PITTSBURGH — The WPIAL football semifinals in all four classifications are slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday night. Here is a closer look at each classification.
CLASS AAAA
No. 1 Gateway (11-0) vs. No. 12 North Hills (6-5) at Fox Chapel High School
This game features one team, Gateway, that everyone expected to be here and another, North Hills, hoping Cinderella’s slipper continues to fit. Gateway, which has lost in each of the last two Class AAAA title games, has blown through the first two rounds of the playoffs beating Plum 49-0 in the opening round and then destroying Penn Hills 35-3 in the quarterfinals.
File photo by George M. Powers
Max Creighan, North Hills
The Gators are a well-balanced team led by senior quarterback Rob Kalkstein (93-of-146, 2,003 yards, 24 TDs, 3 INT), running backs Oren Brey (745 yards, 9 TDs) and North Carolina recruit Brandon Felder (583 yards, 9 TDs; 245 yards receiving, 3 TDs) and wideouts Steve Vranka (30 catches, 741 yards, 11 TDs), Armstead Williams (17 catches, 386 yards, 4 TDs) and Miami (Ohio) recruit Dayonne Nunley (15 catches, 227 yards, 2 TDs).
North Hills isn’t supposed to be here. The Indians came into the postseason with a losing record (4-5) and had lost two in a row before upsetting fifth-seeded McKeesport 19-7 in the first round. North Hills then upset fourth-seeded North Allegheny 14-10 in the quarterfinals. Mike Sivak was the hero of the North Allegheny win, rushing for 86 yards and scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 4-yard run with just under seven minutes to play. This after quarterback Taylor Schmidt was the hero of the McKeesport game completing 10-of-13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown while also running for a score.
No. 2 Woodland Hills (10-1) vs. No. 3 Bethel Park (10-1) at West Mifflin High School
This has all the makings of a classic battle, as the two teams meet for the second time this season. In the first matchup Sept. 25 at the Wolvarena, Woodland Hills pulled out a 21-17 win over the defending WPIAL champions. That was the lone loss of the year for the Blackhawks. Dom Timbers and Lafayette Pitts were the heroes in the first encounters for the Wolverines. Pitts scored two touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving – while Timers ran for 116 yards and a score.
In the rematch, Woodland Hills will need to contain the Bethel Park passing game. In the Sept. 25 encounter, Matt Bliss was 13-of-23 passing for 216 yards and a touchdown. Woodland Hills is coming off a 36-3 win over Pittsburgh Central Catholic. In that game, Timbers ran for three touchdowns. Bethel Park advanced to the semifinals with a 32-14 win over Shaler, as Bliss had another big game, going 13-of-16 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Jared Pratt also ran for a pair of scores for the Blackhawks.
CLASS AAA
No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (11-0) vs. No. 4 West Allegheny (9-2) at Chartiers Valley High School
This game pits two of the most successful Class AAA teams in the state over the last 15 years. Thomas Jefferson, the two-time defending PIAA champion, is looking for its fourth straight WPIAL title and its fifth in the past six years, while West Allegheny made three straight PIAA title game appearances from 1999-2001, winning the 2001 title. The Indians won three WPIAL titles in a row from 1999-2001 and four in five years starting in 1997.
West Allegheny enters the game off a 31-7 win over a dangerous New Castle squad, while Thomas Jefferson, which has won 48 straight against WPIAL foes, beat Franklin Regional, the last WPIAL team to beat the Jaguars, 27-14. Dylan Breisinger and Jim Giansante were the heroes of TJ’s win. Breisinger scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a 61-yarder vs. Franklin Regional, while Giasante caught five passes for 102 yards and a score. As usual, Mike Caputo was the go-to guy for West Allegheny in its playoff victory last week. He ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. But quarterback Jared Buck also came up big going 10 of 17 for 202 yards and a score.
No. 2 Hopewell (11-0) vs. No. 14 Hampton (7-4) at Montour High School
Hampton in the semifinals may be even more of a surprise than North Hills in Class AAAA. After all, the Talbots had never advanced past the second round in their history, and they came into the tournament with a pedestrian 5-4 mark. But upset wins over third-seeded Chartiers Valley, 19-7, and sixth-seeded Uniontown, 35-14, have Hampton two wins away from their first-ever WPIAL title.
Hopewell, on the other hand, expected to be here, although the Vikings road didn’t start out easy as they had to beat 15th-seeded Derry 28-14 in the opening round without star running back Rushel Shell. But with Shell, a sophomore, back in the lineup last week, Hopewell rolled past Mars 33-0 as Shell gained 265 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Shell, who unofficially is 126 yards shy of 4,000 in his career, has 2,299 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns this season and has scored 42 rushing touchdowns in his career. Hampton has a pretty good running back of its own in Andrew Bly, who has 1,350 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns this season. He had 186 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Uniontown.
CLASS AA
No. 9 Aliquippa (10-1) vs. No. 4 Beaver Falls (10-1) at Ambridge High School
This matchup has been anticipated since the Class AA brackets came out.
Aliquippa, the defending champion, is anything but a normal ninth seed, with its only loss coming 21-14 to Beaver Falls, whose only loss came against Center. Center won a three-way tiebreaker for the section crown with Beaver Falls second and Aliquippa third forcing the Quips into the lower half of the bracket.
Beaver Falls rolled past Steel Valley 42-14 and then beat Sto-Rox 35-22 to reach the semifinals, while Aliquippa knocked off McGuffey 27-7 and then won a wild shootout over South Fayette 47-34 in the quarterfinals in a game that was a lot closer than the final score. In that game, the Quips outscored South Fayette 32-7 in the fourth quarter. Cody Cook is the player to watch the most in this game. The Beaver Falls running back rushed for 303 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win and has 4,164 career rushing yards.
Aliquippa has some playmakers, as well, including quarterback Mikal Hall, who threw a pair of touchdown passes last week as well as Troy Jeter, who caught a touchdown pass and ran for a touchdown and Rasheen Jones, who ran for a score and threw a touchdown pass, as well.
No. 7 Keystone Oaks (10-1) vs. No. 11 Greensburg CC (9-2) at Elizabeth Forward HS
On paper, this looks like a pair of teams that have no business being in the semifinals. But Keystone Oaks has won eight straight since a 28-22 win to South Fayette, while Greensburg Central Catholic started the season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA before losing twice in the first four weeks. But the Centurions have rolled off seven straight wins while allowing just 40 total points during that span.
Keystone Oaks upset second-seeded and previously unbeaten Mt. Pleasant 36-7 to reach the semifinals, while GCC shutdown third-seeded Center 30-3. A pair of 1,000-yard rushers pace Keystone Oaks with Danny Ammer having rushed for 1,751 yards and 21 touchdowns and Jordan Maddox 1,336 yards and 22 scores. GCC is a bit more balanced with a 1,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher. Trent Hurley is 82-of-158 passing for 1,474 yards, 23 touchdowns and just two interceptions, while David Miller has rushed for 1,723 yards and 30 touchdowns. Evan Marshall is adding 35 catches for 670 yards and seven scores.
CLASS A
No. 1 Rochester (11-0) vs. No. 4 North Catholic (9-2) at Mars High School
Rochester is looking for its first WPIAL title since 2004 and its fifth since 2000. The Rams are a defensive machine having allowed only 51 points all year while allowing only Riverview and Brentwood to reach double figures. The defense has pitched five shutouts.
That defense will be tested by a balanced North Catholic offense that saw two backs – Martin Long (54 yards) and Julian Durden (71 yards) rush for over 50 yards in a 24-13 win over Springdale last week and two passers, Long (7-of-13, 51 yards, 1 TD) and Matt Fedzen (2-of-3, 97 yards, 2 TDs) who combined for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Trey Johnson is the workhorse for Rochester’s offense. In last week’s 38-12 win over Brentwood, he carried the ball 19 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 2 Laurel (10-1) vs. No. 3 Clairton (10-1) at Center High School
This is a rematch of a Week 1 affair that saw Laurel pull off what was considered a major upset at the time, 15-8. But the Spartans have kept on winning with their only loss being a 14-7 defeat at the hands of top seeded Rochester. Clairton, the defending champions and winners of two of the past three titles, has also been rolling having won 10 in a row since that opening-week loss.
Dylan Jones and Tyler Forbes have been the go-to backs for Laurel in the postseason. Jones rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns in an opening-round 55-7 win over Burgettstown, while Forbes had three rushing touchdowns in a 55-7 victory over Beth-Center last week. Deonate Howard leads the way for Clairton. The speedy back has over 1,600 yards rushing on the season and had two rushing touchdowns while also throwing a touchdown in the Bears' 24-0 win over Avonworth in the quarterfinals. Clairton also brings a tough-nosed defense that has allowed three touchdowns and 23 points since that season-opening loss.