The penultimate week of the WPIAL playoffs has arrived. This weekend is the WPIAL Championships in 6A and 4A, which will be played Saturday at Norwin. Those games will be previewed in a separate post. This article focuses on the semifinals in the other four classifications. In 5A, 3A, 2A, and 1A the WPIAL Champion enters the statewide bracket in the semifinals and the WPIAL Championships will be held next week at Acrisure Stadium (the Artist Formerly Known as Heinz Field). Most of the top seeds have advanced through the quarterfinals, though the biggest storyline last week was Aliquippa falling to Thomas Jefferson in 4A. That ended the Quips incredible run of 16 straight Championship Game appearances. Statewide, 7-time defending 2A State Champs (and skirters of the success formula) Southern Columba got mercy ruled by Troy in the District 4 Semifinals.
The only major upset (not counting 5-seeds beating 4-seeds) in the WPIAL quarterfinals was Jeanette topping Westmoreland County rival Greensburg Central Catholic. The Jayhawks, who made the playoffs as a wild card, have now upset the 4- and 5-seeds en route to the 1A semifinals. All of the semifinal games on Friday night will be played at neutral sites (listed with each game preview).
Check out this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show for a breakdown of all the games and storylines, and keep an eye on my @WPIAL_Blitz twitter account during the games on Friday night!
5A Semifinals
1. Pine-Richland vs 5. Bethel Park
at North Hills
For the second year in a row, Pine-Richland and Bethel Park will meet in the playoffs. The Black Hawks have never topped the Rams in the postseason, but enter with the highest-scoring offense in the classification (43 points per game). Pine-Richland is making their 11th straight appearance in the semifinals and have reached 6 of the last 7 WPIAL Championship games dating back to their time in 6A. On the other side, Bethel Park reached the semifinals two years ago but have not been to the title game since their 2008 Championship. Pine-Richland’s sophomore QB Aaron Strader was injured against North Allegheny but was able to come back last week in the Rams quarterfinal victory over Franklin Regional. On the season, Strader has thrown for 1329 yards and 15 TDs and run for 313 yards and 4 TDs. The Rams have a strong ground game led by Maclane Miller (1013 yards, 12 TDs) who had 3 TDs against Franklin Regional. They also have one of the top DBs in the WPIAL in Jay Timmons who also plays receiver (560 yards, 9 total TDs). Timmons had two receiving touchdowns and a pick-six last week. The high-flying Bethel Park offense has a balanced attack. Explosive RB JaVaughn Moore (2025 rushing yards, 383 rushing yards, 31 total TDs) has had 4 TDs in each playoff game. Strong-armed QB Tanner Pfeuffer (2615 yards, 31 TDs) has spread the ball around with six different receivers posting over 100 yards. Mitchell Paschl (658 yards, 12 TDs) leads the Black Hawks receiving corps along with Jack Bruckner (513 yards, 6 TDs) and Ryan Petras (494 yards, 6 TDs) who recently returned from injury.
2. Upper St Clair vs 3. Peters Twp
at Bethel Park
For the seventh straight season, the Allegheny Six Conference will have a team in the WPIAL Championship Game. Peters Twp is the defending WPIAL Champions (their first title in school history) and also reached the title game in 2019 and 2020. West Allegheny started the run in 2018 before moving down to 4A. Moon (2021) and Upper St Clair (2022) have also reached the finals but of that group only Peters Twp claimed a Championship. These conference foes met in the regular season and Upper St Clair won a defensive struggle 21-7. The Indians offense runs through junior QB Nolan DiLucia (2284 yards, 22 TDs) and big-play receiver Nick McCullough (951 yards, 16 TDs). DiLucia has six different receivers with over 130 yards this season and has also run for 407 yards and 4 TDs. Nick Courie (588 yards, 14 TDs) is the lead back in the Peters rushing attack. Upper St Clair missed the playoffs last season for the first time in 23 years due to standings tiebreakers. The WPIAL made an offseason change to enable playoff Wild Cards to be selected by Committee and Upper St Clair came into this season on a mission. They ran off a perfect 10-0 record, averaging 36 points per game and holding opponents to just 10 points per game. The Panthers will lean on their ground game with Julian Dahlem (1017 yards, 13 TDs) and John Banbury (589 yards, 7 TDs). When they do need to take to the air, Ethan Hellmann (859 yards, 15 TDs) has a big arm to push the ball down the field. Nico D’Orazio (237 yards, 6 TDs) is the top target on the outside. Dahlem was the star in the first meeting between these teams, scoring all 3 touchdowns for the Panthers (including a pick-six on defense).
3A Semifinals
1. Imani Christian vs 5. Avonworth
at West Allegheny
Both of these teams won regular season rematches in the quarterfinals to get to the semis. Imani Christian played in 2A last year and voluntarily moved up to 3A this season, a decision which paid off in an undefeated season and top overall seed. The Saints won a hard-fought rematch with Highlands in the quarterfinals. Imani trailed 17-8 entering the 4th quarter but got a touchdown and safety to take the lead with just a few minutes remaining. As Highlands got desperate, Imani capitalized and tacked on two more touchdowns. Avonworth lost the regular season finale to Beaver, costing the Lopes a first round bye. However, the two met again in the quarterfinals and Avonworth got revenge by means of the mercy rule. This was the third straight season Avonworth beat Beaver in the quarterfinals. Imani has the highest-scoring offense (44 points per game) and the stingiest defense (10 points against per game) in the classification. Avonworth has given up nearly 24 points per game and will likely need to win a shootout if they are going to oust the top seed and make it to the title game for the third straight season. Imani is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Dual-threat QB Stephen Vandiver (1595 passing yards, 22 TDs, 328 rushing yards, 6 TDs) is the catalyst of the offense. The Saints have a pair of explosive running backs who have D1 offers in Gabe Jenkins (1242 yards, 18 TDs) and David Davis (305 yards, 9 TDs). Penn State-commit Dayshaun Burnett is a game-wrecking linebacker who also plays TE and leads the Saints receivers with 506 yards and 12 TDs. Burnett had a rushing TD and receiving TD in Imani’s win over Highlands. Avonworth’s offense is built around their multifaceted rushing attack. The Lopes have 8 players with over 100 rushing yards on the season, led by Nico Neal (544 yards, 10 TDs) and Dimitri Velsaris (512 yards, 8 TDs). Neal led the Lopes with 272 rushing yards and 4 TDs in their quarterfinal victory over Beaver. Carson Bellinger has thrown for 988 yards and 11 TDs, spreading the ball around between four different receivers. Luca Neal, the brother of Nico, is Avonworth’s leading receiver (468 yards), third-leading rusher (306 yards) and has scored 5 times.
2. Central Valley vs 3. Elizabeth Forward
at Montour
This is the third playoff meeting in the last five seasons between the two Warriors. Before Central Valley moved up to 4A, they faced Elizabeth Forward in the 2020 Championship Game and 2021 semifinals. Central Valley won both games en route to winning back-to-back State titles. Both of these teams have reboudned from tough starts to the season. Central Valley had to play a brutal non-conference schedule that featured playoff teams from 4A and 5A while Elizabeth Forward lost consecutive games on the final snap (a botched extra point snap against West Mifflin and a 2-point conversion in triple overtime against Highlands). Both teams rounded into form when they reached conference play and claimed section titles. In the Quarterfinals, Central Valley ran all over Freeport while Elizabeth Forward won a shootout with North Catholic on a last-second field goal. This game is a matchup of strength-on-strength as EF has the second-highest scoring offense in 3A (41 points per game) while Central Valley has the 4th toughest defense (21 points per game allowed). Central Valley has battled through a number of injuries and have a fully healthy team entering the playoffs. Their ground game has featured Mason Dixon (1191 yards, 18 TDs) and Jance Henry (738 yards, 10 TDs) who missed a few games due to injury. Both Dixon and Henry had 100 yards and 2 TDs against Freeport. Steven Rutherford (891 passing yards, 5 TDs, 264 rushing yards, 5 TDs) started all but one game this season at quarterback. Elizabeth Forward’s offense primarily comes out of their backfield. Ryan Messina has thrown for 2035 yards and 22 TDs and run for 575 yards and 11 scores. Do-it-all back Charlie Nigut has 1415 rushing yards, 518 receiving yards, and scored a team-high 30 times. Nigut had 269 rushing yards and 4 TDs in the quarterfinal shootout with North Catholic. Elizabeth Forward is also strong in the trenches, led on both sides of the ball by Buffalo-commit Christopher Climes.
2A Semifinals
1. Seton LaSalle vs 4. Steel Valley
at West Mifflin
Seton LaSalle dropped down from 3A to 2A this season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Rebels ran through the regular season and earned the top seed in the 2A playoffs. Seton has the highest-scoring offense (44 points per game) and stingiest defense (10 points allowed per game) in 2A. The Rebels blew out Riverside in the Quarterfinals to reach the semis for the first time since 2017. Steel Valley is playing in their 4th straight semifinal and looking to reach the title game for the 3rd consecutive season. The Ironmen beat Western Beaver in the quarterfinals for the second straight season. The Rebels have a dynamic passing attack with QB Michael Pastirik (1799 yards, 31 TDs) at the helm. Pastirik leads the WPIAL in passing touchdowns and has a dynamic tandem in Khalil Taylor (802 yards, 20 total TDs) and Richard Littlejohn (481 yards, 9 TDs). Taylor has scored in multiple phases and is one of the most electric kick returners in the WPIAL. On the ground, Logan King (1035 yards, 14 TDs) leads the way in the Rebels rushing attack. In the quarterfinals, Taylor had 2 receiving TDs and a rushing TD while King ran for 200 yards and 2 TDs. Steel Valley has the dynamic duo of the Barksdale brothers in the backfield and is a run-heavy offense. The Barksdale brothers each had 3 TDs in the first round and followed it up last week by each running for over 170 yards and producing 5 total TDs. Donald Barksdale (1985 yards, 30 TDs) is one of the top rushers in the WPIAL. His brother Da’Ron missed the beginning of the season due to injury but has been a force all over the field since returning, accounting for 613 rushing yards, leading the team with 110 receiving yards, scoring 14 total TDs, and throwing a few passes for 254 yards and 4 TDs.
2. South Park vs 3. Ellwood City
at North Allegheny
This might be the best “storyline” game of the weekend. Ellwood City won their first conference title since 1997 and had their first undefeated regular season since 1944. South Park moved down from 3A to 2A this year and won the Allegheny Conference title. South Park has not been to a WPIAL final since winning the WPIAL and PIAA Championship in 2005. The wait for Ellwood City has been even longer as their last Championship Game appearance was in 1987. Both of these teams play tough, hard-nosed defenses. Ellwood City (11.2 points against per game) ranks a shade better than South Park (12 points against per game) and this shapes up as a game that will be won in the trenches. Both teams play old-school grind-it-out football and are perfectly comfortable relying on 8-minute drives to matriculate the ball down the field. Eric Doerue (1458 yards, 20 TDs) led the Eagles rushing attack and is now South Park’s all-time leading rusher. Doerue ground out the quarterfinal victory against Mohawk with 193 yards and 2 TDs. Dual-threat QB Robert Lenzi (571 passing yards, 6 TDs; 846 rushing yards, 13 TDs) averaged over 8 yards per carry. Watch out for playmaker Kenyan Brown (402 rushing yards, 225 receiving yards, 6 offensive TDs, 3 kick return TDs) who is a threat to score any time he gets the ball in his hands and a top-notch safety at the back end of the Eagles defense. In the trenches, the Cunningham brothers (Parker and Troy) are absolute maulers who pave the way for South Park’s rushing attack. Parker Cunningham is a James Madison-commit and Troy has offers from a number of MAC and FCS schools. For Ellwood City, Elijah Palmer-McCane has been the feature back, running for 1328 yards and 17 TDs. Palmer-McCane scored both touchdowns for the Wolverines in the quarterfinals to earn the school’s first playoff victory since 2011. Chris Smiley has thrown for 1194 yards and 14 TDs, spreading the ball around between five different receivers. Dom Hogue (371 yards, 2 TDs) and Dailonn Currie (287 yards, 5 TDs) have led the Wolverines receiving corps.
1A Semifinals
1. Fort Cherry vs 13. Jeannette
at Canon-McMillan
Fort Cherry is the defending WPIAL Champions, their first title in school history. The Rangers made it all the way to the State Finals last year and have their eyes set on another deep run in November. Jeannette reached the semifinals after pulling upsets on #4 Neshannock and #5 Greensburg Central Catholic in the first two rounds. Both teams won tight games in the quarterfinals with Fort Cherry holding off a tough Cornell squad and Jeannette getting revenge on conference rivals GCC. Fort Cherry has done it on both sides of the ball this year, scoring over 40 points per game and holding opponents to just under 10 points per game. Fort Cherry’s offense runs through one of the top players in the entire WPIAL Matt Sieg who threw for 1022 yards and 19 TDs and ran for 1495 yards and 24 TDs. After Fort Cherry’s first round win over Brentwood, Sieg announced his commitment to Penn State. Leading receiver Shane Cornali (562 yards, 14 TDs) and Sieg’s backfield counterpart Ryan Huey (651 yards, 11 TDs) have scored double-digit TDs. Jeannette has had a tremendous defensive turnaround in the postseason. After holding just two opponents under 24 points during the regular season, the Jayhawks held Neshannock to 7 and GCC to 23. Jeannette also has a dual-threat QB in Kymone Brown (1680 passing yards, 20 TDs; 1239 rushing yards, 15 TDs). In Jeannette’s upset victories, Brown had over 250 yards of total offense and scored twice in both games. The Jayhawks other big talent is WR Jayce Powell (892 yards, 15 TDs). Big-play receiver Noah Sunder (447 yards, 10 TDs) averages over 26 yards per reception.
2. Clairton vs 3. Bishop Canevin
at Peters Twp
Clairton is back. The Bears had a historic season on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 2 touchdowns all year. Clairton also boasts the highest-scoring offense in the entire WPIAL, averaging an incredible 54 points per game. Bishop Canevin is no slouch though, averaging over 40 points per game and holding opponents to just over 14 per game. Both marks are the 3rd best in 1A. This will be Canevin’s 4th straight semifinal appearance. Clairton’s offense is loaded with talent all over the field, starting with QB Jeffrey Thompson (1872 yards, 27 TDs). The Bears top three rushers all averaged over 11 yards per carry, led by Drahcir Jones (1161 yards, 24 TDs) and slot back Donte Wright (355 rushing yards, 473 receiving yards, 18 total TDs). Clairton also has four players with over 325 receiving yards, making them almost impossible to defend all over the field led by two-way star Taris Wooding (560 yards, 8 TDs) and Zaemear Correll (360 yards, 5 TDs). The Bears will also use Michael Ruffin (313 rushing yards, 325 receiving yards, 13 total TDs) all over the field. Bishop Canevin’s only losses this season were to Fort Cherry and 2A #1 seed Seton LaSalle. Canevin’s offense relies on the strong arm of QB Kole Olszewski (2254 yards, 23 TDs) who has spread the ball around to four different receivers. Demar Olds (858 yards, 13 TDs) leads the receiving corps while RB Myontae Mott (961 rushing yards, 251 receiving yards, 18 total TDs) can do it all for the Crusaders offense.
