WPIAL Football Quarterfinals Recaps 2012

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 10, 2012 | 9:12 AM

The top four seeds in Class AA have made it to the Final Four, while 3 of the 4 from AAAA and AAA make it to Round Three while half of the remaining Class A field are top four seeds. Here are recaps from all of the WPIAL Quarterfinals on the second stop on the Highway to Heinz.

A special thanks to Randy Gore, Josh Rowntree, Bob Orkwis, Mark Uriah, Steve Nagler, Scott Briggs, Jim Frederick, T.J. DiStefano, Don Conde, Bob Barrickman, Bob Gregg, Lou Rood, Mark Schaas, Matt Vandriak and Rick Smith for their great help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA QUARTERFINALS:

North Allegheny Tigers 42 – Bethel Park Black Hawks 14
The top-seeded North Allegheny Tigers pounced on Bethel Park with three first quarter touchdowns on their way to a 42-14 victory in the WPIAL Quarterfinals at Martorelli Stadium.  Mack Leftwich fired a 12-yard touchdown pass and Alex DiCiantis plunged into the end zone on a 3-yard run to give the Tigers a quick 14-0 lead.  With 1:46 to go in the first quarter, North Allegheny blocked a Cody Gilchrist punt and Elijah Zeise scooped the ball up at the BP 7-yard line and returned it for the score to give NA a 21-0 advantage.  With 2:40 remaining in the second quarter, Bethel Park was mounting a drive and faced a 2^nd and 12 at the NA 40-yard line.  Zach Enick pulled in a swing pass from Levi Metheny but coughed up the football which was recovered by the Tigers Jack Henderson at the NA 35.  The Enick fumble proved to be the back-breaker for Bethel Park as the Tigers traveled 65 yards on six plays for a touchdown, capping the drive on a 1-yard QB keeper by Leftwich to send the Tigers into halftime with a 28-0 lead.  North Allegheny invoked the mercy in the third quarter when Leftwich hit Gregg Garrity for a 20-yard touchdown pass for a 35-0 lead.  To their credit, Bethel Park fought hard in the final quarter and scored on a 5-yard touchdown run by Alex Minton and a 7-yard run by Metheny.  NA punctuated the night with a 17-yard rushing touchdown by Josh Bergman late in the fourth quarter to bring the game to its eventual final, 42-14.  The statistical standout was NA quarterback Mack Leftwich who passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another 91 yards and a score.  The Tigers improve to 11-0 on the season and will face conference rival Seneca Valley next week in the semifinals.  Bethel Park’s season ends with a 7-4 record.

Seneca Valley Raiders 32 – Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 13 
In a matchup that was projected to be an offensive shootout, it turned out that a stifling and opportunistic defense would win the day. #4 Seneca Valley (10-1) would hold #5 Mt. Lebanon (8-3) to just 215 yards of total offense, defeating the Blue Devils 32-13 Friday night at North Allegheny High School. Facing Mt. Lebanon for the first time since 2005, the Raiders would never trail in the contest, racking up 432 yards of total offense. Seneca Valley would score on their first drive, as Jordan Brown would hit throw his first score of the night, a 4-yard strike to RJ McCauley in the back of the endzone, making it 6-0 after a failed 2-point conversion. The Raiders would add to their lead, as Brown would find his do-it-all receiver Jon Dorogy, who finished with 214 yards of total offense and three two touchdowns, for a 44-yard score, making it 13-0. After the Blue Devils got on the board with a Dimitri Orfanopoulos 26-yard field goal, the Raiders would again extend their lead to a comfortable 20-3 score on an 84-yard touchdown catch and run by Dorogy. Orfanopoulos would add a 37-yard field goal before the half, making the half time score 20-6. Lebo would strike first in the second half, as the WPIAL’s leading passer Tyler Roth would hit Mike Briercheck on a 4th down for a 12-yard score, cutting Seneca Valley’s lead to 20-13. But that would be it for the Blue Devils. Despite forcing a fumble on the Raiders’ following drive, the Blue Devils would fail to capitalize on good field position throughout the night. Chad Izenas would knock home a 22-yard field goal for the Raiders, pushing their lead to 23-13. After exchanging 3-and-outs, Roth would be called for intentional grounding in his own endzone, resulting in a safety and making the score 25-13. AAAA’s leading rusher, Forrest Barnes, who finished with 126 yards on 26 carries, would put the exclamation point on the win, breaking off a 43-yard touchdown run and sealing the game for Seneca Valley, 32-13. Roth finished with a tough stat line, going 10/32 for 140 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions and being sacked six times by a relentless Raiders defense. The 13 points scored is the lowest of the season for Mt. Lebanon, who falls in the semifinals for the second-straight season. Throughout the night, the big story became the play of Seneca Valley’s secondary, particularly Barnes, who blanketed Troy Apke, the second-leading receiver in the WPIAL, holding the Junior to just three catches for 33 yards. Brown finished 12/15 for 237 yards and three touchdowns and was 6/6 in the second half. Seneca Valley moves into the WPIAL AAAA semifinals, where they will meet a familiar foe next Friday, conference rival and top-seeded North Allegheny, who handed the Raiders their only loss of the season, a decisive 45-3 blowout in week three.

Woodland Hills Wolverines 17 – Gateway Gators 14 
Seventh-seed Woodland Hills never trailed as they led 10-7 after the first quarter and 17-14 at halftime, then held on to upset second-seed Gateway by three points Friday night at Norwin High School. The Wolverines hammered out 201 yards on the ground led by freshman Miles Sanders’ 89 yards rushing. Sanders accounted for both woody High touchdowns with a 22-yard run in the opening quarter and a 1-yard run in the second quarter. The Gators marched into Wolverines territory a couple of times in the second half, but came away empty on each trip. In his final game, senior quarterback Thomas Woodson was 21 of 48 passing for 280 yards and a pair of 15-yard touchdown passes, one to Montae Nicholson and one to Delvon Randall. Randall had a big night with 11 receptions for 166 yards, but it wasn’t enough as Gateway’s season ends with a record of 9-2. Woodland Hills improves to 9-2 and will face Southeastern Conference foe Upper St. Clair in the Class AAAA Semifinals next Friday.

Upper St. Clair Panthers 38 – Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 0 
The Panthers turned 4 of 5 Vikings turnovers into 24 points on their way to the 38-0 victory at Baldwin High School. Niko Thorpe’s fumble on the opening drive was recovered by John Loper which led to a Ben Stalnaker 22-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead that Upper. St. Clair would never relinquish. Joe Repischak intercepted J.J. Cosentino and Pete Coughlin capped off the ensuing drive with a 7-yard touchdown run and the Panthers led 10-0 at 10:56 of the 2^nd quarter. Mac Pope scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 5-yard run and the Panthers held a 17-0 lead. Repischak blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Mitch MacZura late in the first half to preserve the lead and the shutout for Upper St. Clair. Coughlin connected with John Rutkowski on a 36-yard scoring strike to begin the third quarter and then the turnover bug bit Central Catholic again as Pope scored on a 3-yard run after a fumble recovery. Rutkowski would intercept a deflected Cosentino pass which would lead the final Upper St. Clair score, a 5-yard run by Steve Mackowick. Pope led the balanced Panthers running attack with 58-yards and two TD’s. Mackowick added 40-yards and a score while Coughlin finished with 26-yards and a TD. Coughlin also passed for 83-yards and a TD as Upper St. Clair outgained Central Catholic 224-97. The 11^th seeded Vikings season ends at (8-3). The third seeded Panthers are now (10-1) and the Panthers head to the semi-finals for the second straight season. The Panthers will face Woodland Hills next week at a site and time to be determined.

WPIAL CLASS AAA QUARTERFINALS:

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 24 – Franklin Regional Panthers 21
Thomas Jefferson overcame four turnovers, over one-hundred yards in penalties, and a tough Franklin Regional defense to stay unbeaten…as the Jaguars downed the Panthers 24-21 in the quarter-finals of the AAA WPIAL Playoffs. Franklin Regional led 7-3 at halftime after Nico Lodovico hit Colon Jonov with a 50-yard touchdown pass with 3:21 remaining in the second quarter. The drive was aided by a roughing the passer penalty following an incomplete pass on 3^rd down just two plays prior to the Jonov touchdown. But the Jaguars started quickly in the third quarter. Two Joe Carroll-to-Dalton Dietrich touchdown passes gave TJ a 17-7 lead just five minutes into the third quarter. The first td covered 34 yards…the second 7 yards…with Colton Booher picking off Lodovico on the Panthers second play from scrimmage in the third quarter. A Jonov interception in the end zone prevented TJ from adding to their lead…and sparked Franklin Regional to an 80-yard scoring drive, capped by a Dane Brown 7-yard touchdown run that pulled the Panthers to within 3 at 17-14 with 9:38 remaining in the fourth quarter. It only took the Jaguars one play to answer. Carroll hit Jake Mascaro with a quick slant and Mascaro turned it into an 85-yard touchdown to put TJ back up by 10, 24-14. Brown’s 19-yard touchdown run with 2:07 to play pulled the Panthers back to within 3…but by the time the Franklin Regional got the ball back, they were out of timeouts with the ball at their own 23 yard line and only 1:10 to play. After an intentional grounding penalty and a sack on fourth down, TJ ran off the final seconds to end the ball game. Carroll threw for 397 yards and three touchdowns for TJ. Mascaro had a monster night, catching 9 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. Dietrich had two td receptions and 78 yards on 4 grabs…and Zach Shademan had 3 receptions for 115 yards for the Jags, who struggled to run the ball against the Panthers’ defense. Jonov topped had four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown to lead Franklin Regional. Brown had two rushing touchdowns, but was held to 62 yards on 16 carries. Thomas Jefferson improves to 11-0 and will face West Allegheny in next week’s semi-finals.  

West Allegheny Indians 14 – Montour Spartans 2 
For the second time this year, the West Allegheny Indians defense throttled a very powerful Montour Spartans offense as they advanced to the Class AAA semi-finals. The Indians took away standout WR Devin Wilson, limiting him to 17 total yards from scrimmage. On the contrary, the Indians offense, limited to 132 yards rushing in the first meeting against Montour, was able to amass 249 yards on the ground on this night. West Allegheny was led by Chayse Dillon’s 130 yards rushing on 17 carries and he scored on TD runs of 11 and 56 yards. The Indians broke the scoreless tie on Dillon’s first TD run with 7:52 left in the first half. They were able to maintain that 7-0 lead at the half after West Allegheny forced a big turnover on a strip-sack by Jordan Diven after Montour drove inside the Indians’ 20 yard line. Montour was able to close the deficit to 7-2 when West Allegheny snapped the ball over the head of punter Evan Pelcher and through the end zone. But, Montour’s momentum was short-lived as Cole Macek fumbled on the first play from scrimmage following the safety. After a missed 33 yard FG by West Allegheny’s Evan Pelcher, the Indian’s salted away the win on the 56 yard run by Dillon. Dillon went untouched right up the middle of the Spartans defense to end Montour’s run toward a second straight Class AAA WPIAL Championship. Montour’s season ends with a record of 9-2 while the Indians (10-1) will take on top-seeded Thomas Jefferson in the semi-finals.

West Mifflin Titans 28 – Mars Fighting Planets 13 
The “Battle of the Running Backs” never did materialize Friday night as the West Mifflin Titans took advantage of two Mars Planet turnovers and a timely run by quarterback Derrick Fulmore to beat the Greater Allegheny Conference Champions and advance in the WPIAL class AAA playoffs.  The Titans scored on the opening possession of the game as James Wheeler scored his first of three touchdowns from 20 yards out staking the Titans to a 7-0 lead.   Mars fumbled on its second play of the game and Wheeler and the Titans took advantage scoring just before the end of the first quarter to take a 14-0 advantage – eventually all they would need.  The Planets would score on their next series – on a pass of all things – quarterback Owen Nearhoof hit a diving Jason Lozzi to cut the lead to 14-6, where it stayed until halftime.  But the Planets, who got the ball first in the second half, turned the ball over on an interception and Wheeler scored from 3 yards out a few minutes later putting the game out of reach.  After Mars cut the lead to 8 again on a Nearhoof to Garrett Ashbaugh 47 yard  touchdown pass,  the Titan’s Fulmore sealed the deal with a 49 yard scamper off the option with just over 4 minutes to play, and that was it.  Mars ends the season 9-2 – their only losses coming to the two teams who played each other last week – West Mifflin and Knoch

Central Valley Warriors 49 – Hopewell Vikings 21 
When a team only throws 5 passes all evening long….it is unusual to throw one for a touchdown.  Try 4 scores.  That is what Central Valley Quarterback John George did in the Warriors impressive 49-21 dispatching of fellow Parkway Conference member Hopewell in the WPIAL AAA Quarterfinals.  George, only a sophomore, has been pressed into duty as a starter due to injury and has preformed extremely well.  Two games and two wins including TD passes of 4 yards to Rob Foster….60 yards to Anthony Vickodil..and 2 short tosses to JaQuan Pennington in Central Valley’s 9th victory of the year.  5-6 Hopewell would committ 3 turnovers including two which directly resulted in scores in the first half.  With CV up 7-0 in the first quarter…Connar McKay picked off a pass to set up the first of 3 scores on the evening for Pennington on the 6 yard TD toss.  After the Vikings had pulled to within 21-6 with 8:51 left in the first half…Central Valley converted on a 3rd and 26 with a 27 yard run by George and they were off to the races again.  Pennington completed the 52 yard drive with an 8 yard reception and Foster picked off a Hopewell pass and returned it 40 yards for a score to make the score 35-6 at the half.  Hopewell showed some life at the start of the second half after recovering an onsides kick.  Fullback Mike Tempalski caught a 5 yard TD pass from Stefan Mrkonja and along with a 2 point conversion to Tyler Ishman reduced the margin to 35-14.  But Central Valley again would use the big play.  Junior Tight End Anthonty Vickodil was on the receiving end of a 60 yard George toss to put the game out of reach.  Pennington rushed for 94 yards to lead CV….which played without top rusher Jordan Whitehead…who was slowed by a shoulder injury.  Randy Keefer added 50 yards and George 48 to a total of 207 on the ground for 9-2 Central Valley.  Hopewell was led by Mrkonja with 86 yards on the ground.  Next up for the 3rd seeded Warriors…10-1 West Mifflin in the AAA Semi-finals.

WPIAL CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS:

Aliquippa Quips 43 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 6 
The number one seed Aliquippa Quips are has good as advertised as they cruised to a 43-6 win over the number nine seed Mt Pleasant Area Vikings Friday night at Peters Township High School. The Quips scored twice in the first quarter starting at the 8:04 mark on a Dravon Henry 1 yard touchdown run. The extra point by Marquis Jenkins failed making it 6-0. The Quips would strike again at the 2:54 mark on a 88 yard touchdown run by Terry Swanson. Dravon Henry would convert the 2 point conversion run making it 14-0 Aliquippa after one. The Quips continued rolling in the 2nd quarter starting at 9:20 on Dravon Henry’s second touchdown of the night from 24 yards out. Terry Swanson would convert the 2 point conversion run making it 22-0. Henry would get his final touchdown of the night at 2:14 on a 47 yard run. Malik Shegog would convert the 2 point conversion making it 30-0. The last score of the 2nd period was at 1:06 on a Malik Shegog 16 yard touchdown run. Marquis Jenkins would miss the extra point making it 36-0 Aliquippa at the half. The mercy rule would be in effect for the second half of the ballgame and there was only two more scores in the contest. The lone score of the 3rd quarter was 10:11 by the Quips on a 29 yard fumble return touchdown by Devon Walker. The Marquis Jenkins extra point was good making it 43-0 Aliquippa after three. The Vikings would get on the board for the only time at 6:21 of the 4th on a Brett Fess 16 yard touchdown run. The John Anys extra point was no good making the final 43-6 in favor of the Aliquippa. Aliquippa racked up 393 yards of total offense, 322 on the ground and 71 threw the air. Mt Pleasant had 183 yards of total offense, 146 rushing and 37 passing. The Quips were led by Terry Swanson, who rushed 6 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings were led by Tyler Mellors, who rushed 17 times for 64 yards. Aliquippa improves to 11-0 and faces number four seed Jeannette, in a rematch of last year’s Class AA Championship game at Heinz Field next Friday at a site and time to be determined. Mt Pleasant finishes the season at 8-3.

Jeannette Jayhawks 47 – Beaver Bobcats 15
The Jeannette Jayhawks scored early and often in the first half opening a 40-0 lead by halftime and cruised to a 47-15 win over the Beaver Bobcats on Friday night at Hampton High School in the WPIAL class AA football quarterfinals. Beaver won the opening coin toss and elected to defer and Jeannette’s Jordan Edmunds returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score and that set the tone for the night as Jeannette forced 6 Beaver turnovers (4 fumbles, 2 interceptions) en route to the victory. Edmunds also added a 5 yard TD run in the first quarter and fellow tailback Shavonta “Yogi” Craft rushed for 3 more scores and 116 yards. Jeannette amassed 217 yards of rushing offense by halftime and nearly 300 for the game against a much bigger Beaver defensive front line. Anthony Canady scored on a 43 yard run in the second quarter and Seth Miller returned a fumble 63 yards for the Jayhawks in the win. Beaver got late touchdowns from Jalen Lawson on a 5 yard run and the Bobcats Zach Royba scored on a 6 yard run with 1:00 left in the contest to round out the scoring. Jeannette faces Alliquippa Friday, November 16^th at a site TBD in a rematch of last year’s WPIAL championship matchup won by the Quips 13-7.

{C}{C}South Fayette Lions 35 – Beaver Falls Tigers 21 
Sophomore quarterback Brett Brumbaugh threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to receiver Zach Challingsworth with 3:08 left in the third quarter to break a 21-21 tie as South Fayette survived a stiff test from Beaver Falls Friday night at Moon, 35-21.  The deciding touchdown came on a third down and 12 yards to go situation.  With three minutes gone by in the fourth period, the Lions faced another third and 12 when Brumbaugh threw a 40-yard pass to Conner Beck for a score to put the game on ice.  The Fighting Tigers used a punishing ground game led by junior Damian Rawl and senior Rob Bell to keep the game close throughout.  Six South Fayette turnovers including four Brumbaugh interceptions hurt the Lions cause but Beaver Falls had a couple crucial giveaways.  The Tigers fumbled the ball at the Lions seven yard line on the first series of the game and a deflected pass deep in Beaver Falls territory in the second half was intercepted by Dylan Nock who went ten yards for a touchdown.  It was the first game this season in which South Fayette did not invoke the mercy rule on its opponent.  Beaver Falls ended its season at 8-3 while the 11-0 Lions take on Washington with the same record in the semifinals.

Washington Little Prexies 33 – Seton-LaSalle Rebels 17
Josh Wise ran for three touchdowns and passed for another as Washington rallied to beat Seton-LaSalle, 33-17.  The Rebels (9-2) scored on each of their first three possessions.  Luke Brumbaugh hit on 14 of his first 20 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, one to Scott Orndoff on the opening possession, the other to Louie Rotunda 5 minutes later taking a 14-0 lead.  The Little Prexies (11-0) drove 77 yards on a dozen plays, Wise sneaking in from 3 yards out to get on the board early in the second quarter.  Seton-LaSalle took the ball to the WHS one-yard line, but back-to-back false start penalties pushed the Rebels back, and they settled for Dom DelGreco’s 29-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead with 5:21 remaining before intermission. Shai McKenzie, the WPIAL’s rushing/scoring leader, ripped off a 56-yard td run to pull the Little Prexies to within 17-14 heading to the locker room.  A one-yard sneak by Wise capped a 78-yard drive opening the third quarter, giving Washington its first lead of the night.  After Seton-LaSalle missed a 27-yard field goal that would have tied the game, the next three Rebels’ possessions ended in turnovers, two fumbles and an interception.  Meanwhile, Wise ran for his third score and passed 32 yards to Chase Caldwell for the final tally.  Seton-LaSalle rolled up 220 yards offense in the first half, but was held to just 68 after the break.  Washington, on the other hand, put up 221 yards after intermission, finishing the game with 307 yards on the ground, 391 total.  McKenzie carried 30 times for 201 yards and one score.  Wise carried 11 times for 58 yards.  Brumbaugh finished 19-32 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

WPIAL CLASS A QUARTERFINALS:

Clairton Bears 39 – Brentwood Spartans 0 
The Clairton Bears won their 58^th consecutive game convincingly in the WPIAL Class A Quarterfinals by defeating Brentwood 39-0 at Belle Vernon’s James Weir Stadium.  It was Tyler Boyd leading the way as he rushed for 288 yards on 16 carries scoring 5 Touchdowns in the game.  Four of the touchdowns came on the ground on runs of 67, 48, 20, and 81 yards and Boyd added an 85 yard touchdown reception from Armani Ford.  In addition Boyd scored a 2 point conversion after the opening touchdown.  That makes 11 touchdowns for Boyd in the first two playoff games this year. The Bears added another 2 point conversion the hard way following their second touchdown when they converted from 23 yards out following an ineligible receiver penalty that Tom Nola disagreed with to the point he picked up a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.  No problem for the Bears as Armani Ford fired it into the corner of the end zone where Titus Howard made a leaping grab for the conversion.  Clairton’s other points came from the toe of Byron Howard who kicked a 25 yard field goal and added a pair of extra points.  Clairton’s defense continued its dominance shutting out Brentwood despite the Spartans being in the Red Zone twice in the first half.  The Bears also forced 3 Spartan turnovers in the game.  With the win Clairton advances to the WPIAL Semi-finals where they will take on Neshannock.

Neshannock Lancers 24 – Monessen Greyhounds 21 
The Neshannock Lancers continue the march on the Highway to Heinz with the victory over the Monessen Greyhounds at Chartiers-Houston High School. Ernie Burkes scored on a 1 yard run with 4 seconds remaining to push the Lancers into a semifinal matchup with Clairton next Friday. Neshannock held Monessen off the board in the opening quarter and used a long drive of their own for a 22 yard Connor Richards field goal. That score held true until the last minute of the first half. Clintell Gillaspie scored on a 3 yard run to take a 7-3 Greyhounds lead into the half. Gillaspie scored on a 23 yard run in the third for a 14-3 lead. But Neshannock bounced back, Burkes hit John Conglose in the far corner of the end zone for a 13 yard touchdown. The Lancers took the lead with 8:40 remaining, Eli Owens went untouched for 46 yards and a touchdown, Owens finished with 99 yards on 14 carries. But Monessen wasn’t done, the Greyhounds started at their own 30 and took 6-plus minutes off the clock. Gillaspie had two big catches on the drive, one coming on fourth down, he took a 20 yard td pass from Chavas Rawlins and a 21-17 lead with 2:36 left in regulation time. The Lancers came from behind to beat Sto-Rox in week 3, scoring with 17 seconds to play. They matched that drive with one for the ages, set up by Kienan Owens kickoff return to the 40 yard line. The Lancers marched to the 20 yard line, on 3^rd down, Burkes looked to Conglose on a slant pattern, they could not connect, but the duo hooked up again on the 4^th down play, setting up the Burkes touchdown. Burkes was 8-18 for 119 yards, he was 6-8 in the second half. Alex Welker made 3 catches for 57 yards. Neshannock is now 10-1 overall. Monessen was led by Gillaspie with 19 carries for 110 yards. Rawlins finished with 71 yards rushing and 132 yards passing. The Greyhounds end the season at 9-2.

Sto-Rox Vikings 33 – Union Scotties 8 
For the 2nd time this season, Lenny Williams proved to be too much for the Union Scotties.  In a game played at the Mars Sports Complex, Williams and the 3rd seeded Sto-Rox Vikings put on another “out of this world” performance as they defeated #10 Union for the 2nd time this season.  Sto-Rox struck first, as the Vikings went 89-yards on their first offensive drive of the game.  Lenny Williams capped the drive with a 15-yard TD run to put Sto-Rox up 7-0 with 6:38 left in the 1st quarter.  As the opening quarter expired, Union was knocking on the door, but Sto-Rox defense had an answer.  On 3rd and goal from the Sto-Rox 3-yard line, the Vikings sacked Union QB Joe Salmen for a loss of 14 yards.  On 4th and goal from the 17, the Vikings forced the turn over on downs.  But it was the Scotties defense that responded this time.  With Sto-Rox backed up inside the 10, linebacker David Sadler wrapped up Williams in the end zone, forcing him to take an intentional grounding penalty, which resulted in a safety.  With 9:57 left in the 2nd quarter, Union had cut the lead to 7-2. But Lenny Williams and the Vikings weren’t done in the opening half.  With 1:34 left in the 2nd quarter, Williams struck by air this time, finding Brendan Blair for a 17-yard TD.  A second Elisha Bonner PAT put Sto-Rox up 14-2 with 1:34 left in the half.  As time ticked down though, Union had another chance.  But the Scotties ran out of time at the Sto-Rox 10 yard line, sending the game into the half with the Vikings up by 12 points. The 3rd quarter belonged to the Vikings.  Williams got it started with a 1-yard TD run to cap off a 44-yard drive and put the Vikings ahead 20-2 with 4:15 left in the quarter.  After Union turned the ball over on downs, Marcus Jackson scored a 1-yard TD run on the ensuing drive to make it 27-2 with 1:14 left in the 3rd.  Union finally had an answer on their next possesion, as Drew Robinson scored on a 3-yard run to cut the lead to 27-8 as the 3rd quarter clock ran out.  The only score of the 4th quarter came with 8:08 left, as Williams hooked up with Javelle Kirkland a 13-yard TD pass, putting Sto-Rox ahead to stay, 33-8. Lenny Williams was the star of the show again.  After racking up 315 yards in total offense in the Vikings 48-21 Week-6 win over Union, he did it again in the post-season rematch.  Williams put up 245 yards in total offense (159 passing/86 rushing), threw for 2 TD’s and ran for two more in the win.  Drew Robinson went over the century mark in rushing yards for the second time against the Vikings, rushing for 115 yards and a score.  Union finishes their first playoff season since 2003 with a final record of 7-3.  Sto-Rox (10-1), is one step closer to returning to Heinz Field for the second year in a row.  The Vikings, who were last years WPIAL runner up, will take on #6 North Catholic in the semi-finals, with the winner getting their ticket punched for the North Shore and a chance at the Class-A crown.

North Catholic Trojans 22 – Rochester Rams 15
Sixth-seeded North Catholic (9-2) pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2012 playoffs, vanquishing #3 Rochester (9-2), 22-15 Friday night at Dormont Stadium in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal contest. The Trojans grabbed the lead with 5:12 remaining in the second quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Mike Tarasovich for a 3-0 halftime lead. The game opened up considerably in the second half as North Catholic took advantage a Rams’ turnover to build a 10-0 lead. Two plays after the Trojans’ Ryan Long returned a Rochester fumble to the Rams’ 25 yard line, sophomore running back P.J. Fulmore scored the game’s first touchdown on a 15-yard run. North Catholic would add another touchdown later in the third quarter on a 45-yard bomb from sophomore quarterback Adam Sharlow to Fulmore that gave the Trojans a 16-0 lead. Rochester finally broke through on a 9-play, 58-yard drive capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Dante Marsick. The senior running back ran for 140 yards on 24 carries and also caught five passes for 96 yards to lead the Rams’ offensive effort. A successful two-point conversion pass from senior quarterback Ben Richko to Dalton Paxson cut the North Catholic lead to 16-8 at the end of the third quarter. But Fulmore’s 9-yard run, his third touchdown of the game, gave the Trojans a 22-8 lead midway through the final quarter. Fulmore rushed for 103 yards on 21 carries on the evening. A late 23-yard touchdown pass from Richko to senior wide receiver Alyjah Elmore gave the Rams hope as they cut the North Catholic lead to seven points. But North Catholic was able to convert a fourth down and inches near midfield with under a minute to go on the clock to enable the Trojans to run the game clock out. North Catholic is now just one more win away from its first-ever trip to a WPIAL title game as the Trojans will take on #2 Sto-Rox in a semi-final game next Friday night.

PIAA District 5, 6, 8, 9 Class AAA Semifinals:

University Prep Ramblers 47 – Somerset Golden Eagles 38
In a PIAA qualifier game the City League seized their opportunity when University Prep came out the 47-38 victor over District 5 Somerset tonight.  University Prep took to the air and their quarter back Akil Young threw for 430 yards going 27-41 with 6 touchdown passes.  He was able to hook up with Marcus Johnson a total of 9 times for 274 of his passing yards.  Young looked poised in the pocket from the word go.  On a few occasions he hit receives in the hands on long streaks down the field but the intended was not quite able to pull in the ball.  Had those passes been completed we may have seen a player throw for more than 600 yards as the passes were easily 50-60 yard gainers each time.  Young’s longest pass was an 82 yard touchdown pass on a connection in the 2^nd quarter with Johnson.  The scoring started at the 2:34 mark of the 1^st when Young hooked up with Caleb Moorefield on a 26 yard touchdown pass.  In the 2^nd the flood gates opened and each team put the ball in the end zone 3 times.  We went to the break at George Cupples stadium with a score of 26-22 University Prep Wildcats over Somerset Eagles.  The 3^rd looked like it was Somerset’s chance to turn it around when quarter back Tanner Stull hooked up with Zach Baker on a 25 yard touchdown pass just short of 5 minutes into the 3^rd quarter.  But Young answered on the ensuing drive throwing a 17 yard touchdown pass to Abner Roberts and from there Prep took the lead and never looked back.  Somerset was able to make it close after putting a touchdown pass from Stull to Jordan Wilkow but it was not enough.  Leading the Eagles in stats was Matt Boyer with 17 carries for 156 yards with 1 touchdown.  University Prep will go on to play undefeated Clearfield in the next round of the preliminaries to go to the PIAA tournament after going do 6-3.  Somerset drops to 5-6 and their season will end.