Coach Ryan Linn’s Moon Area football team will be on the road when it takes on Pine-Richland Friday night in a WPIAL Class 5A semifinal matchup.
But in a way, the Tigers should feel right at home.
That’s because it’s the third time in the last five years Moon has reached the WPIAL semifinals. So they’ll be in familiar territory when they play the top-seeded Rams at 7 p.m. at Chartiers Valley High School.
Moon is one of two West Hills schools still battling for a WPIAL title and a spot in the PIAA playoffs. Also in action Friday will be Bishop Canevin, which will meet high-powered Clairton in a Class 1A semifinal at Fox Chapel High School.
Both games kick off at 7 p.m.
Linn, now in his ninth year at Moon, said the secret to his program’s success isn’t complicated.
“The kids have bought into what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re blessed to have a good group of players come through who’ve allowed us to get to this point.”
When Linn arrived at Moon, he was the program’s fifth coach in a 10-year span, and the lack of consistency was telling.
“We had to get our system in place and establish consistency in how to act and behave,” he said. “We have a great group of kids and a great system and program in place. We hope we can continue to do a lot of the same.”
What the fifth-seeded Tigers have been doing this season is win, posting a 9-3 record that includes two straight WPIAL playoff victories – a 48-21 whipping of Armstrong and a 20-13 triumph over No. 4 seed Penn-Trafford in last week’s quarterfinal game. That was Moon’s first win over the Warriors in four tries.
Linn said his team had to battle through some tough moments last week but showed the resiliency needed to come out a winner.
“At the end of the day, we kept making plays when they needed to be made,” he said.
Linn pointed out safety AJ Buford as having a major impact in the Penn-Trafford game. “He was all over the field,” he said. “He wasn’t making any wild plays, but he was coming downhill on run support, which you need in games like that. He’s been huge the last two weeks.”
Also playing well defensively has been Jared Moyer, who also chipped in with a key catch on offense that helped seal the win. It was his first catch of the season.
Offensively, quarterback Andrew Cross threw two second-half touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Savario Vandetti with less than four minutes to play, in last week’s win over Penn-Trafford.
“Andrew has stepped up his game,” Linn said of Cross, who has completed 89 of 169 passes for 1,095 yards and 14 touchdowns and has rushed for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns.
Vandetti is the top receiver with 29 catches for 397 yards and six touchdowns, but Jayden Revis (16 for 351 and six TDs) and Braeden Stuart (29-293, 2 TDs) also are threats.
Featured running back Antione Arnett returned last week after missing several games with an injury but had only one carry for 3 yards. Daiveon Taylor led the ground game with 57 yards on 10 carries and he’s come on late in the season.
Pine-Richland, whose only loss in 11 starts came to Class 6A Central Catholic on Aug. 29, has won nine straight games and has outscored its opponents 480-96 during that stretch. The Rams feature a bevy of offensive threats, led by quarterback Aaron Strader, who has thrown for 2,103 yards and 30 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He’s also rushed for more than 500 yards and nine touchdowns.
Strader has plenty of help in Khalil Taylor, who has 30 receptions for 506 yards and has scored 22 touchdowns. Four of those came in last week’s 42-10 win over Shaler as he returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns, hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Strader and returned an interception for a score.
Strader’s other targets include Jalen Neals (36-501) and Jay Timmons (33-295, 11 TDs). Mac Miller is the Rams’ top running threat with 838 yards and 12 TDs.
“They’re a solid football team,” Linn said of Pine-Richland. “When Taylor gets the ball in his hands, he’s really explosive. We have to know where he is at all times. And their quarterback can hurt you with his arm and his legs. He’s super calm in the pocket – teams haven’t been getting to him. But the way we blitz and get after people hopefully will force him to have to make quicker decisions.”
Pine-Richland’s talent-laden roster notwithstanding, Linn said he and his staff have seen some things on film they think they can take advantage of Friday night.
“We match up well with them,” Linn said. “A lot of teams tend to play a little conservatively against them because they don’t trust their schemes. But we’re not going to change our identity because we’re playing Pine-Richland.
“We’ll get after the quarterback and play man-to-man. Offensively we’ll run right at them. That’s how we’ve always done it here. We’ll give it our best shot and see if we’re ready.”
Bishop Canevin vs. Clairton at Fox Chapel
The third-seeded Crusaders improved to 9-3 overall with last week’s 50-7 blitz of Frazier in the Class 1A quarterfinals.
Bishop Canevin’s first-year coach Rod Steele was happy with that performance.
“We played complementary football on both sides,” he said Wednesday. “We got out of there healthy, and now we’re looking forward to this week’s challenge. We’re preparing and getting locked in.”
No. 2 seed Clairton brings a 10-1 record into Friday’s game; the Bears lost their opener, 19-12, to Imani Christian and have won 10 straight since then. Prior to last week’s 38-33 quarterfinal win over Jeannette, Clairton had posted nine straight shutouts, outscoring its opponents 519-0.
Quarterback Jeff Thompson has thrown for 2,008 yards and 35 touchdowns and has been intercepted only twice. Taris Wooding and Brandon Murphy both have more than 500 yards receiving, and Murphy has scored 11 times. Michael Ruffing has 21 catches, nine of which resulted in touchdowns.
Donte Wright is a threat running and receiving; he has 276 yards on the ground and 485 yards receiving to go with 17 total touchdowns. Deon Lovelace-Pompey is the Bears’ leading rusher with 736 yards on just 64 attempts and 13 touchdowns. Lovelace-Pompey and Wright have combined to tally 30 two-point conversions.
Steele said Friday’s game will boil down to the basics.
“It comes down to playing good, sound fundamental football, making sure we’re blocking and tackling,” he said. “The game hasn’t changed. We want to minimize our mistakes, place a heavy emphasis on playing fast and make sure we execute our assignments to the best of our ability.”
Steele acknowledged that Clairton is a fast, physical, athletic squad. “The things they do, they do well,” he said. “That’s why they win.
“But when you get to this stage, most teams are consistent with that. There’s a special quality about all these teams. They’re good at what they do. I’m sure we have qualities, things we do well. At the end of the day, there are athletes on both sides of the ball. Both teams can run, both teams are physical. It’s a matter of minimizing mistakes. And if you make a bad play, you can’t drop your head. You have to get ready for the next play.”
Although Clairton enters the game with a sterling record and some eye-popping numbers, Steele said he prefers to focus more on his own team than the opposition.
“I can’t overemphasize that point,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Yes, that can dictate how you play, but you have to be able to play at a championship-caliber level. I think our kids are starting to understand that there’s an expectation we have when they take the field, and how they need to perform not only as individuals but collectively as a team.”
Bishop Canevin once again will be operating with Damar Olds at quarterback; he’s taken over for Brady Wagner, the Mt. Lebanon transfer who was not eligible to play in the postseason.
Olds threw for one touchdown, ran for another and returned an interception for a third score in last week’s blowout win over Frazier. Olds’ top target is Justin Melvin, who has 29 receptions for 624 yards and eight touchdowns. Myontae Mott has rushed for 1,037 yards in only 79 attempts and has scored 18 touchdowns. Olds has 14 TDs to his credit while Neuval Bone has added 366 yards rushing in 67 carries.
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