PIAA semifinal preview: Belle Vernon faces tall task of slowing down one of the top passers in state history

Belle Vernon passed its WPIAL championship test for the first time in 27 years last week.

Now the Leopards must try to slow down one of the top passers in state history.

Jeff Hoenstine is a senior for Central High School in Martinsburg. Hoenstine has had a career like few other quarterbacks in Pennsylvania history. He has led the state in passing two seasons in a row, his 145 career touchdown passes rank first all time, and his 9,968 career yards rank fourth. Friday, Hoenstine and Central (12-2) will play Belle Vernon (10-2) in a PIAA Class 3A semifinal at Central Cambria.

“He is very, very good, as good as he can possibly be,” said Central coach Dave Baker, who is in his 12th season at the school and 42nd overall as a head coach.

Hoenstine has put up video game numbers for Central, located near Altoona. This season, he has completed 278 of 391 passes (71%) for 3,768 yards and 50 touchdowns while operating Central’s spread offense. Hoenstine has thrown for at least four touchdowns in a game eight times this season. Oh, and he’s also rushed for a team-high 716 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s second on the team in tackles, too. But Hoenstine didn’t come out of nowhere this season. He has been putting up big numbers throughout his career. He threw for 3,621 yards and 57 touchdowns last season on his way to earning Class 3A state player of the year honors.

“He’s an accurate passer, but he’s also very quick,” Baker said. “So when he goes back and gets a rush, he’s able to avoid the rusher and run for yardage or throw on the run to guys who get open.”

Hoenstine hasn’t gotten a ton of college interest, Baker said. The reason being his size — he’s just 5 feet 9, 183 pounds. Still, this is a very good high school player who will be the focus of Belle Vernon’s defense in the game.

Of course, Hoenstine has gotten a lot of help. He isn’t the only player on the team to put up gaudy numbers. Senior wide receiver Eli Lingenfelter leads the state in catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. All Lingenfelter has done is haul in 95 receptions for 1,610 yards and 27 touchdowns. He had 12 catches for 174 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 quarterfinal win against Grove City. Hoenstine finished 25 of 32 for 318 yards and four scores. Three other Central players have at least 30 catches — junior Hunter Smith with 51; senior Shalen Yingling, 35; and senior Rylan Daugherty, 31.

Central is seeking its first berth in the PIAA championship. The Dragons fell to WPIAL teams from Beaver County in each of their three previous appearances in the semifinals, and they have all been tight games. They fell to Aliquippa, 30-21, in 2015; Beaver Falls, 14-7, in 2016; and Central Valley, 35-21, last season. The Central semifinal trips in 2015 and 2016 were fueled by quarterback Alex Hoenstine, Jeff Hoenstine’s uncle.

“We’ve gotten [to the semifinals], and we’ve played pretty well but in the fourth quarter haven’t been able to find a way to win. We’d like to try to do that this time,” said Baker, whose team, just like Belle Vernon, hasn’t lost since starting the season 1-2.

Belle Vernon has played in the PIAA playoffs just one other time. After winning the WPIAL Class 3A title in 1995, the Leopards were eliminated by Sharon in overtime in the PIAA semifinals. While Central boasts some players with ridiculous numbers, it’s safe to say Belle Vernon will have the most talented player on the field. Junior running back Quinton Martin, who holds offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame and many others, scored three touchdowns three different ways in Belle Vernon’s 24-7 win against Avonworth in the WPIAL championship. Martin found the end zone on a run, a punt return and a catch. This season, the versatile Martin has rushed for 1,169 yards, caught 26 passes for 403 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.

“What I see is that he’s fast, tall and a good receiver,” Baker said. “They like to throw the ball down the field to him, they run him inside and on jet sweeps, but they do not overuse him. They run him a good bit, but they have other guys who do things. They’re not a one-player team.”

Junior quarterback Braden Laux is 63 of 116 for 944 yards and 10 touchdowns, while junior running back Jake Gedekoh has rushed for 659 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Class 5A

Much like Belle Vernon-Central, the Class 5A semifinal between Pine-Richland and Cocalico is a matchup of teams that have surged after slow starts. Pine-Richland (11-3) began the season 1-3 before winning 10 games in a row, while Cocalico (10-4) was 3-4 prior to ripping off seven consecutive wins. The two will square off Friday at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium.

Cocalico, located between Lancaster and Reading, is one of the tournament’s Cinderella teams. The Eagles were the No. 12 seed in the District 3 playoffs before winning four in a row to claim their fourth district title, a run that included upsets of No. 1 Solanco and No. 2 Exeter Township. The Eagles don’t throw the ball much. There hasn’t been much of a reason to do so considering the success they have had running the ball. The Eagles have piled up 4,220 rushing yards on the season, an average of 301 per game. Junior running back Sam Steffey leads the way with 1,775 yards and 23 touchdowns. Junior Aaryn Longenecker (642 yards) and sophomore Josh Myer (548 yards) have been big contributors, as well. The Eagles are making their third appearance in the PIAA playoffs. They advanced to the semifinals in 1994 and 2019.

Pine-Richland is appearing in the PIAA semifinals for the fifth time in nine years. The Rams are hunting for a fifth title after capturing them in 2003, 2014, 2017 and 2020. The offense continues to run through senior quarterback Ryan Palmieri. Palmieri accounted for all three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in Pine-Richland’s 21-14 come-from-behind semifinal win against Cathedral Prep. The Rams trailed, 14-0, in the contest. Overall, Palmieri has rushed for 1,755 yards and 23 touchdowns and has passed for 779 yards and six touchdowns.

Class 4A

Aliquippa has won four PIAA titles but has never claimed back-to-back titles. The defending champions are two wins away from changing that. The Quips (12-0) will play Allentown Central Catholic (9-5) Friday at Bald Eagle. Both teams have won more district titles than any other team in their districts. Aliquippa is fresh off its 19th WPIAL title, while Allentown Central Catholic is just a few weeks removed from winning its 14th District 11 title.

While this will be Aliquippa’s first game in the state tournament, it will be Allentown Central Catholic’s third. After beating Bethlehem Catholic in the district championship, the Vikings followed with PIAA wins against District 4 champion Jersey Shore, 38-31 in overtime, and District 10 champ Meadville, 50-7. Aliquippa topped Jersey Shore, 41-16, in last year’s semifinals. Allentown Central Catholic is in the semifinals for the first time since 2012. It won titles in 1993, 1998 and 2010. The Vikings have been led by senior running back Caiden Shaffer, who ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the district championship and added 104 yards and four touchdowns against Meadville.

On the same night Allentown Central Catholic beat Meadville, Aliquippa muscled its way past Central Valley, 34-7, in a showdown of reigning state champs. Sophomore running back Tiqwai Hayes (112 yards, three touchdowns) and junior running back John Tracy (108 yards, one touchdown) led the way offensively for the Quips, who dominated possession. The Quips held the ball for 34 minutes, 19 seconds, compared to Central Valley’s 13:41. Aliquippa had a 366-128 advantage in total yards and a 23-7 edge in first downs. Hayes has rushed for 1,792 yards and 31 touchdowns, giving him 3,538 yards and 42 touchdowns in two seasons. Senior quarterback Quentin Goode has passed for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Class 2A

The only semifinal matchup involving two Western Pennsylvania teams will take place Friday at West Mifflin, where City League champion Westinghouse (13-0) faces WPIAL champion Steel Valley (12-0). Prior to this season, Westinghouse had never advanced past the first round of the PIAA playoffs. Steel Valley is in the semifinals for the fourth time. The Ironmen advanced to the final once, beating Southern Columbia to win a title in 2016.

What an incredible run it has been for Westinghouse, which has compiled a 30-2 record since the beginning of the 2020 season. A year after falling to Farrell in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, Westinghouse toppled the Steelers, 34-6, in last Saturday’s quarterfinals. The lopsided result continued what has been a trend this season. Westinghouse has won each of its games by at least 21 points while outscoring its opponents, 592-107. Against Farrell, senior quarterback Keyshawn Morsillo had another strong game, completing 7 of 13 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 52 yards on the ground. Morsillo has now passed for 34 touchdowns and rushed for 12.

This will be a homecoming of sorts for Steel Valley coach Ray Braszo, who spent most of his coaching career at West Mifflin. Braszo, who is in his 34th season overall, won its first WPIAL title when Steel Valley defeated Beaver Falls, 34-14, last Friday. Steel Valley senior quarterback Cruce Brookins made Acrisure Stadium his own private playground. A Kent State recruit, Brookins continued his outstanding season by rushing for 170 yards and three touchdowns. He also added an interception on defense. Sophomore running back Donald Barksdale chipped in 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground for Steel Valley, which attempted only two passes. Brookins leads the Ironmen with 1,454 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns. He has also passed for 711 yards and seven touchdowns. Just like Westinghouse, the Ironmen have been dominant this fall. Since beating Sto-Rox by three points in the season opener, the Ironmen have won all of their games by double digits and have outscored foes, 528-95.

Class 1A

Welcome to the PIAA playoffs, Union! The Union Scotties (11-3), WPIAL champs for the first time since 1958, will make their PIAA tournament debut when they take on District 9 champion Port Allegany (12-1) Friday at Clarion University. Whoever wins this game will move on to the championship for the first time. Port Allegany has made it this far just once, losing to Clairton in the 2012 semifinals.

Port Allegany’s only loss was to Central Clarion in its second game of the season. The Gators have won 11 games in a row since, the most recent being a 42-8 drubbing of District 10 champion Reynolds in the quarterfinals. Port Allegany put the wrap on Reynolds, doubling its yardage and summoning the mercy rule in the third quarter. The Gators aren’t short on playmakers. They are led by senior quarterback Drew Evens (1,365 yards passing, 11 touchdowns; 527 yards rushing, 6 touchdowns), senior running back Blaine Moses (1,099 yards rushing, 24 touchdowns), and senior running back Noah Archer (954 yards, 16 touchdowns; 52 catches, 742 yards). Moses also leads the team in tackles. All three had big games against Reynolds, with Evens passing for two touchdowns and running for one, Moses running for two scores and catching one, and Archer scoring touchdowns on a run and a catch.

Union pulled the biggest stunner of the WPIAL playoffs when it knocked off No. 1 seed and defending champion Bishop Canevin, 26-0, in the championship. That was the latest upset win for the Scotties, the No. 10 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They previously beat No. 7 Burgettstown, No. 2 Laurel and No. 14 Rochester. Junior quarterback Braylon Thomas was one of the stars of the championship win, rushing for 112 yards and scoring Union’s first two touchdowns. Union also put forth an exceptional defensive performance against a team that was averaging 41 points a game. The Scotties forced three turnovers, registered five sacks, and scored two defensive touchdowns — senior Matt Stanley returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown and junior Mike Gunn took an interception 59 yards for another score. Thomas is the team’s top rusher (1,280 yards, 17 touchdowns) and passer (1,061 yards, 10 touchdowns).