The State College Little Lions have plenty to be thankful for this holiday weekend. After an impressive 16-7 victory over the McDowell Trojans last Saturday in DuBois, the Little Lions will have the luxury of spending the holiday with family and friends at home. While other teams may view a bye week during the playoffs as a momentum killer, State College head coach Al Wolski and his team view it as a blessing in disguise]]> Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:00 GMT Four-star Pittsburgh (Pa.) Penn Hills cornerback Cullen Christian announced his college selection Tuesday night at a press conference in his hometown. The country's No. 88 prospect had a list of five finalists and he took three official visits, but after Tuesday night just one team was left standin]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:09:00 GMT Thomas Jefferson quarterback Sam Johnston knew that Friday night's Class AAA WPIAL semifinal game would be a tough battle. What he didn't know was that it would be the easier of the two challenges he'd have to face in a very short period of time]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:49:00 GMT After a big win over Erie McDowell this weekend to advance to the state quarterfinals, State College returns to the RivalsHigh 100 this week at No. 85. St. Joseph's Prep falls from the rankings after a loss on Saturday at the hands of LaSalle]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:19:00 GMT As the WPIAL playoffs began, there was a general consensus surrounding the Class AAA bracket: Something, or someone, special would be required to knock off defending champion Thomas Jefferson. That someone special turned out to be West Allegheny's Mike Caputo, who rushed for 259 yards on 26 carries, scoring three touchdowns as West Allegheny knocked out TJ, 28-2]]> Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:13:00 GMT SATURDAY SCOREBOARD FINAL: RivalsHigh 100 No. 37 Bishop McDevitt (11-0) wasted no time on Saturday afternoon, jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead before finishing off Governor Mifflin (7-5), 49-7 in the lone remaining District 3 Class AAAA quarterfinal remaining to be played. Also on Saturday afternoon, State College (10-2) eliminated Erie McDowell (8-3) for the second consecutive year]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:11:00 GMT Nearly a year ago today, the Erie McDowell Trojans faced the State College Little Lions in the PIAA Class AAAA District 6/8/9/10 Subregional Finals. McDowell dominated most of the contest, outgaining State College 279-92 in total yardage, but lost the game, 22-10. McDowell (8-2) will have its chance at redemption today in DuBois when it faces State College (9-2) again for the subregional title. ]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:45:00 GMT FRIDAY NIGHT SCOREBOARD: Friday night proved to be the makings of many close battles in the state playoffs. In Class AAA, defending District 7 (WPIAL) champion and top-seeded Thomas Jefferson (11-1) saw its 48-game district winning streak snapped at the hands of West Allegheny (10-2), while Erie Cathedral Prep (10-2), pictured, took home the District 10 title. And in Class A, defending state champ Steelton-Highspire (8-3) was upset by Millersburg (9-3), 14-13. ]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:28:00 GMT Another night of big games in Class AAAA playoffs across the state didn't disappoint, as the two top seeds in the two largest districts both advanced. In District 1, top-seed North Penn (12-0) outlasted Neshaminy (9-3), 35-22. Meanwhile in District 7 (WPIAL), top-seed Gateway (12-0) knocked out upset-minded North Hills (6-6), 42-2]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:08:00 GMT There's still two football games that need to be played, but one thing is guaranteed for next weekend's WPIAL Championships at Heinz Field, at least in Class AAA. Either Thomas Jefferson (11-0) or West Allegheny (9-2) will be there. Seems like a no-brainer for sure, as those two teams will meet on Friday night for a shot at the coveted title. But it's also a no-brainer as far as recent WPIAL history is concerned as well]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:08:00 GMT They already met once this season. And it was an epic battle at that, as RivalsHigh 100 No. 66 Woodland Hills (10-1) topped WPIAL rival Bethel Park (10-1), 21-17. The two teams meet again on Friday night, this time with a trip to Heinz Field to play for the WPIAL Class AAAA championship on the line]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:03:00 GMT It's one of the biggest debates in high school sports: Which state plays the best High School Football? RivalsHigh is determined to figure it out. But how? Should we use stats - or analysis? Actually, we're going to use both. Check out this quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 California and No. 6 Pennsylvania]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:31:00 GMT It's one of the biggest debates in high school sports: Which state plays the best High School Football? RivalsHigh is determined to figure it out. But how? Should we use stats - or analysis? Actually, we're going to use both. Check out this quarterfinal matchup between No. 6 Pennsylvania and No. 11 Virginia]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:21:00 GMT The Keystone State is now out of its second weekend of the playoffs and most of the top teams at the highest level (Quad A) are still in the running for a state title. While the top teams holding serve isn't a surprise - how well they are playing may be. There's nice balance on both sides of the state - which only begs the question: Who is best: East or West? That might be the biggest outcome of this year's playoffs.]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:07:00 GMT District 7 (WPIAL) has announced its game times and locations for this weekend's district semifinal matchups. All games will be played 7:30 p.m. Friday. Top-seeded Gateway (11-0) will play No. 12 North Hills (6-5) at Fox Chapel High School to try to earn its third-consecutive appearance at Heinz Field]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:10:00 GMT The lone remaining RivalsHigh 100 ranked team in the state left to play its first round playoff game took care of business easily today as No. 41 Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt (10-0) rolled over Harrisburg (5-6), 42-24. Also, in District 12, George Washington (8-2) shutout Northeast (6-4) to stake claim to the Philadelphia Public League final. LaSalle (9-1), meanwhile, topped Cardinal O'Hara (8-3), 31-21, to advance to the Philadelphia Catholic League fina]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:42:00 GMT Aliquippa (10-1), trailing 27-15 heading into the fourth quarter, scored five touchdowns in the final frame to win a thrilling contest, 47-34, over top-seeded South Fayette (10-1) and adding another chapter to the book on mystique that the Quips have been writing in the District 7 WPIAL playoffs for the past decade. ]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:32:00 GMT WEEK 11 PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: In Class AAA, Thomas Jefferson continued to roll, while in Class AA, both top seeds in the WPIAL playoffs - South Fayette and Mount Pleasant - were knocked out. And in Class A, underdog Riverside handily defeated previously undefeated Old Forg]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:17:00 GMT CLASS AAAA SCOREBOARD: There are still many things left uncertain in the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs, but one thing is known for sure: a new champion will be crowned this year. Defending champion Bethlehem Liberty (6-5), led by quarterback Anthony Gonzalez, was eliminated from the tournament on Friday night, losing to East Stroudsburg South (10-1), 49-21. In another huge story, two of the top three seeds in District 1 won't advance past the first round, as No. 2 Pennsbury (9-2) had its season come to an abrupt end at the hands of No. 15 Unionville (8-3), 12-7, and No. 3 Garnet Valley (9-2) lost to No. 14 Penncrest (8-3), 38-35]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:54:00 GMT DISTRICT 1 CLASS AAAA PLAYOFF PREVIEW: To say that the playoffs are off to a bit of an ominous start for the teams in District 1 might be an understatement, especially if one looks at the weather forecast. Top-seeded and undefeated North Penn has opted to forego home-field advantage and instead move the game to a more playable field, taking on No. 16 Council Rock North at Souderton at 7:30 p.m]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:18:00 GMT