A rematch heavy Friday night looms in quarterfinal action of the WPIAL Football playoffs. Class AAAA leads the way with three of their four match-ups being rematches, Woodland Hills vs. Bethel Park, Penn-Trafford vs. McKeesport, and North Allegheny vs. Central Catholic while Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic serves as the other rematch in Class AA action. All games in the quarterfinals are played at neutral sites.
We preview some key match-ups in quarterfinal action:
Class AAAA
(1) Woodland Hills Wolverines vs. (8) Bethel Park Black Hawks at West Mifflin.
The Match-Up: Bethel Park threatened the perfect season for Woodland Hills in Week 3 falling 28-23 at the Wolvarena. The winner of this game will move on to face the winner of North Allegheny and Central Catholic.
How They Got Here: Woodland Hills earned the 1 seed throughout the WPIAL playoffs by way of an unblemished regular season that saw them outscoring opponents 324-110. The Wolverines advance to the quarterfinals via a 41-7 drubbing of Hempfield last Friday. Bethel Park made it to the quarterfinals by beating Kiski Area last week. The Black Hawks went 6-3 in the regular season with all three losses coming against current playoff teams.
What to Watch For: Look for Miles Sanders to play a big role in the Wolverine offense. He tore up the Black Hawks defenders in their regular season match-up yet only had two carries last week. Bethel Park is led by senior quarterback Levi Metheny who has thrown for 1,577 yards this season. Expect a down to the wire game with Woodland Hills doing what it takes to advance to the semi-finals
Prugar’s Prediction: Woodland Hills 31, Bethel Park 28.
(2) Penn-Trafford Warriors vs. (7) McKeesport Tigers at Gateway.
The Match-Up: A rematch of a Week 4 win for Penn-Trafford, the loss was the only blemish on an 8-1 regular season for McKeesport. Offense will be a plenty as these teams lead WPIAL Class AAAA in points per game with 48.2 for Penn-Trafford and 46.4 for McKeesport. The winner moves on to play the winner of Pine-Richland and Mt. Lebanon.
How They Got Here: Penn Trafford advanced rather easily with a 56-7 win against North Hills in the first round. The Warriors were perfect in the regular season giving up an average of 8 points per game. McKeesport won 48-0 over Seneca Valley last Friday in their first round game. The Tigers are scoring 46.4 points per game while only allowing 5.3.
What to Watch For: Two of the best offenses in Class AAAA go against two of the best defenses in a classic clash to live to play another game. Penn-Trafford’s spread attack will be looking to tire the Tiger defense out while McKeesport’s flexbone offense has shown it is nearly unstoppable throughout the year. Look for the team McKeesport to avenge their early loss and advance.
Prugar’s Prediction: McKeesport 21, Penn-Trafford 18.
Other Class AAAA Games:
(3) Pine-Richland Rams vs. (6) Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils at North Allegheny
Prugar’s Prediction: Mt. Lebanon 31, Pine-Richland 28.
(4) North Allegheny Tigers vs. (5) Central Catholic Vikings at North Hills
Prugar’s Prediction: Central Catholic 28, North Allegheny 21.
Class AAA
(4) Mars Fightin’ Planets vs. (5) Ringgold Rams at Chartiers Valley
The Match-Up: Ringgold advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA semi-finals last year while Mars has lost in this round the previous four seasons. Both the Rams and the Planets boast running backs who have more than 1,000 yards on the ground this season.
How They Got Here: Mars went 8-1 in a regular season where their only loss came at the hands of seventh seeded Franklin Regional. In the first round the Planets edged out New Castle 17-14 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Rams were victorious over Ambridge 35-0 in the first round. The lone loss on the Ringgold schedule came against number two seed Belle Vernon.
What to Watch For: Ringgold averages over 120 yards through the air while Mars averages over 200 on the ground. Expect the Rams offense to outmatch the Planets defense on the ground and in the air and advance to the semi-finals for the second season in a row.
Prugar’s Prediction: Ringgold 31, Mars 18.
(3) West Allegheny Indians vs. (6) Thomas Jefferson Jaguars at Upper St. Clair
The Match-Up: West Allegheny brings a high-powered offense which outscored opponents by 243 points in the regular season in to a match-up against a Thomas Jefferson team who is allowing 10.8 points per game. The winner moves on to face the winner of Belle Vernon and Franklin Regional.
How They Got Here: West Allgheny beat Hollidaysburg by 20 points last week to kick off their quest for Heinz Field. Riding an offense led by Nick Ross who has a completion percentage of 61.8 percent, they are scoring an average of 38 points per game. Thomas Jefferson racked up 538 yards of total offense in their victory over Armstrong in the first round. The Jaguars were 7-2 in the regular season rolling off eight straight wins since their week two loss to Belle Vernon.
What to Watch For: The Indians stout defense looks to slow down a potent rushing attack for the Jaguars. These teams are no strangers to each other facing off five times in the playoffs since 2005 with West Allegheny getting the upper hand last year in the semi-finals. Look for the Indians offense to come alive and continue their offensive tear.
Prugar’s Prediction: West Allegheny 35, Thomas Jefferson 17.
Other Class AAA games:
(1) Central Valley Warriors vs. (9) Hampton Talbots at Seneca Valley
Prugar’s Prediction: Central Valley 38, Hampton 24.
(2) Belle Vernon Leopards vs. (7) Franklin Regional Panthers at Norwin
Prugar’s Prediction: Belle Vernon 35, Franklin Regional 14.
Class AA
(3) Washington Little Prexies vs. (6) Freeport Yellowjackets at Hempfield
The Match-Up: Washington looks to advance to the semi-finals for the second straight year while Freeport looks to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2010. The winner moves on to face the winner of Aliquippa and Seton-LaSalle.
How They Got Here: The Little Prexies bring a 10-0 record into their quarterfinal match-up after winning 52-7 in the first round. With a defense that has allowed 56 total points in 10 games, Washington has scored 489 points on offense. Freeport comes into the quarterfinals after getting past McGuffey 45-6 in the first round. The lone loss for the Yellowjackets came at the hands of five seed Steel Valley.
What to Watch For: The defense for the Little Prexies looks to continue their dominance against a Freeport squad known for its passing. To keep their playoff win streak against Washington alive, the Yellowjackets must penetrate an offensive line who have blocked for two 1,000-yard rushers this season. Look for Washington to win easily behind the success of their running game.
Prugar’s Prediction: Washington 49, Freeport 14.
(4) Beaver Falls Tigers vs. (5) Steel Valley Ironmen at Montour
The Match-Up: Both teams enter the quarterfinals with a lone blemish on their records. The Ironmen boast a stronger defense while the Tigers offense has produced a 1,000 yard rusher in Malik Shepherd.
How They Got Here: Beaver Falls squeaked by Apollo-Ridge on a touchdown with 3.5 seconds left in the first round. The Tigers only loss came in week eight against Aliquippa. Steel Valley is riding a four game winning streak after losing to South Fayette in Week 6. Last week, the Ironmen handled New Brighton easily winning 49-7.
What to Watch For: Expect the Ironmen to dominate the game in the trenches and on the ground. If the Tigers want to advance they will have to stop 4,091 yard rusher DeWayne Murray.
Prugar’s Prediction: Steel Valley 35, Beaver Falls 17.
Other Class AA games:
(1) South Fayette Lions vs. (9) Beaver Bobcats at West Allegheny
Prugar’s Prediction: South Fayette 42, Beaver 21.
(2) Aliquippa Quips vs. (10) Seton-LaSalle Rebels at Ambridge
Prugar’s Prediction: Aliquippa 35, Seton-LaSale 14.
Class A
(2) Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans vs. (7) Bishop Canevin Crusaders at Deer Lakes
The Match-Up: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic comes in with the upper hand after beating Bishop Canevin 20-0 in the regular season. The winner moves on to play the winner of Jeannette and Neshannock.
How They Got Here: The Trojans bring an undefeated record to the table in the quarterfinals. The CWNC defense has allowed double digit points on two occasions in 10 games this season. A 35-7 victory over Union helped the Trojans advance to the quarterfinals. Bishop Canevin’s escaped elimination with a 35-28 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round of the WPIAL Playoffs. The Crusaders were 6-3 in the regular season with key losses coming to CWNC and Union.
What to Watch For: The Trojans dominance should continue as they average 38.2 points per game. Bishop Canevin must replicate their rushing performance last week, three rushers over 100 yards, if they look to advance to the semi-finals.
Prugar’s Prediction:CWNC 28, Bishop Canevin 10.
(3) Jeannette Jayhawks vs. (6) Neshannock Lancers at Canon-McMillan
The Match-Up: These programs faced off in the 2014 quarterfinals with Neshannock ending Jeannette’s season with a score of 46-32. The winner of the game will move on to face the winner of CWNC and Bishop Canevin.
How They Got Here: Jeannette enters the quarterfinals after winning four straight games following a loss to first seeded Clairton. The Jayhawks beat Chartiers-Houston 27-7 to advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight season. Neshannock comes into their quarterfinal rematch against Jeannette after beating Bentworth 49-13 last week. The Lancers have outscored opponents 426-191 through 10 games this season.
What to Watch For: An upset could be in the making with Neshannock bringing a dual-threat quarterback in Frank Antuono to the match-up Friday night. The Jeannette defense will have to be on their toes all night to advance to the semi-finals. Look for Neshannock to win a high scoring matchup to live to play another day.
Prugar’s Prediction: Neshannock 49, Jeannette 42.
Other Class A games:
(1) Clairton Bears vs. (9) Avonworth Antelopes at Peters Township
Prugars Prediction: Clariton 49, Avonworth 14.
(4) Frazier Commodores vs. (5) Shenango Wildcats at Chartiers-Houston
Prugar’s Prediction: Frazier 24, Shanango 21.
Prugar’s Predictions (Playoffs): 6-2
Prugar’s Predictions (Overall): 26-10
