Playoff briefs
Peters Township at Central Catholic
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Records: Peters Township is 7-3 while Central Catholic is 8-2.
Class: 6A
Winner plays: Either Bethel Park or Penn Hills
Who to watch: Another week means another big challenge for the Peters Township defense. The Indians are allowing only 18.1 points per game and have the task of stopping Central catholic senior quarterback Troy Fisher, a Lafayette recruit who has completed 72 of his 118 passes for 754 yards and five touchdowns. He also has sevne rushing touchdowns in nine games.
Noteworthy: The two losses for the Vikings came against No. 1 seed Pine Richland and Erie Cathedral Prep in the first game of the season. … The challenge on offense for Peters Township is keeping senior quarterback Jake Cortes upright. In the past two games of the season, the Central Catholic defense has quarterback sacks. … This is Peters Township’s first playoff game since 2013 and the first in Class 6A. … The game will be played at Cupples Stadium on the South Side of Pittsburgh.
West Mifflin at South Fayette
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Records: West Mifflin is 5-4. South Fayette is 10-0.
Class: 4A
Winner plays: Either fourth-seeded Montour or fifth-seeded New Castle
Who to watch: West Mifflin’s Parrish Parker and Howie Reid each have double-digit touchdowns and four games in which they rushed for at least 100 yards.
Noteworthy: The one thing the Titans like to do is run the football. The Titans have attempted only 61 passes all season, so look for South Fayette to pack the defensive box to stop a West Mifflin rushing attack that has 2,026 yards. … West Mifflin isn’t coming into this first-round game with much confidence, losing three of its last four games to drop the Titans to fourth place in the Big Nine Conference. … Both Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson had some success throwing the ball against the Titans defense. South Fayette quarterback Drew Saxton, who could be in line for another big game. Saxton is sixth in the WPIAL in passing with 2,203 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Mars at Belle Vernon
Records: Mars is 6-4. Belle Vernon is 9-0.
Class: 4A
Winner plays: Either third-seeded Thomas Jefferson or Trinity
Who to watch: Mars doesn’t pass much out of its Wing-T offense but when it does the Fighting Planets look for senior wide receiver Cade Hetzler, who has 22 receptions for 523 yards – nearly 24 yards per catch – and five touchdowns. … Belle Vernon lineman Blake Zubovic is a Pitt recruit.
Noteworthy: Belle Vernon was thought of as a potential No. 1 seed. By the sounds of it, some members on the WPIAL committee felt the same way before ultimately awarding it the top seed to South Fayette. The Leopards settled for the No. 2 spot. … The Leopards’ defense has been exceptional, limiting opponents to only an average of nine points per game. … Mars’ offense presents a challenge for any defense, forcing even the most aggressive units to be disciplined and stick to assignments.
Trinity at Thomas Jefferson
Records: Trinity is 6-3. Thomas Jefferson is 8-1.
Class: 4A
Winner plays: Either second-seeded Belle Vernon or Mars.
Who to watch: Thomas Jefferson’s Justin Vigna has torched defenses all season. The senior running back has rushed for at least 100 yards in eight of the Jaguars’ nine games. He has 1,364 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 8.7 yards per carry and 151 yards per game. Trinity running back Joey Koroly has had one of the best years ever by a Hillers player, rushing for 1,805 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns.
Noteworthy: These teams are familiar with one another as they are both members of the Big Nine Conference. Thomas Jefferson shut out the Hillers back in early September, 35-0, but it was a 7-0 game at halftime. … Trinity has improved as the season has progressed. The Hillers have scored at least 40 points in five of their past six games. … Trinity’s Cole Bair is averaging 19.5 yards per pass reception.
Freedom at Washington
Records: Freedom is 5-5. Washington is 9-0.
Class: 2A
Winner plays: Either East Allegheny or Mohawk
Who to watch: The Washington offense is clicking as a whole, especially after adding wide receiver Dan Walker, who became eligible after a transfer, to the mix in the middle of the season. Walker has added another weapon for sophomore quarterback Zack Swartz, who has completed 69 of 117 passes for 1,420 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Prexies.
Noteworthy: After already clinching a Class 2A playoff berth, Freedom was in search of a new coach with only two weeks left in the regular season when Tom Liberty resigned. Russ Barley, who was an assistant on the staff, has served as the Bulldogs’ interim coach for the final two weeks of the season. … Freedom has lost four of its last five games. … Washington running back Nick Welsh has 1,554 yards and 21 touchdowns. … The Washington defense is allowing only 70 rushing yards per game.
Avonworth at Charleroi
Records: Avonworth is 3-5. Charleroi is 9-1 and has won eight in a row.
Classification: 2A
Winner plays: Riverside or Frazier.
Who to watch: Avonworth has rushed for only 626 yards all season, so keep an eye on quarterback Derek Johncour, who has passed for 1,603 yards and 11 touchdowns in eight games. … Charleroi has a rare 1,000-yard triple threat in quarterback Geno Pellegrini, running back Hunter Perry and wide receiver Dakota Romantino. Pellegrini has passed for 2,333 yards and 24 TDs. He’s also rushed for 355 yards and eight scores. Perry is the Cougars’ leading rusher with 1,060 yards and 15 touchdowns. Romantino has 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns on 49 catches. Jake Stefanick is the Cougars’ leading tackler by a wide margin. He has 125 tackles including two games with at least 20 stops.
Noteworthy: Avonworth, the fourth-place team in the Three Rivers Conference, hasn’t played since Oct. 20, when it defeated South Allegheny 31-20 for the Antelopes’ lone win since Sept. 22. … Avonworth is in the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year, the majority of that streak spent in Class A. … This is Charleroi’s first playoff game since 2004. The Cougars went 4-0, including two wins over playoff teams, and averaged 47.3 points per game in October.
Burgettstown at Neshannock
Records: Burgettstown is 6-3 while Neshannock is 6-4.
Class: 2A
Winner play: Either top-seeded Steel Valley or 16th-seeded Laurel
Who to watch: Burgettstown will have to stop Neshannock’s potent rushing attack of dual-threat quarterback Seth Fehrs and running back Joey Nerti. Fehrs, who rotates at quarterback with Jared Staph, leads Neshannock in rushing with 686 yards. Nerti has 674 yards and 11 touchdowns despite only playing in eight games. He averages 8.2 yards per carry.
Noteworthy: Riding a three-game winning streak coming into the playoffs, Neshannock is looking for a back-to-back appearances in the Class 2A championship game at Robert Morris University. The Lancers lost to state champion Steel Valley in last year’s final. … After winning its first six games, Burgettstown has dropped three straight but played very well during stretches last week in a nonconference loss to Elizabeth Forward, a Class 3A playoff team. … This is the fifth consecutive year Neshannock has hosted a first-round playoff game.