For, though the Black Hawks reigned as the defending WPIAL Quad-A football champions, not many gave them a chance in their semifinal showdown with the Wolverines.

When Woodland Hills opened up a 14-0 lead and had back-to-back touchdowns runs retracted because of penalties, fewer still gave the Black Hawks a chance to come back at West Mifflin Stadium.

When the Hawks again fell behind, 28-14, before intermission, even less put their money on them.

Finally, trailing 35-21 after they tossed an interception with 7:28 to play, everybody figured the Black Hawks were finished.

They believed.

Amazingly, the Black Hawks blocked a punt for a touchdown and marched 80 yards in 16 plays to knot the contest and to force overtime--where they were eventually neutralized by Sam Scifo's foot. He kicked a 20-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the victory and their first trip to Heinz Field for the championship game since 2005.

"Credit Woodland Hills," said BP head coach Jeff Metheny. "They did a great job, but our kids kept fighting and fighting and fighting. We're really proud of them."

When the Black Hawks commenced the 2009 campaign, they built their defense of their WPIAL and PIAA runner-up titles around a nucleus of players from that 15-1 season.

Veterans included four-year veteran Adam Lazenga, the starting center and linebacker, All-Conference defensive back Matthew Bliss, who would now double as the quarterback, linemen Corey Spegal and Anthony Herko, powerful fullback and linebacker Jared Pratt as well as the speedy two-way player Bre Ford.

So the fact the Black Hawks rallied did not surprise Metheny.

"Lazenga, Pratt, Bliss, Her-ko, Olson and Spegal," he listed. "They've all been there before.

"They really are a bunch of tough kids. That's their style."

Indeed, Bliss shook off the interception.

After sophomore Jerret Harrington invigorated the Black Hawks with his blocked punt for a touchdown with 6:27 to play, the senior signal caller confidently engineered the equ-alizing drive. Blending in rushes from Pratt, Ford and Nick Kwiatkowski, Bliss completed critical passes to Kwiatkowski, including a fourth-and-13, to sustain the drive.

Bliss, who was 17 of 29 for 218 yards in the game, even rushed for a first down then capped the march with a 4-yard scoring strike to Alex Baroffio. With 21 seconds left in regulation, Brendan Didiano kicked the extra point to tie the contest.

Though spotting the Wolverines 14 points on TD runs of 1 and 34 yards by Dom Timbers. Bliss cut the margin in half when he returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the first frame.

Lafayette Pitts, who had the interception in the fourth quarter, traded touchdown runs with Ford in the second stanza before Timbers stuck again from the 1-yard line.

A 10-yard TD pass from Bliss to Drew Volbers narrowed the gap, 28-21 by intermission.

When the Wolverines stopped the Black Hawks at the goal line on their opening drive of the second half then answered with an 11-yard TD strike from John Yezovich to Mike Lee to push the lead to 35-21, to start the fourth quarter, the prospects were not promising for Bethel Park.

Of the fourth-down play that saw Bliss stopped short of the goal line by Pitt recruit Khaynin Mosley-Smith Metheny said, "we had a play that we liked there. We just didn't make a play and they got penetration.

"Even after that," he said, "to come back and finish that thing out that's just great poise from the kids, great toughness and great character."

During the season, the Black Hawks exhibited character as they rolled up a 10-2 record and a second straight, undefeated conference championship. Bethel Park's only two losses this season were to Woodland Hills, the first a 21-17 decision that was also resolved on the final play of the game.

Some 23 were senior veterans from last year's championship club. Among those on this season's roster included: Volbers, Bliss, Abraham Burger, Anthony Frangione, Luke Colacito, Baroffio, Pratt, Philip Vargo, Luke Olson, Derek Plopi, Joshua Hanna, Kevin DeBold, Lazenga, Spegal, Herko, Matthew Mac, Creighton Hottel, Kevin Gribowicz, Michael Telek, Matthew Davin, Taylor Hayes, Didiano and Chris Paglia.

"These kids have meant so much to our football program," said Metheny. "All these kids that are seniors. There are some great football players there and we're gonna miss them."

BP, however returns some key players. Among them are Ford and Kwiatkowski. Ford led the Hawks with over 1,200 yards rushing while Kwiatkowski averaged over seven yards a carry. Both played on a defense that allowed just 13 points per game.