WPIAL Plays of the Week – Week Twelve 2013

By: Bruce Markey
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 | 1:18 PM

Before we reach the final destination on the Highway to Heinz, we had one final stop to make. And boy, was it fun. In Class A and AAAA, we will definitely have new Champions, as North Allegheny lost in the Quarterfinals and the WPIAL's biggest powerhouse of all-time, Clairton, fell late in the Semifinals. In AA and AAA, South Fayette and Central Valley will look to dethrone Aliquippa and West Allegheny on Saturday. Don't forget, we will have EXCLUSIVE audio broadcasts of Saturday's Championships. But before we get there, let's look back in the rear view mirror one last time at the Semifinals. 

#1 Sto-Rox 24, Clairton 19
The King is dead. After a 5-year run of dominance, the Clairton Bears will not be WPIAL Champions. And who was the team that took them down? The Sto-Rox Vikings, who lost to Clairton in the last two Championship Games. After battling back-and-forth, it would be the Vikings that would get the last laugh, as star Quarterback Lenny Williams would pull off a remarkable 22-yard touchdown run with 1:53 to play, giving the Vikings a 24-19 lead. The win sends Sto-Rox into the Championship for the third year in a row. They will try to win their first title since 1987 and will meet North Catholic at 11am Saturday.

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-a-semifinals-clairton-vs-sto-rox

MSA Sports Paul Paterra and Brandon Showers on the call.

#2 Woodland Hills 28, Upper St. Clair 21
These two teams may be sick of playing each other, but it has to be Upper St. Clair that is flat out sick. The Panthers, who defeated Woodland Hills in Week One of the last two seasons, have now lost to the Wolverines in the last two Semifinals. And this game in particular featured a little bit of everything, big rushes, big passes, a kick return and, most notably, a huge defensive stand late in the game while Upper St. Clair was driving for the game-tying score.

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-aaaa-semifinals-woodland-hills-vs-upper-st-clair

MSA Sports and 1410-AM KQV Lanny Frattare and Bob Orkwis on the call.

#3 North Catholic 27, Neshannock 14
North Catholic will be playing for a title for the first time in school history and P.J. Fulmore is a big reason why. Fulmore, who moved from Running Back to Quarterback after starter Adam Sharlow went down with a season ending injury earlier in the season, rushed 42 times for 216 yards and four scores in the win. None were bigger than his 5-yard blast in the 4th quarter that pushed the game out of reach of a very strong Neshannock team. North Catholic, who will move to Cranberry next year, will hope to bring a trophy back to Troy Hill on Saturday, as they meet top-seeded Sto-Rox in the Class A Championship Game at 11am on Saturday.

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

MSA Sports and WJST-AM 1280’s Mark Schaas and Lee Mohn.

#4 West Allegheny 21, Franklin Regional 12
In a tight, defensive AAA Semifinal, it was West Allegheny that pulled off the biggest play. After Franklin Regional’s Charan Singh found Colin Jonov for a 51-yard touchdown  to cut the Indians’ lead to 14-12, Chayse Dillon would score his third toucdown of the night on a 25-yard run. The scamper would put West Allegheny up 21-12. The win puts the Indians into the WPIAL Championship game for the third time in five years. They will meet Parkway Conference rival Central Valley on Saturday at 8pm. 

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-aaa-semifinals-franklin-regional-vs-west-allegheny-0

MSA Sports Pete Blais and Mike Krcil on the call.

#5 Central Valley 23, Thomas Jefferson 13
In 2010, Central Valley made a surprising run to a WPIAL AAA Championship in their first season as a school. That year, they defeated Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals and then met a Parkway Conference rival, Montour, in the Championship. Well, things are turning out somewhat similar so far, as Central Valley took down the Jaguars again and will meet rival West Allegheny at 8pm on Saturday. The dagger was a 56-yard touchdown pass from backup Quarterback turned starter John George to B.J. Powell, which gave the Warriros a 23-7 lead in the 3rd quarter. The defense would do the rest, sending Central Valley back to the WPIAL AAA Championship game.  

Full Broadcast: http://www.msasports.net/broadcasts/2013-wpial-football-class-aaa-semifinals-central-valley-vs-thomas-jefferson

MSA Sports Toy Clardy and Steve Nagler on the call.

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