WPIAL Friday Night HighLights for Week Twelve

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 16, 2013 | 10:25 AM

Many times, there is a fine line between advancing to the next round and hanging up the gear for good when you get deep into the postseason, and make no doubt about it, Final Four Friday in the WPIAL Football Playoffs is deep into the postseason. A turnover here, a costly penalty there, or a big block that leads to a big play, it all adds up in November football. Here are the Primetime Performers who have helped their team get their ticket punched to Heinz Field and the 2013 WPIAL Football Championships next Saturday here on MSA Sports. 

Trevon Mathis – Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills got two big plays from one of their top receivers Friday in the Class AAAA Semifinals playoff game against Upper St. Clair, and those two back breakers allowed history to repeat itself and lead Woody High to a second straight trip to Heinz Field. Over the last two years, WH lost to USC in Week One only to pick up sweet revenge with a victory in Week 12. They did so gain in 2013 thanks to Trevon Mathis, who caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Harry Randall to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, then opened up the second half with a 96-yard kickoff return for a score as the Wolverines held on to beat the Panthers 28-21.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Defense

How do you single out one when when you have an offense in which there was balanced scoring with two touchdowns reach for Devin Faloon and Riley Redman and nobody with big numbers on the ground since Pittsburgh Central Catholic started every single possession in Penn-Trafford territory working with a short field. So you salute what has been the Central's strength all season anyway and salute their ENTIRE defense.  Coming off a game in which Penn-Trafford had a pair of 100-yard rushers in an upset win of McKeesport, the Warriors were held to 15 yards on the ground and 76 yards of TOTAL offense in a 49-10 drubbing by the Vikings in a Quad-A Semifinals contest.

Chayse Dillon – West Allegheny

Even though they grabbed an early 6-0 lead against the defending Class AAA champions, it appeared that Franklin Regional was in Chayse mode throughout the evening at North Allegheny High School. Junior back Chayse Dillon enjoyed a big game on the ground, rushing for 167 yards and scoring on a 5-yard run and a 3-yard pass from Andrew Koester in the second quarter, then scoring the games final points on a 25-yard run in the third quarter as the top-seed West Allegheny Indians return to Heinz Field following a hard-fought 21-12 victory over the game FR Panthers in a Class AAA Semifinals contest.

John George – Central Valley

Central Valley has been good all year long, no matter who was under center. But head coach Mark Lyons decision to go with John George at quarterback has added another explosive dimension to CV's already loaded arsenal. George hit on 7 of 10 passes Friday in a Class AAA Semifinals showdown against Thomas Jefferson at Chartiers Valley High School for 140 yards and a game clinching 56-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Powell, plus he added a two-yard scoring run in a first quarter that saw the Warriors jump out to a 14-0 lead en route to a 23-13 victory over the Jaguars for a third trip to the finals in the schools fourth year of existence. 

Terry Swanson and Darrien Fields – Aliquippa

Terry Swanson continued his postseason gold rush while Darrien Fields wants everybody to know that 'Hey, Aliquippa is more than Swanson and Henry toting the ball, they have a pretty good quarterback there too. Swanson followed up his 264 yards rushing last week against Quaker Valley with 141 yards on the ground and two touchdowns against Midwestern Athletic Conference rival beaver, while Fields was 7 of 11 passing for 143 yards and two touchdown tosses as the two-time defending champion Quips clinched a sixth straight trip to the football finals with a 57-14 thrashing of the Bobcats in a Class AA Semifinals game.

Brett Brumbaugh – South Fayette

In 2010, Christian Brumbaugh led a starry-eyed South Fayette team to Heinz Field to face Aliquippa, which was on their third straight trip to the Big House (which has now grown to 6).  Brumbaugh helped SF pull off a bit of a surprise as the Lions captured their first WPIAL football crown since 1964. Two years later, it is Brett Brumbaugh preparing his team to face Aliquippa at Heinz Field after another big game in a Class AA Semifinals contest on Friday. Brumbaugh hit on 16 of 25 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns passes and a scoring run as the Lions roared past the Beaver Falls Tigers for a fourth straight year in the postseason 35-7.

Lenny Williams – Sto-Rox

Knocking out the defending champ is never an easy thing to do. Knocking out the five-time defending champ turned out to be a really tough thing to do, even for unbeaten and top-seed Sto-Rox. But that job is made easier thanks to the 1-2 punch the Vikings have in the arm and legs of quarterback Lenny Williams. The WPIAL's all-time leading passer hit on 10 of 19 passes for 114 yards, plus he scampered for 129 yards rushing including a 12-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter and a 22-yard gallop for the game winning 22-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter…PLUS he returned an interception 42-yards for a score in a 24-19 ousting of Clairton, ending the Bears 22-game WPIAL playoff win streak in a Class A Semifinals contest.

P.J. Fulmore – Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

With Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic losing starting quarterback Adam Sharlow to a season ending injury in Week 8, the Eastern Conference champions knew they would need a Herculean effort by others to step up without losing a step on an undefeated season. Junior P.J. Fulmore has done just that, moving from running back to quarterback where his now tired legs carried the day for CWNC. Fulmore rushed for 216 yards on 42 carries (pause for a short rest) while scoring all four of the Trojans touchdowns on runs of 4, 1, 4, and 5 yards in leading CW North Catholic to its first ever WPIAL football championship game with a 27-14 triumph over the Neshanock Lancers in a Class A Semifinals game. 

Clairton Bears

For the first time since 2007, these Bears went into hibernation in Mid-November instead of Mid-December. For that we offer one final salute to a team that had a run of success for the ages. The Bears 66-game WPIAL and PIAA record win streak ended in September, but their loss Friday to Sto-Rox snapped:
* A 22-game WPIAL win streak going back to a Semifinals loss to Springdale in the 2007 playoffs.
* A 30-game WPIAL and PIAA playoff win streak which started after they lost to Steelton-Highspire in the 2008 PIAA Finals.
* A record run of FIVE consecutive WPIAL football championships.
* A record-tying run of FOUR consecutive PIAA football championships.
 

Tags: Aliquippa, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Central Valley, Clairton, North Catholic, West Allegheny, Woodland Hills