Penn Hills' stud lineman, Aaron Donald, looks to his older brother, Archie, for inspiration -- and imitation.

"I just want to keep playing how he's playing and keep having an attitude like him," Aaron Donald said.

Archie Donald, a redshirt junior linebacker at the University of Toledo, is the eighth-leading tackler in Division 1-A with 96. Little brother -- if that is what you could call 6-foot-1, 270 pound Aaron -- is doing a swell imitation of big brother.

Aaron Donald, a Pitt recruit, is having a terrific season at defensive tackle for Penn Hills, and people are still talking about his performance in the first round of the playoffs last week against Upper St. Clair. He had four sacks and made a load of tackles.

Penn Hills won, 14-7, and now the Indians (5-5) take on No. 1-ranked Gateway (10-0) in a quarterfinal game tonight at Norwin. Donald will be one of the central figures in the game, and Penn Hills could use another big performance from him.

Gateway coach Terry Smith has been watching Donald wreak havoc on teams the past two seasons, and many teams have resorted to double-teaming Donald. Smith is wary of Donald, who has been getting rave reviews from opposing coaches.

"He's the best defensive lineman I've seen since I've been coaching," said Smith, in his eighth season as Gateway's coach.

"His motor just runs and runs. He never stops. He's so athletic that he can make the average lineman look bad."

Penn Hills lost twice to Gateway last season and again inthe opener this season, 19-7. Penn Hills has struggled at times, but beating Upper St. Clair has given the Indians a lift.

"I don't doubt my team at all. Everyone is pumped and ready," Donald said.

"We just have to keep playing as a team; the defense has to keep doing what it has been doing, and our offense needs to move the ball."

No matter what happens tonight, Donald is looking forward to his days at Pitt.

"I love what I've been seeing of Pitt," he said. "I just have to go to Pitt with the same attitude I have now, play the way I've been playing, and do the same things I've been doing."

In other words, act like his big brother.

For the second time in the past three weeks, North Allegheny (9-1) will play North Hills (5-5). North Allegheny beat North Hills, 28-3, in the regular-season finale, but North Hills earned another shot at its arch-rival by upsetting McKeesport, 19-7, in the first round of the playoffs. The two meet in a quarterfinal game tonight at Pine-Richland.

"We've play" said North Hilled teams tough for the most part this year, but we've been our own worst enemy," said coach Jack McCurry. "We'll have eight to 10 penalties a game or have some turnovers."

The last time North Hills and North Allegheny met in a playoff game was 2002 when North Hills trounced the Tigers, 34-7, also at Pine-Richland. The series is tied, 25-25.

Woodland Hills (9-1) meets Central Catholic (8-2) tonight at West Mifflin. Like Penn Hills-Gateway and North Hills-North Allegheny, this is a rematch of a game earlier this season. Woodland Hills defeated Central Catholic, 27-3, in the fifth week.

This is a slightly different Central Catholic team from the first meeting, mainly because Perry Hills, a 6-2 sophomore, has replaced senior Dave Smyers at quarterback.

Central Catholic running back Damion Jones-Moore, the WPIAL's sixth-leading rusher in the regular season, did not play last week because of an injured knee but is expected to play.

In the other quarterfinal game, Bethel Park (9-1) takes on Shaler (9-1) at Baldwin. Shaler is trying to make it to the semifinals for the first time, while Bethel Park is the defending WPIAL champion.

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