ProfessorBriggs.com

(Statistical Information Courtesy of Professor Briggs' archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News. Coaches' comments courtesy of Bob Greenburg interviews)

WEEK THIRTEEN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

Four local teams will play this week in postseason action, with two participating in the PIAA playoffs and the other two meeting for the District 10 Class 3A title. Friday night, Wilmington faces District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge in a rematch of last year's Class 2A playoffs. Saturday afternoon, defending Class 1A champion Farrell faces District 5 titlist Tussey Mountain.

The weekend concludes Saturday night, when Sharon and Grove City clash for the D-10 title at Slippery Rock University. It's a rematch of last year's D-10 3A title game, won by Sharon at SRU.

CLASS 2A PIAA PLAYOFFS
Wilmington vs. Chestnut Ridge, 7:00 p.m. at Somerset

Wilmington has made consecutive trips to the state championship game in Class 2A. To make it three straight journeys to Hershey, the Greyhounds will have to again defeat District 5 power Chestnut Ridge.

Wilmington qualified for the state tournament by downing Greenville, 45-7, in last Friday's District 10 championship game. Chestnut Ridge, meanwhile, pulled away from Berlin Brothersvalley for a 41-20 victory in the D-5 championship game.

Wilmington scored on offense, defense and special teams against Greenville. The "Hounds Hammer" defense opened the scoring when defensive end Junior McConahy sacked Greenville quarterback Jon King in the end zone for a safety. Junior Ethan Susen returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, pushing Wilmington's lead to 16-0.

Susen also ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass, finishing with 274 all-purpose yards. He caught four passes for 62 yards. Fellow halfback Darren Miller ran for 65 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Caelan Bender completed 9 of 14 passes for 131 yards.

Defensive tackle Jake Chimiak and linebacker Shane Cox also had sacks, helping Wilmington hold Greenville to 79 total yards and five touchdowns.

Wilmington has allowed a county-low 70 points this season. The Greyhounds lead the 12-team area in total defense, allowing only 124.8 yards per game. Wilmington holds opponents to 1.9 yards per carry and 3.1 yards per play, both of which rank first in the area.

Wilmington's offense also dominates the local rankings as the Greyhounds average an area-best 43.6 points per game. Wilmington has also turned over the only six times in 493 offensive plays this year.

Miller went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season last week and now has 1,043 rushing yards, along with 13 rushing touchdowns. Susen, despite missing three full games with a knee injury, leads the Greyhounds with 15 total touchdowns. He has rushed for 597 yards.

"Ethan Susen is a major contributor to this football team," Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian said. "The thing that's special about Ethan is that he's three-dimensional. He's a major contributor on offense, defense and special teams. He gives you that big play ability and he gives it to you in all three phases. There's no doubt that having him back on the field, fully healthy, certainly adds another dimension to our team."

McConahy leads Wilmington with 28 catches for 549 yards and seven touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the area in receiving yards. Cox has added a dozen catches for 235 yards and four scores. Bender leads the area in passer rating (199.1), yards per attempt (10.8) and yards per completion (20.2). He has thrown for 1,052 yards and 16 touchdowns without being intercepted.

While Bender is an integral part of the Wilmington offense, Chestnut Ridge's offense centers around junior quarterback Logan Pfister. Pfister has accumulated 2,417 yards of total offense and 24 total touchdowns in 11 games this season. He has thrown for 1,693 yards and 10 touchdowns while also leading the Lions with 724 rushing yards. Pfister also has 14 rushing touchdowns.

For his career, Pfister has 3,465 yards and 1,853 rushing yards, giving him 5,318 total offensive yards. Pfister has accounted for 55 total touchdowns, including 29 rushing scores.

"He's an outstanding quarterback. He's the definition of a dual threat quarterback," Phillian said of Pfister. "He's very, very fast. At the same time, he can make any thrown on the field. The offense goes through him."

Senior fullback Trey Maxwell leads Chestnut Ridge (9-2) with 15 rushing touchdowns. He ranks second on the team with 510 rushing yards. Sophomore Matt Whysong leads Chestnut Ridge with 34 receptions and 537 receiving yards. Senior Seth Holderbaum has 29 catches for 310 yards and Trevor Weyandt has added 21 receptions for 291 yards.

Pfister completed 11 of 16 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown against Berlin Brothersvalley. He also ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Gardner caught a season-high three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown last week.

Weyandt leads the Lions' defense with 97 tackles and four interceptions while defensive end Duane Knisely has 95 stops, including 16 for loss. He had two sacks against Berlin Brothersvalley. Gardner and Whysong have both picked off three passes.

Chestnut Ridge head coach Max Shoemaker owns a 94-47 record in his 12 seasons at the New Paris-based scored. He is also the high school principal. Chestnut Ridge is 0-7 all-time in the PIAA playoffs.

Bedford County-based Chestnut Ridge competes in the 12-team Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference, which includes Class 4A Johnstown, Class 3A schools Bedford, Central Cambria, Forest Hills, Penn Cambria, Somerset and Westmont Hilltop, Class 2A Cambria Heights, Richland (11-0), perennial 1A power Bishop Guilfoyle and Bishop McCort.

The Lions' losses came to Guilfoyle (20-14) and Richland (51-7). Richland will play in the District 6 Class 2A title game against Ligonier Valley Friday night. District 6 is on the other side of the state bracket in Class 2A; an all-LHAC playoff meeting would only be possible in the state title game.

Chestnut Ridge owns a 20-19 win this season over Bedford, which remains alive in the Class 3A state playoffs. Bedford, with a win over Bald Eagle, would play either Grove City or Sharon in the PIAA playoffs.

Wilmington pulled out a 40-33 win over Chestnut Ridge last season in the state playoffs at Slippery Rock University. McConahy caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Robert Pontius with 20 seconds left to break a 33-33 tie. Wilmington outgained the Lions, 505-461, although Pfister threw for 297 yards.

The Wilmington-Chestnut Ridge will meet the District 9 champion in the state quarterfinals. Ridgway and Clarion will play Saturday at 6 p.m. in DuBois for the D-9 title. Wilmington routed Ridgway, 56-14, in last year's state quarterfinals.

The Wilmington-Chestnut Ridge game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7. Live stats available here.

CLASS 1A PIAA PLAYOFFS
Farrell vs. Tussey Mountain, 1:00 p.m. at Slippery Rock University

Defending state champion Farrell (10-2) returns to inter-district play Saturday afternoon when the District 10 champion Steelers face Tussey Mountain. Farrell rallied for a 35-20 win over previously-undefeated Maplewood in the D-10 title game. Meanwhile, Tussey Mountain (11-1) pulled out a 28-23 win over Inter-County Conference rival Northern Bedford last week in the District 5 title game.

Tussey Mountain will make its second all-time PIAA playoff appearance. Meanwhile, Farrell is 18-7 all-time in the state playoffs, including 10-0 in the opening round.

A return to the state playoffs appeared to be in jeopardy as Farrell trailed Maplewood 20-13 in the third quarter and faced a 20-19 hole entering the fourth quarter. But a pair of touchdown runs from sophomore tailback Anthony Stallworth helped propel Farrell back into the state playoffs.

Stallworth gained 240 of Farrell's 466 rushing yards last week. The 240 yards are a career high for Stallworth. It's also the highest total for a Farrell back since Christian Lewis charged through the Lackawanna Trail defense for 249 yards in last year's state championship game.

Quarterback Ray Raver, known more for his throwing prowess, ran for a season-high 127 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, junior Jaden Harrison added 99 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Thanks to Stallworth, Harrison and several other capable ball-carriers, Farrell leads Mercer County in rushing offense, averaging 290.2 yards per game. Farrell averages 9.6 yards per carry this year. Harrison leads the county with an 11.7 yards-per-carry average while Stallworth is second at 10.8 yards per attempt.

Stallworth ranks second in the area with 1,252 rushing yards. Harrison has moved into ninth place with 749 rushing yards. Raver has thrown for 814 yards in 10 games this year. He has 12 touchdown passes and only one interception in his 79 attempts. Raver has completed 63.3 percent of his passes, which ranks second in the area.

Brice Butler leads Farrell with 20 receptions for 477 yards. He ranks second in the area in yards per catch (23.9) and fifth in receiving yards.

Farrell committed nine total turnovers in its first four games. In the seven games since, the Steelers have had only six turnovers and are plus-9 in turnover margin.

"If we don't turn the ball over, we're a really hard team to beat," first-year Farrell head coach Anthony Pegues said.

Farrell's stout defense has also made the Steelers a difficult squad to defeat. Farrell leads the area in scoring defense, allowing only 6.7 points per game. The Steelers blanked eight straight opponents prior to Maplewood's 20-point outing last week. Maplewood finished with 389 total yards, the most allowed by Farrell since yielding 410 yards in a Week Two loss to Wilmington. Farrell's 24 takeaways rank second in the area.

 Tussey Mountain features a punishing ground attack that averages 331.4 rushing yards per game. The Titans used a double-wing attack that features all three running backs. Pegues noted that the offense is more similar to Union City's scheme, as opposed to Wilmington's version of the Wing-T.

Junior running back Kaden Lucko leads Tussey Mountain with 1,539 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He has 10 100-yard games this season. Senior Tyler Rhodes has also gone over 1,000 yards this season. He has 1,020 yards on only 99 carries, an average of 10.2 yards per attempt. Senior Jarred Sipes has added 846 rushing yards and 14 scores.

In last week's District 5 title game at Hollidaysburg, Kaden Lucko ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Matthew Leonard completed 8 of 13 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown.

"They're a scrappy team with tough-nosed kids," Pegues said. "They play well together. They are a Wing-T team, a power team. They are going to come right at you."

Leonard has thrown for 1,319 yards on 86-of-151 (57 percent) accuracy. Rhodes has also caught 35 passes for 657 yards and eight touchdowns. Landon Hennessey has 24 receptions.

Tussey Mountain lost to District 7 entrant North Catholic, 48-7, six years ago in the PIAA Class A playoffs. Tussey Mountain is located in Saxton, Pa., approximately 30 miles north of Breezewood, in Bedford County.

Saturday's winner will face the District 9 Class 1A champion in the state quarterfinals. Coudersport and Redbank Valley meet Saturday at 1 p.m. for the D-9 title. Farrell downed Coudersport, 48-6, in last year's quarterfinals.

The Farrell-Tussey Mountain game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7.

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Grove City vs. Sharon, 7:00 p.m. at Slippery Rock University

The final District 10 football champion will be crowned Saturday night when Region 5 foes Sharon and Grove City meet at Slippery Rock University. Sharon rallied from a 16-0 deficit in Week Seven for a 30-23 home win over Grove City at Sharon Tiger Stadium. But Grove City has already avenged one regular season loss in the playoffs and will look to repeat that accomplishment Saturday night.

Grove City dropped a 21-19 decision to Hickory in the regular season but last Saturday afternoon, the Eagles stormed to a 34-13 victory over Hickory in the D-10 semifinals at Wilmington. Meanwhile, Sharon eliminated previously-undefeated Harbor Creek by earning a 24-14 semifinal victory at Meadville.

Saturday night's game will feature the county's top two passers, statistically, in Sharon senior Lane Voytik and Grove City junior Logan Breese. Voytik leads the area with 2,408 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and 169 completions. Breese ranks second with 2,077 passing yards and 124 completions. He leads the county in completion percentage (63.6).

Voytik has only been intercepted four times in 275 attempts. Grove City leads the county with 19 interceptions and 30 takeaways defensively.

"We always talk about taking care of the ball," Sharon head coach Jason McElhaney said. "Lane's taken a lot of pride in that this year. He's done a really good job of managing things and taking care of the ball."

Voytik completed 24 of 30 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns in last week's win over Harbor Creek. He now has a Mercer County-record 7,924 passing yards and could become the second District 10 quarterback to throw for over 8,000 yards. Franklin's Ian Haynes accomplished the feat earlier this year.

Four Sharon receivers have caught at least 27 passes this year, led by senior Ty Eilam. Eilam leads the county with 53 receptions and 934 receiving yards. Trey Jones (34 receptions), Marcel Smith-Austin (33) and Jaon Phillips (27) are also top targets of Voytik.

Eilam caught nine passes for 101 yards against Harbor Creek. Jones had seven catches for 65 yards and a score while Smith-Austin had 95 yards and a touchdown on four catches.

Brady Ortiz leads Sharon with 776 rushing yards and Tyvell Richardson has 520 rushing yards. Sharon ranks 11th out of 12 teams locally in rushing offense, averaging 133.6 yards per game. However, Sharon's 6.2 yards per carry average is third-highest in the county.

"Offensively, we need to run efficiently," McElhaney said. "We don't have to run for 200 yards, but we need to run efficiently and be in that range where we average 4-4.5 yards per carry to keep them honest. That will help our passing game."

Grove City has run the football with great frequency and efficiency this season. The Eagles have attempted a county-high 459 rushing plays this season and senior running back Colby Nelson leads the county with 1,441 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns and 270 attempts.

Against Hickory, Nelson ran for 186 yards and a touchdown on 34 attempts. Breese completed 15 of 22 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns. Daiveon Say, who missed the first meeting with Sharon, caught five balls for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Reddick added three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown while tight end Zack Martin also caught a touchdown pass from Breese.

Senior guard Lance Craig and junior center Matt Howard have been the keystones of a young Grove City offensive line this season.

"Our line has done a fantastic job all year," Grove City head coach Sam Mowrey said. "Matt Howard and Lance Craig, our upperclassmen, have really solidified the front. That's where it starts."

Reddick leads Grove City with 41 catches for 888 yards and nine touchdowns. Say has 25 catches and Nelson has 24 receptions out of the backfield. Martin (14) and emerging sophomore Sayyid Muhammad (11) have also surpassed double figures in catches.

"They are as advertised. They are incredibly talented," McElhaney said of Grove City. "They have a ton of weapons. They're really, really good. We are going to have to play well Saturday night to give ourselves a chance to win.

"We have to keep their receivers in front of us," McElhaney continued. "We have to prevent the big play."

In the semifinals, Grove City stormed out to a 27-0 lead on Hickory. The Eagles intercepted three passes and held Hickory to 72 rushing yards on 35 attempts. "Our defense came out from the very beginning and played great football," Mowrey said. "They were slowing down the run and stopping plays in the air."

Voytik and Breese combined to throw for 714 yards in the teams' Week Seven clash. Voytik finished 29 of 40 for 386 yards and four touchdowns. Breese completed 16 of 23 attempts for 328 yards and a score. Each quarterback threw an interception. Sharon defensive tackle Tommy Dawson intercepted a Breese pass off a deflection in the closing moments to seal Sharon's win.

Nelson ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 40 yards. Grove City limited Sharon to 34 rushing yards on 28 attempts. However, Jones led Sharon with 10 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown. Eilam had seven catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns while Smith-Austin netted 67 yards and six receptions.

Reddick amassed 175 receiving yards on six catches for Grove City.

Sharon won last year's District 10 title game, 23-6, over Grove City in a wintry mix at SRU. The unfavorable elements did not affect Voytik, who went 17 of 20 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Eilam caught both touchdowns and finished the game with 52 yards on six catches. Sharon held a 33:41-14:19 edge in time of possession.

Sharon is playing in a District 10 title game for the fifth straight year. The Tigers have won consecutive Class 3A titles and have 12 total D-10 crowns since the playoffs began in 1985. Grove City, meanwhile, will play in a D-10 title game for the fourth consecutive season. The Eagles played in the Class 5A title game in both 2016 and 2017. Grove City owns three D-10 titles since 1985.

Grove City is 0-4 all-time against Mercer County teams in the District 10 finals, falling to Reynolds (1987), Wilmington (1995), Greenville (1997) and Sharon (2018). Sharon is 6-6 against area teams in D-10 title games.

The winner will play either Bedford or Bald Eagle in the state quarterfinals. Sharon defeated Bald Eagle last season, 28-7, in an ice storm at Altoona's Mansion Park.

The Grove City-Sharon game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7. Live stats available here.