Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.
Between the hash marks
Who: Penn-Trafford (9-2) at Peters Township (9-1)
Where: Peters Township Middle School
When: 7 p.m. Friday
The coaches: John Ruane (Penn-Trafford), T.J. Plack (Peters Township)
When they last met: In Week 3 of the 2021 regular season, when Peters Township traveled to Penn-Trafford’s Warrior Stadium and emerged victorious with a 27-14 triumph.
Last week: Penn-Trafford pulled away in the second half for a 49-28 win against South Fayette, while Peters Township received a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed in Class 5A.
On deck: The winner will advance to the WPIAL semifinals to take on the winner of Upper St. Clair-Penn Hills.
This and that: Two of the area’s most successful programs of the past decade collide for a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals when 2021 WPIAL and PIAA champion Penn-Trafford visits 2023 WPIAL champion and PIAA finalist Peters Township on Friday night. The No. 6 Warriors have won seven games in a row following a 2-2 start, while the defending champion Indians enter Friday’s clash on a four-game win streak. … With 1,638 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on the year and 3,418 yards on the ground for his career, senior tailback Tasso Whipple is already established as one of Penn-Trafford’s top rushers in school history. The Warriors will need Whipple to be at his absolute best in order to take down Peters Township. … Derek Carr has provided a solid boost to Penn-Trafford’s rushing attack in place of the injured Ben Grabowski, rushing for 537 yards on 92 carries with 10 TDs to give the Warriors a solid one-two punch in the backfield. … The Indians lay claim to the No. 4 scoring offense (33.3 ppg) and No. 2 scoring defense (10.4 ppg) in Class 5A, while Penn-Trafford ranks No. 7 in scoring offense (29.7 ppg) and No. 6 in scoring defense (15.4 ppg). … Peters Township quarterback Nolan DiLucia completed 138-of-210 passes for 2,109 yards with 19 TDs and five interceptions during the regular season while adding 407 yards rushing and three additional scores. His top target, senior Nick McCullough, hauled in 40 receptions for 844 yards with 11 TDs to go with three punt-return touchdowns and four interceptions and 20 pass breakups on defense. … The Indians’ linebacking corps is widely considered among the best in the state, with Stanford recruit Mickey Vaccarello as its headliner. Fellow senior Nick Courie and junior Reston Lehman round out the top-notch trio, which will look to impose its will on the Warriors’ standout line and limit any big runs from Whipple. That battle up front will likely decide which team advances and which team goes home on Friday night.
Expert picks (records in parentheses)
Brad Everett (6-5): Peters Township 31, Penn-Trafford 20
Steve Rotstein (6-5): Peters Township 31, Penn-Trafford 14
John Santa (6-5): Peters Township 31, Penn-Trafford 28
On the radar
Penn Hills (7-4) at Upper St. Clair (10-0), 7 p.m. Friday
On paper, this may look like a bit of a mismatch. After all, Upper St. Clair is sporting a spotless record and the No. 2 seed in Class 5A, as opposed to No. 7 Penn Hills and its four losses. But few teams in the area are playing better football right now than the battle-tested Indians, winners of seven of their past eight games with a 31-21 defeat at No. 1 Pine-Richland as their only blemish during that stretch. Penn Hills also put up a valiant effort in an 18-14 loss against two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion North Allegheny on Sept. 6, and senior running back Naytel Mitchell is coming off a monster 254-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 30-27 first-round win against Moon. On the other hand, the well-rounded Panthers should be well rested and fully loaded for a deep playoff run with star senior Julian Dahlem leading the way.
South Allegheny (9-2) at Ellwood City (9-0), 7 p.m. Friday
Two upstart programs enjoying storybook seasons will go head-to-head for a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals when No. 6 South Allegheny travels to No. 3 Ellwood City for the Wolverines’ first home playoff game since 2000. Led by senior running back Elijah Palmer-McCane, Ellwood City just wrapped up its first conference title since 1997 and first undefeated regular season since 1944. The only thing left for the Wolverines to do is raise their first WPIAL championship banner since 1925 — but first, they must get past the Gladiators, who are riding high while coming off their first playoff win since 1986 in a 53-14 first-round blowout against Waynesburg.
Western Beaver (8-2) vs. Steel Valley (8-3), 7 p.m. Friday at Moon High School
The ultimate clash of styles will take place at Moon High School in the Class 2A quarterfinals, when record-setting sophomore quarterback Jaivin Peel and No. 5 Western Beaver square off with star running back Donald Barksdale and No. 4 Steel Valley. Barksdale surpassed 5,000 yards rushing for his career with a 224-yard outburst in a 49-28 first-round win against Washington, giving him 5,013 yards for his career. Not to be outdone, Peel passed for 271 yards in a 41-6 first-round win against Carlynton and is now up to 5,303 yards for his career with 60 career TDs. Peel has passed for 2,405 yards this season with 28 TDs, while Barksdale has rushed for 1,985 yards and 30 scores on the year.
PUP ‘underdog’ to watch
Highlands (plays Imani Christian at UPMC Graham Field at 7 p.m. Friday)
The top seed in Class 3A, unbeaten Imani Christian received a tough draw with No. 9 Highlands coming to town for a quarterfinal rematch of the Saints’ closest game of the year — a 12-10 home win on Sept. 20 in which Golden Rams quarterback Menage Lucas left with an injury in the first half and did not return. With Lucas now back to full strength and approaching 1,500 yards as both a passer and rusher, Highlands heads into Friday’s rematch with a full head of steam after a 56-20 rout at Southmoreland in the first round. Will it be enough to pull off the upset?
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
