Highlands 14 Derry Area 0 WATCH

Derry Area was stifled by Highlands’ defense, as the homestanding Golden Rams notched a 14-0 victory in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A bracket. Highlands opened the scoring with a defensive score, as Marqis Johnson recorded a 10-yard interception return TD. Meanwhile, Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg provided the offense for the Golden Rams (8-3), compiling 24 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown. Max Doherty rushed for 105 yards on 16 carries for the Trojans (6-5), who committed four turnovers in the setback. With the triumph, Highlands will face third seed Central Valley in the quarterfinals.

Hopewell 42 Southmoreland 6 WATCH

Southmoreland failed to notch its first postseason victory in program history, as the host and seventh-seeded Scotties suffered a 42-6 loss against Hopewell in the WPIAL Class 3A first round. The No. 10 Vikings (7-4) topped 200 yards rushing, led by Nasir “Bruiser” Wade, who posted 18 carries for 113 yards and two scores, and added a defensive TD on a fumble recovery return. James “BooBoo” Armstrong passed for 144 yards and a TD, and he rushed 17 times for 54 yards and two scores. In the loss, Dawson Wolfe went 7-of-17 passing for 82 yards and a TD for the Scotties (9-2), while Averyon Darnell hauled in a touchdown. The Vikings will next face second-seeded Imani Christian Academy in the quarterfinals.

Shaler Area 28 Kiski Area 8

Kiski Area saw its season end with a 28-8 loss at Shaler Area in the WPIAL Class 5A first round. The No. 8 Titans (4-7) were led by QB Aaron Aversa, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another. In the defeat, signalcaller Landyn Artman compiled 196 yards through the air, including a 25-yard TD pass to Andrew Finney, for the Cavaliers (4-7). As a result, Shaler Area will face top-seeded Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals.

North Catholic 56 Burrell 14

Burrell had no answer for Joey Felitsky, who threw for 437 yards in the first half to propel North Catholic to a 56-14 home victory against Burrell in the WPIAL Class 3A first round. Felitsky went 24-of-25 and tossed six touchdowns for the Trojans (8-3), while Preston Simko hauled in six receptions for 191 yards and a score. In the defeat, Antonio Perkins rushed 19 times for 218 yards and two scores for the No. 12 Buccaneers (4-7), while Parker Logut also tallied a rushing TD. Thus, the fifth-seeded Trojans will play No. 4 Elizabeth Forward in the quarterfinals.

Jeannette 38 Bentworth 24

Jeannette scored 21 points in the final quarter, upsetting host Bentworth 38-24 in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs. Kymon’e Brown produced another prolific performance for the No. 10 Jayhawks (8-3), as he hit on 8-of-16 throws for 138 yards and a score, while adding 132 yards and another TD on the ground. Jayce Powell, Nick Mendoza, and Noah Sunder also found paydirt for Jeannette, which broke a 17-17 tie entering the fourth. Star running back Ben Hays posted 16 carries for 73 yards, caught two passes for 57 yards, and scored three total touchdowns for the No. 7 Bearcats (8-3). The Jayhawks advance to quarterfinals to face No. 2 Clairton on Friday at 7 p.m. at Franklin Regional High School.

Bishop Canevin 50 Greensburg Central Catholic 35

Upset-minded Greensburg Central Catholic took a lead into the fourth quarter, but Bishop Canevin notched a 50-35 home victory in the WPIAL Class 1A first round. Samir Crosby had a massive effort for the No. 14 Centurions (5-6), as he rushed 15 times for 136 yards and four touchdowns, while also throwing for 125 yards on 9-of-19 passing and returning a kickoff for an 86-yard score. The third-seeded Crusaders surpassed 300 yards rushing and five scores on the ground, keyed by Myontae Mott’s 182 yards rushing. The Crusaders will play No. 11 Frazier in the quarterfinals.

Clairton 50 Monessen 0

Monessen could not crack the vaunted Clairton defense, as the Bears rolled to a 50-0 victory in the WPIAL Class 1A first round. The No. 15 Greyhounds (6-5) were limited to -12 yards of offense, while the second-seeded Bears (10-1) posted their ninth shutout in a row, not including a forfeit victory.