In its first season inthe WPIAL's highest classification, Pine-Richland (4-4, 3-1) has clinched a playoff berth by rallying to edge host Seneca Valley (3-5, 0-4), 17-14, in the Northern Six Conference last night.

Both of the Rams' touchdowns were scored on passes from Eric Kordenbrock to T.J. Kuban. On the first, Kuban caught a 20-yard pass in the first quarter. He capped the scoring when he caught a 31-yard pass from Kordenbrock with 11:09 left in the game.

Kordenbrock completed only 6 of 19 passes for 162 yards. His quarterback counterpart, C.J. Brown, finished with 216 yards passing for Seneca Valley. A Maryland recruit and the passing-yardage leader in the WPIAL, Brown completed 13 of 28 attempts. He also was victimized twice with interceptions. Seneca Valley was held to less than half of its 31.4 per-game scoring average. Pine-Richland outrushed the Raiders, 163-61, and finished with an overall advantage in total yards, 325-277.

Woodland Hills 35, Plum 0

Dom Timbers scored on runs of 18, 32 and 13 yards to lead the host Wolverines (4-4, 3-1) to victory in the Big East Conference over Plum (0-8, 0-4). Timbers finished with 125 yards rushing. Woodland Hills outrushed Plum 243-57. With a third victory in a row, the Wolverines clinched a playoff berth.

Penn Hills 35, Fox Chapel 21

The visiting Indians (5-3, 4-0) clinched first place in the Big East, breaking away from a 14-14 deadlock at halftime against the Foxes (4-4, 2-2). It is the fourth consecutive victory for No. 5 Penn Hills, which was led by Chris Darby's 138-yard, two-touchdown rushing effort.

McKeesport 46, Hempfield 12

Second-ranked McKeesport (7-1, 6-0) exceeded its 44.3 scoring average, tops in WPIAL Class AAAA as the host Tigers routed Hempfield (3-5, 2-4) in the Foothills Conference. Nico Price led McKeesport with touchdown runs of 8 and 40 yards.

North Allegheny 24, Butler 7

The host Tigers (5-3, 3-1) clinched a playoff berth from the Northern Six Conference by topping the Golden Tornado (3-5, 0-4) for the ninth time in the past 10 meetings. Alex Popson led North Allegheny with 193 yards rushing on 21 carries and opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Upper St. Clair 27, Peters Township 10

Conor Scott, Clay Ilkin, Reed Apfelbaum and Christian Beck each scored touchdowns as the Panthers (5-3, 2-2) won their second consecutive Great Southern Conference game at Peters Township (2-6, 1-3).

Mt. Lebanon 41, Baldwin 6

The host Blue Devils (2-6, 2-2) clinched a playoff berth despite a losing overall record after routing winless Baldwin (0-8, 0-4) in the Great Southern Conference. Anthony Cappucci led Mt. Lebanon, passing for 310 yards by completing 16 of 26 pass attempts.

Gateway 56, Connellsville 3

The No. 1 Gators (8-0, 6-0) scored five first-quarter touchdowns as they tuned up for their showdown for first place against McKeesport next Thursday in the Foothills Conference. Orne Bey led Gateway with 149 yards rushing and two touchowns.

Erie McDowell 45, Penn-Trafford 8

McDowell (5-3, 4-2) scored in every quarter en route to an easy win at Penn-Trafford (3-3, 3-5) in the Foothills Conference.

Central Catholic 65, Kiski Area 32

Damian Jones-Moore rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown as the Vikings (6-2, 3-1) exceeded their point total from their three previous Big East games by more than doubling the score at winless Kiski Area (0-8, 0-6).

Latrobe 25, Norwin 18

The host Wildcats (2-4, 3-5) prevailed over the Knights (2-6, 1-5) among lower-division teams in the Foothills Conference.