Big Seven Rematch in Effect in 1A Semifinal Clash between Union Area and Rochester

Tagged under: District 7, News, Playoffs, Podcasts

Nate Grella | November 16, 2022

A 10 and a 14 seed in the WPIAL semifinals? That’s the reality in the 1A playoff picture for Big seven rivals the Union Scotties and the Rochester Rams.

Out of the final four teams in the 1A WPIAl playoff picture, three of them came out of the 1A Big Seven, and none of them won the conference title. The reason? The Union Scotties. The Scotties enacted revenge against the conference champion Laurel Spartans this past Friday, knocking the two seed out of the playoffs with a late game pick six. The win clinched the Scotties first semifinal berth since 1979.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the Rochester Rams. Known for dominant WPIAL regular season and playoff success, the Rams entered the playoffs as the 14 seed after an underwhelming regular season, despite none of their losses being by more than a score all year. The Rams turned around and blew out the 3 seed Greensburg Central Catholic in their own building, then went up to South Fayette and handled freshman phenom Matt Seig to clinch a spot in the semis.

Antonio Laure has been the main offensive threat for the Rams, as the young runner scored all four touchdowns in their upset win over Fort Cherry last friday. Laure has over 600 yards on the season and nearly rushed for 200 last friday night.

For the Union Scotties, stellar defense has been the name of the game. Matthew Stanley was the standout with a go-ahead pick six that put the Scotties up late. Although star Laurel rusher Landon Smith rushed for nearly 250 yards on the Union defense on Friday night, the Scotties were able to stop Smith on a 4th and short with less than 5 minutes left that gave them control of the game. The player who made the tackle? Matthew Stanley.

Union’s offense is much more versatile, with Braylon Thomas under center and a much more pass friendly scheme. Thomas connected with Mike Gunn for a TD pass along with adding two on the ground. Stanley added the fourth for the Scotties.

The winner Friday night will head to Acrisure Stadium. For the Rams, it’s familiar territory. The Rams have won 8 WPIAL titles, none since 2004, however. Their last appearance came in 2018. For the Scotties, it’s been nearly 50 years since a title appearance. After Friday night, it might be time to make a visit.

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