Ron Busby couldn’t stop smiling.
The Western Beaver head coach has done a song and dance with Steel Valley the last four years of his coaching tenure. For the past three years, the Ironmen have sent the Golden Bears packing from the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.
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However, that changed on Friday night.
Busby and his Golden Beavers snagged an 8-6 victory at Fox Chapel High School against their longtime foe. The win brought smiles upon all Western Beaver coaches, players and fans alike.
“A lot of history in this rivalry,” Busby said. “It feels really good. The last two or three times, you think you’ve got it in the bag. But then things happen. Our kids have been resilient all year. They believed in each other, and they’ve worked. They have each other’s backs. Tonight’s just one more example in that story.”
It was a tale of defenses in the quarterfinal matchup. After a scoreless first quarter, the Golden Beavers got on the board thanks to a 15-yard touchdown from quarterback Jeremiah Pratt.
Steel Valley’s Adrian Briston attempts to bring down Western Beaver’s Jeremiah Pratt during a WPIAL 2A quarterfinal game at Fox Chapel High School on November 13, 2026.
The junior also converted the two-point conversion attempt. Pratt finished the contest with 123 yards on 17 carries.
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“My line made that happen,” he said. “I just try to remind those guys to give us an opening. One play is all that we need.”
Western Beaver held off any offensive attempts from the Ironmen in the third quarter. However, the Golden Bears began to falter in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over twice.
Steel Valley capitalized on the first turnover, chipping away six minutes off the clock and getting quarterback Gianni Keyes into the end zone. In order to tie, the Ironmen went for the two-point conversion.
Western Beaver’s Jaelon Adkins (9) and Caden Seymour (44) tackle Steel Valley’s Jayvon Roberts during a WPIAL 2A quarterfinal game at Fox Chapel High School on November 13, 2026.
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Instead of tying the game, Keyes found himself in the arms of linebacker Braeden Mayo.
Mayo said he went into the play with “full confidence.”
“The whole game I was timing up the snap,” the senior said. “I just said, you know, screw it, I’m going to time that up again and go. I was able to make the play.”
Pratt said that he had no doubt his defense would get it done on the two-point conversion.
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“I’m standing on the sidelines and I just got hurt,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘I can get back in there’ if they don’t get that stop. I thought, if they score, I’m going back in. That was the biggest play of the game.”
Western Beaver coach Ron Busby celebrates his teams win against Steel Valley during a WPIAL 2A quarterfinal game at Fox Chapel High School on November 13, 2026.
Busby called his defense “rock solid.”
“We knew that there was a chance that it was going to come down to our defense and making a stand,” Busby said. “We talked about that at halftime. We knew that once we got the two, that if they scored, there would a two-point try from them at some point. We decided the defense that we wanted if we got in that situation. It came out just the way we wanted.”
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The Golden Beavers coach added that Pratt and Mayo both played like “warriors,” fighting through second half injuries to remain in the game and make big plays.
“They didn’t want to come off the field,” he said. “They were limited in what they were able to do, but they weren’t going to leave the field in this game, not with how tight it was. They worked hard to get that victory with their brothers.”
Western Beaver players react after making a two-point conversion during a WPIAL 2A quarterfinal game at Fox Chapel High School on November 13, 2026.
Busby said to his team postgame that he’s ready for another week of training and preparation as the Golden Beavers advance to the Class 2A semifinals. They’ll face off with No. 1 seeded Bishop Canevin, who defeated Beaver Falls 49-12 at Dormont Stadium, next Friday.
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“We’re playing with house money at this point,” Busby said. “There’s a lot of love in our locker room. These guys care about each other and their coaches. We’re just happy to spend another week together. These guys are resilient – in the way they support each other and in the way they battle.”
Mayo said that he and his ‘brothers’ are looking forward to a battle against the top seed.
“We need to be ready to work next week,” he said. “It’s a big game. Bishop’s not going to lay down. They’re a really good team, but I think we can pull it through.”
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Western Beaver knocks off Steel Valley in WPIAL 2A football quarterfinals
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
