Big Game Hunting – The Football Fourpack for Week Fourteen

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 | 3:37 PM

And then there were four. Four District Seven Champions carrying the banner forward into the PIAA playoffs, all four games will be carried by the MSA Sports Network. Three WPIAL champions are unbeaten heading into the state quarterfinals. How many can take the flag all the way to Hershey? Find out starting Friday right here on your home for high school sports.

AAAA PIAA Quarter Finals
North Allegheny Tigers (13-0) vs Erie McDowell Trojans (7-5) Friday November 30^th at Seneca Valley high school @ 7:00 pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network and the North Allegheny Sports Network by Randy Gore and Rick Meister on the North Allegheny Sports Network at MSAsports.net

The Tigers head into the state quarters following their unprecedented third straight WPIAL AAAA championship. In 2010 The Tigers finished the job with a run to the state championship where they defeated LaSalle College 21-0. Last year the Tigers reached the state semifinals falling to Central Dauphin 23-20.

North Allegheny is very familiar with Erie McDowell because the Trojans played in the same section in the WPIAL with North Allegheny in 2010 and 2011. North Allegheny defeated the Trojans twice in that span winning 49-14 last year and 21-10 in 2010.

Senior quarterback Mack Leftwich has completed 130 of 205 passes for 2631 yards and 35 touchdowns including three in the WPIAL championship win over Woody High. Leftwich has also rushed for 458 yards and seven touchdowns on the season.

With his 57 yards rushing at Heinz Field senior running back Alex DeCiantis has gone over a 1000 yards for the season he now has 1028 yards and a dozen touchdowns on the ground.

Wide out Gregg Garrity needs 21 yards to reach the 1000 mark in receiving yards for the season he has caught 14 touchdown passes.

McDowell rolled State College in their first round match in the state playoffs 42-0. The Trojans rushed for 398 yards on the ground in that game, including 223 yards and three touchdowns for senior James Conner. Conner (a Pitt recruit on the defensive side of the ball) has rushed for 1655 yards and 21 touchdowns on the year. McDowell averages nearly 300 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Jake Tarasovitch has only thrown for a little more than 300 yards on the year.

Another senior running back is a big part of the Trojan offense, Khyre Drayer  has over 700 yards rushing and is into double digits in scores on the year. North Allegheny will need to stop the run and they did show some susceptibility to the run against the Wolverines at Heinz Field.

AAA PIAA Quarter Finals
West Allegheny Indians (12-1) vs Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers (12-0) Friday November 30^th at Veterans Stadium in Erie @ 7:00 pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah on WJPA-FM 95.3

Bob Palko’s team rolls into the state playoffs after winning their sixth WPIAL championship over West Mifflin 34-8 at Heinz Field last Friday. The Indians might also be buoyed by the return of Tory Delmonico to the lineup after missing the previous two games with an injury. Delmonico dressed for the championship but did not get a carry. Heading into the WPIAL semi finals he was the Indians leading rusher. His return could really boost an already dynamic and powerful West Allegheny rushing attack.

The Ramblers have one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the state of Pennsylvania and a guy who is ranked by some among the top prep quarterback in the nation in senior Damion Terry. Terry has committed to Michigan State and has completed 175 of 256 passes on the season for 2860 yards and 43 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions. He has this season re-written the entire quarterbacking section of the Ramblers all-time record book. Records set for completions, yards and touchdowns. Prep averages 245 yards per game passing.

Terry has a dynamic duo of senior receivers he has been relying on all season in Brendan Klemensic, and Delton Williams. Williams has 48 catches for 660 yards and eight touchdowns. Klemensic has 33 catches for 794 yards and 11 touchdowns. Williams, also a Michigan State recruit, is the leading rusher for the Ramblers. He has 550 yards and a dozen touchdowns on the ground.

West Allegheny has, with Delmonico’s return; four outstanding rushers in Delmonico, Nick Halbedl, Armand Dellovade and Chayse Dillon. The four have combined for 2987 yards and 36 touchdowns on the season.

Sophomore Andrew Koester has completed 49 of 108 passes for 841 yards and six touchdowns on the season.

The Indian defense and specifically their secondary will be the key to this football game; how guys like Zach Medved, Lewis Walls , and Colin Cunningham respond to the challenge presented by the Ramblers’ explosive offensive firepower will be huge.

AA PIAA Quarter Finals
Aliquippa Quips (13-0) vs Karns City Gremlins (10-3) Friday November 30^th at Central Valley high school @ 7:00 pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Jim Frederick and Rob Matzie on WKPL-FM 92.1 The Pickle and by Bob Barrickman and Tom Hays on WBVP-AM 1230 and WMBA-AM 1460

It is the considered professional opinion of the Big Game Hunting staff that Aliquippa is fantastic. Their win over Washington for the 15^th WPIAL football championship in school history was one of complete and total dominance. Look for more of that in the PIAA quarter finals Friday.

The Quips running game is unmatched, combine that with great line play and extremely great decision making by senior quarterback Malik Shegog and they are just deadly. Junior running back Dravon Henry has 1439 yards rushing for the season and has scored 24 touchdowns. Junior running back Terry Swanson has rushed for 19 touchdowns and 1234 yards.

Shegog has 481 rushing yards and ten touchdowns on the year. All three surpassed the century mark on the ground in the Championship game. Shegog only needs to throw a little completing 30 of 58 for 564 yards and eight touchdowns with just a single interception.

The Gremlins emphasize the rushing game and they have a variety of rushers attacking you. As a team they have rushed for 3306 yards, over 275 per game heading into the state playoffs. Their top rusher is junior Wyatt Everetts has 693 yards and eight touchdowns.

 Quarterback Tyler Kepple, a junior has completed 79 of 147 passes heading into states for 1167 yards and 11 touchdowns, he has also been a big contributor to the run game with 523 yards and five touchdowns on the ground for the Gremlins. Up front junior Mike Olkowski has been credited with 23 pancake blocks on the season for the Gremlins. Defensively senior Dalton Bly leads Karns City with 123 total tackles on the season.

A PIAA Quarter Finals:
Clairton Bears (13-0) vs Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers (11-1) Friday November 30^th at Somerset High School @ 7:00 pm broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Matt Vandriak and Josh Rowntree on MSAsports.net

The Bears make history with every win now after setting the all-time mark for the state of Pennsylvania with their 60^th straight win and their fifth straight WPIAL Championship at Heinz Field Friday over Sto-Rox. The Bears begin their quest for a fourth straight PIAA Championship at Somersert high school.

Tyler Boyd continues to dominate high school competition like few before him have ever done. I remember at the beginning of last year when Tom Nola said to a few reporters, “Tyler Boyd might be the best player I have ever coached.” At the time we all kind of shrugged that off as hyperbole. We were wrong coach Nola was on the money as usual. Boyd so far this season has 164 rushing attempts for 2123 yards and has scored 42 touchdowns on the year. For good measure Boyd added a tremendous throwing arm into that mix with a 74 yards touchdown pass to Santeaun Sims in the WPIAL championship game.

Armani Ford has completed 61 of 98 passes for 1534 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. Terrish Webb and Titus Howard have combined for 49 catches 1169 yards and 19 touchdowns between them. Byron Clifford gets it done in the rushing game as well for Tom Nola’s Bears he has carried 51 times for 619 yards and five touchdowns on the year.

The Bears are just a team that can beat you in so many ways it really is breathtaking. They can score in the air, on the ground, on defense or special teams. Guys like Boyd, Webb, Howard, mixed in with the return skills of Vinny Moody, and the ball hawking skills of Robert Boatright. Really here is the thing with Clairton, they are so good in every facet it is literally like they are never NOT on offense. They can and do score in every phase and from any place on the football field. That will continue Friday in the PIAA quarters.

The Mountaineers rely on the rush game and they have averaged over 280 yards per game on the ground for this season. Senior Drew Glotfelty is their go-to rusher with 272 carries on the season for 1933 yards and 24 touchdowns. Freshman Braden Fochtman has tallied 509 yards on 56 attempts on the ground and scored five touchdowns of his own. Senior quarterback Blake Miller has completed 49 of 116 passes for 783 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year.

Defensively Berlin Brothersvalley like to get after the quarterback they have recorded 36 sacks on the season led by seven for senior defensive lineman Mitchell Walker. They have also collected an impressive 34 turnovers for the season led by four interceptions each for Fochtman, Glotfelty and Nick Stockwell. They will need to get a few takeaways in this game if they hope to hang with Da Bears!