The road to Heinz Field is one game away for the 16 WPIAL teams in play this weekend. Semifinal action has four teams from each of the four WPIAL classes pitted against each other in a battle to see who moves on to the WPIAL Championships at Heinz Field Saturday, November 28th.
Seven undefeated teams remain in the hunt for Heinz Field: Woodland Hills, Penn-Trafford, South Fayette, Aliquippa, Clairton, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and Frazier.
Each of the eight semifinal games will be played at a neutral site.
Here we preview each semifinal match-up
Class AAAA
(1) Woodland Hills Wolverines vs. (5) Central Catholic Vikings at Fox Chapel
The Match-Up: The top-ranked Class AAAA team in the state, Woodland Hills faces Central Catholic in a rematch of a quarterfinal match-up from 2014. The Wolverines utilize a two-man backfield that has rushed for over 2,700 yards with Jo-El Shaw and Miles Sanders. Central Catholic’s defense has been stout allowing only 10.5 points per game.
How They Got Here: Woodland Hills has advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Bethel Park 40-20 last Friday in the quarterfinals and Hempfield in the first round. Central Catholic advanced by defeating Upper St. Clair in the first round and moving on to upset North Allegheny 31-17 in the quarterfinals.
What to Watch For: The Wolverines have ridden their two-headed monster backfield for a majority of the season as they have been key in their offense that averages 36.8 points per game. Central Catholic’s lone blemish was a week-four loss to North Allegheny which they avenged via last week’s victory. Look for the Wolverine rushing attack to be too much for the Viking defense.
Prugar’s Prediction: Woodland Hills 35, Central Catholic 24.
(2) Penn-Trafford Warriors vs. (3) Pine-Richland Rams at Penn Hills
The Match-Up: Pine-Richland remains in the hunt as they defend their 2014 WPIAL Class AAAA title. Penn-Trafford returns to the semi-finals for the third straight season as they look to advance to the championship for the first time since 1997.
How They Got Here: The Rams and Warriors bring high-scoring offenses that were top in Class AAAA this season as Pine-Richland averaged 45.8 points per game while Penn-Trafford averaged 47.4 points per game. Defeating 15-seed North Hills 56-7 in the first round, the Warriors moved on to face 7-seed McKeesport in the quarterfinals. Penn-Trafford needed an overtime period to over take McKeesport, but they finished strong and won 39-32 to get to Friday night’s match-up with Pine-Richland. The Rams have won easily so far in the WPIAL playoffs, beating 14-seed Penn Hills 42-7 in the first round and defeating Mt. Lebanon in the quarterfinals 42-13.
What to Watch For: While both teams are known for their high-powered offenses, the guys on the defensive side of the ball for either team are just as strong. Penn-Trafford is allowing an average of 9.25 points per game while the Rams are allowing 15.36 points per game. With the potency of the offenses, expect this game to be high scoring as well as Penn-Trafford to go to the passing game early to get ahead.
Prugar’s Prediction: Penn-Trafford 38, Pine-Richland 28.
Class AAA
(1) Central Valley Warriors vs. (4) Mars Fightin’ Planets at Ambridge
The Match-Up: Central Valley continues their quest to defend their 2014 Class AAA championship by looking to advance past Mars in a semifinal match-up Friday night.
How They Got Here: The Warriors are outscoring their playoff opponents 101-23 after defeating Laurel Highlands 59-14 in the first round and Hampton 42-9 in the quarterfinals. Mars got past Ringgold in a rout, 35-0, to get to the semifinals after beating New Castle 14-13 in the first round.
What to Watch For: Mars enjoys controlling possession on the ball as well as the clock with a rushing game that has produced Isaiah Johnson, a 1,146 yard rusher. Central Valley operates a run first offense which allows them to pass whenever they want. This game will be won up front with Central Valley getting the upper hand.
Prugar’s Prediction: Central Valley 42, Mars 21.
(6) Thomas Jefferson Jaguars vs. (7) Franklin Regional Panthers at Hempfield
The Match-Up: Thomas Jefferson is no stranger to the Class AAA Semifinals as they have gotten to the semifinals 16 out of the last 17 years. Both squads are coming off upset victories in the quarterfinals.
How They Got Here: The Jaguars upended West Allegheny 14-0 to advance to the semifinals for the 16th time in the last 17 years. Thomas Jefferson beat Armstrong 42-7 in the first round to advance to play West Allegheny. Franklin Regional ruined conference champion, Belle Vernon’s hope for an undefeated season with a lopsided 28-7 victory last Friday after defeating West Mifflin in the first round.
What to Watch For: This game will be won in the trenches. Both squads rely heavily on the run game as well as a strong defensive front seven. Quinton Hill is averaging 10.5 yards per carry for the Thomas Jefferson offense while Franklin Regional utilizes dual-threat quarterback Santino Birty to carry their offense. Look for Thomas Jefferson to survive and advance this week.
Prugar’s Prediction: Thomas Jefferson 17, Franklin Regional 14.
The road to Heinz Field is one game away for the 16 WPIAL teams in play this weekend. Semifinal action has four teams from each of the four WPIAL classes pitted against each other in a battle to see who moves on to the WPIAL Championships at Heinz Field Saturday, November 28th.
Here we preview each semifinal match-up
(1) South Fayette Lions vs. (5) Steel Valley Ironmen at Peters Township
The Match-Up: Steel Valley is having a season to remember in 2015 as it is the school’s first return to the semifinals in 21 years. South Fayette continues their dominance as the two-time defending state champion at the Class AA level. The Ironmen lost one game in the regular season, a 39-0 beatdown by none other than the Lions of South Fayette.
How They Got Here: South Fayette advanced to the semifinals defeating Burgettstown by 57 points and following that up by beating Beaver by 47 in the quarterfinals. Steel Valley beat New Brighton 49-7 in the first round to advance to beat Beaver Falls 24-18 in the quarterfinals.
What to Watch For: A balanced offense is the key to South Fayette’s success this season as Drew Saxton has thrown for 1,393 yards while Hunter Hayes has gone for 1,220 yards on the ground. DeWayne Murray has scored a combined 30 touchdowns on offense for the Ironmen offense thus far. Look for South Fayette to continue their dominance and advance to play at Heinz Field once again.
Prugar’s Prediction: South Fayette 56, Steel Valley 10.
(2) Aliquippa Quips vs. (6) Freeport Yellowjackets at Seneca Valley
The Match-Up: The Quips are no stranger to the Class AA Semifinals as this is the ninth straight season they have advanced this far. Freeport, on the other hand, is making their first trip to the semifinals in 25 years.
How They Got Here: Aliquippa dominated on both sides of the ball in a 46-6 defeat of Seton-LaSalle in the quarterfinals last Friday after beating Keystone Oaks 42-26 in round one. Freeport advanced to the semifinals via an upset of high-powered Washington, defeating the Prexies 24-14. The Yellowjackets handled McGuffey easily 45-6 to get through the first round.
What to Watch For: The Quips may have the experience, but the Yellowjackets have the confidence after their upset last Friday. Aliquippa amassed over 400 yards rushing against Seton-LaSalle in the quarterfinals. If the Yellowjackets are to get past the Quips, they will need to rely on a defense that forced three turnovers against Washington last week. Look for an offensive game plan for the Yellowjackets that will chip away at the Aliquippa defense and take advantage of the short to intermediate routes against a man-to-man heavy defense. Ultimately, the Aliquippa depth will be too much to handle for Freeport.
Prugar’s Prediction: Aliquippa 49, Freeport 14.
Prugar’s Prediction: Last Week: 9-7.
Prugar’s Prediction: Overall: 35-17
