WPIAL Class 5A championship preview: Pine-Richland vs. Peters Township

As they say, steel sharpens steel.

And when heavyweights Pine-Richland and Peters Township meet for the WPIAL Class 5A title in the Steel City, it will be unstoppable force against immovable object as a star-studded Pine offense faces a talent-loaded Peters defense.

But as sharp as these teams have been, this showdown is also about rubber.

As in rubber match.

For the third year in a row, No. 1 Pine-Richland (11-1) will take on No. 2 Peters Township (12-0) in the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Both teams are seeking a second win in the trilogy. Peters Township thumped Pine-Richland, 43-17, in 2023, but Pine-Richland returned the favor last season by claiming a 20-9 win.

While Class 5A had a bevy of strong teams this season, the Rams and Indians appeared to be on a collision course, something that was not lost on their coaches.

“We were hoping to get them,” said Peters Township’s T.J. Plack, who is trying to lead the Indians to a second title.

“We talked early on that it could be us and Peters defending on how things shook out,” said Pine-Richland’s Jon LeDonne, who will attempt to help the Rams become only the seventh school to win 10 championships.

Peters Township finished the regular season unbeaten for the second time in three years and has won all but one of its games by double digits. Pine-Richland’s only loss was to WPIAL Class 6A champion Central Catholic, 34-20, on Aug. 29, and all of the Rams’ victories have been by double digits.

While each team has lots of playmakers on both sides of the ball, the highlight matchup in this championship will be the Pine-Richland offense against the Peters Township defense. Pine-Richland (47.6 points per game) boasts the No. 1 scoring offense in the classification and Peters Township features the No. 1 scoring defense (6.9 ppg).

“They do present some challenges, but I think we present a lot of challenges for any offense,” said Plack, whose Indians beat No. 3 Upper St. Clair, 31-6, in the semifinals.

Pine-Richland doesn’t have a run-of-the-mill offense. Good luck finding many teams in WPIAL history that have had a Power Four recruit at quarterback and two at wide receiver. Junior quarterback Oobi Strader has been terrific, throwing for 3,139 yards and 33 touchdowns while also rushing for 703 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has an offer from Syracuse.

And then there’s the perimeter tandem of senior Jay Timmons (33 catches, 595 yards, 10 touchdowns) and junior Khalil Taylor (31 catches, 543 yards, 15 touchdowns), one of the top wide receiver duos in the entire country. Timmons is an Ohio State recruit who earlier this week was named a five-star recruit and the No. 1 cornerback in the nation in the 2026 class. Taylor is elite in his own right. A top-75 player nationally in the junior class, Taylor’s offer list includes Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Another standout receiver, senior Jalen Neals, actually leads the Rams in receiving (36 catches, 501 yards, 4 touchdowns), and senior Mac Miller tops the team in rushing (1,249 yards, 13 touchdowns).

“We’re scoring some points, and we’re able to spread the wealth,” said LeDonne, who is trying to win his fourth title. “We’ve got Taylor, Timmons and Neals at receiver, and Oobi and Mac in the backfield, so it’s kind of like pick your poison.”

Strader was one of the stars of last year’s championship tilt, throwing for 147 yards and two touchdowns, one going to Timmons. Taylor played in a title game last season, only for another team. Taylor was with Seton LaSalle, the runner-up in last year’s Class 2A championship, before transferring to Pine-Richland in the summer.

All of that might sound like Pine-Richland is the heavy favorite, but that’s anything but the case when you take a look at the talented Peters Township defense, which features two Power Four-bound edge rushers in seniors Reston Lehman (6 feet 4, 240 pounds) and Lucas Shanafelt (6-4, 235). Lehman is a Pitt recruit, and Shanafelt is headed to play at Stanford.

“It’s something a little unorthodox,” Plack said of his defense. “We’re never the biggest team. Our defensive tackles and nose guard aren’t that big, but these guys are strong and aggressive.”

Plack said that Lehman and Shanafelt have been “incredible.” Lehman had three sacks and Shanafelt one in the semifinal win against Upper St. Clair.

Said LeDonne, “It’s always tough against them. They’re going to try to load the box and put guys on islands. We have to win those 1-on-1 battles, and we think we have a decent chance of doing that.”

How effective Peters Township is rushing the passer and how well Peters Township’s defensive backs hang with those big-time Pine-Richland receivers could go a long way in deciding the winner.

Strader isn’t the only outstanding quarterback in this game, as Peters Township is led by senior Nolan DiLucia, a Villanova recruit and one of the top passers in WPIAL history. DiLucia is starting his third WPIAL championship game and this season has thrown for 2,449 yards and 22 touchdowns.

“He’s the ultimate competitor,” LeDonne said. “I remember the game last year. He was getting hit from all angles and was in on every tackle, but he just kept going. He’s determined to propel his team to the win.”

DiLucia spreads the wealth, as six players have at least 16 receptions. Senior wide receiver P.J. Luke leads that group with 31 catches for 560 yards. Along with DiLucia, the other player who has really starred in this offense is senior running back Cole Neupaver, whose breakout season has seen him collect 1,314 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Defensively, Pine-Richland has been paced by senior linebacker Grant Pillar and junior linebacker Colten Andrighetti. Pillar leads the Rams with 82 tackles and seven sacks while Andrighetti is second with 80 tackles and six sacks.

The final game of this year’s championships could be the best of the bunch, and the winner of this rubber match will capture not only a title but also bragging rights. Over the past three years alone (dating back to the 2023 season), Peters Township is 38-3 and Pine-Richland 31-6.

“I think you’re looking at it as who’s been the best team in WPIAL Class 5A the last five years? Whoever wins this can have that one,” Plack said. “To win a rubber match against a dominant team like that, it would just let us know that we have a damn good football program.”