Pine-Richland scored three times in a span of less than five minutes in the second quarter and rolled to a 35-0 shutout of Peters Township, winning the 5A WPIAL championship. The Indians had the ball deep in P-R territory three different times but failed to score against the league’s top defense. Peters Township’s season ends at 8-1. Pine-Richland advances to the PIAA semifinals next weekend to face District 3 champion Governor Mifflin.
Thomas Jefferson squandered a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter but scored in overtime to beat Aliquippa, 35-28, winning the 4A WPIAL title. It’s the school’s 10th WPIAL championship, the ninth for head coach Bill Cherpak, the most by any coach in the 100+ year history of the league. Jake Pugh threw for two scores and ran for two more, including the two-yard sneak in overtime. The Jaguars’ Flinn McClain intercepted Aliquippa quarterback Vaughn Morris on third-and-goal from the 12 on the Quips overtime possession to seal the win. The Jags will host Oil City, the District 10 titlist, next weekend in the state semifinals.
Jeannette took full advantage of Clairton miscues to cruise to a 45-14 win over the top-seeded Bears in the 1A WPIAL final. Jeannette used four first-half takeaways, six total, to advance to next week’s PIAA semifinals against District 10 champion Reynolds.
Beaver Falls powered to a 36-0 lead halfway through the third quarter, then had to hold off a frantic Sto-Rox rally despite the mercy-rule running clock as the #1 Tigers won the 2A WPIAL championship, 43-30. Beaver Falls will play District 10 champion Wilmington in the semifinals next weekend.
WPIAL football brackets PIAA football brackets
WPIAL Finals
Friday
3A #1 Central Valley over #3 Elizabeth-Forward, 35-0
Saturday
1A #3 Jeannette over #1 Clairton, 45-14
4A #2 Thomas Jefferson over #1 Aliquippa, 35-28 OT
2A #1 Beaver Falls over #3 Sto-Rox, 43-30
5A #1 Pine-Richland over #3 Peters Township, 35-0