2022 PIAA State Championship Class 1A Preview

This year christens a new venue for the PIAA state football championships—Chapman Field at Cumberland Valley. This year’s state championships also welcome four teams that have never been to the state finals before, which is in the seventh year under the 6A system.

Only two defending state champions return this season, Southern Columbia going for its sixth-straight title (and all-time high 13th overall) at Class 2A, and undefeated Aliquippa (13-0) looking to become the first team in the storied history of the Quips to become repeat state champions, and in the process become the first undefeated Quips state champion.

There is only one rematch from last year’s state finals, which again will feature Aliquippa, in the Class 4A game against District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt.

Four teams are here for the first time: District 7 champion Union (Class 1A), District 8’s Westinghouse (2A), and the Class 3A state title will involve two new teams to the finals, District 7 champion Belle Vernon against District 12’s Neumann-Goretti.

In Class 6A, Philadelphia heavyweight St. Joseph’s Prep will be making its seventh-straight championship appearance, going for its fourth state title in five years, and its seventh state title in 10 years. The Hawks top the list of large school state championships (6—two at 4A and four as the 6A) since the PIAA instituted the state high school playoff system in 1988. Since the 6A system was incorporated in 2016, St. Joe’s Prep has been involved in every Class 6A state championship.

Last year, there were three undefeated teams in the state finals, this year, just two, Westinghouse (14-0) and Aliquippa (13-0). The Quips also carry the state’s longest winning streak at 24 games.

Of the 12 teams playing in the state championship this weekend, District 7 (Union, Aliquippa, Pine-Richland, and Belle Vernon) leads the state with four representatives, followed by District 12 (Imhotep Charter, Neumann-Goretti and St. Joe’s Prep) and District 3 (Steelton-Highspire, Bishop McDevitt and Harrisburg) with three each. At the same time, District 4 (Southern Columbia) and District 8 (Westinghouse) have one each.

Class 1A Thursday 1 p.m.

(District 3) Steelton-Highspire (13-1) vs. (District 7) Union (12-3)

Steelton-Highspire is used to being here, Union isn’t. In 2020, the Steamrollers won their third PIAA Class 1A state title and first since 2008 with a 32-20 victory over Jeannette at Hersheypark Stadium. This marks the fourth time Steelton-Highspire has reached the Class 1A finals, where they are undefeated in state championship games at 3-0 (2007, 2008, and 2020). The Steamrollers reached this year’s finals on a 28-21 victory over Canton in the state semifinals, riding 5-foot-8, 170-pound junior tailback Ronald Bernette Jr., who ran for three touchdowns, picking up 112 yards on 20 carries, while 6-3, 200-pound junior quarterback Alex Erby completed 25 of 34 for 226 yards and a touchdown. For the season, Erby has thrown for 2,545 yards and 42 TDs, and his main target, junior receiver Durrell Caesar has 1,050 yards and 15 TD receptions.

This is new terrain for surprising Union, a No. 10 seed, but not for first-year head coach Kim Niedbala, who was an assistant under Mount Lebanon’s Bob Palko last year when the Blue Devils won the Class 6A title over St. Joseph’s Prep. Union has a great nickname, the Scotties, and is led by the combined 185 yards rushing from senior tailbacks Mike Gunn and Matt Stanley working out of the wildcat, while junior quarterback Braylon Thomas threw for 127 yards. This season Thomas has thrown for 1,198 yards and  12 TDs, while rushing for 1,549 yards and 19 TDs. Niedbala has done wonders in a short time. The last time Union got this deep into a postseason was 1979, when the Scotties lost to Knoch (13-2) in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].