WPIAL Football Playoffs Quarterfinals/First Round Recaps

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 4, 2017 | 5:30 AM

The curtain rose on the 2017 WPIAL Football Playoffs on Friday and one a night where they usually isn’t much drama, there were plenty of tight games that eventually turned one-sided and down to the wire contests in Quarterfinals and First Round contests alike. Blowouts or thrillers, the tradition continues with recaps from all 32 WPIAL high school football playoff games from the first weekend in November.

A special thanks to Jason Kern, Dave Franczak, Brent Whigham, Paul Paterra, Scott Briggs, Dennis Fischer, Steve Nagler, Donny Chedrick, Kevin Zielmanski, Matt Vandriak, Jordan Thompson, Bob Gregg, Mark Uriah, Sean Saputo, Brandon Rossi, Jonathan Whaley, Rich Mastowski, Bob Orkwis, Justin McCauley, John Flickinger, Sean Meyers, Randy Gore, Kyle Dawson, Dan Flickinger, James Dotson, Rob Gregory, Bob Barrickman and Mike Azadian for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS 6-A Quarterfinals:

Pine-Richland Rams  49  –  Norwin Knights  14 
Pine-Richland wasted no time getting the scoring going. Phil Jurkovec connected with Ben Jochem with 9:55 left in the first quarter. Norwin wasn’t able to get much going offensively giving the ball back to the Rams. Jurkovec found Cameron Ballay late in the first for another score putting the Rams up 14-0. Norwin was able to cause a turnover in the redzone, but Jack Salopek threw an interception inside the 5 yard line. Kenny White found the end zone on the next play to give the Rams a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. Pine-Richland was firing on all cylinders at that point when Jurkovec connected with Dawson Goltz for another score. Just when things started to wokr against the Rams gathering a few penalties in a row, Jurkovec kept the ball himself going 85 yards almost untouched to the end zone giving the Rams a 35-0 lead. Norwin would eventually scoring late in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Jack Salopek dove over his line for a one yard score. The momentum wouldn’t last long as Kenny White would take the ensuing kickoff back to the house putting the Rams up 42-7. The mercy rule went into effect when play started in the second half. Pine-Richland would tack on another score late in the third quarter when Jurkovec connected with Jordan Crawford for a 19 yard score. Norwin wouldn’t go away easily as Jayvon Thrift put the Knights back on the board with a 5 yard run.  Pine-Richland would go on to defeat the Knights 49-14 to advance to the next round of the WPIAL playoffs.

North Allegheny Tigers  38  –  Mount Lebanon Blue Devils  14
The North Allegheny defense intercepted four passes, including one pick six by junior defensive back Nikko Rankin, to spark a 38-14 triumph over the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils in the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals on Friday night. The Tigers also posted five quarterback sacks to slow down the high-octane Mt. Lebanon offense. It was the second time this season NA beat Mt. Lebanon on the road. North Allegheny quarterback Luke Trueman rushed for 94 yards on 11 carries, including an 82-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to help NA to a 21-0 lead. Mt. Lebanon starting quarterback James Stocker was injured in the first half, but backup Seth Morgan engineered two scoring drives to pull the Blue Devils to within seven points by halftime. Morgan tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Lucas DeCaro to cut the NA lead to 21-14. In the second half, North Allegheny running back Turner White rushed for a 9-yard score and Rankin reeled in a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown to finish off the Blue Devils for a 38-14 victory. The Tigers improve to 8-3 on the season and advance to face the Pine-Richland Rams in the WPIAL semifinals next week. Mt. Lebanon’s season comes to a close with a 6-5 record.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings  27  –  Peters Township Indians  20 
Senior quarterback Troy Fisher passed for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards and 2 more touchdowns to lead the #2 seeded Central Catholic Vikings to a 27-20 victory over the #7 seeded Peters Township Indians at Cupples Stadium on Carson Street Friday night. Fisher’s 16 yard touchdown run with 1:49 remaining in the game looked like it would finally give the Vikings separation and a comfortable 14 point win but Peters Township refused to go away easily. On the third play of the possession after that Central touchdown, Senior quarterback Jake Cortes hit sophomore receiver Josh Casilli streaking down the sideline to cut the deficit to only 7 points with 55 seconds left on the clock. Peters Township could not recover the onside kick so the Vikings closed out the game in victory formation. The first half was a defensive struggle with Fisher hitting Junior Corey Thomas on a post pattern for a 43 yard touchdown pass at 8:11 of the first quarter. Peters scored in the second quarter when Sophomore Adrian Williams scampered for an 8 yard touchdown run. Strangely, the Indians went for 2 and the attempt failed. Central lead 7-6 at halftime. Fisher scored on a 1 yard touchdown run on fourth down on the Vikings first possession of the second half to lead 13-6. The offenses finally broke through in the fourth quarter with each team scoring 14 points. Junior Gavin Thomson had a 39 yard catch and run down the right sideline for the Vikings just 17 seconds into the fourth quarter. Senior Luke Mary had a 61 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to keep the game interesting and setting up the two late touchdowns, one for each team. Central Catholic advances to the 6A semifinals next week to play the Penn Hills Indians.  Peters Township   0-6-0-14 = 20     Central Catholic.   7-0-6-14 = 27

Penn Hills Indians  30  –  Bethel Park Black Hawks  28
While the Indians and Black Hawks exchanged offensive outbursts in the first half, it was the Penn Hills defense in the second half that guided the Indians to the upset victory in the 6A quarterfinals at Bethel Park. Penn Hills, the No. 6 seed, scored on its first offensive play of the game, as QB Hollis Mathis connected with Daequan Hardy on a 55-yard score. Later in the frame, third-seeded Bethel Park forced a turnover in Penn Hills territory, and fullback Luke Mattola capped the drive off with a 1-yard run, as BP took the lead after the extra point. Penn Hills regained the advantage later in the first quarter, when Terry Tank Smith darted down the sideline for a 68-yard score. Tanner Volpatti answered, as his 56-yard touchdown scamper less than two minutes later gave the Black Hawks the 14-12 lead. As the back-and-forth action continued, Mathis hooked up with Dante Cephas on a 46-yard touchdown pass, giving Penn Hills the second-quarter lead. Volpatti again scored, however, this time on a 28-yard reception to stake Bethel Park to the halftime edge. Early in the third, Cephas ran past the defense and hauled in a 50-yard strike to give Penn Hills the lead, 24-21. From there, the Indians defense clamped down, while the Black Hawks sustained two devastating injuries. Featured running back Tanner Volpatti left with a lower-body injury and did not return, while all-purpose back John Doleno suffered a crushing hit when taking a handoff, and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Without those valuable weapons, the Black Hawks could muster little offense, and also became turnover prone. One of the three second-half turnovers forced by Penn Hills was a 20-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown for George Freeman, after he ripped the ball from Mattola’s hands. Despite a Bethel Park score in the final minute to pull within two points, the Black Hawks failed to recover the onside kick, allowing Penn Hills to seal the victory.

WPIAL CLASS 5-A Quarterfinals:

Penn-Trafford Warriors  28  –  Fox Chapel Foxes  21
Many believe that the 5A classification features more parity than any other in the WPIAL. That proved to be true once again on Friday night in Harrison City as top-seeded Penn-Trafford avoided a quarterfinal upset to No. 8 Fox Chapel, beating the Foxes 28-21 at Warrior Stadium. Fox Chapel stunned the home crowd just six seconds into the game as Chase Villani intercepted a Cam Laffoon pass and returned it almost 30 years for a touchdown to quickly give the Foxes a 7-0 lead. The game featured many long drives from both teams as the Warriors responded with a long drive that ended with a Lafoon 1-yard run to tie the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. Fox Chapel responded to that drive late in the second quarter with an 88-yard march with Micah Morris spinning into the end zone from two yards out to make the score 14-7 with just 3:02 left before the break. P-T though would strike with just 30 seconds left in the first half on a Lafoon 14-yard pass to Dimitri George and it was 14-14 at halftime. Fox Chapel would recapture the lead on yet another long drive capped off by a Nick Gizzo 1-yard plunge and it was 21-14 after three. Both scores in the final stanza would belong to Penn-Trafford (10-1) as Laffoon connected with Anthony Cervone on an 8-yard touchdown pass just 52 seconds into the fourth quarter to knot the game at 21-21. The Foxes (6-5) drove to near midfield midway through the quarter but on a fourth-and-3, Gizzo was hit by Warriors defensive end Will Mayr and P-T took over. Two plays later, John Gay darted 36 yards for what would become Penn-Trafford’s winning touchdown. The Warriors advance to play Upper St. Clair in the semifinals next Friday at a site and time to be determined. The Panthers narrowly defeated Franklin Regional 6-3 on Friday.

Upper St. Clair Panthers  6  –  Franklin Regional Panthers  3
In a Class 5-A opening round matchup at Upper St. Clair Stadium Upper St. Clair held off Franklin Regional to win a physical defense dominated game 6-3. USC scored their only points of the game with 7:00 left in the second period on a 16-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Jack Hansberry to junior WR Chris Pantelis to take a 6-0 lead. Franklin Regional’s offense came to life in the second half and got a 34-yard field goal from senior kicker Domenick DiFalco with 23 seconds remaining in the third quarter to pull within 6-3. Franklin Regional drove to the USC 6-yard line with 6:33 left in the game only to have junior QB Adam Rudzinski misfire on a third down pass to wide open sophomore TE Blaze O’Block. FR attempted a 23-yard field goal from DiFalco on 4 and 6 and it missed. With 4 minutes left FR’s senior WR/CB Nate Leopold called for a fair catch and fumbled USC’s punt at the Franklin Regional 48-yard line with 4 minutes left that USC recovered and ran out the clock. USC QB Jack Hansberry ran for 110 yards on 27 carries and went 12 for 18 passing for 139 yards and one touchdown. FR QB Adam Rudzinski completed 13 of 25 passes for 116 yards. FR senior MLB Bryce Lauer led all tacklers in the game with 21 tackles, 8 unassisted to bring his season totals to 145 of which 88 were unassisted. USC moves on to face Penn-Trafford next Friday night in the Class 5-A semifinals at a site to be announced.

Gateway Gators  40  –  Woodland Hills Wolverines  28  
The Gators jumped out to 19-0 lead over the Wolverines in their first home playoff game in 4 years at Antimarino Stadium and that was too much for Woodland Hills to overcome in this WPIAL 5A Quarterfinal playoff match-up. Freshman Derrick Davis scored the game’s first two touchdowns and finished with 118-yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on the ground in the win for Gateway. Senior quarterback Brady Walker was once again outstanding for the Gators. The school’s all-time leading passer threw for 384-yards and a touchdown and also ran for 44-yards and another score as Gateway improved to (10-1) on the season. Walker became the 5^th player in WPIAL history to surpass the 7,000-yard passing mark in the win. Junior wide-receiver Courtney Jackson had 7 catches for 125-yards for the Gators and also threw a 9-yard TD pass to Tui Faumuina-Brown on a 4^th down in the 2^nd quarter.  Woodland Hills used a pair of touchdown passes and 2 kick-return TD’s to make the game close. Daniel Jones threw for scores of 11-yards to Rodney Dennard and 53-yards to Nazhir Taylor, and both Dennard (95-yards) and Taylor (75-yards) returned kicks for scores in the game for Woodland Hills. The Wolverines started the season with a 35-23 loss to Gateway and the 2017 campaign ends at (6-5) for the 7^th seed with bookend losses to the Gators. The win for 2^nd seeded Gateway sets up a rematch with fellow Big East conference rival McKeesport. The two schools met in Week 8 at Gateway with the Gators winning 21-18. The semifinal contest is a rematch of last season’s semifinal classic which the Tigers won 41-38 on a last second Hail Mary touchdown on a hook and lateral in the game’s final seconds at Norwin High School. The Gators appearance in the semifinals is their second straight after not making the final four since 2011.

McKeesport Tigers  22  –  West Allegheny Indians  21 
The McKeesport Tigers exacted some revenge for their 38-37 OT loss in the 2016 WPIAL 5-A Championship game by squeaking out a 22-21 victory on the road against the 3^rd seeded West Allegheny Indians.  The Tigers got terrific performances by their Flex-bone skill players as QB John Harper, FB Layton Jordan and wingback Carlinos Acie all scored touchdowns in the victory.  McKeesport struck first just 38 seconds into the game when Harper ran off right tackle 51 yards nearly untouched.  But, the Indians would respond with a TD drive of their own.  The drive lasted 6:41 and culminated in a 1-yd TD run by RB Will Weber which tied the score at 7-7.  But, the Tigers would take the lead right back when Acie would rumble 32 yards right up the middle for a score which made the score 14-7.  West Allegheny would respond with another impressive drive but when they got to the McKeesport seven yard line, the drive stalled and Kolbe Stout missed a 25-yard FG, wide right.  Those three points would end up making a big difference in the outcome of the football game.  West Allegheny would take their first and only lead of the night early in the second half when Weber took a hand-off 80 yards for a touchdown less than a minute into the 2^nd half.  The Indians successfully executed a trick play for the 2-point conversion giving them a 15-14 lead.  The Indians lead was short-lived as McKeesport would score less than four minutes later, taking the lead back for good.  Layton Jordan ran the ball in from the nine yard line and the Tigers executed their own 2-point conversion to re-take a seven-point lead, 22-15.  Undaunted, the Indians would score less than three minutes into the 4^th quarter when Will Weber threw a TD pass to Mateo Vandamia cutting the lead to 22-21.  The Indians opted to attempt the extra point, but it was missed by Stout, not allowing the Indians to tie the score.  West Allegheny would get a key stop of the Tigers offense and would get one more crack at the win, but Devin Sims picked off West Allegheny’s Kam Kruze with about a minute remaining to seal the victory.  Harper finished with 122 yards on 15 carries while Jordan ran the ball 14 times for 80 yards.  Acie finished with 66 yards on only five carries.  For West Allegheny, they were led by Will Weber who gained 177 yards on 28 carries.  Weber scored two TDs and threw for one.  With the victory, McKeesport will take on the Gateway Gators in the 5-A semi-finals.  Gateway defeated McKeesport in a critical Week 8 battle by the score of 21-18.

WPIAL CLASS 4-A Quarterfinals:

South Fayette Lions  35  –  West Mifflin Titans  0 
The #1 seed South Fayette Lions advanced to the semifinal round of the Class 4A football playoffs with a convincing 35-0 win over the #8 seed West Mifflin Titans on Friday night at South Fayette Stadium.  Lions quarterback Drew Saxton threw for three touchdowns, two to Noah Plack and one to Peyton Tinney, and Andrew Franklin ran for two more.  South Fayette led 21-0 at the half before adding a touchdown in each of the third and fourth quarters.  The Lions (11-0) will meet Montour next Friday for the right to play in the title game at Heinz Field on November 17.  West Mifflin ended its season at 5-5.

Montour Spartans  35  –  New Castle Red Hurricane  31
At Montour, senior quarterback Kavon Morman ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more, as the Spartans rallied from three scores down in the second half to stun their conference rival in the WPIAL 4A quarterfinals. Fourth seed Montour (8-2) advances to the semis against top seed South Fayette, a 35-0 winner over West Mifflin. Fifth-seeded New Castle ends its season at 7-4. Trailing 28-7 late in the third quarter, Montour changed tactics, took to the air and scored quickly and often to tie the game. Morman’s 11-yard touchdown run after going 4 of 5 for 59 yards passing brought the Spartans to within 28-14 at the 1:13 mark. Then after recovering a pooch on the ensuing kickoff, Morman completed passes of 27 and 4 yards and punctuated the short drive with a 9-yard run to make it 28-21. The Red Hurricanes went three-and-out on its next possession bridging the third and fourth quarters, and Brandon Lipford’s 48-yard punt return set up his 10-yard scoring run to tie the game, 28-28, with 10:07 remaining. In all, Montour had scored three touchdowns in the span of just over three minutes. New Castle then marched 69 yards on 15 plays before stalling at the Spartans 10 and settling for a 27-yard field goal from Brayden Cartwright to retake the lead, 31-28, with 2:36 to go. Senior Marcus Hooker carried nine times on the drive for 55 yards on his way to a huge night. But Morman found Lipford on a crossing route two plays later, and the senior receiver turned the corner in front of the Hurricanes’ bench and raced 57 yards down the sideline, crossing the field just short of the goal line to burn some clock before stepping into the end zone for the final margin with 1:49 remaining. A desperation heave from Hooker on New Castle’s final possession was intercepted, sealing Montour’s rally. The ‘Canes, which fell at home to its Northwest Nine neighbor in early September, built a 21-7 halftime lead on two first-quarter Hooker touchdown runs — the second after a fumble in the backfield that he picked up and raced 78 yards through the Spartans defense — and a 7-yard scoring rush from Freddie Soto. Hooker had 130 yards in the first half. After weathering a Montour drive and forcing the Spartans to turn the ball over on downs to start the second half, New Castle used 10 straight runs to increase their advantage to 28-7, with Hooker finishing it off from a yard out in what would be a prelude to Montour’s shift in strategy. Morman finished 12 of 16 for 199 yards with an interception. He added 59 yards on the ground on 11 carries. Senior Brayden Jones led the Spartans with 75 yards on 21 carries, and the senior Lipford caught two passes for 73 yards. Hooker rushed for 251 yards on 29 carries in his final high school game, giving him 1,522 for the season with 24 touchdowns on the ground. Hurricanes junior Josh Thomason had 127 yards on 14 carries.

Belle Vernon Leopards  42  –  Mars Fightin’ Planets  7 
Dominance thy name is Belle Vernon. The Leopards took a 21-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. In victory, the Leopards (10-0) rushed for more than 300 yards. Mason Pascoe led the way with 120 yards rushing. Larry Callaway chipped in with 97. Dylan Haney ran for two touchdowns. Logan Pfrogner added a 51 yard punt return for a touchdown. Mars (6-5) scored on a 50 yard run by Garrett Reinke in the 3rd quarter. Belle Vernon advances to the semifinals to play Thomas Jefferson which it beat 21-17 October 13th.

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars  42  –  Trinity Hillers  0
Thomas Jefferson scored on its first five possessions to build a 35-0 halftime lead, and defeated Trinity 42-0 in the first round of the 4A WPIAL football playoffs. The Jaguars marched 85 yards on 15 plays with Justin Vigna scoring from one yard out for a 7-0 lead. TJ’s defense forced a turnover on the first play of Trinity’s next drive, when quarterback Dylan Kern was sacked and lost a fumble recovered by Logan Burnsworth at the Trinity 19 yard line. Four plays later, fullback Sean Bell scored on a four yard run. Jaguars quarterback Shane Stump tossed three first half touchdown passes: 38 yards to Garret Fairman, five yards to Dan Deabner, and 65 yards to Vigna. Vigna ran for 134 yards on 16 carries. Stump completed four of eight passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas Jefferson’s defense held Trinity running back to Joey Karoly to 64 yards on 16 carries, and notched its fifth shutout of the season. Thomas Jefferson (9-1) advances to the semi-finals against Belle Vernon. The Leopards handed TJ its only loss, 21-17 in week seven. Trinity finishes 6-4.

WPIAL CLASS 3-A Quarterfinals:

Aliquippa Quips  48  –  South Park Eagles  12
Aliquippa had only let up one offensive touchdown during the entire regular.  The South Park Eagles scored two in a 48-12 Aliquippa victory. Tonight, the Eagles brought their game after losing 52-0 to the Quips during the regular season. South Park scored on their first possession of the second half to cut the lead to 14-12. After a failed onside kick the Quips flipped the switch and it started with Avante McKenzie. McKenzie broke a 49-yard run to extend the score to 20-12. McKenzie finished the night with 244 yards on 24 attempts. Three plays later MJ Devonshire picks off Damon Smith and returns it to the house 60 yards. Part of the 7 turnovers for the Eagles on the night. Quips lead 26-12. Aliquippa put up 26 points in the third quarter to break open this game. Aliquippa (11-0) will face Beaver in the 3A semifinals next Friday.

Beaver Bobcats  40  –  Elizabeth Forward Warriors  20
The Beaver Bobcats earn a 40-20 win over the Elizabeth Forward Warriors and will face their section rival the Aliquippa Quips next week in WPIAL 3 A semi final action. Brodie List had a fantastic day throwing TD passes of 32, 16, and 14 yards and rushing twice for two 1 yard TD’s. He went 11/26 and threw for 225 yards and rushed for 70 more accumulating 295 yards from scrimmage. Beaver started the scorning with a Zach Hansen 32 yard TD reception from LIst. After Gavin Martin scored on a 31 yard reception from Zachary Benedek it looked like it could be a wild game. However the Bobcats would score on three more TD’S in the first half to lead 28-13. List would score on a 1 yard run followed by Tyler Wallace’s 16 yard TD reception. After the Warriors had a blocked punt TD return Beaver would score at the end of the half on another List 1 yard TD run. Beaver played great defense in the 3rd quarter and it may have been the difference in the game as the did not allow Elizabeth Forward to score. The Bobcats would tack on two Field goals to go up 34-13 heading into the final quarter. Hansen would score again on a 16 yard reception to put the game away for Beaver. Beaver has grown on offense substantially since their regular season loss to Aliquippa. In that game they only managed an offensive field goal and an interception return for a TD. While the Quips will go into the semi final match up with a key injury as starting QB Eli Kosanovich was injured in their victory over South Park.

Quaker Valley Quakers  51  –  Derry Trojans  29  
Quarterback Ricky Guss scored four times on the ground and threw for two more touchdowns, along with four two-point conversion throws, as #2 Quaker Valley broke open a 15-15  game, and cruised to a 51-29 win over #7 Derry. Both teams entered the game with (9-1) records, but the high powered Quaker offense was too much for the Trojans to stay with. Guss finished with 112 yards on the ground on 18 carries, and the senior quarterback was 11 of 25 for 194 yards through the air.  Senior Jordan Taylor added 108 yards and a touchdown, and senior wideout Isaiah McNair, who set school records last week in overall receptions and touchdown catches, pulled in a 30 yard pass for a touchdown, and Joey Peduzzi hauled in the other from 18 yards away.  Ryan Jackovic converted three two-point conversion passes. The Quakers finished with 456 yards of total offense.  For the Trojans, Justin Huss added a 46-yard touchdown run, and senior quarterback Ryan Polinsky threw for 131 yards, including a 20-yard strike to junior Onreey Stewart. Their season ends at (9-2.)

Seton-LaSalle Rebels  35  –  Freeport Yellow Jackets  18
Freeport started with a spark, picking up a safety 2:36 into the game, but was unable to stop the Seton-LaSalle rushing attack, led by Lionel Deanes, and the Rebels topped the Yellow Jackets 35-18 in a Class 3A quarterfinal matchup between conference foes. In week 7, the Rebels put up 21 points in a 21-10 victory behind Deanes 288 yards and 3 TD’s. This time, the Rebels has 21 at the half and led 21-2 behind 155 yards and 3 TD’s for Deanes in the first half. Deanes continued to roll, extending the lead to 35-2 in the third quarter, ending the night with 300 yards on 33 carries and 5 TD’s. The Yellow Jackets made the score more admirable, netting two touchdowns in the fourth, along with two two-point conversions to bring the final to 35-18. The Rebel defense allowed 240 yards and forced five Yellow Jacket turnovers (2 fumbles, 3 INT’s). The Yellow Jackets on the other hand didn’t allow a passing yard, but was torched by the run allowing 366 yards. Freeport ends the season with a 7-3 mark, with two of the three losers coming to Seton-LaSalle. The Rebels move into the semifinals for the first time since 2014 and have a rematch yet again with the second seeded Quaker Valley Quakers.

WPIAL CLASS 2-A First Round:

Steel Valley Ironmen  42  –  Laurel Spartans  13  
It was the 24th straight win for Steel Valley, but the first half was not easy. Trevon Adams caught a 29 yard TD pass from freshman QB Ronnell Lawrence to brake a 7-7 tie with 1:27 to go in the first half to help the number 1 seed Steel Valley Ironmen defeat the number 16 seed Laurel Spartans 42-13.  Trevon Adams also had 2 TD runs of 44 and14 yards, and QB Ronnell Lawrence, WR Amonte Strothers, and OL Alex Ligeros connected on a 15 yard hook and lateral TD pass to help the Ironmen pool away in the second half.  Kameron Williams and Todd Hill also had TD runs of 24 yards and 1 yard respectively. Lance Hill had an interception and a 4 yard TD run in the first half to help Laurel tie the game 7-7 with 11:53 to go in the second quarter, and William Shaffer scored on a 3 yard TD run on the final play of the game. Laurel finishes with a 3-8 record and Steel Valley(9-0) goes on to play Burgettstown in the Quarter finals on The Road to RMU.

Burgettstown Blue Devils  31  –  Neshannock Lancers  28
Seth Phillis drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give the 9-seed Burgettstown the first round victory 31-28 over Neshannock in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. The win was the first playoff victory for Burgettstown since 1978.  Neshannock struck quickly with two early touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead. However, Ryan Lounder started to find his rhythm and came right back down the field for his first of three touchdown passes on the night. Neshannock again drove right down the field, but on the first play of the second quarter, Seth Fehrs threw his first of two interceptions of the game as Austin Safreed picked him off at the goal line. Ryan Lounder would get a rushing touchdown on the ensuing drive to tie the score at 14-14 at halftime. After exchanging third quarter touchdowns, Cyle Conley gave the Blue Devils their first lead of the game with 5:32 remaining in the game on a 33-yard catch and run. Neshannock would drive right down the field in response, with assistance from Burgettstown personal fouls, with Fehrs running it in from 25 yards out to tie the score at 28-28 with 3:30 remaining.  Burgettstown converted on a third down at midfield to extend their final drive, and with 50 seconds remaining converted on a fourth down pass to get to the Neshannock 28 yard line. Three plays and eight yards later, the Blue Devils faced a fourth and two from the 20 yard line with five seconds remaining.  Phillis’s kick split the uprights with plenty of leg, and the celebration began for the Blue Devils fans who made the trip north to New Castle. Neshannock (6-4) QB Seth Fehrs had 122 passing yards and 2 touchdowns (both to Jared Staph) and also ran for 155 yards and a score. Burgettstown’s Ryan Lounder led with 128 passing yards, 157 rushing yards, and 4 touchdowns. He accounted for 285 of the team’s 335 yards from scrimmage.  Burgettstown (7-3) advances to face top-seed Steel Valley in the quarterfinals.

Riverside Panthers  34  –  Frazier Commodores  0
After a sluggish start, Riverside found its groove and defeated Frazier Friday night in a WPIAL 2A First Round game, 34-0.  The Panthers opened the scoring on a 1-yard run by Noah Harris with 10:11 remaining in the first half to cap an 80-yard drive.  Less than three minutes later, Riverside’s Ben Antal blocked a Commodore punt and set up shop for the home team at the Frazier 13-yard line.  Junior running back Lemarcus Cleckley then scored on a 2-yard run to improve the Panthers advantage to 14-0.  Riverside put the game away with two touchdowns late in the third quarter.  On a 3^rd down and one situation, Panther quarterback Ben Hughes found wide open Lehigh recruit Austin Dambach on a 36-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0.  Just 19 seconds later, Harris scored on a 22-yard gallop and Riverside led, 28-0.  Despite four turnovers, the Panthers defense gave Frazier little opportunity to take advantage of them.  Riverside completed the scoring as Cleckley went on a 64-yard romp into the end zone with 8:42 left.  The Commodores ended their season at 3-8 while 8-2 Riverside will advance to the Quarterfinals to meet the surprising Avonworth Antelopes.

Avonworth Antelopes  21  –  Charleroi Cougars  12 
#5 Charleroi couldn’t overcome a mistake filled first half against #12 Avonworth as the Antelope defeat the Cougars 21-12. Charleroi’s QB, Geno Pellegrini threw 2 of his 3 interceptions in the first half, one of which was returned 13 yards for an Avonworth touchdown by Jax Miller. Pellegrini also lost a fumble in the first half. Charleroi finished the game with turning the ball over 3 times via interception’s, 2 fumbles, 1 muffed punt and gave up a block punt. Avonworth, now 4-5, moves on to play Riverside next week. Charleroi finishes the season 9-2.

Washington Little Prexies  42  –  Freedom Bulldogs  9  
Daniel Walker and Nick Welsh each scored twice as Wash High raced by Freedom, 42-9.  The win puts the Little Prexies (10-0) into the WPIAL quarterfinals for the sixth time in the last seven years.  Walker ran a punt back 34 yards for one touchdown and caught an 18-yard Zack Swartz pass for another.  Isaiah Walton took an interception back 48 yards late in the first half.  Welsh ran 15 times for 156 yards, scoring 4-yard and 2-yard runs, the first one set up by Myckel Brown’s 33-yard fumble return.  Curtis Gardner closed the scoring for the Little Prexies who will face East Allegheny in next weekend’s quarterfinals.  Carson Gilarno kicked a 31-yard field goal late in the third to break up the shutout bid. Noah Yeck caught a 7-yard scoring pass from Cole Beck in the final minute.  Freedom finishes the year 5-6.

East Allegheny Wildcats  28  –  Mohawk Warriors  14 
Tamaine Underwood threw 4 touchdown passes to lead East Allegheny to their first playoff win in 17 years.  Underwood’s first TD pass came on the opening drive of the game, as he connected with Ronnie McGill on a 36-yard strike to put the Wildcats up 7-0 with 1:20 into the first quarter.  Mohawk would answer late in the first quarter, as Braydon Cameron scored on a 1-yard run with 1:45 left on the clock.  Nick Wheeler’s 2-point conversion run gave the Warriors their only lead of the night, 8-7.  Late in the 2nd quarter, the Wildcats reached into their bag of tricks.  Underwood completed a short pass to Tyler Padezan, who then lateraled to Nate Blessit, who took it 37 yards for the East Allegheny score, putting the Wildcats ahead 14-7.  But on the ensuing drive, Wheeler hooked up with Nate McCutcheon on a 60-yard TD pass with :36 seconds left in the half.  The 2-point try would fail, and the teams went to the locker room tied 14-14.  The game would remain tied until late in the 3rd quarter, when Underwood found Padezan on a 25-yard scoring pass, putting the Wildcats ahead 21-14 with :28 seconds left in the quarter.  East Allegheny would put the final statement on the game in the 4th quarter, as Underwood hit T.J. Banks for a 27-yard score, putting the Wildcats ahead 28-14 with 7:09 left in regulation.  Khyree Marshall had 3 interceptions for the Wildcats, who had 5 total interceptions on the night.  With the win, East Allegheny improves to 7-3 on the season, winning their first playoff game since 2000.  Mohawk’s season comes to an end with a final record of 5-4.  It was also the Warriors first post season appearance since 2005.  East Allegheny will face #2 Washington in the Class-2A Quarterfinals.

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans  35  –  Brentwood Spartans  7 
The Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans overcame a tight first half and cruised to a 35-7 victory over the Brentwood Spartans Friday night at the Mars Athletic Complex.  Brentwood hung with the Midwestern Conference Champions forcing a 7-7 tie as the first half was coming to an end, but it was the Trojan’s Joe Meinert who put CWNC in the lead for good with his first of two TDs with 2:10 to play in the first with a 2 yard run. Brentwood would get the ball to start the second half but the Trojans defense was just too much for Spartan QB Michael Trent, who found himself under constant pressure.  CWNC Quarterback Zack Rocco would score his second TD of the game followed by Meinert’s 44 yard TD run that iced the game for the Trojans.  North Catholic’s Nikhai Hill-Green closed the scoring with a 3 yard run, after he pulled in a 43 yard pass with a diving catch from Rocco at the 3 yard line. Brentwood’s lone score came in the 2nd quarter when Trent scampered away from a sack and ran 20 yards to tie the game at 7. The Spartan’s season ends at 5-5, while the Trojans (9-2) move on along the road to Robert Morris.

Serra Catholic Eagles  27  –  Beth-Center Bulldogs  20 
For the last decade, Serra Catholic didn’t win a playoff game. Until now. In an exhilarating game that saw six lead changes and seven combined turnovers, it was the 6th-seeded Serra Catholic Eagles who got the upper hand over a hard-nosed 11th-seeded Beth-Center Bulldog team. Dominic Fundy got the scoring started with a 25 yard touchdown in the opening seven minutes of the game. Fundy added a two-point conversion to make the score 8-0. Serra got off to a slow start but turned it on in the second quarter. Evan Honick got the passing frenzy started, throwing two of his four touchdowns to Malik Edmundson and Bra’Shaun Brown. Serra couldn’t make either conversion attempt, and the halftime score was 12-8. In the second half, the Bulldogs blocked a punt but fumbled it back to the Eagles on the ensuing play. After another fumble by Serra was recovered by Beth-Center, Dylan Dingle scored from 2 yards out to make it 14-12. In the fourth quarter JaQuae Jackson took over. The first was a 65-yard bomb to make the score 19-14. After the Bulldogs off a one-handed snag from Trevor Anderson, Jackson scored again and added the 2-point conversion to put the game to bed. Serra Catholic moves on to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2007, and will face off with the #3 seeded Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans next week.

WPIAL CLASS 1-A First Round:

California Trojans  51  –  Bishop Canevin Crusaders  7 
The #1 Seed California Trojans rolled to a 51 to 7 win in their 1st ever home playoff game over the Bishop Canevin Crusaders.  Trojans Junior Running Back Jelani Stafford rushed for 139 yards on 13 carries and scored 3 Touchdowns.  California Quarterback Collin Phillips accounted for 3 scores, a 45 yard touchdown pass to Cochise Ryan and scored on runs of 34 and 5 yards. California lead 38 to 0 at halftime and out gained the Crusaders 366 to 142 for the night. Zach Trusky scored the lone Bishop Canevin touchdown. Bishop Canevin’s season ends with a 3-7 record.  California improves to 11-0 on the season and will meet Union in the Class “A” Quarterfinals next weekend.

Union Scotties  30  –  Fort Cherry Rangers  21 
The Union Scotties make the long trip worth while as they took down the Fort Cherry Rangers Friday night in the First Round of the WPIAL Class 1-A playoffs, 30-21. It was an explosive 1st quarter as Michael Flowers found the endzone from 53 yards out to make it 7-0 Union. Ryhan Culberson and the Rangers marched right back down the field to tie the score with a 17 yard TD run. With a 7-7 score early in the 1st, Evan Pinkerton found Tre Charles on a 30-yard screen pass to put Union ahead 14-7. The Scotties would pick off Culberson, but then fumbled it away a play later with Culberson taking it in from 10 yards out making the score 14-14. Into the 2nd quarter, Union would yet again take the lead with a Charles 16-yard run to take a 20-14 lead with just under eight minutes left in the half. Fort Cherry took the lead back with a Zachary Vincenti 35-yard TD run. The 21-20 Fort Cherry lead would take the teams into the half. The second half would be a much more defensive one as the 3rd quarter would go scoreless sending the game into the 4th still sitting at 21-20. The 4th quarter would be all Union. With 9:32 left in the game, a snap would go over Culberson’s head and he would fall on it in the endzone taking a safety, and putting Union ahead 22-21. With 5:24 remaining, Pinkerton scrambled and found Flowers from 7 yards away to go up 28-21. A 2-point conversion by Charles put Union up by two scores. The Scotties would pick off Culberson two more times to ice the game and get the win. #9 Union wins it 30-21 over #8 Fort Cherry and will move on to the Quarterfinal round against #1 California.

Imani Christian Saints 52 – Sto-Rox Vikings 0  (Sat)
In class 1A WPIAL football first round playoff action the 4th seeded Imani Christian Saints move on to the quarterfinals with an easy 52-0 win over the Sto Rox Vikings. The Vikings had the ball first but fumbled early in their first possession giving the Saints a chance inside enemy territory but Sto Rox defense held. They would turn it over on a fumble again on the next possession as well, but again the defense held tight. But finally Imani would score on their third possession as Israel Reed threw a 35 yard TD to RJ Hart and after the two point conversion it was 8-0. The Saints would score right away after a Viking fumble fell into the hands of Brian Yates and he ran it back for a TD and after the 2 point conversion it was 16-0 Imani. Sto Rox would again turn the ball over early in the second quarter on an interception and the Saints Asante Watkins would follow with a 16 yard TD run and with the 2 point conversion take a 24-0 lead. Then on the Saints next two possessions to end the half they would score again. First Israel Reed would take it in from 1 yard out to make it 32-0, then Watkins with a 7 yard run to make it 38-0 at the half. Sto Rox played decent defense, but turnovers and bad snaps hurt them. With a running clock neither team moved the ball much in the second half. Sto Rox would turn it over three more times in the half to end any chance of a comeback.. For the game they threw 3 interceptions and lost 4 fumbles. In addition they had 3 bad snaps that caused big losses as well. Imani would score twice in the second half very late in the 4th quarter. On their last possession Talik Johnson had a 1 yard TD run to make it 46-0, then on the Vikings last possession with under ten seconds to play on Sto Rox last turnover, Tyron Harrell turned a fumble into a TD from 33 yards out to make the final score 52-0. For the Saints who will face Our Lady of Sacred Heart in the quarter finals next week in a rematch of last years first round Imani win, they were led on offense by the following players. Asante Watkins rushed 17 times for 80 yards and 2 TD’s, and 3 two point conversions. RJ Hart had 3 catches for 101 yards and a TD. On the day Imani had 310 total yards of offense, and their defense was outstanding limiting the Vikings to 43 yards passing and negative 36 rushing on the afternoon.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers  52  –  Springdale Dynamos  26
The Our Lady Of Sacred Heart Chargers win big over they Springdale Dynamoes by a score of 52-26. This was the first playoff win in school history and it came in a big way. This was only the second playoff game in school history and Junior quarterback Tyler Bradley and company had a huge offensive day. Andrew Schnarre started it off with a 14 yard TD catch to put OLSH up early, and Springdale would then score on their next possession to tie things up with a 1 yard TD, but the Chargers would score the next 28 points to put the game away. Bradley threw touchdowns of 46, 48, 32, and 42 yards,  and ended with 272 yards passing  and 5 total TD’s, while Jack Graff had 102 yards rushing for the Chargers on the ground. Schnarre chipped in with 2 TD receptions, and In addition Junior Richard Banks scored on a 46 yard reception and an 8 yard run. Adding even more offense was Rico Tate as he caught two touchdowns as well. It was a total team effort as the defense stepped up big as well as they gave a huge lift to the team with three interceptions. One was a pick six for a TD by Sig Saftner. OLSH was led by Bradley a junior and a host of other underclass men. They have worked to get to this point with key seniors in most of the lineman. Despite a few early season losses and tough games OLSH has come on strong and will be tough to beat in the WPIAL 1A playoffs. They will face the Imani Christian Saints in a rematch of last years first round win by Imani.

Clairton Bears  41  –  Summit Academy Knights  18
In a battle between two programs on polar opposite ends of the WPIAL globe, it was the Bears who came out on the right side of a 23-point final difference, winning at home and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Class 1A playoffs next week. For Summit Academy, this was just the second playoff appearance in program history, a program that started playing on the gridiron in 1998. In that same time, Clairton has made 17 appearances, making its 18th since 1998 this season. In fact, Clairton has only missed the playoffs twice in that time. It was a quick start for the homesteading Clairton Bears. After SA went three-and-out, Tre’Sean Howard capped off a scoring drive with a 15-yard touchdown run. Howard added another early in the second quarter, this time from 11 yards out. Clairton led 13-0 before the Knights responded, when Bryan Noel took a kick back to the 5-yard line of the Bears. After two penalties against SA, Delano Brown connected with Antonio White for a 15-yard TD pass. After the failed two-point conversion and a few turnovers both ways, Clairton got two passing scores from sophomore Brendan Parsons, the first to Devlin Clifford from 10-yards away, and the second to Howard from 42-yards out. The Bears led 25-6 at the break. Clairton got a one-yard TD run from Aaron Thompson after an Ogletree INT of Brown before SA got another score from Brown to White, this time from 44-yards away from pay dirt. It was then where the game got a bit out of hand. Following a Brendan Parsons’ keeper on which a late hit penalty was assessed to SA, tempers flared and on the next play, as Tre’Sean Howard scored his third rushing TD, SA’s Siheem Walker and Clairton’s Vincent King started shoving each other. Walker dislodged King’s helmet from his head, pushing it forward into the face of King, after which punches were thrown and the sidelines cleared. Multiple players were ejected but play continued after a discussion by the officiating crew and head coaches, with just 15 players allowed on each sideline. SA would add another score, as White caught a 49-yard pass from Brown to close the scoring. The Knights finish 4-6, while the Bears are now 8-2 headed to the quarterfinals and a date with Carmichaels next week. Clairton may also be hearing of suspensions and more as a result of the brawl and incident at Neil C. Brown Stadium tonight. The game, no matter who is on the sideline and in the game for Clairton, will be broadcast on the TribLIVE High School Sports Network, at a site and time to be announced.

Carmichaels Mighty Mikes  28  –  Western Beaver Golden Beavers  8 
The Carmichaels Mighty Mikes won their first playoff game since 2002 in defeating Western Beaver, 28-8.
The home team led 20-0 at the half after a pair of touchdown runs by Sr. RB Nick Mundell. Mundell would not be denied as he picked up a first round and then escaped the grasps of two defenders as he ripped off a 61-yard run with 5:16 in the 2nd. Mundell had a nearly identical run before halftime, again refusing to be tackled on a 59-yard score. He finished with 230 yards on 16 carries. Fellow Sr. RB Jake Lowry opened and closed the scoring for the Mikes’ with runs of 3 and 7 yards. Lowry totaled 8 carries for 33 yards. The game was filled with missed opportunities for Western Beaver as four drives ended with turnover on downs, two inside the redzone. The Golden Beavers prevented being shut out after Sr. QB Jeddy Young found Sr. WR Louie Hapach in the end zone for a 4-yard score. Young tossed a 2-Point conversion to Raven Chandler.

Jeannette Jayhawks  49  –  Monessen Greyhounds  0
Jeannette rebounded from a tough loss to Clairton in week nine by making quick work of Monessen in the first round of the Single A playoffs.  The Jayhawks forced 4 first half turnovers and scored after each one in a 49-0 first round win.  Robert Kennedy threw two touchdown passes and ran another while Imani Sanders also had a pair of touchdown runs for Jeannette.  The Jayhawks advance to take on Rochester in the quarterfinal round while Monessen’s season ends with a 3-8 record.

Rochester Rams  39  –  West Greene Pioneers  14 
When West Greene traveled to Rochester for a first round playoff game, it was their first playoff appearance since 1993.  The return to the playoffs only lasted one game though as the Rams advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 39-14 win.  Rochester started the scoring quickly as they covered 64 yards on six plays and scored on a 2-yard run by Caleb Collins.  Collins also ran in a two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.  The next score came on the next Rochester possession, but because of a lengthy 13-play drive, the touchdown didn’t come until the first play of the second quarter.  The Rams were faced with a 4th down from the West Greene 15-yard line when quarterback Mahlik Strozier found Elijah Goosby in the back of the end zone.  A Strozier pass to Noah Whiteleather completed the 2-point conversion and the Rams led 16-0.  It looked as if Rochester would go up three scores on their next possession, but Patrick Brady intercepted a Strozier pass in the end zone for a touchback.  On the ensuing play, Zach Pettit ran the ball 80 yards to put the Pioneers on the board.  He added the 2-point conversion as well to cut the lead in half to 16-8, with 3:23 remaining in the quarter.  The Rams weren’t done with the first half yet however. They would score on a 1-yard run by Collins and a run from Strozier on the conversion try made the score 24-8 as the teams headed to the locker room.  Rochester dominated possession in the first half as the Rams ran 40 plays to the Pioneers’ 13.  The Rams pulled away in the third quarter with another long drive that ended with another Collins touchdown, this one from 8 yards out.  Goosby’s conversion run made the score 32-8 and a 12-yard Strozier touchdown in the fourth quarter, followed by an extra point from Declan Eaton made it 39-8.  West Greene would get the last points of the game on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Scott to Nathan Brudnock, making the final score 39-14.  Both Collins and Strozier ran for over 100 yards for Rochester and Strozier was 4-6 through the air for 68 yards.  West Greene’s offense revolved around Pettit who finished with 118 yards on 14 carries.  Rochester moves on to face Jeannette in next week’s quarterfinals.