Paul Jones was feeling a little down at halftime last night. So like a lot of teenagers, he turned to video games to cheer him up.

Jones, a Penn State recruit, was 1 for 10 passing and had minus-1 yards rushing in the first half but was dynamic in the second half in leading Sto-Rox to a 32-20 win at Shady Side Academy in a WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game last night at McKelvey Field.

"I know at halftime, he was very upset with himself," Vikings coach Jason Ruscitto said. "He thought he missed a couple open receivers, and what he did was he just settled down and let his athleticism take over."

Jones went 7 for 8 for 128 yards and a touchdown and had a 21-yard scramble that set up another touchdown in the second half, when Jones completed passes to six different receivers.

"It's fun. It seems like I'm just playing a video game," Jones said. "I just don't know what to do, there are so many options on every play. It's crazy."

Jones added 32 yards rushing for the Vikings (8-2), who play Beaver Falls (9-1) in the quarterfinals next week.

"This is a big win, especially because I know I messed up in the first half," Jones said. "Knowing [my teammates] had confidence in me made me have confidence in myself."

Having a bevy of talented teammates helps.

Josh Beverly rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Dontae Gilmore ran a 40-yard first-half touchdown run out of a "Wildcat" formation, completed two 2-point conversion passes and ran for another conversion. Dontez Ford had a touchdown reception and a 2-point conversion catch. Marzett Geter had three catches for 58 yards and one interception.

That doesn't even count Pitt recruit Andrew Carswell, who had only one reception but made plays out of the "Wildcat" to set up the Vikings' first touchdown.

"With the number of athletes on our team that can do something with the football, we've just got to find a way to get the ball in their hands," Ruscitto said. "And when Paul was struggling in the first half, one way to get those balls in the hands of our receivers is by direct snap, and we were able to do that and execute that in key situations."

The teams combined for five touchdowns in a frantic second half, and when Reggie Mitchell found Chris Farrell for a 52-yard touchdown pass with 8:01 to play, the Indians had the lead. Brian Nickel rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and Mitchell ran for 44 yards and a touchdown and passed for 52 yards for Shady Side Academy (8-2).

"They have a lot of playmakers, and they made some plays," Indians coach Dave Havern said. "But we're so proud of our guys."

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