Marshane McElroy scored on a 25-yard interception return in the fourth quarter and sealed the win with an interception in the end zone with no time remaining as No. 7 New Castle upset No. 2 South Fayette, 51-43, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night.

Behind Geno Stone's 256 passing yards and four touchdowns and 115 rushing yards, New Castle (7-4) jumped to a 24-0 lead before South Fayette (10-1) mounted its comeback attempt in the second half. Drew Saxton threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. It was New Castle's first playoff win since 2009.

Class 6A

Central Catholic 48, Norwin 0 — Troy Fisher found Justice Evans with three first-quarter touchdowns on way to No. 1 Central Catholic's first-round victory against No. 8 Norwin (5-6) at Cupples Stadium. Fisher threw for 190 yards and four touchdowns and Evans caught five passes for 147 yards. David Adams added touchdowns on a 5-yard run and 55-yard interception return for Central Catholic (10-1).

North Allegheny 42, Hempfield 7 — North Allegheny defensive back Niko Mermigas had a 95-yard interception return at the No. 2 Tigers (9-2) rolled to a first-round victory. Turner White had two touchdowns in the second half on runs of 31 and 43 yards. Quarterback Justin Sliwoski passed for 191 yards and a touchdown for No. 7 Hempfield (5-6).

Seneca Valley 49, Mt. Lebanon 43 — Hank Royal ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns and added a receiving TD as No. 6 Seneca Valley (7-3) beat No. 3 Mt. Lebanon (7-4) in the first round. Jack Cook completed 17 of 19 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns for Seneca Valley. James Stocker tossed for 365 yards and five touchdowns to pace Mt. Lebanon.

Class 5A

McKeesport 31, Upper St. Clair 10 — In the first round, Jayvaun Shears ran for 182 yards and a pair of 21-yard touchdowns as No. 3 McKeesport (8-2) beat No. 6 Upper St. Clair (6-4). Jack Hansberry threw for 137 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

West Allegheny 41, North Hills 21 — Nick Ross threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 1 West Allegheny (10-0) to the first-round victory over No. 8 North Hills (6-5). Kenny White ran for 142 yards and a touchdown for West Allegheny. Will Hirt tossed for 113 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

Class 4A

Thomas Jefferson 35, Montour 0 — Bobby Kelley threw for 130 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (10-0) to the first-round shutout over No. 8 Montour (4-6). Jonathan Muehlbauer caught three passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns while Quinton Hill ran for 178 yards and a TD. Thomas Jefferson outgained Montour, 397 yards to 120.

Class 3A

Aliquippa 42, South Park 7 — Davion Jones ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 1 Aliquippa (9-2) to a first-round playoff win against No. 8 South Park (5-5). Avante McKenzie added 116 rushing yards and a touchdown for Aliquippa, which ran for 384 yards as a team.

Beaver Falls 42, Mt. Pleasant 14 — Torian Leak ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns as No. 2 Beaver Falls (9-1) gained 392 yards on the ground in its first-round win over No. 7 Mt. Pleasant (7-4). Keith Kalp caught two passes for 100 yards and a 64-yard touchdown from Johnny Yester for the Vikings.

Class 2A

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 14, Burgettstown 7 — Joey Porter Jr. scored both of No. 11 Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's touchdowns on receptions in the Trojans' first-round win at No. 6 Burgettstown (4-6). Brad McLaughlin threw for 151 yards and a touchdown to pace Burgettstown. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (6-4) will next face Neshannock.

Freedom 38, East Allegheny 21 — Dean Ward ran for 177 yards and three touchdowns and Kyle Borgman added 120 rushing yards and a TD as No. 12 Freedom (4-7) upset No. 5 East Allegheny (7-4) in the first round for its first playoff victory since 2003. Tamaine Underwood threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns to pace East Allegheny.

Riverside 42, Avonworth 7 — In the first round, Ben Hughes completed 9 of 10 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 4 Riverside (8-2) to victory against No. 13 Avonworth (5-5). Ricky Wass caught five passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another TD for Riverside.

Steel Valley 51, Beth-Center 14 — No. 1 Steel Valley (10-0) scored 44 points in the first half on way to defeating No. 16 Beth-Center (3-7) in the first round. Ryan Harper threw for 142 yards and three touchdowns, and ZaiQua Henderson scored TDs on a 38-yard punt return and a 20-yard reception. The Ironmen will face Laurel in the quarterfinals.

Washington 35, South Side Beaver 13 — Connor Bedillion completed 9 of 11 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 2 Washington (10-0) to victory over No. 15 South Side Beaver (4-6) in the first round. Isaiah Schoonmaker added 134 rushing yards and a touchdown for Washington, which will face Brentwood in next week's quarterfinals.

Class A

Clairton 50, Avella 6 — In the first round, No. 1 Clairton (10-0) scored 30 points in the first quarter as it defeated No. 16 Avella (2-9). Noah Hamlin threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores while teammate Kijafi Fuqua rushed for 134 yards and a TD.

Imani Christian 44, OLSH 13 — Kenny Robinson threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as No. 10 Imani Christian (5-5) upset No. 7 OLSH 97-3) in the first round. Asante Watkin added touchdowns on a 41-yard fumble return and a 48-yard reception from Robinson.

Jeannette 39, Shenango 0 — With quarterback Gio Vonne Sanders out with an injury, Kareem Hall ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns and Ryan Swinton ran for 101 yards and a score to carry No. 3 Jeannette (9-1) to a first-round victory at McKee Stadium.

Northgate 37, Mapletown 0 — Mike Allen scored on runs of 20 and 11 yards, threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chase Rowsey and added a 72-yard punt return as No. 4 Northgate (9-1) cruised to a first-round victory over No. 13 Mapletown (5-6).

Rochester 39, Riverview 6 — In the first round, Darius Goosby ran six times for 104 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 2 Rochester (10-0) to the victory against No. 15 Riverview (3-7). Caleb Collins added two rushing touchdowns for Rochester while Ian Kouba threw for 144 yards.

Springdale 50, Carmichaels 44 — Sammy Carey threw for 230 yards and five touchdowns, including the 7-yard winning pass to Josh Harmon in the fourth quarter, as No. 11 Springdale (6-5) outdueled No. 6 Carmichaels (7-3) in the first round. Jonathan Christopher rushed for 136 yards and five touchdowns for Carmichaels, which led 22-13 at halftime. Ben Sowinski added 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Springdale, which faces Jeannette in next week's quarterfinals.

City League

Perry 38, St. Marys 27 — James Goodwine rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns as Perry (4-6) defeated St. Marys in the PIAA District 5-8 Class 3A semifinals. Perry's Doug Johnson completed 16 of 20 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown while teammate Rasaun Taylor caught eight passes for 115 yards and a TD.

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