by Sykotyk
Friday night in suburban Philadelphia, Archbishop Wood and Academy Park suited up for PIAA Class 5A Semifinal. A strong, consistent wind and chilly air weren’t the only things the Knights of Academy Park had to deal with. Archbishop Wood’s suffocating defense and spread-the-field offensive philosophy were another problem altogether.
Archbishop Wood’s offense drove the field quickly and scored their first touchdown only 78 seconds into the game. Raheem Balckshear went in from 7-yards out. After a 26-yard field goal by Dan Zanine, the Vikings recovered a muffed pooch kickoff and setup for another touchdown to take a commanding 17-0 lead after the first frame.
Academy Park held strong for the next 10 minutes before giving up two touchdowns in the last two minutes before halftime. First a Jack Colyar 1-yard QB sneak up the middle and a 16-yard pass to the right flat to Kyle Pitts. That final score was the proverbial nail in the coffin a one-yard run with 5.8 seconds left before intermission and put up a staggering 31-0 lead in what was a manageable, yet daunting, early deficit.
Archbishop Wood came out quickly in the second half to score the final touchdown to institute the mercy rule. Neither team did much after that, as neither team seemed intent on just letting the game end expeditiously. Archbishop Wood finished with the win, 37-0.
Archbishop Wood heads to Hershey next weekend, looking for their fourth state championship. All coming since 2011.
