PIAA Semifinals Predictions: Six Classes, Twelve Games

The PIAA Semifinals will commence this Friday, November 20th-21st. 24 teams, 12 games through 6 classes, with all teams looking to continue their tourney run to the PIAA Class Finals set to begin Thanksgiving Weekend. In this PIAA semifinal preview, we will shed light on players, coaches, and teams involved and share predictions as to which team will move on. Will there be upsets? Cinderella teams and perennial powerhouses will square off in what is expected to be the best weekend Pennsylvania football has to offer. &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_71238" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-71238" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/11/Twitter_Pic2_400x400-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> Photo: Twitter[/caption] <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class A</strong></p> <strong>Steelton-Highspire (9-0) vs. Bishop Guilfoyle (7-2)</strong> <strong>@ - Steelton-Highspire HS</strong> Steelton-Highspire’s tourney run has been nothing short of special, overcoming each of their opponents by one score. Coach Andrew Erby has got the offense cooking, scoring 50 against Muncy and just under 40 the next game against Old Forge. The Steamrollers will be facing the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders, who have dominated the competition thus far, securing two 35-point victories while allowing just 13 points in that span. Senior running back <strong>Keegan Myrick</strong> will lead the attack, rushing for over 1,000 yards on the year and also displaying the ability to catch the ball fairly well. Guilfoyle will rely on stud senior defenders <strong>Andrew Yanoshak</strong> and <strong>Adrian Johnson</strong> to slow down the high-scoring SH offense. Prediction - Guilfoyle’s prolific defense shines and throttles the high-scoring SH offense. <em>Steelton-Highspire 30 - Bishop Guilfoyle 35.*</em> <strong>Reynolds (9-0) vs. Jeannette (10-1)</strong> <strong>@ - Reynolds HS</strong> Put quite simply, Reynolds goes as senior running back <strong>Cole Toy</strong> goes. The kid has been nothing short of unstoppable, scoring 23 touchdowns on the year, even contributing in the passing game, which is lacking for Reynolds. Not to mention Cole Toy is also the team’s leading tackler. Toy will have quite the load on his shoulders dealing with Jeannette, who has run through their opponents. Coach Roy Hall has led the team to a 27-point victory over Rochester and a 31-point win against Clairton. Prediction - Reynolds too one-dimensional, although Toy and defensive backs <strong>Dreyvin Livingston</strong> and <strong>Clayton Rhoades</strong> are capable of the upset. <em>Reynolds 18 - Jeannette 36*</em> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class 2A</strong></p> <strong>Southern Columbia Area (11-0) vs. Bishop McDevitt (5-1)</strong> <strong>@ - Selinsgrove HS</strong> Underdogs Bishop McDevitt face off against one of the best teams in all of Pennsylvania in Southern Columbia. Led by Head Coach Jim Roth, the Tigers have been absolutely SCORING on defenses, averaging 53 points thus far in the tourney. They are coming off 35 and 27 point victories over South  Williamsport and Richland respectively. It’s a longshot that BM pulls this one off but the team is not without talent.  BM picked off Camphill four times in what would be a 12-point win to propel them where they stand now. Talented defenders [player_tooltip player_id="27734" first="Semaj" last="Bridgeman"], <strong>Johnny Pergine,</strong> and ATH [player_tooltip player_id="27570" first="Emmanuel" last="Sia"] will have their work cut out for them. Prediction - SC overwhelms. <em>Southern Columbia Area 40 - Bishop McDevitt 16*</em> <strong>Beaver Falls (11-0) vs. Wilmington (11-0)</strong> <strong>@ - Geneva College</strong> Two evenly-matched teams face off in what could be one of the best semi-final matchups of the weekend. Its been a breeze for Wilmington thus far, pushing through competition with dominating 28 and 27 point wins over Karns City and Chestnut Ridge. Head Coach Terry Verrelli has the offense moving, averaging 49 points a game while Beaver Falls Head Coach Ryan Matsook has kept up to par, leading an offense that’s averaging 45.5 points per game. Prediction - Something can be said about the competition Beaver Falls has played. They may not have won in the fashion  Wilmington has but none the less they are the better team. <em>Beaver Falls 45 - Wilmington 28*</em> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class 3A</strong></p> <strong>Danville (8-1) vs. Wyomissing (8-0)</strong> <strong>@ - Wyomissing Area HS</strong> Wyomissing has been on a tear this tournament, being in full command of their opponents. The undefeated Spartans have outscored opponents 85-16 in two games and are coming off a 47 shutout win over Lakeland this past weekend. Head Coach Bob Wolfrum will be ready for a Danville team who has a stud senior quarterback under center. <strong>Kayden Riley</strong> has had a stellar season throwing to star sophomore prospect, <strong>Carson Persing</strong>,  who is the main recipient of Riley’s targets. Look for sophomore<strong> Mason Raup</strong> who has totaled an awesome 111 tackles in nine games! Persing and Raup look to disrupt Wyomissing behind the line of scrimmage all night. Prediction - Fun game to watch, really a toss-up, will side with Wyomissing because of their previous dominant outings. <em>Danville 35 - Wyomissing 42*</em> Central Valley (10-0) vs. Bedford (11-0) @ - Altoona HS This game will be littered with talented prospects. Bedford will roll out junior quarterback<strong> Mercury Swaim</strong> who has thrown for and ran for 1,000 yards EACH. Senior pass-catcher<strong> Steven Ressler</strong> has been Swaim’s main target, catching 10 touchdowns on the year and 709 yards to go along with it. Ressler is active on the defensive end as well, catching two interceptions on the year. We know much about Central Valley’s [player_tooltip player_id="27219" first="Ameer" last="Dudley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="27564" first="Sean" last="FitzSimmons"]. The pair continue to command their respective huddles and produce as leaders. Look out for junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="69211" first="Landon" last="Alexander"]. Alexander has been going off as of late and is a main component as to why Central Valley has scored a tournament-high 70 points in a 49-point win over Keystone Oaks in Round 1. Prediction - Central Valley is just too good at so many levels. [player_tooltip player_id="27564" first="Sean" last="FitzSimmons"] and the defense lead the way. <em>Central Valley 42 - Bedford 28*</em> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class 4A</strong></p> <strong>Lampeter-Strasburg (10-0) vs. Jersey Shore (10-0)</strong> <strong>@ - Lampeter-Strasburg HS</strong> A somehow underrated yet undefeated Lampeter-Strasburg team takes on Jersey Shore who are also 10 and 0 on the year. This will be a fantastic game to watch as each team carries studs at every level. Senior quarterback <strong>Branden Wheary</strong> has been somehow kept under the radar which is undeserving as he has been nothing short of prolific this season. Running back <strong>Cam Allison</strong> and junior WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id="27655" first="Cayden" last="Hess"] help Wheary put up points. Hess, along with Hayden and Gabe Packer, lead a defense that loves to cause turnovers, with Hess intercepting 5 balls this season. In comes senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="27511" first="Sean" last="McTaggart"] for Lampeter-Strasburg, who has had an awesome year along with running backs Drew Harris and Alex Knapp who can also catch the ball. Look for <strong>Parker Owens</strong> to wreak havoc on Wheary, as he has 20+ TFL’s and 10+ sacks on the year. Prediction - Absolute toss-up. Someones got to win and someone has got to lose. <em>Lampeter-Strasburg 30 - Jersey Shore 28*</em> <strong>Oil City (12-0) vs. Thomas Jefferson (8-1)</strong> <strong>@ - Thomas Jefferson HS</strong> If there was a Cinderella team in the tournament it would have to be Oil City. Not because of a lack of talent or coaching, there’s plenty of that to go around, but there is something to be said about the manner in which Oil City has been advancing. 1-point win over stellar Juniata and another 1-point win against Upper Moreland! The offense runs through senior runningback <strong>Cam Russell</strong> who has put up impressive numbers this season, to say the least. Thomas Jefferson has "snuck by" in some close wins against solid competition. One-possession victories over Plum and Aliquippa set up TJ well for what has to be a close game and must-watch football. Look for [player_tooltip player_id="27398" first="Preston" last="Zandier"] and<strong> Ian Hansen</strong>, two pass-catchers over 500+ receiving yards who also contribute on the defensive end. Prediction - Oil City keeps their run alive and advances to  13-0 <em>Oil City 28 - Thomas Jefferson 25*</em> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class 5A</strong></p> <strong>Upper Dublin (7-1) vs. Cathedral Prep (6-2)</strong> <strong>@ - Hollidaysburg HS</strong> Each team has advanced via forfeit along the way to this point. Cathedral Prep, who is essentially coming off a bye, is one of the best teams in the country and doesn’t need rest to overpower opponents. Running back <strong>Michael Parks III</strong> can RUN and is willing to go through or around you to do so.  Defenders <strong>Kelyn Blossey,  John David Campbell, and Damario Crawford</strong> will look to disrupt from all three levels and make sure Upper Dublin quarterback <strong>Colin O’Sullivan</strong> stays dormant. A pair of seniors can do it all for Upper Dublin. <strong>Jacob Rossman</strong> and <strong>Micah Bootman</strong> contribute on offense but lead the defense in sacks and interceptions respectively. Prediction - Well-fought victory for Cathedral Prep. <em>Upper Dublin 14 - Cathedral Prep 28*</em> <strong>Pine-Richland (9-0) vs. Governor Mifflin (8-0)</strong> <strong>@ - Hollidaysburg HS</strong> The game of the weekend. Pennsylvania powerhouses square off in what should be a huge indicator of who the favorite to win the championship should be following the outcome. Pine-Richland, many a favorite to win it all, and understandably so. We all would love for senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="27363" first="Cole" last="Spencer"] to reconsider his commitment to wrestle but we are happy for him nonetheless! He and wideout [player_tooltip player_id="27355" first="Eli" last="Jochem"] have been incredible this season and are arguably the best QB-WR tandem in all of Pennsylvania. Oh and not to mention senior defenders [player_tooltip player_id="27253" first="Luke" last="Miller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="27225" first="Miguel" last="Jackson"], two top-tier senior prospects regardless of position. Governor Mifflin doesn’t care about any of that and once again, understandably so! They are led by possibly the best junior running back in all of the country, [player_tooltip player_id="27558" first="Nicholas" last="Singleton"] is THAT GOOD. There are loads of talent all over both sidelines. This will have a game-of-the-year candidate. Prediction - PR is scary for the sheer amount of ways they can hurt you.  Whether it be Spencer/Jochem, the defense, or the four different backs who all have surmounted 300+ yards on the ground this season. There’s just too much to account for. <em>Pine-Richland 38 - Governor Mifflin 32*</em> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class 6A</strong></p> <strong>Souderton (7-0) vs. St. Joseph’s Prep (4-0)</strong> <strong>@ - Altoona HS</strong> Much has been made about how great St.Joseph’s Prep is at playing football. On our site, on practically every site covering Pennsylvania football. How about we show some love to the Souderton Indians who aren’t here to lay down to the Hawks this weekend. The team doesn’t like to throw the ball, preferring to run behind <strong>Jalen White</strong> and<strong> Brayden Porter,</strong> both of which have accounted for 20+ touchdowns for Souderton. This looks to be a longshot for the Indians, as the 3rd ranked team in the entire nation has all the defenders necessary to stop White and Porter. The Trotter brothers, along with <strong>Julian Talley</strong> and<strong> Keenan Nelson Jr</strong> will more than likely put an end to what has been a great season for Souderton. Prediction - SJP overwhelms. <em>Souderton 10 - St.Joseph’s Prep 40*</em> <strong>Central York (9-0) vs. McDowell (6-0)</strong> <strong>@ - Altoona HS</strong> This game will be in the running for best game of the weekend as well. Two top-five teams in the state, each with special players under center. This will be McDowell’s first action in the tourney, as two consecutive forfeits have advanced them to this point. The rest can either help or hurt McDowell, who will be playing red hot Penn State commit [player_tooltip player_id="27576" first="Beau" last="Pribula"] and Central York. This quarterback matchup will be great to watch. Pribula might be the PIAA player of the year and senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="27491" first="Chris" last="Juchno"] is no slouch himself. Both players can wow you with their arms as well as legs. Prediction - Central York is thinking it might be their year, but so is McDowell. This will be close but Central York’s offense can do it all. That’ll be the difference. <em>Central York 45 - McDowell 30*</em> &nbsp;