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West Mifflin's Titan Stadium is obviously nicknamed for their home team, but it became the battleground for a meeting of titanic proportions between defending champion Bethel Park (10-2) and Woodland Hills (11-1). At stake for Jeff Matheny's Blackhawks was a chance to meet Gateway for a second consecutive year in the title game, and for George Novak's Wolverines, their first WPIAL championship game since 2005.
Both teams brought their best Friday night, scoring 73 combined points, and Bethel Park scored 14 in the final six minutes of regulation to stay alive. But Woodland Hills got a game-winning field goal from sophomore kicker Sam Scifo in a 38-35 overtime thriller.
Woodland Hills hit the ground running in the first half, when senior fullback Cameron Thompkins took a 46-yard run to the Bethel Park 1-yard line. On the next play, former Clearview Student-Athlete of the Week Dom Timbers scored to put the Wolverines ahead, 7-0, midway through the first quarter.
Timbers struck again five minutes later, scoring his second touchdown on a 34-yard run for a 14-0 lead. Timbers, a Syracuse recruit, ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns, while Thompkins added 134 yards on only five carries.
(Woodland Hills RB Dom Timbers rushed for 147 yards and 3 TDs for the Wolverines)
Bethel Park's offense struggled in the first quarter, failing to earn a single first down. It looked as though Woodland Hills would open up a big lead until senior quarterback/cornerback Matt Bliss intercepted a John Yezovich pass and took it into the end zone to make it 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The two teams went blow-for-blow in the second quarter:Lafayette Pitts' 59-yard touchdown run made it 21-7, Woodland Hills, but then Bre Ford scored on a three-yard run, keeping the Blackhawks within a touchdown. Timbers scored his third touchdown of the half with 5:44 remaining to make it 28-14, but then Bliss found tight end Drew Volbers on a 10-yard touchdown pass to take a 28-21 score into halftime.
Bethel Park received the second half kickoff and Ford ripped a 41-yard run to set up a 4th-and-goal at the Woodland Hills' 3-yard line. But Bliss' keeper attempt fell short at the 1, and the Wolverines took over on downs.
(Lafayette Pitts' 59-yard score put Woodland Hills ahead, 21-7, in the second quarter)
Later in the quarter, Woodland Hills caught a break when special teams captain Jevonte' Pitts blocked Mike Vargo's punt, and the Wolverines took over on the Bethel Park 32. Yezovich later found tight end Mike Lee, Jr. -- also headed to Syracuse -- on an 11-yard bootleg for a touchdown and a 35-21 lead with 11:54 remaining.
Bethel Park saw a second drive into Woodland Hill's red zone stall when Pitts intercepted a pass at the goal line, and it appeared once again the Wolverines were in control. But after a three-and-out, Jerret Hannigan blocked Pitts' punt and recovered it in the end zone, making it 35-28 and giving the Blackhawks new life with just over six minutes left.
(Woodland Hills QB John Yezovich -- the youngest of 5 Yezovich brothers to wear the blue and black -- threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mike Lee, Jr. in the 4th quarter)
The Bethel Park defense forced another punt and ragained possession deep in their own end with five minutes left in regulation. After a key 4th-down conversion on a catch where Nick Kwiatkoski stretched for the first-down marker, Bliss threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Alex Baroffio to send it to overtime tied at 35.
(Steelers' DB and former Woodland Hills player Ryan Mundy looks on from the sideline with teammate Dennis Dixon. Woodland Hills is one of only 3 U.S. high schools with 5 active players in the NFL)
Woodland Hills won the overtime coin toss and elected to go on defense. Bethel Park's drive stalled out and they went for a field goal, but the attempt was blocked and Woodland Hills then had their chance to win... or so they thought.
For reasons unexplained by officials, Bethel Park was given another chance to kick the field goal, but Brendan Didiano's second attempt sailed wide left and Woodland Hills took over. Scifo's 22-yard field goal attempt split the uprights, putting the Wolverines in the WPIAL championship game against top-seeded Gateway (12-0) next Friday night at Heinz Field.
(Woodland Hills' players celebrate on the field after winning arguably one of the best games in WPIAL playoff history to advance to the championship game)
More Eat 'n Park Game of the Week:
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