2024 PIAA Class 2A Championship Preview: Troy (15-0) vs. Central Clarion (14-0)

Each year brings a new level of uniqueness when the Pennsylvania high school football community converges on Chapman Field at Cumberland Valley High School the first week of December for the PIAA state championships.

This year is no different.

Last year, four state champions returned to defend their titles. This year, there is only one, two-time defending Class 6A state champion St. Joseph’s Prep, which is looking to threepeat.

For the first time ever, there will be three Philadelphia Catholic League teams in the state finals: St Joe’s Prep (6A), Roman Catholic (5A) and Bonner Prendergast (4A). Last year, there were three programs that reached the state finals for the first time in school history. This year, that number has doubled to six, which includes District 9 1A champion Port Allegany, District 4 2A champion Troy, District 9 2A champion Central Clarion, District 3 4A champion Lampeter-Strasburg, District 12 4A titlist Bonner Prendergast and District 12 5A champion Roman Catholic.

Last year, eight of the 12 teams involved in the state championships were undefeated. This year, that’s been cut to five: Port Allegany (14-0),

Troy (15-0), Central Clarion (14-0), Northwestern Lehigh (15-0) and Lampeter-Strasburg (14-0). Of the 12 teams competing in the states this weekend, eight have never won a state title, and that includes three games that will crown a first-time state champion: Class 2A Troy-Central Clarion, 3A Avonworth-Northwestern Lehigh and the 4A game between Lampeter-Strasburg and Bonner Prendergast, along with 5A Roman Catholic and 1A Port Allegany.

Until this season, neither of the Class 2A finalists, Troy and Central Clarion, along with Roman Catholic and Lampeter-Strasburg, ever won a state playoff game.

While at Class 6A, nothing it seems impedes Philadelphia heavyweight St. Joseph’s Prep. The Hawks were considered a young team entering this season and have grown considerably as the year has progressed. St. Joe’s Prep will be making its ninth-straight championship appearance, going for its second threepeat in program history, sixth state title in seven years, and its ninth state title overall in the last 12 years. The Hawks top the list of large school state champions (8—two at 4A and six as a 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.

Of the 12 teams playing in the state championship this weekend, for the first time in PIAA state championship history, District 12 leads all areas with three teams from the same league (Bonner-Prendergast, Roman Catholic and St. Joe’s Prep), followed by two teams each from District 7 (Avonworth, Pittsburgh Central Catholic), District 9 (Port Allegany, Central Clarion) and District 3 (Lampeter-Strasburg, Bishop McDevitt), and one each from District 4 (Troy), District 6 (Bishop Guilfoyle) and District 11 (Northwestern Lehigh).

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, 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].

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Class 2A Friday 1 p.m. at Cumberland Valley

(D-4) Troy (15-0) vs. (D-9) Central Clarion (14-0)

This is the only game where two undefeated teams will be playing each other this week. It’s also the second game in championship week where two will play to win the program’s first state football championship. There have been many firsts for both programs this season. Until this season, neither Troy nor Central Clarion ever won a state playoff game, going a combined 0-3. The last two years Central Clarion ran into buzzsaw Westinghouse and Troy had not been to the state playoffs in over a decade. Troy arrived at the state finals by beating District 2 champion Riverside, 35-14, a drop in point production for the Trojans, who scored more than 60 points in four of their last six games, including a 69-28 drubbing of the perennial powerhouse and seven-time defending state champion Southern Columbia in the District 4 semifinals. Troy entered the state semifinals averaging 308.4 yards a game and 10.5 yards per carry. The Riverside defense held the Trojans to 126 yards rushing on 32 carries. But the Vikings could not stop Troy’s Lincoln Chimics, who opened the game with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and later had an interception. Central Clarion got here by blowing through South Park, 55-0, on 6-foot, senior quarterback Jase Ferguson’s seven touchdowns. He finished with 172 yards rushing on 15 carries and first-half TD runs of 5, 5, 28, 3, and 10 yards for the Wildcats to mercy-rule South Park by halftime. This could potentially be the most intriguing game of the week. Can Central Clarion hold Chmics in check, and can Troy contain the very explosive Ferguson?