams.