Meyersdale looks to tie single-season win mark in PIAA 1A football playoff
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Coming off a thrilling 20-14 District 5-1A football championship victory and the program’s first title since 2006, Meyersdale is now playing with house money as it enters the PIAA playoffs.
Meyersdale hosts Westinghouse out of District 8 in a PIAA 1A subregional at 7 p.m., Nov. 14.
For coach Ryan Donaldson, who was a player on Meyersdale’s last D5 title prior to this season, he and his team are excited for the challenge that lies ahead.
“The kids are excited to be playing on the home field,” said Donaldson. “We are thankful for the opportunity we have been given. Our kids know what they are up against playing Westinghouse. We came up with a theme a couple weeks ago, where we are going to take our play and the fight to the opposition from the get-go. We can’t hang back, and we have to be ready from the start.”
The Red Raiders (11-1) have been built to run this season. Junior Spencer Whitfield, who scored the game-winning touchdown and caught another against Conemaugh Township, has tallied 494 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Sophomore Caleb Sines, who rushed for 104 yards and caught an 80-yard touchdown in the title tilt, has been the perfect running mate alongside Whitfield, with 452 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Lance Jones has notched 387 yards and six touchdowns. He’s thrown for 1,447 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven picks.
Meanwhile, the Red Raider defense is allowing just 11.3 points per contest. They will face their toughest test of the season against the Bulldogs.
Meyersdale must sustain drives on offense to keep the Westinghouse attack on the sidelines. Sophomore West Mifflin transfer dual-threat quarterback Zahir Ismaeli leads the way for the Bulldogs. Dameon Hill, Omar Pack and John Bailey solidify the backfield. K-Shawn Hawkins is Ismaeli’s top target. Jaylen Stanford and Jordan Reid are a pair of playmakers.
Senior Josiah Collins, who holds Division I offers, and sophomore DaeJour Pinckney are two big, physical presences on the defensive side.
“What Westinghouse does with how a lot of their guys only play one way is quite different than what we see,” Donaldson said. “Going into Week 13, you trust what you’ve done and what got you here. We are putting in some wrinkles on both sides of the ball. We have a plan in place and just need to execute it on Friday night.”
The Red Raiders are trying to match their 2006 win mark with 12. Meyersdale has never won a PIAA playoff game. A victory over Westinghouse (6-4), which finished PIAA 2A runners-up in 2022 and ’23, would be game-changing for the Meyersdale football program.
“The goal is to win and advance in front of our home crowd,” Donaldson said. “We laid everything out and talked about making school history. When you’re one of the final 16 teams in the state in Class A, you’ve got to play mistake-free football. We trust our guys. They are going to be ready, just like they have been the past 12 weeks.”
Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Meyersdale meets Westinghouse to open PIAA 1A football playoffs
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