WPIAL Plays of the Week – Week Eight 2017

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 | 7:45 PM

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Unbelievably, the 2017 football regular season is already nearing a conclusion, as last Friday marked the penultimate week. As the stretch run continued, the playoff picture throughout the WPIAL became much clearer. Several key plays proved instrumental to the outcomes, including a Cinderella team standing tall defensively to close out a wild shootout, a long connection to give a 5A contender a measure of redemption from a playoff loss last year, a second-half run that proved to be the difference in an Interstate Conference showdown, and a clinching sack to preserve a shutout in 5A. Without further ado, here are the very best plays from the eighth week of the season.

1.  Charleroi 49, Beth-Center 44

With two teams that combined for 93 points and nearly 1,000 yards of offense, it didn’t see likely that a defense play would be the biggest of the game, but that’s exactly how things unfolded. The Cougars pulled ahead on a touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining, and appeared to seal the outcome when they stopped the Bulldogs on a fourth down. A miscalculation of the time remaining, though, allowed Beth-Center to unbelievably get the football back at the Charleroi 4-yard line with just two seconds remaining. Beth-Center went to the ground game and Dominic Fundy, but Charleroi’s Dakota Romantino recorded the game-saving tackle as time expired.

The TribLive High School Sports Network’s Matt Vandriak and Rennie Detore have the call of the wild finish that moved the Cougars into second place in the 2A Century Conference:

2. Gateway 21, McKeesport 18

Last year, the Tigers stunned Gateway on a last-second touchdown to advance to the 5A Championship. This year, it was the Gators who prevailed, courtesy of some fourth-quarter heroics. Gateway’s prolific QB Brady Walker put his team ahead with a 40-yard strike to Brandan Cain. Gateway sealed the W when Jeremiah Josephs intercepted a Tigers’ pass in the endzone in the closing seconds.

The TribLive High School Sports Network’s Lanny Frattare and Sean Meyers have the call on WJAS-AM 1320 of the winning connection for the Gators:

3. South Park 18, Elizabeth-Forward 14

The Warriors had been stellar all season in the Interstate Conference, but South Park staked its claim as the top team by defeating Elizabeth Forward. Trailing at the half, South Park pulled ahead on a third-quarter score by Isaiah Mack on an 11-yard run, and the Eagles never relinquished the advantage.

The TribLive High School Sports Network’s Paul Paterra and Lou Rood provide the audio, while Jess Levo provides the videography for the Video Stream Game of the Week:

4. West Allegheny 7, Woodland Hills 0

It’s always a special event when storied programs West Allegheny and Woodland Hills square off, like in Friday’s battle for second place. Offense was at a premium, as the Indians made a first-half touchdown stand for the majority of the contest. The Wolverines had a chance to pull even late in the tilt, but the West Allegheny defense stood tall. On a fourth-down attempt, Woodland Hills QB Daniel Jones was sacked by Nico Flati, sealing the W for West Allegheny.

The Woodland Hills Sports Network’s Bob Orkwis and Rick McIntyre detail the final play that preserved the West Allegheny shutout:

Tags: Beth-Center, Charleroi, Elizabeth Forward, Gateway, McKeesport, West Allegheny, Woodland Hills