TRIBUNE-REVIEW • SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 • 3
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Thanks to change in format, teams value having opening-round bye, game on own field inWPIAL playoffs
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If North Allegheny coach Art
Walker gets his wish, the Tigers
will be playing at home in early
November with a trip to Heinz
Field on the line.
But every coach in Class 6A
has similar hopes this season.
Rather than a neutral-site
semifinal as usual, the WPIAL
is awarding a first-round bye
and then home-field advantage
to the two top seeds in Class 6A.
Finishing high in the standings
is always the mission, but those
added perks will spice up the
regular-season race to the top.
“Youcouldhave a gamehere to
go to the championship,”Walker
said, looking around atNewman
Stadium. “I think that’s got to be
your mindset.”
The WPIAL used some
creativity to decide the
Class 6A playoff format because
the largest classification has
only nine teams: Butler, Canon
McMillan, Central Catholic,
Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, North
Allegheny, Norwin, Pine-Richland
and Seneca Valley.
That’s five fewer than last season,
so the WPIAL combined
them into one large nameless
conference.
For the playoffs, an eightteam
bracket was considered
too big and a four-team bracket
too small. So the WPIAL split
the difference and chose a sixteam,
three-round bracket with
massive rewards for the Nos. 1
and 2 seeds.
“While they’re lining everything
up, you get a week off and
a semifinal gameathome,which
is huge,” Walker said. “I love
the home game as a semifinal. I
absolutely, positively love that.”
With a first-round bye, those
top teams couldadvance straight
to the finals with a home playoff
winNov. 9. The championship is
Nov. 17, at Heinz Field.
“We’d like to play every game
at home, especially in the playoffs,”
Seneca Valley coach Ron
Butschle said. “Having a home
game is a huge advantage.
“So our goal is to finish No. 1.
That’s what everybody’s goal
is.”
If this season is like the last,
one loss may be the difference
between first, second and third
place, but also between sixth and
seventh. Each team plays every
other Class 6A opponent once.
That leaves little room
for error.
“One loss to a team you
shouldn’thave lost to couldcome
back and sting you at the end,”
Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz
said. “You definitely
don’t want to be limping into
the playoffs in this structure.
You’d like to go in there at the
top of your game, get that bye,
maybe get healthy, win one and
get to Heinz.”
Pine-RichlandwontheWPIAL
and PIAA championships last
season, claiminganothertitle for
what was a dominant Northern
Seven Conference. Combined,
Pine-Richland, Central Catholic
and North Allegheny have won
the WPIAL’s largest classification
eight years in a row.
“I think the perennial powerhouses
are going to go
(into the season) as perennial
powerhouses,” said Butschle,
whose team was WPIAL runner
up in 2016. “And teams like
Mt. Lebo and Hempfield and
Canon-Mac are going to get a
taste of the northern section,
which was a pretty competitive
league.”
by CHRIS HARLAN
CLASS 6A
THE FAVORITE
1. Pine-Richland (16-0)
The Rams are defending WPIAL and
PIAA Class 6A champions, but this
year’s team has a different look now
that star quarterback Phil Jurkovec is
a freshman at Notre Dame.
Preseason rankings
2. North Allegheny (8-4)
3. Central Catholic (10-3)
4. Mt. Lebanon (6-5)
5. Norwin (5-6)
* RECORDS FROM 2017
THE STARS
BRIAN DALLAS
Central Catholic, sr., DE/OLB
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive
end combined with David Green to
form a formidable tandem a year
ago. Dallas is the Vikings’ top pass
rusher.
TYLER KING
Pine-Richland, sr., FB/LB
King was the team’s leading tackler
(69 solo, 150 total) and had 31⁄2
sacks. He is committed to Navy.
ANDREW KRISTOFIC
Pine-Richland, sr., OL/DL
The Notre Dame commit was a
two-way standout for the Rams
last season, serving as an anchor
on both sides of the line. The 6-6,
260-pound tackle had more than
two dozen offers.
JOEY PORTER JR.
North Allegheny, sr., WR/DB
Porter intercepted seven passes last
season, returned a fumble 75 yards
for a touchdown and also scored on
a punt return.
JAYVON THRIFT
Norwin, sr., RB/DB
Thrift made 79 tackles at safety and
scored seven touchdowns at running
back last season. He carried the ball
81 times for 381 yards.
DON’T MISS
9.28 Central Catholic at
Pine-Richland
Combined, these two teams have
won five consecutive WPIAL titles.
Pine-Richland defeated Central, 42-7,
in last year’s final.
10.5 Upper St. Clair at Mt.
Lebanon
Upper St. Clair isn’t a Class 6A team,
but the two South Hills rivals were
reunited by the WPIAL for a nonconference
game.
10.26 Pine-Richland at
North Allegheny
When these rivals meet at Newman
Stadium in Week 9, a first-round bye
could be on the line.
Pine-Richland’s line is anchored by (left to right) Andrew Kristofic, Michael Katic and Michael
Dorundo.