Following a pair of frantic finishes on its home field the previous two weeks, Montour played host to Mars in Friday’s WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals.
And wouldn’t you know, this one provided the wildest ending yet.
Eric Kasperowicz Jr. scored on a 21-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left to help No. 7 Mars to a 48-42 upset of No. 2 Montour.
In a game that saw Montour take a 28-26 lead into the fourth quarter, the teams combined for five touchdowns and 36 points over the final 6:45. Kasperowicz Jr. accounted for nearly all of Mars’ points during that closing run. He ran for six touchdowns in the game, including three in the final 4:16. He finished with 192 yards rushing on 28 carries and helped the Planets avenge a 31-14 loss to Montour on Sept. 20.
“He refused to lose,” Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz said of his son. “It was his leadership ability and how the guys rallied around him and looked up to him. He willed that team to victory. It was not only a proud coach moment, but a proud dad moment.”
The win by Mars (6-5) moved the Planets into the semifinals for the second year in a row. They will face No. 3 McKeesport (7-4) next. The Planets lost four straight at one point this season, but have since won five of six. Montour (8-2), which outlasted Aliquippa and fell in overtime to West Allegheny the previous two weeks, lost its second straight after beginning the season 8-0.
Offensively, this was a tale of two halves for Mars, which mustered only five first downs in the opening half when the Planets fell behind Montour, 21-7. Mars’ only touchdown of the first half came on Zach Dentel’s 30-yard pick-6.
“Thank God for iPads and sideline video,” Kasperowicz said. “They came out in the first half and presented us with a different front that presented us some issues. We really couldn’t get anything going in the first half.”
Kasperowicz Jr. made sure it was a different story in the second half, scoring on runs of 24, 7 and 2 yards in the third quarter and runs of 2, 21 and 21 yards in the fourth. The first of those 21-yard scoring runs and the 2-point conversion that followed gave Mars its first lead, 41-35, with 2:21 to go.
However, Montour needed only three plays to go right back ahead. Caden Halajcio burst for a 76-yard run and, two plays later, Kaleb Platz scored his fifth touchdown of the game, this one on a 2-yard run, to help give Montour a 42-41 lead with 1:46 left.
Mars followed with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that took only 1:32 off the clock and culminated with Kasperowicz Jr.’s second 21-yard touchdown run that put the Planets ahead for good, 48-42, with just 14 seconds remaining.
Mars freshman quarterback Nate Walker completed 22-of-27 passes for 211 yards. Gabe Hein was his favorite receiver, hauling in 12 catches for 89 yards.
Platz finished with 10 carries for 35 yards and the five touchdowns, while Halajcio had 169 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Trey Hopper was 13 of 19 for 281 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Dom Baron.
MORE CLASS 4A
• Tikey Hayes ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns to put No. 4 Aliquippa (7-2) into the semifinals for the 18th year in a row following a 34-14 win against No. 5 Trinity (5-6). The Quips advance to face No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (11-0). After a scoreless first quarter, Hayes scored on runs of 33 and 2 yards in the second quarter to help give Aliquippa a 21-0 halftime lead. And after Trinity pulled within 28-14 in the fourth quarter, Hayes scored on a 51-yard run to seal the win. Marques Council added 147 yards passing and two touchdowns. Trinity’s Jonah Williamson passed for a touchdown and also ran for a score.
• Kemon Spell rushed for 274 yards and scored two touchdowns to push No. 3 McKeesport (7-4) into the semifinals for the fourth year in a row after a 34-11 win against No. 6 Belle Vernon (4-5). McKeesport held a 12-3 lead at the half before Spell busted loose for a 65-yard touchdown run to help extend the lead to 20-3 in the third quarter. Spell later added a 5-yard scoring run. Brady Eastman and Anthony Boyd also ran for scores for the Tigers. Kole Doppelheuer scored Belle Vernon’s only touchdown via a 2-yard run. Belle Vernon won WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A titles in 2022 and 2023.
• Tyler Eber ran for 235 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries to vault No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (11-0) to a 28-7 win against No. 8 West Allegheny (4-4). Eber opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run in the first half and his 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter extended the Jaguars’ advantage to 21-0. Luke Kosko passed for a pair of touchdowns for the Jaguars, one going to Kane Eggerton and the other to Brayden White. Brock Cornell ran for 90 yards on nine carries for West Allegheny, the bulk of that coming on a 70-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. West Allegheny was looking for its first playoff win since 2018.
CLASS 5A
• JaVaughn Moore ran for 142 yards and four touchdowns to propel No. 5 Bethel Park (9-2) to a 42-7 win against No. 12 Latrobe (5-6). Moore, who ran for 1,603 yards in the regular season, carried the ball 21 times and scored on runs of 4, 4, 17 and 1 yard. The first three of those came in the first half when Bethel Park built a 27-0 lead. Ryan Petras also ran for a pair of touchdowns in addition to hauling in six receptions for 101 yards. John Wetzel provided Latrobe with its lone touchdown when he returned a punt 39 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. Bethel Park will play at No. 4 Woodland Hills (8-2) in the quarterfinals.
• Naytel Mitchell capped his big night by scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 8:04 left to give No. 7 Penn Hills (7-4) a 30-27 win against No. 10 Moon (5-5). Mitchell ran for a career-high 254 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns, the third coming on a 69-yard run that put Penn Hills ahead after Moon took a 27-23 advantage on a 1-yard touchdown run by Andrew Cross just 40 seconds earlier. Moon, which raced to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, was paced on the ground by Kyden Kulvanish (132 yards, touchdown) and Braeden Stuart (102 yards, touchdown). Penn Hills will travel to No. 2 Upper St. Clair (10-0) in the quarterfinals.
• Penn-Trafford (9-2), the No. 6 seed, won its seventh consecutive game and advanced to the quarterfinals for the eighth year in a row courtesy of a 49-28 win against No. 11 South Fayette (6-5). The Warriors will travel to No. 3 and defending champion Peters Township (9-1) in the quarterfinals. Penn-Trafford ran for 314 yards. Tasso Whipple led the way with 149 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Whipple also returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown. Derek Carr also ran for a pair of touchdowns for the Warriors. Drew Welhorsky both rushed and passed for two scores for South Fayette, which finished the season with five straight losses.
• Chase Lemke connected with Cole Devola for a 15-yard touchdown with 5:31 left to help No. 9 Franklin Regional (8-3) claim a 17-16 win at No. 8 North Hills (8-3). It’s Franklin Regional’s first playoff win since 2018. The Panthers led, 10-7, at the half before North Hills surged ahead when Kelly McCarthy hooked up with Stephen Murphy for their second touchdown of the night. The Indians then added a safety to increase their lead to 16-10. Lemke also rushed for a touchdown for Franklin Regional, which will play at No. 1 Pine-Richland (8-1) in the quarterfinals. North Hills was looking for its first playoff win since 2010.
CLASS 3A
• Menage Lucas accounted for six touchdowns for No. 9 Highlands (6-4) in a 56-20 win at No. 8 Southmoreland (7-4). Lucas finished with 158 yards and three touchdowns passing while also rushing for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Darius Cherry also had a terrific performance, running for 160 yards and a touchdown while also returning the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a score. Anthony Smith passed for 128 yards and a touchdown to go along with a touchdown run for Southmoreland, which has never won a playoff game. Highlands will play at No. 1 Imani Christian in the quarterfinals (10-0). Imani edged Highlands, 12-10, on Sept. 20.
• No. 5 Avonworth (8-3) raced to a three-touchdown lead and held on to capture a 43-27 win against No. 12 Greensburg Salem (7-4). Dimitri Velisaris and Nico Neal fueled the Avonworth rushing attack by combining to run for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns. Velisaris scored on runs of 8 and 1 yard and Neal scored on runs of 2 and 49 yards. Brody Chismar had a big game for Greensburg Salem. He threw for four touchdowns, two of them to Max Topper. The Golden Lions were hunting their first playoff win since 2000. Avonworth will travel to No. 4 Beaver (8-2) in the quarterfinals. Beaver defeated the Antelopes, 34-14, on Oct. 25.
• Drew Ross had a hand in five touchdowns to lead No. 7 Freeport (8-3) to a 44-20 win against No. 10 Mount Pleasant (5-6). It was the sixth win in the last seven games for Freeport, which will play at No. 2 Central Valley (5-5) in the quarterfinals. Ross ran for three touchdowns, passed for one, and also returned an interception for a score. His pick-6 early in the third quarter helped Freeport regain momentum after Mount Pleasant pulled within 24-14. Amos Glenn also ran for a score for Freeport. Jarett Garn accounted for all three Mount Pleasant touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). The Vikings lost in the first round for the third year in a row.
• Joey Felitsky found Tom Arth for a 10-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to help No. 11 North Catholic (5-6) rally for a 21-14 upset of No. 6 Deer Lakes (8-3). North Catholic scored the final 15 points of the game after Deer Lakes took a 14-6 lead into the final quarter. The Trojans had tied the score at 14 courtesy of Logan Schade’s 4-yard touchdown run and the ensuing 2-point conversion. It was Schade’s second touchdown run of the game. For Deer Lakes, Zach Grant ran for a touchdown and Nathaniel Moore returned a fumble for a touchdown. North Catholic will travel to No. 3 Elizabeth Forward (7-3) in the quarterfinals.
SCOREBOARD
WPIAL CLASS 5A PLAYOFFS
First round
Bethel Park 42, Latrobe 7
Franklin Regional 17, North Hills 16
Penn Hills 30, Moon 27
Penn-Trafford 49, South Fayette 28
WPIAL CLASS 4A PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Aliquippa 34, Trinity 14
Mars 48, Montour 42
McKeesport 34, Belle Vernon 11
Thomas Jefferson 28, West Allegheny 7
WPIAL CLASS 3A PLAYOFFS
First round
Avonworth 43, Greensburg Salem 27
Freeport 44, Mount Pleasant 20
Highlands 56, Southmoreland 20
North Catholic 21, Deer Lakes 14
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.