Pennsylvania football playoffs rewind: Mifflinburg wins program's first outright District 4 Class 3A crown

Aliquippa won against New Castle to reach WPIAL Class 4A title game, ensure it stays up; Parkland collects 500th win; Cardinal O'Hara knocks out defending champions

Western Beaver's Jeremiah Pratt intercepts a pass during the Golden Beavers' 41-14 win over Apollo-Ridge Friday in Industry, Pa. / Josh Rizzo

Mifflinburg made history by knocking off Montoursville 35-12 to win its first outright District 4 Class 3A championship in school history. The Wildcats had previously shared a district championship with Shamokin in 2002 because there were no district playoffs.

The Warriors lost to Blue Mountain 17-13 in the first round of the 2002 PIAA Class 3A playoffs.

This year’s iteration of Mifflinburg will open the state playoffs against District 2 champion Scranton Prep next weekend.

Wildcats quarterback Chad Martin passed for 156 yards and a touchdown and ran for 67 yards and scored three more times to help Mifflinburg roll past Montoursville.

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Parkland hits 500 wins

Parkland will get a chance to lift a trophy when it takes on Easton in the District 11 Class 6A championship game next weekend. But the Trojans had an opportunity to make some history by beating Nazareth 35-14 Friday night.

Parkland collected its 500th win in program history.

TJ Lawrence rushed for 116 yards and scored twice and also caught a touchdown pass from Finn Coen to help the Trojans collect a win.

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Cardinal O’Hara bounces defending champions

The PIAA will see a new champion in Class 4A this season. Cardinal O’Hara picked up a 24-3 win over Monsignor Bonner Saturday afternoon. The Lions won the Philadelphia Catholic League championship and will face West Philadelphia for the District 12 4A title next week.

Amadj Gowans scored two touchdowns for Cardinal O’Hara. John Welde also scored a rushing touchdown for the Lions.

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Farrell collects fifth straight District 10 Class 2A crown

The Steelers will go rolling into the PIAA playoffs with a lot of momentum following a 52-0 win over Mercyhurst Prep Saturday in Titusville. Juelz Johnson led Farrell with 223 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns.

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Bliss sets District 9 rushing record

Aiden Bliss is hoping to carry Port Allegany to another appearance in the PIAA Class 1A title game. Along the way, the Gators’ running back has continued to pile up more accolades.  During a 53-23 win over Keystone Friday night, Bliss finished with 329 yards and six touchdowns.

Bliss has 7,332 rushing yards in his career. He broke the record set by Curwensville’s Nick Steawrt, who finished with 7,324.

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Neumann-Goretti cruises to District 12 title

A’Mar Woodson scored two touchdowns to help Neumann-Goretti beat John Bartram 36-0 to win the Class 3A District 12 crown. The Saints (7-2) will next play in the PIAA quarterfinals in two weeks against the District 3 champion.

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Quips win, likely to stay up in Class 4A

Aliquippa hasn’t had any issues with playing in Class 4A since being moved up due to the PIAA competitive balance rule. The Quips, who are 20-time WPIAL champions, will look to add another trophy to its case when it plays McKeesport next Saturday at Pine-Richland. 

Had Aliquippa lost to New Castle this past Friday, the Quips likely would have gone down to 3A. But Aliquippa rolled past the Red Hurricane 14-0 to advance to the next round.

The Quips will be playing in the 4A title game for the fourth time since moving up to 4A in 2020. Aliquippa lost to Thomas Jefferson in overtime in its first appearance before collecting three straight titles from 2021-23. The Quips, who were seeded seventh, were sparked by the return of quarterback Marques Council Jr., who is a Yale commit.

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Friday night lights

Western Beaver added lights to its field before this season. That allowed the Golden Beavers to host a WPIAL playoff game on a Friday night for the first time ever. Western Beaver, which is seeded No. 2 in 2A, advanced with a  41-14 win over Apollo-Ridge.

Golden Beavers running back Wyatt Sparbanie ran for 107 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns. Amari Marshall also scored twice for the Golden Beavers.

--Josh Rizzo | rizzo42789@gmail.com | @J_oshrizzo