Trinity closed the regular season by putting up its biggest offensive performance of the fall.
But on Friday, the Hillers opened the postseason with quite possibly their best defensive effort of the season, and it allowed the Hillers to notch their first playoff win in 16 years and only the third in school history.
Trinity, the No. 10 seed, went on the road and defeated No. 7 North Catholic, 49-0, in a WPIAL Class 4A first-round game at South Fayette.
The playoff win was the first since 2007 for Trinity (7-4), which won for the fourth time in five games and did it by outgaining the higher-seeded Trojans, 272-86. The Hillers held North Catholic running back Jack Fennell to just 38 yards on 15 carries. Fennell came into the night with 1,275 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season.
“The defense was dominant,” said second-year Trinity coach Dan Knause. “We really focused on their running back. The kids did a great job all week. And the coaching staff did a great job, too.”
Trinity’s defense not only made it difficult for North Catholic to move the football, but the unit also scored two touchdowns on their own. Luke Lacock scored on a 35-yard interception return and Caden Vogel on a 38-yard fumble return, both in the second quarter.
Jonah Williamson and Andrew Durig carried Trinity offensively. Williamson ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Durig ran for 89 yards and a touchdown. Durig added an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown.
“It’s huge,” Knause said of the win. “I think it’s been 16 years. It’s a happy coaching staff because we get these kids for seven more days. We love it.”
Trinity is one of four Big Seven Conference teams in the quarterfinals. One of the others is No. 2 McKeesport (9-1), which Trinity will take on next. McKeesport defeated the Hillers, 35-7, on Sept. 22.
MORE CLASS 4A
• A year after winning its first playoff game since 1968, Latrobe won another Friday. The No. 9-seeded Wildcats (8-3) scored a touchdown on the opening possession of the game and went on to roll to a 39-7 win at No. 8 West Allegheny (6-5). Quarterback John Wetzel was the star for Latrobe, scoring on touchdown runs of 5, 42, 22 and 2 yards. Michael Woodson scored West Allegheny’s only touchdown on a fourth-quarter scoring run.
• Steven Rutherford rushed for a pair of touchdowns and also passed for a score to lead No. 5 Central Valley (8-3) to a 28-7 win against No. 12 Highlands (6-5). Rutherford threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Shearer to open the scoring in the first quarter and added 1-yard scoring runs in the second and fourth quarters. J.J. Work’s 23-yard touchdown run gave Central Valley a 21-0 halftime lead. Rutherford completed 10-of-15 passes for 79 yards and added 47 yards rushing on six carries. Aaron Randolph ran for a 26-yard touchdown for Highlands.
• Thomas Jefferson’s quarterback duo of Brody Evans and Luke Kosko combined to throw for five touchdowns while leading the No. 6-seeded Jaguars (9-2) to a 57-13 rout of visiting No. 11 Kiski Area (5-6). Evans threw a pair of touchdown passes to Sean Sullivan and one to Brayden White, while Kosko tossed one to both Sullivan and White. Elias Lippincott and Gavin Miller added scoring runs for the Jaguars and Kane Eggerton returned an interception for a touchdown.
• After surrendering a touchdown on the game’s opening possession, No. 4 Mars (9-2) quickly found its footing and rolled to a 44-19 win against visiting No. 13 Chartiers Valley (3-8). The Planets scored 44 unanswered points after giving up the early touchdown. Evan Wright accounted for four touchdowns during the run, scoring on runs of 10, 5, 61 and 12 yards. Cole Yoshioka added a 63-yard interception return for a score and Luke Goodworth threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Kresinski.
CLASS 5A
• No. 1 Peters Township (11-0) continued to show its dominance by throttling visiting No. 8 Franklin Regional (6-5), 35-0. Sophomore Nolan DiLucia accounted for all five Peters Township touchdowns, passing for three and running for two. DiLucia finished 18 of 27 for 233 yards and added 70 yards on 11 carries. He threw touchdowns to Preston Blair, Carter Shanafelt and Ethan Wertman. Peters Township held a 379-62 edge in total yards. The Indians have outscored their opponents, 440-65.
• Josh Bladel ran for three 1-yard touchdowns, none bigger than his go-ahead score with 3:10 left, to give No. 5 Moon (6-5) a thrilling 35-31 win at No. 4 Gateway (5-6). Bladel’s third touchdown of the game came after Gateway had taken a 31-28 lead on Brad Birch’s 62-yard touchdown strike to Kenny Lewis with 8:03 to go. Bladel finished with 165 yards on 30 carries for the Tigers, who went 1-9 last season and began this season 0-3. Birch passed for two touchdowns for Gateway, while Lewis also scored on a 61-yard punt return.
• Ethan Pillar had yet another big performance for defending champion and No. 3 Pine-Richland (8-3), running for 169 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries in leading the Rams to a 51-6 win against visiting No. 6 Bethel Park (4-7). All four of Pillar’s touchdowns came in the first half when the Rams built a 38-0 lead. Teammate Maclane Miller added 107 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Bethel Park scored its only touchdown on Tanner Pfeuffer’s 58-yard scoring pass to Ryan Petras. Pine-Richland outgained Bethel Park, 469-185.
• Pitt recruit Julian Dugger accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) while leading No. 2 Penn Hills (9-2) to a 63-28 win against No. 7 Penn-Trafford (5-6). Dugger connected with Cameron Thomas and Martel Palmer for two scores apiece and added an 18-yard touchdown run. Thomas also scored on a 90-yard fumble return and teammate Malik McCloud on a 50-yard kickoff return for the Indians, who held a 42-14 lead at the half. Penn-Trafford’s Tasso Whipple rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
CLASS 3A
• Deer Lakes (8-3) won a playoff game for the first time in school history, as the No. 8-seeded Lancers took down visiting No. 9 Southmoreland (6-5), 48-18. Deer Lakes quarterback Derek Burk connected with Zach Grant for three touchdowns. Zier Williams carried the Lancers on the ground, running for 116 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Deer Lakes scored the first 27 points of the game. Southmoreland’s Da’sjon Craggette ran for 133 yards and a touchdown and Kadin Keefer threw for a pair of touchdowns. The Scotties were also looking for their first-ever playoff win.
• Freshman sensation Armand Hill ran for 219 yards and four touchdowns to propel No. 6 West Mifflin (7-4) to a 40-14 win against No. 11 Mount Pleasant (6-5). Hill ran for touchdowns of 10, 5, 9 and 76 yards, and has now rushed for 1,228 yards and 17 touchdowns in his past four games. West Mifflin led, 20-14, at the half before pulling away in the second half. Mount Pleasant scored both of its touchdowns on scoring passes from Cole Chatfield to Dante Giallonardo.
• Eric Doerue ran for 150 yards and four touchdowns to vault No. 12 South Park (7-4) to a 37-20 upset of host No. 5 Knoch (8-3). The score was tied, 14-14, in the third quarter before South Park ripped off 23 unanswered points to surge ahead. Doerue scored on a 54-yard run in the first quarter, a 5-yard run in the second quarter, and on scoring runs of 4 and 18 yards in the fourth quarter. Knoch’s Codi Mullen completed 20-of-40 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
• Drey Hall ran for four touchdowns in leading No. 7 Beaver (9-2) to a 42-7 win against visiting No. 10 Shady Side Academy (5-6). Hall scored on first-half runs of 14 and 11 yards and on second-half runs of 72 and 11 yards. Beaver held a 21-7 lead at the half. Quay Cain would add a 5-yard touchdown run for the Bobcats and Brady Mayo connected with Caleb Berardelli for a 27-yard touchdown. Beaver joins South Park, Avonworth and West Mifflin as Western Hills Conference teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
SCOREBOARD
WPIAL CLASS 5A PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Moon 35, Gateway 31
Penn Hills 63, Penn-Trafford 28
Peters Township 35, Franklin Regional 0
Pine-Richland 51, Bethel Park 6
WPIAL CLASS 4A PLAYOFFS
First Round
Central Valley 28, Highlands 7
Latrobe 39, West Allegheny 7
Mars 44, Chartiers Valley 19
Thomas Jefferson 57, Kiski Area 13
Trinity 49, North Catholic 0
WPIAL CLASS 3A PLAYOFFS
First Round
Beaver 42, Shady Side Academy 7
Deer Lakes 48, Southmoreland 18
South Park 37, Knoch 20
West Mifflin 40, Mount Pleasant 14
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.