MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Steel Valley (Munhall, Pa.) Ironmen have officially been named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring football.
Photo Courtesy of Matt Freed, Post Gazette
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the
MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Ironmen ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
On Saturday, Dec. 10 the Ironmen earned their 15th consecutive win with a 49-7 rout over Southern Columbia for the
2016 PIAA Class 2A football state championship at Hersheypark Stadium. This is the fourth football state title in school history — with previous titles in 1982, 1988 and 1989 — and the first won by a Mon Valley team.
Senior quarterback Ryan Harper completed 5-of-12 passes for 104 yards and a score, and senior Zai'Quan Henderson led the team with a game-high eight tackles. As a team the Ironmen outgained the Tigers 522-232, including 418-98 on the ground.
In 1998 the PIAA began implementing the mercy rule which states that the clock will run continuously once a team goes ahead by 35 points or more in the second half. This season Steel Valley won all 15 games by the mercy rule and is the first team to accomplish this feat. In those 15 wins the Ironmen outscored their opponents 806-121.
At the end of the season, undefeated state champion Steel Valley was highly ranked by MaxPreps —
No.1 in Class AA, No.4 in the state,
No.6 in the Northeast Region and
No.104 in the nation out of nearly 17,000 teams. The Ironmen also finished as the
No.1 team in the MaxPreps Small Schools national football rankings.
These incredible season achievements have earned the Steel Valley Ironmen an invitation to the 12th Annual Tour of Champions.
Please join us as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Friday, Jan. 27 at 5:45 p.m. during pregame of the boys basketball game in the gym.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
Photo Courtesy of MSA Sports Network
