Justin Burda threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score last night to lead Chartiers Valley to a 28-21 win over Franklin Regional in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.

Chartiers Valley (8-2), the No. 5 seed, jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead with a 3-yard run by Burda, a 7-yard run by Santino Coury, and a 60-yard pass from Burda to Cory O'Patchen.

Burda also connected with O'Patchen on a 63-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, as the Colts took a 28-7 lead into the intermission. Burda completed 9 of 21 passes for 227 yards.

Joey Rockovich scored all three touchdowns for Franklin Regional (5-5). He scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and caught a 55-yard bomb from Anthony Vendemia. Vendemia completed 13 of 30 passes for 198 yards.

Chartiers Valley is making its fifth consecutive playoff appearance. The Colts will face Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals.

OTHER GAMES

Knoch 42, New Castle 24

Tim McNerney rushed for 297 yards on 26 carries and scored four times, as No. 3 Knoch (8-2) rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit to record a victory over visiting New Castle (6-4).

McNerney scored on runs of 6, 2, 21 and 25 yards. He now has 1,692 yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games. The Knights also scored on a 29-yard pass from Zach Gross to Michael Gallagher and a 4-yard run by Kevin Brodeur.

New Castle's Keith Keene rushed for 143 yards on six carries and scored on runs of 76 and 53 yards. The Red Hurricanes also scored on a 14-yard run by Maris Chandler and a 22-yard field goal by Nick Colella.

Knoch will face No. 6 seed Blackhawk in the quarterfinals.

Thomas Jefferson 56, Laurel Highlands 7

Arthur James rushed for 126 yards on eight carries and scored two touchdowns to lead top-seeded Thomas Jefferson (10-0) to a convincing win over Laurel Highlands (3-7).

The Jaguars are the defending WPIAL champs and will be making a 13th consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals. They will face West Allegheny next weekend.

James scored on runs of 42 and 40 yards. Jaguar teammate Orlando Torres added 97 yards on six carries and scored on runs of 26 and 22 yards.

Thomas Jefferson also scored on a 22-yard fumble return by Eddie Hasis, a 7-yard pass from Zach DeCicco to Trevor Wildman, a 13-yard run by Nate Bota, and a 75-yard interception return by Steve Licht.

Laurel Highlands scored its only points on a 7-yard run by Nick Browne in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs turned the ball over five times.

Montour 35, Ringgold 14

Christian Wilson and Edgar Banks combined to rush for 272 yards and five touchdowns, as No. 2 seed Montour (10-0) remained unbeaten with a victory over Ringgold (4-6).

Wilson rushed for 168 yards on 26 carries and scored on runs of 5, 8, 2 and 5 yards. Banks rushed for 104 on 15 carries and scored on a 6-yard run. Banks also completed 7 of 11 passes for 100 yards.

Montour scored 29 unanswered points after falling behind 14-6 in the first quarter. The Spartans are making their first appearance in the quarterfinals since 1996. They will face Trinity.

Ringgold's Shane Mountain ran 3 yards for a touchdown and connected with Jake Spaziani on a 10-yard scoring pass.

Pine-Richland 57, Keystone Oaks 7

Ian Hennessy rushed for 139 yards on 19 carries and scored on runs of 7, 4 and 53 yards, as No. 4 seed Pine-Richland (9-1) rolled to an easy victory over Keystone Oaks (3-7).

The Rams jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead with Hennessy's first two scores and a 71-yard interception return by Vinny Nittoli.

Pine-Richland also scored on a 33-yard pass from Nittoli to Brett Matson, a 9-yard run by Peter Hilton, and a 22-yard run by Mitch Elliott.

Keystone Oaks scored its only points in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Corey Bellovich. The Golden Eagles turned the ball over five times, including three interceptions by Bellovich.

Pine-Richland will face Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals.

Trinity 43, Mount Pleasant 16

Mike Yancich and Brandon Weaver combined to rush for 237 yards on 24 carries to lead Trinity (7-3) to a convincing first round victory over Mount Pleasant (7-3). The Hillers will face Montour in the quarterfinals.

Yancich rushed for 125 yards on 18 carries and scored on runs of 24 and 49 yards. Weaver added 112 yards on six carries and set a school record with a 97-yard touchdown run.

The Vikings Jake Hoffer rushed for 82 yards on 23 carries and scored on an 11-yard run.

West Allegheny 38, Belle Vernon 18

Jordan Kaymark rushed for 134 yards and Zak Sinclair threw for 148 yards, as West Allegheny (6-4) recorded a road victory at Belle Vernon (5-5). The Indians will face Thomas Jefferson in the quarterfinals.

Kaymark carried the ball only nine times and scored on runs of 62 and 10 yards. Sinclair completed 8 of 8 passes, including a 22-yard scoring pass to Derrik Zeroski.

Belle Vernon's Jake Cramer threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Joe Evans, while teammate Joe Evans connected with Cody Williams on a 54-yard scoring pass.