McGuffey gets elusive playoff victory
CLAYSVILLE – Life was different in 1994.
The average cost of gas was $1.09. The United States hosted the World Cup. O.J. Simpson fled from police in his white Ford Bronco. The cost to go see “Forrest Gump” in movie theaters was slightly over $4.
It was also the last time the McGuffey High School football program won a playoff game – the 1994 WPIAL Class 3A championship. The Highlanders beat Blackhawk, 12-6, but have since exited the postseason faster than Forrest could run.
That was, until Friday night.
Scoring 20 points in the final 2:35 of the first half, including a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown by C.J. Cole with 33 seconds left in the second quarter, sixth-seeded McGuffey snapped its 24-year drought without a playoff victory by defeating No. 13 South Side Beaver, 54-23, in a Class 2A first-round game.
“You can’t be the first man on the moon but you can be the one to break the playoff streak,” Dalton said to his team before the game. “We’ve gotten in the playoffs but haven’t done our job.”
It was also the first playoff win for Dalton at McGuffey. The last time he won a playoff game was in 2007 as the coach at Trinity.
The win advances the Highlanders to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 14 Riverside, which stunned third-seeded Burgettstown in overtime, next Friday at a site and time to be determined.
The onslaught of scoring for McGuffey (9-2) to end the first half was sparked by brothers Marshall and McKinley Whipkey.
Trailing 16-13, a 43-yard run from McKinley Whipkey led to Marshall Whipkey faking a handoff and running 18 yards for a touchdown to give McGuffey a 20-16 lead with 2:35 left in the second quarter.
Less than a minute and a half later, a South Side fumble recovered by McKinley Whipkey ignited a 5-play, 55-yard drive that culminated with Marshall Whipkey finding Nate Yagle sneaking out of the backfield for an 18-yard touchdown pass.
“Those plays really turned the whole game around,” McKinley Whipkey said. “We got going after that. It’s an awesome ending for our last game on our home field.”
The Highlanders took advantage of their limited offensive opportunities in the first half. They ran only 12 offensive plays to South Side’s 41. McGuffey had just two minutes and 35 seconds of possession time but led 33-16 at halftime because of the final three minutes in the second quarter.
“We played a great first 21 minutes,” said South Side coach Luke Travelpiece. “(McGuffey) finished the second half. We gave them an opportunity and with a team like that it can change the game a lot.”
The McGuffey defense stiffened in the second half after allowing the Rams to succeed on seven of nine third-down conversions and two fourth-down conversions in the opening 24 minutes. South Side had to punt on its first three possessions of the second half, only getting one first down.
South Side’s Dom Marino had 78 yards and three short touchdown runs on 15 carries.
“The first half was just like last year – we couldn’t get off the field on third down,” Dalton said.
South Side defeated McGuffey in the opening round last year en route to playing in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game.
“It was so reminiscent,” Dalton added. “Our defensive coaches did a good job changing the plan and better handling the edge. We then decided to pressure instead of cover.”
Six of McGuffey’s touchdowns were 30 yards or longer as McKinley Whipkey had 11 carries for 142 yards and one touchdown. Nate Yagle had 151 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, including an 87-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.
The win also snapped a two-game losing streak for the Highlanders.
“When you win two weeks in a row it’s like you never lost,” Dalton said. “When you lose two weeks in a row it’s like you never won. You really have to overcome that mentality. You have to keep your confidence. We’ve been playing in the playoffs since the Charleroi game. The ones we have lost haven’t been fatal. This one would have been fatal.”