CTK ’14: WPIAL 2013 Triple-A Football Flashback

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, August 5, 2014 | 10:11 AM

In a way, 2013 in Class AAA of the WPIAL was a lot like 2012. Franklin Regional and Mars battled for supremacy in the Greater Allegheny Conference, Thomas Jefferson beat West Mifflin in Week 9 to claim the Big Nine Conference and the Parkway Conference was a meat grinder again, however this time, eventual repeat champion West Allegheny would wear the Parkway crown by themselves instead of sharing it with two others.

2013 WPIAL Triple-A Headlines:

*  Not only did West Allegheny repeat as district champions as the Indians claimed gold for the third time in the last five years, but head coach Bob Palko made history as he became the first coach in WPIAL history to win a seventh outright district football championship. West Allegheny enters the 2014 campaign with a 21 game win streak against District 7 opponents.

*  The Parkway Conference as a whole may not have been as good as it was a few years ago, don’t tell that to anybody from the Big Nine or Greater Allegheny Conferences. For the fifth straight year, a team from the Parkway won the WPIAL championship (West A 3 times, Montour and Central Valley), and for the third time in that five year span, it was a pair of Parkway Conference teams that battled for the gold at Heinz Field as West Allegheny edged Central Valley 16-6. In fact, the last time a Parkway Conference team did not make it to the finals on the North Shore of Pittsburgh was in 2005 when Franklin Regional upset Thomas Jefferson.

*  While it has been five years since Thomas Jefferson last won the WPIAL Class AAA championship, they have continued to dominated the Big Nine Conference. In a battle of unbeaten in Week 9 of the 2013 season, the Jaguars knocked off the rival West Mifflin Titans to secure an eighth consecutive conference title, with seven of the eight being outright section crowns.

*  12 of the 16 playoff teams in Class AAA in 2013 were postseason teams from the previous year, but the two biggest turnarounds in the classification were from Highlands and Moon. The Golden Rams finished 4-5 overall in 2012, but last fall improved two games to 6-3 in the regular season and reached the Quarterfinals after upsetting New Castle in Round One. Moon meanwhile struggled to a 2-7 finish in ’12 before a break out 6-3 regular season which ended with an opening round playoff loss to West Mifflin 47-42.

*  A year after finishing tied for second place one game behind the conference winner, Hampton qualified for the postseason as the 2013 AAA wild card.

2013 WPIAL Triple-A Standings:

Parkway Conference:
#-West Allegheny Indians : (8-0) – (13-1)
*-Central Valley Warriors : (7-1) – (11-2)
*-New Castle Red Hurricanes : (6-2) – (7-3)
*-Moon Tigers : (5-3) – (6-4)
*-Montour Spartans : (4-4) – (5-5)
x-Blackhawk Cougars : (3-5) – (3-6)
x-Ambridge Bridgers : (2-6) – (2-7)
x-Chartiers Valley Colts : (1-7) – (1-8)
x-Hopewell Vikings : (0-8) – (1-8)

Big Nine Conference:
#-Thomas Jefferson Jaguars : (8-0) – (11-1)
*-West Mifflin Titans : (7-1) – (9-2)
*-Ringgold Rams : (6-2) – (7-3)
*-Elizabeth Forward Warriors : (5-3) – (6-4)
*-Belle Vernon Leopards : (4-4) – (4-6)
x-Uniontown Red Raiders : (3-5) – (3-6)
x-Albert Gallatin Colonials : (1-7) – (2-7)
x-Trinity Hillers : (1-7) – (1-8)
x-Laurel Highlands Mustangs : (1-7) – (1-9)

Greater Allegheny Conference:
#-Franklin Regional Panthers : (7-1) – (10-2)
#-Mars Planets : (7-1) – (9-2)
*-Highlands Golden Rams : (6-2) – (7-4)
*-Indiana Little Indians : (4-4) – (5-6)
*-Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers : (3-5) – (3-7)
*-Hampton Talbots : (3-5) – (4-6)
x-Knoch Knights : (3-5) – (4-5)
x-Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions : (3-5) – (3-7)
x-Derry Trojans : (0-8) – (0-10)

2013 WPIAL Triple-A Playoff Results:

2013 WPIAL CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

West Allegheny Indians 16 – Central Valley Warriors 6 

WPIAL CLASS AAA Semifinals:

West Allegheny Indians 21 – Franklin Regional Panthers 12 

Central Valley Warriors 23 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 13 

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

West Allegheny Indians 38 – Indiana Little Indians 7 

Franklin Regional Panthers 14 – West Mifflin Titans 12 

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 23 – Highlands Golden Rams 14 

Central Valley Warriors 35 – Mars Fighting Planets 21

WPIAL CLASS AAA First Round:

West Allegheny Indians 38 – Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers 6 

Indiana Little Indians 28 – Ringgold Rams 14 

Franklin Regional Panthers 42 – Montour Spartans 21 

West Mifflin Titans 47 – Moon Tigers 42 

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 39 – Hampton Talbots 0 

Highlands Golden Rams 24 – New Castle Red Hurricane 19 

Central Valley Warriors 40 – Belle Vernon Leopards 7 

Mars Fighting Planets 38 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors 21

2013 PIAA Triple-A Playoff Results:

2013 PIAA CLASS AAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Archbishop Wood Vikings 22 – Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 10

PIAA CLASS AAA Semifinals:

Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 47 – Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 42

Archbishop Wood Vikings 42 – Berwick Bulldogs 14

PIAA CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 28 – WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS 0 

Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 48 – Manheim Central Barons 7

Archbishop Wood Vikings 42 – Academy Park Knights 14

Berwick Bulldogs 44 – Clearfield Bison 7

PIAA CLASS AAA First Round:

WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS 16 – CENTRAL VALLEY WARRIORS 6

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 63 – General McLane Lancers 21

Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 49 – Conrad Weiser Scouts 21

Manheim Central Barons 42 – Cocalico Eagles 20

Archbishop Wood Vikings 52 – Martin Luther King Cougars 8 

Academy Park Knights 22 – Glen Mills Battling Bulls 14

Clearfield Bison 27 – Jersey Shore Bulldogs 8

Berwick Bulldogs 29 – Bethlehem Catholic Hawks 27