Top-seeded Steelton-Highspire defeated No. 2 Delone Catholic 42-20 to win the District 3 Class 1A title in back-to-back seasons Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Field in Harrisburg.
Daivin Pryor rushed for 118 yards and a score and also had a receiving touchdown and an interception to lead the Rollers (8-2) to their second consecutive title.
Steel-High went undefeated last season and won the PIAA Class 1A state title. It started this season 7-0 before two straight losses to Big Spring 49-14 and Boiling Springs 29-28 put a damper on the end of the regular season.
The Rollers put those losses behind them in the district final.
“My mindset was to just get out here and win this week,” Pryor said. “We had a good team coming in here that really wanted it badly. A couple of years back they beat us on this field and then we went out there and beat them on their field. They came back, so we wanted to do it again.”
The Squires (6-5) beat Steel-High 39-27 in a 2019 district semifinal; the Rollers evened the score in 2020 with a 23-13 victory in the district final.
Losing a Division I talent like Penn State commit Mehki Flowers, who transferred to Central Dauphin East after helping Steel-High win the state title last season, would put a strain on any team. The Rollers showed the capability of performing on the same level, averaging 55 points per game in their 7-0 start. The 35-point loss to Big Spring and a one-point heartbreaker to Boiling Springs to end the season hurt, but the Rollers showed moxie in rebounding in the district final.
“It all was a long process,” Pryor said on attempting to match what Steel-High did in 2020. “It started back in the summer and spring. We had to work, watch the film, go in the weight room. Every practice we were here working hard. In the end, we had to execute and that’s what we did.”
It didn’t start ideally for the Rollers and Pryor as the running back fumbled on the first possession and Delone Catholic’s Brady Dettinburn recovered at the 15. Dettinburn eventually ran it in from 5 yards out and the Squires went up 7-0 with 10:01 left in the first.
Alex Erby hit Tyrone Moore on a 28-yard pass to tie it with 3:12 left.
Pryor got the only score of the second quarter with a 5-yard run to make it 13-7 with 42.3 seconds left in the half.
Erby hit Jaieon Perry for a 12-yard score with 9:14 left in the third and it seemed as though Steel-High was about to roll with a 21-7 lead.
Delone Catholic responded with a 68-yard pass from Ryder Noel to Gage Zimmerman and the Squires were back within a score at 21-14.
It was all Rollers from there.
Jakhai Noss pounded it in from 5 yards out with 1:31 left in the third. Erby hit Rell Ceaser Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown with 6:48 left in the fourth. Erby hit Pryor for a 21-yard score with 4:49 in the fourth and the scoreboard read 42-14.
Noel hit Dylan Staub for a 13-yard TD with 1:03 left in the game for an empty score.
The Rollers will play District 4 Class 1A champ Canton next week in the first round of the PIAA state tournament.
Is another state championship on the mind?
“Yessir,” Pryor said with a smile.
STATS:
Steelton-Highspire
Passing: Erby 6-11-1–82 (4 TD).
Rushing: Pryor 20-118 (TD), Noss 14-59 (TD), Ceaser Jr. 2-9, Moore 1-7, Erby 4-(-8). Total: 41-185 (2 TD).
Receiving: Moore 3-39 (TD), Pryor 1-21 (TD), Perry 1-12 (TD), Ceaser Jr. 1-10 (TD).
Penalty: 4-25.
Punt-avg: 3-36.6.
First downs: 12.
Fumbles-lost: 3-1.
Delone Catholic
Passing: Noel 8-12-1–116 (2 TD).
Rushing: Keller 12-50, Staub 9-26, Dettinburn 8-17 (TD), Noel 14-1. Team: 43-94 (TD).
Receiving: Staub 4-41 (TD), Zimmerman 2-81 (TD), Dettinburn 1-5, Keller 1-(-11).
Penalties: 7-46.
Punt-avg: 4-29.8.
First downs: 7.
Fumbles-lost: 2-1.
Scoring Summary
Steelton-Highspire (8-2) 7 6 16 13 – 42
Delone Catholic (6-5) 7 0 7 6– 20
1st Quarter
DC-Dettinburn 5 run (Emeigh kick) – 10:01
SH-Moore 28 pass from Erby (Moore kick) – 3:12
2nd Quarter
SH-Pryor 5 run (Moore kick missed) – :42.3
3rd Quarter
SH-Perry 12 pass from Erby (Pryor run) – 9:14
DC-Zimmerman 68 pass from Noel (Emeigh kick) – 6:04
SH-Noss 10 run (Pryor run) – 1:31
4th Quarter
SH-Ceaser Jr. 10 pass from Erby (Moore kick) – 6:48
SH-Pryor 21 pass from Erby (Moore kick missed) – 4:49
DC-Staub 13 pass from Noel (Noel pass failed) – 1:03
