WPIAL Plays of the Week – Week Eleven 2013

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 | 3:00 PM

The Quarterfinals are in the books and now we hop back onto the Highway to Heinz for one last stop before reaching our destination. The Semifinals provide terrific matchups, but the Quarterfinals were not too shabby themselves. Let’s take a look back at Week Eleven, including a tribute to a non-WPIAL team that faced the toughest challenge of anyone.

#1 Sharon Football
The top spot this week belongs to the Sharon Tigers. After losing two of their teammates in a horrible car accident on Thursday, the Tigers played valiantly in a 22-19 loss to Girard last night in a snowy District 10 first round playoff game in Erie. The unspeakable tragedy also claimed the life of another man and injured four more. Unfortunately for the Tigers, their season ends at 6-5, but their resiliency and the class displayed by Girard during the contest are deserving of the top spot. We at MSA Sports send our condolences to the families of those lost and the entire Sharon community.

#2 Penn-Trafford 35, McKeesport 20
In one of the more eyebrow-raising upsets of the 2013 season, Penn-Trafford kept on rolling, knocking off third-seeded and undefeated McKeesport 35-20 on Friday night. The knockout punch was a late 4th quarter 16-yard run by Tom Stinelli, who finished with 161 yards on 23 carries. The run clinched the win for the Warriors, who avenged a 34-14 loss to the Tigers earlier in the season. They will next meet another undefeated team, Central Catholic, in the WPIAL AAAA Semifinals. It was the first Quarterfinal win for Penn-Trafford since 1997.

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-aaaa-quarterfinals-penn-trafford-vs-mckeesport

WHJB-FM 107.1's Don Conde and Jimmy Lee Santorella on the call.

#3 Franklin Regional 14, West Mifflin 12
Now it’s time for a little love for the defenses. In the first round, Franklin Regional scored 42 points in a win over Montour, while West Mifflin put up 47 points in their victory over Moon. But the semifinals were a different story, as both teams would combine for just 26 points and 482 yards of total offense. So it’s no surprise that the biggest play was a defensive stand by the Franklin Regional defense. With 1:22 left in the game and after making a stop on a two-point conversion earlier in the quarter, the Panthers’ defense would come up huge again, stopping Jimmy Wheeler on a fourth-and-two on the 29 yard line. Franklin Regional will now meet top-seeded West Allegheny in the Semifinals on Friday.

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-aaa-quarterfinals-west-mifflin-vs-franklin-regional

MSA Sports Mike Sackley and Mike Krcil on the call.

#4 Beaver 21, Mt. Pleasant 7
The biggest surprise of the 2013 postseason has clearly been the Beaver Bobcats. After finishing fourth in the Midwestern Conference, Beaver has taken down the 5th and 4th seeds in consecutive weeks. After Beaver’s Jordan Yates forced and recovered a fumble at Beaver’s own 10 yard-line and with Mt. Pleasant driving for a game-tying touchdown, Alex Rouse would hit Dylan Goff for a 90-yard touchdown strike, giving Beaver the 21-7 lead, which they would never relinquish. Beaver, who forced five turnovers in the game, will now meet Aliquippa in their first semifinal appearance since 2003. The Quips defeated Beaver 50-13 in Week Nine.

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-aa-quarterfinals-beaver-vs-mount-pleasant

WLSW-FM 103.9's T.J. DiStefano and Aaron Wills on the call.

#5 North Catholic 14, Avonworth 7
In a battle between two of the WPIAL’s top defenses, North Catholic’s just barely edged Avonworth’s and avoided the Quarterfinal round upset to their Eastern Conference rivals. Despite the low score though, the story was North Catholic’s P.J. Fulmore, who ran the wildcat offense due to a season-ending injury to quarterback Adam Sharlow. Fulmore rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown and threw for 107 more yards and another score. His one-yard blast with 4:08 to play in the game gave the Trojans all the scoring they needed to move into the semifinals, where they will meet Neshannock for the second year in a row. The Trojans and Lancers met in Week Eight this season, with North Catholic prevailing 21-14.

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-a-quarterfinals-avonworth-vs-cardinal-wuerl-north-catholic

MSA Sports Sam Hall and Steve Nagler on the call.

Tags: Avonworth, Beaver, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Franklin Regional, McKeesport, North Catholic, West Mifflin