Westmoreland County high school football playoff matchups for 2023 Week 10

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 | 5:50 PM

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Class 5A quarterfinals

8-Franklin Regional (6-4) at 1-Peters Township (10-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Confluence Financial Partners Stadium, McMurray

Last week: Penn-Trafford 27, Franklin Regional 14; Peters Township 68, Bethel Park 28

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Moon (5-5)/4-Gateway (5-5) in semifinals Nov. 10 (time, site TBA)

These teams are meeting for the first time. Franklin Regional is 20-21 all-time in the playoffs and has made the postseason every year since 2003. The Panthers were WPIAL and PIAA champions in 2005. … Peters Township is 9-17 all-time in the playoffs and returned to the postseason after missing in 2022. The Indians fell to Gateway, 21-20, in the 2019 finals. … Franklin Regional’s two-headed attack is led by juniors Kyle Dupill and Jude Gentile. Dupill has rushed for 1,163 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Gentile had gained 330 yards and scored three times. Junior quarterback Chase Lemke has completed 74 of 139 passes for 1,195 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Ayden Hudock leads in receiving with 39 catches for 722 yards and nine touchdowns. Austin Kerns has 12 catches for 178 yards and two scores. … Peters Township breezed through the Allegheny Six Conference. The Indians are led by quarterback Nolan DiLucia, who has completed 140 of 218 passes for 1,935 yards and 17 touchdowns. His main targets are Nate Miller (31 catches, 298 yards), Carter Shanafelt (30 catches, 340 yards) and Nate McCullough (21 catches, 423 yards). Running back Vinny Sarcone has scored 18 touchdowns and rushed for 526 yards.

7-Penn-Trafford (5-5) at 2-Penn Hills (8-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Yuhas McGinley Stadium, Penn Hills

Last week: Penn-Trafford 27, Franklin Regional 14; Penn Hills 26, Woodlands Hills 21

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Bethel Park (4-6)/3-Pine-Richland (7-3) in semifinals Nov. 10 (time, site TBA)

These teams are meeting for the fourth time in the WPIAL playoffs. Penn Hills won 16-6 in 1991 and 35-14 in 1995. Penn-Trafford’s playoff win, 22-16, came in 2013. … Penn-Trafford is 24-30 in the WPIAL playoffs. The Warriors rely on a strong running attack led by junior Tasso Whipple (1269 yards, 14 touchdowns) and freshman Ben Grabowski (668 yards, 10 touchdowns). Junior quarterback Jonny Lovre scored the winning touchdown against Franklin Regional. He has completed 91 of 173 for 1,171 yards and seven touchdowns. … Penn Hills is led by Pitt quarterback commit Julian Dugger, who has completed 89 of 175 passes for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 628 yards and nine touchdowns. The Indians’ leading rusher is Amir Key, who has rushed for 799 yards and seven touchdowns. Cameron Thomas has 21 catches for 458 yards and seven touchdowns.

Class 3A first round

11-Mt. Pleasant (6-4) at 6-West Mifflin (6-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Titan Stadium, West Mifflin

Last week: Southmoreland 40, Mt. Pleasant 3; West Mifflin 35, South Park 0

Winner plays: at 3-Elizabeth Forward (9-1) in quarterfinals Nov. 10, 7 p.m.

This isn’t the first time these teams have collided in the playoffs. The Vikings defeated the Titans, 32-9, during the 1996 playoffs. They also met during the regular season in 1998 and 1999, splitting the games. Mt. Pleasant won 22-0 in 1998. The Vikings are 17-27 in the WPIAL playoffs. … The Vikings have dropped three of their past four games. They have a potent running attack with five runners gaining more than 300 yards. … The Titans have unleashed freshman Armand Hill, who rushed for 495 yards and five touchdowns against Hopewell. He’s rushed for 1,065 yards and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for 201 yards and three scores against South Park. West Mifflin is 18-20 in the playoffs.

9-Southmoreland (6-4) at 8-Deer Lakes (7-3)

7 p.m. Friday, Lancer Stadium, West Deer

Last week: Southmoreland 40, Mt. Pleasant 3; Deer Lakes 35, Freeport 3

Winner plays: at 1-Belle Vernon (8-1) in quarterfinals Nov. 10, 7 p.m.

History will be made. Neither school has ever won a playoff game in football. A rematch from Week 4, the Scotties and Lancers will play for a potential run-in with No. 1 seed Belle Vernon (8-1) in the quarters. Deer Lakes won the first meeting, 24-7, in a game that was 7-7 at the half. … Zier Williams, a 1,000-yard running back, ran for 199 yards on 27 carries in the win for the Lancers. … Da’sjon Craggette (1,329 yards) ran for a Scotties record 335 yards last week against Mt. Pleasant. … Deer Lakes quarterback Derek Burk has completed 114 of 186 passes for 1,791 yards and 23 touchdowns. … Ty Keffer leads Southmoreland with 46 receptions for 797 yards and nine touchdowns. … Linebacker Ethan Shawley has 134 tackles and seven sacks.

Class 2A first round

11-Derry (5-5) at 6-McGuffey (7-3)

7 p.m. Friday, McGuffey Stadium, Claysville

Last week: Derry 35, Ligonier Valley 15; Washington 13, McGuffey 7

Winner plays: winner of 3-Washington (9-1)/14-Ellwood City (5-5) in quarterfinals Nov. 10 (time, site TBD)

Derry is back in the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Trojans didn’t win a game in 2021 and ‘22. … Ahmad Ward is a 1,000-yard rusher and also has six interceptions for the Trojans. … McGuffey made the quarterfinals last year and lost to eventual champion Steel Valley. The Highlanders, who run a flexbone offense, held Washington scoreless in the second half last week. Keep an eye on option quarterback Connor Crowe.

Class A first round

11-Jeannette (7-3) at 6-California (9-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Trojan Stadium, Coal Center

Last week: Clairton 60, Jeannette 14; California 61, Bentworth 0

Winner plays: Winner of 14-Leechburg (6-4)/3-Bishop Canevin (8-1) in quarterfinals Nov. 10 (time, site TBD)

Jeannette rallied for a seven-win regular season after going 3-8 and 1-9 the previous two seasons. The Jayhawks finished second in the Eastern Conference behind Clairton. … Quarterback Payton Molter has passed for over 1,000 yards and rushed for more than 400, while accounting for 20 touchdowns. Noah Sanders is a 1,000-yard running back and has 11 touchdowns. … Jeannette’s last playoff win was the 2020 WPIAL championship game. … California, the Tri-County South champion, is the highest-scoring team in the WPIAL at 46.7 points per game. The Trojans are only allowing 9.9. They have scored 50 or more five times in the last six weeks. … Spencer Petrucci has rushed for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had four last week in a rout of Bentworth.

16-Monessen (4-6) at 1-South Side (10-0)

7 p.m. Friday, South Side High School Stadium, Hookstown

Last week: Monessen 36, Beth-Center 16; South Side 33, Rochester 7

Winner plays: winner of 9-West Greene (8-2)/8-Greensburg Central Catholic (7-3) in quarterfinals Nov. 10 (time, site TBA)

This is the first meeting between the schools. Monessen has won three of its past four games after a 1-5 start. The Greyhounds averaged 36 points per game in wins against Mapletown and Beth-Center. TyVaughn Kershaw has rushed for 738 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. Lorenzo Gardner had 16 catches for 384 yards and five scores. The Greyhounds’ playoff record is 19-33-1. … South Side earned the No. 1 seed and has scored 33 points or more in every game this season. The Rams’ playoff record is 20-17. They lost in the semifinals in 2022. Running back Ryan Navarra has rushed for 1,031 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Sophomore A.C. Corfield has rushed for 885 yards and 12 touchdowns.

9-West Greene (8-2) vs. 8-Greensburg Central Catholic (7-3)

7 p.m. Friday at Plum

Last week: West Greene 45, Mapletown 19; Greensburg Central Catholic 42, Leechburg 7

Winner plays: Winner of 16-Monessen (4-6)/1-South Side (10-0) in quarterfinals Nov. 10 (time, site TBD)

Another rematch from the regular season, GCC defeated the Pioneers, 48-30, in Week 2. Colin Brady ran for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. … West Greene, which finished second in the Tri-County South behind sixth-seeded California, has won six of its last seven. The Pioneers are averaging 36.6 points and allowing 22.8. … Billy Whitlach ran for two touchdowns last week and Lane Allison passed for two. … When GCC beat West Greene earlier in the year, Tyree Turner threw for 186 yards and three TDs and Samir Crosby had two of his team’s four interceptions. Crosby scored on a 70-yard kick return and on a 43-yard reception. … The Centurions are on a four-game winning streak. They have not won a playoff game since 2011, losing seven straight playoff openers.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: California, Deer Lakes, Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, McGuffey, Southmoreland, West Greene