Mt. Lebanon falls to Shaler in WPIAL flag football semifinals

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Lily Schaerli of Mt. Lebanon eludes a Shlaer tackler during WPIAL flag football playoff action. During the semifinals, the Blue Devils dropped a 26-13 decision to the Titans.

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Ava Silva is congratulated by her teammates after scoring a touchdown for Mt. Lebanon. Despite Silva’s score, the Blue Devils lost to Shaler, 26-13, in the semifinals of the WPIAL girls flag football playoffs.

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Veda Krishna (1) of Mt. Lebanon rushes for yardages after making an interception in a 26-13 loss to Shaler.

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Mt. Lebanon quarterback Caroline Rost discusses strategies with her coaches Shawn Curren (center) and Jaime Silva (left) during a timeout in the WPIAL flag football semifinals.

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Elaine Wu of Mt. Lebanon stretches for the first down before being tackled by a Shaler defender.

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Ava Silva (7) of Mt. Lebanon eludes tacklers. After her big rush, Silva caught a touchdown pass for the Blue Devils in a 26-13 loss to Shaler.

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Lily Schaerli is brought down by two Shaler defenders but not after the Mt. Lebanon running back picked up critical yardage during the WPIAL semifinals.

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Mt. Lebanon’s bid for a WPIAL title in girls flag football ended in the semifinals of the playoffs.

After upsetting Upper St. Clair, 28-8, in the quarterfinals and shutting out Bethel Park, 48-0, in the playoff opener, the Blue Devils succumbed to Shaler, 26-13, on May 7 at Panther Stadium in Upper St. Clair.

Turnovers played a key role in the defeat. The Titans converted three Lebo miscues into touchdowns. Shaler intercepted four passes in the triumph, three of which resulted in scores.

Kayla Lowery, Naudia Zotter and Octavia Dixon had interceptions while Zoey Cieslak had a Pick-6 that gave the Titans a 12-6 led with one second left in the third quarter.

With 10:10 left in the game, Zotter picked off a pass to set up Lily Trgovic’s scoring run less than a minute later.

Lebo, however, responded. After a reception by Elizabeth Twyman put the ball on the 1-yard line, Lily Schaerli capped the drive with a touchdown to narrow the gap, 19-13, with 6:35 to play.

With 2:38 remaining, however, Dixon picked off another Lebo pass. After Cieslak rushed to the 1-yard line, Emily Thomas dove into the end zone to punctuate the victory with 1:56 to play.

Shaler bolted ahead, scoring on its first possession of the game. Both teams traded interceptions in the first quarter Emma Curren had the pick for the Blue Devils.

Mt. Lebanon entered the playoffs as the runner-up to undefeated USC in Section II. The Blue Devils finished the season at 14-2 overall after the loss to the undefeated Titans (17-0).

Shaler went on to battle Plum in the championship match. The Mustangs were winners over Moon, 26-13, in the other semifinal showdown.