Nov 4, 2014 6 min read

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Washington’s road to Heinz Field is anything but easy. The Prexies opened with a very skilled Steel Valley team that had dynamic running back DeWayne Murray. While The Ironmen’s coaching staff pointed to field conditions as the reason for Wash High’s win, the road team lost by 27 points. I’m not sure you can point to rain for that big of a difference.

Next up for the Prexies is Apollo-Ridge (9-1). The Vikings are a very good football team. Led by Pitt recruit Tre Tipton, A-R’s offense is your prototypical spread attack. Entering the season, head coach John Skiba was faced with the predicament of playing Tipton at quarterback or converting running back Duane Brown to the position.

Skiba’s decision was unorthodox, but it has worked brilliantly – make Brown the primary quarterback and use Tipton in wild cat situations.

Brown has rushed for 1,172 yards with 28 total touchdowns and Tipton’s skillset allows Skiba to be creative. He lines Tipton up as the quarterback and the 6-1 receiver is a surprisingly accurate passer. Teams expect him to run, but he’ll often pass to Brown. Tipton has thrown for four touchdowns, rushed for 984 yards and has caught 19 passes for 342 yards.

He has scored 17 total touchdowns. I won’t spoil what Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic said about Tipton because I plan on focusing on that in one of my preview stories this week, but the answer isn’t a simple one.

No one has been able to stop Tipton. In Apollo-Ridge’s lone loss of the season to Highlands, the senior rushed for more than 100 yards and caught two touchdown passes. The trend you can find in that loss is Highlands stopped the Vikings’ passing game and limited Tipton’s big-play ability. He was limited to just three catches for 34 yards and the Vikings passed for just 138 yards.

When you watch game film of the Vikings, the one thing that stands out is junior left tackle Eric Moran, who stands at 6-6 and weighs 322 pounds. He moves fairly well for his size, so the Prexies will have to get creative by moving junior Nate Swart around in pass rushing situations.

The rest of the line is small, yet athletic. The other four linemen average just under 200 pounds, which should give Wash High the advantage up front. They will need to obstruct the passing game, while limiting Brown and Tipton from running for a big gain.

Apollo-Ridge is a big play waiting to happen and is the best team Wash High has faced all season. The Vikings’ defense is allowing more than 21 points per game, so the Prexies’ offense will have to take advantage early.

A slow start is not an option. Playing on a turf field will help Malik Wells, Jordan West and DeQuay Isbell make plays. Grabbing an early lead and coming up with a big first-half defensive stop will be key.

The biggest difference between this Wash High team and ones of years past is at quarterback. Jonathan Spina has been incredibly effective. With five new starters on the offensive line, Spina has not been sacked. He knows when to throw it away or tuck and run.

The stats don’t lie. Spina has completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,122 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. Teams are stacking the box to stop the run, which opens up the passing game for Wash High.

Look for Apollo-Ridge to do that and the Prexies to respond with passes to Isbell, Swart and Wells.

South Fayette vs. South Park

This matchup isn’t the sexiest, but it will be a nice test for the Lions. They defeated the Eagles soundly early this season, so there is familiarity there.

South Park does not have what it takes to beat South Fayette (10-0). Brett Brumbaugh has thrown for 2,298 yards and 30 touchdowns. He’s only been sacked once and the running game is excelling.

Hunter Hayes has stepped in as the go-to back in Joe Rossi’s offense. The junior eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last week and has scored 21 touchdowns.

The playoff schedule is a big help to the Lions. They are dealing with some minor injuries right now to key players. Being able to rest those guys is key to making another state championship run.

It does seem inevitable that South Fayette will be back at Heinz Field this year, but the bigger question is who they will play? Aliquippa is going to soundly defeat Mt. Pleasant, so the Wash High-Apollo-Ridge game is one to keep an eye on.

The Quips are not the same team they were last season. Anytime you lose players like Dravon Henry and Terry Swanson, a drop-off is inevitable, so Aliquippa is beatable. Keep an eye on next week’s semifinal match up.

Ringgold vs. Hampton

Ringgold has not faced a team like Hampton this season. The Talbots (9-1) are a power-running team with a lot of size up front and a gritty defense. They are allowing just 11.2 points per game. The offense is led by strong-armed quarterback Nick Grabowski and fleet-footed running back Matt Rech.

Grabowski is big (6-3, 220), but can hurt teams with his ability to run. Rech is a smaller back, but his running style makes it difficult for defenses to tackle him. He stays low to the ground and has the speed to make big plays.

The Rams (9-1) have the advantage up front. While the loss of Gage Ivory to a torn ACL is devastating, depth has not been an issue. Nico Law can do it all, but the story to watch is junior running back Chacar Berry.

Berry sprained his ankle in last week’s win over Gateway and will be a game time decision. If he can’t go, freshman Brenden Small will be inserted as the every-down back. Ringgold is spending this week to get Small up to speed in pass protection to prepare for Berry not to play, but the bigger loss could be on defense.

The Rams have spelled Berry at linebacker this season with sophomore Dalton Holt, but it’s still a big loss if the junior doesn’t play.

This will be a very difficult game to pick. I’ll be scrambling for the next 24 hours to find more film on Hampton to get a good feel for how good they really are. The Greater Allegheny Conference isn’t that strong, so record and previous success should not be the only thing to focus on.

The key for Ringgold will be to avoid turnovers, especially with a young tailback lining up with Law in the backfield.