Power Ratings 2A
District 2/11/12 champ vs District 6 champ
West Catholic 11-2 vs Richland Township 13-0….11.80 Richland Township
West Catholic’s 14-3 halftime lead held up as they went on to defeat an always tough Dunmore (9-4) team 21-3. Quarterback Zaire Hart-Hawkins threw 2 touchdown passes while their defense shut down the respected Dunmore running game, holding their top 3 running backs Rayshaun Dawkins (907), Cristen Buckley (796) and Ralph Tolley (386) to 23, 7 and 27 yards respectively. Wow! They advance to play a strong Richland Township team out of District-6 who beat previously undefeated Ligonier Valley 21-12 in the District-6 final. This was a hard out for Richland, coming back from a 12-0 deficit for the win. Qb Joe Hauser threw for 178 yards. LV was gunning for a district three-peat. Some of the teams in District 5 and 6 play big boy football that many across the state would not notice. Last week saw Chestnut Ridge lose 40-33 in a shootout with state power Wilmington (11-1, 2A, D-10), whose only loss was to Farrell, the Single-A state and district power also out of District 10. Of note, Richland beat Chestnut Ridge (10-3, 2A, D-5) 24-20 and always strong Bishop Guilfoyle (8-4, 1A D-6), 42-0. Qb Joe Hauser is a weapon, throwing for 2884 yards at 57% with a 34/9 ratio. It’d be a mistake looking past the Rams, averaging 44ppg while allowing 9.
District 4 champ vs District 3 champ
Southern Columbia 13-0 vs York Catholic 12-0….20.04 Southern Columbia
Mount Carmel put a scare into Southern Columbia, holding them to a 13-8 halftime lead while sacking quarterback Stone Hollenbach 3 times before the Tigers worn them down, outscoring the Tornadoes 26-6 to get the 39-14 win. The win earned them their 26th district title! Stone Hollenbach threw for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns, mostly to Julian Fleming who caught 3 for 56 yards. The Garcia brothers where as always with Gaige getting 124 on 18 carries and younger brother Gavin gaining 75 yards on 11 attempts. MCA’s Michael Hood (6-0, 210, sr) had 3 sacks, taking his total to 17 ½ on the year. Undefeated York Catholic was idle last week after defeating Delone Catholic 28-21 in overtime to win the district title. Like Southern Columbia, they’re a big offense averaging 36ppg while allowing 12. But Southern’s offense is huge, averaging 55 a game allowing just 9. York Catholic is not a physically imposing team such as SCA faced playing Mount Carmel and Central Columbia. Imagine the benefit of practicing against Southern’s offense! Looks like a long day for the Fighting Irish.
District 7 WPIAL Final
Steel Valley 11-1 vs South Side 10-3….20.84 Steel Valley
Steel Valley scored on their first possession and kept on rolling, benefitting from three Freedom turnovers of which two led to touchdowns. Dionte Williams had a 22 yard Pick-6 in the first quarter to get things going. In the second quarter, Nihka Johnson returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown and the rout was on. It ended with the Ironmen winning 40-0 in their fourth consecutive WPIAL semifinal appearance, allowing them to move on to their third consecutive WPIAL final appearance. Quite a streak. The gang from Munhall has a long tradition of winning football, especially the last four years where they’ve gone 47-4, including 2016’s undefeated title team (15-0) that swamped Southern Columbia 49-7. The final sees them in a dangerous scenario playing South Side (10-3) who they defeated four weeks ago 53-6. Since then the Rams defeated McGuffey (8-3) 36-27, previously undefeated Shady Side (11-1) 32-16 and previously undefeated Charleroi (11-1) 26-21. Meanwhile Steel Valley was winning their three playoff games by a combined 128 to 7.
District 5/10 champ vs District 9 champ
Wilmington 11-1 vs Ridgeway Johnsonburg 11-1….11.23 Wilmington
Wilmington got a war from Chestnut Ridge out of the tough District 6, scoring in the last 20 seconds to pull out a 40-33 win. CR’s balanced offense (162r, 292p) almost won it with Qb Logan Pfister throwing for 202 yards and rushing for another 118. He’ll go to Pitt on a wrestling scholarship. But Cameron Marrett was the big gun for one dimensional Wilmington, rushing for 292 of their 434 yards rushing. They completed 3 of 9 passes for 63 yards. Same ole Wilmington but wow are they elusive! They’ll face Ridgway-Johnsonburg who duplicated Wilmington’s finish, scoring in the last 25 seconds of the game to edge Brockway 14-7, earning their third straight District-9 title. Tough game to watch with Ridgway out gaining Brockway 233 to 120 total yards. A win is a win and the Elkers move on to play Wilmington’s Greyhound who play like their name suggests.
Power Ratings 1A
District 1/2/11 champ vs District 3, 4 champ
Lackawanna Trail 12-1 vs Halifax 11-1….14.30 Lackawanna Trail
Lackawanna Trail is rolling now, winning their last six games by a combined score of 215-44 since losing to Old Forge 28-21. Along the way they avenged their only loss, to Old Forge, winning 29-12 in the first round, blasting Bristol 45-7 then destroying Tri-Valley last week 41-6. They stormed the Valley boys, with Cody Moyle (759 total) getting 108 yards on 6 carries, Jeff Resto (705 total) 162 on 14 carries and fullback Ray Melnikoff (5-10, 210, 1057 total) blasting ahead for 106 yards on 10 carries. Double threat Jeffrey Rolka makes them difficult to defend with 778 yards passing and 498 rushing. They’ll play Halifax who came back with a fourth quarter touchdown to edge Muncy 19-18. This was a dead even game with Muncy (9-4) rushing for 169 yards to Halifax’s 171. They don’t pass much up there with Muncy throwing for 107 yards and the Wildcats at 98 yards. But Qb London Johnson was efficient, completing 11 of 15 passes and can zing it when needed, throwing for 1698 yards at 56%. Tyler Berzowski rushed for 92 yards on 16 carries in a very hard fought game. West Virginia bound Broc Grosser caught a 39 yard touchdown pass. In winning, Halifax overcame Muncy’s outstanding line that featured Donovan Diehl 5-10 225, Dakota Hauesien 6-1 235, Josiah Meza 5-10 225, Coty Steele 6-2 250 and Mason Hillman 6-0 290. That’s probably a once in 10 year occasion in Muncy with a population of 2678.
District 6 Final
Juniata Valley 10-2 vs United 9-4….2.22 Juniata Valley
After being hammered by powerful Bishop Guilfoyle teams the last two years, losing by 58 and 49 points, the Hornets finally got their revenge, beating the Marauders 9-3. Guilfoyle won the Single-A title in 2014 (16-0), 2015 (16-0) and 2016 (15-0), before going 12-1 losing to Homer Center in 2017. Awesome stuff! But now it’s Juniata Valley going for District-6 gold and more, winning tight playoff games against Claysburg Kimmel two weeks ago, 21-20, then Guilfoyle last week, holding them to 214 total yards and 11 first downs. Qb Quinn Zinobile had most of their total yardage (209) completed 7 of 12 passes for 73 yards and rushing for another 81. They move on to play United who eliminated Northern Cambria 36-28 in overtime. United stopped the Colts at the one inch line to prevent a second overtime and avenge a season opening 43-14 loss to NC. Freshman Benjamin Tomb stepped in for Kyle Silk out with the flu, completing 5 of 6 passes while sophomore Hunter Cameron went over 2000 yards rushing with 209 yards and 2 touchdowns. So how about United in the district final, following a 2-4 start, getting their revenge and winning their last 7 games.
District 10 champ vs District 9 champ
Farrell 12-0 vs Coudersport 8-4….17.72 Farrell
Farrell blitzed poor Shade, scorching them for 56 points in the first half. This resulted in a running clock with both sides agreeing to play 8 minute quarters in the second half. So that’s where it ended at 56-8 as it was at the half. Qb Kyi Wright completed all 5 passes for 104 yards with Christian Lewis gaining 191 yards on 17 carries, taking his season total to 1922 yards, a Farrell record. Jaden Harrison added 84 yards on 11 carries as the Steelers rolled out 376 yards rushing while holding Shade to 23. Shade didn’t help their cause with 2 fumbles and 4 interceptions. Farrell will play Coudersport in the quarterfinal, after the Falcons avenged a 21-20 regular season defeat to Smethport by crushing them in the playoffs 44-7. They also evened the score for two other regular season losses, beating Redbank Valley 52-7 and Clarion Limestone 22-12 in the playoffs on what some were calling their revenge tour. Steve Kelly upped his season total to 1744 rush yards after gauging Smethport for 328 yards on 26 carries. Coudy is on fire but it will take a performance they have yet to show to defeat Farrell.
District 7-WPIAL champ Out Lady of the Sacred Heart 12-1….bye
Freaky good team with one slip at Jeannette (11-1), 28-13 with wins against powerhouses Rochester (11-2) 37-8 and again in the playoffs 28-6, and Clairton (9-2) 27-7. Score 41ppg allow 7 with a team stocked with veteran and senior leadership.
District 2/11/12 champ vs District 6 champ
West Catholic 11-2 vs Richland Township 13-0….11.80 Richland Township
West Catholic’s 14-3 halftime lead held up as they went on to defeat an always tough Dunmore (9-4) team 21-3. Quarterback Zaire Hart-Hawkins threw 2 touchdown passes while their defense shut down the respected Dunmore running game, holding their top 3 running backs Rayshaun Dawkins (907), Cristen Buckley (796) and Ralph Tolley (386) to 23, 7 and 27 yards respectively. Wow! They advance to play a strong Richland Township team out of District-6 who beat previously undefeated Ligonier Valley 21-12 in the District-6 final. This was a hard out for Richland, coming back from a 12-0 deficit for the win. Qb Joe Hauser threw for 178 yards. LV was gunning for a district three-peat. Some of the teams in District 5 and 6 play big boy football that many across the state would not notice. Last week saw Chestnut Ridge lose 40-33 in a shootout with state power Wilmington (11-1, 2A, D-10), whose only loss was to Farrell, the Single-A state and district power also out of District 10. Of note, Richland beat Chestnut Ridge (10-3, 2A, D-5) 24-20 and always strong Bishop Guilfoyle (8-4, 1A D-6), 42-0. Qb Joe Hauser is a weapon, throwing for 2884 yards at 57% with a 34/9 ratio. It’d be a mistake looking past the Rams, averaging 44ppg while allowing 9.
District 4 champ vs District 3 champ
Southern Columbia 13-0 vs York Catholic 12-0….20.04 Southern Columbia
Mount Carmel put a scare into Southern Columbia, holding them to a 13-8 halftime lead while sacking quarterback Stone Hollenbach 3 times before the Tigers worn them down, outscoring the Tornadoes 26-6 to get the 39-14 win. The win earned them their 26th district title! Stone Hollenbach threw for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns, mostly to Julian Fleming who caught 3 for 56 yards. The Garcia brothers where as always with Gaige getting 124 on 18 carries and younger brother Gavin gaining 75 yards on 11 attempts. MCA’s Michael Hood (6-0, 210, sr) had 3 sacks, taking his total to 17 ½ on the year. Undefeated York Catholic was idle last week after defeating Delone Catholic 28-21 in overtime to win the district title. Like Southern Columbia, they’re a big offense averaging 36ppg while allowing 12. But Southern’s offense is huge, averaging 55 a game allowing just 9. York Catholic is not a physically imposing team such as SCA faced playing Mount Carmel and Central Columbia. Imagine the benefit of practicing against Southern’s offense! Looks like a long day for the Fighting Irish.
District 7 WPIAL Final
Steel Valley 11-1 vs South Side 10-3….20.84 Steel Valley
Steel Valley scored on their first possession and kept on rolling, benefitting from three Freedom turnovers of which two led to touchdowns. Dionte Williams had a 22 yard Pick-6 in the first quarter to get things going. In the second quarter, Nihka Johnson returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown and the rout was on. It ended with the Ironmen winning 40-0 in their fourth consecutive WPIAL semifinal appearance, allowing them to move on to their third consecutive WPIAL final appearance. Quite a streak. The gang from Munhall has a long tradition of winning football, especially the last four years where they’ve gone 47-4, including 2016’s undefeated title team (15-0) that swamped Southern Columbia 49-7. The final sees them in a dangerous scenario playing South Side (10-3) who they defeated four weeks ago 53-6. Since then the Rams defeated McGuffey (8-3) 36-27, previously undefeated Shady Side (11-1) 32-16 and previously undefeated Charleroi (11-1) 26-21. Meanwhile Steel Valley was winning their three playoff games by a combined 128 to 7.
District 5/10 champ vs District 9 champ
Wilmington 11-1 vs Ridgeway Johnsonburg 11-1….11.23 Wilmington
Wilmington got a war from Chestnut Ridge out of the tough District 6, scoring in the last 20 seconds to pull out a 40-33 win. CR’s balanced offense (162r, 292p) almost won it with Qb Logan Pfister throwing for 202 yards and rushing for another 118. He’ll go to Pitt on a wrestling scholarship. But Cameron Marrett was the big gun for one dimensional Wilmington, rushing for 292 of their 434 yards rushing. They completed 3 of 9 passes for 63 yards. Same ole Wilmington but wow are they elusive! They’ll face Ridgway-Johnsonburg who duplicated Wilmington’s finish, scoring in the last 25 seconds of the game to edge Brockway 14-7, earning their third straight District-9 title. Tough game to watch with Ridgway out gaining Brockway 233 to 120 total yards. A win is a win and the Elkers move on to play Wilmington’s Greyhound who play like their name suggests.
Power Ratings 1A
District 1/2/11 champ vs District 3, 4 champ
Lackawanna Trail 12-1 vs Halifax 11-1….14.30 Lackawanna Trail
Lackawanna Trail is rolling now, winning their last six games by a combined score of 215-44 since losing to Old Forge 28-21. Along the way they avenged their only loss, to Old Forge, winning 29-12 in the first round, blasting Bristol 45-7 then destroying Tri-Valley last week 41-6. They stormed the Valley boys, with Cody Moyle (759 total) getting 108 yards on 6 carries, Jeff Resto (705 total) 162 on 14 carries and fullback Ray Melnikoff (5-10, 210, 1057 total) blasting ahead for 106 yards on 10 carries. Double threat Jeffrey Rolka makes them difficult to defend with 778 yards passing and 498 rushing. They’ll play Halifax who came back with a fourth quarter touchdown to edge Muncy 19-18. This was a dead even game with Muncy (9-4) rushing for 169 yards to Halifax’s 171. They don’t pass much up there with Muncy throwing for 107 yards and the Wildcats at 98 yards. But Qb London Johnson was efficient, completing 11 of 15 passes and can zing it when needed, throwing for 1698 yards at 56%. Tyler Berzowski rushed for 92 yards on 16 carries in a very hard fought game. West Virginia bound Broc Grosser caught a 39 yard touchdown pass. In winning, Halifax overcame Muncy’s outstanding line that featured Donovan Diehl 5-10 225, Dakota Hauesien 6-1 235, Josiah Meza 5-10 225, Coty Steele 6-2 250 and Mason Hillman 6-0 290. That’s probably a once in 10 year occasion in Muncy with a population of 2678.
District 6 Final
Juniata Valley 10-2 vs United 9-4….2.22 Juniata Valley
After being hammered by powerful Bishop Guilfoyle teams the last two years, losing by 58 and 49 points, the Hornets finally got their revenge, beating the Marauders 9-3. Guilfoyle won the Single-A title in 2014 (16-0), 2015 (16-0) and 2016 (15-0), before going 12-1 losing to Homer Center in 2017. Awesome stuff! But now it’s Juniata Valley going for District-6 gold and more, winning tight playoff games against Claysburg Kimmel two weeks ago, 21-20, then Guilfoyle last week, holding them to 214 total yards and 11 first downs. Qb Quinn Zinobile had most of their total yardage (209) completed 7 of 12 passes for 73 yards and rushing for another 81. They move on to play United who eliminated Northern Cambria 36-28 in overtime. United stopped the Colts at the one inch line to prevent a second overtime and avenge a season opening 43-14 loss to NC. Freshman Benjamin Tomb stepped in for Kyle Silk out with the flu, completing 5 of 6 passes while sophomore Hunter Cameron went over 2000 yards rushing with 209 yards and 2 touchdowns. So how about United in the district final, following a 2-4 start, getting their revenge and winning their last 7 games.
District 10 champ vs District 9 champ
Farrell 12-0 vs Coudersport 8-4….17.72 Farrell
Farrell blitzed poor Shade, scorching them for 56 points in the first half. This resulted in a running clock with both sides agreeing to play 8 minute quarters in the second half. So that’s where it ended at 56-8 as it was at the half. Qb Kyi Wright completed all 5 passes for 104 yards with Christian Lewis gaining 191 yards on 17 carries, taking his season total to 1922 yards, a Farrell record. Jaden Harrison added 84 yards on 11 carries as the Steelers rolled out 376 yards rushing while holding Shade to 23. Shade didn’t help their cause with 2 fumbles and 4 interceptions. Farrell will play Coudersport in the quarterfinal, after the Falcons avenged a 21-20 regular season defeat to Smethport by crushing them in the playoffs 44-7. They also evened the score for two other regular season losses, beating Redbank Valley 52-7 and Clarion Limestone 22-12 in the playoffs on what some were calling their revenge tour. Steve Kelly upped his season total to 1744 rush yards after gauging Smethport for 328 yards on 26 carries. Coudy is on fire but it will take a performance they have yet to show to defeat Farrell.
District 7-WPIAL champ Out Lady of the Sacred Heart 12-1….bye
Freaky good team with one slip at Jeannette (11-1), 28-13 with wins against powerhouses Rochester (11-2) 37-8 and again in the playoffs 28-6, and Clairton (9-2) 27-7. Score 41ppg allow 7 with a team stocked with veteran and senior leadership.
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