Big rematch and dominant one seed; 4A WPIAL Playoffs heating up

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Cade Henderson | November 12, 2026

The 4A Playoffs are heating up with two semifinal matchups set for this Friday, and the top seeds have all advanced. There’s an exciting one seed racing to win the WPIAL for the first time since 2018 while the other side of the bracket boasts an exciting rematch featuring a five star running back and a dominant two-way threat.

Starting with three seeded McKeesport facing off in a rematch against two seeded Montour, these two teams had the KDKA Game of the Week earlier this year, where Montour dominated the second half for a tight 28-17 win.

Montour has a dynamic offense led by junior quarterback Brandon Bennett. Last time the Spartans played McKeesport, Bennett had a stellar performance, rushing for 73 yards and two scores alongside three interceptions defensively in the first game. This season, Bennett has eclipsed 1,000 passing yards and is approaching 1,000 on the ground as well. Bennett has racked up 26 total touchdowns through 10 games played this season, so look for him to be the focal point of the offense.

If Bennett isn’t the guy, Archie Collins and Zander Stern both have very solid production as weapons. Collins is over 1,000 yards in the backfield this season with seven touchdowns this season, while Stern is over 500 receiving yards with 9 touchdowns himself.

For McKeesport, the offense comes down to the wizardry of Kemon Spell. Last week, Spell torched the Blackhawk defense on just eight carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns. It doesn’t take much for Kemon Spell to pull off some magic in the backfield. Spell had both of the touchdowns against Montour last time out, although he spent much of the second half on the bench, so if he stays for an entire game, this one could be a different story from earlier this season.

On the other side of the bracket, the top-seeded South Fayette take on the fourth seed New Castle. South Fayette has a strong running game led by Aayden Wright, and a strong defense that has allowed less than 10 points in eight games including three shutouts.

New Castle boasts a dynamic quarterback in sophomore Marino Graham, who not only is the main gunslinger, but also has the ability to scramble, create plays, and be a threat in the running game. In the receiver room, there are plenty of targets for Graham to find; Kai Cox, Marquez Stewart, Marquise Wise Jr, there are options for Graham to fire downfield for.

These two games will decide the finalists for the 4A WPIAL championships being played at Pine-Richland. Both games have a start time of 7 pm on Friday.