Home WPIAL WPIAL 2021 Week 9 Results and Playoff Clinchings

WPIAL 2021 Week 9 Results and Playoff Clinchings

by Ian

On a rainy Friday night, the majority of the WPIAL regular season came to an end. There are still a handful of games left on the slate for Saturday afternoon, some of which will impact the overall playoff picture. Here’s a rundown of the results from Friday night. The 6A playoff bracket is set based on the final order of finish. The WPIAL will unveil the other five playoff brackets on Saturday night at 6pm on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

Class 6A

Results

Seneca Valley 17, North Allegheny 12 – In a defensive struggle, Seneca Valley held on to stop North Allegheny at the end and keep them out of the end zone. Seneca Valley gets the #3 seed and the first round bye.

Mt. Lebanon 35, Baldwin 7 – Lebo completes a perfect regular season for the first time since 2010.

Central Catholic 54, Canon-McMillan 14 – Thanks to Baldwin losing to Mt. Lebanon, Canon-McMillan’s season remains alive and they will face _ in the first round of the playoffs.

Norwin 27, Hempfield 7 – Norwin closes out their season with two straight wins.

Playoff Clinchings

Mt. Lebanon is the conference champion for the first time since 2010.
Central Catholic is the #2 seed and will face Seneca Valley in the semifinals.
North Allegheny is the #4 seed and will play at home against Canon-McMillan in the quarterfinals next weekend.

Class 5A

Results

Moon 46, West Allegheny 10 – Moon ran all over their rivals to knock West Allegheny out of the playoff race.

Peters Twp 35, South Fayette 7 – Peters Twp bounces back from losing their first three conference games to thump South Fayette and lock up the last playoff spot in the Allegheny Six Conference. Sam Miller threw for 289 yards and 4 TD and added a 74-yard TD run.

Upper St Clair 21, Bethel Park 14 – Bethel Park had a 14-7 lead, but the most dangerous spot for the Cardiac Cats is when they’re trailing. USC blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown with 22 seconds left for the game-winning score. The Panthers clinch second place in the Allegheny Six Conference.

Penn-Trafford 42, Latrobe 0 – The Warriors had already clinched the conference title and built a 42-0 halftime lead to cruise to victory.

Gateway 56, Franklin Regional 9 – The Gators lock up second place in the Big East Conference with a big win over Franklin Regional.

Woodland Hills 42, Connellsville 7 – Woody High finishes the regular season on a high note and Connellsville ends the season winless.

Penn Hills 42, Kiski 22 – Penn Hills wins the Northeast Conference title. With the 20-point victory they finish ahead of both Pine-Richland and North Hills on Tiebreaker Points.

Pine-Richland 36, Fox Chapel 7 – Pine-Richland did everything they could to stay in the running for the Northeast Conference title.

North Hills 49, Shaler 19 – North Hills did what they needed to force a 3-way tie atop the Northeast Conference, but will finish third on tiebreakers.

Playoff Clinchings

Moon won their second conference title in three seasons
Upper St Clair, Bethel Park, and Peters Twp also qualified from the Allegheny Six Conference

Penn-Trafford won the Big East conference title
Gateway, Woodland Hills, and Franklin Regional also qualified from the Big East Conference

Penn Hills won a 3-way tie with Pine-Richland and North Hills atop the Northeast Conference.
Fox Chapel also qualified from the Northeast conference

Class 4A

Results

Belle Vernon 46, McKeesport 14 – In the most anticipated matchup of the week, Belle Vernon came out and stormed McKeesport in the first half. Devin Whitlock kicked things off with a punt return then threw two big touchdown passes and ran for a 58-yard score to put the Leopards up 32-7 at halftime. Whitlock scored another in the second half. Quinton Martin capped it off, finishing the night with 194 yards and 2 TDs.

Thomas Jefferson 49, West Mifflin 0 – TJ beats their rivals to get back on track heading into the playoffs after losing to McKeesport last week.

Trinity 28, Ringgold 7 – Ringgold will carry the longest conference losing streak in the WPIAL (now 29 games) into next season.

Plum 30, Greensburg Salem 27 – Plum will be going to the playoffs! Greensburg Salem got off to an early two-score lead but Plum came back to tie the game at halftime. After a back-and-forth second half, Plum hit a 29-yard field goal with just under 5 minutes to play then got 3 turnovers to seal the victory.

Hampton 48, Mars 14 – Hampton had already clinched the conference title and ran all over Mars. The Fighting Planets will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2004, ending a 16-year postseason streak.

Highlands 33, Knoch 13 – Knoch tied the game at 13 on a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown, but after that it was all Highlands. Luke Bombalski ran for 3 TDs for the Golden Rams.

Armstrong 42, Indiana 22 – Armstrong secured second place in the Greater Allegheny Conference with the victory. Indiana is also in the playoffs.

Aliquippa 63, New Castle 6 – The Quips clinched the conference title by beating New Castle in the last regular season game at Carl Ashman Stadium. “The Pit” had been badly in need of repairs for years and after this season will be demolished and replaced by a new stadium. The Quips raced out to a 49-6 halftime lead and cruised into the playoffs.

Montour 34, Chartiers Valley 27 – With the game tied at 20 after halftime, Brock Janeda took over in the fourth quarter. He scored two touchdowns for Montour to send the Spartans to the playoffs.

Beaver 23, Blackhawk 21 – Beaver had won their last two games in overtime. They didn’t need the extra frame this time, but did get a field goal with 31 seconds left to lift them to victory.

Laurel Highlands 42, Uniontown 14 – In a non-conference game, Laurel Highlands played their Fayette County neighbors who are playing an independent schedule this year. The biggest news from this one is that Rodney Gallagher got the 163 yards he needed on the ground to join the 1000/1000 club, becoming the 13th WPIAL player to do so.

Playoff Clinchings

Belle Vernon won the Big Eight Conference title
McKeesportThomas Jefferson, and Laurel Highlands also qualified from the Big Eight Conference.
This will be the 27th straight playoff appearance for Thomas Jefferson, who is tied with Aliquippa for the longest run in WPIAL history.
This will be the first playoff appearance for Laurel Highlands in the six-classification era (first since 2015).

Hampton won the Greater Allegheny Conference title
Armstrong, Highlands, Indiana and Plum also qualified from the Greater Allegheny Conference

Aliquippa won their 34th conference title in school history, winning the Parkway Conference
Beaver, New Castle, and Montour also qualified from the Parkway Conference

Class 3A

Results

Freeport 35, Deer Lakes 0 – Freeport returned two interceptions for touchdowns and shut out Deer Lakes who needed a win to make the playoffs.

Burrell 19, Valley 14 – Burrell wins the Battle of the Bypass, bouncing back from an 0-6 start to win 3 of their last 4 games and make the playoffs!

North Catholic 67, Derry 13 – North Catholic built a 54-0 lead in the first half. With the game in the mercy rule, Derry scored twice which makes them just the third team to score against North’s defense this season. North wins the Trojan War.

Southmoreland 28, South Park 14 – This game was tied at 7 at halftime and took most of the third quarter before South Park scored. Southmoreland struck back at the beginning of the 4th to tie the game at 14. The Scotties would score again with 5 minutes left and add another TD for good measure in the final minutes. After snapping a 40-year playoff drought two years ago, the Scotties are going back to the playoffs for the second time in three years!

South Allegheny 21, Mt Pleasant 7 – South Allegheny makes the playoffs for the first time since 2012 with the win over Mt Pleasant.

Elizabeth Forward 49, Yough 8 – The Warriors clinched the conference title last week and cruised into the playoffs by thumping Yough.

Central Valley 47, Hopewell 6 – The two-time defending WPIAL Champions completed another perfect regular season to roll into the playoffs.

Avonworth 40, Quaker Valley 0 – The Lopes bounced back from losing to Central Valley last week.

Keystone Oaks 27, Ambridge 7 – Keystone Oaks secures third place in the Northwest Six Conference. Ambridge will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Playoff Clinchings

North Catholic won the Allegheny Seven Conference title
Freeport, East Allegheny, and Burrell also qualified from the Allegheny Seven

Elizabeth Forward won the Interstate Conference title for the second straight year
Mt Pleasant, Southmoreland, and South Allegheny also qualified out of the Interstate Conference

Central Valley won the Northwestern Six Conference title
Avonworth, Keystone Oaks, and Ambridge also qualified out of the Northwestern Six Conference

Class 2A

Results

Steel Valley 28, Serra Catholic 7 – The WPIAL’s leading rusher NiJhay Burt ran for 2 TDs and Cruce Brookins threw for a score and ran for another. The most impressive part of the game was Steel Valley’s defense absolutely shutting down Serra’s offense. The biggest news might be that Max Rocco, Serra’s quarterback, left the game with an injury in the second half.

Ligonier Valley 48, Apollo-Ridge 22 – Ligonier Valley secures a playoff spot for the first time in the WPIAL.

Washington 41, McGuffey 34 – The two teams combined for over 900 yards of total offense in a wild shootout. It was back and forth all game with the lead changing 9 times. Washington took a 25-20 lead into the 4th but an early TD pass from McGuffey put the Highlanders back in front. Tayshawn Levy scored with about 5 minutes left to re-take the lead for Washington 33-26. McGuffey drove back down the field and scored with 20 seconds left. The Highlanders went for 2 and converted to take a 34-33 lead. In two plays, Washington went right back down the field, capped by a 29-yard TD pass to Zavian Willis with 3 seconds left to give the Prexies the victory. Davoun Fuse ran for 2 TDs and threw for 3 more for the Prexies. This was the 42nd consecutive home victory for Washington.

Beth-Center 32, Waynesburg 22 – Waynesburg came back from a 14-0 deficit to tie the game at halftime. Beth-Center’s defense stepped up in the second half and finished with 4 interceptions to send the Bulldogs to the playoffs.

Charleroi 33, Frazier 6 – Charleroi ends their season on a high note, but because the WPIAL ruled that games against Frazier would not count towards playoff tiebreakers, the Cougars could not improve their position in the tiebreakers and are out of the playoff race.

New Brighton 20, Freedom 8 – New Brighton won the Midwestern Conference Casket Match to make the playoffs.

Laurel 35, Neshannock 6 – Kobe DeRosa ran for two TDs and threw for another and Luke McCoy added two scores as he chased the WPIAL rushing title.

Beaver Falls 58, Riverside 0

Mohawk 33, Ellwood City 7 – Ellwood City will start next season with the longest losing streak in the WPIAL at 25 games.

Sto-Rox  41, Carlynton 0 – Carlynton’s loss means that Brentwood must beat Seton LaSalle by at least 10 to finish 4th. Seton is still in the running for the wild card with a win over Brentwood.

Saturday Games

Shady Side Academy at Summit Academy – Shady Side just needs a win by 6 or more points to secure the 4th place Wild Card and earn the last playoff spot.

South Side Beaver at Western Beaver – Both teams have already clinched playoff spots. The winner will finish second in the Three Rivers Conference and the loser will be third.

Brentwood at Seton LaSalle – Seton LaSalle needs to win big and get some help from Summit Academy to have a chance at the Wild Card spot. Brentwood is out of the running for the Wild Card but could prevent Seton from getting in.

Playoff Clinchings

Steel Valley clinched the Allegheny Conference title with their win tonight.
Serra Catholic and Ligonier VAlley also qualified out of the Allegheny Conference

Washington clinched the Century Conference title with their win tonight.
Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, and Beth-Center also qualified out of the Century Conference.

Laurel won the Midwestern Conference title.
Beaver Falls, Neshannock, Mohawk, and New Brighton also qualified out of the Midwestern Conference

Sto-Rox won the Three Rivers Conference
Western Beaver and South Side Beaver also qualified from the Three Rivers Conference. The winner of their Saturday afternoon game will determine which team comes in second.

2A Wild Card – Shady Side Academy can clinch the Wild Card with a win by at least 6 points over Summit Academy. Seton LaSalle needs to beat Brentwood and hope Summit can keep it close to catch Shady Side on Tiebreaker Points (currently SSA -11, SLS -16).

Class 1A

Results

OLSH 13, Cornell 12 – In a defensive struggle, OLSH edged Cornell to give the Raiders their first conference loss of the season. OLSH secures their playoff spot and finishes third in the Big Seven.

Burgettstown 23, Fort Cherry 0 – Burgettstown lost their first four games in conference play, but bounced back to win their last three and have clinched a playoff spot.

Rochester 48, Northgate 6 – Rochester rolls into the playoffs. Northgate had some big moments this season, including snapping the longest losing streak in the WPIAL and winning a few conference games. The arrow is pointing up for the Flames.

Union 16, Shenango 6 – Union started and ended their conference schedule with wins, but Shenango will still make the playoffs by virtue of having more Gardner Points than Fort Cherry and Burgettstown.

Clairton 43, Jeannette 0 – In a classy gesture, the Bears and head coach Wayne Wade had a very nice ceremony for retiring Jeannette head coach Roy Hall before the game.

Leechburg 31, GCC 27 – Leechburg will go into the playoffs as the #3 team from the Eastern Conference and have a chance to host a home playoff game after snapping their 32-year playoff drought.

Bishop Canevin 43, Imani Christian 0 – With Cornell losing to OLSH, Bishop Canevin may get some consideration for the #2 overall seed in the 1A bracket.

Monessen 14, Avella 6 – Monessen scored early and got a 2-point conversion that held up as an 8-6 lead until the 4th quarter when the Hounds added another. Monessen gets the last playoff spot in the Tri-County South.

West Greene 31, Mapletown 12

Carmichaels 40, Jefferson-Morgan 6

California 65, Bentworth 7

Saturday Game

Springdale at Riverview – With Jeannette’s loss to Clairton, this becomes a true Casket Match where the winner gets into the playoffs and the loser’s season is over. Check out our Games of the Week article for a full game preview.

Playoff Clinchings

Cornell clinched their first conference title since 1983, winning the Big Seven Conference
Rochester, OLSH Shenango, and Burgettstown also qualified for the playoffs from the Big Seven

Clairton won the Eastern Conference title
Bishop Canevin, Leechburg, and GCC also qualified for the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Leechburg snapped the longest playoff drought in the WPIAL at 32 years, making the playoffs for the first time since 1988.
The final playoff spot will be determined by the winner of the Springdale-Riverview game on Saturday afternoon.

West Greene won the Tri-County South Conference title
Carmichaels, California, Mapletown, and Monessen also qualified from the Tri-County South.

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