South Fayette coach Joe Rossi didn’t get to bed until about 3 a.m. Saturday night.
His team’s WPIAL championship game against Thomas Jefferson had ended at 8:30 p.m., and by the time the team left Heinz Field, arrived back home and did a little celebrating, it had gotten pretty late.
But by 7 a.m., Rossi and his assistants were back at school studying film of their next opponent.
Coaches don’t sleep much this time of year, especially when their teams are about to play a reigning state champion.
Fresh off of winning its fourth WPIAL championship in nine years, South Fayette will begin its quest for a third PIAA title Friday when the Lions (12-1) face two-time defending champion Erie Cathedral Prep (10-3) in a Class 4A quarterfinal at Erie Veterans Stadium.
“We always tell our kids, ‘One day when you go to college and say you won a district championship, they won’t understand unless they’re from the WPIAL. But when you get a chance to win a state title, it really means something,’” Rossi said.
South Fayette took down No. 1 seed and previously undefeated Thomas Jefferson, 31-24, in an absolute thriller. The Lions trailed, 21-10, at the half, but scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to pull ahead and then hung on for the win.
Going up against Cathedral Prep, South Fayette’s mindset is similar to when it played Thomas Jefferson, which was the three-time defending WPIAL champion.
“It’s definitely a giant challenge, but like we said about TJ, we’re not afraid to play anybody,” said senior wide receiver-cornerback Mike Trimbur, who had two touchdown catches and the game-sealing interception against the Jaguars.
Cathedral Prep has been a thorn in the side of WPIAL teams for close to a decade. The Ramblers ended Thomas Jefferson’s season the past three years and have eliminated the WPIAL champion from the PIAA playoffs six of the last eight years.
This year’s Cathedral Prep team is not as talented as the Ramblers teams that went undefeated the previous two seasons, but it’s still very good. Senior running back Billy Lucas has rushed for 1,319 yards and 16 touchdowns. He ran for 187 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 55-21 first-round win against Clearfield.
“It’s a very talented team,” Rossi said. “They have a very good tailback. He’s just big and strong, a downhill runner. Cathedral Prep is going to spread you out, but the offense revolves around him.”
Cathedral Prep saw its 28-game win streak come to an end when it lost to Central Catholic, 24-21, in the season opener.
Pine-Richland
Pine-Richland is the only WPIAL team entering the PIAA playoffs as defending champions. Just like last season, the Rams (10-2) will play District 6 champion State College (12-1) in the Class 6A quarterfinals. The Rams beat the Little Lions, 49-21, last season and also defeated them 49-29 in the 2014 quarterfinals. The teams will meet again Saturday at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium.
“They've got the exact same team as the two times we played them, but I think they really, really like this team,” said Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz.
State College beat Delaware Valley, 56-19, Sunday in a first-round game. A week earlier, the Little Lions thumped Erie McDowell, 55-20. They are led offensively by quarterback Tommy Friberg, a 6-foot-5 senior who has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Keaton Ellis has 14 touchdown catches and is headed to Penn State to play cornerback. Ellis returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Delaware Valley.
Pine-Richland standout senior fullback-linebacker Tyler King hopes his team is able to avoid a championship hangover. The Rams are coming off a dominant 34-7 win against Seneca Valley in the WPIAL final.
“With a lot of young guys starting, we have to make sure they know that this is not good enough,” King said. “We want to win it all. We want another state title.”
Bye week
Two WPIAL champions have gotten the chance to rest up a little this week because they have quarterfinal byes. Class 3A Aliquippa (12-1) and Class 1A Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-1) won’t find out their semifinal opponents until this weekend. Aliquippa will play the winner of Sharon (9-3) and Bald Eagle Area (11-2), while OLSH will take on the winner of Farrell (12-0) and Coudersport (8-4).
Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said he welcomes the bye week, one that comes after the Quips won their record 17th WPIAL title.
“We have some bumps and bruises. We need to get healed up and get kids 100 percent healthy again or at least close to it. I think the extra days will benefit us,” said Warfield.
The bye also gives Warfield an opportunity to scout the potential opponents in person instead of on film. He said he and some of his assistants will attend the Sharon-Bald Eagle Area game Saturday.
OLSH will be making its first PIAA playoff appearance and its likely opponent is Farrell, the state’s No. 1-ranked team.
First Published: November 21, 2018, 12:00 p.m.