The PIAA Football Championships are set, and six teams from the region will head to Mechanicsburg for this weekend’s title games. North Allegheny, Peters Township, Aliquippa, Belle Vernon and Fort Cherry will represent the WPIAL, while Westinghouse of the City League will also play for gold.
Throughout the season, KDKA Radio will put together a watch list of some of the best players in the region. At the end of the year, the top performer from each WPIAL classification, and one member of the Pittsburgh City League, will receive the prestigious KDKA Super 7 Award.
Here are the top performances from Week 14:
John Tracy, Aliquippa
The Quips are heading back to the state finals, and are moving on thanks to another player stepping up with a huge game.
While standouts like Tiqwai Hayes and Cameron Lindsey have earned watch list recognition this season, the PIAA semifinals belonged to Tracy.
The senior rushed for 270 yards and four touchdowns – including a 93-yard scoring run – in Friday’s 52-32 win over Selinsgrove.
The Quips next meet Dallas for the state’s Class 4A championship Thursday at 7 p.m.
Khalil Green, Westinghouse
For the second straight season, Westinghouse will head to the state championships out of the Pittsburgh City League. This time, they’ll look for redemption against state power Southern Columbia.
The Bulldogs punched their ticket thanks to strong play from the quarterback position.
Green passed for 158 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 67 yards and a score in Friday’s 28-8 win over WPIAL Class 2A champ Beaver Falls.
A year ago, the Bulldogs lost to Southern Columbia, 37-22, in the state finals. The two teams square off again on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon
The 5-star recruit has not exactly been a workhorse this season, with no more than 17 carries in any game. But when the Penn State commit has touched the ball, good things seem to happen for the Leopards.
On Friday, Martin rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and caught four passes for 84 yards and another score in a 42-16 win over Hickory.
Martin now has rushed for 1,027 yards on just 107 carries this season, and has another 733 yards on 48 receptions. He’s scored 27 total touchdowns.
Belle Vernon next faces Northwestern Lehigh Saturday at 1 p.m. in the PIAA Class 3A title game.
The high school football season continues this week, as KDKA Radio will once again provide award-winning broadcast coverage of the region’s biggest games of the week. This week, you can hear all six PIAA Championship Games on 100.1 FM and 1020 AM KDKA Radio. Follow @KDKARadio on X (Twitter) and Instagram for updates throughout the games.