W.P.I.A.L. High School Football Forecast: State Quarterfinals

Every week during the High School Football season, Pittsburgh SportsNation brings you uncensored, no holds barred predictions by our guru who goes by the moniker “P To The Power of 2”. He is one of our underground writers who covers W.P.I.A.L. High School Football in Western Pennsylvania. Or is it she? Either way, we'll never tell!



By P-to-The-Power of 2

Full of Thanksgiving leftovers, Black Friday shopping or verdict Monday looting, we proceed onto the PIAA Quarterfinals, The “Elite 8” of each class you could say. Last week P-To-The-Power-Of-2 went .500 at the Ketchup Bottle, going 2-2, and went 3-3 on other district match-ups….Thus taking the 2014 postseason total down quicker than the Little Caesars in Ferguson to 52 victories and 14 defeats, standing in at an average of 78%....then the full season total to 122 victories and 33 losses, 78%.

 

 

A debate that continues to come forth in discussion is the Catholic Schools and the “Unfair” advantage they obtain by being able to “recruit” players. Please let me explain to you that this is the biggest excuse I’ve ever heard from public schools. A comment that was brought to my attention from a player's mother saying “They need to have their own league, it’s not fair to the other schools”. The education level in your district must not be elevated. Your comments hold zero water, and here is why. If a parent wants to place their child into a private school, it is their right to do so. I clearly remember a public school, one that some of your children attend, that was caught recruiting, suspended and given a slap on the wrist for the offence. Hmm, wonder who that could be…Mark Lyons? 

Yup, you got it! People need to know their role and shut their mouth, that includes you ma'am. Sit down and next time, know the facts before you open your pie hole.

 

16 match-ups are slated for this weekend, welcome aboard the PIAA train, it’s departing the station….Let’s Get To Work!

 

CLASS ‘A’

 

District 7 Champion: Clairton Bears (13-0) vs District 5 Champion: Berlin Mountaineers (11-1) 

from Elizabeth Forward, Friday at 7pm.  

Berlin enters by defeating Meyersdale, 42-7 last week to win the D5 title. Clairton dismantled Avonworth, 46-14.  The Bears of Clairton are averaging 64.2 points per game while only giving up 7.6.  Clairton QB Ryan Williams has passed for 2,533 yards with 32 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, 124 of 224.  RB Lamont Wade has rushed for 2,256 yards on 152 attempts with 41 touchdowns.  A staggering average of 15 yards per touch.  Also Harrison Dreher has 680 yards rushing and Aaron Matthews has 36 receptions for 671 yards.  Berlin is led by RB Braden Fochtman, who has 1,822 yards rushing this season.  QB Brentson Harding has tossed for 876 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. You can elevate that interception number tonight. 

Not even close, keep the bus warm, back to the sticks with the hicks.  Clairton over Berlin

 

District 10 Champion: Sharpsville Blue Devils (10-3) vs District 9 Champion: Kane Wolves (12-1) 

from Mihalik-Thompson Stadium at Slippery Rock, Friday at 7pm.  

Sharpsville defeated West Middlesex last weekend, 29-14 to raise another D10 trophy.  Kane defeated Brockway, 33-14.  Kane Wolves RB John English rushed for 111 yards on 29 touches last week and QB Jack Kocjancic tossed for 112 yards.  Sharpsville shot out to a 22-0 lead last week over West Middlesex before having to hold them off in the second half.  RB George Keck rushed for 140 yards on 22 carries in the contest and QB Luke Henwood only threw 14 passes for 93 yards and was picked off twice.  Sharpsville is 4-3 in PIAA quarterfinal matchups. 

We like them to rack up another….Sharpsville over Kane                                                                                       

 

District 11 Champion: Pius X Royals (11-2) vs District 4 Champion: South Williamsport Mountaineers (12-1) 

from Northern Lehigh, Friday at 7pm.  

Pius X QB Tre Jordan has completed 181 of 266 passes for 2,701 yards and 34 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions this season. Mr. Jordan has accounted for the school record of 445 yards offense in the team’s 45-14 victory in the D11 final over Marian Catholic, 45-14.  South Williamsport spanked Old Forge, 40-0.  The Mountaineers are averaging 50 points per game and more than 500 yards of offense in each game.  RB Dominick Bragalone, a division 1 hot target, stands in at 5-foot-11, 210lb. He has 253 carries for 3,923 yards and 54 touchdowns and 15.5 yards per carry this season.  A big and experienced offensive line will lead the way for South Williamsport. 

It will be a barn burner from Northern Lehigh. Ok, here we go South Williamsport over Pius X

 

District 3 Champion: Camp Hill Lions (10-2) vs District 6 Champion: Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders (13-0) 

from Chambersburg High, Friday at 7pm.  

Camp Hill enters by defeating York Catholic in a shootout, 63-49.  Bishop Guilfoyle defeated Portage, 28-14.  Lions will be led by QB Michael Shuster who has passed for 3,319 yards this season, with 41 touchdowns and 10 INT’s.  RB Bill Williams has 1,224 yards for 17 touchdowns on 170 touches.  WR Michael Hope has 1,252 receiving yards on 74 receptions for 17 touchdowns. The Lions offense is not only dangerous, but can score in the blink of an eye. Bishop Guilfoyle will feature QB Brandon Chadbourn who has 1,295 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and 3 INT’s.  RB Sam McCloskey has 1,698 yards rushing with 37 touchdowns. WR Matt Gormley has 30 receptions for 382 yards and 7 touchdowns.  Camp Hill will go over the top for at least one big score, but the Marauders have the personnel to make the Lions’ offense have a night from hell.  Bishop Guilfoyle over Camp Hill

 

CLASS ‘AA’

 

District 4 Champion: Montoursville Warriors (9-4) vs District 3 Champion: Wyomissing Spartans (12-1) 

from Kemp Memorial Field, Saturday, 1pm. 

Montoursville upset unbeaten and top-seeded Southern Columbia 26-14 in semifinals, then topped Loyalsock for the second time in 4 weeks to claim first D4 title since 2006. Keith Batkowski ran for 163 yards and 3 TDs and defense came up with several red zone stops to hold off Lancers 21-19. Batkowski is a workhorse, running for 1,946 yards while averaging 24 carries per game. He has 21 TDs and has topped 100 yards 9 times.  Wyomissing avenged the lone loss of season and claimed seventh district title, and fourth in Class AA, with 35-21 upset of top-seeded Berks Catholic last week. The D3 champ has beaten the D4 champ 3 straight years, 5 of the last 6 and 6 of the last 8. Last season Berks Catholic defeated Troy 33-6…. a year earlier Wyomissing clobbered Danville 52-0. District 4 teams have combined for 1 TD over past three seasons in this quarterfinal round.  

Wyomissing over Montoursville

 

District 12 Champion: Neumann-Goretti Saints (9-4) vs District 2 Champion: Dunmore Bucks (12-1) 

from Northern Lehigh Stadium, Saturday at 1pm.  

The Saints defeated Springfield last week, 32-7 while Dunmore continued their march back to Hershey with a thrilling 35-27 victory over Northern Lehigh.  Saints will be led by QB Raymond Lenhart who has thrown for 1,238 yards for 12 touchdowns while RB Khalil Roane has rushed for 1,470 yards and 13 touchdowns.  Dual threat receivers Emil Moody and Aamir Brown, both sophomores have combined for over 680 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns.  The Bucks of Dunmore are led by QB Eric DeLuccie, who has thrown for 510 yards for 4 touchdowns.  RB combo of Sal Marchese, who has 1,190 yards for 19 touchdowns and Colin Holmes, who has rushed for 1,377 yards and 19 touchdowns will carry the load for the Bucks.  Buck the Saints.  

Dunmore over Neumann-Goretti

 

District 7 Champion: South Fayette Lions (13-0) vs District 9 Champion: Karns City Gremlins (11-1) 

from Clairon University, Friday at 7pm.  

South Fayette will be going for their 30^th consecutive win vs Karns City tonight, a team they destroyed last year in the same round, 57-21.  Lions QB Brett Brumbaugh, who only needs 304 yards to break the PIAA passing yardage mark, currently held by Port Allegany grad Matt Bodamer at 10,948 yards will lead the Lions aerial attack. Karns City will rely on the running game with Collin Dunmyre with 873 yards and Turner Rhoades, 726 yards.  The Gremlins will do their best to keep it respectful on the scoreboard, good season Karns City, back to the fields of no-man’s land.  

South Fayette over Karns City

 

District 6 Champion: Tyrone Eagles (12-1) vs District 10 Champion: Hickory Hornets (10-2) 

from Mansell Stadium in DuBois, where Michael Jackson is buried.  

This game will take place Saturday at 1pm.  Hickory enters by winning their 4^th straight D10 championship by defeating Greenville 12-7.  Tyrone continues to roll by upending favorite Mt. Union, 35-21.  Tyrone is led by QB Garrett Hunter with 1,705 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.  RB Aleic Hunter has 1,887 yards rushing with 26 touchdowns. Tyrone’s defense has held the opposition to single digits in six games this season and only three have been able to score over 20 points. Hickory will rely on Freshman QB Luke Brennan who has 809 yards passing with 8 touchdowns.  RB Chuck Carr has 1,131 yards with 19 touchdowns.  Hickory go to the State Semifinal last year before falling to South Fayette. They’ll do their best to get there again, but they’ll falter.  

Tyrone over Hickory

 

 

CLASS ‘AAA’

 

District 12 Champion: Archbishop Wood Vikings (11-1) vs District 1 Champion: Great Valley Patriots (12-1) 

from Charles Martin Memorial, Friday at 7pm.  

The Vikings enter the Quarterfinals by defeating Imhotep Charter, 42-34.  While Great Valley took down Springfield, 21-0.  Great Valley is led by QB Zachary Ludwig who has 2,002 yards passing with 16 touchdowns. The ground game is spread out amongst RB River Johnson, with 860 yards, 10 touchdowns. Zachary Ludwig, 644 yards, 10 touchdowns and Nasir Adderley with 246 yards and 2 touchdowns, also, Nasir has 1,014 receptions with 4 touchdowns.  The Vikings of Archbishop will counter with QB Anothony Russo who has 1,248 yards passing with 20 touchdowns.  RB Jarrett McClenton has 1,158 yards rushing with 16 touchdowns only on 109 carries.  A monster offensive line, led by Ryan Bates, 6-foot-5, 280lbs and Mack Schwartz, 6-foot-4, 210lbs and Justin Cleary, 6-foot-4, 300lbs.  The Vikings will get a stern test for sure, but they’ll motor their way back to the PIAA semifinals. 

Archbishop Wood over Great Valley

 

District 5 Champion: Somerset Eagles (12-1) vs District 11 Champion: Bethlehem Catholic Hawks (12-1) 

from Chambersburg Highschool, Saturday at 2pm. 

The Hawks defeated Crestwood last week 42-28.  QB Julian Spigner has tossed the rock for 2,239 yards this season for 28 touchdowns.  He’s also rushed for 449 yards.  RB Michael McDaniel has rushed for 1,901 yards for 30 touchdowns and WR Elijah Fineran has 735 receiving yards with 8 touchdowns.  The upstart Somerset Eagles continue to silence the critics with QB Dylan Barnes who has 1,418 yards passing with 19 touchdowns. RB Jake Heiple has 1,320 rushing yards with 22 touchdowns. 

The Cinderella story continues! Somerset over Bethlehem Catholic

 

District 7 Champion: Central Valley Warriors (13-0) vs District 10 Champion: Conneaut Eagles (11-1) 

from Newman Stadium at North Allegheny High. Where they never provide paper towels to dry your hands. Friday, 7pm. 

Central Valley enters by defeating West Allegheny, 35-28 in a thriller.  Conneaut upended and stunned D10 perennial powerhouse Erie Cathedral Prep, 14-7 in a blizzard 2 weeks ago at Edinboro. Conneaut and Central Valley have plenty in common. Conneaut is the result of a three-school consolidation of Conneaut Lake, Conneaut Valley and Linesville in 2012. Central Valley is the result of a 2010 merger between neighboring school districts Center and Monaca. Central Valley has an explosive offense with plenty of athletes. QB Chris Callaghan is 73-of-116 passing for 1,266 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions for the Warriors, while highly touted recruit Jordan Whitehead has 108 carries for 1,519 yards and 17 touchdowns. Callaghan's top target is WR B.J. Powell with 40 catches for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns, and WR Dante Lucci has 30 catches for 473 yards and three touchdowns. Conneaut QB Hunter Merritt is on his way to becoming one of the top rushers in D10 history. He has more than 4,200 career yards, including 1,605 yards and 27 touchdowns on 187 carries this season. RB Elijah Anderton has made up a terrific rushing duo with Merritt with 1,553 yards and 19 touchdowns on 152 carries. Merritt has 1,042 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air, including 37 passes for 595 yards and 11 touchdowns to Henry Litwin.  Both of these teams have a huge hangover looming large, which one has the worst type. Neither school has advanced past the PIAA Quarterfinals….

Unfortunately, get my vomit bag, Central Valley over Conneaut

 

District 3 Championship: Cocalico Eagles (10-3) vs Bishop McDevitt Crusaders (13-0) 

from Hershey Park Stadium, Friday, 7pm.  

The Eagles continued their playoff run with a victory over Daniel Boon, 24-6.  The Eagle offense has generated an average of 34 points per game and 345 yards per game.  RB Matt Weinhold leads the Eagles with rushing with 848 yards and 8 touchdowns.  QB Brady Sawyer has stepped up to fill the void when starter Dante Haines went down with a season ending injury. He has thrown for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Here enters big bad Bishop McDevitt.  RB Andre Robinson, Penn State commit has rushed for 1,337 yards with 16 touchdowns this season despite missing 5 games with an injury.  Last week he carried 25 times for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns.  QB Nick Marsilio, who stands in at 6-foot-4, 200lbs has tossed the ball well this year for 3,317 yards and has 36 touchdowns. He has a QB rating of 125.5.  His targets of choice are WR Kobay White who has 64 receptions for 1,136 yards and 14 touchdowns and WR Byrce Hall who has 50 receptions for 917 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Highly talented DE Buddy Pagliaro has 5.5 sacks this season with 20 solo tackles.  The Crusaders have 19 interceptions on the season with 12 fumble recoveries and 34 total sacks. Just the right tune-up game before they pound Central Valley next week in the semi’s…

Get ready for a baptism, Catholic Style!  Bishop McDevitt over Cocalico

 

CLASS ‘AAAA’

 

District 6 Champion: State College Little Lions (6-6) vs District 7 Champion: Pine Richland Rams (13-0) 

from Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona, Saturday at 1pm. Hopefully there will not be a Ram on the loose.  

Why are we previewing a game with a 6-6 team? I’ll save you time. Easy win. Pine Richland over State College

 

District 3 Championship: Wilson Bulldogs (13-0) vs Central Dauphin Rams (11-2) 

from Hershey Park on Saturday at 6pm.  

Wilson defeated Dauphin East, 9-6. Central Dauphin defeated Governor Mifflin, 16-13.   This will be the 11^th consecutive D3 championship appearance for the Rams of Central Dauphin.  Central Dauphin QB David Patton III has only 506 passing yards this season with 5 touchdowns.  RB Raleigh Sirb has 1,321 yards rushing with 18 touchdowns.  WR Justin Salak has 208 yards receiving with 6 touchdowns only on 15 receptions.  Wilson will counter this with QB Jake Templin with 1,541 yards passing with 27 touchdowns.  TB Shane Dantzler has 1,475 yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground.  The Bulldogs defeated Central Dauphin way back in week 3, 14-12.  The Bulldogs are 13-0 for the just the 3^rd time in school history.  Central Dauphin falters again.  

Wilson over Central Dauphin

 

District 11 Champion: Parkland Trojans (12-2) vs District 12 Champion: St. Joe’s Prep Hawks (8-3) 

from BASD Stadium in Bethlehem. Saturday at 1pm.  

Parkland QB Devante Cross has thrown for 2,066 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.  WR Kenny Yeboah at 6-foot-5 is a nightmare for the opposition to cover. He has 40 catches for 675 yards and 12 touchdowns.  His running ability on jet sweep has gained him 213 yards on 21 carries.  St Joes will use QB Jack Clements who has tossed for 1,598 yards and 20 touchdowns with zero interceptions.  RB De’Andre Swift has 688 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns, Also RB Olamide Zaccheaus has 588 yards with 9 touchdowns.  WR John Reid has 699 yards receiving for 12 touchdowns.  Last year Parkland was defeated by St. Joe’s Prep, 21-10 en route to a PIAA title.  They’ll lose again. 

St. Joe’s Prep over Parkland

 

District 1 Championship: Coatesville Red Raiders (13-0) vs Pennsbury Falcons (13-1) 

Saturday 1pm from Souderton High.  

The Red Raiders have a taken on a similar transformation to the 2012 team that took them to the state final.  The Red Raiders are led by QB Jordan Young who has 2,621 passing yards with 20 touchdowns but has 8 interceptions. RB Jalen Hudson has 10 touchdowns with 1,041 yards rushing. WR James Clark has 6 touchdowns with 732 receiving yards for the Red Raiders.  Pennsbury will bring the fight with QB Mike Alley, who hasn’t thrown for a touchdown since week 9.  You ask why this is, well, the Falcons run the Wing-T offense.  Star RB & Rutgers commit, Charles Snorweah has over 2,400 rushing yards this season, 924 of them came in the first three weeks of the playoffs.  Wing-T keeps the Red Raiders offense off the field. 

Pennsbury over Coatesville