This weekend has a full slate of WPIAL playoff action. In 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A it is the quarterfinal round where all of the top teams are in action after some received byes last week. In the two largest classifications, this weekend is the semifinal round as the champions enter the State playoffs in the quarterfinals. The winners of Friday’s semifinals will face off at Norwin Stadium next weekend for the WPIAL Championships. All four of these games are rematches of conference games that happened in the regular season. While the two 6A matchups were routs in the regular season, the 5A matchups have an added level of intrigue because Moon and Pine-Richland have changed their offensive styles since the first matchups. Both Moon and Pine-Richland have moved to wildcat offenses with Josh Bladel and Ethan Pillar taking the snaps on every play for their respective teams.
On this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show, we interviewed Deer Lakes head coach Tim Burk after their first playoff win in school history. Congrats to Deer Lakes on their historic victory. Check out our Quarterfinals Preview of the 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A classifications for more on their matchup.
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6A Semifinals Previews
1. Central Catholic vs 4. Mt. Lebanon
For the fifth straight year, the Vikings and Blue Devils will meet in the playoffs. Central Catholic defeated Mt. Lebanon in the playoffs last year, avenging their loss in the 2021 WPIAL Championship Game. Central has been to the WPIAL finals in four straight seasons and in 9 of the last 10 years but have not won a title since 2020. They rolled past Mt. Lebanon 49-0 earlier this season. Both teams have new head coaches this season in Central Catholic’s Ryan Lehmeier who opened up the Vikings passing attack and Mt. Lebanon’s Mike Collodi who was the most successful coach in Elizabeth Forward history before taking over the Blue Devils. Central Catholic’s move to a more wide open passing game has resulted in numerous players setting school records, including QB Payton Wehner (2456 yards, 32 TDs). Wehner has spread the ball around between a talented group of receivers in Penn State-commit Peter Gonzalez (891 yards, 12 TDs), Vernon Settles (611 yards, 8 TDs), and Jacob Sassic (513 yards, 7 TDs). When teams have backed up the defense to try to take away the passing game, Elijah Faulkner (1152 yards, 17 TDs) has flourished on the ground. Central’s defense is led by the best linebacking corps in the WPIAL with Penn State-commit Anthony Speca and Michigan-commit Cole Sullivan who has also been used on offense (250 receiving yards, 4 TDs). Mt. Lebanon has had to restock their starting lineup this year and a number of underclassmen have seen significant playing time. The Blue Devils have a balanced offensive attack between Michael Malone (643 yards, 9 TDs) throwing the ball and Fred LaSota (602 yards, 6 TDs) on the ground. Patrick Smith has contributed in the running game (251 yards, 2 TDs) and also played some QB this season. On the outside, Noah Schaerli (233 yards, 4 TDs) and Ezra Heidenreich (146 yards, 3 TDs) have been the top targets. The Blue Devils do have two D1 players in service academy commits LB Beckham Dee and two-way lineman Connor Young.
2. North Allegheny vs 3. Canon-McMillan
North Allegheny and Canon-Mac will meet in the playoffs for the 4th time in the last five years. North Allegheny has swept the prior three meetings, though last year’s result was the closest – a 7-0 victory in hurricane-like conditions. Earlier this year, North Allegheny ran past the Big Macs to the tune of a 30-6 win. North Allegheny is the defending WPIAL champions and have been dominant on both sides of the ball this season, averaging over 45 points per game while allowing just 15 per game. Their only setback came in a showdown against Central Catholic for the conference title. North Allegheny returned a number of players from their WPIAL title-winning squad, led by dual-threat QB Logan Kushner (1207 passing yards, 17 TDs, 755 rushing yards, 12 TDs). Leading receiver Khiryn Boyd (448 receiving yards, 10 TDs) was last year’s WPIAL Blitz 6A Player of the Year and is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. The Tigers ground game features Tyree Alualu (741 rushing yards, 15 TDs), who is also a highly-touted linebacker. Canon-Mac’s offense relies heavily on RB Zach Welsh (1291 yards, 10 TDs) to shoulder the load of the offense. When the Big Macs take to the air, QB Mike Evans (990 yards, 4 TDs) has a big arm. Zyan Howard (300 yards, 1 TD) and Jayden Baxter (267 yards, 1 TD) lead the receiving corps. If Canon Mac is going to pull the upset, they will need a big game from Delaware-commit DE Kaeden Singleton to upend NA’s offensive attack.
5A Semifinals Previews
1. Peters Twp vs 5. Moon
A conference rematch of the top two teams in the Allegheny Six Conference will determine a spot in the WPIAL finals. Both teams have only been to the WPIAL finals twice in their history, so this game presents a historic opportunity. Peters Twp reached their first WPIAL Championship Game in 2019 and followed it up with a second consecutive appearance in 2020. Moon made a run to the finals in 2021, falling to eventual State Champions Penn-Trafford. Moon does have the only WPIAL title between the two squads, coming in 1998 when they won the AAA crown. Earlier this season, Peters Twp’s stingy defense held Moon in check and the Indians ran off to a 40-7 victory. However, since their first meeting Moon has moved to a Wildcat-style offense. Peters Twp’s offense is built around their passing game and sophomore QB Nolan DiLucia (2168 yards, 20 TDs). The Indians have a slew of playmakers on the outside and DiLucia has been able to spread the ball around between Carter Shanafelt (448 yards, 10 total TDs), Nick McCullough (433 yards, 5 TDs), Ethan Wertman (460 yards, 3 TDs), and Nate Miller (311 yards, 1 TD). On the ground, the tandem of Vinny Sarcone (554 yards, 18 TDs) and Preston Blair (471 yards, 8 TDs) have been formidable runners. For Moon, a slew of injuries at quarterback resulted in the Tigers putting in a wildcat offense with RB Josh Bladel (988 rushing yards, 13 TDs) handling the ball every snap. Joining Bladel in Moon’s rushing attack, Nazir Brookins (790 yards, 7 TDs) and Paul Bronaugh (422 rushing yards, 156 receiving yards, 4 total TDs) have both been factors. After all the injuries, Andrew Cross is now the quarterback when Moon needs to put the ball in the air and has thrown for 376 yards and 4 TDs.
2. Penn Hills vs 3. Pine-Richland
Northeast Conference foes square off in the Jon LeDonne Bowl, Part II. Coach LeDonne won the WPIAL and State Championship at Penn Hills in 2018. Last year, he was hired as the head coach at Pine-Richland and claimed the WPIAL and State crown for the Rams. However, since making the move to Pine-Richland Coach LeDonne is 0-2 against his former squad, including a 26-20 loss earlier this season. Pitt-commit Julian Dugger (1585 passing yards, 20 TDs, 703 rushing yards, 10 TDs) was the deciding factor in the first matchup, accounting for all four of Penn Hills’ scores. Dugger has a talented trio on the outside in Cameron Thomas (540 yards, 10 TDs), Martel Palmer (388 yards, 7 TDs), and Naytel Mitchell (327 yards, 2 TDs). Joining Dugger in the backfield is workhorse back Amir Key (901 yards, 9 TDs). Like last season, Pine-Richland changed their offensive attack mid-year and has flourished under the wildcat style with Ethan Pillar (1232 rushing yards, 22 TDs) handling the ball every snap. Pillar has been able to run behind Wisconsin-commit Ryan Cory (Wisconsin-commit) on the offensive line. When they need to throw the ball, the Rams have used both Kanan Huffman (495 yards, 3 TDs) and freshman dual-threat QB Aaron Strader (216 passing yards, 2 TDs, 474 rushing yards, 4 TDs). If Pine-Richland has to put the ball in the air, Bryce O’Brien (300 yards, 2 TDs) and Vasilios Balouris (245 yards, 1 TD) will be the top targets.
