Oct 31, 2025 2 min read

By Joe Tuscano

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

ELLSWORTH – The Bentworth Bearcats have not won a WPIAL football playoff game since 2005.

The Bearcats thought this might be the night but will have to wait another season to break that string.

Jeannette used a sparkling second half to come away with a 38-24 victory over the Bearcats in a first round playoff game in Class A.

Jeannette moves on next week to face the second-seeded Clairton Bears. Bentworth fell to 8-3.

“We had to sustain some drives,” said Bentworth head coach Dave Pordash. “They had some sustained drives. But we had 60 yards of penalties and you can’t do that. I’m not happy with all the penalties.”

Tailback Ben Hays, the leading rusher in the WPIAL, had an up-and-down game. Hays rushed for 73 yards, low by his standards, but he did catch a 60-yard pass for a score in the fourth quarter. He also had a 68-yard kickoff return. In all, Hays had three touchdowns.

“Hays is tough. We had to overcome the environment,” said Jeannette head coach Tom Paulone.”I think we did that.”

Jeannette outscored Bentworth, 29-21, in the second half.

The Jayhawks had five different players score a touchdown.

It was a sloppy first half but Jayhawk fans were happy because their team held a 9-3 lead.

Bentworth drew first blood when Caden Hackinson kicked a 27-yard field goal with 3:01 to play in the first quarter.

Jeannette dominated the second quarter, scoring nine points.

Maji Sanders bulled over from one-yard out to give the Jayhawks a 6-3 lead. The run for the two-point conversion was no good.

Right before the half ended, Jeannette put together a drive that ended with a 34-yard field goal by Steele McAllister with no time left on the clock.

Hays, the Bearcats’ star tailback, had 19 yards on just five carries to that point.

“They were keying on him this first half,” said Pordash. “We had problems getting him going.”