PIAA football playoffs: 30 years in 30 days — Farrell repeats in ’96

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 | 7:06 PM

The PIAA had been hosting state playoffs in all but one fall high school sport since 1976. Soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf, cross country and field hockey all crowned state champions once the district playoffs concluded.

The lone exception to the fall state playoff slate was high school football.

It wasn’t until 1988 when PIAA officials finally pulled the trigger on the idea of having a yearly state football playoff.

From George Novak and Woodland Hills losing in a mud pit to Bob Palko and West Allegheny finding the third time really was the charm to Neil Walker and Pine-Richland competing in a heartbreaking overtime loss in a snowstorm and to Tyler Boyd and the golden Bears of Clairton winning four straight state championships.

There have been a lot of thrills and heartbreak in three decades of state championship football. Leading up to the 2018 state finals, the TribLIVE High School Sports Network will look back at how WPIAL teams have fared in the PIAA championships with 30 years in 30 days.

The Year: 1996

The Site: Mansion Park in Altoona

The Champs: Downingtown, Berwick, Mt. Carmel, Farrell

The Headline: Farrell repeats while Woodland Hills and Blackhawk fall in finals

The Lowdown: The first WPIAL team to repeat as a PIAA football champion isn’t even in the district anymore.

Current District 10 representative and, in 1996, two-time WPIAL champion Farrell squared off with District 4 power Southern Columbia for a second straight year. In 1995, the Steelers blanked the Tigers, 6-0.

While there would be more points scored in the rematch, both teams defenses would once again control another close state final.

The Steelers proved to be the kings of the close games. In the WPIAL playoffs, they blanked Duquesne, 14-0, before edging South Fayette in overtime 14-12 and Riverview in the district title game at Three Rivers Stadium, 26-25.

The close games continued in the state semifinals when Farrell edged Moshannon Valley, 14-12, setting up the rematch in Altoona.

“Those close games helped us out a lot,” Farrell senior Chico Pinkins said after the game. “We had to fight back to win.”

Pinkins caught his only pass of the game, a 23-yard toss from Farrell quarterback Rennie Gash in the opening quarter to put the Steelers up.

Southern Columbia scored on a touchdown pass in the second quarter, but both teams missed the extra point, and the game was tied 6-6 at the half.

Senior Jason Kennedy took an option pitch and ran untouched 9 yards for a third-quarter touchdown that put the Steelers up by six points. The winning points came when Gash hit Pinkens for the 2-point conversion and a 14-6 lead.

Scott Bloom scored for Southern Columbia with just under four minutes left in regulation, but quarterback Mark Yurkiewicz was stopped at the line of scrimmage by Marino Harris and the Steelers held on for their encore championship, 14-12.

• In the Class AAA title game, District 2 champion Berwick battled WPIAL winner Blackhawk for the second time in the state finals in five years. The Bulldogs rolled over Blackhawk, 33-6, in 1992.

This one was more of the same.

Blackhawk fumbled the ball twice in the first two minutes of the game and fell behind defending champion Berwick 12-0 early.

However, the Cougars fought back and cut the lead to five on a Trent Wissner 8-yard run.

After another Bulldogs score, Nate Stewart hit pay dirt on a 1-yard plunge that pulled the Cougars to within five points at 18-13 at halftime.

Berwick clinched the third four straight PIAA crowns when it scored 16 points in the final 10 minutes of the game on a 24-yard run, a field goal and a 64-yard pick-6 for a 34-13 win.

• Legendary Woodland Hills coach George Novak took his Wolverines to the state title game three times, all in a seven-year span from 1996 through 2002. Each time, the black and turquois would settle for silver.

That first trip in 1996 was a one-sided meeting with District 1 champion Downingtown, and the Whippets unleashed a beating.

The fact Downingtown scored 49 points against Woodland Hills in a 35-point victory was no surprise as the Whippets racked up the offense all year by scoring 671 points in 15 games.

Eric Walker scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter for Woodland Hills, and quarterback Madei Williams connected with Fon Nani for the 2-point conversion that tied the game at 8-8.

But it was all Downingtown from there, as the Whippets scored 27 second-quarter points to lead 35-8 at the half.

Walker scored the only other Wolverines touchdown on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.

Arien Harris set a then-PIAA title game rushing record with 182 yards on 17 carries for the Whippets. Walker led the Wolverines on the ground with 76 yards, while Williams ended up 7 of 16 passing for 85 yards and two interceptions in the 49-14 loss.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.

Tags: Blackhawk, Woodland Hills