Photo by Mike Longo Jr.
Moon Quarterback Tyler McGowan launches a pass down field during the WPIAL semi-finals against Woodland Hills. The Tigers defeated the Wolverines 21-13 to remain unbeaten.-PLAYOFFS-
By Mike Longo Jr.
Moon Area defeated Woodland Hills 21-13 in the Nov. 14 quarterfinals, extending the Tigers’ unbeaten march to the championship.
Leading the way, quarterback Tyler McGowan completed six of 10 passes for a total of 111 yards in the air and one touchdown. Well-rounded offensive and defensive machine Ben Bladel turned in another outstanding effort, rushing for 20 yards on three carries and a touchdown and snagging four McGowan passes to collect 52 yards and his second touchdown. Ian Foster put in a physical performance, making 15 carries for 86 yards rushing.
The Wolverines offense was held in check much of the game by the Tigers’ solid defense, which let through just two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters.
Despite the win, Moon was held scoreless for three entire quarters, raising some questions about the consistency of their offence at this late stage in the playoffs.
Cornell 46, Leechburg 18
The Cornell Raiders relied on a smothering defense and their usual high-powered offense to rout the Blue Devils from Leechburg Nov. 14
Running back Raequan Troutman turned in a monster performance, picking up two touchdowns on runs of 28 and 42 yards and tallying 255 total yards throughout 15 carries. Teammate Tim Henderson completed three scores, including a massive 77 yard kickoff return. E. J. Dawson scored on a 1-yard run and Jerome Brown rounded out the scoring, rambling eight yards for a touchdown on the back of an interception.
Cornell led play from start to finish, building on a slim 6-3 lead after the first quarter to finish the game with a solid 46-18 scoreline
OLSH 29, Clairton 15
Clairton Bears were the number one ranked team in WPIAL’S Class 1A section coming into the playoffs, but were nevertheless soundly defeated by the OLSH Chargers who put on a powerful performance Nov. 14 to secure their place in the semifinal.
Coming back from a 15-7 halftime deficit, the Chargers picked up 22 points in the third quarter and maintained their lead during a scoreless fourth.
High profile quarterback Nehemiah Azeem led the Chargers assault, completing 11 of 21 passes for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushing another. Ziggy McIntosh hauled in a 38-yard pass for one of the Azeem touchdown tosses, while Dorien Tate snagged the other 16 yard touchdown pass. Azeem scampered 10 yards for his rushing score, and teammate B.J. Vaughn rolled into the Endzone after a 50-yard dash.
Sto Rox 62, Mohawk 14
The Sto-Rox Vikings aerial attack blew out Mohawk’s helpless defense in a 62-14 quarterfinal matchup Nov 14.
Sto-Rox tallied more than 550 total offensive yards in what turned out to be another one-sided victory for the Vikings. Mohawk’s offense was held to just seven completions on 26 attempts for 71 yards, and 104 yards rushing on 37 carries.
Junior quarterback Josh Jenkins completed 13 of 14 passes for 411 yards and six touchdowns and also ran for 50 yards on three carries. Junior receiver Zay Davis caught six passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns and ran one in for another touchdown. Junior Drevon Miller-Ross caught five passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
- Sto-Rox report compiled by Ken Hohman