Tonight the first round of the WPIAL Playoffs took place. There were 29 games that took place across all 6 classifications. In every classification except 2A, at least one team received a first round bye. Those teams that received a bye will get a home playoff game (or if their home stadium has grass, the WPIAL generally puts the game at a neutral site close to their home that has turf). Playoff games locations will be announced early in the week.
Class 6A
Quarterfinal Results
4. North Allegheny 49, 5. Canon-McMillan 26 – The Tigers dominated the Big Macs from start to finish to get to the semifinals for the 6th straight season.
Semifinal Matchups
4. North Allegheny at 1. Mt. Lebanon (at Mt. Lebanon)
3. Seneca Valley at 2. Central Catholic
(Game will be played at Baldwin)
The 6A Championship Game will be played on Saturday, November 20 at Norwin.
Class 5A
First Round Results
9. Woodland Hills 27, 8. Bethel Park 23 – Woodland Hills is now 6-0 all-time against Bethel Park in the playoffs.
5. Penn Hills 38, 12. Franklin Regional 6 – Penn Hills rolled past Franklin Regional to set up a rematch with Gateway. The Indians and Gators met in the playoffs last year and earlier this season. WR Jaden Dugger had 4 catches for 142 yards and 4 TDs.
10. Fox Chapel 13, 7. Upper St Clair 10 – In a low-scoring defensive struggle, Fox Chapel edged Upper St Clair. The Cardiac Cats tried to mount a comeback from down 13-3 but got stopped on 4th down with just over a minute left in the game.
11. Peters Twp 33, 6. North Hills 28 – In an Indians vs Indians showdown, the two-time defending runners up defeated North Hills in a back-and-forth affair that was one of the best games of the night. Peters now gets a shot at revenge against Pine-Richland who they lost to in the title game last year.
Quarterfinal Matchups
1. Moon vs 9. Woodland Hills
4. Gateway vs 5. Penn Hills
2. Penn-Trafford vs 10. Fox Chapel
3. Pine-Richland vs. 11. Peters Twp
Championship Game at Heinz Field on Saturday, November 27 at 6pm
Class 4A
First Round Results
9. New Castle 31, 8. Highlands 13 – New Castle QB Chris Hood ran for two long TDs and threw for two more to lead the Red Hurricanes to victory.
4. Hampton 14, 13. Plum 13 – Beating a team a second time is always difficult. Hampton had blown out Plum earlier this year but got all they could handle from the Mustangs in the first round.
5. Thomas Jefferson 41, 12. Indiana 0 – TJ in the postseason is just a different animal. The Jaguars ran all over the Indians who were making their first playoff appearance since 2014.
10. Laurel Highlands 28, 7. Beaver 27 – Laurel Highlands got their first playoff victory in school history in their 11th try. In a game headlined by Rodney Gallagher vs Wyatt Ringer, it was Laurel Highlands’ Tahji Hooper and Beaver’s Jacob Hilton that stole the show. Hooper had a receiving TD, and two rushing TDs, the second tied the game at 27 with under a minute to play and Laurel Highlands converted the extra point to
6. Armstrong 27, 11. Montour 16 – Armstrong gets their first playoff victory in school history since the merger of Ford City and Kittanning in 2015.
Quarterfinal Matchups
1. Belle Vernon vs 9. New Castle (at Belle Vernon)
4. Hampton vs 5. Thomas Jefferson (location TBD)
2. Aliquippa vs 10. Laurel Highlands (location TBD)
3. McKeesport vs 6. Armstrong (location TBD)
Championship Game at Heinz Field on Saturday, November 27 at 3pm
Class 3A
First Round Results
9. East Allegheny 36, 8. Southmoreland 11 – East Allegheny gets their second playoff victory since 2000.
5. Freeport 34, 12. Ambridge 6 – Freeport led by just 8 at the start of the 4th quarter but pulled away for the victory.
7. Keystone Oaks 34, 10. South Allegheny 0 – South Allegheny’s first playoff appearance since 2012 came to a quick end at the hands of the Eagles explosive offense.
6. Mt Pleasant 41, 11. Burrell 7 – Burrell was making their first playoff appearance since 2012 but lost to Mt. Pleasant for the second time this season. The Vikings got their first playoff victory since 2014.
Quarterfinal Matchups
1. Central Valley vs 9. East Allegheny (at Central Valley)
4. Elizabeth Forward vs 5. Freeport (at Elizabeth Forward)
2. North Catholic vs 7. Keystone Oaks (at Mars)
3. Avonworth vs 6. Mt Pleasant (at Avonworth)
Championship Game at Heinz Field on Saturday, November 27 at noon
Class 2A
First Round Results
1. Steel Valley 49, 16. Beth-Center 14 – The top seed in 2A cruised past Beth-Center.
8. South Side Beaver 34, 9. Ligonier Valley 14 – In a battle of Rams vs Rams, South Side got off to an early lead but Ligonier Valley battled back. South Side pulled away in the second half to set up a rematch of the 2018 Championship Game with Steel Valley.
13. New Brighton 21, 4. Washington 20 (OT) – In the surprise of the night, Washington (the highest-scoring team in 2A) was held in check by New Brighton’s defense. The game went to overtime tied at 21 and New Brighton scored first then stopped a 2-point try as Washington went for the win. The Lions, who had to win their last 2 regular season games just to get into the playoffs, are now headed for a showdown with rival Beaver Falls in a Jug Game rematch.
5. Beaver Falls 42, 12. Western Beaver 8 – Last year, Beaver Falls started their run to the WPIAL title with a 42-14 victory over Western Beaver. They increased that margin this year with Jaren Brickner throwing 3 TD passes.
2. Sto-Rox 61, 15. Shady Side Academy 8 – Sto-Rox did what they’ve done all year – dominate.
10. Mohawk 34, 7. Chartiers-Houston 12 – Mohawk got their third playoff victory in school history with a win over Chartiers-Houston, who has not won a playoff game since 2000 (0-13 in that span).
3. Laurel 41, 14. McGuffey 2 – The Highlanders got a safety to start the game and then it was all Laurel’s offense.
6. Serra 61, 11. Neshannock 21 – Jayvon Holt scored three times as the Eagles mercy rule’d the Lancers. In a losing effort, Payton Weaver ran for 150 yards and 3 TDs for Neshannock.
Quarterfinal Matchups
1. Steel Valley vs 8. South Side Beaver (location TBD)
13. New Brighton vs 5. Beaver Falls (location TBD)
2. Sto-Rox vs 10. Mohawk (location TBD)
3. Laurel vs 6. Serra (location TBD)
Championship Game at Heinz Field on Friday, November 26 at 5pm
Class 1A
First Round Results
9. OLSH 29, 9. GCC 8 – In a game played with heavy hearts after two GCC assistant coaches tragically passed away last week, OLSH rolled past the Centurions.
13. Springdale 21, 4. West Greene 0 – The Dynamos shut down West Greene’s explosive offense.
5. Rochester 35, 12. Mapletown 0 – Rochester controlled the game and shut down Mapletown’s rushing attack while dominating on the ground.
2. Cornell 33, 15. Monessen 0 – Cornell with their 6th 30+ point game this season.
7. Leechburg 28, vs 10. California 7 – Two of the highest-scoring teams in 1A were locked in a defensive struggle before Leechburg pulled away with two fourth quarter touchdowns. Leechburg won their first playoff game since 1978.
3. Bishop Canevin 49, 14. Burgettstown 6 – The Crusader machine rolled on to the second round.
11. Shenango 31, 6. Carmichaels 13 – The Tri-County South went 0-5 in the first round.
Quarterfinal Matchups
1. Clairton vs 9. OLSH (location TBD)
13. Springdale vs 5. Rochester (location TBD)
2. Cornell vs 7. Leechburg (location TBD)
3. Bishop Canevin vs 11. Shenango (location TBD)
Championship Game at Heinz Field on Friday, November 26 at 2pm
