WPIAL Week 6 Games of the Week

We have passed the halfway point of the WPIAL season with 5 teams having clinched spots in the postseason. In the top two classifications, the top 5 teams from each conference reach the playoffs along with the top 6th place team. In Class A and AA, the top 4 from each conference make the postseason. You can find the current standings (with tiebreakers) on the WPIAL Standings Page. This week, as many as 28 teams could punch their tickets to November football. The best story is the Avella Eagles, who are a win away from securing their first playoff berth since 1976. That could come this week if the Eagles can get past Frazier. Last week, Quaker Valley defeated Steel Valley 14-7 to secure their first playoff appearance since 1999. In AAA, Moon can clinch their first playoff appearance since 2007. On the other side of the coin, traditional Class A powerhouse Rochester is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the longest streak in Class A and 4th longest in the WPIAL behind Woodland Hills (1995), Thomas Jefferson (1994) and Aliquippa (1994).

This is a non-conference game but features two of the winningest programs in Quad-A in the last decade. Both teams feature Division 1 recruits. Gateway is led by the tandem of WRs in Monte Nicholson (192 yards, 7 TDs), WVU commit Ricky Rodgers (275 yards, 3 TDs), and Temple commits Delvon Randall (288 yards, 5 TDs) and Anthony Davis (157 yards, 1 TD). Gateway has the talent and ability to test anyone on the outside. However, this may be the best secondary they face all season with Pitt-commit Elijah Zeise lining up at cornerback for North Allegheny. While Gateway’s strength is through the air, their weakness is in run defense where they allowed over 200 yards last week to Hempfield (over 150 by Joey DeFloria). Art Walker’s teams are known for a ground-and-pound approach and this holds true this season as 3 players for the Tigers have over 30 rushing attempts and 190 yards.

Honorable Mention: Central Catholic (4-0, 5-0) at Pine-Richland (2-2, 3-2), Bethel Park (4-1, 4-1) at Penn Hills (3-1, 4-1)

Foothills Conference
– Gateway clinched a playoff berth
– McKeesport clinches a playoff berth with a win over Latrobe and a Connellsville
– Penn-Trafford clinches a playoff berth with a win over Connellsville
– Hempfield clinches a playoff berth with a win over Altoona and a Connellsville loss

Northern Eight Conference
– Central Catholic clinched a playoff berth
– Seneca Valley clinches a playoff berth with a win over Shaler and a Fox Chapel loss
– North Allegheny plays a non-conference game but can clinch a playoff berth with a Fox Chapel loss and a Shaler loss
– North Hills clinches a playoff berth with a win over Fox Chapel
– Pine-Richland clinches a playoff berth with a win over Central Catholic and losses by Fox Chapel and Shaler

Southeastern Conference
– Upper St Clair plays a non-conference game but can clinch a playoff berth with a Mt Lebanon loss
– Bethel Park clinches a playoff berth with a win over Penn Hills and a Baldwin loss

The Parkway Conference is once again featured as the Game of the Week in AAA and for good reason. Both Central Valley and Moon have fallen to West Allegheny over the last three weeks. The winner will have a solid grasp on second place in the Parkway Conference. Moon can clinch their first playoff berth since 2006 with a win or with losses by Chartiers Valley and Blackhawk. Central Valley has been carried by their two-headed backfield combination of Jordan Whitehead and JaQuan Pennington. Moon’s offense runs through workhorse back Cole Black who has almost as many yards as Whitehead and Pennington combined. This is shaping up to be an old-fashioned slug-fest out by the airport.

Honorable Mention: Knoch (2-2, 3-2) at Franklin Regional (3-1, 4-1)

Big Nine Conference
– West Mifflin clinched a playoff berth
– Thomas Jefferson clinches a playoff berth with a win Laurel Highlands and an Albert Gallatin loss
– Elizabeth Forward clinches a playoff berth with a win over West Mifflin and an Albert Gallatin loss

Greater Allegheny Conference
– Highlands clinches a playoff berth with a win over Derry and a Knoch loss

Parkway Conference
– West Allegheny plays a non-conference game but can clinch a playoff spot with a Chartiers Valley loss
– The winner of the Central Valley-Moon game clinches a playoff berth
– The loser of the Central Valley-Moon game clinches a playoff berth if Chartiers Valley and Blackhawk both lose
– New Castle clinches a playoff berth with a win over Blackhawk and a Chartiers Valley loss

I’ve been giving the Century Conference a lot of love this season, so before getting into this game I’m going to talk about the other great AA games on this week’s slate. South Fayette-Quaker Valley is the best because it matches two undefeated teams with first place on the line, but in the Interstate Conference, Jeanette takes on Mt Pleasant in a game in which the winner will have the inside track towards a home playoff game. Both teams are chasing Washington (who throttled Jeanette last week) and a win by undefeated Mt Pleasant would set up a showdown with Washington next week with the conference title on the line. In the Midwestern Conference, surprising New Brighton already has an upset win over Beaver and takes on undefeated Beaver Falls. Back to the Century Conference, South Fayette boasts one of the top passing attacks in the WPIAL behind QB Brett Brumbaugh (986 yards, 12 TDs) and WR Justin Watson (469 yards, 7 TDs). Quaker Valley has been a bit of a surprise, and is off to one of the best starts in school history after beating Steel Valley last week. The Quakers face a tough test with South Fayette and Seton-La Salle coming to town in consecutive weeks, but with their first playoff berth since 1999 secured, the objective now turns to earning a home playoff game.

Honorable Mentions: Jeanette (4-1, 4-1) at Mt Pleasant (5-0, 5-0), New Brighton (3-1, 4-1) at Beaver Falls (4-0, 5-0)

Allegheny Conference
– Shady Side Academy clinches a playoff berth with a win over East Allegheny
– Kittanning clinches a playoff berth with a win over Ford City

Century Conference
– Quaker Valley has clinched a playoff berth
– South Fayette clinches a playoff berth with a win over Quaker Valley or a South Allegheny loss
– Seton-La Salle clinches a playoff berth with a win over Burgettstown

Interstate Conference
– Mt. Pleasant has clinched a playoff berth
– Washington clinches a playoff berth with a win over Brownsville or a Waynesburg loss
– Jeanette clinches a playoff berth with a win over Mt Pleasant and a Waynesburg loss
– Washington and Mt Pleasant clinch a home playoff games if Washington beats Brownsville and Mt Pleasant beats Jeanette

Midwestern Conference
– Beaver Falls clinches a playoff berth with a win over New Brighton

The last two weeks in the Eastern Conference have been awesome. Last week, undefeated North Catholic pounded 1-loss West Shamokin 60-27 while Avonworth edged 1-loss Apollo-Ridge 34-27.. This set up a showdown for all the marbles this week in Ohio Township. With everyone else in the conference sitting on at least 2 losses, the winner of this game has the clear advantage for the conference crown. The Trojans have been without star RB PJ Fulmore for most of the season after he was injured in the season opener, but Jerome Turner (548 yards, 14 TDs) has carried the load. North Catholic has a more balanced offense this season with dual-threat QB Adam Sharlow putting up 700 yards and 5 TDs through the air and adding 463 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. The Trojans can spread the ball around with three receivers (Ryan Kirby, Ronnie Meder and Timon Gribbin) all over 100 yards on the season. The Lopes are almost a mirror image of the Trojans with a 700-yard 10-TD passer in Matt Donovan and a workhorse running back in Moses Giles (489 rush yards, 166 receiving yards, 10 total TDs). On the outside, the Lopes primary target is Jesse Zubik who has 244 yards and 6 TDs through 5 games. These two teams always play tight games, with last year’s showdown coming down to a goal-line stand by the Trojans to preserve a victory.

Honorable Mention: Western Beaver (3-1, 3-2) at Laurel (3-1, 4-1), Avella (4-0, 5-0) at Frazier (4-1, 4-1)

Big Seven Conference
– No clinching scenarios

Black Hills Conference
– Fort Cherry clinches a playoff berth with a win over Bishop Canevin and losses by Brentwood and Carlynton
– Clairton clinches a playoff berth with a win over Brentwood

Eastern Conference
– North Catholic clinches a playoff berth and a home playoff game with a win over Avonworth or a Wilkinsburg loss
– Avonworth clinches a playoff berth with a win over North Catholic and losses by Apollo-Ridge, Wilkinsburg and Northgate

Tri-County South Conference
– Beth-Center clinches a playoff berth with a win over Jefferson-Morgan
– Avella clinches their first playoff berth since 1976 with a win over Frazier
– Frazier clinches a playoff berth with a win over Avella and a Mapletown loss