WPIAL Class-2A Championship Preview: Seton LaSalle vs South Park

History will be made at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Class-2A WPIAL Championship between No. 1 Seton LaSalle and No. 2 South Park at 2 p.m. It has been two decades since either team has won a title. Seton LaSalle’s last championship came in 2004 and South Park’s being in 2005. The Eagles also won a state title in 2005. For both programs, it’s a game that is a “must win” that is going to boost one of these programs.

Seton LaSalle is undefeated heading into the championship weekend with an 11-0 record. The Rebels, led by head coach Tim Storino, have scored an average of 42.2 points per game, while only allowing an average of 10.3 points per game.

South Park is 11-1 heading into the matchup. The Eagles lone loss came to Deer Lakes in Week 1 of the regular season. South Park defensively is just as good as Seton LaSalle only giving up 11.6 points per game, while their offense is productive as well scoring an average of 33.5. The Eagles are led by head coach Brian Abbey.

Both teams have been known this season to pound the rock, and the difference could be which senior running back has the more effective day. Rebels running back Logan King has been making the most out of the first two postseason games, rushing for 342 yards and five touchdowns. South Park running back Eric Doerue has two Division I offers from Bowling Green and Robert Morris. People can make the case that he deserves even more offers. Doerue has been just as impactful in the first two playoff games, rushing for 331 yards and four touchdowns.

Ellwood City vs South Park in the WPIAL 2A Semifinals November 15 (Courtesy of Lily Stenman)

Seton LaSalle quarterback Michael Pastirik is close to 2,000 yards passing (1,948) on the season and has a plethora of receivers to throw the ball to. One of his favorite receivers is star recruit Khalil Taylor, who is near 1,000 receiving yards on the season (932). Taylor has offers in the double digits with schools such as Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Syracuse and others. South Park junior quarterback Robert Lenzi can make plays using his arms or legs. On the season, Lenzi has thrown 610 passing yards with his arm. But it can be argued that he is more dynamic with his legs with 864 yards, second best on the team.

Seton LaSalle’s defense will be led junior linebacker Will Martin and senior linebacker Carson Barone. South Park’s offensive line might be considered one of the best in the WPIAL. But their defensive line led by the Cunningham twins (seniors Parker and Troy) could be a game changer. Troy recorded six sacks last week in the Eagles Semifinal game over Ellwood City. Troy’s top three schools include Bowling Green, Navy and Harvard while his twin Parker committed to James Madison back in June.

Both teams have athletes that are being recruited heavily and if they play well this weekend, they might have more offers knocking on their doors. For the Rebels, some of their heavily recruited include Nelson Coleman, Aaron Loritts and Richard Littlejohn. All three of them have made big contributions on the receiving end. Coleman, a sophomore, has received a lot of attention as a defensive back, attaining offers from Akron and West Virginia. Loritts spent his first two years at North Hills before transferring to Seton LaSalle in the offseason and has made the most of his time this far. He has an offer from Miami (OH). Richard Littlejohn, a receiver and defensive back just like Coleman, has offers from Akron and Miami (OH) as well.

South Park’s Kenyan Brown is a receiver and defensive back and received his first offer from Mercyhurst University this week. Colsen Heynes is only a sophomore but made a big splash last weekend for the Eagles. He rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Semifinals win over Ellwood City. Wyatt Markovich, a senior tight end, and South Park’s second leading receiver is another player to keep on a lookout for.

This season, the Rebels have posted two shutouts. Offensively, Seton LaSalle has scored 40+ points in seven games. On the other hand, South Park has posted three shutouts this season. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. as it will be the second game of a four-game slate.