Trinity, which opened its doors in the mid-1920s, had won just tthre WPIAL playoff games heading into Friday night — one in 1986, one in 2005 and the other in 2007.
Now, the Hillers can add a fourth.
Sparked by Andrew Durig's 90-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the second quarter, Trinity (7-4) turned back North Catholic 49-0 at South Fayette to gain a first-round win in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.
The Hillers grabbed a 14-0 lead midway in the second quarter on an 11-yard run by Jonah Williamson, then outscored North Catholic 35-0 in the second half to gain a lopsided win.
Durig scored a second touchdown on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter. Luke Lacock also scored twice for Trinity, returning an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and adding a 3-yard run.
Trinity outgained North Catholic 265-84 and had 15 first downs to the Trojans' seven. North Catholic finishes at 5-6.
Trinity will meet McKeesport (9-1) in the quarterfinals.
More Class 4A playoffs
Mars 44, Chartiers Valley 19: The host Planets (9-2) led the first-round playoff game 17-6 at halftime, then put the game away when Evan Wright raced 61 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to grab a 24-6 advantage. Minutes later, Cole Yoshioka retuned an interception 60 yards for a score to help increase the lead to 31-6. Mars held a 44-6 lead entering the fourth quarter. Wright, the second-leading rusher and third-leading scorer in the WPIAL during the regular season, gained 159 yards on 23 carries and scored four touchdowns. He now has 1,685 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns. Planets quarterback Luke Goodworth completed 11 of 21 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Chartiers Valley finishes at 3-8. Mars will meet Central Valley in the quarterfinals.
Thomas Jefferson 57, Kiski Area 13: Five first-half touchdown passes staked the host Jaguars (9-2) to a 42-6 halftime lead in this first-round contest. Sean Sullivan caught three of the scoring passes on catches of 39, 31 and 20 yards, while teammate Brayden White had touchdown catches of 52 and 20 yards. Thomas Jefferson's two quarterbacks had big nights — Brady Evans passed for 218 yards, while teammate Luke Kosko tossed for 114 yards. Kiski Area finishes at 5-6. Thomas Jefferson will meet Montour (9-1) in the quarterfinals.
Central Valley 28, Highlands 7: Steven Rutherford had two 1-yard touchdown runs and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to lead the host Warriors (8-3) to a first-round win over the Golden Rams (6-5). Central Valley, which has played in four consecutive WPIAL championship games, led at halftime 21-0. The Warriors will meet Mars in the quarterfinals.
Class 5A playoffs
Peters Township 35, Franklin Regional 0: Nolan DiLucia threw first-half touchdown passes of 17 and 25 yards and had scoring runs of 9 and 37 yards to help the host Indians (11-0) grab a 28-0 lead after two quarters in the quarterfinal playoff contest. DiLucia, who completed 18 of 27 passes for 233 yards, threw a third touchdown pass of 18 yards in the second half. The Peters Township quarterback went over 2,000 yards passing for the season and now has 2,168 yards. Peters Township outgained Franklin Regional 379-62. The Indians, the top seed in the Class 5A playoffs and the top defensive team in the WPIAL, picked up their fifth shutout. Franklin Regional finishes at 6-5. Peters Township will meet Moon in the semifinals.
Pine-Richland 51, Bethel Park 6: The host Rams (8-3) led the quarterfinal game at halftime 38-0. Ethan Pillar once again led the way for Pine-Richland, rushing for 169 yards on 17 carries, including touchdown runs of 7, 1, 66 and 1 yard. For the season, Pillar now has 1,401 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns. The Rams' Maclane Miller added 107 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. Pine-Richland outgained Bethel Park 469-185. The Black Hawks finish at 4-7. Pine-Richland will meet Penn Hills (9-2) in the semifinals
First Published: November 4, 2023, 3:13 a.m.
