Five things we learned in Week 8
Each Monday we’ll look back at the highlights of the week that was in local high school football. This week we had some dramatic finishes, a title drought snapped and a bit of a clearer look at the playoff picture.
Walk-off winner: Maybe some day the Pittsburgh Pirates will win in walk-off fashion in October, but we know that Chartiers-Houston Bucs football team can do it.
Brody McCrerey caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Walsh as time expired to give the Bucs a 27-26 win over Cornell. It finished off a comeback and clinched a playoff spot by sewing up third place in the Class A Black Hills Conference.
The Bucs were down 26-7 at halftime.
It’s quite the accomplishment for Bucs coach Dan Lis and his players in only his second season at the helm. Chartiers-Houston was winless in 2023 and won three games last year.
It was the third time Chartiers-Houston has engineered a comeback win. They did so against Mapletown and Monessen.
1986 no more: Before the season started, Trinity coach Dan Knause told the Observer-Reporter that the team had aspirations to win its first conference title since 1986 and it’s come to fruition.
The Hillers beat Laurel Highlands, 48-0, to assure themselves at least a share of the Class 4A Big Six Conference title and its first conference crown in 39 years.
It’s the latest checkmark in a steady level of progression in the four years Knause has been the Hillers coach. They will get to update the football banner in Hiller Hall.
Playoff picture: With one week to go there’s some more clarity to the playoff picture, but still some things to be decided.
Let’s start with who’s in. Peters Township has clinched in 5A. Trinity is in 4A. Wash High is in 2A. Fort Cherry, Chartiers-Houston, Bentworth, Jefferson-Morgan and California have clinched in Class A.
Now here’s the scenarios for local teams looking to get in.
Canon-McMillan suffered a heartbreaking 24-21 loss to Norwin and failed to clinch a playoff spot, but the Big Macs aren’t done yet.
They have a tall task against Central Catholic Friday, but if Norwin beats Mt. Lebanon the Big Macs will get in, because they beat the Blue Devils in the regular season. And if it ends up a three-way tie for fourth at 2-4 between Mt. Lebanon, Canon-McMillan and Seneca Valley, Canon-McMillan wins that tiebreaker as well.
South Fayette is in fifth place in the Allegheny Six. That was good enough to get in the playoffs as a wild card last year and it might be again. The Lions are 5-4 overall and play Moon Friday. The resumes for teams in the other two conferences’ fighting for playoff spots are not great.
Kiski Area, Gateway and Armstrong are third through fifth in the Big East Conference and none of them have a winning record. Plum plays Penn Hills for fourth place in the Big East Conference. Plum is 4-5 and Penn Hills is 3-6. The steering committee may look kindly on South Fayette again considering the strength of its conference.
Belle Vernon will need to beat Trinity, have Chartiers Valley lose to Ringgold to receive consideration for a wild card to get in the Class 4A field and that still might not be enough.
Only two teams in each conference get in the playoffs and at least one wild card is assuredly going to the Parkway has four strong teams: New Castle, Montour, West Allegheny and Aliquippa. They might get both.
Washington and Seton LaSalle meet for the Century Conference title this Friday at Dormont Stadium. The winner will likely get one of the three first-round byes.
Waynesburg’s win over Charleroi helped their case for one of the four wild cards in Class 2A. A win against Sto-Rox on Friday and the Raiders will likely be in the field.
California can win the Tri-County South title outright with a victory over Jefferson-Morgan Friday. If Jefferson-Morgan wins and Bentworth beats Avella there will be a three-way tie for first.
Avella is in fourth place in the Tri-County South, but is more than likely going to be left out, much like Carmichaels was last year, unless it can pull an upset against Bentworth.
N Monessen hosts Cornell for fourth place in the Black Hills Conference Friday. The winner will likely receive a wild card, and the loser will probably be on the outside looking in.
Local stat leaders: Bentworth’s Ben Hays is still the WPIAL’s rushing leader after amassing 210 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Mapletown. Hays is also the WPIAL’s scoring leader thanks in part to 28 rushing touchdowns.
Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia is fifth in the WPIAL in passing yards with 1,801.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Deakyn DeHoet is fifth in receiving yards with 741.
Tough schedule: McGuffey is winless for a second straight year, but the schedule maker did the Highlanders no favors.
Every team they’ve played has either clinched or in contention for a playoff spot.
The five teams they’ve played in the Western Hills Conference: Avonworth, Hopewell, Central Valley, North Catholic and Beaver all have locked up a playoff spot or have a case for a wild card.
The nonsection slate was Highlands, West Allegheny, Washington and Trinity.
All except West Allegheny (4-4) have a winning record.
The Highlanders play two-win Quaker Valley to close out the season.