By Chris Rossetti, www.d9sports.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
PITTSBURGH – Jeanette’s magic has run out.
After winning the last two WPIAL Class AA titles while getting to the PIAA Class AA title game in each of the last two seasons with a win last year, the Jayhawks dream of becoming the first WPIAL Class AA team to win three consecutive titles since Braddock won six in a row from 1954-1959 ended with a 35-28 loss to Beaver Falls Friday night at Pine-Richland High School.
“They made the plays and we didn’t,” Jeannette coach Ray Reitz told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We’ve had three great years, and hopefully, we’re going to keep it going. These kids proved they could play without Terrelle (Pryor).”
For Beaver Falls (12-0), which is looking for its first WPIAL title since 1984, the game was sweet revenge considering Jeannette (10-2) beat the Tigers 61-12 in last season’s WPIAL title game.
“We have some unfinished business,” running back Cody Cook, who ran for 314 yards and two touchdowns, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Last year, we came up short.”
There was no coming up short this season, as Cook caught a 12-yard screen pass from Tony Omogrosso on fourth-and-9 from the Jayhawk 19-yard line that set up a 2-yard go-ahead touchdown run by Todd Thomas with 1:30 left to play. Thomas also had a big night running for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Jeannette tied the game at 28 on an 87-yard Cameron Baradziej to Jordan Hall pass with 7:02 to play.
Baradziej had a big game going 7 of 13 for 236 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 35 yards and a score. Hall had two catches for 96 yards while also rushing for 47 yards.
Beaver Falls will face Beaver County rival Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class AA title game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The Quips (10-2) reached the championship contest with a 27-14 win over Shady Side Academy (11-1). Maurice Carter ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, while Rasheem Jones threw for 220 yards and also ran for a score. Aliquippa is looking for its first WPIAL title since 2003 and its 13th all time.
Beaver Falls beat Aliquippa 27-12 Sept. 11 at Aliquippa.
WPIAL Class AAAA: Bethel Park-Gateway to meet for title
The WPIAL Class AAAA title game was set Friday night when top-seeded Gateway (12-0), last year’s runner-up, knocked off Penn Hills 38-23 and second-seeded Bethel Park (12-0) toppled McKeesport 20-13. The two teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Heinz Field.
Bethel Park, which has never won a WPIAL football title, had the more exciting of the two semifinal wins, rallying from a 7-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to beat McKeesport (9-3) on a 71-yard Erik Olson to Lyle Marsh touchdown pass with 1:40 left to play. It was the second time the two hooked up for a score in the game.
Olson also scored the game-tying touchdown on a 1-yard run with 6:51 to play. He finished the game 10 of 14 passing for 221 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
Gateway, on the other hand, built a 21-9 halftime lead on its way to the victory over Penn Hills (8-4). Rob Kalkstein threw for 150 yards and three touchdowns, including to Corey Brown, while Brian Williams ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass for the Gators, who are looking for their first title since 1986.
WPIAL Class AAA: Thomas Jefferson looks for third straight title
Thomas Jefferson has owned Class AAA in the WPIAL the last few years winning two straight titles and three of four. The Jaguars are also the defending PIAA Class AAA champs and have won two state titles since 2004.
TJ (11-1) will now get a chance to become the fifth school to win at least three straight outright WPIAL Class AAA titles thanks to a 47-20 win over New Castle (8-4) Friday night in a game that saw the Jaguars take a commanding 27-0 halftime lead.
Brian Baldridge had another outstanding game with 382 yards rushing and three touchdowns giving him a mind-boggling 801 yards rushing and six touchdowns in TJ’s three WPIAL playoff games. That almost doubles his total yardage on the season giving him 1,752 and 22 touchdown. He had 951 and 16 scores in the regular season.
Quarterback Tyler Wehner also had a big night rushing for 108 yards and two scores including tying a national record with a 99-yard touchdown run. Wehner also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brock DeCicco.
In order to get its third straight title, Thomas Jefferson will have to get past Blackhawk, a school that knows a little something about winning WPIAL Championships. The Cougars are one of the four teams to win at least three straight titles, winning three in a row from 1991-93. Blackhawk has four total WPIAL titles, last winning one in 1996.
The Cougars (11-1) return to the WPIAL title game thanks to a 36-7 thumping of No. 2 seed a previously unbeaten Highlands (11-1). Zach Hayward threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns including two to Jake Delmonico, and Bryan Stefanik ran for 105 yards and score.
The Class AAA title game will be at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Heinz Field.
WPIAL Class A: Clairton to square off with Monaca for title
The WPIAL Class A title game will kick off at 10:37 a.m. Saturday at Heinz Field with unbeaten Clairton (12-0) taking on one-loss Monaca (11-1).
Clairton, which is looking for its second WPIAL title in the last three years, reached the championship game with a 16-0 win over Rochester (10-2). Andrew Currington scored the game’s lone offensive touchdown on a 5-yard run in the second quarter, and Deontae Howard sealed the victory when he returned an interception 45 yards for a score in the fourth quarter.
Monaca, which hasn’t won a WPIAL title since 1985, topped previously unbeaten Avonworth (11-1) 17-6 in its semifinal game thanks to a mammoth defensive play in the final 30 seconds.
Clinging to a 10-6 lead, the Indians had their backs to the wall with Avonworth sitting at the 5-yard line. But Andy Roczka tipped a Tyler Fatigante pass, and Jesse Hribar picked off the pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory.
District 9 Class AA: Karns City gets revenge on Moniteau, wins D9 Title
Moniteau took away Karns City’s 27-game KSAC win streak and 17-game regular-season win streak and the Gremlins shot at a fourth straight conference crown with a 35-34 win back in October.
The Gremlins, though, got revenge and more Friday night whipping up on the Warriors 42-9 in the District 9 Class AA title game at Clarion University’s Memorial Field. It’s the second straight District 9 title for Karns City, which is 23-2 in the last two years.
“It’s good for the kids and good for the program,” Karns City head coach Ed Conto said. “This was the goal at the start of the season, and we achieved it.”
Senior quarterback Anthony Stimac was the unofficial MVP of the game running for 90 yards and two touchdowns and going 3 of 6 passing for 83 yards and three touchdowns, all to Josh Callender. Karns City’s defense also limited Moniteau star quarterback Tyler Armagost to 10 of 23 passing for 116 yards and two interceptions.
Stimac now has 857 yards passing and 824 yards rushing on the season, while Armagost finished his sensational career with 5,278 yards passing and 52 touchdowns and 864 yards rushing and 21 scores. He had 1,912 yards passing and 19 scores this season while helping Moniteau (10-2) to a school-record 10 wins.
District 9 Class A: Cameron County-Clarion to meet for title
The District 9 Class A title game will be a rematch of the 1999 title contest when seventh-seeded Clarion (8-4) takes on top-seeded Cameron County (11-1) at 7 p.m. Friday night at Frank Varischetti Field in Brockway. Cameron won the 1999 meeting 13-6 at Brockway when Clarion fumbled at the 1-yard line in the closing seconds.
Cameron’s berth in this year’s title game is no surprise considering the Red Raiders have been the dominant Class A team all year, and that continued Friday night with a 21-7 win over Coudersport (8-3). The Red Raiders ran for 456 yards on the night including 246 and three touchdowns by Andy Lippert, who has 536 yards rushing and seven touchdowns in two playoff games. Andrew Kesterholt added 105 yards rushing for Cameron.
Clarion, on the other hand, is a surprise entrant in the finals becoming the first seventh seed to reach the title game since the district expanded to an 8-team tournament in 2004. The Bobcats needed a come-from-behind effort to beat sixth-seeded Elk County Catholic (7-4) 18-12 in overtime in the semifinals.
Clarion trailed 12-6 at the end of three quarters of play and had 62 yards of offense in the first 36 minutes before going on a 15-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that ended on a 1-yard Bubba Rue score with 4:39 left in regulation tying the game at 12. Then in overtime, freshman quarterback Brandon Heeter hit Gavin Griffin with an 8-yard touchdown pass to give Clarion the lead. ECC appeared to tie the game with a TD pass of its own in overtime, but a penalty negated the score, and Clarion’s defense held on the next four downs. It was the third Crusader touchdown called back in the game.
Heeter was 12 of 14 passing for Clarion for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Ricky Pearsall had 151 yards rushing and a touchdown and returned a punt for a score for ECC.
PIAA Class AAA Playoffs: Clearfield knocks off Brashear
District 9 Champion Clearfield built a 24-7 halftime lead and then held off a furious fourth quarter comeback from Pittsburgh City League (District 8) champ Brashear to get a 24-21 win in a PIAA Class AAA play-in game Friday night in Pittsburgh.
Jarrin Campman ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns for Clearfield and now has 1,297 yards passing and 1,273 yards rushing on the season. He is believed to be the first District 9 player to ever have 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season.
Henri Chatman threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 22 for the Bulls.
District 10 Class AAA: Erie Strong Vincent captures title
Deonte Flemings and Darrell Brooks each scored two touchdowns to lift Erie Strong Vincent to a 28-0 win over Erie Cathedral Prep in the District 10 Class AAA title game Friday night.
Brooks ran for 165 yards and scored on runs of 43 and 33 yards, while Flemings found the end zone on carries for 48 and five yards helping Strong Vincent to its second straight D10 Class AAA title and its fourth title since 2003.
District 10 Class AA: Wilmington-Slippery Rock to meet for title
Wilmington will try for its third straight District 10 Class AA title and its ninth overall D10 championship (2 have come in Class AAA) when it takes on Slippery Rock at 7 p.m. Saturday at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium. The Rockets are in search of their third D10 title under head coach Clyde Conti.
Wilmington reached the title game with a 35-7 win over General McLane. Dallas Hartman and Derrick Burns each scored two touchdowns, and Sutton Whiting threw for a score and ran for a score. Whiting had 94 yards rushing and was 1-for-1 passing for 59 yards, while Burns had 72 yards on the ground and Hartman caught the 59-yard pass from Whiting and returned a fumble 45 yards for a score.
Meanwhile, Slippery Rock advanced to the title game with a 27-10 win over Sharon thanks to 197 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Isaac Osborne and two field goals from Mike Ramirez. The game was tied at 10 at halftime.
District 10 Class A: Linesville-Farrell to battle for title
Farrell won six titles while a member of the WPIAL (District 7), including back-to-back Class A titles in 1995 and 1996. Now the Steelers will get a chance to capture their first District 10 title when they take on Linesville at 7 p.m. Friday at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium in the Class A. The Lions have never won a district title.
A 31-0 shutout of Saegertown propelled Farrell to the D10 title game. The Steelers led 7-0 at halftime before turning it on in the second half. Danny Odem had 112 yards passing and a touchdown and 20 yards rushing and a score to lead the way.
Linesville reached the title game with a 35-7 romp of Mercer behind 128 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Doug Farley.
