WPIAL Football Quarterfinals Recaps 2013

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 9, 2013 | 12:49 AM

It was a night of great competition throughout all four classifications with only a handful of blowouts as the District 7 field of 32 shrunk to 16 as the Final Four are now set for the Semifinals. But before we start looking ahead to next week, its time to recap the outstanding action from Quarterfinals Friday with archive broadcasts of each contest only here on The Network.

Thanks to Rob Matzie, Adam Hoerner, Mike Krcil, Mark Schaas, Bob Gregg, Steve Nagler, John Smathers, T.J. DiStefano, Mark Uriah, Bob Orkwis Don Conde, Paul Paterra, Matt Vandriak, Josh Rowntree, Adam Gusky and Jason Colangelo for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:

Upper St. Clair Panthers 41 – North Allegheny Tigers 23
The passing games for both the Tigers and the Panthers were on display at Baldwin High School as the teams combined for 545-yards through the air in this quarterfinal match-up. Senior Cage Galupi came out firing for NA and led the Tigers to an early lead finding Elijah Zeise for a 6-yard score on the opening drive. But as was the case for most of the game, each team had an answer. For USC it was 5 plays – 4 first downs and a 3-yard touchdown run for QB Joe Repischak and a 7-7 tie. Trevor Morrow, who left the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury, scored on a 14-yard run to put the Panthers on top 13-7. Seth Mancuso would connect on a 32-yard field goal for North Allegheny and Galupi would find tight end Paul Blendinger on a 9-yard pass with :36 left in the second quarter to give NA a 16-13 lead at the half. Repischak answered for Upper St. Clair on the opening drive of the second half, finding Ben Southorn on a 76-yard catch and run to put the Panthers up 20-16. Galupi answered for NA, finding a wide open Isaac Weaver down the seam for a 48-yard TD pass and the Tigers were back in front 23-20. But Upper St. Clair answered in a big way, scoring 21-unanswered points to remain perfect on the season at (11-0). Repischak found Dustin Hess with a 31-yard scoring strike which put the Panthers ahead to stay. Repishack scored his second rushing TD of the game from 2-yards with 9:47 left and :42 later, Jesse Slinger blocked an NA punt which was recovered in the end zone by Andrew Bartusiak to make the final score 41-23. Both senior signal callers were on their game in this contest. Galupi, making only his 2nd career start, finished 18-of-39 for 288-yards and 3 touchdowns. Zeise had 7 receptions for 121-yards for North Allegheny before leaving the game late in the first half with a separated shoulder. Repishack was huge for the Panthers, completing 11-of-14 passes for 257-yards and two scores to go along with his 2 rushing touchdowns. Upper St. Clair outgained North Allegheny 435-332 and the 23 points was the most allowed by the Panthers all season. The Panthers also trailed for only the second time this year before ending #9 North Allegheny’s season at (7-4). Top seeded Upper St. Clair gets a rematch with rival Woodland Hills in the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals for the second straight year. The Wolverines defeated the Panthers 42-20 during last year’s playoffs. Upper St. Clair defeated 4th ranked Woodland Hills 16-10 in this year’s season opener at the Wolvareana. The loss for North Allegheny was the first WPIAL playoff loss for the Tigers since 2009 and it also ended NA’s run of WPIAL Quad-A titles at three.

Woodland Hills Wolverines 28 – Seneca Valley Raiders 14
For the second consecutive week, a second half offensive surge led Woodland Hills to victory. The Wolverines went into the locker room at halftime leading Seneca Valley 6-0 after a 54 yard touchdown scramble by quarterback Harry Randall. The Raiders seized the lead 7-6 in the 3rd quarter on a 4 yard touchdown run by Mason DeHart. Woody High answered on a powerful 2 yard touchdown run by Harry Randall on 4th and goal in the fourth quarter. Randall added the two-point conversion with a Superman like leap over a Raider into the end zone. The Wolverine defense sealed the victory with two consecutive interception returns for touchdowns. A 55 yard return by Donte Broadus and a 100 yard “pick 6” by Jihad Brown. The Raiders added an inconsequential touchdown with less than 30 seconds to play on a 6 yard touch down pass from T.J. Holl to Eric Mrkonja. While Seneca Valley racked up over 400 yards of offense, they scored on just two of their 7 trips into Wolverines’ red zone. Meanwhile, Harry Randall rushed for over 160 yards and accounted for nearly 200 yards of the Woodland Hills offensive output. Woodland Hills will take on Upper St Clair in the semi finals next Friday. in a rematch from week 1(16-10 USC Win), as well as last year’s semi finals.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 27 – Gateway Gators 21
Pittsburgh Central Catholic had relied on its defense all season long.  Giving up a WPIAL best 3.7 points against per game, the Vikings defense hadn’t given up more than 14 points in a game coming into the quarterfinals.   While Gateway was the first team to score 20 points against the Vikings, when called upon, the defense came up big forcing turnovers at the end of both halfs.  Central Catholic jumped out to an early lead with two first quarter scores.  J.J. Costentino’s 1-yard TD run capped of the Vikings first offensive drive of the night.  Later in the quarter, Luigi Lista-Brinza scored from a yard out after a shanked punt set the Vikings up at the Gateway 33 yard line.  At the end of the opening quarter, PCC led 14-0.  In the 2nd quarter Gateway would get on the scoreboard, as Montae Nicholson took a Jimmy Moore pass 43-yards to the end zone.  The score capped off an 83 yard drive , cutting the score to 14-7 with three-minutes left in the opening half.  As the first half wound down, Gateway had the ball at mid-field with under a minute left.  But the Central Catholic defense forced the games first turnover when Angelo Natter stripped Moore of the football.  The Vikings recovered the fumble and ran out the 2nd quarter clock, taking a 14-7 lead to the locker room.  The 3rd quarter started off great for the Gators.  Central Catholic fumbled the opening kickoff, and it was Moore who scooped up the loose ball and returned it 30-yards, tying the score 14-14 just :12 seconds into the half.  The Vikings answered on their ensuing drive though, as Lista-Brinza scored from a yard out, putting PCC back on top 21-14.  On the Vikings next drive, Lista-Brinza found the end zone for the 3rd time, this time from 3-yards out, capping off the 87-yard scoring drive and extending the lead to 27-14.   The only score of the 4th quarter went to the Gators.  On 4th and goal, Delvon Randall hauled in Moore’s pass from 10-yards out, cutting the PCC lead to 27-21.  With under 2-minutes left in the game, Gateway had the ball 1st and 10 at their own 41.  But it was the Vikings defense coming up with another big play, as Zack DeLuca sacked Moore and jarred the ball loose, which teammate Bryan Glover recovered, securing the win for the #2 seed.  Lista-Brinza led the Vikings with 32 carries for 198 yards and 3 TD’s.   Moore passed for 146 yards and 2 TD’s in a losing effort for the Gators.  With the win Central Catholic (11-0) continued it’s dominance of Gateway, winning for the 9th consecutive time since 2004.  The Vikings move on to the Semi-Finals where they’ll face Penn-Trafford.  Gateway finishes 2013 with a final record of 8-3.

Penn-Trafford Warriors 35 – McKeesport Tigers 20
#6 seed Penn Trafford battled #3 seed McKeesport at Norwin High School Friday night and the Warriors avenged a week 4 loss in the Foothills Conference with a thrilling second half performance en route to a 35-20 quarterfinal win over the Tigers. McKeesport starting the scoring at 6:41 in the first quarter on a 44 yard Carlos Hudson scamper after Mikell Moore recovered a Penn Trafford fumble at the PT 48. Penn Trafford tied the score at 7-7 on the first of 2 Devin Austin td runs. Austin scored on a 55 yard run with 4:29 left in the first quarter and a 3 yard run with 5:36 left in the first half to tie the game at 14-14 after McKeesport took the lead on a Kaleeke Hudson 10 yard run at the 2:12 mark left to play in the half. McKeesport seemingly had momentum as from the first play from scrimmage in the second half Allen Wright scored on a 65 yard run but the play was called back on an unnecessary roughness call against the Tigers. PT’s Timmy Vecchio scored on a 44 yard pass from Brett Lafoon with 7:27 left to play in the 3rd and for the first time in 2013 McKeesport trailed in a contest. PT controlled the second half clock by covering 7 plays in 73 yards using 6:00 in time of possession in taking the lead, but the Tigers would come right back just 1:38 seconds later as Allen Wright scored from 16 yards out. The extra point attempt was missed and Penn Trafford clung to a 21-20 lead with 5:49 left to play in the 3rd. PT’s defense stiffened  later in the 3rd and 4th quarters against the “flexbone” McKeesport offense and the Warriors added a one yard Brett Lafoon QB sneak with :44 seconds left in the third to extend their lead to 8 points at 28-20 entering the 4th quarter. Tom Stinelli of PT would close the scoring with 3:55 left in the game on a 16 yard run with Jake Proskin’s PAT ending the scoring at 35-20 in favor of Penn Trafford. Penn Trafford amassed nearly 550 yards of offense to McKeeport’s 330 total yards. Austin (who was injured in the 3rd quarter and did not return) finished with 140 yards and Stinelli lead all ground carriers with 154 for Penn Trafford. Mikell Moore finished with 111 yards for McKeesport in the losing effort and Penn Trafford QB Brett Lafoon connected on 6 of 10 passes for 139 yards and a score. In a very physical, hard hitting game several players for both sides were injured including McKeesport QB David Queen and PT starting middle linebacker Freddy Cook (who was on crutches afterward).  A very banged up PT Warrior team will take on Central Catholic next Friday night in one of the semifinal matchups as Central Catholic defeated Gateway 27-21. PT will be making its first semifinal appearance in the WPIAL playoffs since 1997.

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

West Allegheny Indians 38 – Indiana Little Indians 7
West Allegheny advanced to WPIAL Class AAA semifinals with a 38-7 win over Indiana. West Allegheny was led by Chayse Dillon’s 142 rushing yards, and quarterback Andrew Koester passed for 111 yards and threw three touchdown passes. The only score for Indiana came in the fourth quarter after Jake Zilinskas recovered a fumble and Indiana went 49 yards in five plays to score on a 5-yard run by DeQuan West. West Allegheny improved to 11-0 and Indiana ended the season at 5-6. West Allegheny will face Franklin Regional, which defeated West Mifflin, 14-12, in the semifinals next week.

Franklin Regional Panthers 14 – West Mifflin Titans 12
An early goal-line stand by the Franklin Regional Panthers, and two failed post-touchdown conversions by the West Mifflin Titans proved to be the difference Friday night as the #4 seeded Panthers held on to defeat the #5 seed Titans 14-12 Friday night at East Allegheny High School.  On West Mifflin’s first drive, standout running back Jimmy Wheeler appeared destined for the end zone on a long run, until he was stopped at the Franklin Regional 18 yard-line by cornerback Colin Jonov who never gave up on the play.  Ultimately, the Titans would be turned away when Wheeler was stuffed on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 yard line.  The game remained scoreless until Franklin Regional multi-threat quarterback Charan Singh found the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run with under five minutes to go in the first half.  Jake Roberge’s extra point made in 7-0 Panthers.  The Titans would answer on their next drive, going 64 yards in 4 plays, capped by a Wheeler 22 yard run.  However, the extra point failed, allowing the Panthers to hold a 7-6 lead into the locker room.  The Panthers extended their lead to 14-6 with about 4:20 left in the 3rd quarter when, on a first-and-goal from the 8 yard line, wildcat quarterback Brett Zannoto fumbled on a scramble at about the four yard line.  During the scrum, the ball found its way to the endzone where Casey Cologrande would find and recover it for the Panther touchdown.  Again, West Mifflin would answer, and again it would be a 64 yard drive, and again Jimmy Wheeler would punch it in.  His second TD score was from a yard out, but the two-point conversion failed as Wheeler tried to run it in around the right end and the Panthers held a 14-12 advantage. The Titans would have a final drive starting from their own 31, and they would drive to the Franklin Regional 29, but on a fourth-and-two, Wheeler would be stopped for no gain to turn the ball back over the Panthers.  West Mifflin exhausted their final two timeouts hoping to get the ball back one more time, but Franklin Regional converted a third-and-six to seal the win. West Mifflin’s season ends at 9-2.  Wheeler ended the night with 226 yards rushing.  The rest of the Titan offense managed 13 yards.  Franklin Regional (10-1) will meet defending champion West Allegheny next Friday.

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 23 – Highlands Golden Rams 14
In a game that saw a little bit of everything, it was ultimately a lot of Division I recruit Chase Winovich that propelled Thomas Jefferson (11-0) to a 23-14 defeat of Highlands (7-4) at Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL Class AAA Quarterfinals. A scoreless first quarter was highlighted by strong defensive play from both sides, but in a microcosm of the night, the Golden Rams could not capitalize when Elijah Jackson intercepted Christian Breisinger early on. The lower seeded team would score first, though, when quarterback Blake Leri ran it in from 14 yards out early in the second, and Sam Elliott’s kick made it 7-0. The Jaguars answered quickly when Winovich broke off a 73-yard touchdown run less than a minute later, and Derek Rothey drilled the tying PAT. Winovich struck again on a long drive late in the half with a two-yard plunge, and it was 14-7 at halftime. Highlands would tie it midway through the third when Leri hooked up with Jeremy Jackson for a 25-yard TD pass, but Winovich took center stage back in the fourth. His six-yard score early in the final period only left the score 20-14 when Rothey missed the kick, but he would atone with 2:39 to go by drilling a 24-yard field goal thanks to a drive keyed by runs from you-know-who. Winovich finished with 228 yards on 31 carries, but the rest of the TJ offense was held in check, thanks mostly to Allan Cratsenberg’s 22 tackles. For Highlands, Blake Leri had a rough night, the above mentioned key plays aside, going 6-of-21 through the air for 69 yards and two picks while his receivers dropped half-a-dozen balls. Thomas Jefferson will face Central Valley in the Semifinals next Friday night.

Central Valley Warriors 35 – Mars Fighting Planets 21
In what would be a defensive struggle at times the Central Valley Warriors won tonight by and large and for the most part because of defensive takeaways and special teams scoring 14 points in the second half on both enroute to the win to advance to the Class AAA WPIAL Semifinals. Central Valley actually trailed late in the second quarter before good time management using timeouts and holding Mars on defense to get the ball back and score with :19 to tie the game at the half at 14. That momentum carried to the start of the third quarter when the Warriors Jordan Whitehead returned the opening kick 94 yards to give Central Valley the 21-14 lead.   Whitehead would score again later in the quarter on a third down with 5:55 to go rushing 75 yards for a touchdown to give Central Valley the lead at the end of the third quarter 28-14. Mars still had life as they would go 11 plays 72 yards capped off by a Josh Schultheis 4-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 28-21 with 10:43 to go in regulation. Late in the 4th quarter after starting on their own 3 yard line Mars would march deep into Central Valley territory when Quarterback Owen Nearhoof’s fourth down pass was intercepted by John George and returned 81 yards for the final touchdown of the night. Central Valley would run 51 plays from scrimmage gaining 287 total yards.  Mars would run 65 plays gaining 295 yards.  George, the Warriors Quarterback would be perfect from the air going 5 for 5 for 79 yards.  Whitehead would finish with 8 carries for 94 yards and 2 rushing Touchdowns plus the kickoff return for a score.  He would also be on the receiving end of a 2 point conversion to account for 20 total points. Schultheis would finish with 21 carries for 84 yards and a score.  Nearhoof was 9 of 23 for 121 yards 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Mars finish’s the season 9-2 losing their first and last game of the season. Central Valley now 10-1 advance to the semifinals to take on Thomas Jefferson.

WPIAL CLASS AA Quarterfinals:

Aliquippa Quips 43 – Quaker Valley Quakers 26
The top ranked Aliquippa Quips took a first half punch from the upstart Quaker Valley Quakers on Friday night from Moon High School’s Tiger Stadium.  In the end, however, it was the Quips that delivered the knockout blow.  Behind two rushing touchdowns each from Senior standouts Dravon Henry and Terry Swanson, the Quips rallied from a 14-6 second quarter deficit to punch their ticket to the semi-finals by virtue of a 43-26 win.  The Quips took an early lead in the contest, as Terry Swanson plunged into the end zone from one yard out.  The Failed Extra Point kept the score at 6-0.  Thanks to a spectacular pass from Quaker Valley Quarterback Dane Jackson to Split End Genarro Travato, the Quakers grabbed an early second quarter lead, 7-6.  A few moments later, the Quakers struck again.  This time, running back Tre’Won Marshall outran the vaunted Quip defense for a 31 yard score.  With 5:50 remaining in the half, the Quakers were enjoying a 14-6 lead.  Prior to intermission, however, the Quips would strike for two touchdowns.  First Dravon Henry scored from five yards out.   His exuberant endzone celebration led to an unsportmanlike conduct call.  The infraction only made for a more dramatic conversion, however, as Henry leaped between two defenders in the end zone to haul in the conversion and tie the score at 14-14.  Just before the intermission, Henry would add a 1 yard touchdown run.  A successful two point conversion run from Terry Swanson followed.  In under 6 minutes of time, the Quips had dramatically turned a 14-6 deficit into a 22-14 lead heading into the intermission.  As the second half began, the teams exchanged punts before Terry Swanson broke the game open with an electrifying 36 yard touchdown run. Quarterback Darrien Fields added the 2 point conversion run which provided the Quips with their biggest lead of the contest at 30-14.  At the outset of the fourth quarter, it was again Fields who powered in for the quips fifth of six rushing touchdowns on the evening.   The one yard TD and extra point extended the Aliquippa lead to 37-14.  Quaker Valley’s Tre’Won Marshall then scampered 47 yards with 8:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.  The touchdown cut the Quip deficit to 37-20, but the failed two point conversion kept it a three score affair.  The Quips scored their final touchdown of the evening as youngster Kaezon Pugh gave fans a glimpse of the future with a touchdown run.  The extra point was blocked, but the Quips were well on their way to victory, leading 43-20.  The Quakers showed resolve with a late 35 yard Touchdown pass from Jackson to Marshall with 1:27 remaining in the contest.   Following the failed 2 point conversion, the Quips were in victory formation.  The Quips have earned a berth in the semi-finals, becoming one of  three teams from the Midwestern Athletic Conference (MAC) to advance.  The penultimate playoff game will come against a familiar foe for the Quips in the Beaver Bobcats.

Beaver Bobcats 21 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 7
The 12 seed Beaver Bobcats pulled off another upset in the quarterfinals Friday night knocking off the 4 seed Mt Pleasant Vikings 21-7 at Plum High School. There was no scoring in the first quarter as both teams exchanged field position and a turnover apiece. Mt Pleasant got the scoring started at 8:37 of the 2nd quarter on a Tyler Mellors 2 yard touchdown run. Beaver would answer at the 6:20 mark of the quarter when Alex Rowse connected with Dylan Goff on a 58 yard touchdown pass tying the game at 7-7. Beaver added on more score with 41 second left in the first half on a Rowse 10 yard touchdown pass to Darius Wise giving the Bobcats the 14-7 halftime lead. There would be no scoring in the 3rd quarter. The last score of the contest came in the 4th quarter at 8:14 as Alex Rowse hooked up with Dylan Goff for a 90 yard touchdown pass to close the game out 21-7. The touchdown was setup by a Mt Pleasant fumble by Ryan Ballew at the Beaver six yard line. Mt Pleasant would drive deep into Beaver territory  late in 4th quarter again only to turn it over on another fumble. Mt Pleasant had five turnovers on the night, after only committing seven turnovers the entire season. Beaver had 358 yards of total offense to 290 for Mt Pleasant. Beaver improves to 8-3 and will face the #1 seed Aliquippa Quips next Friday in the semifinals. Mt Pleasant’s season ends at 10-1.

South Fayette Lions 31 – Seton-LaSalle Rebels 7
South Fayette took advantage of six turnovers, all in the second half, downing Seton-La Salle, 31-7.  Brett Brumbaugh passed for 422 yards and three second-half touchdowns to lead the Lions into the semifinals for the third time in four years.  Seton-La Salle scored late in the first quarter on a 7-yard scoring pass from Tyler Perone to Malik White. South Fayette answered, tying the game on a 1-yard run by JJ Walker, capping a 13-play drive.  The Lions missed a field goal wide left earlier in the game and Seton-La Salle blocked a 3-point attempt with less than 2 minutes to play in the half.  The Rebels took the second half kickoff and drove to a first-and-goal at the Lions’ 9-yard-line.  After a delay of game penalty, Perone was sacked by Ben Berkovitz, stripped of the ball and Spencer Girman recovered for South Fayette.  Four plays later, Brumbaugh found Conner Beck who weaved his way up the left sideline for a 43-yard touchdown, giving the Lions the lead for the first time, and for good.  Seton-La Salle turned the ball over each of the next five possession, including four interceptions and a fumble inside its own 5 yard line. Brumbaugh connected with Justin Watson for two scores, one from 2 yards out, the other on an 87-yard catch and run to push the lead to 28-7 late in the third.  Brian Coyne’s 23-yard field goal closed the scoring at the end of a 16-play, 8-minute possession for South Fayette.  Watson had 9 catches for 181 yards and two scores, Beck hauled in 11 throws for 133 yards and one touchdown.

Beaver Falls Tigers 43 – Yough Cougars 7
Domination thy name was Beaver Falls. The Tigers (9-2) scored early and often in rolling to victory over the Yough Cougars (6-5). Beaver Falls scored touchdowns on each of its first six possessions in this game played at Big Mac Stadium in Canonsburg. Quarterback Dan Stratton triggered the Beaver Falls offense with 199 yards passing and three touchdowns (all in the first half). Two of his scoring strikes went to tight end Joe Cohen, who caught touchdown tosses of 67 and 20 yards. The Tigers also scored three touchdowns on the ground. Damian Rawl had an 11-yard scoring run, Marcus Cleckley rambled 35 yards for a score and Kahlil Caracter scampered 64 yards to round out the Beaver Falls scoring with a little more than 5 minutes to play in the first half.  The dominance displayed by Beaver Falls was evident with a look at the first half stat sheet. The Tigers amassed 353 yards of total offense in the first half, while holding Yough to just 11, -17 yards rushing. The Cougars did finally get on the board with 1:02 left to play on a seven-yard run by quarterback Tyler Donahue. Beaver Falls advances to the WPIAL semifinals to take on South Fayette, which defeated Seton-LaSalle 31-7.

WPIAL CLASS A Quarterfinals:

Sto-Rox Vikings 42 – Apollo-Ridge Vikings 20
In a battle of Vikings at Deer Lakes High School, top-seeded Sto-Rox (11-0) emerged superior, defeating #9 Apollo-Ridge 42-20 in a WPIAL Class A Quarterfinal contest. Early on, it became evident that Apollo-Ridge (8-3) had little answer for the WPIAL’s all-time leading passer, Lenny Williams, who finished 16-of-29 for 313 yards, including three touchdowns to one interception, his first of the season. He also rushed 20 times for 53 yards and two more scores. The Senior Quarterback completed his first eight passes, as Sto-Rox scored on five of their six first half drives, including their first four. After Sto-Rox scored on their opening drive on a 4-yard Williams run, Apollo-Ridge would take their only lead as Alex Smith would haul in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Jesse Zelonka, giving Apollo-Ridge a 7-6 lead with 5:57 left in the first quarter. Zelonka, who went over the 3000 yard mark in his career, finished 11-of-21 for 146 yards passing, with three touchdowns and one interception. However, he was sacked an alarming ten times on the night and finished with 21 carries for just six yards. As a team, Apollo-Ridge was held to only 19 rushing yards on the night. They came in averaging 209.9 yards per game on the ground. After falling behind, Sto-Rox would rattle off three-straight touchdown drives. Brendan Blair, who finished with 70 yards rushing on 12 carries, would go in from 19 yards out. After a Zelonka fumble, Williams would hit Mallory Claybourne for a 48-yard touchdown strike, giving Sto-Rox a 20-7 lead with 1:30 remaining in the first. After an Apollo-Ridge punt, Sto-Rox would be held to a 3-and-out and be forced to punt. Williams, who also punts, would fake the punt and pass to an open Elisha Bonner. Bonner would scamper for a 62-yard touchdown, giving Sto-Rox a 28-7 lead with 8:57 to play in the first half. On the ensuing drive, Zelonka would find Junior Wide Receiver Tre Tipton for a 17-yard strike, cutting Sto-Rox’s lead to 28-14. But Sto-Rox would fire the dagger before the half as, on a 4th down, Williams would find Claybourne behind the defensive coverage for a 27-yard touchdown with just 10 seconds to play, giving Sto-Rox a 34-14 halftime lead. Apollo-Ridge fought hard in the second half, holding Williams to just 3-of-11 passing, but couldn’t move the ball well enough to come back. With 21 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Zelonka would hit Tipton again, this time for an 11-yard strike, cutting the Sto-Rox lead to 34-20. But Williams would put it away on a sensational 14-yard touchdown run with 5:09 left in the game, as Sto-Rox would end the scoring at 42-20. Sto-Rox outgained Apollo-Ridge 465-165 in the game. Williams is now unofficially tied with Miami Dolphins Quarterback and Downingtown East alum Pat Devlin for 5th place in PIAA passing history with 8,162 yards in his career. Up next for Sto-Rox is a rematch of the two previous WPIAL Class A Championship games, as the Vikings will battle the fourth-seeded Clairton Bears, winners of five-straight WPIAL crowns. Apollo-Ridge, who last week won just their second playoff game in school history, sees their season end at an impressive 8-3. The Viking, who were 6-4 last season, were a combined 9-27 in the four previous seasons.

Clairton Bears 52 – Fort Cherry Rangers 35
Clairton’s bid for a 6th straight WPIAL football championship, and 5th straight PIAA title, remain alive and well after a 52-35 victory over Fort Cherry last night at Elizabeth Foreward. The Bears had to overcome two 15-point first half defecits…and did so, to lead 30-29 at the half, and allowed the Rangers only one second-half score, coming with just three minutes left in the game. Harrison Dreher led Clairton with touchdown runs of 55 and 51 yards. He also caught a 60-yard td pass from Aaron Matthews. Dreher carried ten times for 140 yards. Fort Cherry, ends their season at 9-2, both losses coming at the hands of the Bears. Koltan Kobrys rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns for the Rangers, pushing his season rushing total to over 22-hundred yards. He also scored on an 18-yard reception. Quarterback Matt Heslin tossed three td passes for Fort Cherry, two to Alex Babirad. Clairton, 10-1, moves on to face top-seed Sto Rox in the semi-finals. The Bears and Vikings have met in the last two WPIAL Class A football championship games.

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans 14 – Avonworth Antelopes 7
In a rematch between conference foes won in Week 6 by Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, the Trojans once again outlasted Avonworth to move on to the semifinals in the Class A WPIAL Football playoffs.  And again, it wasn’t easy.  The Trojans found themselves in familiar territory against the Antelopes, down by less than a score in the fourth quarter and, again, was able to summon enough offense to come out on the winning end.  Junior PJ Fulmore was the difference offensively for North Catholic.  Filling in at the QB position for the injured Adam Sharlow, Fulmore did it all for the Trojans.  Fulmore, exclusively out of the Wildcat formation, carried the ball 38 times for 182 yards and a touchdown.  He also completed 7/14 passes for 115 yards and a TD.  The passing touchdown started the scoring as the Trojans marched down the field on their first possession and scored when Fulmore connected on a 46-yard pass to Ryan Kirby.  Kirby caught the pass and then eluded a defender on the way to pay dirt, giving the Trojans a 6-0 lead with 9:33 to go in the first quarter.  That’s when the Trojan’s defense took over.   Avonworth, a team that averaged nearly 37 points per game, was limited to 23 yards in total offense and only two first downs in the first half due largely to the play of Trojan senior LB Ronnie Meder.  Meder was in the Avonworth backfield the entire first half, disrupting running and passing plays alike.  Despite the domination heading into the 4th quarter, the Trojans still only had a 6-0 lead.  That is, until Avonworth’s QB Matt Donovan found Jamal Hughley in the front corner of the end zone with 8:40 left on the 4th quarter clock.  With the extra point being good, the Antelopes had their first lead of the game and all of the momentum.  But, the momentum wouldn’t last long as Fulmore would lead his team on a 4:26 drive that would give the Trojans the lead for good.  Fulmore would connect with Kirby on a 40-yard pass play on 3rd and 8 down to the Avonworth 36-yard line.  Three plays later, again on 3rd down, Fulmore would complete a check-down to Jerome Turner.  Turner slipped a tackle and got down to the Avonworth 1-yard line.  One play later, Fulmore would leap into the end zone for the touchdown and would tack on the 2-point conversion to give the Trojans a 14-7 lead with 4:07 to go in the game.  Avonworth had plenty of time to muster one final drive and were on the move.  But on a 3rd and 8 with the ball on the Trojan 46-yard line, Hughley was called for an offensive pass interference call after having hauled in a 20-yard catch which would have given the Antelopes a 1st and 10 from the Trojan 26.  The Antelopes were also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play for arguing the call and ultimately had to punt the football back to the Trojans with just under 2:00 to play.  Once the Trojans got the football back, the Antelopes were unable to stop Fulmore who ran for a pair of 1st downs which salted away the victory.  Matt Donovan completed 13/21 passes for 95 yards and a TD for Avonworth.  The Trojans shut down Jesse Zubik, allowing Zubik to rush for only 29 yards on seven carries after having racked up 95 yards rushing last week.  With the win, the Trojans advance to take on the Neshannock Lancers in the rematch of their week 8 non-conference game that saw Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic defeat Neshannock by the score of 21-14.

Neshannock Lancers 35 – Monessen Greyhounds 6
The Lancers will head back to the semifinals for a second straight year after dominating the Greyhounds at Chartiers-Houston High School. Neshannock pounded out 281 yards on the ground as the Lancers led 28-0 the half.  Prior to the start of the game, Monessen was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting Neshannock coming onto the field. The Lancers scored on their first two possessions as Ernie Burkes found paydirt on td runs of 19 and 23 yards.  The Lancers scored after a Monessen turnover, the Greyhounds committed five on the night. Burkes hit Steven Jefferies for a 50 yard touchdown, the senior tight end was wide open at the 30 yard line and escaped the defense for the score.  Neshannock added a touchdown in the final minute of the half as Burkes hit Jimmy Medure for a 21 yard touchdown towards the far post.  Neshannock opened the second half with a five plus minute drive as Eli Owens scored on a 5 yard run to put the mercy rule into play.  Both Monessen quarterbacks struggled, Noah Rullo was injured twice in the contest, he was 5 of 15 for 29 yards and an interception. Justice Rawlings came in and completed two passes and had three picked off.  The only Monessen score came on the final play of the game as Clintelll Gillaspie scored on a 45 yard pass from Rawlings. Gillaspie ended the season with 31 touchdowns and was held to 30 yards rushing on 8 carries.  Neshannock was led by Owens with 24 carries for 136 yards. Burkes had 12 carries for 108 yards and was 6 of 10 for 86 yards, the Lancers go to 9-2 overall and will meet North Catholic in the semifinals. The teams played earlier in the season, North Catholic claimed a 21-14 home victory in Week 8. Monessen ends the season at 10-2, the Greyhounds had 155 yards of total offense.