There were some upsets, some blowouts, some close games, and some nailbiters as the WPIAL semifinal round comes to an end. The pairings are set for next Saturday at Heinz Field as North Allegheny takes on Upper St. Clair in Class AAAA, Knoch faces Montour in Class AAA, Aliquippa goes up against the Jeanette Jayhawks in Class AA, and the Clairton Bears square off against the Sto-Rox Vikings in Class A.
CLASS A
Clairton defeated Rochester 43-7 behind Tyler Boyds 4 TD’s and 200 yards rushing. Rochester took the opening kickoff for a TD but the Bears answered with the next 43 points despite 4 fumbles, 12 penalties, and several trips inside the Rochester 5 yard line without coming away with any points. Clairton rolled to 415 yards of offense while limiting Rochester to just 73 and the Bears won their 43rd consecutive game.
Sto-Rox came from behind to defeat Bishop Canevin 12-10 on an 18 yard TD pass from Lenny Williams to Marzett Jeter with 7:20 to go in the game. Josh Beverly scored the other TD for Sto Rox and finished with 133 yards on 22 carries. Canevin scores came on a field goal and a pass from QB Kevin Mechas to Bobby Gustine.
CLASS AA
Brandon Krautz scoops up a Seton-LaSalle fumble at the 1 and returns it 80 yards to the 19 yard line. Photo Credit: Russell Geary, Jr ~ High School Football Web
In a game that was projected to be one of the top games of the night, the Jeanette Jayhawks, behind QB Demetrious Cox, ripped open a close game in the second half to defeat Seton-LaSalle 40-21. Cox rushed for 4 TD’s, threw for another to Seth Miller, and intercepted Seton-LaSalle QB Luke Brumbaugh while on defense. Brumbaugh did manage to throw for 257 yards and 2 TD’s despite a fierce pass rush by the Jayhawks in the second half as Seton-LaSalle was forced to abandon the running game as Jeanette rolled off 33 straight points.
Aliquippa, behind Terry Swanson’s 3 TD’s and 117 yards rushing, rolled over Greensburg Central Catholic 35-0 despite top running back Dravon Henry running the ball only twice due to an injury. Mikal Hall and Desmond Hardy each added TD runs, and the Quips defense held the Centurions to only 2 first downs. Aliquippa will be playing next week for their 14th WPIAL title.
CLASS AAA Knoch, on the final play of the game, defeated Franklin Regional 9-7 on a 19 yard field goal by senior kicker Kory Wood in a hard fought defensive battle. Ky Kenyon scored the only TD for the Knoch Knights while Dane Cook scored the Panthers only TD.
Montour, in one of the semifinal surprises, earned a trip to Heinz Field with a 21-14 upset of last years Class AAA champion Central Valley. The Spartans, behind a strong defensive effort, intercepted 3 passes and recovered 4 fumbles. Receiver Devin Wilson had 4 receptions for 96 yards but he also had 2 key interceptions on defense. Running back Julian Durden also had a big game with 182 yards and 2 TD’s while Central Valley’s Robert Foster ran for only 65 yards but he also had 9 receptions for 91 yards.
CLASS AAAA
In another shocking upset, Upper St. Clair defeated previously undefeated Pittsburgh Central Catholic 28-14. Backup quarterback Pete Coughlin, starting in place of all-everything injured quarterback Dakota Conwell, ran for 209 yards with one running and one passing TD. USC as a team rushed for 304 yards while holding PCC to only 47 yards rushing, thanks to a strong performance by the Panther offensive and defensive lines. The win gave Coach Jim Render his 354th victory of his coaching career.
And in a close call for the defending Class AAA champion North Allegheny, the Tigers on a 1 yard dive by fullback Nick Passodelis with 43 seconds left in the game defeat Gateway 21-17. Gateway played North Allegheny close despite not having starting quarterback Thomas Woodson and starting running back Darin Franklin for parts of the game due to injuries. Alex DeCiantis rushed for 146 yards for North Allegheny which had 220 overall.
