In a game that featured 445 yards rushing by Beaver Falls, the biggest play for the Tigers was a 12-yard pass ... their only completion in the WPIAL Class AA semifinal played last night at a packed Pine-Richland Stadium.

The 12-yard screen pass to from quarterback Tony Omogrosso to Cody Cook came on a fourth-and-9 play from the Jeannette 19-yard-line and set up the winning touchdown for Beaver Falls in its 35-28 shootout victory. Todd Thomas scored on a 2-yard run two plays later with 1:30 left to play.

Jeannette, the two-time defending WPIAL Class AA champion, had battled back the entire game and tied the score, 28-28, on an 87-yard pass from Cameron Baradziej to Jordan Hall with 7:02 remaining. But this time the Jayhawks, which finished the season 10-2, ran out of time. Baradziej, who threw for 236 yards, attempted three passes but one was tipped and the other two were incomplete.

Beaver Falls, 12-0, will travel Saturday to Heinz Field for a second consecutive year and face rival Aliquippa, a winner against Shady Side Academy, for the WPIAL title.

"They made the plays and we didn't," Jeannette coach Ray Reitz said. "We've had a great three years and, hopefully, we're going to keep it going. These kids proved they could play without Terrelle [Pryor]."

Jeannette played the screen pass well, it was just a matter of Cook making a great play. He made a tackler miss, then powered his way to the first down.

It wasn't the only outstanding play Cook, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior running back, made. He carried the football 34 times for 313 yards and scored on runs of 39 and 72 yards. Cook had 88 yards rushing after the first two plays of the game and had 221 yards on 14 carries at the half. But no run was bigger than the screen pass.

"It was a safe call. We didn't want to do anything stupid and give them a touchdown," Beaver Falls coach Ryan Matsook said. "Cody made a heck of a cut, but it was the safest play I had on my sheet."

Beaver Falls went up 28-14 with 5:00 to go in the third quarter when Thomas scored on a 5-yard run. The score was set up by a Jeannette fumble that Beaver Falls' Admire Carter recovered at the Jayhawks 32-yard-line. But Jeannette wasn't about to go away.

The Jayhawks came right back and drove 72 yards in eight plays and scored on a 10-yard pass from Baradziej to a wide-open James Derry at 1:17 of the quarter.

The game was a track meet from the beginning with Beaver Falls scoring in two plays on its first possession and Jeannette driving 71 yards in nine plays for a touchdown the first time it had the ball.

Cook went 49 yards around the left end on the first play from scrimmage and then dashed 39 yards for the Tigers' first score. Evan Richards kicked the extra point and Beaver Falls had a 7-0 lead at 11:24 of the first quarter.

Jeannette scored at 7:36 of the quarter on a 16-yard scamper by Baradziej and John Paul Zollinger added the extra point to tie the score, 7-7. Beaver Falls failed to take advantage of good field position and missed a 39-yard field goal attempt.

The Tigers' defense then held Jeannette and forced the lone punt of the game.

Beaver Falls took over at its 30 and proceeded to drive 70 yards in 10 plays with Carter skirting the right side for the touchdown from 14 yards out on a third-and-4 play with 4:48 left in the second quarter.

Again, Jeannette came right back to tie the Tigers, 14-14, on a 53-yard pass from Baradziej to Toddy Harris down the left side on a third-and-14 play. The score came with 1:11 left in the half. But Beaver Falls wasn't about to just run out the clock.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Cook burst up the middle, cut to the outside and dashed 72 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 Beaver Falls lead with 54 second left.

"We've got some unfinished business to take care of," Cook said when asked about returning to Heinz Field for the final.