Picking the winners, WPIAL finals

Football teaches valuable life lessons.

One, don't take four sacks during the final minutes of a game like Tino Sunseri did during the 104th Backyard Brawl.

Two, stick to your guns.

When the WPIAL playoff pairings were released, this fearless prognosticator picked a WPIAL Class AAAA championship game of Upper St. Clair and North Allegheny. At the time, of course, USC quarterback/linebacker/Pitt recruit Dakota Conwell was healthy.

With Conwell's injury going into the semifinals against Pittsburgh Central Catholic, the pick changed. PCC was the choice. USC won, 28-14.

Not making the same mistake.

Upper St. Clair wins, 27-21.

Last week, I went 5-3 to make my overall mark 47-9.

Class AAA
Montour over Knoch

Class AA
Aliquippa over Jeannette

Class A
Clairton over Sto-Rox

Picking the winner, WPIAL semifinals

After a strong first week, kept things rolling in the quarterfinals with a 14-2 record. That improves the overall mark to 42-6.

As Deuce Skurcenski, whom I spoke with on the phone this evening, would say, "Not too shabby."

Class AAAA
North Allegheny over Gateway
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Upper St. Clair

Class AAA
Central Valley over Montour
Franklin Regional over Knoch

Class AA
Aliquippa over Greensburg Central Catholic
Seton-La Salle over Jeannette

Class A
Clairton over Rochester
Sto-Rox over Bishop Canevin


A few tweets have been compiled for Twitter Thursday, but scanning for a few more. Should be up tomorrow. My apologies.

Picking the winners, WPIAL football quarterfinals

Put together a solid 28-4 record in the first round, including an 8-0 mark in Class AAA.

Class AAAA
North Allegheny over Seneca Valley
Gateway over Penn-Trafford
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Mt. Lebanon
Upper St. Clair over Erie McDowell

Class AAA
Central Valley over Ringgold
Montour over West Mifflin
Franklin Regional over Hopewell
Knoch over Thomas Jefferson

Class AA
Washington over Aliquippa
Greensburg Central Catholic over Ellwood City
Jeannette over Shady Side Academy
Seton-La Salle over South Fayette

Class A
Clairton over Springdale
Rochester over Avonworth
Sto-Rox over Brentwood
Fort Cherry over Bishop Canevin


Follow me on Twitter @TheMikeKovak.

Sites set for WPIAL quarterfinals

A pair of teams from Washington County (Ringgold and Washington) face top seeds. Two schools with a McDonald mailing address (Fort Cherry and South Fayette) are No. 11 seeds that scored first-round victories.

All WPIAL quarterfinal games are Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Class AAA
No. 8 Ringgold (8-2) vs. No. 1 Central Valley (10-0) at West Allegheny

Class AA
No. 8 Washington (8-2) vs. No. 1 Aliquippa (10-0) at Chartiers Valley
No. 11 South Fayette (7-3) vs. No. 3 Seton-La Salle (10-0) at Peters Township

Class A
No. 11 Fort Cherry (7-3) vs. No. 3 Bishop Canevin (10-0) at Chartiers-Houston

For complete WPIAL football brackets, please click here.

A few thoughts from the first round

The cliche has a few variations, but it goes a little something like this, "Big-time players make big plays in big games."

Over the last two weeks, no player from the Observer-Reporter coverage area has made more plays than Fort Cherry senior Tanner Garry.

And there's been plenty of competition.

Garry has been the best football player on the field in Fort Cherry victories at Chartiers-Houston and at Beth-Center. The latter made Fort Cherry the third-place team in the Black Hills Conference, which represented itself well in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The latter came in the first round.

Need big-time completions? Garry has thrown for 400 yards the past two games, and three touchdowns (all against Beth-Center).

Looking for a quarterback who can break the big run? Garry has rushed for more than 330 yards and five touchdowns against a pair of defenses that stuffed the run for most of the season.

He's even intercepted a couple passes.

Thanks, in part, to Garry's play, Fort Cherry (7-3) finds itself in the quarterfinals against Bishop Canevin (10-0), which rallied for a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat Chartiers-Houston.

Fort Cherry suddenly looks like a team capable of making a postseason run. Garry is playing the best football of his career, the Rangers run defense is punishing, as is the offensive line. And Garry has catapulted himself into the Player of the Year picture.

* There's little doubt that Aliquippa deserves the No. 1 ranking in WPIAL Class AA and the top seed in the playoffs.

After Beaver and Beaver Falls made an early exit from the playoffs, anyone else wondering if the Quips didn't face much competition during the regular season?

* Zach Challingsworth may be one of the more under-appreciated players in Class AA.

The South Fayette junior caught a pair of touchdowns in the Lions' first-round win at Beaver Falls and helped a defensive effort that forced five turnovers, which helped the 11th seed advance.

He's a consistent presence, and has been since the beginning of his sophomore season.

* If you're South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi, what do you do if senior quarterback John Lerda is healthy enough to play against Seton-La Salle in the quarterfinals?

Lerda was a 1,000-yard passer before missing the last two games. His replacement, freshman Brett Brumbaugh, is 2-0. He's completed 27 of 36 passes in those games, though Beaver Falls did force him into four interceptions.

* Washington senior Eric Ellis is having the type of season that lands a player on the all-state team.

Ellis, a defensive end, has a single-season Prexies record 18 sacks . He had 3 1/2 against Mt. Pleasant. Ellis has also been in on a handful of turnovers, recovering fumbles throughout the season and even an interception against the Vikings.

* Unless you're Clairton or Aliquippa or Pittsburgh Central Catholic, winning in the postseason can be difficult.

It's particularly tough when you're a program without a postseason win since 1999.

But Ringgold broke a seven-game postseason skid with a 14-10 win against Highlands at Joe Montana Stadium. Highlands deserves credit for the defensive job it did against Ringgold's run game, but Quad Law made a couple big plays passing to help the Rams advance.

Learning how to win in the postseason is a big step.

Conference breakdown

The first round of the WPIAL playoffs proved the conferences believed to be superior are superior.

The won-loss records for conferences.

Class AAAA
Northern Seven 3-1
Greater Southern 2-2
Foothills 2-2
Big East 1-3

Class AAA
Parkway 3-1
Keystone 2-2
Big Eight 2-2
Greater Allegheny 1-3

Class AA
Century 3-1
Midwestern 2-2
Interstate 2-2
Allegheny 1-3

Class A
Black Hills 3-1
Eastern 3-1
Big Seven 2-2
Tri-County South 0-4

Picking the winners, WPIAL football playoffs

Class AAAA
North Allegheny over Fox Chapel, Seneca Valley over Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford over Bethel Park, Gateway over Shaler, Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Peters Township, Woodland Hills over Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair over Connellsville, Erie McDowell over McKeesport

Class AAA
Central Valley over Laurel Highlands, Ringgold over Highlands, West Mifflin over Mars, Montour over Chartiers Valley, Franklin Regional over Belle Vernon, Hopewell over Indiana, Knoch over West Allegheny, Thomas Jefferson over Greensburg-Salem

Class AA
Aliquippa over Steel Valley, Washington over Mt. Pleasant, Ellwood City over Freeport, Greensburg Central Catholic over Ford City, Jeannette over Burrell, Beaver over Shady Side Academy, Seton-La Salle over East Allegheny, South Fayette over Beaver Falls

Class A
Clairton over Cornell, Springdale over Monessen, Rochester over Northgate, Avonworth over California, Sto-Rox over Frazier, Brentwood over Western Beaver, Bishop Canevin over Chartiers-Houston, Beth-Center over Fort Cherry

WPIAL Class A playoffs preview

Top seeds: 1. Clairton (9-0), 2. Sto-Rox (9-0), 3. Bishop Canevin (9-0), 4. Rochester (8-1)
Defending champion: Clairton
Best first-round game: No. 11 Fort Cherry at No. 6 Beth-Center
Sleeper: Winner of Fort Cherry/Beth-Center game
Players to watch: Sal Faieta (Beth-Center) pictured, Jake Sofran (Beth-Center), Tanner Garry (Fort Cherry), Ryan Babirad (Fort Cherry), Daniel Lis (Chartiers-Houston), Javone Hairston (Chartiers-Houston), Chavas Rawlins (Monessen), Jalen Madison (Monessen), T.D. Conway (California), Skyler Dickinson (California), Jon Girvin (Northgate), Rock Vargo (Frazier), Lenny Williams (Sto-Rox), Deaysean Rippy (Sto-Rox), Mike Giampole (Avonworth), Capri Thompson (Clairton), Tyler Boyd (Clairton), DeAndre Moon (Rochester)
Noteworthy: Strange as it sounds, the Fort Cherry at Beth-Center game would be better served played on turf. Both teams run multiple formations on offense and an artificial surface would suit the skill players. B-C coach Ed Woods said there was no chance of getting a change in venue.
Fort Cherry debuted a single-wing formation against Chartiers-Houston, and it worked to near perfection. The Rangers really found ways to include Koltan Kobrys in the offense.
Beth-Center features an advantageous defense, but the Bulldogs score points in bunches. Their 412 points tops all local teams.
California enters the playoffs with a 7-2 record and four-straight wins. The Trojans have allowed 14 points the past four games and notched back-to-back shutouts of Jefferson-Morgan and Frazier.
Chartiers-Houston and Monessen each enter the playoffs with identical 6-3 records and look to shake off disappointing performances to end the regular season. The Bucs were stymied at home by Fort Cherry, while the Greyhounds lost at Frazier.
Quotable: "There's a lot of similarities with us and Fort Cherry. We know each other pretty well, especially with us being in the Black Hills Conference before," B-C coach Ed Woods said. "Tim (Garry) and I know each other well and this game is great for both schools. We're looking forward to Fort Cherry coming to our place."
Championship: Clairton over Sto-Rox

WPIAL Class AA playoffs preview

Top seeds: 1. Aliquippa (9-0), 2. Jeannette (9-0), 3. Seton-La Salle (9-0), 4. Freeport (7-2)
Defending champion: South Fayette
Best first-round game: South Fayette at Beaver Falls
Sleeper: Washington
Players to watch: Shai McKenzie (Wash High) pictured, Jaylin Kelly (Wash High), Zach Challingsworth (South Fayette), Kevin Hart (Seton-La Salle), Scott Orndoff (Seton-La Salle), Mikal Hall (Aliquippa), Dontez Williams (Steel Valley), Trey Hall (Aliquippa), Demetrious Cox (Jeannette), Jordan McCrae (Greensburg C.C.)
Noteworthy: South Fayette topped 50 points in the WPIAL semifinals last year against Beaver Falls. The Lions offense isn't as potent this year but the talented Challingsworth is a challenge for any defense.
Washington deserved better than the No. 8 seed. Anyone who feels otherwise, feel free to explain. That said, the road to a WPIAL Class AA championship always runs through Aliquippa. If the Prexies beat Mt. Pleasant in the first round, it sets up a matchup with the Quips.
One thing is certain, Wash High, which should be bolstered by the return of Kelly this week, won't be intimidated.
Two years ago, Aliquippa - as the No. 8 seed - knocked off top-seeded South Fayette in an epic quarterfinal.
Quotable: "It doesn't matter who we play or where we're seeded," Prexies lineman Jalen Morris said. "We just need to worry about ourselves."
Championship: Seton-La Salle over Greensburg Central Catholic

WPIAL Class AAA playoffs preview

Top seeds: 1. Central Valley (9-0), 2. Franklin Regional (9-0), 3. Knoch (9-0), 4. West Mifflin (8-1)
Defending champion: Central Valley
Best first-round game: No. 10 Hopewell at No. 7 Indiana
Sleeper: Hopewell (or anyone else from the Parkway Conference)
Players to watch: Rushel Shell (Hopewell), Robert Foster (Central Valley), Quad Law (Ringgold) pictured, Mike Beveridge (Ringgold), Jake Witucki (Highlands), Dylan Buechel (Montour), Julian Durden (Montour), Josh Falatovich (Greensburg-Salem), Dane Brown (Franklin Regional)
Noteworthy: Injuries have bugged Ringgold during the latter stages of the regular season. The most notable right leg injury suffered by Law a couple weeks ago. Law aggravated the injury against Franklin Regional but returned for the finale against Uniontown.
Ringgold head coach Matt Humbert declared Law, Dom Affinito and Demetrius Louis "good-to-go" for the Ram's first-round game against Highlands.
The Rams are also healthier along the offensive line, where Jacob Foglia is taking snaps at first-team center.
Quotable: "It's tough when you move a player the caliber of Mike Beveridge and what he does at tackle to center, where he's not familiar," Humbert said. "We want him at tackle because he's that dominant."
Championship: Central Valley over Franklin Regional

WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs preview

Top seeds: 1. North Allegheny (9-0), 2. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (9-0), 3. Upper St. Clair (8-1), 4. Penn-Trafford (9-0)
Defending champion: North Allegheny
Best first-round game: No. 10 Woodland Hills at No. 7 Mt. Lebanon
Sleeper: Gateway
Players to watch: Luke Hagy (Mt. Lebanon), Arthur Goldberg (Mt. Lebanon), Andrew Erenberg (Peters Township) pictured, Manny Simpson (Penn-Trafford), Damian Jones-Moore (Pittsburgh C.C.), Anthony Nixon (Pittsburgh C.C.), Perry Hills (Pittsburgh C.C.), Greg Garmon (Erie McDowell), Shakim Alonzo (Woodland Hills), Ian Park (Upper St. Clair), Jack Schwaba (Upper St. Clair), Dakota Conwell (Upper St. Clair)
Noteworthy: Erenberg, who has committed to Division I-AA Fordham, is Peters Township's all-time lead in rushing yards, scoring and touchdowns. His 14 touchdowns are a single-season school record, and he needs about 80 yards to set the single-season rushing record. Erenberg spent his freshman season at Pittsburgh Central Catholic – Peters Township's opponent in the first round. The game will be played at Fox Chapel.
Quotable: "If it's a big play call and we have a third-and-two, I'm pretty sure (Erenberg) is getting the football," Peters Township coach Rich Piccinini said. "And I'm pretty sure he'll get the first down."
Championship: Upper St. Clair over North Allegheny

Predicting WPIAL playoff seeds

Is Pittsburgh Central Catholic the top team in Class AAAA? Probably.

Does that mean the WPIAL will seed PCC ahead of defending state champion North Allegheny, which happens to be 9-0? The guess here is no.

What conferences are weak? In Class A, Beth-Center is better than the seventh-best team but winning the Tri-County South means little to the committee, which will look instead at the Bulldogs' one-point overtime home loss to Avonworth. In Class AA, the Allegheny Conference doesn't look strong and the MAC is down outside Aliquippa, but that doesn't guarantee a trending team like Washington gets seeded ahead of Freeport or even Beaver Falls.

Class AAAA
1. North Allegheny, 2. Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 3. Upper St. Clair, 4. Penn-Trafford, 5. Gateway, 6. Erie McDowell, 7. Mt. Lebanon, 8. Penn Hills, 9. Seneca Valley, 10. McKeesport, 11. Woodland Hills, 12. Shaler, 13. Bethel Park, 14. Fox Chapel, 15. Peters Township, 16. Connellsville.

Class AAA
1. Central Valley, 2. Franklin Regional, 3. Knoch, 4. Montour, 5. West Mifflin, 6. Thomas Jefferson, 7. Indiana, 8. Ringgold, 9. Hopewell, 10. Greensburg-Salem, 11. West Allegheny, 12. Highlands, 13. Mars, 14. Chartiers Valley, 15. Belle Vernon, 16. Laurel Highlands.

Class AA
1. Aliquippa, 2. Seton-La Salle, 3. Jeannette, 4. Greensburg C.C., 5. Freeport, 6. Washington, 7. Beaver Falls, 8. Shady Side Academy, 9. Beaver, 10. South Fayette, 11. Mt. Pleasant, 12. Ellwood City, 13. Ford City, 14. Burrell, 15. East Allegheny, 16. Steel Valley.

Class A
1. Clairton, 2. Sto-Rox, 3. Bishop Canevin, 4. Rochester, 5. Avonworth, 6. Brentwood, 7. Beth-Center, 8. Monessen, 9. Springdale, 10. Fort Cherry, 11. Western Beaver, 12. California, 13. Chartiers-Houston, 14. Cornell, 15. Northgate, 16. Frazier.

Week 8 thoughts from a Monday afternoon quarterback

The eighth week of the high school football season was not a kind one.

Several teams had an opportunity to solidify playoff standing or a conference championship. Ringgold, Waynesburg, South Fayette and Burgettstown struggled with those situations.

The results from Friday indicate that the second round of the WPIAL playoffs won't feature many local teams.

Beth-Center looks like the team most likely to advance. The Bulldogs should be seeded No. 6 in the Class A bracket, barring any last week upsets of teams ranked higher. A winnable home game puts B-C on turf in the quarterfinals, where its talent is better suited to play.

Washington struggled mightily but edged South Allegheny, 14-12. The win clinched a home playoff game for the Prexies, their first since 2001. Washington could be seeded anywhere from 5-7 in the Class AA playoffs and are always a tough team to play at Wash High Stadium. If the Prexies avoid a Beaver County team in the first round, thier chances of advancing are right there with Beth-Center's.

Ringgold hurt its stock with a 38-0 loss at Franklin Regional. The Rams went from a possible top four seed to most likely a No. 8 as long as undefeated FR beats a tough Greensburg-Salem team which is not a given. If Ringgold gets the No. 8 seed, the Rams will likely draw the third-place team from the Parkway Conference. Playing West Allegheny or Blackhawk is one tough draw.

The winner of Friday night's Fort Cherry at Chartiers-Houston game puts itself in a better position to advance than the loser, which finishes fourth and probably plays at a conference champion in the first round.

Given the lack of quality teams in Class AA, South Fayette could advance, but the Lions have struggled offensively against quality teams. Still, a first-round game against a team from the Greater Allegheny Conference is winnable.

Live blog, WPIAL Class AA final South Fayette vs. Aliquippa

Final – South Fayette 19, Aliquippa 6

SF wins first WPIAL championship since 1964 and third overall.

Lions plays D9 champs Brockway Friday night at West Allegheny in the PIAA playoffs.

3:24 p.m. – Trevor Fiorentini caps 12-play drive (all runs) with a 2-yard touchdown as South Fayette takes 19-6 lead with 2:25 left. SF eats up 6:01 on drive that covers 70 yards.

3:21 p.m. – SF goes for it on 4th and 1 at Aliquippa 7. Trevor Fiorentini gets 3 yards. SF in control.

3:19 p.m. – South Fayette out of shotgun. Running Davis and churning out a few first downs. With 4:23 to go, Lions have 3rd and 8 at Quips' 14.

3:04 p.m. – Aliquippa fumbes in SF territory again. Nick Guyan recovers for Lions.

2:58 p.m. – Both teams trade turnovers. Brumbaugh throws an interception. Aliquippa fumbles deep in SF territory for the second time. Quips have lost three fumbles.

SF 12-6 end 3rd.

2:42 p.m. – Brumbaugh shakes off a rough first half, completes three straight passes including one where Zach Challingsworth gets toes in at the Quips' 5. Then he scores on the next play on a pass from Brumbaugh.

Two-point pass failed. South Fayette leads 12-6 with 7:16 left in 3rd.

2:35 p.m. – Dravon Henry fumbles on first-down run up the middle. Recovered by South Fayette at its 47. Still 6-6 in the third quarter.

South Fayette struggling on offense.

For some reason my last three posts have disappeared.

1:43 p.m. – Aliquippa still moving up and down field but little top show for efforts. Still tied, 4:46 2nd.

1:28 p.m. – End of 1st Aliquippa 6, South Fayette 6

A little of subject, found it somewhat surprising that former Charleroi football player Zach Hooks starts at right guard for the Quips. With Hooks' size and skill set, figured he'd be a tackle.

1:18 p.m. – Quips freshman Dravon Henry scores on a 3-yard run. Aliquippa running with ease, already with 61 yards rushing. Kick is wide right. Game tied, 6-6 with 3:07 left in first.

1:10 p.m. – A Jeff Davis 33-yard run sets up a 39-yard touchdown pass from Christian Brumbaugh to Tyler Challingsworth. South Fayette goes 88 yards in 5 plays and takes a 6-0 lead with 6:51 left in the first quarter. Tyler Yee's extra point is blocked.

1:06 p.m. – Aliquippa QB Mikal Hall fumbles snap. Recovered by SF's Eric Myers at the Lions' 12. Ends nice opening drive for Quips.

12:59 p.m. – South Fayette set to kickoff.

12:53 p.m. – South Fayette takes the field. Saw a lot of green and white in the parking lots outside. Some of that is tricking inside.

By the way, Clairton 12, Rochester 0. Wasn't much to watch but the Bears defense remains strong.

WPIAL championships picks

An intense glare from the curious. Television cameras. Aliquippa as the opponent.

South Fayette entered last year's WPIAL Class AA playoffs with an undefeated record and the No. 1 seed in the bracket. Considering the Lions had never achieved such lofty success in the classification, it raised a few eyebrows.

And it meant Aliquippa would be the Lions' opponent in the second round, a game FSN deemed worthy to broadcast live.

"We're talking about a group that was 3-6 (the year before)," South Fayette coach Joe Rossi said.

South Fayette played like a veteran team through three quarters and led by two scores. The lead almost expanded on a couple occasions in the fourth quarter before Aliquippa rallied with 32 late points to win a wild one and eventually advance to the WPIAL championship game.

It's a performance that has bothered South Fayette for over a year.

"It was the first time we had a lot of success. We were undefeated and a lot of people we're wondering how good we were," said senior Eric Myers, a two-way starter at tight end and middle linebacker. "Looking back, I think we might have been a little in awe of Aliquippa and the situation."

That's not the case anymore.

If South Fayette (12-0) will be in awe of anything when it takes the field against Aliquippa (12-0) in the Class AA championship game Saturday at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field the Lions will be in awe of the venue.

"I'm sure going into Heinz Field the guys will be in awe a little bit," Rossi said. "They have to erase those thoughts and prepare like they're getting ready to play on our field."

Awe or not, stopping South Fayette's offense is something no team has done. Don't expect it to happen here, even against an Aliquippa defense that might be the best in the state in Class AA.

South Fayette, 42-34.

In other games, Clairton 16, Rochester 12; Montour 38, Central Valley 21; North Allegheny 17, Woodland Hills 14.

Tale of the tape, South Fayette vs. Aliquippa

South Fayette

Nickname: Lions

Colors: Green and white

Record: 12-0

Rankings: No. 2 WPIAL Class A by Observer-Reporter, No. 3 Class AA by Rod Frisco, No. 4 Class AA by The Patriot-News, No. 6 by Pennsylvania Football News

Conference: Century
How they got here: Century Conference champs, No. 3 seed WPIAL playoffs
1st round – W, Ellwood City 35-0
Quarters – W, Freeport 47-13
Semis – W, Beaver Falls 55-28
Mercy, mercy: South Fayette, which had never won more than one playoff game since joining Class AA, has mercy-ruled all three postseason opponents.
"I would have never thought that," South Fayette coach Joe Rossi said. "The breaks have gone our way and the ball has bounced our way."
The 137 postseason points scored are the most in the WPIAL this year. Clairton ranks second with 113 points scored.
Key players: QB Christian Brumbaugh (2,728 yds, 37 TD, 6 INT); RB/DB Jeff Davis (1,238 rush yards, 564 receiving yards, 23 TD); WR/DB Tyler Challingsworth (749 rec. yards, 6 TD); TE/LB Eric Myers; FB/LB Trevor Fiorentini; OL/DL Nick Faraci
Quotable: "We're not used to winning more than one game in the playoffs. We called it the South Fayette Curse," Challingsworth said. "Once we got past the first round, that was over."
Bits and pieces: South Fayette has not appeared in a WPIAL championship game since 1967. That year the Lions lost to Crafton, 7-6. … South Fayette's last WPIAL title came in 1964, when the team did not have to play a game to be declared champion by Gardner Points. … The Lions only other title came in 1936. … South Fayette has posted two consecutive undefeated regular seasons. The Lions are 22-1 the past two seasons with the lone loss against Aliquippa. … South Fayette is plus-18 in turnover margin and has scored five defensive touchdowns.


Aliquippa

Nickname: Quips
Colors: Red and black
Record: 12-0
Rankings: No. 1 WPIAL Class AA by Observer-Reporter, No. 1 Class AA by Pennsylvania Football News, No. 2 Class AA by Rod Frisco, No. 2 Class AA by The Patriot-News
Conference: Midwestern
How they got here: Midwestern Conference champs, No. 1 seed WPIAL playoffs
1st round – W, Shady Side Academy 41-0
Quarters – W, Beaver 34-0
Semis – W, Ford City 26-7
Almost zero tolerance: The Quips defense has allowed just seven postseason points and that performance is indicative of how dominant that side of the football has been throughout the season. Aliquippa has allowed just 93 points and an average of 7.8 points per game.
Only four teams have scored 10-plus points on the Quips and no team has topped 14. Aliquippa's secondary, which faces a South Fayette offense with five capable receivers, has allowed less than 900 yards passing on the season.
"They're tremendous skill-wise and, up front, they are good," Rossi said.
Last year: Aliquippa beat South Fayette in last year's quarterfinals. The Lions led by 14 points in the fourth quarter before the Quips scored 32 points inside the final nine minutes.
"That was our first time in that situation," Brumbaugh said. "We had been in the playoffs but we hadn't done anything special. We weren't used to being there and it showed in the fourth quarter."
Key players: QB Mikal Hall (1,404 yards, 19 TD); WR/DB Haetaun Mathis (591 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT); RB Dravon Henry (789 yards, 12 TD); OL/DL Zach Hooks
About the Quips: "They're a group that's never going to quit," Rossi said. "We were up on them by two TDs last year with chances to expand that lead to 21 and we had two drives fizzle out. We made mistakes and created opportunities for them. They took advantage."
Bits and pieces: Aliquippa lost to Greensburg Central Catholic in last year's WPIAL championship game. … The Quips have won a record 13 WPIAL titles, six in Class AA. … Both teams played Ellwood City and Beaver Falls. Aliquippa plays each during the regular season as part of the Midwestern Conference schedule. The Quips beat Beaver Falls, 27-14, in Week 2 and the Wolverines, 29-7 in Week 6. … Hooks, who has drawn Division I interest including an offer from Pitt, transferred from Charleroi to Aliquippa last year.

Kovak's fearless prognostications, WPIAL semifinals

The Class AA and Class A pairings were not kind to last week's picks as I went 4-4 in those respective brackets for a quarterfinals record of 11-5 and an overall mark of 76-26, a .745 win percentage.

Class AAAA
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over North Alleghent
Woodland Hills over North Hills

Class AAA
Mars over Montour
Thomas Jefferson over Central Valley

Class AA
Aliquippa over Ford City
South Fayette over Beaver Falls

Class A
Clairton over Springdale
Rochester over Avonworth

Friday night thoughts, WPIAL quarterfinals

South Fayette's Christian Brumbaugh may not have the arm strength of former Penn Hills quarterback Anthony Morelli and Trinity quarterback Cody Endres, but I can't remember watching a more intelligent high school player at the position.

Which makes it all the more odd that Brumbaugh hasn't secured a college yet.

His first choice was Division I-AA power William & Mary but the school hasn't made an offer yet. Brumbaugh does have offers from Akron, Bowling Green and Buffalo. Ohio and Toledo are also interested.

After watching Brumbaugh pass for 324 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 completions in a complete dissection of Freeport's defense in Friday night's 47-13 victory in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals, it's befuddling that more schools are interested.

Let's see. Brumbaugh has the size, the smarts to read through four or five progressions, the ability to elude pressure, a decent arm and he's a winner.

If there's a better quarterback playing in the WPIAL, KinPA (a regular reader of this blog) has promised to eat a printout of this story with hot sauce.

* It's amazing how certain teams can't beat certain schools, such as Monessen's five-game playoff losing streak to Springdale.

The Dynamo cruised to a 30-6 win to advance to play Clairton in the semifinals. Not sure how Springdale posted 30 points against a Monessen defense that I considered stout. I did figure the Greyhounds would have trouble scoring. Just not that much trouble.

* Does Spiringdale's win change anyone's belief that Clairton and Rochester are destined to meet at Heinz Field once again? I still say it's the Bears and Rams two Saturdays from now.

* Impressive statement made by Aliquippa against a Beaver team that took the Quips to overtime in the regular season.

It's old school vs. new school in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals. Aliquippa vs. Ford City and Beaver Falls vs. South Fayette.

*If Beth-Center's play up front catches up to the talent of the skill positions, the Bulldogs could be better poised to make a deeper run in the postseason.

Still, Beth-Center remains the only team from Washington and Greene counties to win a playoff game this year or last year.

* South Fayette's Jeff Davis has to be one of the toughest running backs in the WPIAL to defense. He's equally adept at running and receiving, actually he might be a better pass catcher.

* I also like the play of Lions senior tight end/linebacker Eric Myers. The guy makes key catches on third down and finds a way to the football on defense.

* South Fayette has never been to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals, though the Lions previously made it that far in Class A and won the 1964 title, back when Gardner Points decided who played for the championship.

That said, the business-like approach the Lions displayed last night at Freeport shows this team has one objective in mind, and it involves winning at Heinz Field.

Comcast to broadcast North Hills-USC

A WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinal between North Hills and Upper St. Clair at Chartiers Valley High School will be the Comcast High School Game of the Week.

Comcast customers can watch the game Saturday at 7 p.m. on the FYI Channel. The game, pitting two legendary WPIAL coaches in Jack McCurry and Jim Render, is also available On Demand in the "Get Local" folder the day following the game.

North Hills (9-1), the No. 3 seed, beat Penn-Trafford 20-3 in the first round. Upper St. Clair (8-20 upended Penn Hills 37-21.

It marks the sixth postseason meeting between the two perennial playoff contenders and USC holds a 3-2 advantage thanks to victories in the last two games.

Kovak's fearless prognostications, WPIAL quarterfinals

Several upsets highlighted the first Friday night of the WPIAL football playoffs. While yours truly watched Monessen dismantle Chartiers-Houston, several lower-seeded teams not off single-seeded opponents. Even more pushed home teams to the final minute of competition.

The lowest seeded team moving on the the WPIAL quarterfinals is Keystone Oaks, the No. 15 seed in Class AA. The Golden Eagles beat No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic, 20-16, despite losing three games at the end of the season after Jordan Maddox left the South Fayette game with an injury.

In speaking with a few Class AA coaches this week, none were surprised at the result.

What was surprising was a mediocre 25-7 record and failing to pick a clean slate in any of the four brackets. For the season, my record is 65-21 (a .756 win percentage).

On the the picks.

Class AAAA
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over Gateway
North Allegheny over Bethel Park
Woodland Hills over Mt. Lebanon
North Hills over Upper St. Clair

Class AAA
Montour over Indiana
West Allegheny over Mars
Thomas Jefferson over Hopewell
Central Valley over Knoch

Class AA
Beaver over Aliquippa
Seton-La Salle over Ford City
Beaver Falls over Keystone Oaks
South Fayette over Freeport

Class A
Clairton over Bishop Canevin
Monessen over Springdale
Rochester over Beth-Center
North Catholic over Avonworth