Nov 12, 2015 7 min read

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Wash High is two wins away from its first trip to Heinz Field since 2012, but its next step is anything but easy.

The Prexies (10-0) must find a way to stop the passing attack of Freeport (9-1), which is averaging 35.4 points per game and has an offense that is somewhat overlooked in Class AA.

Senior quarterback Ryan Weigold has thrown for 1,999 yards and 26 touchdowns, while running back Ian Miller has 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. Though the Yellowjackets have found balance on offense and are facing the Prexies’ defense, which is difficult against the run, they’ll have to establish the run in Friday night’s quarterfinals game.

“We still need to try to run it,” Freeport head coach John Gaillot said. “We don’t want to pass the whole game, but hopefully if we complete some balls, maybe we can get a little bit of a run game started there. We have to do some running. If not, they will tee off on everybody. They’ll pin their ears back and come right at us.”

Finding balance can be critical in the playoffs, but Wash High hasn’t had to pass the football much all season, relying on its prolific rushing attack. You can’t argue with the strategy. Senior running backs Kurt Adkins and Jordan West are averaging more than 13 yards per carry.

The Prexies are getting big plays and haven’t had the need to pass the ball. That could change against Freeport, which has a fast, aggressive defense. Senior Logan Thimons, a West Virginia recruit, is as exciting a defensive player you will see in WPIAL football.

A 6-2, 220-pound linebacker/defensive lineman, Thimons has 138 tackles, including 31 for a loss with 15 ½ sacks. He’s fast off the ball and incredibly disruptive. Yellowjackets head coach John Gaillot moves Thimons around to keep opponents guessing and exploit weaknesses.

“He’s hard to block in there,” Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic said. “He moves around and he gets off the ball hard. He shoots around, moves around and he’s hard to account for. We’ll have to play well up front.”

Gaillot seemed to be pretty optimistic and Thimons is a big part of that.

“You try to exploit places where they might not be as strong and get him to where he can get in the backfield because he can redirect so well,” Gaillot said. “He can be one-yard deep, plant and go down the line to get somebody.”

That being said, Freeport hasn’t faced a team like Wash High. The only opponent that is comparable would be Steel Valley and the Yellowjackets lost that game 34-7. Freeport had only 63 total yards against the Ironmen and was almost beaten by Deer Lakes in Week 7.

In case you missed it, the Prexies defeated Deer Lakes 52-7 in the first round of the playoffs. For Freeport, success will depend on giving Weigold enough time to throw and stopping Wash High’s running game.

“They have the team speed, but then you put in misdirection and that’s extremely difficult,” Gaillot said. “You have to worry about the speed and now you have to worry about who actually has the ball. Most of the time it’s one of the three, but there are a lot of times there are four people involved. You have a 25 percent chance of who has the ball and that’s pretty difficult.”

Players to watch: Weigold and Wash High’s Jordan West and Kurt Adkins.

Prediction: Wash High pulls away in the second half. Weigold won’t have enough time to make big throws.

The top-seeded Lions enter Friday’s quarterfinal game with a 42-game winning streak and one of the top defenses in the WPIAL. They will have to stop Beaver quarterback Darius Wise, who has a scholarship offer from BYU and has 2,641 yards with 35 total touchdowns.

The Bobcats’ offense can be prolific, but their offensive line struggles at times. If allotted enough time, Wise can find junior running back Te’Vierre Williams short or go deep when defenses overpursue.

Wise is an exciting player to watch and has a rare ability to make people miss. It’s his first season playing the position and his progress is showing.

“His improvement has been reflected on our team’s improvement throughout the year,” Beaver head coach Jeff Beltz. “Darius is a natural runner and he’s done that his whole life. He looks comfortable now and it took until about midway through the year to get him to that level, but now it’s evident.”

Beaver plays most cover three and against South Fayette’s passing game, that’s not exactly a recipe for success. Sophomore quarterback Drew Saxton will have a ton of success, which will prevent the Bobcats from stacking the line of scrimmage to stop Hunter Hayes.

Players to watch: Wise and Stanton. Wise has the talent to break a long one, but it certainly won’t be enough to beat South Fayette.

Prediction: South Fayette rolls to its 43rd consecutive win

This is one of the more interesting quarterfinal games because of the contrasting styles.

Mars uses a wing-T and will methodically try to wear defenses down. Ringgold, on the other hand, has a spread offense that could give the Planets fits because of its speed.

The Planets are anything but one-dimensional. Quarterback Sam Morrissey has thrown for 871 yards and 11 touchdowns, but the offense revolves around junior running back Isaiah Johnson.

Johnson has rushed for 1,611 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s running behind a big, physical line that could give Ringgold problems.

“It will be a challenge for our linemen,” Ringgold head coach Nick Milchovich said. “We just can’t let them take the ball and nickle and dime us. We can’t let them get three yards, four yards, three yards and first down, and first down. We have to get them off the field. The key will be to limit their long, sustained drives.”

The Planets will likely key to stop Ringgold running backs Chacar Berry and Brenden Small. It’s a tough task and few teams have been able to limit both, but this will be a nice test for Rams junior quarterback George Martin.

The 6-4 pocket passer has 1,118 yards and 10 touchdowns. He spreads it around, too, and he’s even running the ball. Seven different players have a receiving touchdown for Ringgold.

“That’s something we haven’t done all year just to keep him healthy, but we’re playing for blood now,” Milchovich said of Martin running the ball more. “You’ll see him running it a bit more to add a different dimension to our offense. You can’t just focus on those two backs. The biggest misconception about him is you think he’s just a guy that sits back here, but he can run the football. He’s a good athlete.”

The Rams’ offense gets the publicity, but the defense is allowing 10.9 points per game – second-best in WPIAL Class AAA – and has 17 interceptions. Mars will present a new challenge, but it has struggled against athletic teams all season. Friday night won’t be any different.

Players to watch: Mars tight end John Castello (6-4, 225) is very good as a run blocker and creates mismatches in the passing game with his size. Something tells me Martin is going to have to make at least a couple big throws.

Prediction: Ringgold’s speed is too much for Mars.

Other quarterfinal predictions

Woodland Hills defeats Bethel Park

McKeesport defeats Penn-Trafford

Pine-Richland defeats Mt. Lebanon

Central Catholic defeats North Allegheny

Central Valley defeats Hampton

Belle Vernon defeats Franklin Regional

Thomas Jefferson defeats West Allegheny

Aliquippa defeats Seton-La Salle (close game)

Beaver Falls defeats Steel Valley

Clairton defeats Avonworth

North Catholic defeats Bishop Canevin

Jeannette defeats Neshannock

Shenango defeats Frazier