No. 11 South Allegheny at No. 6 Neshannock: Lancers Open WPIAL 2A Playoffs at Home

By Keystone Clutch Sports

Game info: WPIAL Class 2A first round. No. 11 South Allegheny at No. 6 Neshannock. Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, 7 p.m. ET, at Neshannock’s Bob Bleggi Stadium. Audio: Lawrence County SportsNet (free), pregame 6:30 p.m. Video: NFHS Network (subscription).

The matchup

Neshannock is the No. 6 seed after finishing second in the Midwestern Athletic Conference (source: TribLive automatic-qualifier list). The Lancers lost their regular-season finale to Western Beaver 27-24 on Oct. 30. (TribLive) Neshannock finished the regular season 7-3.

South Allegheny, from the Allegheny Conference, is the No. 11 seed. South Allegheny is 5-5 and has outscored opponents 279-306 by the points column, KCS Calculated from TribLive final scores. The Gladiators closed the regular season with a 14-7 win at Steel Valley on Oct. 30 (TribLive). The winner meets No. 3 Apollo-Ridge in the quarterfinals, per the official WPIAL/KDKA bracket.

Players to watch

• Neshannock’s Jared Corey (No. 3): 94-of-177 passing for 1,361 yards, 17 TDs and 3 interceptions this season, including Oct. 30. Verified (PG Statistics season line plus Oct. 30 TribLive) Against Western Beaver he went 16-of-38 for 108 yards with no TDs and 2 INTs. Verified (TribLive, Oct. 30 summary)
• Neshannock’s Justin Edworthy II: 22 carries, 136 yards and 1 TD against Western Beaver. Verified (TribLive, Oct. 30 summary)
• South Allegheny’s Malakai Myers (No. 1): 64-of-117 passing for 995 yards, 11 TDs and 5 interceptions this season. Verified through Oct. 23 (PG Statistics) plus Oct. 30, Unverified (source: MaxPreps). At Steel Valley he went 13-of-24 for 215 yards and 2 TDs, Unverified (source: MaxPreps). He also has 49 carries for 336 yards through Oct. 23, Verified (PG Statistics).
• South Allegheny’s Marcel Boxley (No. 9): 72 carries for 606 yards this season. Verified through Oct. 23 (PG Statistics) plus Oct. 30, Unverified (source: MaxPreps). At Steel Valley he had 13 carries for 79 yards, Unverified (source: MaxPreps).
• South Allegheny’s Nasir Roccman (No. 0): 78 carries for 524 yards through Oct. 23, Verified (PG Statistics). He has 17 catches for 256 yards this season, including 5 for 97 at Steel Valley, Unverified (source: MaxPreps).
• South Allegheny’s Chance Cole (No. 4): 27 catches for 464 yards through Oct. 23, Verified (PG Statistics). He has 6 receiving TDs, Unverified (source: MaxPreps season stats).
• South Allegheny’s Breydon Connors (No. 25): 2 TD catches and 65 receiving yards at Steel Valley, Unverified (source: MaxPreps).
• South Allegheny’s Jahmal Glenn (No. 5): 7 carries for 51 yards and 3 catches for 52 yards through Oct. 23, Verified (PG Statistics).

Analysis: Our take

Keys to the game (analysis, not fact)

• Ball security for Neshannock: Corey threw 2 interceptions in the Western Beaver loss after throwing 1 all season before that, by the numbers above.
• Edworthy’s ground game gives the Lancers a way to control the clock.
• South Allegheny comes in off a 14-7 road win, and Myers has 995 passing yards, so the Lancers’ pass defense will be tested.
• Boxley and Roccman are both over 500 rushing yards, which gives the Gladiators balance.

Big Moments, Big Pressure, Big Performance.