Nov 4, 2018 4 min read

The area’s list of WPIAL football playoff teams was cut in half.

After starting with 12 that qualified for the playoffs, only six remain after the first round: Peters Township, South Fayette, Belle Vernon, Burgettstown, Charleroi and Washington.

Before we look ahead to the quarterfinals for some, and semifinals for others, here is what we learned from the opening weekend of the postseason:

1. Streaks can end: The playoff frustrations of Charleroi and Peters Township are finally over.

Charleroi, which struggled at the start, ended up defeating Riverside, 35-21, for its first playoff victory since 1998. The Cougars defeated Beaver in the first round that season.

Peters Township had not won a postseason game since beating Mt. Pleasant in 2003. The Indians ended the drought when they hammered Armstrong, 35-7.

A first Friday night was Burgettstown soundly defeating East Allegheny, 33-10, at Hill Memorial Stadium. It was the first home football playoff win for the Blue Devils in school history.

But the wins meant more than just an end to a dubious streak. It showed the growth in maturity for Charleroi. The Cougars were not turnover-prone like last year, when early turnovers led to a first-round upset loss. For Peters Township and Burgettstown, the victories continued to prove whey they both deserved high seeds in their respective classifications.

2. No place like home: How meaningful was it to earn and remain at your home stadium in the opening round? 

It proved to be a big advantage.

Teams that played on their home field — not including those that were considered the home team but played at neautral sites — went 22-2 Friday night. The only teams to lose at home were a pair of Class 5A teams, Bethel Park and Mars.

All six local teams that played on their home fields were victorious.

3. Ground and pound: When talking to South Fayette coach Joe Rossi after the playoff pairings were announced last Monday night, he mentioned the emergence of the Lions’ running game. It showed when South Fayette put together a dominating performance in a 42-6 win over Greensburg Salem.

Andrew Franklin only ran the ball nine times but churned out 159 yards. As a team, the Lions had six players combine for 224 yards on the ground.

South Fayette made sure this time that playing a team for the second time wouldn’t be its downfall in the playoffs. If the Lions would have lost to Greensburg Salem, it would have been the third straight season that they were eliminated by an opponent they beat earlier in the year.

The weather will continue to get colder, so the ability for South Fayette to combine the run with its lethal passing game could prove to be the difference down the stretch.

4. Going down swinging: Despite the Tri-County South Conference being disrespected for years, the league’s three playoff teams — West Greene, Monessen and California — went down with a fight.

Monessen and California, the bottom two seeds in Class A, gave perennial powers Jeannette and Clairton major scares.

Top-seeded Jeannette outlasted the Greyhounds 18-14, while Clairton topped the Trojans, 27-17.

Both TCS teams had a lead throughout a good portion of the game. California led three separate times in the first half. Monessen led for nearly an entire quarter after Devin Whitlock opened the scoring late in the first quarter.

West Greene, which won the coin toss to earn the highest seed and a nearby playoff game, was blown out by Rochester, 52-14. Pioneers junior standout running back Ben Jackson eclipsed 4,000 career rushing yards despite at less than 100 percent because of a hairline fracture in his tibia suffered in a game Oct. 12 against Clairton.

5. Players of the Week: Zahmere Robinson – The Washington junior wide receiver did a little bit of everything in a 52-20 win over New Brighton. Robinson amassed 322 yards from scrimmage, scored three touchdowns and had an interception.

Nolan Labuda – Playing both quarterback and wide receiver for Belle Vernon, Labuda scored six touchdowns in the Leopards’ victory over Beaver, 49-11. He ran for 141 yards and scores of one, two and five yards. He also caught a 27-yard TD pass and threw a pair of scores. Labuda had an interception on defense.

Christian Clutter – In a 36-27 loss to South Side Beaver, the McGuffey senior running back did it all for the Highlanders. Clutter had 24 carries for 266 yards and four touchdowns, including 68- and 66-yard scores. He hauled in three passes for 33 yards and another TD.