McKeesport Advances with Convincing Playoff Win Over Belle Vernon

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, Playoffs

Ryan Thielet | November 2, 2024

The McKeesport Tigers secured a decisive victory in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs, defeating Belle Vernon 34-11. The Tigers opened the game with a strong 12-point run before Belle Vernon responded with a field goal. McKeesport added another touchdown and a two-point conversion, taking a 20-3 lead into halftime. The momentum continued into the second half as the Tigers extended their lead to 27-3 midway through the third quarter. Belle Vernon scored their final points in the fourth quarter with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, narrowing the gap to 27-11. McKeesport sealed the game with one more touchdown, securing a 34-11 win and advancing to the next round of the playoffs.

The Tigers began the game with possession and launched a promising opening drive, advancing the ball to the 4-yard line. However, with 6:46 left in the first quarter, quarterback Brady Eastman fumbled the snap, resulting in a turnover. Despite this setback, the Tigers’ defense stepped up and forced a safety, putting McKeesport on the scoreboard with an early 2-0 lead. The Tigers continued their offensive push, and Eastman redeemed himself by sneaking into the end zone for a touchdown, extending the lead to 9-0. This score marked the end of the first quarter.

The Tigers continued to set the pace in the second quarter as kicker Ian Shiffler drilled a field goal, extending their lead to 12-0 with 7:10 left in the half. Belle Vernon finally broke McKeesport’s scoring streak when Preston Rathway connected on a field goal, trimming the lead to 12-3 with 1:50 remaining before halftime. However, 1:50 was enough for Kemon Spell, who found the end zone for another Tigers touchdown. McKeesport completed a two-point conversion, widening their lead to 20-3. A late interception caused by The Tigers secured the 20-3 advantage for the Tigers going into halftime.

Belle Vernon began the second half with possession and maintained control for much of the third quarter, using up two timeouts before ultimately turning the ball over on downs. The Tigers capitalized on this momentum shift, with Kemon Spell finding the end zone once again to extend McKeesport’s lead to 27-3. This touchdown marked the only scoring play of the third quarter. Belle Vernon retained possession as the game moved into the fourth quarter, trailing 27-3.

Belle Vernon’s offense managed to score their first and only touchdown of the game with a rushing play by Kole Doppelheuer. They followed up with a successful two-point conversion, narrowing the deficit to 27-11 in the fourth quarter. However, McKeesport responded decisively, as Anthony Boyd made an impressive run and scored a game-sealing touchdown with 2:48 left on the clock. This final score pushed the Tigers’ lead to 34-11, securing their victory.

The McKeesport Tigers improved their record to 7-0 with this victory and advanced to the second round of the WPIAL playoffs, where they will face Mars, who pulled off a thrilling upset against Montour.

Belle Vernon, on the other hand, concluded their season with a 4-5 record, a significant drop after winning the 3A WPIAL championship the previous year.

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Photos by Wyatt Clatterbaugh

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