Nov 5, 2017 6 min read

The first round of high school football playoffs are in the books and there were a few thrilling finishes, the first playoff game in 24 years for West Greene, some terrific matchups of Nos. 8 and 9 seeds and some top seeds that lived up to the lofty billing.

Here are five things we learned from the high school football weekend:

1. Troublesome turnovers – No coach has ever thrown an interception in the end zone or fumbled the football at the goal line, yet all coaches, from the high schools to the NFL, are obsessed with turnovers, and for good reason. If his team commits too many turnovers, then the coach can quickly become a former coach. An offense that protects the football and avoids turnovers has a chance to win, even if it has inferior talent. Commit turnovers in bunches, especially in the playoffs, and your chance to advance disappears. You might as well go ahead and schedule a time to turn in the helmets and shoulder pads. That much was obvious last weekend in several games that involved local teams.

Fort Cherry took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter of its Class A playoff game against Union at Jim Garry Stadium but lost 30-21. The Rangers (7-3) threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and fell behind in the fourth quarter when a snap from center was bobbled and the ball eventually rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety. That’s four turnovers and safety in a nine-point game.

Charleroi’s 21-12 upset loss to an Avonworth team that entered with a less-than-imposing 3-5 record was the weekend’s most stunning result, and it had everything to do with turnovers. Charleroi committed five turnovers in the first half and six in the game. Not even the Cougars’ high-powered offense, which averaged 39.1 point per game, could overcome that many empty possessions.

2. Class 6A and 6B? – We knew there was a difference in Class 6A between the Northern Seven Conference and the Southeastern Conference. We just didn’t think it was this large.

The Northern Seven swept four head-to-head matchups with the Southeastern, including Central Catholic’s 27-20 victory over Peters Township. Southeastern champion Bethel Park lost at home, 30-28, to Penn Hills, the fourth-place team from the Northern Seven.

The Northern Seven went 18-7 this season against the Southeastern and that includes winless Shaler, which lost to Canon-McMillan, Norwin and Peters Township.

3. Droughts end – Two long streaks ended Friday when Burgettstown won at Neshannock, 31-28, in what might have been the best game of the year, and Carmichaels dominated Western Beaver, 28-8.

For Burgettstown, it was the Blue Devils’ first playoff victory in 40 years – since a 7-6 victory over Beth-Center in a 1977 Class AA game played at Canon-McMillan. That was a game in which Burgettstown used a four-yard touchdown run by Gary Havelka and a successful extra-point kick by Chuck Amos to beat the Bulldogs. The game also featured a goal-line stand by Burgettstown in the second quarter and some controversy at the end, after B-C missed a 31-yard field goal attempt with less than two-minutes remaining. According to the game story in the Observer-Reporter the next day, Beth-Center questioned the official’s ruling of wide right and was convinced the field goal was good. Beth-Center also missed a 36-yard field goal in that game.

Burgettstown’s latest playoff game also was decided by a field goal, but this one was good. Seth Phillis, a sophomore who apparently has ice water running through his veins, calmly booted a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Burgettstown the win. And it wasn’t your ordinary 37-yard field goal. It came from the right hash mark, which meant Phillis had to pull it back to the center of the field, and he did so without any controversy or difficulty.

About the time Phillis’ kick was sailing through the uprights and triggering a wild celebration on the Burgettstown side of the field, Carmichaels was finishing off Western Beaver. Though a postseason regular, Carmichaels had not won a playoff game since a 32-0 victory over Fort Cherry in the 2002 Class A quarterfinals.

The road gets tougher this week for both Burgettstown and Carmichaels. Burgettstown plays Steel Valley, the top-seeded team in Class AA, and Carmichaels gets Clairton, the No. 2 seed in Class A.

4. Interstate trouble – It’s no secret that the strength of Class AAA has been the Beaver Valley Conference, with Aliquippa, Quaker Valley and Beaver. The Interstate Conference, meanwhile, has been a significant drop from the Beaver Valley and it showed last weekend. Teams from the Interstate went 0-3 in the playoffs, losing all three to Beaver Valley rivals and each by at least 20 points.

In the two years of the WPIAL’s six-class system, the Interstate Conference has gone 1-6 in the postseason, the lone win being Derry’s victory over Central Valley in last year’s first round.

5. Give ’em helmet stickers – Phillis certainly deserved a helmet sticker for his game-winning kick, but so did these players for their performances last week:

• South Fayette’s Drew Saxton and Noah Plack. The duo hooed up for two of Saxton’s three touchdown passes in the Lions’ 35-0 win over West Mifflin.
• Washington’s Dan Walker, who caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt for a score in the Prexies’ 42-9 thumping of Washington.
• Washington’s Nick Welsh, who continued his stellar season with 161 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. He averaged 10 yards per carry against Freedom.
• California quarterback Colin Phillips, who ran for TDs of 34 and four yards and tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass as the top-seeded Trojans rolled over Bishop Canevin in Class A.
• Nick Mundell of Carmichaels, who had TD runs of 61 and 56 yards.
• The South Fayette defense, which dealt West Mifflin its first shutout in two years.