Seven games on tap tonight
High school football playoffs get under way When Mapletown faced Bentworth two months ago, aside from being the season opener, the non-section affair was basically just a game, a tune-up for the upcoming conference schedule.
A lot has changed since. Eight wins, including a 7-of-7 run through the Tri-County South, and the have the Maples in the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2001.
And guess who’s coming to Mapletown?
That’s right, Bentworth, the last team to defeat the Maples.
So now, it’s not just a game, but the game.
Mapletown hosts Bentworth tonight with the kickoff slated for 7:30 in a Class A first-round match-up. Six other area teams, including Uniontown, Albert Gallatin, Connellsville, Beth-Center, California and Carmichaels, see action tonight as well, with Jefferson-Morgan playing Saturday afternoon.
The Maples (8-1, 7-0) grabbed a No. 7 seed and a home playoff game after winning their first outright conference title since 1968.
Bentworth, seeded No. 10, defeated Mapletown in Week 1 when quarterback Travis Huff scored on a one-yard keeper with 30 seconds to play and Nick Workmaster tacked on the point after. The Maples had just taken a 27-21 lead with 48 seconds remaining after Brandon Geisel hauled in a 21-yard scoring pass from Jon Caldwell.
But the Bearcats’ Lincoln Gibson returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to set up Huff’s score.
“Coming into the season, I thought we had a nice team, but I think we were flying a little too high and listening too much to how good other people were saying we were,” Messich said. “The loss to Bentworth helped us more than it hurt us. It kind of brought us down to earth.
“I think we grew up a lot with that loss.”
Mapletown boasts one of the WPIAL’s top players in senior running back Ryan Geisel, who is second in District 7 in scoring and fifth in rushing yards with 1,375.
“It’s no secret, Ryan will get his share of carries,” Messich said. “We haven’t thrown the ball a lot this year, but when we have, we’ve had a lot of success the past few games. Sometimes, we may throw only five or six passes, but three or four have been going for big plays.”
Bentworth (5-4, 4-3) is led by Huff and running back Joe Mucho.
A capsule look at other area games follows:
Uniontown at Hampton
The Red Raiders (6-3, 5-2) finished in a tie for second place in the Keystone Conference and are seeded No. 13. Uniontown faces No. 4 Hampton, which finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Greater Allegheny Conference. Uniontown is back in the playoffs after missing the postseason last year after four straight appearances The Red Raiders are led by wide receiver Quindell Dean, who is among WPIAL leaders with 31 receptions, and quarterback Steve Kezmarsky, who has ran hot and cold this season. Hampton (8-1, 5-1) is two points away from a perfect season, and is in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
Albert Gallatin at West Mifflin
The Colonials (4-5) finished in fourth place in the Keystone Conference and are seeded No. 16. Albert Gallatin faces top-seeded West Mifflin, fresh off a win over Thomas Jefferson last week in a battle of unbeaten teams. The Titans (9-0, 6-0) claimed the Big Seven Conference title with the win over TJ. Albert Gallatin won three of its first four conference games, then lost three straight before closing out the regular season with a victory over winless Belle Vernon. The Colonials finished in a tie with Laurel Highlands for fourth place, but won a head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of a Week 6 win over the Mustangs. Given little chance against West Mifflin, AG coach Chuck Colborn said his club would show up ready to play. “I heard them (MSA Sports Network) make a comment on the radio, someone saying, ‘After West Mifflin shuts out Albert Gallatin’ that they’ll probably shut out their next opponent, too. And that’s fine. They’re (West Mifflin) a great football team, no question about it.” After the WPIAL pairings meeting earlier this week, Colborn said, “We’re going to talk about that (being the underdog) all week, about David and Goliath. Our kids are looking forward to this.” History isn’t on AG’s side. The Keystone Conference is 0-16 the past four years in first-round games. West Mifflin has advanced to the Class AAA title game twice in the past five years, losing in 2004 and 2000.
Connellsville at Mt. Lebanon
The Falcons (5-4, 4-3) finished in fourth place in the Quad-East Conference, in which six of nine teams were invited to the postseason. After starting off its season 2-4, Connellsville won its last three regular-season games, beating teams below it in the Quad-East standings. The Falcons are seeded No. 10, with Mt. Lebanon No. 7. The Blue Devils (6-3, 5-2) finished third in the Quad-North Conference after winning their final three section games. Connellsville is making its second straight playoff appearance, with Mt. Lebanon making it three straight years.
Riverview at Beth-Center
The Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1) are seeded No. 5 in Class A after finishing second behind Bishop Canevin in the Black Hills Conference. Beth-Center is making its third consecutive playoff appearance, but is playing at home for the first time in three years. The Bulldogs are two points away from a perfect record, having lost to Canevin, 13-12, in Week 4. Beth-Center committed several mistakes in that game, which started on time but then was delayed by lightning. Since the loss, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents, 243-0. Riverview (5-4, 4-3) finished tied for third place in the always-tough Eastern Conference. The Raiders started the season alternating wins and losses through their first six games, with the three setbacks coming by a combined 14 points. Riverview played undefeated and No. 2 seed Duquesne very tough, losing 13-7 in Week 4.
Western Beaver at California
The Trojans (6-3, 6-1) grabbed Class A’s No. 8 seed, finishing second in the Tri-County South Conference behind Mapletown. Western Beaver (7-2, 5-2) finished in third place in the Big Seven Conference behind second-place South Side Beaver and first-place Rochester, a perennial Class A powerhouse. California is making its six straight playoff appearance, having met Western Beaver in 2003 and losing 35-13.
Carmichaels at Rochester
The Mikes (5-4, 3-4) visit the Rams (9-0, 7-0) in a battle of David vs. Goliath. Rochester is top-seeded and is no stranger to the high ranking, having won the WPIAL Class A title four of the past five years. These two teams met in the semifinals in 2002, but while Rochester hasn’t seemed to miss a beat, Carmichaels had one of its worst regular seasons in recent years. The Mikes have advanced to the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons.
Jefferson-Morgan at Duquesne (Saturday)
The Rockets (5-4, 5-2) finished in third place in the Tri-County South, while the always-tough Dukes (8-0, 7-0) captured the Eastern Conference. Some coaches, especially those in the Tri-County South, felt Jefferson-Morgan and coach Jan Haiden received a raw deal after receiving a No. 15 seed. “I’ll come out and say it to anybody, there were two 4-5 teams (which got into the playoffs) that were seeded above J-M and I know for a fact Jefferson-Morgan would beat them,” said Mapletown’s Messich. Duquesne has advanced to the Class A quarterfinals in each of the past five seasons, losing the title game to Rochester in 2003.