By Chris Rossetti, www.d9sports.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
PITTSBURGH – Bethel Park pulled one of the biggest upsets in WPIAL history knocking off Gateway – ranked as high as third nationally by some publications – 10-6 in the WPIAL Class AAAA title game Saturday night at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
“Our kids didn’t get scared of the big night, the big atmosphere,” Bethel Park coach Jeff Metheny told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “They came to play. We were more physical than them. We deserved to win this game.”
Bethel Park’s defense completely shut down a Gator offense that was averaging 41.6 points per game, holding Gateway to 107 yards of offense. The six points were the fewest for the Gators since Sept. 1, 2007, when Cardinal Mooney from Youngstown, Ohio, beat Gateway 27-6. It was the fewest points by Gateway against a WPIAL team since the Gators were shutout 21-0 by Woodland Hills Oct. 6, 2006.
“Up front, their defensive line played outstanding,” Gateway head coach Terry Smith, who watched his team lose in the WPIAL title game for the second straight season, told the Tribune-Review. “Defensively, they kept us from doing a lot of things that we wanted to do.”
All the scoring game in the first half, and Bethel Park never trailed.
Lyle Marsh’s 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter stacked the Blackhawks to a 7-0 lead at the end of the quarter.
Gateway got back within a point in the second quarter on a 1-yard Dorian Bell run, but the extra point was no good.
Bethel Park then took a 10-6 halftime lead on a 27-yard Patrick Lyndon field goal.
Marsh outgained Gateway by himself running for 113 yards.
It was the first WPIAL title for Bethel Park. Gateway was looking for its first title since 1986.
WPIAL Class AAA: TJ wins third straight title
Thomas Jefferson became the fifth WPIAL Class AAA school to win at least three straight WPIAL Class AAA titles with a 34-14 win over Blackhawk Saturday evening at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The Jaguars built a 20-0 halftime lead, and got another big game from running back Brian Baldridge, who ran 33 times for 138 yards and four touchdowns. Baldridge had 939 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in TJ’s four WPIAL playoff wins and now has 1,890 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season.
WPIAL Class AA: Aliquippa upsets Beaver Falls
Aliquippa is one of the most storied WPIAL football programs of all-time. The seventh-seeded Quips added to that legacy Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, using a blocked fourth-quarter punt to upset top-seeded Beaver Falls 8-6 in the WPIAL Class AA title game.
The victory notched Aliquippa’s 13th WPIAL title, the most by any team.
The game was tied at six at the half following a Beaver Falls touchdown by Admire Carter and an Aliquippa touchdown run by Maurice Carter.
The contest remained tied into the fourth quarter when Carter blocked a Beaver Falls punt attempt though the back of the end zone for the game-winning safety.
Maurice Carter ran for 11 yards and had two catches for 20 yards to lead Aliquippa.
WPIAL Class A: Clairton holds off Monaca for Class A title
Clairton got two touchdown passes from back-up quarterback Troy Webb, including a 71-yard toss to Deontae Howard in the third quarter, to lift the Bears to their second WPIAL Class A title in three years with a 12-6 win over Monaca Saturday morning at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Monaca led 6-0 in the first quarter on a 38-yard Zach Garber touchdown run. But Webb tied the game with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Ford.
Webb was 4 of 9 passing for 111 yards and the two touchdowns while also running for 103 yards.
Garber ran for 123 yards for Monaca.
District 9 Class A: Cameron County wins first title since 1999
Cameron County used a strong defense and an opportunistic offense to beat Clarion 18-8 in the District 9 Class A title game Saturday afternoon at Brockway High School.
The Red Raiders, who last won a D9 title in 1999 beating Clarion 13-6 that year, got 115 yards rushing and three first-half touchdowns from Andy Lippert and held Clarion to 162 yards of offense including a season-low 18 on the ground.
Lippert has 651 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in three postseason games and 1,073 yards and 16 scores on the season.
District 10 Class AA: Wilmington goes overtime to win title
Wilmington won its third straight District 10 Class AA title with a 28-21 overtime win over Slippery Rock Saturday at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.
Shane Wagner hit his cousin Matt Wagner with a 5-yard touchdown pass in the extra session, and Jake DeMedal intercepted a Jono Powell pass on Slippery Rock’s overtime possession to clinch the win.
Derrick Burns ran for 140 yards and a touchdown for Wilmington.
District 10 Class A: Farrell takes D10 crown
Terrell Jackson ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns to lead Farrell to a 28-7 win over Linesville in the District 10 Class A title game Saturday afternoon.
It is Farrell’s first District 10 title since 1985, but the Steelers did win four WPIAL titles in between.
District 6, 8, 9, 10 Title Game: State College beats Erie McDowell
State College scored in four different ways to beat Erie McDowell 22-10 in the District 6, 8, 9, 10 Class AAAA title game Saturday afternoon at DuBois.
Bernard Smack scored on a 15-yard touchdown run and an 82-yard kickoff return, Zak Khayat hit a 37-yard field goal and Lucas Yocum returned a fumble 75 yards for a score.
The returns and field goal helped State College win despite being outgained 279-92 by Erie McDowell.
PIAA Class AAA: Strong Vincent pulls away from Clearfield
Erie Strong Vincent scored 20 unanswered second-half points to beat Clearfield 34-14 in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Saturday night in DuBois.
The game was tied at 14 at halftime, but the Colonels scored a third-quarter touchdown before tacking on 13 fourth-quarter points.
Deonte Flemings, Darrell Brooks and Emari Tangle combined to run for 410 yards and five touchdowns for Strong Vincent. Flemings had 167 and four scores, including three second-half touchdowns, Brooks added 124 yards and a score and Tangle had 119 yards.
Jarrin Campman threw for 89 yards and a touchdown and ran for 53 yards for Clearfield and finished the season with 1,387 yards passing and 1,323 yards rushing. He is believed to be the first District 9 player to rush and throw for 1,000 yards in a single season.
PIAA Class AA: Karns City smacks North Star
Karns City won the first PIAA playoff game in school history with a 32-14 win over North Star Saturday afternoon at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium.
Anthony Stimac ran for 140 yards and a touchdown and threw for 57 more yards, and Jake Wagner ran for 35 yards and two scores. Stimac has passed for 914 yards and rushed for 965 on the season.
PIAA Playoff Schedule set
Below is the PIAA playoff schedule this week for teams in Districts 7, 9 and 10. All games are at 7 p.m. Friday
Class AAAA
State College vs. Bethel Park at North Allegheny High School
Class AAA
Thomas Jefferson vs. Erie Strong Vincent at Veterans Stadium, Erie
Class AA
Karns City vs. Aliquippa at Pine-Richland High School
Central-Martinsburg vs. Wilmington at Slippery Rock University
Class A
Farrell vs. Cameron County at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium
Clairton vs. Windber at Trojan Stadium, Johnstown
