WPIAL football highlights
Carmichaels holds onto 2nd place on scoring list Carmichaels and Rochester are headed for a WPIAL playoff meeting this week, and in the meantime the Steelers might want to drop around and talk to both teams.
Talk to Carmichaels about how to get the ball into the end zone and talk to Rochester about ways to keep the other team from getting across the goal line.
Both were winners in the Class A quarterfinal playoffs the past weekend, Carmichaels hanging a 32-0 collar on Fort Cherry, and Rochester doing the same to Sto-Rox, 34-0.
The wins moved them into a Friday night clash at Upper St. Clair with the winner advancing to the championship finals.
With their zero win, Carmichaels held onto the No. 2 spot in WPIAL scoring, totaling 441 points, an average of 40.1 per game, a slight drop from its 40.9 a week ago, but still leaving the Mikes and Thomas Jefferson as the only teams to average more than 40 points per game.
Thomas Jefferson collared Keystone Oaks, 37-0, to keep the offensive lead with 483 points, an average of 43.9 per game, down from 44.6 a week ago.
Since the Mikes are the only team in the Herald-Standard coverage area still playing, there is no chance for them to lose the local scoring or defensive lead, averaging 40.1 and 9.8 respectively.
Rounding out the top five on WPIAL offense this week are Penn Hills (394-35.8), Duquesne (376-34.2) and Pine-Richland (434-34.0).
Then comes Seton-LaSalle (358-32.5), Jeannette (357-32.4), Knoch (347-31.5), Shenango (347-31.5) and Aliquippa (339-30.8) to complete the top 10.
A week ago the top five were Thomas Jefferson, Carmichaels, Pine-Richland, Penn Hills and Jeannette.
Defensively, with the zeroing of Keystone Oaks, TJ has ceded only 44 points to 11 opponents – an average of 4.0 per game – leaving them and Woodland Hills (60-5.5) as the only teams holding the opposition to less than a touchdown every game.
Completing the top five are Hopewell (67-6.1), Seton-LaSalle (74-6.7) and Rochester (86-7.8).
After that, it’s Pine-Richland (88-8.0), Knoch (90-8.2), Jeannette (93-8.5), North Hills (102-9.3) and Penn Hills (104-9.5) to finish the top 10.
Carmichaels is just a step behind, giving up 107 points (9.7 per game), but almost one-third of those points were scored by one team the night the Mikes whacked Bentworth, 53-32, in a scoring free-for-all.
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Carmichaels and Rochester have another statistical similarity. Defensively, both have ceded double figures to four opponents, and held seven others to a single score, and each have two shutout wins.
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Teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs can now concentrate on getting ready for winter sports.
Basketball and wrestling workouts started Monday with openers carded for the last week of this month and the first week of December.
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Teams shutout this season for the first time in last weekend’s playoff action included Bethel Park, 35-0 by Woodland Hills; Keystone Oaks, 37-0 by Thomas Jefferson; Sto-Rox, 34-0 by Rochester and Fort Cherry, 32-0 by Carmichaels.
Jeannette (2-A) was a first time loser, 10-7 to Mars, leaving Woodland Hills (4-A), Thomas Jefferson and Pine-Richland (3-A), Seton-LaSalle (2-A) and Carmichaels (1-A) as the only perfectos left in the WPIAL.
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Some highlights of the 11th week:
– Touchdown run – 81 yards, Chad Davies, Beaver, vs. Burrell; 67, Josh Grimm, Carmichaels, vs. Fort Cherry.
– Punt return touchdown – 60 yards, Ricky Schultz, Monaca, vs. Brentwood, and Matt McCrory, Hopewell, vs. Knoch.
– Kickoff Return touchdown – 79 yards, Cameron Reed, New Castle, vs. Moon.
– Touchdown run with fumble – 58 yards, Dekendrick Robinson, Penn Hills, vs. Seneca Valley.
– Pass Interception Return for TD – 85 yards, Mike Caputo, Seton-LaSalle, vs. Freeport.
– Field goal – 31 yards, Jon Browne, Thomas Jefferson, vs. Keystone Oaks; 30 yards, Joe Prokopik, Penn Hills, vs. Seneca Valley.
-Scoring – 24 points, Neil Walker, Pine-Richland, all on TD catches from QB Kevin McCabe (10, 68, 16, and 33 yards); 24, Jon Drager, Thomas Jefferson, on runs of 1, 12, 18, and 4 yards, vs. Keystone Oaks.