Nov 1, 2012 7 min read

No. 15 Peters Township (5-4) at No. 2 Gateway (8-1)How they got here: PT: fifth in Southeastern Conference with 4-4 record; Gate: first in Foothills Conference at 8-0.Bread & butter: PT: Although QB Cory Owen (690 passing yards) has come on of late, expect a lot from RB Mike Minjock, who has 173 carries for 1,150 yards and 15 touchdowns; Gate: QB Thomas Woodson (82 of 131, 1,840 yards, 18 TD) spreads it around to several athletic receivers, and he can run, too.Know this: PT: Indians are 4-1 on the road this season; Gate: Gators have reached the WPIAL championship game four times since 2004 and made it to the Class AAAA semifinals last season.Key to victory: Matt Loether (105 tackles, 17 for loss) and Andrew Rao (three INT) need to get Woodson off his game.

No. 12 Trinity (5-4) at No. 5 Montour (8-1)How they got here: THS: tied for third in Big Nine Conference with 5-3 record, third after tiebreaker; Mon: tied for first in Parkway Conference at 7-1, second after tiebreaker.Bread & butter: THS: RB Patrick Frey (155-901-10TD) paces the offense. Corey Hunsberger does a little bit of everything and has scored nine times five different ways; Mon: Whether it’s with one, two or three QBs, Spartans coach Lou Cerro likes to air it out. Ryan Mihelcic (59-94-1,005-12) and Tynen Greer (46-74-731-9) have seen the most action.Know this: THS: Hillers haven’t won a playoff game since 2007 and have come up empty in their past three postseason attempts; Mon: WR Devin Wilson became the WPIAL’s all-time leader in catches and receiving yards last week and has 57-922-13TD this season.Key to victory: Convert in red zone. Trinity made last week’s win over Ringgold much closer than it had to be with failures inside the 20-yard line.No. 13 Ringgold (4-5) at No. 4 West Allegheny (8-1)How they got here: RHS: tied for fifth in Big Nine Conference with 4-4 record, fifth after tiebreaker; WA: tied for first in Parkway Conference at 7-1, second after tiebreaker.Bread & butter: RB Demetrious Louis had his biggest game since Week 4 during a 31-30 loss to Trinity in double-overtime this past weekend, running 20 times for 118 yards and two TD; WA: Indians are one of the WPIAL’s better running teams, alternating carries between Tory Delmonico, Dan Dellovade, Chayse Dillon and Nick Halbedl.Know this: RHS: Rams have lost three straight and four of five entering the postseason; WA: Indians lost in the first round last year but won a WPIAL title – their fifth, all since ’97 – in 2009.Key to victory: QB Nico Law didn’t finish the game last week but will return. His presence makes the Rams multi-dimensional.

No. 15 Freedom (4-5) at No. 2 South Fayette (9-0)How they got here: F: tied for fourth in Midwestern Conference, fourth after tiebreaker; SF: won Century Conference at 8-0.Bread & butter: QB Brett Brumbaugh (119-175-2,138-32TD) leads the WPIAL in passing. Zach Challingsworth (Pitt), Conner Beck and Justin Watson are threats at WR; F: Bulldogs don’t throw often and funnel their offense through RB Kahlil Caracter (165-1,034-12TD).Know this: F: Bulldogs lost to McGuffey by 20 in Week 4, the same team South Fayette stomped, 42-6, to open the season; SF: Lions have not allowed a passing TD in nine games this season and have recorded shutouts in four straight.Key to victory: No letdowns for Lions. Or meteor strikes. Both have about the same chance of happening.No. 14 Shady Side Academy (6-3) at No. 3 Washington (9-0), at W&J’s Cameron StadiumHow they got here: SSA: third in Allegheny Conference at 6-2; WHS: won Interstate Conference at 8-0.Bread & butter: SSA: Despite finishing behind Burrell and Freeport in the Class AA Allegheny Conference, the Indians allowed the league’s fewest points per game at 13.6; WHS: Shai McKenzie led the WPIAL in rushing during the season at 127-1,902-30TD, an average of 14.98 yards per carry and an average length of touchdown at 37.4 yards.Know this: SSA: Indians lost to Freeport, 28-14, while Wash High beat Freeport, 60-6; WHS: Prexies haven’t allowed more than 15 points in a game all season and have given up a touchdown or less five times.Key to victory: Run McKenzie, yes. But don’t be afraid to rely on DaRon Whitaker, not with Seton-La Salle and South Fayette looming.

No. 13 Neshannock (8-1) at No. 4 Jefferson-Morgan (7-2)How they got here: Nesh: tied for first in Big Seven Conference at 7-1, third after tiebreaker; J-M: tied for second in Tri-County South at 6-2, became conference’s top-seeded team at pairings meeting.Bread & butter: Nesh: QB Ernie Burkes’ has keyed the Lancers’ resurgence, completing 95 of 153 passes for 1,251 yards and 14 TD while also running 68 times for 625 yards and 11 more scores; J-M: Rockets average 281 rushing yards per game, spread between Dustin Conti (1,017), Jesse Jento (454) and Nic Santoyo (397).Know this: Nesh: Lancers are in the postseason for the first time since 2004 and beat No. 2-seed Sto-Rox, 35-34, in Week 3; JM: Rockets were the last Greene County team to win a playoff game, reaching the Class A quarterfinals in 2006.Key to victory: Long possessions. The Rockets’ style of play isn’t overly flashy, but it can be effective if they dominant time of possession.No. 12 Apollo-Ridge (6-3) at No. 5 Monessen (8-1)How they got here: A-R: tied for second in Eastern Conference at 6-2, third after tiebreaker; M: second in Black Hills Conference at 8-1.Bread & butter: A-R: Dual-threat QB Jesse Zelonka has accounted for 1,838 yards and 24 touchdowns; M: Similarly, Greyhounds QB Chavas Rawlins has 1,575 total yards and 20 touchdowns.Know this: A-R: Vikings are in the playoffs for the first time since ’07 after going 9-27 from 2008-11; M: Half of the Greyhounds’ wins – Brentwood, Bishop Canevin, Imani Christian and Chartiers-Houston – have been by a touchdown or less.Key to victory: Score in a variety of ways, something the Greyhounds have consistently done since a midseason loss to Clairton.No. 10 Union (6-3) at No. 7 Beth-Center (8-1)How they got here: U: fourth in Big Seven Conference at 5-3; B-C: won Tri-County South Conference at 7-1, became conference’s second-seeded team at pairings meeting. Bread & butter: U: Scotties are a spread team but rely a lot on RB Drew Robinson, who’s the head coach Stacy’s son and has 98 carries for 867 yards and seven touchdowns; B-C: Bulldogs are a power-running team and also spread carries among Cody Durant, Matt Riggle and Jason Stay, who’ve combined to score 33 touchdowns.Know this: U: Scotties are in the playoffs for the first time since 2003, when they lost to Aliquippa, 54-0, in the first round; B-C: Bulldogs are making their 10th consecutive postseason appearance, but have lost in the first round five times during that span.Key to victory: Don’t deviate. Rely on the run, the same formula that’s worked all season.No. 15 Carmichaels (7-2) at No. 2 Sto-Rox (8-1)How they got here: Car: tied for second in Tri-County South Conference at 6-2, third after seedings and tiebreaker; S-R: tied for first in Big Seven Conference, first after tiebreaker.Bread & butter: Car: RB Josh Mundell has had a slow couple of weeks, but he still has 10-1,088-19TD; S-R: There’s been talk about QB Lenny Williams (89-155-1,651-19TD) possibly breaking the WPIAL passing record. Might want to slow him.Know this: Car: Has been one of the hottest teams in Class A, winning six straight and scoring 50-plus points three times; S-R: Vikings haven’t allowed a point in three weeks, a stretch that includes a 25-0 win over No. 3 seed Rochester.Key to victory: Williams can be prone to throwing picks. Those will be essential.