News, notes, scores, photos and videos from the opening night of the WPIAL football playoffs.
Montour needed a prayer to rally and beat Hampton on Friday night.
The Spartans not only had to drive the length of the field with just over a minute left, but they had to do it with their starting quarterback on the bench injured.
That prayer was answered, as the Spartans used a Hail Mary from their third-string quarterback as time expired to stun visiting Hampton, 34-33, in a WPIAL Class 4A first-round game.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Montour coach Lou Cerro told the Pittsburgh Union Progress afterward.
Hampton (5-6), the No. 9 seed, appeared to be in good shape in what was a back-and-forth game. Adrian Midgley threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Eric Weeks to put Hampton in front, 33-28, with 9:08 left and the Talbots then forced a three-and-out. Hampton proceeded to go on a 10-play drive that chewed up the majority of the clock and gave the Talbots a first-and-goal at the Montour 1-yard line. However, Hampton’s Brock Borgo was stopped short of the goal line and fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Montour at the 1 with just 1:24 remaining.
“The defense came up with a big stop on that one,” said Cerro, whose Spartans (7-4) will play No. 1 Aliquippa (9-0) in next week’s quarterfinals.
Montour starting quarterback Jake Wolfe left the game with an injury on the team’s previous drive, so Cerro turned to backup Trey Hopper. Hopper guided the Spartans down the field and to the Hampton 23-yard line with five seconds left. Cerro then called upon Kaleb Platz to stand under center on the final play.
“Platz started Week 2 against Moon,” Cerro said. “He runs some wildcat and he can throw the ball. Our second-string guy got us down to midfield and made another play. Platz has more arm strength, so we put him in there.”
Platz dropped back and threw the ball toward the right side of the end zone. James Bundridge caught the ball at about the 2 and drove his body into the end zone for the winning score.
Said Cerro, “Our receiver made a heck of a play at the end.”
USC HOLDS OFF GATEWAY
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the night, Upper St. Clair scored a touchdown with 2:22 left to win at Gateway, 24-21, in a Class 5A quarterfinal. Trailing, 21-16, Upper St. Clair produced the winning points on a fourth-and-11. Julian Dahlem connected with Aidan Besselman for a 26-yard touchdown and Dahlem then found Cameron Phillips for the 2-point conversion to put the Panthers up three. Jamaal Brown had a huge night for Upper St. Clair, rushing for 198 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Gateway quarterback Brad Birch was 19 of 32 for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
LAUREL HIGHLANDS, MCKEESPORT ROLL
A season ago, Laurel Highlands won a playoff game for the first time in school history. Friday, the Mustangs won another. Rodney Gallagher and company cruised to a 44-15 win against West Allegheny in a Class 4A first-round game. Gallagher rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns and also passed for a touchdown. Meanwhile, in another Class 4A game, McKeesport thumped Mars, 43-0. Jahmil Perryman was the star for McKeesport, running for 200 yards and three touchdowns and also passing for a score. The PUP’s Steve Rotstein and Saul Berrios-Thomas were at those games. Look for their analysis pieces Saturday.
MAPLETOWN GRABS FIRST PLAYOFF WIN
They say there’s a first time for everything, but Mapletown fans had to have been seriously questioning whether or not the Maples would ever win a WPIAL playoff game. That long wait finally ended Friday when Mapletown topped Leechburg, 41-28, in a Class 1A opener to capture its first postseason win. Mapletown (11-0) was once again led by WPIAL regular-season rushing champion Landan Stevenson, who ran for 290 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries. Meanwhile, the Maples did an excellent job slowing down Leechburg running back and Pitt recruit Braylan Lovelace, who was limited to 40 yards on 14 carries. Lovelace returned a punt 85 yards for a score.
LATROBE ENDS LONG DROUGHT
It had been 54 years since Latrobe last captured a playoff victory, so having to work overtime to do it Friday was hardly an inconvenience. Robert Fulton scored on a 7-yard touchdown run on the first possession of overtime to help No. 11 Latrobe knock off host No. 6 Highlands, 28-21. JaTawn Williams clinched the win by intercepting a pass on Highlands’ final possession. Fulton rushed for a pair of touchdowns and teammate John Wetzel threw for two scores. It was just the second loss of the season for Highlands
THREE STARS
*** — Ryan Palmieri, Pine-Richland. The Pine-Richland quarterback had another huge performance with his legs, gashing Penn-Trafford’s defense for 236 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries while leading the Rams to a 31-17 win. Palmieri scored on runs of 10, 14, 71 and 44 yards. Penn-Trafford was the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champion.
** — Joey Bellinotti, Shady Side Academy. Bellinotti ran for 210 yards and four touchdowns in Shady Side Academy’s 35-14 win against South Park in a Class 3A first-round game. Bellinotti’s touchdowns came on runs of 39, 3, 42 and 51 yards. It’s Shady Side’s first playoff win since 2018.
* — Eddie Lewis, Washington. Wash High was riding high Friday, and Lewis was a big reason why the Little Prexies were able to throttle defending Class 2A champion Serra Catholic, 49-21, in a first-round game. Lewis ran for 193 yards on 19 carries and scored on a 29-yard touchdown run.
PUP BITES
* There’s a house … up on the hill … let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Friday’s action also included one PIAA playoff game involving a local team. City League champ Westinghouse (10-0) remained undefeated after overcoming an early deficit to defeat Chestnut Ridge, 48-15, in a PIAA Districts 5-8 regional semifinal at Cupples Stadium. Keyshawn Morsillo completed 10 of 16 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns for Westinghouse, which also beat Chestnut Ridge in last year’s semifinals. It will be a battle of unbeaten teams next week when Westinghouse takes on Berlin Brothersvalley (11-0) in the regional championship.
* In the biggest upset of the night, No. 14 Rochester knocked off host No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic, 36-15, in a Class 1A first-round game. Rochester led, 22-0, at the half. The Rams will next travel to No. 6 Fort Cherry in the quarterfinals. Fort Cherry outlasted Monessen, 56-42.
* He’s a freshman, clap-clap, clap-clap-clap. A pair of freshmen came up huge for No. 6 Woodland Hills, which went on the road and upset Franklin Regional, 21-0, in a Class 5A quarterfinal. Cam Walter had first-half scoring tosses of 44 and 68 yards to Scoop Smith to ignite the Wolverines to the win. Walter finished 4 of 5 for 126 yards, while Smith had 3 catches for 120 yards.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
WPIAL Class 5A
Quarterfinals
Bethel Park 19, North Hills 17
Pine-Richland 31, Penn-Trafford 17
Upper St. Clair 24, Gateway 21
Woodland Hills 21, Franklin Regional 0
WPIAL Class 4A
First Round
Armstrong 39, Blackhawk 7
Latrobe 28, Highlands 21 (OT)
Laurel Highlands 44, West Allegheny 15
McKeesport 43, Mars 0
Montour 34, Hampton 33
WPIAL Class 3A
First Round
Beaver 17, Deer Lakes 3
East Allegheny 42, Mount Pleasant 39
Shady Side Academy 35, South Park 14
West Mifflin 54, Southmoreland 28
WPIAL Class 2A
First Round
Keystone Oaks 21, Apollo-Ridge 14
Ligonier Valley 27, Western Beaver 20
McGuffey 34, Mohawk 29
Neshannock 48, Burrell 6
Sto-Rox 29, Riverside 0
Washington 49, Serra Catholic 21
WPIAL Class 1A
First Round
Bishop Canevin 63, Jeannette 14
Clairton 45, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 19
Fort Cherry 56, Monessen 42
Laurel 53, Carmichaels 8
Mapletown 41, Leechburg 28
Rochester 36, Greensburg C.C. 15
South Side 34, California 3
Union 32, Burgettstown 7
PIAA District 10 Class 6A
Championship
McDowell 62, Butler 7
PIAA Districts 5-8 Class 2A
Regional Semifinals
Westinghouse 48, Chestnut Ridge 15
NEXT WEEK
WPIAL Class 6A semifinals
Canon-McMillan (5-5) at North Allegheny (9-1), 7 p.m.
Central Catholic (6-4) at Mt. Lebanon (5-5), 7 p.m.
WPIAL Class 5A semifinals
Bethel Park (10-1) vs. Upper St. Clair (9-2), site to be determined, 7 p.m.
Pine-Richland (8-3) vs. Woodland Hills (6-5), site to be determined, 7 p.m.
WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals
Montour (7-4) vs. Aliquippa (9-0), site to be determined, 7 p.m.
McKeesport (10-1) at Armstrong (10-1), 7 p.m.
Laurel Highlands (8-2) at Central Valley (9-1), 7 p.m.
Latrobe (7-4) at Thomas Jefferson (7-3), 7 p.m.
WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals
East Allegheny (8-3) at Belle Vernon (7-2), 7 p.m.
West Mifflin (6-5) at Freeport (9-1), 7 p.m.
Beaver (8-3) at Avonworth (9-1), 7 p.m.
Shady Side Academy (6-4) at Elizabeth Forward (9-1), 7 p.m.
WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals
McGuffey (8-3) at Steel Valley (9-0), 7 p.m.
Washington (7-4) at Neshannock (10-1), 7 p.m.
Ligonier Valley (8-3) at Beaver Falls (9-1), 7 p.m.
Keystone Oaks (9-2) at Sto-Rox (8-2), 7 p.m.
WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinals
Clairton (6-5) vs. Bishop Canevin (10-1), site to be determined, 7 p.m.
South Side (10-1) at Mapletown (11-0), 7 p.m.
Union (8-3) at Laurel (9-1), 7 p.m.
Rochester (6-4) at Fort Cherry (8-3), 7 p.m.
PIAA Districts 5-8 Class 2A Regional Championship
Westinghouse (10-0) vs. Berlin Brothersvalley (11-0), site and time to be determined.
Steve Rotstein and Saul Berrios-Thomas contributed.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.