Home WPIAL WPIAL 2021 Semifinals Preview

WPIAL 2021 Semifinals Preview

by Ian

This weekend is the semifinals in Classes 1A – 5A and the Championship in 6A, which will take place Saturday night at Norwin. The other five championship games will be played on Thanksgiving weekend at Heinz Field. On this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show, we had the opportunity to interview Mt. Lebanon head coach Bob Palko in advance of the 6A Championship, along with previewing the semifinals in the other five classifications. Of the 20 teams playing in semifinals on Friday night, 13 were in the semifinals last season. Last week, Clairton became the first top seed to fall, ending a 14-year streak of consecutive semifinal appearances. This week, Aliquippa is looking to extend their record streak of 13 straight WPIAL Championship Game appearances. This weekend is also technically the first weekend of the State Tournament, which means that teams will begin to accumulate PIAA Success Points, which could come into play for forcing teams to play up next cycle. All of this weekend’s games will be broadcast by our friends on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

This year, our WPIAL coverage is sponsored by the Sports Stream Premium Network and PA Mortgage Protection and Life Insurance. The Sports Stream Premium Network enables schools to turn their livestreamed events into pay-per-view events where schools receive 100% of the revenue generated.

Be sure to follow our WPIAL Twitter account @WPIAL_Blitz and check out our WPIAL Blitz Facebook Page.

5A Semifinals

1. Moon vs 5. Penn Hills
at North Allegheny

Moon is making their first semifinal appearance since 2003. The Tigers have been to the WPIAL finals just once, in 1998 when they won the title. Moon’s top-ranked defense (12.5 points against per game) carried them to the only unblemished record in 5A and the top seed. Moon topped Woodland Hills 21-13 in the quarterfinals. Penn Hills is back in the semifinals for the first time since winning the WPIAL and PIAA Championships in 2018. The Indians have improved dramatically on defense over the course of the season. After giving up 40+ points in each of their first two games, they have held opponents to just 15 points per game over the rest of the season. Penn Hills’ semifinal appearance is a bit of vindication after they edged Pine-Richland on tiebreakers to win the Northeast Conference title, the WPIAL gave Pine-Richland a bye and put Penn Hills at the 5-seed. After dispatching Franklin Regional in the first round, they won a thrilling quarterfinal against Gateway who they lost to earlier this year. Moon’s backfield depth has seen 5 players with at least 50 carries and 20 yards this season. Dylan Sleva (710 yards, 6 TDs) leads the way with Jeremiah Dean (441 yards, 8 TDs) and Ian Foster (438 yards, 8 TDs) contributing. QB Tyler McGowan has thrown for 1193 yards and 8 TDs and run for 248 yards and 3 scores. Ben Bladel has been an outstanding two-way player and scored two touchdowns last week in the win over Woodland Hills. Penn Hills’ offensive attack has been led by the Dugger Brothers. Sophomore QB Julian Dugger has thrown for 1269 yards and 20 TDs and run for 620 yards and 11 scores. His older brother Jaden is a wide receiver (522 yards, 13 TDs) along with Raion Strader (340 yards, 4 TDs). Both Jaden and Raion are D1-caliber defensive backs who have anchored the Indians secondary. Sophomore RB Amir Key (744 yards, 4 TDs) scored the game-winning touchdown against Gateway last week.

2. Penn-Trafford vs 3. Pine-Richland
at Gateway

Penn-Trafford and Pine-Richland meet for the third time in the last seven years. Penn-Trafford won the 2015 semifinal and Pine-Richland won in the semis last season. This is familiar territory for both teams as Pine-Richland is appearing in their 8th consecutive semifinal and Penn-Trafford has made the semis in 4 of the last 5 years. However, the historical difference is in the following rounds where Pine-Richland has won WPIAL titles in 3 of the last 4 years along with the State Titles in 2017 and 2020. Penn-Trafford has never won a WPIAL title and holds the distinction of being the team with the most playoff appearances without a title. Penn-Trafford’s backfield tandem of Cade Yacamelli and Carter Green have been outstanding this year, running behind the Warriors stout offensive line. Yacamelli, a Wisconsin-commit, has run for 1290 yards and 19 TDs. Green, one of the top lacrosse players in Western PA, has thrown for 983 yards and 9 TDs and run for 916 yards and 14 TDs. Penn-Trafford’s rushing attack will present a challenge for Pine-Richland’s defense, anchored by Duke-commit Jeremiah Hasley at linebacker. Offensively, the Rams have survived an injury to QB Cole Boyd thanks to Ryan Palmieri (741 passing yards 6 TDs, 312 rushing yards, 5 TDs). Brooks Eastburn (732 yards, 6 TDs) has been the workhorse in the backfield. On the outside, both Boyd and Palmieri have been able to find success with the talented duo of Alex Gochis (648 yards, 7 TDs) and Andrew Mellis (375 yards, 2 TDs).

4A Semifinals

1. Belle Vernon vs 5. Thomas Jefferson
at West Mifflin

One of the best games of the regular season was Belle Vernon’s epic victory over Thomas Jefferson in Week 4. After a tough 21-all battled looked like it would go to overtime, Belle Vernon star Devin Whitlock took a 4th down carry around the left end all the way to the end zone with under 10 seconds left. The Whitlock Walk-Off gave the Leopards a 28-21 victory and their third win over Thomas Jefferson since 2015. But the playoffs have been where TJ has traditionally bounced back and avenged their regular season losses. The Jaguars are appearing in their 10th straight semifinal and 23rd in the last 24 years. They topped Belle Vernon in the playoffs in 2017 and in the 2019 Championship Game. Belle Vernon QB Devin Whitlock is the most exciting player in the WPIAL with the ball in his hands. He has thrown for 828 yards and 8 TDs, run for 960 yards and 20 TDs and returned 3 punts for touchdowns this season. Whitlock is joined in the backfield by sophomore RB Quinton Martin (737 yards, 15 TDs) who already has a handful of D1 offers. A credit to the Leopoards line, Whitlock and Martin have both averaged 12 yards per carry this season. One of the most impressive aspects of Belle Vernon’s team is their fundamentally-sound swarming team defense which has held opponents to just 12 points per game. Thomas Jefferson is always stacked in the trenches and this year is no different with Nick Bryan leading the unit. Dual-threat QB Joe Leske has thrown for 878 yards and 12 TDs and run for 626 yards and 19 TDs. Elias Lippencott took over the lead back role for the Jaguars and has run for 854 yards and 13 TDs.

2. Aliquippa vs 3. McKeesport
at Canon-McMillan

This is the first playoff meeting between the Tigers and the Quips, who have two of the best trash-talking fanbases in the WPIAL. Aliquippa is appearing in their 15th consecutive semifinal and looking to reach the WPIAL title game for the 14th straight season. On the other side McKeesport is appearing in the semis for the 5th time in the last 8 years, spanning AAAA, 5A and now 4A. The Quips dominated everyone they played not named Central Valley, boasting the top-scoring offense (44 points per game) and defense (8.6 points against per game) in 4A. Aliquippa has a massive offensive line averaging over 300 pounds who have cleared the way for their young backfield. Freshman Tiqwai Hayes has run for 1150 yards and 14 TDs and sophomore Jon Tracy has gone for 451 yards and 12 TDs. Sophomore QB Quentin Goode has taken the reigns of the Air Warfield offense and thrown for 1435 yards and 14 TDs, primarily to Cyair Clark (487 yards, 7 TDs) and Tajier Thornton (372 yards, 6 TDs). On the other side, McKeesport’s triple-option wishbone offensive attack is always difficult to defend. The Tigers have an extremely talented back in Bobbie Boyd (1415 yards, 14 TDs) and a complement in Kenneth Thompson (525 yards, 9 TDs) who has averaged 13 yards per carry. The Tigers don’t throw much, though they did hit two touchdown passes last week after throwing just four all season. Caleb Reist and Jacob Miller split time at QB but both have more rushing attempts than passing attempts. Reist has run for 253 yards and 7 TDs and thrown for 306 yards and 3 TDs. Miller has run for 232 yards and 3 TDs and thrown for 249 yards and 2 TDs.

3A Semifinals

1. Central Valley vs 4. Elizabeth Forward
at West Allegheny

This is a rematch of last year’s 3A Championship Game, which Central Valley won 35-0. That was the second straight WPIAL title for the Warriors while it was Elizabeth Forward’s first championship game in school history. This year, they meet in the semifinals with Central Valley’s top-ranked offense (48 points per game) facing off against Elizabeth Forward’s top-ranked defense (6.8 points against per game). This is Central Valley’s 4th straight semifinals and 9th since the school was formed from the merger of Center and Monaca in 2010. Central Valley’s dynamic offensive attack has been keyed by their ground game of Landon Alexander (1524 yards, 24 TDs) and Brett FitzSimmons (389 yards, 10 TDs) who both average over 10 yards per carry and are threats to score any time they touch the ball. Antwon Johnson (956 yards, 15 TDs) took over the quarterback role when Matt Merritt went out with an injury and opened up the passing game. Merritt returned mid-season and still stars on defense at linebacker, along with The Terror of the Trenches Sean FitzSimmons. On the outside, Jayvin Thompson (538 yards, 8 TDs), Denior Simpson (266 yards, 5 TDs) and touchdown machine TE Jack Bible (149 yards, 5 TDs) have been the main targets. Elizabeth Forward also has a strong backfield tandem in Kyle Flournoy (561 yards, 8 TDs) and DaVontay Brownfield (331 yards, 6 TDs). Zion White (970 yards, 19 TDs) has established a strong connection with dynamic playmaker Zach Boyd (527 yards, 16 total TDs) who has found the end zone in multiple phases this season.

2. North Catholic vs 3. Avonworth
at Fox Chapel

These teams were old rivals back in the late 2000s/early 2010s in Class A and now meet again in the 3A semifinals. In 2013, North Catholic topped Avonworth in the semis to reach their first (and only) WPIAL title game in school history, propelling the Trojans on a run to the state title. The following year, Avonworth returned the favor with a semifinals victory over North. The semifinals have been a historical nemesis for North Catholic, as they are just 1-11 in their previous attempts to reach the WPIAL finals. Avonworth has reached the title game three times – in 1959 when they tied Union, in 2014 when they lost to Clairton, and in 2019 when they won the WPIAL 2A title. North Catholic has a balanced offensive attack with QB Joey Prentice (1278 passing yards, 20 TDs, 351 rushing yards, 7 TDs) at the helm. Prentice did leave the quarterfinal against Keystone Oaks with an injury and missed an earlier game where Jason Siket stepped in under center. Slot back Kyle Tipinski has been an all-around play-maker with 477 receiving yards, 425 rushing yards, and 18 total TDs. Speedster Jack Fennell has run for 480 yards, added 277 receiving yards, and scored 13 times including multiple kick returns. Tyler Maziarz (372 yards, 9 TDs) and Liam Straub (295 yards, 7 TDs) have been big play-makers on the outside and TE/DE Daniel Long has been a one-man wrecking crew on defense. Avonworth rode their ground game in the quarterfinals with Ian Syam running for 244 yards and 6 TDs. That brings his season total to 1282 yards and 21 TDs as the leader of the Lopes backfield. Nate Harper has provided balance to Avonworth’s offense, throwing for 1105 yards and 11 TDs. Harper’s primary targets have been Peyton Faulkner (299 yards, 5 TDs), Neo Miller (222 yards, 1 TD), and Tyler Schleis (167 yards, 2 TDs). Avonworth has been outstanding on the defensive side of the ball this year, holding opponents to under 10 points per game and holding dynamic offenses like Central Valley and Sto-Rox to their lowest outputs of the season.

2A Semifinals

1. Steel Valley vs 5. Beaver Falls
at Dormont Stadium

This will be the fifth playoff meeting between Steel Valley and Beaver Falls. Both schools are five-time WPIAL Champions and both won state titles in 2016 (Beaver Falls in 3A and the “Mercy Boys” Steel Valley squad in 2A). Both schools have also won two WPIAL title during the six-classification era – in addition to 2016 Steel Valley won the 2018 2A title and Beaver Falls is the defending 2A Champions. This game features a contrast of styles between Steel Valley’s running game and Beaver Falls’ passing attack. Unfortunately, the WPIAL’s leading rusher NiJhay Burt (2044 yards, 35 TDs) suffered a season-ending ankle injury last week in Steel Valley’s win over South Side Beaver. The WPIAL is currently investigating the game for a number of concerns including intent to injure and racist taunts. QB Cruce Brookins will be looked to in Burt’s absence. Brookins has run for 1051 yards and 15 TDs this season and hasn’t had to throw much (323 yards, 4 TDs) because of how good the Ironmen have been on the ground. When he has taken to the air, Nyzair Burt (121 yards, 2 TDs) and Jesean Wright (101 yards, 3 TDs) have been the primary targets. The good news is that Steel Valley’s line has enabled four players to run for over 8 yards per carry this season, so whoever replaces Burt will have a good group to run behind. In contrast to Steel Valley’s run-heavy attack, Beaver Falls has a pass-oriented offense led by Jaren Brickner (2397 passing yards, 24 TDs, 373 rushing yards, 6 TDs). Brickner has the most passing yards of any player remaining in the playoffs as regular season passing champion Brad Birch’s Gateway team exited the playoffs last week. Brickner needs just 227 yards to surpass Birch for this season’s overall leading passer. The Tigers have a slew of talented players on the outside in Trey Singleton (823 yards, 11 TDs), Mekhi Clark (637 yards, 8 TDs), Quadir Thomas (417 yards, 9 TDs), and Tyler Cain (383 yards, 5 TDs). Out of the backfield, Isaiah Aeschbacher (744 yards, 12 TDs) has led the way, averaging 9 yards per carry.

2. Sto-Rox vs 6. Serra Catholic
at South Fayette

In a rematch of the best game from last year’s playoffs, Sto-Rox and Serra Catholic meet again with a trip to the WPIAL finals on the line. Last year Sto-Rox came from behind in the fourth quarter to knock out Serra in the semifinals. Sto-Rox comes in as the highest-scoring team in the WPIAL (49.5 points per game) and have scored 62 points in each of their first two playoff games. The Vikings defense has also been outstanding, holding opponents to just 6.3 points per game. Serra’s defense carried the Eagles through a 6-0 quarterfinal victory over Laurel and has held opponents under 10 points per game this season. Sto-Rox made a mid-season QB change from Austin Jones to Josh Jenkins (the opposite switch they made last year) and the Vikings offense took off. Jenkins has thrown for 1471 yards and 21 TDs with the dynamic trio of Zay Davis (645 yards, 11 TDs), Jaymont Green-Miller (536 yards, 7 TDs) and Drevon Miller-Ross (380 yards, 8 TDs). Jay Pearson has been virtually unstoppable out of the backfield, running for 1302 yards and 21 TDs, averaging an incredible 17 yards per carry. On paper, Serra matches up very well with Sto-Rox’s talent. The Eagles have a strong-armed QB in Max Rocco (1675 yards, 23 TDs) who returned last week after missing the opening round with an injury. Serra has a trio of talented receivers in Terrell Booth (784 yards, 13 total TDs), Jayvon Holt (562 yards, 10 total TDs), and Amire Spencer (323 yards, 2 TDs). All three are threats to score any time they get their hands on the ball whether it be on offense, defense, or special teams. While Serra’s defense stole the show last week, the only touchdown was scored by RB Machai Brooks-Duetrieulle (820 yards, 5 TDs).

1A Semifinals

5. Rochester vs 9. OLSH
at North Hills

The only bracket where the top seed did not advance to the semifinals was in 1A where OLSH knocked off Clairton in the quarterfinals, the fourth straight playoff meeting between those two schools. We now get a Big Seven Conference rematch between OLSH and Rochester, which the Rams won earlier this year 34-7. In addition to being conference foes, these schools previously met at Heinz Field in the 2018 WPIAL Championship Game. Rochester is a run-heavy offense led by Sal Laure (1088 yards, 21 TDs). The Rams offensive line has been solid this season and their top four rushers have averaged over 5 yards per carry. In addition to Sal Laure, Antonio Laure (394 yards, 2 TDs), Connor Martin (277 yards, 4 TDs), and Denny Robinson (215 yards, 1 TD) have all gotten work out of the backfield. Quarterback JD Azulay has averaged fewer than 6 pass attempts per game but thrown for 492 yards and 9 TDs, primarily to Jerome Mullins (252 yards, 5 TDs). For OLSH, quarterback Nehemiah Azeem (1520 yards, 11 TDs) has been the catalyst of the offense. He has spread the ball around between Ziggy McIntosh (579 yards, 6 TDs), Dereon Greer (269 yards, 2 TDs), and Dorrien Tate (254 yards, 4 TDs). Stephen Greer has led the Chargers backfield with 614 yards and 7 TDs.

2. Cornell vs 3. Bishop Canevin
at Montour

Two great stories of programs rising from the ashes collide in the semifinals. Cornell ended their program in 2011 and entered a co-op agreement with Quaker Valley. When the PIAA went to six classifications in 2016, the co-op ended and Cornell re-started their program. After earning their first playoff victory in school history in 2019 the Raiders won their first conference title since 1983 this season and are one step away from Heinz Field. Bishop Canevin won just 1 conference game in both 2018 and 2019 but with their “Brick by Brick” mentality have rebuilt their program into a contender for a WPIAL title and are looking for their first Championship Game appearance since 1990. Both teams have a balanced offensive attack. Cornell’s ground game has been led by the tandem of Raequan Troutman (885 yards, 12 TDs) and Timothy Henderson (426 rushing yards, 459 receiving yards, 12 total TDs). Sincere Kimbrough has thrown for 926 yards and 10 TDs and run for 313 yards and 7 more scores. For Bishop Canevin, Jason Cross has led the offense with 1365 passing yards and 16 TDs and 463 rushing yards and 12 TDs. The Crusaders have a pair of dynamic playmakers at receiver in Lasae Lacks (743 yards, 12 total TDs) and Xavier Nelson (676 yards, 11 TDs). They have produced explosive plays on offense, defense, and special teams this season. Marquis Carter (543 yards, 5 TDs) leads Canevin’s ground game. Whoever wins this game will have achieved a historic result for their program.

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