The last time Uniontown won a WPIAL playoff game, John Fortugna watched the game from the stands at Pitt Stadium as an eighth-grader.

This time, Fortugna coached Uniontown to a playoff victory.

Uniontown defeated Belle Vernon, 21-20, in a WPIAL Class AAA first-round game Friday, in what was finally a postseason step forward for the Keystone Conference. But it was a gigantic leap ahead for the Uniontown football program.

The last time Uniontown won a WPIAL postseason game was 1965, when the Red Raiders defeated Butler, 14-7, at Pitt Stadium for the WPIAL championship. So this victory broke a 44-year postseason victory drought.

Uniontown plays in the Keystone Conference and the last time a Keystone team won a playoff game was 2000. The conference had been 0-32 in the playoffs the past eight years.

Since winning the 1965 title, Uniontown had been 0-8 in the WPIAL playoffs.

"This meant a whole lot to this team and this town," said Fortugna, a 1970 Uniontown graduate and former Red Raider player. "There was kind of a celebration after the game. Our kids were really sky-high. The whole town was."

Fortugna can give vivid details of the 1965 game. It was during a time when Uniontown sports were at their pinnacle. Besides winning the '65 football title, Uniontown's basketball team won the 1966 WPIAL championship, and some of the football players also were on the basketball team.

From the 1965 WPIAL football title game, Fortugna tells of Uniontown star players Ray Gillian (running back), Ray Parson (tight end), Nelson Munsey (defensive back) and Phil Vassar (running back). Gillian went on to play at Ohio State, Parson at the University of Minnesota and one year in the NFL. Munsey played in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts.

"I remember Butler had the Saul brothers," said Fortugna, referring to Rich and Ron Saul, who both played in the NFL.

Uniontown came back from a 7-0 deficit that year to post the championship win. On Friday against Belle Vernon, Uniontown again came from behind to win. The winning points were scored in the fourth quarter when Fred Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Now, Uniontown moves on to the quarterfinals, where it will play Hampton, which knocked off Chartiers Valley in another first-round game.

"We really feel we can play with [Hampton]," Fortugna said. "Our defense has really stepped up lately and I think the kids are starting to peak."

The Eastern Conference in Class A had a 4-0 record in first-round games, with North Catholic, Avonworth, Springdale and Brentwood all winning. It was the only conference in the WPIAL with a perfect mark.

The only conference that didn't win a game was the Allegheny in Class AA, as Shady Side Academy, Freeport, Burrell and Kittanning lost.

The Greater Allegheny Conference was thought to be a little down this year, but the conference had a 3-1 record.

• During his team's 49-0 victory against Plum, Gateway's Rob Kalkstein became only the fourth quarterback in WPIAL history to reach 6,000 career passing yards.

• Central Catholic defeated Seneca Valley, 35-0, despite the absence of standout running back Damion Jones-Moore, who was out with an injury.

• Until 1971, the WPIAL played only championship games. There were no playoffs. Since the playoffs were instituted in 1971, Shaler had won only two postseason games before Neil Gordon became coach last year. After beating Mt. Lebanon Friday, Gordon now has two playoff wins in two years.

Don Bailey, coach at Forest Hills High School in Cambria County, became only the ninth coach in Pennsylvania history to win 300 games when his team defeated Somerset, 43-6, Friday.

Bailey, in his 36th season, has a record of 300-82-8 and this year's team gave Bailey his ninth undefeated regular season. He is the second coach to win his 300th game this season. Southern Columbia's Jim Roth reached the milestone a few weeks ago.

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