Sixty-four teams began their playoff journey to Heinz Field three weeks ago, and now only eight remain among the four classes in WPIAL Football. These championships look to be historic in many ways, this will be the final season under the current classifications as the PIAA has elected to go to new classifications for member schools in 2016. These championship games will also serve as the 100th installment of WPIAL Football Championships with the first one being played in 1915 between Wilkinsburg and Fifth Avenue.
In Class AAAA, Central Catholic takes on an undefeated Penn-Trafford team, while in AAA, Central Valley faces Thomas Jefferson. Aliquippa looks to upset defending WPIAL Champion South Fayette in AA action, and undefeated Clairton looks to defend their 2014 Class A WPIAL Championship against league division rival Jeannette.
The winners of the games Saturday will advance to the quarterfinals of the PIAA Football Playoffs being played next weekend.
Class AAAA
(1) Penn-Trafford Warriors vs. (5) Central Catholic Vikings
The Match-Up: Penn-Trafford returns to the WPIAL Championship game for the first time since 1997 after defeating defending WPIAL Champions Pine-Richland last Friday. Central Catholic upset the number one ranked AAAA team in the state, Woodland Hills, to advance to the title game. The Vikings defense has allowed 23 total points in three playoff games while Warriors are averaging 44.3 points per game.
How They Got Here: After an undefeated regular season, Penn-Trafford rolled to the finals after rolling past North Hills 56-7 in the first round. McKeesport was the next victim falling 39-32 in the quarterfinals before the Warriors edged past Pine-Richland 38-34 in the semifinals. Central Catholic’s lone blemish came in a week-three loss to North Allegheny. Victorious over Upper St. Clair in the first round, the Vikings got revenge over North Allegheny in the quarterfinals beating them 31-17 before upsetting number-one seed Woodland Hills 24-6 in the semifinals.
Who to Watch: Both squads are stellar on both sides of the ball. For the Vikings, players to watch are defensive back Braxton Swann, quarterback Troy Fisher and running back Ronnie Jones. Swann has two interceptions on the season for the Central Catholic defense, while Fisher and Jones have combined for 29 touchdowns on the season. Timmy Vecchio has played strong on both sides of the football this season accumulating 18 touchdowns and four interceptions for the undefeated Warriors.
Prugar’s Prediction: Penn Trafford
Class AAA
(1) Central Valley Warriors vs. (6) Thomas Jefferson Jaguars
The Match-Up: After a loss in Week 1, Central Valley has racked up 11 straight wins as it continued to defend its 2014 Championship. Thomas Jefferson returns to the finals boasting a defense that has allowed 127 total points this season.
How They Got Here: Central Valley defeated opening-round opponent Laurel Highlands 59-14 before dominating Hampton 42-9 in the quarterfinals. Mars would take the Warriors to wire, eventually losing, 48-41. Thomas Jefferson dominated Armstrong in round-one 42-7 and advanced to shutout West Allegheny 14-0 in the quarterfinals before overtaking Franklin Regional 34-21 in the semifinals to get to Heinz Field.
Who to Watch: Chris Callaghan has amassed 2,288 yards through the air for the Warriors while Kyle Vreen has led Central Valley on the ground going for 1,167 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Jaguars are a run-heavy team with running backs Quinton Hill and Braeden Pahanish rushing for 1,451 and 1,014 yards, respectively.
Prugar’s Prediction: Central Valley
Class AA
(1) South Fayette Lions vs. (2) Aliquippa Quips
The Match-Up: For the third year in a row, South Fayette and Aliquippa face-off with the WPIAL Class AA title on the line. The Quips have yet to overtake the Lions in their two previous title tilts.
How They Got Here: South Fayette’s balanced offensive attack helped the Lions move past Burgettstown 63-6 in the opening round and dismantling Beaver 54-7 in the quarterfinals before defeating Steel Valley 27-19 last week. An opening round 42-26 victory over Keystone Oaks propelled Aliquippa to a 46-6 drubbing of Seton-LaSalle in the quarterfinals. The undefeated Quips kept their winning streak alive with a 36-14 semifinal victory over Freeport.
Who to Watch: Sheldon Jeter has been unstoppable on both sides of the ball for the Quips. Throwing for 1,243 yards and 17 touchdowns, the two-way player has also intercepted six passes on the defensive side of the ball. Jassir Jordan has also helped solidify a ball-hawking secondary for Aliquippa with five interceptions of his own. Running back Hunter Hayes has rushed for 1,342 yards with 19 touchdowns while quarterback Drew Saxton has thrown 27 touchdowns for the Lions.
Prugar’s Prediction: Aliquippa
Class A
(1) Clairton Bears vs. (3) Jeannette Jayhawks
The Match-Up: Clairton has dominated Class A football for the last 10 years amassing a mind-boggling 138-8 record over that time span. Jeannette, who’s lone loss came at the hands of the Bears in the regular season, makes its first appearance in the Class A title game.
How They Got Here: The Bears, victorious over their past 25 WPIAL opponents, have not lost since Bishop Guilfoyle beat them in the PIAA Class A Championship game last December. Clairton destroyed Carmichaels 70-6 in the first round and moved on to defeat Avonworth in the quarterfinals 46-21 before drubbing Frazier 56-15 in the semifinals. Defeating Chartiers-Houston 27-7 in round-one, the Jayhawks advanced to defeat Neshannock 25-15 in the quarterfinals before spoiling the undefeated season of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic with a 22-14 victory.
Who to Watch: Quarterback Aaron Mathews has torched Clairton opponents for 2,218 yards in the air while throwing 28 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. Lamont Wade, the leading rusher for the Bears, has rushed for 1,043 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jeannette quarterback Giovonne Sanders picked apart the Clairton secondary for 245 yards and three total touchdowns in their regular season match-up.
Prugar’s Prediction: Clairton
Prugar’s Predictions: Last Week: 6-2
Prugar’s Predictions: Overall: 41-19
