WPIAL Plays of the Week – WPIAL Quarterfinals

By: Bruce Markey
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 | 12:00 AM

The midway point on the Highway to Heinz was marked with Round Two…With joy going to the winners while the losers were left to feel blue…One large step toward a title as 16 teams are now knocking on the door…With these winning plays, the winners are on their way to the Final Four.

Woodland Hills Wolverines 29 – Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 22 in Overtime
MSA Sports Paul Paterra and Dan Zangrilli on KDKA-FM 93.7 The Fan on the call

Defending Class AAAA champion Woodland Hills was on the ropes and ready to fall trailing 22-14 with less than a minute left when Pat Menifee and Devon White worked their magic. The two hooked up on a 32 yard scoring pass with 18 seconds remaining, then the two combined for a desperate two-point conversion that sent the game into overtime, where the Wolverines ousted the previously undefeated Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 29-22 in head back to the Semifinals.

North Hills Indians 16 – Upper St. Clair Panthers 14
Red Zone Media's Alex Panormios and Rick Smith on WPIT-AM 730 on the call

It was a tale of two halves in a Class AAAA Quarterfinals battle at Chartiers Valley High School. North Hills dominated the first half in building a 16 point lead after two quarters. But Upper St. Clair started their comeback in the second half where Dakota Conwell and Chris Colditz hooked up for a pair of touchdowns, the second on a 6-yard pass in the fourth quarter pulled USC to within two, however the Indians stopped the Panthers run attempt and held on for a 16-14 victory.

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 38 – Hopewell Vikings 28
MSA Sports Sam Hall and Johnny Lee on WJAS-AM 1320 on the call

It was the legendary program against the legendary player and the results were…legendary. Hopewell's Rushel Shell rushed for 238 yards and scored four touchdowns on runs of 17, 61 and 82 yards plus a 99-yard kickoff return. But it wasn't enough against Thomas Jefferson and quarterback Ryan Crouse, who was 9 of 15 passing for 218 yards and four touchdowns, including this icing on the cake 52-yard strike to Nick Raimondi as the Jaguars beat the Vikings 38-28 for a 13th consecutive trip to the AAA Semifinals.

Ford City Sabers 35 – Seton-LaSalle Rebels 21
MSA Sports Matt Vandriak and Josh Rowntree on the call

While Seton-LaSalle had one loss coming into the Class AA second round game, it was unbeaten Ford City that felt they were playing for respect as well as a final four spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Facing a comeback that had cut their big early lead to 28-21, Ian Boylstein scored on a two yard run in the fourth quarter that was the nail in the coffin as the Sabers beat the Rebels 35-21.

Tags: Ford City, Hopewell, Mt. lebanon, North Hills, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills