Pittsburgh City League Title Game Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 | 12:00 AM

There will be a new champion crowned Saturday as Schenley is the defending champion. Both teams are no strangers to championships. Brashear was the champion in 2007-08, Perry won a stretch of eight titles over a nine year span, but that run came to an end in 2005, the last Commodore title team.

91st CITY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
#1 SEED PERRY COMMODORES(10-1) VS. #3 SEED BRASHEAR BULLS(6-4)Saturday 1pm on the MSA Sports Network

1st Meeting on October 22nd
Perry 34 Brashear 13
Greg McGhee threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more.
Perry took a 7-0 first quarter lead on a McGhee 56 yard pass to Eric Frye. Brashear answered with a Tre Gaines 3 yard run in the second, to make it 7-all at the break.

McGhee scored on a two yard run in the third, Brashear struck back with an Adam Lynch 5 yard touchdown pass to Dom Patterson, McGhee scored again on a three yard run to make it 20-13 after three.

The Commodores pulled away in the fourth on a McGhee to Frye 52 yard connection and a Leighton Hawkins 10 yard interception return. McGhee was 7 of 17 for 170 yards. Lynch was 11-24 for 132 yards.

Here is a capsule preview for both teams:
PERRY COMMODORES 8-0 IN THE CITY LEAGUE
HEAD COACH: BILL GALLAGHER (10th season)
City League Semifinals: Defeated Schenley 29-8 last Friday.
Senior quarterback Greg McGhee threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns. McGhee also ran for 102 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Perry used a 23 point second quarter for the win.

McGhee led the City League in the regular season with 1,917 yards passing, third in the region behind Christian Brumbaugh and Chad Barton of Holidaysburg. 2,171 yards and 23 touchdowns overall. He is a three year starter and getting interest from several MAC schools.

Devin Ghafoor caught 37 passes for 594 yards to lead the league in receiving.

Chinelo Oparanozie led the Commodores with 12 touchdowns, also leading scorer in the City League.

Coach Gallagher is a former Brashear assistant. Since leaving the Bulls before the 2001 season, Coach Gallagher took Perry to five consecutive league titles in his first five seasons, but Perry has not tasted City League gold since that 2005 campaign.

Perry had a stretch of eight City League titles over a nine year span, when the Commodores were among the most dominant teams in the PIAA.

The Commodores have won fifteen City League football titles, they are the only City League school to have ever played for a PIAA football championship, winning the title in 1989 and were runners up in 1997.

Perry scored the most points in the City League this season at 368. The Commodores have allowed the least points at 123.

Schedule:
9-3 lost at North Hills 28-7
9-11 Carrick 46-0
9-17 Peabody 40-6
9-24 Oliver 35-0
9-30 Langley 28-6
10-8 Allderdice 40-0
10-15 won at Wheeling CC 39-28
10-22 Brashear 34-13
10-28 Westinghouse 40-6
11-6 Schenley 30-28 overtime

BRASHEAR BULLS 5-3 IN THE CITY LEAGUE
HEAD COACH: RICK MURPHY(3rd season)
City League Semifinals: Knocked off second seeded Allderdice 12-6 in overtime last Thursday night.
Delane Howard sacked the Dragons QB Mike Pfleger and caused a fumble, Tre Gaines scored on the next play to send the Bulls to the championship game. Brashear rallied from having no first downs and minus one yard of total offense in the first half. Adam Lynch connected on a screen to Ricky Gay for the first Bulls score.

The Bulls are playing for their third championship in the past four seasons.

Since it's establishment in 1976 as a merger of Fifth Avenue, Gladstone and South Hills, the Bulls have been a dominant program as well with nine City League titles, eight of which coming under legendary Head Coach Ron Wabby. Brashear is the only AAAA team in the City League to make it to the PIAA semifinals, falling to North Hills in 1988.

Brashear has scored 210 points, they have given up 214(take out the 56 vs. Knoch)

Lynch is a first year starter at quarterback.

Schedule:
9-3 lost to Knoch 56-7
9-10 Schenley 27-12
Lynch scored on a 68 yard run, he also threw a touchdown pass.
9-16 Lost to Allderdice 12-0
9-23 Westinghouse 41-6
10-7 Carrick 25-12
10-15 Oliver 21-20 in double overtime
Lynch threw for a touchdown and ran for another in the win, including the 10 yard game winner. Jawanza Bryant also scored for the Bulls.
10-22 lost to Perry 34-13
10-30 lost Peabody 34-24
11-4 Langley 34-22

SERIES:
It's the seventh meeting between the two teams in the post-season, since 2000. Four of those previous seven have been in the championship game with Perry winning three of the four, Brashear won the most recent meeting in 2008.

Perry has won the last two meetings, but Brashear took three before that.

WHAT'S AT STAKE:
The winner plays the District 6 champion, either Central Mountain or State College, next week in the first round of the PIAA Quad-A playoffs. Oliver (4-6) is also in the PIAA tournament, they will play the District 9 AA champion next weekend, they will take on the Brockway vs. Brookville winner, that game is Saturday at 7 pm.
 

Tags: Brashear, Perry