Both of these teams are perennial powers in western Pennsylvania’s new AAAAA classification system. This year, Penn Trafford is ranked #1 in the WPIAL ranking system in the state of Pennsylvania. Over the years, these two teams usually meet in the playoffs to play against each other in the District 7 Championship Game at Heinz Field. These teams are playoff rivals, but have just been aligned in the same conference since last year. This year the game will be at Woodland Hills and also be the homecoming game with many people in attendance. Last year, the score was 26-7, but this year the Woodland Hills Wolverines look to replace their legendary coach George Novak with over 300 career wins.

MVP

Caleb Lisbon

Penn Trafford

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Cameron Laffoon

Woodland Hills

Cameron is a three-year letterman in both football and lacrosse, and is a Big East All-Conference Honorable Mention at quarterback and was a member of the 2016 All-Westmoreland County All-Star team. He is a member of the National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Cameron plans to attend college in the fall and pursue a degree in engineering.

Michael Whiteherse

Penn Trafford

Michael is a three-year letterwinner in football, a four-year letterwinner in baseball, and is a member of the National Honor Society. Last season, Michael was selected for the all-conference team in football and baseball. Michael plans on attending a four-year college or university where he plans on majoring in international business.

HALL OF FAME

Fon Nanji

Woodland Hills

Fon served as team captain in the 1996 playoff rivalry game, and led the team in rushing yards and tackles. In his senior year, Fon rallied his team to a district championship and state runner-up title. After high school, Fon attended Youngstown State University and won a Division 1-AA National Championship under legendary coach, Jim Tressel. Currently, Fon is coaching the defensive backs at Woodland Hills.

2004 Penn Trafford Warriors

Penn Trafford

After three straight defeats against Woodland Hills in the WPIAL playoffs, the 2004 Penn Trafford Warriors looked to change history in the series in the first-ever conference matchup. The Warriors defeated the Wolverines 27-14 with the help of Tyler Huether’s 207 yards passing to receivers Tim Cortazzo, Caleb Casino, and Mike Rasky. The Penn Trafford defense held strong all game with five sacks, one blocked punt, and an interception.

GAME SUMMARY

The game started off strong, with many defensive stops in the first quarter. Penn Trafford made an interception from a Woodland Hills pass in the middle of the first quarter on their own 2-yard line, but Woodland Hills would be the first on the board by tackling Penn Trafford in the end zone for a safety. Woodland Hills would remain quiet until the fourth quarter as Penn Trafford outscored Woodland Hills in every quarter. Penn Trafford rallied back in the first quarter with a score to make the score 7-2 at the end of the first. In the second quarter, Penn Trafford was able to put 13 more points on the board making the score 20-2 going into halftime. After the half, it was all Penn Trafford, putting another 7 points on the board, making the score 27-2 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Woodland Hills was able to score 6 points, but Penn Trafford was able to put 7 points on the board to give a final score of 34-8.