Ray Braszo won a lot of games while he was the coach at West Mifflin before he took over the Steel Valley football program in 2019.
To make it to a state championship game for the first time, he will have to win one more at West Mifflin.
In an incredible piece of irony, Steel Valley (12-0) will play City League champion Westinghouse (13-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. at West Mifflin High School in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals. West Mifflin’s administration ousted Braszo as coach after the 2018 season.
“It’s gonna be kinda weird,” Braszo said. “I would have preferred somewhere else, but I guess that’s the way it’s been.”
For Braszo, the venue may have the familiarity of walking into your old house after all of your stuff is gone and someone else has moved in. But considering it’s only a 10-minute drive from Steel Valley to West Mifflin, he understands the convenience that went into the selection.
“It’s good for our area,” said Braszo, who has a 218-137-7 career record. “It’s going to be good for our fans and it’s going to be a good atmosphere.”
Braszo won’t be the only one looking for his first trip to the state finals, as Westinghouse has never even made it this far. The closest the Bulldogs have ever been was last season, when they were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
No City League team has made it to the finals since Perry lost to Berwick in 1997. The Commodores were also the last team from the district to make it into the semifinals when they lost to Hopewell in 2002.
“They’re taking it really well,” Westinghouse coach Donta Green said. “I think last year was the year of exploring uncharted territory, but this has been the expectation since July. Last year showed them they were worthy of playing in late November and early December.”
Both teams are led by dynamic quarterbacks, but the two, Steel Valley senior Cruce Brookins and Westinghouse senior Keyshawn Morsillo, lead their teams in different ways.
Brookins, a Kent State recruit, is a running quarterback who can throw a little, but he showcased that running ability in the WPIAL championship game against Beaver Falls when he rushed 17 times for 170 yards and three touchdowns while only attempting two passes. He has rushed for 1,626 yards and 34 touchdowns with 690 passing yards.
Steel Valley also has a stable of runners in the backfield who can make an impact in Donald Barksdale and JeSean Wright.
“They’re big, they’re talented and they play very good football on both sides of the ball,” Green said. “The quarterback is tremendous and he’s a great player. It’s going to be interesting.”
Conversely, Morsillo can run but is more of a downfield passer who has a big-play threat in senior wide receiver Sincere Smith. He has completed 96 of 200 for 2,373 yards and rushed for 704 on 70 attempts. He can run when necessary and has a solid back to hand off to in Kahlil Taylor, who has 1,109 yards on 170 attempts. Also, Sincere Smith is a big-play receiver who averages 30 yards a catch.
“I don’t think we’ve played anyone as good as [Morsillo],” Braszo said. “He’s kind of like the kid from Neshannock [Jonny Huff], but he has a lot more speed and a lot more weapons with him.”
Southern Columbia (11-3) plays Trinity (10-4) in the other semifinal Friday.
Class 3A semifinals
Belle Vernon junior Quinton Martin is widely considered to be on the of the best two-way junior players in the country. He can run, catch and return kicks with the best of them.
His prowess in the defensive backfield, though, cannot be overlooked. He’s a solid tackler who covers well and can turn defense into offense.
There is no doubt he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that on Friday at Central Cambria when Belle Vernon (10-2) takes on District 6 champion Central (12-2).
This won’t be the Scarlet Dragons first rodeo. They made it into the state semifinals last year and were upended by Central Valley, 35-21.
This also won’t be the first time in the spotlight for Central quarterback Jeff Hoenstine, who will enter the game with several career milestones within reach.
A two-time Class 3A all-state selection, he comes into the game with 669 completions in 979 attempts for 9,968 yards and 145 touchdowns in his career. He needs 21 attempts to reach 1,000 and 32 yards for 10,000.
So far this year, he’s “only” thrown 50 touchdowns after setting the state record with 57 in 2021 and has completed 278 of 391 for a career-high 3,768 yards. He’s only thrown five interceptions on the year.
Oh, and he’s also rushed for a team-leading 716 yards.
His top receiver, senior Eli Lingenfelter, is also looking to hit a plateau, as he needs five catches to reach 100 on the year. He has 1,610 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Though the numbers for the Scarlet Dragons are gaudy, Belle Vernon has an outstanding defense that goes well beyond Martin, and they are all ball hawks.
Sophomore Alonzo Wade has four interceptions this season while Martin, Chase Ruokonen and Adam LaCarte each have three picks. As a team, the Leopards have 17 interceptions and will provide a challenge for Hoenstine.
Wyomissing (13-0) plays Neumann-Goretti (10-3) in the other semifinal Saturday.
Class 1A semifinals
If you scroll through the PIAA champions archive, in the section where the website lists football champions by district, you may overlook a gap between District VIII and District X.
Only two of the 12 districts in the PIAA have never won a state football title; District 5, which includes the area near Bedford, and District 9 which, geographically, includes parts of Butler County and goes all the way to the southern New York border.
Port Allegany (12-1) is looking to change that when it takes on Union (11-3) at PennWest Clarion University on Friday at 7 p.m.
Port Allegany has a versatile offense led by senior quarterback Drew Evans, who has nearly 1,900 yards from scrimmage this season. He has thrown for 1,365 yards and 11 scores and rushed for 527 more and another six touchdowns.
In addition, the Gators have a 1,000-yard rusher in senior Blaine Moses and another back with 954 in senior Noah Archer. The two have combined for 32 touchdowns on the ground and 41 overall.
Though the WPIAL has sent its share of teams to the state finals and won its fair share, no team has won in Class 1A since Jeannette in 2017. And Union may be the most unlikely of them all.
Union became the first double-digit seed ever to win the WPIAL Class 1A title when it shut out top-seeded Bishop Canevin in the final last week. But despite the 26-0 victory over the Crusaders, the Scotties are used to playing things a little closer in the playoff as their previous two victories were both by two points.
Quarterback Braylon Thomas, who is a 1,000-yard passer and rusher, is the focal point of the Union offense, but don’t sleep on the defense, which has come up big in the postseason.
Steelton-Highspire (12-1) plays Canton (12-1) in the other semifinal Friday.
First Published: November 29, 2022, 6:20 p.m.
