PIAA Football Quarterfinals Recaps 2016

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 25, 2016 | 11:11 PM

While the WPIAL Class 2-A and Class 1-A championship football games were played Saturday at Robert Morris University and 3-A champion Steel Valley enjoyed the weekend off, WPIAL champions Pittsburgh Central Catholic, West Allegheny and Thomas Jefferson hit the field for Second Round state playoff action. While Pittsburgh Central Catholic and West Allegheyn weere winners to move on to the State Final Four, Thomas Jefferson saw their season end again at the nads of Erie Cathedral Prep. Here are recaps from those three state games heard here on The Network.

A special thanks to Donny Chedrick, Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah for their help on these recaps.

PIAA CLASS 6-A Quarterfinals:

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 62 – Williamsport Millionaires 21
It was a standard issue game for the Vikings of Pittsburgh Central Catholic in a 62-21 win against the Williamsport Millionaires. JJ Younger had himself a ball game, rushing for 4 touchdowns of 48, 52, 18 and 48 yards. Justice Evans found the end zone twice as well, returning a punt 59 yards then receiving a 46 yard pass from Troy Fisher. Fisher would add another TD pass that would make the score 56-14 and end the day for the regulars. Dominant from start to finish, Central Catholic wins 62-21 and moves on to the Class 6-A semifinals.

PIAA CLASS 5-A Quarterfinals:

West Allegheny Indians 47 – Meadville Bulldogs 20 
The Indians scored on eight of their nine possessions in the game as West Allegheny crushed Meadville, 47-20, in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals Friday night.  Nick Ross completed 9-of-12 for 207 yards and three touchdowns and six rushers combined for 308 yards on the ground as the Indians won their 13th straight game, ending the Bulldogs’ season at 11-3.  Will Weber opened the scoring on a 5-yard run just five minutes into the opening quarter.  West Allegheny recovered an on-side kick.  Ross found Connor Johnsen open on a wheel route for a 15-yard scoring pass just 90 seconds later.   The Indians’ defense stopped Meadville on a fourth-and-two run inside the 30-yard line.  Six plays later, West Allegheny was up 20-0 thanks to Weber’s one-yard run, his second TD of the game and 10th rushing TD this year.  With the help of two 15-yard penalties against West Allegheny, the Bulldogs got on the board, Journey Brown scoring from 23 yards out for his 42nd rushing touchdown this season.  West Allegheny responded with a steady diet of Kenny White, carries for 27, 7, 12 and 2 yards, the final run capping the drive.  DJ Opsatnik booted a 40-yard field goal late in the half to give the Indians a 30-7 lead at intermission.  While holding Meadville to just four yards total offense in the third quarter, Ross hooked up with Brandon Lipford for a 35-yard TD pass, then Johnsen pulled in one from 27 yards and the mercy rule was activated.  Brown ran back the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for his 113th, and final, career touchdown.  Opsatnik kicked a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth and Antonio Ferraro scored from three yards out in the final second to close the scoring.  White carried 19 times for 149 yards and one touchdown.  Weber put up 54 yards and two scores on his four carries.  Johnsen had three catches for 85 yards and two scores.  Brown finished the night with 168 yards on 17 carries, 76 yards on the final possession for Meadville.  The Bulldogs were 0-for-2 passing and held to 256 yards total offense, all on the ground.  West Allegheny will take on District 3 champion Harrisburg in next week’s semifinals.

PIAA CLASS 4-A Quarterfinals:

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 30 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 13 
Erie Cathedral Prep quarterback Joe Mischler threw two touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Ramblers to a 30-13 win over Thomas Jefferson in the PIAA quarterfinals at Baldwin high school. Mischler hit Tyler Oedekoven with a 16-yard pass for Prep’s first touchdown, capping a 12-play 67-yard drive. TJ’s Luke Petruzzi blocked the extra point, and the Ramblers led 6-0. On the ensuing drive, the Jaguars could not convert despite first and goal at the Prep 7 yard line. Two penalties and a sack forced the Jags back to the 23-yard line and a fourth down pass fell incomplete. The Ramblers scored twice in the final 5:10 of the first half to go up 20-0. Mischler finished off a 7-play, 70-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run with 2:24 remaining. After the Jags turned it over on downs at the Ramblers 33, Mischler led Prep on a 67-yard drive in just 1:12, tossing a 33-yard scoring strike to Terry Roberts with just six seconds remaining before halftime. TJ opened the second half with an 80-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Bobby Kelley hit tight end Jake Giegerich in the back of the end zone on fourth and goal from the three. Four and a half minutes later Kelley hit Zane Zandier with a 27 yard touchdown pass to cut Prep’s lead to 7 with 3:28 left in the third. But the Ramblers got a 25-yard field goal from Anthony Lupo early in the fourth quarter, and sealed the deal thanks to a 65-yard touchdown run by Billy Lucas with 6:24 to play. Mischler completed 18 of 31 passes for 181 yard and two touchdowns. He also ran for 74 yards and a score. Oedekoven caught 9 passes for 99-yards. For the Jags, Kelley completed 11 of 28 for 162 yards and a touchdown. Zandier had 118 yards on 7 receptions. Thomas Jefferson’s season ends at 12-1. Erie Cathedral Prep (13-0) advances to the PIAA semi-finals, and will face Berks Catholic, a 37-13 winner over Shippensburg

Tags: West Allegheny