Penn Hills part of deep, talented WPIAL Class 5A playoff field

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, November 3, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Many have criticized the PIAA’s decision to go to six classifications for football during the 2016 season. However, Penn Hills ultimately ended up landing in a division that has been one of the most successful for the WPIAL on the state level.

After playing the first two seasons in this new system in Class 6A, the school district’s enrollment dropped to the point that the football team could play in 5A starting with the 2018 season. Penn Hills went undefeated and won its first state championship in over 20 years during its first year in 5A.

The WPIAL champion has participated in the PIAA Class 5A title game in every season except for 2016 and 2019. While the Indians (6-4) enter this postseason as the seventh seed, Penn Hills quarterback Jay’mere Ellis doesn’t shy away from trying to maintain the standard that has been set.

Since winning the PIAA crown, the Indians have been playoff regulars in the classification, reaching the semifinals in 2021 and 2023.

“People keep sleeping on us,” Ellis said. “I hope people keep sleeping on us. It’s going to be a rude awakening. We are going to wake them up soon.”

From 2020 to 2022, Pine-Richland (twice) and Penn-Trafford gave the district a three-game winning streak in the PIAA final. Gateway was a runner-up in 2017, while Peters Township finished second last season.

Penn Hills was scheduled to open the playoffs against Moon on Nov. 1 in a game played after the deadline for this edition. The Tigers knocked the Indians out in the 2021 semifinals.

The Indians entered this season looking to replace quarterback Julian Dugger, who now is playing at Pitt. Ellis has developed into a reliable option under center.

“Jay’mere has been consistent. He’s a leader and he knows our offense,” Penn Hills coach Charles Morris said.

Ellis has a team-high 12 touchdown passes and has thrown for 752 yards. Martel Palmer leads the team with 621 yards and 39 catches. Naytel Mitchell has 1,027 yards on the ground.

Morris said the team has found a nice level of balance since starting the season 0-3.

During the regular season finale, Plum focused on clamping down Mitchell. Ellis and the passing game helped the Indians increase their production and score a 38-7 win.

Morris said Penn Hills’ ability to play complementary football is what makes the Indians special.

“You always pick up the other group. We’ve always preached complementary football,” Morris said. “You want to play well in all three phases. Even within those phases, you want to play complementary football. If you aren’t stopping the run, you better lock up on the pass and vice versa on offense.”

Tags: Penn Hills