Central Valley Ends West Allegheny Reign in AAA

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 22, 2014 | 12:37 AM

In what was an instant classic — but what would anyone expect from two Parkway Conference teams — the Central Valley Warriors scored in the final minute to defeat the West Allegheny Indians 35-28 to claim their second WPIAL Class AAA championship in the school’s five year history. The win also continues the dream of a perfect season for the Warriors, now 13-0.

(Picture left: CV Warriors from left Kurt Reinstadtler, B.J. Powell, John George & Dante Lucci celebrate gold in locker room) 

BJ Powell caught his second touchdown from John George on a fade route with 19 seconds remaining for the winning score. This after West Allegheny tied the game on a Terence Stephens two-yard run to cap a 14-play drive with 2:28 left in regulation. The loss for West Allegheny was the first for head coach Bob Palko in eight championship appearances.

The Warriors got a huge effort from Jordan Whitehead. The Pitt recruit ran 12 times for 107 yards and a score and caught 6 passes for 179 yards, giving him 279 yards of offense on the night. George threw for 276 yards on 10-of-15 passing. Central Valley will advance to the state playoffs to take on Conneaut on Friday night at North Allegheny in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

The teams have met seven times now, with Central Valley taking a 4-3 lead and gaining revenge for the 16-6 loss to West Allegheny in last year’s title game. The Parkway Conference has won six straight titles since 2009, as during that period five of the last six championship games have been all Parkway affairs.

Central Valley jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead as Whitehead paced the opening drive for the Warriors on a 42-yard toss from George. Whitehead then scored on a 15-yard run moments later. Three offensive plays later, Whitehead would catch a flare on the far side of the field and turned on the jets to go 73 yards for his second touchdown and 25th of the season. The defense for the Warriors held again, stopping Chayse Dillon on a fourth and two at midfield on West Allegheny’s ensuing possession. Head coach Mark Lyons went for the early kill, as George hit Powell for a 52-yard touchdown to shock the crowd with a 21-point lead. George was 4 for 4 in the opening quarter for 174 yards.

Down early, West Allegheny used a long kickoff return by Whitney White to set up shop at the Warriors 29. Helped by a face mask call against Central Valley, Dillon would score on a 1-yard run and Central Valley led 21-7 after one quarter.

The Indians used a wildcat formation for most of the game, with Dillon and Stephens taking most of the direct snaps. Palko went to his Division I quarterback Andrew Koester. The Saint Francis recruit completed four consecutive passes, including a 73-yarder to Tyler Amedure to set up Dillon’s two-yard touchdown run. West Allegheny had another chance before the end of the half, but Dillon was stopped for a second time on a fourth down at the CV 26. The Warriors drove to midfield before time ran out in the half.

West Allegheny used a turnover to tie the game in the third quarter as linebacker and D-1 recruit Sean Orsini stepped in front of a George pass and returned it to the Central Valley 20. After a Stephens 14-yard run, Dillon scored on a 6-yard run to tie the game at 21-21 with 4:54 remaining. The Indians used special teams to set up an opportunity to take the lead. Justin Keast would deflect a Skyler Cron punt and the 12-yard boot gave West Allegheny the football at the CV 27. But the Indians could not get closer, forcing DJ Opsatnik to attempt a 43-yard field goal. But Central Valley got a block of their own as Joey Shively knocked the ball back to the 45 yard line, setting up another big play by Whitehead. The senior was battling craps throughout the second half, but was still able to make the move of the championships. Whitehead would take a swing pass from George and head down the near side with blockers, then came to a dead stop at the 30 yard line, avoided two West A defenders and continued towards the goal line, collapsing inside the pylon for a 55-yard touchdown and the lead after three quarters.

The Indians took advantage of another short Cron punt and then got a huge break as on a third-and-six play from the 45. Koester ran for no gain, but Central Valley was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct to keep the drive alive. Dillon and Stephens took advantage of the second chance and led the Indians to the tying score, setting up the dramatic finish.

The Warriors had 468 yards of offense, with 192 yards rushing, as well as 16 first downs. Central Valley was penalized 8 times for 75 yards and only had the football for 19:19 of the game.

Koester led West Allegheny with 109 yards passing on 6-of-9 passing. Amedure had 2 catches for 88 yards, Dillon carried 26 times for 80 yards and Stephens added 56 yards on 17 carries. The Indians had only 247 yards of offense but held the football for over 28 minutes. West Allegheny ends their season at 11-2 with both losses coming to the Warriors.

Score by Quarters:
Central Valley Warriors     21 – 0 – 7 – 7 = 35
West Allegheny Indians     7 – 7 – 7 – 7 = 28

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
CV:  Jordan Whitehead 15 run (David Schmidt kick)   6:45   7-0 CV
CV:  Whitehead 73 pass from John George (Schmidt kick)   4:32   14-0 CV
CV:  BJ Powell 52 pass from George (Schmidt kick)   2:15   21-0 CV
WA:  Chayse Dillon 1 run (DJ Opsatnik kick)   :10   21-7 CV

2nd Quarter:
WA:  Dillon 2 run (Opsatnik kick)   6:37   21-14 CV

3rd Quarter:
WA:  Dillon 6 run (Opsatnik kick)   4:54   21-all
CV:  Whitehead 55 run (Schmidt kick)   1:42   28-21 CV

4th Quarter:
WA:  Terence Stephens 2 run (Opsatnik kick)  2:28  28-all
CV:  Powell 22 pass from George (Schmidt kick)   :19   35-28 CV
 

Tags: Central Valley, West Allegheny