WPIAL Class 6A football finals primer: Central Catholic vs. Pine-Richland
By:
Saturday, November 16, 2019 | 3:57 PM
WPIAL Class 6A championship
No. 1 Central Catholic (10-1) vs. No. 2 Pine-Richland (10-1)
8 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field
On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 1020 AM, 107.1 FM
Coaches: Terry Totten, Central Catholic; Eric Kasperowicz, Pine-Richland
Winner plays: District 6 champion State College (11-1) in PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 22-23
WPIAL titles: Central Catholic 6 (2003, ’04, ’07, ’13, ’15, ’16), Pine-Richland 4 (2003, ’14, ’17, ’18)
Pine-Richland
Player to watch
Cole Spencer
Junior, 5-10, 175, QB
Spencer starred at Heinz Field as a sophomore when he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another in a WPIAL Class 6A championship win over Seneca Valley.
Statistical leaders
Passing: Cole Spencer, 192-280, 2,832 yards, 35 TDs, 5 INTs
Rushing: Luke Meckler, 69-486 yards, 15 TDs
Receiving: Eli Jochem, 59-984 yards, 13 TDs
How they got here
Regular season
21, Penn Hills, 0
42, Hempfield, 14
46, Moon, 9
56, Butler, 7
46, Norwin, 0
7, Central Catholic, 29
63, Canon-McMillan, 7
41, Mt. Lebanon, 0
35, Seneca Valley, 21
42, North Allegheny, 14
WPIAL playoffs
49, North Allegheny, 14
Probable starting lineup
OFFENSE
RT, 55, Harrison Hayes, 6-3, 260, jr.
RG, 56, Miguel Jackson, 6-2, 245, jr.
C, 78, Ethan O’Neil, 6-0, 250, sr.
LG, 53, Spencer King, 5-10, 250, jr.
LT, 57, John Swisher, 6-0, 245, jr.
HB, 7, Luke Miller, 6-2, 200, jr.
WR, 3, Seth Bolin, 6-0, 180, sr.
WR, 10, D’Avay Johnson, 6-2, 185, jr.
WR, 5, Eli Jochem, 6-0, 180, jr.
QB, 4, Cole Spencer, 5-10, 175, sr.
RB, 2, Luke Meckler, 5-10, 175, sr.
K, 90, Aiden Dresmich, 5-11, 205, sr.
DEFENSE
NT, 53, Spencer King, 5-10, 250, jr.
DT, 22, Nevan Novitski, 6-2, 230, sr.
DE, 54, Trent Miller, 6-1, 225, sr.
DE, 56, Miguel Jackson, 6-2, 245, jr.
LB, 6, Josh Rechenberg, 5-10, 205 sr.
LB, 7, Luke Miller, 6-2, 200, jr.
LB, 8, Jeremiah Hasley, 6-1, 190, so.
CB, 16, Levi Wentz, 6-3, 190, sr.
CB, 3, Seth Bolin, 6-0, 180, sr.
S, 20, Chance Boyd, 5-11, 180 sr.
S, 25, Caden Schweiger, 5-11, 180, jr.
P, 27, Chris Romano, 5-7, 150, sr.
Central Catholic
Player to watch
Elliot Donald
Junior, 6-3, 230, DT
Donald’s uncle Aaron made his share of big plays at Heinz Field while starring at Pitt. Now the younger Donald, a major Division I recruit, makes his debut at the stadium.
Statistical leaders
Passing: Dom Pieto, 57-100, 955 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Eddy Tillman, 192-1,702 yards, 25 TDs
Receiving: Anderson Cynkar, 13-279 yards, 4 TDs
How they got here
42, York William Penn, 7
10, Seneca Valley, 7
10, North Allegheny, 11
31, Hempfield, 14,
45, Bethel Park, 14
29, Pine-Richland, 7
28, Norwin, 14
55, Butler, 6
44, Canon-McMillan, 0
45, Mt. Lebanon, 7
WPIAL playoffs
31, Mt. Lebanon, 14
Probable starting lineup
OFFENSE
RT, 55, A’maar Allen, 6-3, 260, sr.
RG, 59, Liam Kearney, 6-3, 265, sr.
C, 74, Thomas Hartnett, 6-3, 295, sr.
LG, 51, Matt Altsman, 6-1, 265, sr.
LT, 50, A’meer Allen, 6-4, 280, sr.
TE, 8, A.J. Beatty, 6-5, 260, sr.
WR, 84, Anderson Cynkar, 6-0, 170, jr.
WR, 19, Sharod Lindsey, 6-4, 190, sr.
QB, 3, Dom Pieto, 6-0, 195, sr.
FB, 81, Bralen Henderson, 6-3, 240, jr.
RB, 41, Eddy Tillman, 5-8, 165, jr.
DEFENSE
DE, 55, A’maar Allen, 6-3, 260, sr.
DT, 4, Elliot Donald, 6-3, 230, jr.
DT, 50, A’meer Allen, 6-4, 280, sr.
DE, 8, A.J. Beatty, 6-5, 260, sr.
OLB, 21, Liam O’Connor, 6-0, 185, jr.
MLB, 30, Luke Harris, 6-1, 220, sr.
OLB, 29, J.D. Younger, 5-10, 185, so.
CB, 35, Gannon Carothers, 5-9, 175, so.
CB, 28, Chase Horne, 5-10, 155, jr.
S, 5, Jaishon Hawkins, 6-0, 170, sr.
S, 40, Devin Barren, 5-10, 155, so.
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Central Catholic, Pine-Richland
More Football
• Trib HSSN football player of the week for Oct. 13, 2024• This week on Trib HSSN for week of Oct. 14, 2024
• 2024 WPIAL football playoff picture: Who’s in, on the cusp ahead of Week 8 contests
• Amari Gans’ breakout season helps Gateway remain in playoff hunt
• High school roundup for Oct. 12, 2024: Western Beaver beats Mohawk in MAC showdown