ProfessorBriggs.com

(Statistical Information Courtesy of Professor Briggs' archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News. Coach quotes from "PIC SportsLine" interviews)

WEEK THIRTEEN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

Four local teams remain alive as the football postseason continues in western Pennsylvania. At least one area team will be in action next week either Grove City or Sharon will advance to interdistrict play as the District 10 Class 3A champion. Those teams meet Friday night at Slippery Rock University.

Farrell (Class 1A) and Wilmington (2A) being their respective state playoff runs against District 5 opposition. Farrell faces Shade Friday night in Somerset while Wilmington welcomes Chestnut Ridge to Slippery Rock University for a 1 p.m. battle Saturday.

CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP

Grove City vs. Sharon -- Slippery Rock University, 7:00 p.m.

For the first time in 10 years, a pair of defending District 10 champions will meet in the District 10 finals as Sharon faces Grove City. Sharon won the District 10 title in Class 3A last year while Grove City secured the 5A crown.

In 2008, defending Class AAA champion Erie Strong Vincent won the "AAA" crown with a 28-0 win over defending Class AAAA kingpin Erie Cathedral Prep. This week's Grove City-Sharon game is also the first postseason matchup of defending D-10 champions since 2012, when Hickory (2011 AA champion) defeated Grove City (2011 AAA champion) in the D-10 Class AA semifinals.

For Sharon to retain the D-10 3A title, the Tigers will have to defeat an unbeaten team for the second straight week. Last Saturday afternoon, Sharon nipped then-undefeated Mercyhurst Prep, 29-28, in the semifinals at Meadville. Grove City moved to 11-0 later that night with a 26-9 semifinal victory over archrival Slippery Rock.

During Jim Wildman's highly-successful first tenure as Sharon head coach (1977-2001), the Tigers often relied upon a dominant running game and Sharon turned back the clock last week to defeat Mercyhurst Prep. Senior tailback Jordan Wilson slammed away at the Lakers' defense for a career-high 234 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries.

The 234 yards are the most by an area back this year, as are the 43 carries. The 43 offensive plays are the most by any non-quarterback in the area this year.

Junior quarterback Lane Voytik went 14 of 19 for 124 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 27 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season. Sharon's offensive attack helped the Tigers own a 70-35 advantage in total offensive plays.

Wilson leads the county with 218 attempts this season and his 1,569 rushing yards rank third. The 5-foot-9, 230-pound Wilson now has 4,661 career rushing yards, which places him third all-time at Sharon behind T.J. Phillips (6,241) and Mike Archie (5,136).

"Jordan breaks a lot of tackles," Wildman said. "He gets the tough yards. He's a great second effort back who gets great yards after the initial hit."

Voytik continues to lead the county in completions (176) and attempts (287). He ranks second with 2,338 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes this season. He now has 5,045 career passing yards, which is fifth all-time in county history.

"(Voytik) has done a phenomenal job," Grove City head coach Sam Mowrey said. "He has good athletic ability. He can move on his feet when he has to. Obviously, he has a great arm and can get the ball down the field. He can make a lot of throws that some high school quarterbacks can't make."

Six Sharon players have surpassed double-digits in pass receptions this season. Junior wide receiver C.J. Parchman leads the way with 52 catches for 868 yards and nine touchdowns. He ranks third locally in both catches and yards. Fellow junior Ty Eilam has emerged this season with 42 catches for 545 yards while senior tight end Frank Shaffer has caught 34 balls for 440 yards.

Tight end Warren Nixon (17), wide receiver Trey Jones (16) and Wilson (12) have also been involved in the passing game this season.

"It's what makes Sharon tough to defend," Mowrey said. "You have to be able to bottle up the run and have to be able to stop the pass. They have athletes on the edge, a great line and a great running back.

"They have a lot of talented athletes and they've played really good football these last couple of weeks," Mowrey continued. "They played a great game against an undefeated Mercyhurst Prep team and came away with a big win."

Grove City amassed 443 yards of offense last Saturday night in its win over Slippery Rock. Senior quarterback Brady Callahan completed 21 of 25 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Logan Lutz hauled in seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns while junior Jake Reddick also caught a touchdown pass.

Callahan leads the county with 2,507 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. The 2,507 yards are the fourth-most in county history and are 165 yards away from breaking Kameron Patterson's single-season record of 2,671, set two years ago. Lutz has a school-record 70 catches for 1,205 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has 195 career catches and needs five receptions to become the second county player with 200 catches.

Senior fullback Tyler Greer went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season last week with his 89-yard outing. Greer now has 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns. Junior Colby Nelson has added 836 yards and 13 scores.

Grove City leads Mercer County in total offense, averaging 483.0 yards per game. Defensively, Grove City holds opponents to 10.0 points per game and 3.8 yards per play. Both figures rank second in the area.

"They have a lot of weapons," Wildman said of Grove City. "They have a very aggressive front on both sides of the ball. There are not too many weaknesses when you look at them."

Grove City grabbed the inside track to the Region 4 title October 5 with a 42-9 win over Sharon at Forker Field. The Eagles outscored Sharon 35-2 over the final three quarters. Grove City ran for a season-high 377 yards on 58 attempts. The Eagles amassed 563 offensive yards on 79 offensive plays.

Greer ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns while Nelson had 107 yards and a touchdown. Lutz also ran for 95 yards and a score. Callahan completed 15 of 21 passes for 186 yards, with eight of his completions going to Lutz.

Wilson ran for 69 yards on 16 yards to help lead Sharon. Voytik went 14 of 30 for 120 yards. Parchman had five receptions for 49 yards.

"Not only did we get beat and get embarrassed, we kind of had our nose rubbed in it too," Wildman said when looking back at the Week Seven defeat. "We have to try and slow down their offense. We have to be more prepared for the fast-paced offense, the no-huddle."

"They have a good coaching staff and they're going to go back and make adjustments," Mowrey said. "What happened in the past, happened in the past. We are not really worried about what happened in Week Seven."

This is the first-ever postseason meeting between the teams. Wildman is 22-2 all-time against Grove City. It's been 19 years since Sharon avenged a regular-season loss by defeating the same team in the postseason. In 1999, Sharon fell to Wilmington in the regular season, 28-10, but rebounded for a 13-6 win in the D-10 Class AA title game. Grove City is 4-0 all-time in the postseason against teams it defeated in the regular season (Slippery Rock-2018, Meadville-2017, Corry-2010, Brookville-2004).

This is the first time since 1997 that Grove City has faced a local team in the District 10 title game. Grove City is 0-3 against local teams in title games, falling to Greenville in 1997 (35-6), Wilmington in 1995 (21-19), and Reynolds in 1987 (33-7).

The winner will face either District 5 champion Bedford or District 6 champion Bald Eagle Area in the state quarterfinals next week. Bedford and Bald Eagle are playing Friday night at Windber in a PIAA first-round fray.

The game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7 and Oldies Z-104 (WWIZ 103.9).

CLASS 1A PIAA PLAYOFFS

Farrell vs. Shade -- Somerset High School, 7:00 p.m.

Friday's night's opening round game in the PIAA playoffs features a team with 21 all-time state playoff games (Farrell) against a program that is making its state playoff debut (Shade). District 10 Class 1A champion Farrell is 14-7 all-time in the state playoffs, including 9-0 in the opening round.

Farrell rolled to a 50-6 win over West Middlesex last Saturday night in the District 10 championship game while Shade (11-1) rolled Conemaugh Township, 36-14, in the District 5 Class 1A championship game.

Farrell (11-0) broke open last week's win by scoring 26 points in the second quarter en route to a 38-0 halftime lead. Fullback Tymir Green and quarterback Kyi Wright both ran for two touchdowns while senior tailback Christian Lewis ran for 166 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a 43-yard pass from Wright, who threw for 71 yards and a touchdown. Lewis (1,677 yards) is closing in on Lorenzo Styles' single-season record of 1,753 yards, set in 1990.

Wright has thrown for 1,253 yards on 72-of-107 (67.3 percent) accuracy. He has 23 touchdown passes and has been intercepted only once. Wright has also rushed for 483 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 34 total touchdowns lead the area.

Senior wide receiver Jourdan Townsend has 56 catches for 954 yards and a county-best 19 touchdowns. He set the county and D-10 record with 1,512 receiving yards last year and owns the district record with 51 career touchdown receptions.

The offensive line of tackles Kobe Hilton and Dashon Sims, guards Gary Hopson and Melvin Hobson and center Gary Satterwhite III has helped the Steelers average 53.2 points and 426.2 yards per game. Farrell also averages 10.3 yards per play behind that line, which features an average size of 6-foot-2 1/2 and 290 pounds.

Defensively, Farrell holds opponents to 6.6 points per game. The Steelers held West Middlesex to minus-11 rushing yards last week.

Farrell last played at Somerset two years ago, when the Steelers earned a 30-0 win over Conemaugh Township in the opening round of the PIAA 1A playoffs.

Shade improved to 11-1 with its D-5 title win over Conemaugh Township last week. Senior quarterback Brady Fyfe completed 25 of 29 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Vince Fyock caught nine balls for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Fyfe has thrown for 3,601 yards and 46 touchdowns this year. He has also rushed for 1,223 yards and 16 touchdowns, giving him 4,824 offensive yards and 62 combined touchdowns. For his career, Fyfe has 7,992 passing yards and 86 touchdown passes. He also has 3,618 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns, giving him 11,610 yards of total offense and 127 total touchdowns.

He is the son of head coach Don Fyfe. Brady Fyfe is also a 1,000-point scorer who averaged 18.5 points per game last year in basketball. He earned Second Team All-State in basketball last year.

Five men have caught 35 passes or more this season for the Panthers. Senior Dawson Snyder leads the way with 70 catches for 1,047 yards and 12 touchdowns while Fyock has 46 catches for 795 yards. Senior Matt Addleman has 36 receptions for 550 yards, senior Austin Mauger has 35 catches for 509 yards and senior Tyler Valine has 35 catches for 667 yards.

Mauger leads the defense with 160 tackles. Fyock has 4.5 sacks. Shade went 4-7 in each of the last three seasons. Shade High School is part of the Shade-Central City School District, located in Cairnbrook in northeastern Somerset County.

Shade's lone loss came October 27 in the Appalachian Bowl against Class 2A Ligonier Valley (11-0), 45-6. The Appalachian Bowl pits the champions of the Heritage Conference and the WestPAC, which Shade won this season.

The Farrell-Shade winner will play the District 9 champion, either Smethport or Coudersport, in the state quarterfinals. The D-9 title game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at DuBois.

The game will be heard on News/Talk 790 WPIC. Live stats available here.

CLASS 2A PIAA PLAYOFFS

Wilmington vs. Chestnut Ridge -- Slippery Rock University, 1:00 p.m. Saturday

Wilmington continues its quest for a return trip to the state championship game by facing District 5 titlist Chestnut Ridge in the opening round of the state playoffs Saturday afternoon. Wilmington (10-1) rolled past Sharpsville in the District 10 Class 2A title game, 50-7, while Chestnut Ridge (10-2) thumped Everett, 48-14, for the District 5 title.

Wilmington's Wing-T offense compiled 499 yards in last Friday's title game win. Wilmington ran for 379 yards as the Greyhounds' starting halfbacks both went over the 100-yard mark. Senior Cameron Marett led the way with 152 rushing yards while sophomore Ethan Susen ran for 104 yards and three touchdowns.

The Greyhounds also used offensive guard Colton Richards in their goal line offense as the 270-pounder slammed into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run. He became the 12th different Wilmington player to rush for a touchdown this year.

Defensively, the "Hounds Hammer" forced three turnovers and limited Sharpsville to 152 total yards. Wilmington leads Mercer County in rushing defense (59.0) and total defense (144.8). Wilmington holds teams to a county-low 2.2 yards per carry, along with only 11.2 points per game.

Wilmington also owns the county's top rushing attack as the Greyhounds average 353.5 yards per game. Marett has 1,255 yards (No. 4 in the county) and 16 touchdowns while Susen ranks second on the team with 661 yards. He averages 13.8 yards per attempt. Quarterback Robert Pontius has added 458 yards. Pontius and Susen both have 13 rushing touchdowns this season.

Pontius has thrown for 1,120 yards and a dozen touchdowns. He averages a county-high 17.8 yards per completion this season. Pontius' 13 rushing touchdowns are tops among local quarterbacks. Junior split end Junior McConahy averages a county-best 20.3 yards per catch. He has 18 receptions for 365 yards while Marett has 17 catches.

Wilmington is 11-2 all-time in its first PIAA playoff game. The Greyhounds became the first local team to play in the state playoffs 30 years ago, when Wilmington downed Bellwood-Antis in the state Class AA semifinals, 21-0, at Johnstown's Point Stadium. Wilmington won the District 7 Class A title that year but fell into Class AA by PIAA guidelines. Nineteen eighty-eight marked the first year of PIAA football playoffs.

Wilmington's two opening-round losses came in 1994 to Class AA Brookville (23-14) and in 2001 to Pittsburgh Perry (35-7) in Class AAA.

Chestnut Ridge makes its sixth all-time foray into the state playoffs after winning the D-5 title last week. The Lions amassed 406 total yards, including 277 combined yards from sophomore quarterback Logan Pfister. Pfister ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing for 120 yards on 7-of-8 passing.

Pfister leads Chestnut Ridge with 924 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns while senior fullback Jared McGill has 765 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pfister has thrown for 1,471 yards and 13 touchdowns. Pfister has an array of targets, led by senior wide receiver Derrick Weaver with 23 catches. Austin Crocker (19), Jacob Mowry (19) and Mason McVicker (17) are also among the team's receiving leaders.

Senior linebacker Brodie Harbaugh leads the defense with six sacks, along with 63 total tackles. McGill and Mowry both have three interceptions.

The Lions are 0-5 all-time in the state playoffs. Chestnut Ridge fell to Clarion, 20-14, in last year's Class 2A state playoff opener. In 2016, the Lions dropped a 34-12 decision to Kane in the PIAA opener. Four years ago, the Lions lost to Karns City, 23-14, in the Class AA PIAA playoffs. Karns City also downed the Lions in 2013, 35-14, as well as in 2012 (35-21).

This is Chestnut Ridge's first game against a District 10 team since September 25, 2009, when the Lions fell to visiting Greenville, 29-7. Greenville also defeated Chestnut Ridge in 2008, 40-7. Chestnut Ridge is located in New Paris, Pa., in western Bedford County.

The Wilmington-Chestnut Ridge winner will play the District 9 champion in the state quarterfinals. Brockway and Ridgway will meet for the D-9 title Friday night at DuBois.

The game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7