Joseph Santoliquito

SPRINGFIELD — There was no panic. Not this time. There was no finger-pointing. No chaos. No sideline frustration that would spill out onto the field in missed assignments, or players trying to do too much that would leave them out of position.

No, this time, the Springfield Cougars knew exactly how to handle the adversity that they were faced with on Friday night down 10-0 against visiting Garnet Valley.

The Cougars responded by scoring 21 unanswered points in a 35-23 victory over Garnet Valley.

The victory sets up a Central League showdown next Friday between Springfield (8-1) and Strath Haven (8-0) in what might be for the Central League title and improved seeding in the PIAA District 1 Class 5A standings.

Entering the schedule on Saturday, Strath Haven, which will play 1-7 Lower Merion, tops District 1 Class 5A with a 176.250 ranking to Springfield’s No. 4 spot with its 167.778 points.

The Cougars took an important step in winning the biggest comeback of their season.

Springfield was led by explosive junior tailback Brad Barber, a national level Maryland-bound lacrosse player who scored two touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 178 yards on 19 carries.

What gnaws at the Cougars is their 21-13 loss to Haverford two weeks ago in a game in which Springfield turned the ball over three times.

“Our coaches do such a good job of stressing the fact that we have to stay together, and it doesn’t matter if we are up by 40, or up by one, losing by 10 or losing by 40,” Barber said. “We still do believe we should be undefeated. We beat ourselves against Haverford. Garnet Valley is a great team. We knew they were a good team. They fought, and we had to fight back. I believe this team does a very good job of reading the game.”

Springfield coach Chris Britton had a difficult day, stuck in a no-win situation. His sons, senior middle linebacker Chase Britton, and sophomore offensive lineman Owen Britton, play for Garnet Valley. His family sat on the Garnet Valley side during the game and they all gathered afterward for a family photo.

Chris was happy it was over—and very pleased how it worked out.

“We talked all week how we had to play responsible football and trusting each other,” Chris said. “Our guys battled back. We knew we were going to get punched in the face. We stayed together. We have a lot of kids and a lot of weapons. We could have a lot of ‘Me’s,’ and this was definitely a rough week, facing your own kids.

“But this game proves a lot for us. Our kids dialed this up and performed. This is a team that is very selfless. It was a rough week. I’m happy it’s over. I don’t even think I want to bring it up (with his sons). I just want to go to the next game.”

The next game looked like it might not have had any meaning for Springfield by the way the Cougars started. Garnet Valley quarterback Luke O’Donoghue took the second play of the game for 70 yards, setting up a Michael Medici 24-yard field goal.

On the Jags’ second possession, they drove right back down the field for a 10-0 lead, when O’Donoghue hit Luke Vaughn swinging out of the backfield for a 21-yard score. With 2:59 left in the first, Springfield was two scores down.

The Cougars answered by scoring on four of their next five possessions, with Barber doing most of the damage.

“I think tonight it was a mindset, (Springfield) came prepared and locked in, and on our side, we did not execute the way we usually do,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “There were some things we did right, but as an entire, collective group, the energy wasn’t there and the overall focus I don’t think was there. The challenge this week coming will be to tell the guys to their jobs. That’s the biggest thing.”

For Springfield, the Cougars are in a position to do some damage in the District 1 playoffs. They can attack a defense in a variety of ways and they showed they could bounce back from games that look hopeless early on.

“Our defense stayed together and this was definitely a confidence boost to win a game like this,” Cougars’ junior defensive back Luke Valerio, who is bound for Penn State for lacrosse and who made several key defensive plays. “We need to stay level-headed going into the Strath Haven game. We do have an identity. We showed fight being down early. We had to learn from the Haverford loss and I think we obviously have.”

Scoring Summary

Garnet Valley (7-2) 10 0 7 6-23

Springfield (8-1) 0 14 14 7-35

1st Quarter

GV – Michael Medici kick 24 FG, 9:15

GV – Luke Vaughn 21 pass from Luke O’Donoghue (Medici kick), 2:59

2nd Quarter

Spr. – Chris Dolan 29 pass from Jamie Stevenson (Brad Barber kick), 10:35

Spr. – Nate Romano 1 run (Barber kick), 5:47

3rd Quarter

Spr. – Barber 5 run (Barber kick), 7:39

GV – Caden Olinger 15 pass from O’Donoghue (Medici kick), 4:15

Spr. – Barber 28 run (Barber kick), 2:24

4th Quarter

Spr. – Romano 16 pass from Jackson Kennedy (Barber kick), 7:02

GV – Dean Koehler 1 run (kick failed), 2:24

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball

DREXEL HILL — When January meetings started to install the new La Salle defense, one of Dylan Clair’s first impressions of his new defensive coordinator Dave Sowers was “this guy is crazy,” crazy in a good way. Sowers, the long time Upper Dublin assistant coach, is in his first year at La Salle. Clair is in his third year as one of the Explorers starting linebackers.

Sowers wanted his players to be film rats, willing to devour everything he threw at them. He has brought the energy and vitality of a player to the La Salle sidelines this season—and something else, too, an attacking, unpredictable defense that shows various fronts, attacks from all angles, and can be terribly confusing for any opposing quarterback to decipher.

La Salle’s defense is one of the main reasons Brett Gordon’s La Salle Explorers are the No. 1 team in the state and in the area.

After stubbornly holding down powerful St. Joe’s Prep last week, the Explorers’ defense, led by senior linebackers Clair and Jack Leuthe held down potent Bonner-Prendie to a mercy-rule 35-13 Catholic League Red Division victory Friday night at Bonner-Prendie.

La Salle (8-0) remains the only undefeated team in the Catholic League after the victory, handing Bonner-Prendie (5-1) its first loss of the season.

Clair and Leuthe were the first to admit it was more than them that blocked one punt and recovered two first-quarter fumbles that opened the early flood gates.

The Explorers received a considerable push up front from Gavin Muller, Jemal Williams, Hayden McDonald and Joseph Morrisey, while Justin Hawkins, Joey O’Brien, Trey Hopkins, and James Dolan patrolled the back end, and Christian Peterman teamed with Leuthe and Clair on the second tier.

“When Brett Gordon calls you, it is a no-brainer, you go,” said Sowers, who was at Upper Dublin for 12 years, and coached last year at Hatboro-Horsham before joining Gordon and his staff at La Salle this season. “I am having a lot of fun with this program and these players. It is a tribute to these kids that in January, we came in with a new system and they bought into it.

“I have Clair and Leuthe, two senior linebackers, that see everything. The biggest thing is maintaining discipline. These guys have the discipline to get it done and they reason why we have the defense we have is these guys have bought in. We know we are undersized, and you deal with what you are dealt with. These guys bought in and it has been fun. We intend to keep this thing rolling.”

Rolling over everyone.

The Explorers sometimes showed a six-man front. They sometimes had Clair and Leuthe, a two-year starter who is getting attention from St. Francis and Merrimack, up on the center in a blitz look, then they peeled off into coverage. Sometimes, Clair and Leuthe did not peel off, instead attacking and causing chaos up the middle. Sometimes, Peterman came into from an edge, sometimes it was Clair.

The Explorers never work out of a set front, the defensive linemen are that interchangeable.

“This is completely new,” said Leuthe, a transfer the second semester of his sophomore year from Pennridge. “It is fun. We are all having a blast, attacking from all over the place. We all bought in. One of coach Sowers’ main quotes is that it is not the size of the dog, it is the heart of them.”

Clair, a standout wrestler, has seen the metamorphosis of the Explorers’ defense the last three years. He has been on the other side of more than a few St. Joe’s Prep pastings. But this year, the Explorers had a core group back that had vengeance in their eyes, and it was accomplished last week in the Explorers’ classic quadruple overtime win over the Hawks.

Clair and Leuthe wanted to throw some light on linebacker coaches Dan O’Sullivan and Joe Leitner, too. O’Sullivan, Leitner and Sowers have collaborated like mad scientists in a defense lab to concoct these wild blitz packages.

“I really thought coach Sowers was crazy, I mean good crazy, because he has so much passion for us, and I would say this new defense breaks down every scenario,” Clair said. “We know what an offense is going to do, before they do it. We win the game during the week before the game is even played.”

The Explorers had Bonner-Prendie beat after the first quarter. A blocked punt created a Joey O’Brien 7-yard TD pass from Gavin Sidwar with 9:52 left in the first quarter, and a lost Friars’ fumble resulted in Joshua Simmons’ 22-yard TD pass from Sidwar with 3:46 left in the first.

The Explorers ended the opening stanza on a John-Patrick Oates’ 7-yard TD reception from Sidwar with 33 seconds left in the quarter. Desmond Ortiz scored on a 3-yard run with 4:01 left in the half, and mercy-rule score came when Simmons scored his second TD on a 29-yard run with 9:33 left in the third.

Bonner-Prendie got on the board when West Virginia-bound Jalil Hill hauled in a 27-yard TD pass from Noel Campbell with 3:25 left in the third, and Campbell added a cosmetic score with a one-yard TD plunge with 13 seconds to play.

“You cannot make mistakes the way we did tonight, because we got away with it against Roman Catholic,” Bonner-Prendie coach Jack Muldoon said. “We had a blocked punt and the two lost fumbles, and you can’t do that against the No. 1 team in the state. There were to effort issues. This team is not like that. We kept fighting until the end.

“I told my team this will mark our season how we react to this. We have (Cardinal) O’Hara next. Let’s see how we react a week from now.”

Scoring Summary

La Salle (8-0) – 21 7 7 0-35

Bonner-Prendie (5-1) – 0 0 7 6-13

1st Quarter

L – Joey O’Brien 7 pass from Gavin Sidwar (Chris Heck kick), 9:52

L – Joshua Simmons 22 pass from Sidwar (Heck kick), 3:46

L – John-Patrick Oates 7 pass from Sidwar (Heck kick), :33

2nd Quarter

L – Desmond Ortiz 3 run (Heck kick), 4:01

3rd Quarter

L – Simmons 29 run (Heck kick), 9:33

BP – Jalil Hill 27 pass from Noel Campbell (Isaih Smith kick), 3:25

4th Quarter

BP – Campbell 1 run (no attempt), :13

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. 

Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball

DREXEL HILL — Mick Johnson stood there stoically as everyone else around him was whooping it up. He hugged his teammates, like everyone else, and was happy in the moment Friday night.

But where everyone else was celebrating Bonner-Prendie’s 38-30 upset over Roman Catholic in the Catholic League Red Division opener for both teams, Johnson, who carried the bulk of the load for the Friars, stood there projecting a measured tone.

Why?

“Honestly, because I expected it, so it was no great surprise to me we won,” said Johnson, who rushed for a game-high 148 yards on 24 carries and scored a career-best four touchdowns on three four-yard runs and a 55-yard run. “I think this was expected. I don’t think we should have come out here doubting anything. We were capable of everything we did tonight. We knew they were more pass oriented on defense, so we knew we could run against them.”

Bonner’s offensive front of tackles Caleb Tesema and Julius Johnson, guards Chaz Ingram and Mar’Qui Harris and center CJ Chisholm opened up holes and gave Johnson the edge.

The Friars (5-0) remained undefeated by scoring on five of their first nine drives in the first half. In a whacky, twisting game, Bonner-Prendie won this game despite four first-half turnovers, three interceptions and a lost fumble on its opening possession.

“This was an exciting game and Roman was the team that wanted us up (in the Catholic League Red Division),” said Friars’ coach Jack Muldoon, who has done a nice job building the Bonner-Prendie program into statewide Class 4A contenders. “Mick works unbelievable hard and is highly respected. Mick expects to succeed and accomplish things in every game. We could have played better, but this was like old-school football.

“I’m glad we fought hard and happy for the school that we managed to come through with a ‘W.’ This was a measuring stick for us. We turned the ball over four times in the first half—and that’s ridiculous. But at the end of the day, we won. We led from beginning to end. It’s a credit to these kids. They deserved to celebrate.”

Bonner-Prendie finished with 405 yards of total offense, with 264 on the ground and 141 through the air. The Friars picked up 18 first downs, and despite their offensive dominance, they still had to scratch it out in the end.

The Friars’ defense did a decent job against Roman’s dangerous junior quarterback Semaj Beals, who did not have a great play, yet still played well enough to give Roman a shot in the end.

Beals finished 18 for 39 for 222 yards, with an interception, a TD pass and two rushing touchdowns.

“We didn’t execute how we were supposed to execute, that’s what happened,” Beals said. “It wasn’t anything they did. We didn’t execute. I have a lot of things to do better. I have to lead better, and pick my teammates up. We need to get in the film room and get in the weightroom.”

Cahillites’ coach Rick Prete, who has made Roman a competitive program again, saw his team hang in, despite numerous costly penalties and costly mistakes, like a blocked punt at the Roman five on its first possession of the second half. Johnson wound up scoring the third of his four-yard TD runs off the miscue.

“We have to get healthy, we need to coach better, we have to be better, and we’re down some pretty significant players,” Prete said. “Credit to Bonner. We just have to get our guys back. We were awful on special teams and it is something that kind of came back and got us. This is the second game where we have been playing out of our own territory on defense.

“It becomes hard when you are trying to stop teams when they’re sitting on your 10-yard line, your five-yard line. We’ll learn from this and get back to work.”

Scoring Summary

Roman Catholic (4-2) 0 14 8 8-30

Bonner-Prendie (5-0) 7 22 7 2-38

1st Quarter

BP – Saleem Fink 6 run (Isaih Smith kick), 1:07

2nd Quarter

RC – Zamir Newsuan 25 pass from Semaj Beals (kick failed), 11:42

BP – Mick Johnson 4 run (Johnson run), 7:50

BP – Johnson 4 run (Smith kick), 4:13

RC – Keyshawn Scott 8 pass from Beals (Scott from Beals), 1:52

BP – Johnson 55 run (Smith kick), :43

3rd Quarter

BP – Johnson 4 run (Smith kick), 10:34

RC – Beals 5 run (Newsuan from Beals), 6:48

4th Quarter

BP – Safety (Fumble in end zone), 6:18

RC – Beals 1 run (Beals run), 2:38

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.

NETHER PROVIDENCE — It started with a calculated slow trot right, and then in a blink through a maze of black and white jerseys, James Fisher popped out at the end of the player tunnel that hugged the sideline.

And no one seemed to touch him.

It was as lethal as a cobra strike.

It’s exactly what the 5-foot-10, 176-pound Strath Haven senior tailback was like Friday night against Garnet Valley, scoring a career-best five touchdowns, along with a career-best 178 yards rushing in an awesome display of explosive speed in the Panthers’ 35-14 Central League victory over visiting Garnet Valley.

Strath Haven, the defending PIAA District 1 Class 5A champions, made a statement throughout the area that it is not going to give up that title easily.

And if Fisher can keep up performances like that, the 5-0 Panthers will be tough to beat.

In a crowded, highly competitive PIAA Class 5A, Strath Haven may have grabbed the regular-season top spot with the victory over Garnet Valley, which has moved down to Class 5A.

The Panthers will have to battle Central League rival Springfield (Delco), Rustin, Phoenixville and Chester, last year’s District 1 Class 5A runner-up that returns major pieces from its 2023 team.

This win went a long way toward confidence building and making sure the rest of the area takes notice: To be the champ, you have to beat the champ—and that’s Strath Haven.

“We know we have a big target on our backs, from Springfield, Garnet Valley, Marple Newtown, and especially Chester, for the district championship,” said Fisher, who has not received any college offers, though is talking to Villanova, Towson, Stony Brook, Kutztown and West Chester. “We feel a lot of pressure. This game started slowly, but the whole game the sweeps were there and we waited on them. This was a really big win. We had a number of people who didn’t think we would win this game, so, yes, it was a statement game.”

Strath Haven scored on five of six drives, highlighted by Fisher touchdowns coming off a 54-yard TD reception, and touchdown runs of three, four, 50 and 59 yards.

The last two scores looked like identical plays. It was Fisher taking a handoff right and almost what seemed like casually surveying the Garnet Valley defense before bolting down the sideline.

“This was a great measuring stick midway through the season to see where we are,” said legendary Strath Haven Hall of Fame coach Kevin Clancy. “Garnet Valley is a great team, a great program. James has outstanding speed and we try to attack the defense as we see it. James happened to make the big plays today. It is everyone involved. This is all about execution.”

And great line play from right tackle Phil Collins, right guard Cooper Murley, center Mike Flanigan, left guard Nick Farabaugh, who also played well defensively, and left tackle Sean O’Neill, with help from tight ends Jahi Curtis, Alexei Gustafson and Luke Mulhern.

As a team, Strath Haven churned out 264 yards rushing.

Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk saw his team take the opening kickoff 66 yards over 13 plays for a 7-0 lead, when Luke O’Donohue hit junior tight end Paxton Hunt with an 11-yard TD pass. The drive took 6 minutes, 44 seconds and was a great way to keep Fisher and the Strath Haven offense off the field.

That did not last long.

The Panthers responded by scoring 28 unanswered points, scoring on four of five drives.

“I was very impressed not just by Fisher, but their entire offense, and it’s why Clancy is a coaching legend. They execute, and it’s why he is the best in the business,” said Van Wyk, referring to Clancy. “We started well. But in my opinion, it came down to preparation. We didn’t finish drives.”

Hunt was exceptional.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior caught a career-best six passes for 83 yards. And just like Fisher, he was unstoppable, too. It was not just the fact that he caught six passes, but how. His two 11-yard TD receptions was a career best and both were of the highlight-reel variety. The first score came when he reached up and pulled a pass down in the end zone over a Strath Haven defender. The second score resulted from a sliding over-the-shoulder catch in the back of the end zone.

“We got close and we felt we could get them through the middle. Our game plan was being executed,” Hunt said. “We needed to execute when we got near the goal line. We will the next time we see them. We will see them again.”

Scoring Summary

Garnet Valley (4-1) 7 0 0 7-14

Strath Haven (5-0) 7 7 7 14-35

1st Quarter

GV – Paxton Hunt 11 pass from Luke O’Donohue (Michael Medici kick), 5:16

SH – James Fisher 54 pass from Caden Shuster (Matt Styer kick), 3:48

2nd Quarter

SH – Fisher 3 run (Styer kick), 10:00

3rd Quarter

SH – Fisher 4 run (Styer kick), 3:21

4th Quarter

SH – Fisher 50 run (Styer kick), 8:34

GV – Hunt 11 pass from O’Donohue (Medici kick), 6:27

SH – Fisher 59 run (Styer kick), 6:16

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.

His head popped up among the crowd of red jerseys and Jabree Wallace-Coleman spoke. It’s something he would not have done in previous years. The Penn State-bound running back from Imhotep Charter deferred to his senior captains, out respect for them.

This year marks a difference for Wallace-Coleman. He is listed at 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, though looks more like 230 and runs like he’s 180. He’s accepted his role this season as the face of the PIAA Class 5A state champion Panthers, now playing as a Class 6A school this year, and that means speaking up and being a leader.

When Imhotep struggled mightily against what is a very good Chester team on Saturday at the Germantown Supersite, it was Wallace-Coleman that picked the Panthers up and quite literally carried them to a 28-24 come-from-behind victory over Chester.

It marked the 18th-straight victory for the Panthers, who own the longest winning streak in the area.

Wallace-Coleman finished with a season-high 223 yards rushing on 29 carries, and all four Imhotep touchdowns, one time carrying five Chester defenders in the end zone on the Panthers’ first score.

Imhotep needed every ounce of Wallace-Coleman on and off the field. When things looked chaotic in the first half for the Panthers, it was Wallace-Coleman who was the calming balm they needed to tune out the adversity. Chester needed four, sometimes five players to drag him down.

“Last year, I leaned on the seniors, but this year, I know I have to step up and be a leader for this team,” Wallace-Coleman said. “This feels good. I could look at my team and know when they are struggling. I love being a leader. I wouldn’t have spoken up my sophomore or junior years. I feel like I am battle tested and I know how I have to hold my teammates to a certain standard.

“I want that weight. I can carry it.”

He did.

Because for three quarters, Chester was in position to knock off Imhotep, which has not lost a game in two years, last losing to Pine Richland, 28-14, on Friday, December 9, 2022, in the PIAA Class 5A state championship.

On a field filled with stars like Wallace-Coleman and Imhotep’s singular Ohio State-bound defensive end Zahir Mathis, Chester junior safety and wide receiver Daron Harris was the best player on the field.

All the 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior did was intercept three passes, score two touchdowns and cause problems for the Panthers the entire afternoon.

As a team, Chester may have found a great deal about itself. The Clippers were PIAA District 1 Class 5A finalists, losing to local Strath Haven last season in the title game. For three quarters on Saturday, Chester, a Class 5A again, stayed with and in some respects was beating one of the best teams in the state.

This game could give the Clippers a greater identity, especially in the stacked Class 5A, where Roman Catholic, defending District 1 champion Strath Haven, perennial area power Garnet Valley reside.

The way Chester played against Imhotep, that Clippers team could have beaten any Class 5A team in the state.

There could be a larger picture ahead.

Chester may not be just vying for a district title, but with the Harris twins, Jalen and Daron, mixed with a good nucleus of young players, it is capable of playing into December—state championship weather.

“Our guys went into that (Imhotep) game with the intention of winning,” said Clippers’ coach Dennis Shaw, who has made Chester a highly respected football program. “You don’t like morale victories. We could be a lot better. This was big for us. We were flat out dominating a state powerhouse. We need to erase a few mistakes.

“You had a Penn State recruit at running back, and an Ohio State recruit at defensive end. We were not just happy to be there and be competitive. This game let us know how good we can be. We are very, very confident. We know we will not see a beast like Imhotep down the road.”

Clippers’ junior linebacker Jerrell Palmer smacked down Wallace-Coleman a few times, and senior tailbacks Dayshon Jackson and Larry McDaniel found gaping holes to run through in the first half.

On the flip side, Imhotep needed the push. The Panthers’ coaching staff got a good dose of how this team will react under adversity. They had to like what they saw from 6-foot, 290-pound junior defensive tackle Joseph Sondah, who made six tackles, four for short gains in the second half when the Panthers had to scratch back from an 18-7 halftime deficit.

“We were in this situation before and as a team we bounced back,” Sondah said. “Chester is very good. This was a good game and we put up a fight. The first half we hurt ourselves by not closing gaps. I had to stay in my gap, instead of running after plays.”

Another major plus was Imhotep starting sophomore quarterback Joey McLeish. He went down in the second quarter grabbing his left knee. He came back and actually played far better than before the injury.

“This is Jabree’s team and look at him, just a naturally great kid who is a natural born leader,” Panthers’ coach Devon Johnson said. “He came into this year with a chip on his shoulders. He wants to prove he is the best running back in the state, and Sondah is a dog. He came up big, and Joey McLeish came back and showed who he is as a young man.

“He responded to adversity. He is a confident kid and his performance in this game showed he can respond and bounce back. He did. He showed maturity.”

Scoring Summary

Chester (2-1) 6 12 0 6-24

La Salle (3-0) 0 7 14 7-28

1st Quarter

C – Jerrell Palmer 2 run (kick failed), 9:08

2nd Quarter

IC – Jabree Wallace-Coleman 15 pass from Joey McLeish (McLeish kick), 11:03

C – Daron Harris 83 kickoff return (run failed), 10:46

C – Daron Harris 4 pass from Jalen Harris (run failed), 7:37

3rd Quarter

IC – Wallace-Coleman 2 run (McLeish kick), 7:42

IC – Wallace-Coleman 4 run (McLeish kick), 3:13

4th Quarter

C – Jalen Harris 7 run (pass failed), 9:48

IC – Wallace-Coleman 66 run (McLeish kick), 4:21

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.

Photo courtesy of Rick Martin

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — Bryce Caffrey stood stunned for a moment. The diminutive Pottsgrove running back/defensive back had to think about it for a minute. The youngest of six, he had been playing football since he was six. The game had been a part of his life, what drove him to sweat in the summer heat to improve.

Now, it seemed, in a blink it was over.

“I love playing football, and I’ll probably play in some adult flag-football league, and go into the work force,” he said. “I was always active and began playing football probably before I was even able to walk. It hit me today that this was it. I had fun playing with my friends this one last time. This was it. No more football.”

Caffrey at least has some memories. He caught a 67-yard touchdown pass and had an interception in helping Team Independence to a 20-0 victory over Team Freedom on Monday night in the Pioneer Athletic Conference (PAC) Football Coaches Association Senior Bowl at Perkiomen Valley’s Thomas J. Keenan Stadium.

What is unique about this all-star game is that it is played with a running clock, except for the last two minutes of each quarter, and it is comprised of teams that are drafted by the coaches, not broken down by league or region. So, Caffrey was playing against some Pottsgrove teammates on Team Freedom. Just like Team Independence quarterback Derek Hinrichs, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. During the game, he was sacked by one of his OJ Roberts’ teammates, Colin King.

Like Caffrey, this game may be Hinrichs’ last. He is going to James Madison to major in biology.

“This may be my last game, and I may think about trying to walk on at James Madison,” he said. “It is a little weird thinking about, since I have been playing football my whole life. It was hot and I was surprised I made it through the game. I have not run since the (high school football) season ended. This was fun. This game is different. I was sacked by Colin King, who’s on my OJ Roberts team. He was talking smack. It was funny. I got back him by throwing a touchdown. The last game of my high school season it hit me that it was my last year.

“I will see how I feel. I think I can definitely do it and walk on at James Madison. It is a nice way to go out. I had a good time.”

So, too, did Norristown’s Jonathan Hedgepath, who will be heading to Delaware Valley College to play football. Playing for Team Freedom, Hedgepath had four sacks and was all over the field.

“This felt great playing in my last game,” Hedgepath said. “This was tough playing against other great players in the PAC. Playing against my Norristown guys, they are like brothers to me. It was fun going up against those guys. I probably lost about 10 pounds playing today.”

As in all-star games, there was not rhythm to the offenses. There were a lot of second-and-16s, third-and-18s, and tackles by No. 9, since there were three No. 9s on one of the teams. But there was also some talent that surfaced. Team Freedom’s Tyler Birch, from Pottsgrove, stopped a Team Independence score with a fumble recovery at the 1. Team Freedom then fumbled the ball back at the 1, and Hinrichs plunged in for the first score of the game. Hinrichs, who played quarterback for the first time this past season at OJR, then hit Caffrey for a 67-yard TD, and finished the scoring with a 33-yard strike Norristown’s Jayden Byrd.

“It was a good time doing this bringing everyone together in the PAC one last time,” Caffrey said. “I go out with a pick, a TD and a win. That’s always nice.”

Scoring Summary

Team Independence 6 7 0 7-20

Team Freedom 0 0 0 0-0

1st Quarter

Ind. – Derek Hinrichs (OJ Roberts) 1 run (Kick failed), 3:26

2nd Quarter

Ind. – Bryce Caffrey (Pottsgrove) 67 pass from Hinrichs (Mia Pettine (Methacton) kick), 2:38

4th Quarter

Ind. – Jayden Byrd (Norristown) 33 pass from Hinrichs (Pettine kick), 11:33

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.

Photo courtesy of Rick Martin

SPRINGFIELD, PA — The 46th annual Hero Bowl did not have the result everyone was pleased with on Thursday night at Cardinal O’Hara. Nor was it played at a particularly high level for the first three quarters. It did, however, showcase players and programs that had an awakening this past season.

The West squad, comprised of the Central League, scored twice in the last 4 minutes, 33 seconds to pull off a 14-14 tie against the East, made up of players from the Del-Val League, Cardinal O’Hara and Bonner-Prendie. Both respective coaching staffs agreed to end the game in a tie instead of risking an injury by playing overtime.

Chichester’s Bajzhiir Reese was named offensive MVP for the East, and his Eagles’ teammate Siddiq Oglesby was the defensive MVP, while Lower Merion quarterback and Lehigh-bound Mekhai Smith was the West offensive MVP, throwing for one TD and running for another, while his Aces’ teammate Andrew Cook was the West defensive MVP.

Chichester finished 6-6 overall last year, after going 1-10 the previous season. The Eagles’ program has made great strides under former Chichester great and current Eagles’ head coach Chris Craig, making the District 1 playoffs for the second time in three years. This past season, the Eagles reached the District 1 Class 5A playoffs on the talents of players like Reese, an undersized speed demon going to Del-Val University, and Oglesby, a slim cornerback who is heading to Coppin State.

“I may be small, but my heart is the same size as Shaquille O’Neal,” said Reese, a transfer from Imhotep Charter. “This game really touched home for me because it is my last high school game. I missed football since November. I was glad to be here tonight. It is sinking in that this was my last game. I didn’t really believe people when they said my high school experience would be the fastest four years of my life, but these past four years flew by. I wanted to play overtime. I wanted to play until someone won.”

It was Reese’s electric 84-yard kickoff return to answer the West’s first score that seemingly gave the East squad the game with 4:15 to play.

“I feel like I am going to score every time I touch the ball,” Reese said. “You need a big play, I am not the type of player to shy away from that.”

Reese’s Chi teammate, Oglesby, made the first big play of the game, diving for an interception at the West 13-yard line with 6:28 left in the third quarter. That opened the scoring of a game that up until then was sloppy, and undisciplined. There were eight unsportsmanlike penalties called combined for both teams and a handful of personal foul calls on late hits. The East took advantage of the Oglesby pick and converted it into a Dan Kelly-to-Derrick Robertson, another Chichester pair, into a 21-yard touchdown connection on a third-and-18 play.

“My last game I had to make something happen,” Oglesby said. “I played out of position the whole game, at outside linebacker. I’m 150 pounds, I’m a cornerback. This got really serious. I’ll play safety at Coppin State. But I wanted to continue playing. There needed to be a winner in this game. With how intense this game was played, with everyone putting it out there, someone had to win.”

Smith, almost singlehandedly, brought West back. It should not be that surprising. Smith led Lower Merion to a 6-5 overall record, significant because the perennial Central League football doormat had posted its first winning record since 1992, a credit to Smith and coach Joe Augustine and his staff.

Lehigh got a find in Smith, a thick 6-foot-2, 205 pounds who is projected to play safety. He showed great scrambling skills and often made something out of nothing. His 60-yard pass to Ridley’s Khameen Powell (Ridley) put the West on the board with 4:33 to play, and after the Reece kickoff return, Smith led the West back downfield again.

On a third-and-10 at the East 30, he hit his Lower Merion teammate Zion Gray with a 14-yard pass to keep the drive alive. On third-and-12 at the East 18, Smith found Powell again for 14 yards to the four. One player later, Smith rolled right, found a crease in the East defense, and glided into the end zone with 1:56 to play. He then hit Gray with a two-point conversion tying the score at 14-14.

That is how it ended. The East was stopped at the West 47 with 28 seconds to play, and two long West passes fell incomplete closing the game.

“I’m glad, even though we did not finish the game the way we wanted,” said Smith, who graduates Lower Merion on June 5 and has to report to Lehigh on June 10th. “I got to ball out with my brothers. That was probably the last pass I will throw. I got to go out with a bang, and I did it going to my teammate, Zion Gray. I have been playing football for a long time since I was six. When the game gets tense like that, it is part of the game. I get no breaks. I guess it will finally sink in this was last high school football game when I first stepped foot at Lehigh.”

Scoring Summary

East (Del-Val League) 0 0 7 7-14

West (Central League) 0 0 0 14-14

3rd Quarter

East – Derrick Robertson (Chichester) 21 pass from Dan Kelly (Chichester) (Jack McKinney (Cardinal O’Hara) kick), 4:15

4th Quarter

West – Khameen Powell (Ridley) 60 pass from Mekhai Smith (Lower Merion) Derrick Robertson 21 pass from Dan Kelly (Jack McKinney kick), 4:33

East – Bajzhiir Reese (Chichester) 84 kickoff return (McKinney kick), 4:15

West – Smith 4 run (Zion Gray (Lower Merion) pass from Smith), 1:56

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.

Photos by Matt Topper

MECHANICSBURG, PA — It started by accident. Samaj Jones was part of the clean-up crew, tasked with combing the field to pick up cones, and nets, and stray footballs after practice for his youth league football team. There was a ball on the far side of the field.

So, instead of walking the ball over to his coach, Jones threw it. Jones’ coach exclaimed, “Who threw that!” Jones thought he was in trouble, before sheepishly admitting he did.

The ball flew 40 yards. Jones was 10.

That’s what led him to become a quarterback. That was the root of what led to St. Joe’s Prep winning its second-straight PIAA Class 6A state championship, 45-23, over District 7 champion North Allegheny Saturday night at Chapman Field at Cumberland Valley High School.

It was the Hawks’ eighth state title, the most of any large school in the history of Pennsylvania. It was their eighth state title in the last 10 years and fifth in the last six years. In the process of continuing its legacy, St. Joe’s Prep also handed North Allegheny its first loss in a state championship game.

The Cincinnati-bound Jones led the way, scoring three touchdowns, throwing for two, and possibly cementing his legacy as the best quarterback in Hawks’ history.

He entered the game as the Hawks’ all-time leading yardage leader. After completing 14 of 17 for 232 yards, while rushing for 115 yards in the championship, he finishes with 7,813 career total yards and 108 career touchdowns. He ends his career with 5,725 yards passing, second only to Kyle McCord (6,887 yards and 88 touchdown passes), completing a career 356 of 560 with 64 touchdown passes.

Two years ago, Jones walked off the field after losing to Mount Lebanon in the state title game as a sophomore with his head down embarrassed. The last two years he returned to the state championship with a vengeance, putting his personal stamp on the Hawks’ consecutive championships.

“It’s hard to explain,” Jones said. “I’m grateful to these guys and the hard work these guys put in. Yeah, it’s a long way for a kid who threw a ball one afternoon and thought he was trouble. God put me in that situation to get where I am now, and that game (against Mount Lebanon), I’m so grateful for that game because it built so much energy.

“Losing forced me to grow up. I had no choice. I was forced to grow up.”

The 2023 Hawks could arguably be the greatest team in program history. They closed their season with a 13-game winning streak after opening with a 17-14 loss to national powerhouse IMG Academy. This was a team that was dominant on both sides of the ball, scoring 579 points this season, while giving up just 120. The 2023 Hawks averaged 41.3 points a game, while giving up an average of 8.5 points a game.

They were dominant. They were suffocating on defense. They were explosive on offense.

They impressed North Allegheny coach Art Walker, who was very classy in defeat, saying, “Not what we expected, we wanted to be in it, we wanted to fight, we wanted to battle. I’m proud of my guys not giving up. I’m proud of them continuing to fight the whole game, but we gave up some big plays. They’re good everywhere.

“It’s a tough team to prepare for. I haven’t seen anyone run zone-read (like Jones) and pull it that late in a long time. He’s darn good at that. We had the back dead to rights, and all of a sudden, I don’t know how he got the ball out. He’s good. He’s a physical downhill runner. He’s the best runner we’ve seen. He’s a special guy.

“It’s hard to cover everything at once. You can’t take it all away.”

The mercy rule came when Jones scored his third rushing touchdown and topped that by finding the falling Elijah Jones in the end zone for the two-point conversion for a 45-10 Prep lead with 5:45 left in the third quarter.

With 7:08 left in the game, Samaj got his curtain call, leaving the field the last time wearing a St. Joe’s Prep uniform.

“I’ll remember how relentless this team was, as much as we challenged them every day,” said Hawks’ coach Tim Roken, who got a little emotional talking about this team and Samaj. “They showed up every single day to work. They went through some good adversity, especially in this senior class.

“This isn’t easy for me. I love this group of seniors and this coaching staff. It’s not easy seeing this group go. They trusted one another, they loved one another, and they led one another. It’s the most rewarding thing for a coach to see.

“Then you have Samaj, a young man of great character. He did a lot of growing up here. He showed up every single day with a smile on his face, the determination to lead this program, and understanding the responsibilities he has as that leader of this program. It hasn’t been easy for him, and it won’t be easy for us to watch him go.”

Prep had the game under control by halftime. The Hawks got out to a 24-0 lead, scored on their first five possessions, and were well ahead, 37-10, by intermission—despite being flagged 10 times for 85 yards. Prep had doubled North Allegheny’s output, gaining 323 yards of total offense to the Tigers’ 161 yards, averaging 11.54 yards a play to North Allegheny’s 4.88 yards a play.

By then, Jones had rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns and completed 11 of 14 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to Elijah Jones.

Samaj’s second touchdown came off a great play fake, pulling the ball at the last second from Erik Sanchez, making the Tigers’ defense bite, then tearing through a gap on the right for a 41-yard score with 4:15 left.

The Hawks started quickly, taking the opening kickoff 72 yards over 12 plays, ending with Samaj scoring by bulling through North Allegheny’s James Donaldson and Liam Flaherty, who met him at the goal line with a crunch.

Huge plays on the opening series came in Jones’ 19-yard connection to Brandon Rehmann on a third-and-18 at the Tigers’ three. The Hawks also converted a second-and-13 on the drive, with Jones dialing up Rehmann again for 21 yards.

As everyone was filing off the field after the game, Hawks’ offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Tom Sugden made sure he gave Samaj a long embrace.

Sugden has had a more intimate relationship with Jones than anyone on the St. Joe’s coaching staff. He used to drive by his house and wake him up in the morning when he overslept and was constantly on him during his sophomore and junior years about time management and discipline.

Sugden, Roken, the entire Prep community, saw a specialness in Jones that for a few years, he did not see in himself.

That came to fruition this season.

Saturday night was the culmination of realized expectations.

“Samaj is special, and it would frustrate us that he didn’t see it, but our job as coaches is to bring those things out in people and we stuck with Samaj,” Sugden said. “Seeing Samaj meet his potential is one of the neat things about St. Joe’s Prep. It’s why we stay here and coach here. Samaj is living proof.”

Scoring Summary

North Allegheny (13-2) 0 10 0 13-23

St. Joseph’s Prep (13-1) 14 23 8 0-45

1st Quarter

SJP – Samaj Jones 2 run (Skyler Sholder kick), 7:45

SJP – Jones 41 run (Sholder kick), 4:15

2nd Quarter

SJP – Isaiah West 22 run (Sholder kick), 11:53

SJP – Sholder 41 FG, 9:17

NA – Logan Kushner 5 run (Nick Van Winkle kick), 6:04

SJP – Elijah Jones 80 pass from Samaj Jones (Sholder kick), 5:52

NA – Peter Notaro 33 FG, 2:23

SJP – Brandon Rehmann 13 pass from Samaj Jones (kick failed), 1:07

3rd Quarter

SJP – Samaj Jones 4 run (Elijah Jones pass from Samaj Jones), 5:45

4th Quarter

NA – Daniel Sellers 1 run (run failed), 7:40

NA – Khiryn Boyd 52 pass from Kushner (Van Winkle kick), 5:17

FULL GAME STATS

NAL/SJP

FIRST DOWNS 18/20

RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 25-116/33-243

PASSING YDS (NET) 219/232

Passes Cmp-Att-Int 12-29-1/14-17-0

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 54-335/50-475

Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0/0-0

Punt Returns-Yards 0-0/2-42

Kickoff Returns-Yards 5-106/3-102

Interception Returns-Yards 0-0/1-0

Punts (Number-Avg) 3-39.3/1-36.0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0/2-0

Penalties-Yards 6-40/13-115

Possession Time 23:35/24:25

Third-Down Conversions 5 of 12/3 of 6

Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 1/0 of 0

Red-Zone Scores-Chances 3-3/3-4

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].

Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball

Photos by Matt Topper

MECHANICSBURG, PA — There was a lot to unload. It could be seen in their eyes as the Imhotep Charter team walked stoically in pairs out of the Cumberland Valley High School gym, through the hall, and onto the field. The tonnage they carried came in six state championship losses that they began chiseling down since August.

The Panthers entered this season haunted by the laughing ghosts of history—by previous Imhotep teams that failed to do what they, too, failed to do a year ago. Their goal was born from failure, urged further to shed the “choker” label by the western side of the state—especially by District 7 schools.

The 2023 Imhotep Panthers are not chokers anymore. They exorcised the laughing ghosts from state championships past with an emphatic 38-13 victory over District 7 champion Peters Township in the PIAA Class 5A championship on Friday night at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.

It marked the second state championship in Imhotep history, snapping the five-game state title losing streak the Panthers were lugging. Imhotep also beat a District 7 team for the first time in the state championship, after going 0-3 (South Fayette in 2013, Penn Trafford in 2021, and Pine Richland in 2022). This is also the second undefeated team in Imhotep history—the first being the Panthers’ first state champion in 2015. It is also the first state championship for Panthers’ coach Devon Johnson, who was on the Imhotep staff when the program last won a state crown.

“This feels amazing,” Johnson said. “This is surreal, just to be where we were last year, and to finish this season undefeated, winning the state title. This is for us, for all Imhotep players past and present, and all the Imhotep coaches, past and present. I love our players, and our coaches, for fighting through all the bad talk about us, I’m so proud of these guys.

“This is my first graduating group. I watched these seniors be down, and pick themselves up over and over again. This team pulled together and stayed focused throughout the entire season. We’re bringing it back home.”

Entering the game, the Panthers were 1-6 in state title games. The coaches knew it. The school knew it. The players knew it.

Panthers’ Army-bound quarterback Mikal Davis put an end to it. He did it by putting this team on his shoulders as he has done many times. When the Panthers were dangerously close to losing to Roman Catholic, down by 10 with 8 minutes to play, in the first round of the state playoffs, it was Davis that pulled them over the finish line.

In the state championship, it was the same thing.

He never ran away from the Panthers’ state championship ledger. He ran to it, intent on changing it, and in doing so, left a legacy.

“I feel on top of the world, I feel like I can’t be stopped right now,” Davis said. “This was made August 7, Day One, the first day of training camp. It was the hard work and dedication. After we lost the state title (last year), we had Sunday service the next day. I know what it is like walking off this field losing. I never wanted to feel like that again. I’m a lot different than I was a year ago. This team is a lot different than it was a year ago.

“We did the brain training, we had a next-play mentality and blocked out the noise. I’m going to remember these guys forever. These guys are my brothers for life. When we get older, this is all something we will share for life.”

Davis will go down as the best quarterback in Imhotep history, which was his aspiration this year. He knows that would not have happened without finishing the mission of a state title. He leaves as Imhotep’s all-time leading passer with 2,417 career yards passing, including the 184 he threw for in the championship game, exceeding the previous mark of 2,168 by Nasir Boykin, the Panthers’ starting quarterback for their 2015 state champion.

Seniors Davis, Penn State-bound Kenny Woseley, Pitt-bound Jah’Sear Whittington, David Johnson, Anthony Richardson, Nile Brown, Raheem Reid and Johann Hennington established a stable foundation. It is a team that never got too high, or too low. It is a team that stayed steady, emotionless—like the way they walked out to the field.

The game was over at halftime—thanks to three Davis touchdowns. The most points Peters Township gave up in a game this season was 28, and the Panthers scored 24 by halftime.

Imhotep took a 24-7 lead into intermission scoring on four of their first five possessions. The Panthers outgained Peters Township by 200 yards, 277-77, by halftime. Davis ran for 83 yards on nine carries in the first 24 minutes, averaging 8.7 yards a carry, and completed six of eight for 113 yards and an interception, which came off a deflection.

For the game, Imhotep finished with nearly 500 yards of total offense, outgaining the Indians, 481-152, averaging 7.76 yards a play.

That had a lot to do with the Panthers’ unsung offensive front of left tackle Zafir Stewart, left guard Johnson, center Richardson, right guard Nick Williams, right tackle Brian Moore and tight ends Hennington and Jayden Pedre.

On the defensive side, Whittington, Woseley, Zahir Mathis, Reid and Kahir Hood held Peters Township to a mere 2.96 yards per play in the first half and 3.17 yards for the game.

Georgia-bound Jabree Wallace-Coleman broke out for a game-high 214 yards rushing on 30 carries, averaging 7.1 yards a carry, while scoring one TD.

Imhotep has been to the state finals eight times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023), and in 2015, the Panthers made history by becoming the first Philadelphia public school to win a state championship in football by taking the Class 5A title.

It’s taken eight years, when many of these Panthers just began playing football, but the dusty 2015 state title banner hanging in the Imhotep gym will have long-awaited company.

“We were locked in, we were locked in all year,” Woseley said. “I was on two losing state championships, and sadly, I know what it is like to lose. Going through brain training, we learned you have to enjoy losing, because you learn more from your mistakes. I can say I was a part of the most memorable ‘Tep team because it was. This is ours. We’re not chokers anymore.”

Scoring Summary

Peters Township (15-1) 0 7 0 6-13

Imhotep Charter (15-0) 10 14 7 7-38

1st Quarter

IC – Mikal Davis 1 run (Kenneth Woseley kick), 8:19

IC – Woseley 30 FG, 1:25

2nd Quarter

IC – Davis 22 run (Woseley kick), 5:33

PT – Thomas Aspinall 12 pass from Nolan DiLucia (Carter Shanfelt kick), 2:55

IC – Davis 22 run (Woseley kick), 1:30

3rd Quarter

IC – Jabree Wallace-Coleman 68 run (Woseley kick), 9:44

4th Quarter

IC – Johann Hennington 50 pass from Davis (Wosesley kick), 10:27

PT – Aspinall 9 pass from Lucas Rost (kick failed), 4:59

FULL GAME STATS

PET/TEP

FIRST DOWNS 12/21

RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 22-55/50-297

PASSING YDS (NET) 97/184

Passes Cmp-Att-Int 12-26-0/8-12-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 48-152/62-481

Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0/0-0

Punt Returns-Yards 0-0/0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards 6-91/3-13

Interception Returns-Yards 1-6/0-0

Punts (Number-Avg) 7-36.1/2-23.5

Fumbles-Lost 0-0/1-0

Penalties-Yards 2-10/9-70

Possession Time 20:51/27:09

Third-Down Conversions 6 of 14/9 of 13

Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0/1 of 1

Red-Zone Scores-Chances 2-3/3-3

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].

Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball

Photos by Matt Topper

MECHANICSBURG, PA — The game was a formality. It was more of a farewell coronation of a passing king. Steelton-Highspire coach Andrew Erby knew this day would come and he had mixed feelings.

Part of him was downright ecstatic over his son, Alex, the lefty Navy commit, winning his third PIAA Class 1A state championship in four years. The other part dreaded the coming day when he would no longer be coaching his son.

Alex did what he was supposed to do against District 7 champion Fort Cherry on Thursday at Chapman Field at Cumberland Valley High School, throwing for five touchdowns and 340 yards in a 42-8 Steamrollers’ victory.

Steelton-Highspire won its third PIAA 1A state championship in the last four years and fifth overall (2007, 2008, 2020, 2022 and 2023). The Steamrollers won their 28th-straight game, and they will enter next season with the state’s longest winning streak.

Alex entered the game as Pennsylvania’s all-time leading passing leader with 13,227 yards passing and 170 touchdown passes. He leaves throwing for a career state-record 13,567 yards and 175 touchdowns. This season, he ended an amazing senior year in which he threw for 4,424 yards and 61 touchdown passes against four interceptions. Over his career, he completed 773 of 1,034 passes and this season completed 257 of 336.

“I was looking around, that last 30 seconds was hard,” Andrew Erby said. “This was not easy. We put so much into it. I remember these guys (twin sons Alex and Andrew Erby Jr.) when they were six, seven years old just running hills and trying to be great, working hard and getting up on their own and doing it. For them to finish it off here, it was a blessing and a special moment. I saw the commitment behind the scenes to get to this point.

“It was hard to hold tears back. If it was going to end, I wanted it to end this way.”

The game was over by halftime. The Steamrollers had piled up a 34-0 lead, scoring on five of their first six possessions. Fort Cherry, appearing in its first state championship, was completely overwhelmed. Steelton-Highspire pounded the Rangers for 390 yards of total offense to just 85 for Fort Cherry—in the first half.

The Steamrollers averaged 10.26 a play while stopping Fort Cherry on a goal-line stand near the end of the half. The Rangers were stymied, averaging 3.04 yards per play, and were 0 for 6 on third-down conversions and 0-7 combined for third and fourth-down conversions.

Erby had an unbelievable passer rating of 246.8, completing 18 of 22 (which included two drops, one for a sure TD) for 275 yards and four touchdown passes, with one rushing.

The Steamrollers created the tone early, taking the opening kickoff 59 yards, using eight plays to take a quick 7-0 lead on Erby’s five-yard TD pass to Jaeion Perry. Steelton-Highspire took its second possession 75 yards over six plays, ending on Erby’s second TD pass, a 17-yard toss to Nazier Fuller. After being stopped on downs their third series, the Steamrollers went up 21-0 on an Erby 37-yard run, followed by Erby TD throws of 77 yards to Fuller and 32 yards to Durrell Ceasar Jr.

“That goes to preparation,” Alex said. “We spread the ball out and that’s pretty hard to stop. They were giving up only 12 points a game. We knew we had our hands full. This is not easy. This goes back to all the years and all the times my dad coached me. It’s sinking in a little bit that this was the last game with my dad, and it will sink in more when I get home and there will be tears. This is everything my dad has done for me, the preparation, watching film with him, it all comes to an end.

“We’ll never have that connection with him again, the two of us on the sideline together.”

With 6:44 left in the third quarter, the mercy rule came into play when Steelton-Highspire scored on the first drive of the second half, capped by Erby’s fifth touchdown pass, a three-yard toss to Taevon Legrande. It was the sixth time the Steamrollers scored on their first eight drives.

It did not help that Fort Cherry turned the ball over four times—on two lost fumbles and two interceptions.

“Whenever you make mistakes like that against a team like that, they’re going to get on those fumbles and take advantage,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Gary said. “We haven’t turned the ball four times in a game this year. I’m not entirely sure we turned the ball more than twice in a game this year. It stings. I was happy to be on the same field with them, the tradition, the things that they have done, and I wanted to see how we stacked up.

“The sad part is, I still don’t really know, because I don’t think we played very well.”

Scoring Summary

Fort Cherry (15-1) 0 0 0 8-8

Steelton-Highspire (16-0) 14 20 8 0-42

1st Quarter

SH – Jaeion Perry 5 pass from Alex Erby (Judah Hernandez kick), 8:23

SH – Nazier Fuller 17 pass from Erby (Hernandez kick), 5:09

2nd Quarter

SH – Erby 37 run (Hernandez kick), 6:53

SH – Fuller 77 pass from Erby (Hernandez kick), 4:31

SH – Durrell Ceasar Jr. 32 pass from Erby (kick failed), 3:25

3rd Quarter

SH – Taevon Legrande 3 pass from Erby (Perry run), 6:44

4th Quarter

FC – Matt Sieg 4 run (Sieg run), 1:47

FULL GAME STATS

FTC/STE

FIRST DOWNS 10/24

RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 43-159/27-135

PASSING YDS (NET) 21/340

Passes Cmp-Att-Int 4-12-2/29-39-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 55-180/66-475

Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0/0-0

Punt Returns-Yards 0-0/1-7

Kickoff Returns-Yards 7-100/1-31

Interception Returns-Yards 1-1/2-17

Punts (Number-Avg) 3-27.0/0-0.0

Fumbles-Lost 2-2/0-0

Penalties-Yards 4-40/9-95

Possession Time 22:26/25:34

Third-Down Conversions 2 of 12 3 of 8

Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 5/2 of 5

Red-Zone Scores-Chances 1-2/3-4

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].

Prep defensive coordinator Shawn Stratz & d-tackle Max Roy

LANSDALE — He does the nasty work no one else likes doing. Max Roy doesn’t mind. He likes hitting. He likes running over people. He likes running through them. He likes being as disruptive as he can. And when you’re incredibly athletic, like the 6-foot-3, 280-pound St. Joseph’s Prep junior defensive tackle, that leads to a lot of chaos in the middle of the field.

It’s exactly what the rock of the Prep defense did on Saturday, setting the stage for an easy Hawks’ 49-0 victory over Central Bucks South in the PIAA Class 6A eastern finals.

Winners of 12-straight games, the Hawks (12-1) will now face North Allegheny to repeat as state champions in the PIAA Class 6A state championship next Saturday at Cumberland Valley High School at 7 p.m.

The victory marked the Hawks’ third shutout of the season and second in the last three games. This blanking came against a CB South team that was averaging 33.5 points a game.

Unfortunately, the Titans (13-2) ran into Roy, who no one on a football field would want to run into.

“Ever since I was a kid that’s what I enjoyed most, hitting, causing as much chaos as possible,” said Roy, 16, who is getting major looks from the nation’s top college programs. “I would say it’s something coach (Hawks’ defensive coordinator Shawn) Stratz channels. He always lets me play to my best potential, and it is a tough job. It is not a glory position. I know that.

“I take pride in that, causing the chaos.”

Roy, a two-year starter who is an all-Catholic in football, wrestling, and a competitive shot putter, has known nothing but winning at Prep. He won a state title as a sophomore starter and is a leading reason why the Hawks may repeat this year.

“Without a doubt, Max is an enforcer inside, and he does whatever we ask him to do, and that’s a lot,” Stratz said. “Max starts it up for us. He has 10 times as many techniques to use, and he in turns makes our second level better, which in turn makes the third level better, and it makes our whole defense better.

“Max is the total package for us. We always put our top defensive lineman at three techniques, no matter their size, but Max happens to be a massive human being. He will smash you in the face, get us in stunts, get us in stems, he does it all. On top of that, he’s such a great, great kid. He’s going to be very successful at the next level, too.”

The game was over in the first 11 seconds. That’s how long it took Prep’s Brandon Rehmann to go 80 yards with the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

From there, St. Joe’s Prep scored on its next five possessions—with three touchdowns called back due to penalties.

By halftime, the Hawks had amassed 301 yards of total offense on 19 plays, averaging a whopping 15.8 yards a play to CB South’s 116 yards of total offense on 27 plays, averaging a respectable 4.2 yards a play.

Eight different Prep players got touches over the first 24 minutes, with five different players scoring for the Hawks. Rehmann was brilliant, scoring twice. His 47-yard TD reception from Samaj Jones with 2:50 left in the half out the game into the mercy rule. He had two catches for 73 yards by halftime, and Samaj Jones had completed five of six for 92 yards.

“This is where we want to go, and now it’s about finishing the mission that we started back in January,” Hawks’ coach Tim Roken said. “Our first-team defense has been unbelievable. Coach Stratz does an unbelievable job of getting these guys prepared. I never came across a coach who watches as much film as he does. We extended as much as we can keeping these players together as long as possible. Now it’s about finishing.”

Scoring Summary

St. Joe’s Prep (12-1) 20 22 0 7-49

Central Bucks South (13-2) 0 0 0 0-0

1st Quarter

SJP – Brandon Rehmann 80 kickoff return (kick failed), 11:49

SJP – Taj Dyches 12 run (Skyler Sholder kick), 6:05

SJP – Samaj Jones 3 run (Sholder kick), 2:42

2nd Quarter

SJP – Kahseim Phillips 74 run (Sholder kick), 9:09

SJP – Rehmann 47 pass from Jones (Phillips run), 2:50

SJP – Elijah Jones 17 pass from Samaj Jones (Sholder kick), :23

4th Quarter

SJP – Syair Grimes 7 pass from Tre Henning (Ryan Miller kick), 7:38

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Kareem Abdul Haqq (18) & Mikal Davis Jr. (12) combined for two 25-yard touchdowns in Imhotep’s 42-14 5A semifinal victory over Strath Haven.

COATESVILLE — This had a more formal business tone to it. Imhotep Charter reached another PIAA Class 5A state championship game after dispensing District 1 champion Strath Haven rather easily, 42-14, in the Class 5A Eastern finals on Friday night at Coatesville High School.

There was no rah-rah to the Panthers’ victory. There was no feeling that this meant something because the bigger picture is ahead.

Imhotep (14-0) remains undefeated, while Strath Haven saw a very successful season end at 13-2.

After winning, Imhotep coach Devon Johnson gathered his team, told him how proud he was of them, and reminded them that their journey is not finished. Imhotep has been here before, though this team is different. This team has always had December in mind at Cumberland Valley for a state title, knowing it has been since 2015 when it last won a state crown.

Imhotep will now face Peters Township, a 14-9 winner over Cocalico in the western 5A final, for the PIAA Class 5A state championship next Friday at 7 p.m.

This year’s version of Imhotep may be more diverse than previous years. That manifested itself in Army-bound, three-year starting quarterback Mikal Davis Jr. completing 20 of 24 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns against Strath Haven.

Davis became Imhotep’s all-time leading passer with 2,233 career yards, exceeding Nasir Boykin’s previous mark of 2,168. Hopefully, there is some symmetry to the new mark since Boykin was the starting quarterback of Imhotep’s last state champion in 2015.

“We thought the rain was going to be a problem and saw it wasn’t raining that much in the first quarter, so we opened the passing game up more,” said Davis, who now owns the top two single-game passing records at Imhotep after throwing for a school-record 330 yards against Archbishop Spalding last year. “We know what’s coming. We’re ready. The ball felt great tonight leaving my hand. I knew every time I threw it, it would be a catch.”

The game was over by halftime. Imhotep scored on each of its first five possessions, taking a 34-7 lead into intermission.

Through the first 24 minutes, Davis had thrown for 296 yards, completing 17 of 21, including a pair of 25-yard touchdown passes to freshman receiver Kareem Abdul Haqq, and a 5-yard TD toss to Johann Hennigan.

Anything Davis wanted to do, he did. He chopped up and dissected the Strath Haven defense in engineering 400 yards of total offense for the half, which is more than Strath Haven has given up in a game this season. Imhotep also had 17 first downs in the half, while Strath Haven ran just 19 plays.

Jabree Wallace-Coleman scored on Imhotep’s first two drives on a 1-yard and 5-yard score, Imhotep upped that to 20-0 when Davis found Haqq the first time down the middle between two Strath Haven defenders for a 20-0 lead with 9:15 left in the half. Haqq’s second score was highlight-reel material, snaring a Davis in the far corner of the end zone and having enough awareness to get his feet for another Imhotep TD.

With 1:15 left in the half, Davis hit Nile Brown with a 61-yard bomb, which set up the Hennigan score.

Knowing there could not be any room for error, Strath Haven committed two that stung it. On its first drive, Strath Haven had a touchdown called back that would have tied the game, but it was called for an illegal man downfield and the score was wiped out.

With less than five minutes in the half, Strath Haven again harmed itself with a personal foul call on a late hit with the ball sitting at the Imhotep 20 and looking at a fourth-and-two. Instead, the flag pushed Strath Haven back to the Imhotep 45 and it turned the ball over on Imhotep’s Samire Locks.

Davis took the turnover and rolled 91 yards on 10 plays, ending in the second Davis-to-Haqq TD.

Haqq ended the half with six receptions for 99 yards.

Wallace-Coleman put it in the mercy rule with 5:53 left in the third quarter on his third touchdown on a four-yard run, topped by Davis’ two-point conversion run, which gave Imhotep a 42-7 lead.

“We knew we had to throw tonight and we thought the rain would mess those plans up,” Johnson said. “We have been here before. This team is different because they are resilient, they stay together and we have been doing this focus, brain training and that has been helping us a lot. We want to get it done.

“No one celebrated tonight. We have been here before. We know the bigger picture is not just to get to the dance. It’s to win it.”

Scoring Summary

Strath Haven (13-2) 0 7 0 7-14

Imhotep Charter (14-0) 13 21 8 0-42

1st Quarter

IC – Jabree Wallace-Coleman 1 run (Kenny Woseley kick), 7:33

IC – Wallace-Coleman 5 run (kick failed), :34

2nd Quarter

IC – Kareem Abdul Haqq 25 pass from Mikal Davis (Woseley kick), 9:15

IC – Haqq 25 pass from Davis (Woseley kick), 1:36

SH – James Fisher 61 pass from Jake Kitchin (Ben Milligan kick), 1:16

IC – Johann Hennigan 5 pass from Davis (Woseley kick), :15

3rd Quarter

IC – Wallace-Coleman 4 run (Davis run), 5:53

4th Quarter

SH – Kitchin 1 run (Milligan kick), 5:40

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Strath Haven’s Bill Brown

CHESTER — They knew what was happening. They could feel the gradual, stubborn bend. Each play came with a little more space, and a little more, and enough to move a very stubborn, physical Chester defensive front.

Strath Haven’s offensive line of left tackle Bill Brown, left guard Gavin Pilson, center Carter Law, right guard Jackson Geremia, right tackle Will Leuthold and tight ends Jahi Curtis and Sean Henry knew the game was in their hands in the third quarter of Saturday’s District 1 Class 5A championship at Chester.

The Clippers were playing for history, looking to become the first Chester football team to win a district championship. Strath Haven was buried in history, looking for a record 13th district championship.

The Panthers used a third-quarter 17-play, 9-minute, 57-second marathon drive to take control of the game on the way to a 28-20 victory over Chester.

The No. 2 seed in District 1, Strath Haven (13-1) will now play District 12 champion Imhotep Charter, a 31-7 winner over District 2 champion Delaware Valley, in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals next weekend at a site and time to be determined.

Strath Haven quarterback Jake Kitchin scored three of the Panthers’ four touchdowns taking a page from the Philadelphia Eagles’ popular tush push play—relying heavily on the Panthers’ front to score.

“Our o-line gives us the strength to move behind, we leaned on the guys up front the whole season,” Kitchin said. “Chester slowed down. They started to get tired. I knew this. I knew we could win the district title. We worked so hard in the offseason. We lost to Rustin last year in the district semifinals on a fumbled snap. We have two more games.”

Strath Haven trailed, 20-14, at the outset of the third quarter on Quamere Cosby’s 92-yard kickoff return to start the second half. The Panthers responded with a methodical, time-consuming drive that began at their 36. They threw the ball twice on the next 17 plays, bulling forward against Chester and moving the Clippers off the ball.

“We felt we could do that,” Brown said. “Everyone knows what we do. They just can’t stop it. This (offensive line) is a group that’s been together for the last two years. We knew what we had to do.”

After Kitchin found Henry in the back of the end zone for a four-yard score with 1:48 to play in the third quarter, the Panthers with another mammoth drive, going 14 plays chewing up 8 minutes, and one second and ending when Kitchin scored his third TD.

With 3:19 to play, Chester bogged itself down with penalties, a problem all afternoon, and it was Henry who sealed with an interception at the Chester 35 with 2:03 left.

“I have a lot to be proud of, we did historic things this year, I know the work we put in, so this season is not a surprise to any of us,” said Clippers’ coach Dennis Shaw, who did an amazing job in his first year. “We worked out behinds of to get here and there is a lot to be happy about. Nothing is guaranteed, and hats off to Strath Haven.

“Kevin Clancy (Strath Haven’s head coach) is a legend. Hats off to them. They were the better team today. They won. This will absolutely hurt here for a little bit, but we brought a lot back to Chester. We shut the city down for a day. We have been great at getting our seniors into schools.

“The entire city of Chester was shutdown for a football game. To see that, it was a beautiful sight and this is just the beginning.”

As Chester’s Connecticut-bound Dominic Toy left the field he was still dealing with the emotion of the loss. “But we started something here that everyone following us at Chester can follow, we created a new blueprint and I’m proud of that,” he said. “Credit to Strath Haven. They won. They beat us. But we started something here that will continue to grow and me and these seniors were a part of that.

“That’s what hurts so much about this. These seniors have all known each other since we first started playing football. We didn’t win Chester’s first district title, but we were the first Chester team to get here.”

Scoring Summary

Strath Haven (13-1) 7 7 7 7-28

Chester (12-2) 6 6 8 0-20

1st Quarter

SH – Jake Kitchin 6 run (Ben Milligan kick), 5:59

Ch – Daron Harris 74 pass from Jalen Harris (run failed), 5:43

2nd Quarter

Ch – Daron Harris 3 run (run failed), 5:27

SH – Kitchin 2 run (Milligan kick), 2:54

3rd Quarter

Ch – Quamere Cosby’s 92 kickoff return (Dominic Toy pass from Daron Harris), 11:45

SH – Sean Henry 4 pass from Kitchin (Milligan kick), 1:48

4th Quarter

SH – Kitchin 1 run (Milligan kick), 3:18

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Anthony Leonardi with the District 1 trophy

WARRINGTON, PA — The iconic sound of Frank Sinatra’s I Did It My Way boomed in the background of the Central Bucks South locker room as Anthony Leonardi waded through a parade of hugs and back slaps.

Led by the brilliant senior tailback, the Titans pulled off something not many in District 1 Class 6A thought possible in late August. Though here they were, Leonardi and his guys enjoying something that will resonate like their theme song playing in the background as CB South’s first-ever District 1 champion in football after a 27-7 victory over No. 6 seed Downingtown West on Friday night.

The Titans, the No. 5 seed, will now advance for the first time in the 19-year history of CB South to the PIAA Class 6A state semifinals where they will play the winner of defending state champion St. Joe’s Prep and District 11 champion Nazareth next week at a site and time to be determined.

It was Leonardi’s 79-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run that had broken open what had been a close game, and Corey Moore’s one-yard score was the final nail.

It’s the first CB South team to reach the District 1 championship in football, and now the first to be district champions. Prior to this year, the Titans (13-1) never got beyond the second round of the district playoffs.

Leonardi finished with a game-high 162 yards rushing on 15 carries, however, no run was more important possibly in his impressive high school career than the 79-yard burst through the middle of the field where he went practically untouched.

“I have no words to express how I’m feeling,” Leonardi said. “If you asked me this summer whether or not we would be district champs, I’m sure not what the answer would have been. We knew we would work hard and slowly but surely, we got better and better.

“We were aware of the history. We know we are the first CB South team to win the championship. We play Sinatra’s I Did It My Way after we win each home game.”

It works.

Like Leonardi’s offensive line of right tackle Collin Goetter, right guard Rolan Hess, center Nick Conte, left guard Nick Micewski, left tackle Keiran Padgett, and tight end Jake Menaker. That group paved the way to the district championship, along with the stellar defensive play of junior linebacker Jim Wade, playing with a cast on his arm, and defensive back Danny Gies, whose two fourth-quarter interceptions shut down any hopes of a late Downingtown West comeback.

“We felt pretty good at halftime in our ability to come out and continue to play good defense and get the running game going a little better,” Titans’ coach Tom Hetrick said. “That (79-yard) run with Anthony Leonardi was absolutely a backbreaker. It opened up and my O-line has played great all year long. My gosh, what a game, what a journey.

“After the Week 9 loss to CB West, we all sat in a room and said, if we continue to play our cards right and obsess over the next opponent, and the next opponent, we could put ourselves in a position to have that rematch with CB West (which CB South beat to reach the district finals). We were greatly looking to put ourselves in that position. We kept getting better. Our confidence continued to grow. I’m not surprised we made it here, and not surprised we won it.”

It looked as if CB South would take off with a 13-0 lead with 1:55 left in the half. Downingtown West (11-3) lost three fumbles over the first two quarters, the last of which led to Leonardi’s 18-yard touchdown run.

“We just didn’t play very well,” Whippets’ coach Mike Milano said. “We turned it over a couple of times and in the end, they are a really good football team. They didn’t make mistakes and we did.”

The Whippets took advantage of a short field after the Leonardi score and put their lone TD on the board on the last play of the half, when Quinn Henicle hit Dean Hangey with a 21-yard pass cutting through the middle of the end zone.

The Downingtown West scoring drive was helped along by a personal foul call at the CB South 21.

After some clock confusion was straightened out, Henicle spotted Hangey crossing through the end zone to place the Whippets within a score of CB South at the half, 13-7.

The Titans started the game with an impressive 15-play drive. CB South took the opening kickoff and went 85 yards, helped along by Leonardi’s 23-yard run. The Titans sheered off 8 minutes, 20 seconds before Titans’ quarterback Owen Pinkerton slipped into the end zone from three yards out and an early 7-0 lead.

The Titans never relinquished the lead.

“We made history, we’re part of something no one can take away from us,” Hetrick said. “I’ve been coaching for 30 years and I’ve been a part of a lot of good football programs, but this is the single most special moment in my 30-year career. No one can take this from these kids and we live to fight the next day. We realize what is out there next week (Prep), but we’re looking for a chance to hang out next week and prepare for the next war.”

Scoring Summary

Downingtown West (11-3) 0 7 0 0-7

Central Bucks South (13-1) 7 6 0 14-27

1st Quarter

CBS – Owen Pinkerton 3 run (Brendan Hazell kick), 3:40

2nd Quarter

CBS – Anthony Leonardi 18 run (Hazell kick), 1:55

DW – Dean Hangey 21 pass from Quinn Henicle (Ben Mehan kick), :00

4th Quarter

CBS – Leonardi 79 run (Corey Moore run), 9:00

CBS – Moore 1 run (kick failed), 5:32

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The last few weeks have been tough for Khari Reid. The Neumann-Goretti 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior standout defensive back received a call from Preston Pehrson, Stanford’s Director of Recruiting and Player Personnel. The first thing Reid heard was, “Sorry for the bad news … Stanford admissions did not accept you and that you are allowed to decommit.”

Needless to say, Reid played his last high school game with an edge.

Neumann-Goretti came out against the traditional Thanksgiving Day game against Southern in classic throwback orange jerseys and the school’s old nickname on the back nameplate, “Pirates.”

Neumann-Goretti won handily, 41-0, thanks to three Reid touchdown receptions and five Mekhi Wharton touchdown passes over Southern.

The Saints closed their season at 11-2, after getting knocked out of the PIAA Class 3A state playoffs last week by Scranton Prep, 23-16. Southern finished 4-6.

The underlying, bigger story was Reid’s recent decommitment. He carries a weighted 4.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and believed he was going to his dream school up until a few weeks ago.

“They told me that admissions did not accept me and I could decommit, so right now, I’m looking at some options from James Madison, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, and Utah Tech,” Reid said. “At first, it was difficult, because I set my life to Stanford. It made big news; it was a big deal. It hurt for a little while. I keep a lot inside. Playing football has helped me keep my mind off it.

“The recruiting process starts again. I thought I was set. Playing this game today I wanted to show people they lost a guy, and to show some other people that I am out here and I am open and free. That’s what this game meant to me. I still wanted to show some people that I’m a great football player, no matter what.”

Reid certainly did that. He scored on touchdown receptions of 23, 42 and 50 yards. His 42-yard touchdown reception came on a fourth-and-goal, which resulted from a trick play that backfired 34 yards. His three receptions were all for touchdowns and amounted to 115 yards, averaging 38.3 yards a catch.

Reid stressed that he needed this game. He admits he is not the most emotional person, but waking up Thanksgiving morning was hard for him because it marked the last time he was playing with friends he grew up with. He wanted to make sure his last game was fun.

“There is some anger (over the Stanford situation) that I want to use and turn in a very positive way,” Reid said. “My mom was a little more emotional than me when we got the news. She’s getting better. We were all counting on going to Stanford. They just me told admissions did not want me—that was it. My priority right now is finding a new home to play college football.”

With his superior intellect and poise, classroom habits, and ability on a football field, that should not be too hard to do.

Neumann-Goretti’s legendary coach Albie Crosby has been a strong sounding board for Reid.

“Khari had the grades and the courses, and we didn’t know whether it was recommendation letters or the essay, and it hurts, because Khari is a great young man and he certainly checks all the boxes,” Crosby said. “When Stanford looked at Khari’s curriculum and his grades, that is when they offered him, but the essay and recommendation letter was a big thing. This is frustrating because you want to make sure these young people have a strong destination to go to.

“Khari has it right. Our program has it right. When Stanford calls, you have to listen. This was not a football decision. I think highly of the Stanford coaching staff, and they were upset over this. It’s a tough time, a tough situation for Khari. This was a great way for him to end his senior year. He will end up someplace nice.”

Against Southern, Crosby pulled his starters early in the third quarter. He also made sure every player got in, with 15 different players getting touches.

“We keep building here, when I came here, we had 11 kids in the program,” Crosby said. “I wish Scranton Prep the best moving forward. Whoever comes out of the East (in Class 3A) we are rooting for.”

The other great sidenote to the Neumann-Goretti victory was junior Daniel Adefolarin’s first career high school touchdown. His 37-yard second-quarter scoop-and-score, however, came with a rip attached. As Adefolarin was running free down the sideline, he playfully flashed back the peace sign and a smile as he crossed the goal line. He was flagged for the gesture. Crosby and the Neumann-Goretti coaching staff teased him endlessly on the sidelines.

“This felt good, it was my dream to score a touchdown in high school,” Adefolarin said. “I can laugh about it now. I saw some guys doing it in the NFL, so I had to throw up the deuces. This was a great way to end the season. We finished 11-2 and I know better the next time I score a touchdown. No peace sign (laughs).”

Scoring Summary

Southern (4-6) 0 0 0 0-0

Neumann-Goretti (11-2) 14 14 13 0-41

1st Quarter

NG – Khari Reid 23 pass from Mekhi Wharton (pass failed), 10:21

NG – Reid 42 pass from Wharton (Ahmaj Govens run), 4:33

2nd Quarter

NG – Khamir Prescott 8 pass from Wharton (run failed), 4:52

NG – Daniel Adefolarin 37 fumble return (Govens pass from Wharton), 2:34

3rd Quarter

NG – Reid 50 pass from Wharton (Nick Hamilton kick), 8:51

NG – Carter Bashir 20 pass from Wharton (kick failed), 4:29

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — It wasn’t a bad first run. There were a few areas that will be coached up, but for the first time together, the St. Joe’s Prep offensive line—the new version—looked pretty cohesive Saturday night in the PIAA District 12 Class 6A championship.

The Hawks are on their annual December trek again. The defending PIAA Class 6A state champions are about to enter that familiar pressure-packed terrain that comes along with tournament football.

They know, one loss and that is it—you are done.

It’s why the Hawks are doing something amazing at this stage of the season. St. Joe’s Prep has rearranged its offensive line at the most important time of the year. Left tackle Kevin Towns, left guard John Paul Schrieber, center Lakeem Steele, right guard Christian Leonard, right tackle Shane Toolan, and tight end Denzel Felder are learning as a unit in late November and their first crash test came on Saturday in the PIAA District 12 Class 6A championship against Public League champ Lincoln.

The Hawks won for the 10th straight time, 35-0, to advance to the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals next Saturday against District 11’s Nazareth at Northeast High School at 1 p.m.

If the Hawks plan on repeating, much of that will come from up front. Since junior left guard Kahul Stewart was ineligible to play in the postseason because of the transfer rules, Hawks’ coach Tim Roken moved right tackle Schrieber to left guard, between veteran stalwarts Towns and Steele, and moved tight end Toolan to right tackle, rotating with Felder.

“This was our first time together and I thought it went well,” said Towns, who has received offers from Fordham and Bryant and is gaining attention from FBS schools like the Army, Maryland, and JMU. “A lot of it came from our preparation and (Schrieber) made a great transition. A big part coming in this week was communication. We knew the same is the same goal—pounding the ball.

“There was a little communication glitch, but it is something correctable moving forward. We’ll go back to the basics and working with the guys and getting better to achieve our one goal and that’s to win another state championship.”

Towns transferred into Prep himself a year ago from Archbishop Wood, and saw his future on a basketball court, following his father, Kevin Towns Sr., a star at Strath Haven. Kevin Jr.’s basketball days have been cut short, but he plans on playing for the Hawks’ basketball team this season.

Towns and Steele have made life easier for everyone else up front because they call the line changes and come with state-title experience.

“Going into this week, we needed to make sure (Schrieber) was set with all the calls,” said Steele, who is committed to Merrimack. “There are always bumps and bruises along the way, but I feel confident that we’ll take care of business in these couple of weeks.”

Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Tom Sugden and Connor Clifton handle the Hawks’ offensive line. They knew the transition was coming and prepared in advance.

“That’s a credit to coach Roken, he knew what was coming down the line and we practiced months in moving guys around to be ready for different situations,” Sudgen said. “Losing Kahul was big. He’s going to be the best offensive lineman in the state next year. We have as many interchangeable parts where everyone is confident and comfortable if they get moved around. I liked what I saw tonight. Lincoln is a great program and they did a great job. We’re on to next week.”

As for the game, it went into the mercy rule with 4:52 left in the third quarter when Brandon Rehmann scored on a five-yard end around. Cincinnati-bound quarterback Samaj Jones scored Prep’s first two touchdowns, and the Hawks capped off the half with a 22-yard Erik Sanchez touchdown run and an Elijah Jones’ seven-yard TD pass from Samaj Jones.

Although Prep won handily, something needs to be mentioned about the incredible job Lincoln head coach Hakeem Cooper has done with the program. The Railsplitters won their first Philadelphia Public League championship since 1981. At times on Saturday, Lincoln gave St. Joe’s defense fits, with dual-threat senior quarterback Nayshawn Corley, playing in place of starter Gabe Smalley, who was ineligible to play due to the transfer rule, created plays from seemingly nothing. Senior Ziyyon Bredell is a special talent and a leader who intercepted a pass in the first half when the game was still competitive.

Lincoln, under Cooper, is a program still growing. The Railsplitters’ season ends this Thanksgiving against rival Father Judge.

Scoring Summary

Lincoln (6-6) 0 0 0 0-0

St. Joe’s Prep (10-1) 14 14 7 0-35

1st Quarter

SJP – Samaj Jones 10 run (Skyler Sholder kick), 8:52

SJP – Jones 1 run (Sholder kick), 4:20

2nd Quarter

SJP – Erik Sanchez 22 run (Sholder kick), 1:34

SJP – Elijah Jones 7 pass from Samaj Jones (Sholder kick), :28

3rd Quarter

SJP – Brandon Rehmann 5 run (Sholder kick), 4:52

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Mikal Davis Jr. sat there on the bench and kept shaking his head. He had a host of people around him, coaches, and an EMT, asking him questions, probing how he felt, and more importantly, how his head felt.

The Imhotep Charter senior quarterback had just been rocked by a jarring third-quarter hit, and when he tried getting up, fell back flat on his face. The Panthers were trailing and struggling. And once back on the bench, Davis kept shaking his head and telling everyone around him that he was not coming out.

The Army-bound Davis went into bulldozer mode and placed Imhotep on his firm shoulders to survive the Panthers biggest scare so far in their undefeated season and drive to the PIAA Class 5A state championship by beating very dangerous Roman Catholic, 30-26, in the District 12 Class 5A championship on Saturday at Northeast High School.

The Panthers remain undefeated at 12-0, thanks to three Davis’ touchdowns and some late-game heroics from Imhotep freshman Ronell Word, whose six-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left was the game-winning score.

The Imhotep defense played a huge part, too.

Pitt-bound defensive tackle Jah’Sear Whittington, linebacker Raheem Reid, defensive tackle Andre Cooper, and edge rusher Zahir Mathis clamped down when Imhotep needed stops. Freshman cornerback Maleek Drayton’s interception finished the deal in the closing seconds and everyone on the Imhotep sideline let out a collective huge sigh of relief.

Roman was outplayed in every facet of the game, yet the Cahillites’ battery of quarterback Semaj Beals and receiver Jah Jah Boyd were a huge problem all afternoon.

The two of them placed Roman (8-3) on the brink of an upset, connecting four times for 184 yards and three touchdowns, despite a torrent of Panthers’ pressure.

That’s when Davis’ poise took command. He had a tough game, losing two fumbles, and was frustrated at himself for missing open receivers. Even more fell on him when premier Georgia-bound running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman suffered an injury, which forced him out of the game. That was compounded by the Panthers having to rearrange their offensive line when two linemen were lost.

But Davis was not about to surrender. Even after the nasty shot he took with 4:59 left in the third quarter.

“I’m battle-tested. I’m a warrior, there was no way I was leaving this game,” said Davis, who completed 23 of 38 passes for 209 yards. “I was a little dizzy after that hit. There was no way I was going to leave. I was motivated, I was not happy with the way I was playing. There were no excuses. I had to put my team on my back.”

And carried them in a direction this program has not been in a while. In past years, the Panthers often crumbled under the type of adversity they faced on Saturday. Led by leaders like Davis, Penn State-bound Kenny Woseley, Whittington, Mathis, Anthony Richardson, Reid, Johann Hennington, and Nile Brown, that has not happened with this team.

Davis was not about to let that happen.

“That’s my job, I’m the captain, and we needed this, we needed to be pushed like this,” Davis said. “We got pushed. We fought back. I fought back. There was no way I was letting my teammates down. My guys count on me and I had to come through. Everyone was telling me to sit down, I wouldn’t. I wasn’t about to sit down with my team down like that. This game will stay with me forever.”

Aside from the 75-, 46- and 47-yard touchdown bombs from Beals to Boyd, the Roman offense was not able to do much of anything. Take away that total, along with minus-15 yards rushing for the game, and the Cahillites had 51 yards of total offense.

Yet, with 8:35 to play, the Panthers were perilously close to falling. Beals had just connected with Boyd for their third touchdown, putting Roman up, 26-16.

“It does take character for what these guys did,” Panthers’ coach Devon Johnson said. “I told Mikal before this game that no one has more game experience than him. He locked into the second half and made big plays when they had to make big plays. He’s our leader, he’s our guy and this team believes in him.

“We all believe in Mikal. I’m proud of our whole team, but we rock with Mikal Davis. These seniors know how to deal with pressure. We were missing one of our guards, we lost another guard during the game, and we had Ronell Word step up in a pressure moment and perform.”

But first, Davis and Imhotep answered the Beals-to-Boyd score with a 10-play, 64-yard drive, helped along by 19 yards in Roman penalties, and ended when Davis scored for the third time with 4:34 left, pulling Imhotep to within 26-23.

Another major factor was Roman stung itself by 14 penalties for 134 yards, often prolonging Imhotep’s drives, while Imhotep was flagged 10 times for 75 yards.

Then after another Roman three-and-out, the Cahillites third in their first four second-half drives, Imhotep charged back again. Another Roman penalty gave Imhotep great field position at the Roman 25. Big Davis’ completions to Hennigan and freshman Kareem Abdul Haqq put the ball at the Roman six. Word squeezed in with 36 seconds to play and the Panthers will advance to PIAA 5A state quarterfinals against Delaware Valley.

“Mikal is amazing, he led us back, and we never gave up,” Word said. “We didn’t feel or look like ourselves in the first half. I’ll be honest, we were a little scared. We weren’t ready. When it came to the second half, I had to get the job done.”

The next job ahead for Imhotep is reaching the state semifinals.

Scoring Summary

Roman Catholic (8-3) 0 19 0 7-26

Imhotep Charter (12-0) 8 0 8 14-30

1st Quarter

IC – Mikal Davis 1 run (Kenny Woseley run), 2:49

2nd Quarter

RC – Jah Jah Boyd 75 pass from Semaj Beals (kick failed), 7:42

RC – Boyd 47 pass from Beals (pass failed), 5:23

RC – Beals 1 run (Chris Whittle kick), 3:57

3rd Quarter

IC – Davis 1 run (Davis run), :17

4th Quarter

RC – Boyd 46 pass from Beals (Whittle kick), 8:35

IC – Davis 3 run (Woseley run), 4:34

IC – Ronell Word 6 run (Woseley kick), :36

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Strath Haven’s AJ Glavicic

WALLINGFORD — Way back in early September, AJ Glavicic turned off the world. The Strath Haven 6-foot-1, 165-pound senior defensive back thought he was finished. He had broken his right collarbone against Springfield on September 1, making a dramatic catch that enabled the Panthers to mount a late comeback on their way to winning.

Initially, doctors and coaches told him his season was over. He thought his season was over. He never broke a bone before and never experienced pain like that. His nadir came when he shut down, emotionally isolating himself in his bedroom.

As he healed over the last two months, doctors came around to tell Glavicic that he might be able to salvage his season, though at some risk.

Glavicic is happy he took the gamble.

On Friday night, his two interceptions helped preserve No. 2-seed Strath Haven’s 14-12 victory over Central League rival Springfield in the PIAA District 1 Class 5A semifinals at Strath Haven.

The Panthers (12-1) will now play the winner of Saturday’s other semifinal matchup between No. 1 seed Chester and No. 5 seed West Chester Rustin in the District 1 Class 5A championship. A Rustin victory over Chester would give the higher-seeded Panthers a home-field advantage. If Chester were to win, the Clippers would host Strath Haven next Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Chester Athletic Complex.

The Panthers might not be going anywhere without Glavicic’s picks. And Glavicic would not have been there to make those plays without first picking himself up.

The injury smashed not only his collarbone but his optimism.

“It was scary, I was devastated, one of the worst things in my life,” recalled Glavicic, a track star in the 400-meter dash who is getting college attention from Penn State, Villanova, Army, and Colorado. “I was told it was risky to come back. I was willing to do that and continue living this special dream with these guys.

“I think rock bottom was when I shut myself off. I didn’t want to go to practice to see my team play without me. When we beat Ridley, I walked off the field crying with my dad, since I thought my season was over. This feels great. I never had a game like this before.”

After Springfield’s Mike Turner churned out a 34-yard touchdown run with 2:16, followed by a failed onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, Springfield, the No. 3 seed, began moving the ball with less than two minutes to play. The Cougars reached the Strath Haven 23 in the waning seconds when Springfield coach Chris Britton was forced to try a 40-yard field goal. Sean Williams’ kick fell short, the Panthers took over and squeezed out the remaining time for the victory.

This is it for Glavicic, no more organized football after this season. His full focus will be plunged into track because that is the sport of his choice for college.

“It’s why I’m putting it all out there,” he said. “It was very good to get this, but I’m not satisfied yet. I want that district championship.”

Strath Haven junior Shane Green rushed for a game-high 145 yards on 18 carries. His strong running game kept the Springfield offense, and its explosive tailback Turner, who finished with 126 yards rushing on 25 carries, off the field.

“It was a good game, and they did a great job and it’s why Strath Haven is going forward,” Britton said. “My kids played hard and congratulations to Strath Haven, they’re going to the next round.”

Strath Haven took a 14-6 lead into halftime, after a rough start. Springfield ran off an exhaustive 74-yard, 19-play, 10-minute, 50-second drive with the opening kickoff. The Cougars converted three fourth downs, including Ethan Marshall’s one-yard score with 1:14 left in the opening quarter.

Britton was incredibly bold on the drive. The Cougars went for it on fourth-and-one at their 35 and converted. They faced a fourth-and-three and converted when Ryan Whitaker hit Tanner Coll for a three-yard gain at the Strath Haven 38. A huge play during the series was when Whitaker spotted Coll again on a third-and-eight for a 16-yard gain at the Panthers’ seven. Four plays later, Marshall gave Springfield a temporary lead.

After running literally two plays for less than a minute of possession in the opening quarter, Strath Haven scored on consecutive drives. Both scores were possible by long runs.

Green’s 69-yard run running left put the Panthers at the Springfield two with less than seven minutes left in the half set up Marco Kaufman’s one-yard score. On the next drive, James Fisher found a hole and zipper right through for a 62-yard score with 3:09 left in the half and a 14-6 Panthers lead.

By halftime, Green had 106 yards rushing on eight yards, the bulk of which came on the 69-yard run. The Panthers had 184 yards of total offense at halftime—all on the ground.

Springfield, meanwhile, had 104 yards of total offense—though only had 30 yards and two first downs the rest of the half after the opening drive.  The Cougars were also fortunate to get out of the half without any more damage done, coming up with a big defensive stand after a turnover in the last minute when they held the Panthers on a fourth-and-two at the Springfield 14.

Scoring Summary

Springfield (11-2) 6 0 0 6-12

Strath Haven (12-1) 0 14 0 0-14

1st Quarter

Sp – Ethan Marshall 1 run (kick failed), 1:14

2nd Quarter

SH – Marco Kaufman 1 run (Ben Milligan kick), 6:51

SH –James Fisher 62 run (Mulligan kick), 3:09

4th Quarter

Sp – Mike Turner 34 run (run failed), 2:16

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

CB West’s Cooper Taylor

DOYLESTOWN, PA — It looked like Cooper Taylor sprung a million leaks. There was a jagged line of blood on his right thigh. A bandage covered his bloody right elbow, and every fingernail seemed to be spouting crimson droplets.

The Central Bucks West senior quarterback was not phased by it. Nothing seems to rattle him, says his coach, Rob Rowan.

On Friday night, Taylor had the right demeanor to survive a war—because he did.

CB West, without its star Navy-bound speedster Conor McFadden, sidelined by an injury, and two-time defending PIAA District 1 Class 6A champion Garnet Valley mauled each other for 48 minutes and beyond until Ryan Clemens’ extra-point boot gave the Bucks a dramatic 28-27 overtime victory in the district quarterfinals at CB West’s historic War Memorial Stadium.

The Bucks, the No. 1 seed, are 12-0 for the first time since 2000 when they reached the PIAA Class 4A state championship for the last time. Garnet Valley saw its season end at 9-3—with two of the three losses coming by a combined five points to the Bucks.

CB West advances to the district semifinals, where it will play archrival Central Bucks South, 35-19 winners over Spring-Ford, next Friday at 7 p.m. at War Memorial.

The Bucks would not be heading anywhere if not for Taylor, who had a career game, rushing for each one of CB West’s scores, picking up a career-best 186 yards rushing on 21 carries, two touchdown-saving tackles and an interception.

What’s more, he wasn’t even supposed to be the Bucks’ starting quarterback. That job was going to projected four-year starter Ganz Cooper. But when he tore his ACL over the summer, Cooper was the first to call Taylor to let him know him the job was his.

“I wasn’t supposed to be starting quarterback, and it was Ganz who called me to let me know,” said Taylor, who is going to Washington and Lee to play linebacker. “I found out I would be starting the week before the first game. I want to help this team any way I could, and Ganz, this team, Coach Rowan, everyone believed in me.

“The last time I played quarterback was in grade school when I was 14, so it’s been a while.”

The game took on a frenetic pace in the fourth quarter and into overtime. Trailing 14-7 entering the fourth quarter, Taylor scored on a 47-yard run down the sideline on the first play of the quarter to tie it at 14-14. Garnet Valley answered with a five-play, 74-yard drive, capped by Ronnie Leraris’ 26-yard scoring run.

The Bucks answered right back on the ensuing drive, when Taylor scored his third TD, a 19-yard run with 5:04 to play, which eventually put the game into overtime.

“There’s not enough I can say about Cooper and what he means to this program, he’s an absolute warrior in every sense of the word,” Rowan said. “I don’t know if I trusted a player more than Cooper Taylor. He is the type of kid, where he doesn’t blink. Cooper welcomed the opportunity when Ganz went down.

“Cooper Taylor is like a son to mean, that is how much he means to me. In my six years here, I never saw a performance like this, both ways. Our offense I would say can be complex. We have a lot of moving pieces and for him to manage all that, and making two touchdown-saving tackles (on defense), it’s the best performance I’ve seen in my six years.”

Overtime topped it, when Taylor scored to tie it at 27-27, and Clemens, who rushed for 139 yards, nailed the extra point ignited the crowd.

The teams went into halftime knotted at 7-7. The numbers that produced that score were also close to even, with Garnet Valley amassing 170 yards of total offense to CB West’s 168 yards over the opening two quarters.

The Bucks took their first possession and poured through the Garnet Valley defense like water.

Left tackle Hayden Mulligan, left guard Gio Pellegrino, center Cole Patterson, right guard Christian Pudlo, right tackle Finn McGowan, and tight end Shane Dillon opened nice causeways for the Bucks’ runners to move 68 yards over 11 plays.

The key plays were Taylor’s 17- and 16-yard runs. The Bucks bit themselves on a deadball personal foul call, though quickly compensated for the loss when Clemens bolted 11 yards up the middle to the Garnet Valley 33.

Three plays later, Taylor rammed into the end zone for a 7-0 Bucks’ lead with 5:11 left in the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, Garnet Valley responded with a 13-play, 76-yard drive, which ended on Luke Vaughn’s three-yard scoring plunge with 1:51 left in the half.

Both teams hurt themselves over the first 24 minutes.

CB West was flagged twice for personal foul calls and were penalized a total of five times for 50 yards.

Garnet Valley, which turned the ball over five times when met CB West in the season opener, turned the ball over early in the second quarter when Cooper made a diving interception of Garnet Valley’s Tyler Lassik at the Bucks’ 11.

“They were a physical tough football team that played a great game,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “We didn’t do a great job of stopping their sweep, but they blocked it well. I have to say my team was resilient, and I’m very proud of the seniors. This is the fifth time in three years that we have played CB West, and this has certainly become a rivalry. It’s good stuff.

“Their kid, Cooper Taylor, I have to give a ton of credit to, for jumping into the quarterback position and for just being a great football player. He is a complete football player. I have total respect for him.”

Scoring Summary

Garnet Valley (9-3) 0 7 7 7 6-27

Central Bucks West (12-0) 7 0 0 14 7-28

1st Quarter

CBW – Cooper Taylor 3 run (Ryan Clemens kick), 5:11

2nd Quarter

GV – Luke Vaughn 3 run (Mike Medici kick), 1:51

3rd Quarter

GV – Kia Lopez 13 pass from Tyler Lassik (Medici kick), 1:19

4th Quarter

CBW – Taylor 47 run (Clemens kick), 11:50

GV – Ronnie Leraris 26 run (Medici kick), 9:37

CBW – Taylor 19 run (Clemens kick), 5:04

OT

GV –Lassik 9 run (kick blocked)

CBW – Taylor 6 run (Clemens kick)

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Mekhi Wharton rewinds the play in his head, he says, almost every day. A few inches to the right, a step to the left, being more decisive for a split-second, and things could have been far different.

Neumann-Goretti’s 6-foot-6, 205-pound senior quarterback was inches away from scoring the winning touchdown in last year’s PIAA Class 3A state championship game last year against Belle Vernon when he fumbled the ball away on fourth down.

Regrettably, Wharton blamed himself a while for the loss. He also found solace and inner strength he might not have known he had.

He vowed if given another chance, he would not falter again.

So far this season, Wharton is guiding the Saints (9-1) back in the same direction he had them last year. Only he’s doing it with far greater confidence, a far greater command of what he is doing and seeing on the field, and becoming such a dual-threat that he is a terror for opposing teams to stop.

On Sunday, Neumann-Goretti once again captured the Philadelphia Catholic League Class 3A championship with an 18-7 victory over gutsy Conwell-Egan. The Saints have now won nine straight games and grabbed two titles for the price of one victory, also repeating as PIAA District 12 Class 3A champions.

Kipp-DuBois Collegiate Academy, the Public League champion, will not have enough players to compete in the District 12 3A championship after numerous Kipp players were suspended after an altercation in their 16-0 victory over Vaux on Saturday night, awarded the title to the Saints, according to the Philadelphia Public League (powerhouse Neumann-Goretti beat Kipp 52-0 in last year’s District 12 Class 3A championship).

Against Conwell-Egan (6-5), Wharton rushed for 118 yards, including a decisive 74-yard third-quarter score that sealed the Neumann-Goretti victory and passed for 198 yards, completing eight of 16, including a touchdown.

Belle Vernon’s Aiden Johnson pounced on the loose ball at the one in last year’s Class 3A state title game, giving the Leopards a narrow 9-8 victory and their first state championship in school history.

Wharton had the ball jostled from his arms as he tried to ram forward toward the goal line.

“I do think about that play almost every day,” said Wharton, who carries a 4.6 GPA and is being considered by Ivy League Cornell, Syracuse, Howard and Fordham. “It was hard to deal with. I did blame myself. I was emotional after that game. I knew I had to come with a different mindset this year. I think that play has helped me learn and grow a lot.

“I remember being emotional on the bis ride home, and then I fell asleep. This year it’s one game at a time, and I do want to get us back to the state title game.”

Wharton carried quite a bit of the load, but he got some help, from Wisconsin-bound Khamir Prescott, who had two big catches and will play in the Neumann-Goretti Thanksgiving Day against South Philadelphia High School. Prescott will not be eligible to play in the PIAA postseason since he transferred in from Northeast High School.

Prescott closed his high school career as a Public League champion, Philadelphia Catholic League champion and repeat Public League champion winner.

“This isn’t easy, nearing the end,” Prescott said. “I’m emotional because it’s near the end. I have one more game to play and it’s not going to be the same being on the field. I feel as they this team has a brotherhood. We all lift each other. I want to be playing with my teammates and it feels different because I really love the game.”

Saints’ coach Albie Crosby stressed how important Prescott has been to the Saints this season—and how he will continue to be impactful.

“We look forward to seeing Khamir playing on Saturday for Wisconsin, and he will continue to be important for us,” Crosby said. “He’s still going to practice with the team and he will help us prepare for the state playoffs. He’s going to lift his teammates the rest of the way.”

The game was lopsided for the most part. By halftime, the Saints had gained 252 yards of total offense to Conwell-Egan’s 40. The Eagles did not get their first first down of the game until there were 1.7 seconds left in the half. Their first four drives were three-and-outs.

Yet, they hung around and made it competitive on the scoreboard, when Tayshaun Thenor scored a three-yard run with 3:39 left in the third quarter.

“We were always in the game, but after we got the seven points, that one play (by Wharton) broke our back,” Eagles’ coach Jack Techtmann said. “This was a great group of kids, and they gave everything they had. We hung in and in the second half, we moved the ball. We wanted to stay close and hang in at the end, but that one play broke and they have a really great team other there.”

The play Techtmann was referring to was the Wharton TD run with 4:30 left in the third quarter.

“Mekhi is playing well, and he’s grown physically, mentally, he read the backside on the touchdown run, and he read the play,” Crosby said. “We have a tough road ahead, but we have Mekhi leading us. He had a very negative situation last year and has turned it into an extremely positive. He makes us extremely tough to beat.
Neumann-Goretti is expecting Khari Reid back from injury for the Saints’ state title run.

It means more headaches for teams who may be facing the Saints ahead.

Scoring Summary

Conwell-Egan (6-5) 0 0 7 0-7

Neumann-Goretti (9-1) 6 6 6 0-18

1st Quarter

NG – Carter Bashir 17 pass from Mekhi Wharton (run failed), 2:17

2nd Quarter

NG – Terrance Page 1 run (pass failed), 4:30

3rd Quarter

CE – Tayshaun Thenor 3 run (Johnny Austerberry kick), 3:39

NG – Wharton 74 run (pass failed), 4:30

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Tyler Lassik & GV coach Eric Van Wyk

GLEN MILLS, PA — There is a nuts-and-bolts quality to Garnet Valley senior quarterback Tyler Lassik. Whatever needs to be done, he’s willing to do it. Maybe that attitude comes from being the ninth and youngest of nine, and it explains why he wears the No. 9 for the Jaguars, the two-time defending PIAA District 1 Class 6A champs.

The Jags entered this year’s District 1 Class 6A tournament as the No. 8 seed. But they still hold that title until someone knocks them off, which is what visiting No. 9 seed Owen J. Roberts intended to do Friday night.

After some tense moments, Captain Nuts-and-Bolts Lassik, a two-year starter and three-year member of the Jags, bailed his team out by completing seven of eight passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 victory over the Wildcats (8-3).

Garnet Valley (9-2) now advances to the district quarterfinals to play what has turned into a District 1 rivalry with No. 1 seed undefeated Central Bucks West next Friday night at West’s historic War Memorial Stadium in a rematch of the season opener for both teams.

Garnet Valley and CB West will face each other for the fifth time in two years. The Jags have won three of the previous four games, which includes last year’s District 1 Class 6A championship and 2021 second-round victory over the Bucks on their way to the district crown. The explosive Bucks got back at Garnet Valley in their season opener, 17-13.

But the Jags were not going to be going anywhere if not for Lassik managing to pick apart the OJR defense in the first half and drain the clock in the second.

“We did find a way,” said Lassik, who rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries. “They showed a three-down front and they sent their linebackers a lot, so over the middle should be there with play-action. When you send a lot of guys, you can’t account for all the receivers. You just pinpoint your best matchup.”

Lassik was the long snapper as a sophomore and started as a defensive back as a junior, where he still starts.

He knows what it is like to win because it is all he has been used to at Garnet Valley. But this season the seniors wanted to put their stamp on the program, though still aware of what they are carrying as the two-time defending District 1 Class 6A champions.

“We talk about among ourselves as branding ourselves as our own group,” Lassik said. “We know we are carrying something, but you have to evolve with a new team. We have to do it our own way, and it’s not because we are Garnet Valley and can show up and do it, we have to earn it.”

The Jags earned it Friday night.

They never trailed, but after losing a fumble with 6:22 to play at its 43, and clinging to a 28-21 lead, the Garnet Valley defense had to clamp down. After reaching the Jags’ 32, OJR fell apart. The Wildcats were flagged for a false start then a delay-of-game penalty and were facing a fourth-and-20 at the Jags’ 42. What looked like a hook-and-lateral play fell apart when the Wildcats’ last gasp fell incomplete.

From there, Lassik and the Jags took over, running out the remaining 3:39.

Lassik’s 10-yard scoring run on the last play of the third quarter proved to be the winning difference, as Garnet Valley staved off the second-half push of OJR quarterback Derek Hinrichs and receiver Matt Gregory, who connected for nine completions for 104 yards and one touchdown.

“This is a new season with new guys, and this senior class really worked hard from the start,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “It’s starting to really pay off now.”

Garnet Valley took a 21-7 lead into halftime on the arm of Lassik. He completed his first six passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, a 50-yard connection to Luke O’Donoghue with 5:59 left in the half, and a 23-yard TD completion to tight end Caden Olinger for a two-score lead with 1:29 remaining.

The Jaguars had shredded the OJR defense for 225 total yards of offense over the first two quarters.

Credit the Garnet Valley offensive line, left tackle Max D’Antonio, left guard Joe Anzalone, center Dylan Bledsoe, right guard Lucas Possenti, right tackle Brayden Green, and Olinger the tight end for most of that.

“I thought our guard play, Lucas Possenti and Joey Anzalone, really stepped up tonight,” Van Wyk said. “That collective group did a really nice job. We have thrown the ball that much, and it’s mainly because of Tyler, who has the ability to throw the ball. I think he’s showing that right now. The challenge was to be physical this week, and I thought we did match that. They stick together. It seems like it is a theme every week that we have battled adversity every single game.”

The Wildcats did not help themselves in the first half.

A muffed punt, recovered by the Jags’ Chase Wilt at the OJR 20, led to Garnet Valley’s first score, a 20-yard Ronnie Leraris run through the middle. The Wildcats then stung themselves in the second quarter with an interception by the Jags’ Nolan Carroll at the Garnet Valley 2, which resulted in the Jags’ second score.

OJR was able to move the ball, picking up 132 yards of total offense and seven first downs, but the Wildcats were stymied by the two turnovers that translated into 14 Garnet Valley points.

Scoring Summary

Owen J. Roberts (8-3) 0 7 7 7-21

Garnet Valley (9-2) 7 14 7 0-28

1st Quarter

GV – Ronnie Leraris 20 run (Mike Medici kick), 4:42

2nd Quarter

GV – Luke O’Donoghue 50 pass from Tyler Lassik (Medici kick), 5:59

OJR – Derek Hinrichs 5 run (Ryan Touhey kick), 3:35

GV – Caden Olinger 23 pass from Lassik (Medici kick), 1:29

3rd Quarter

OJR – Matt Gregory 58 pass from Hinrichs (Touhey kick), 2:17

GV – Lassik 10 run (Medici kick), :00

4th Quarter

OJR – Adam Stahl 5 pass from Hinrichs (Touhey kick), 7:32

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

ROYERSFORD, PA — The proportions did not seem right. One team looked considerably larger collectively than the other. One team was certainly in a higher classification than the other.

Then again, the Pope John Paul II Golden Panthers, a Class 4A school, pay little attention to proportions. They do not pay much attention to history, either.

Because now they own a piece of it after the Golden Panthers won the Pioneer Athletic Conference for the first time in a thrilling 28-27 victory over Class 6A Spring-Ford before a packed crowd at Spring-Ford on Friday night.

Senior tailback Boyd Skarbek rushed for a career-best 217 yards on 24 carries and scored all four Pope John Paul II (PJP) touchdowns, of 4, 11, 47, and 48 yards.

He was helped considerably by 6-foot-8, 315-pound Wisconsin-bound left tackle Kevin Heywood, left guard Chase Frantz, center Ignacio Escobar, right guard Aidan Sgarra, and right tackle Makel Parker.

Skarbek’s fourth quarter was particularly impressive. He rushed for 109 of his game-high 217 on three carries, taking two the distance on essentially the same play, busting loose down the downside after Spring-Ford had tied the game at 21-21 with 2:59 to play.

“This is the first time in history we won this, and it’s why everyone is excited,” Skarbek said. “They thought they had it, they thought they had it, and we came out and showed them. They didn’t want it as bad as us.

“I ran behind (Heywood) and was patient, and the offensive line won us this game. They were the reason we won this game. We knew our defense couldn’t make any mistakes. That was our game plan. We wanted to run it down their throats and we executed it well.”

The game came down to a two-point conversion after Spring-Ford senior quarterback Matt Zollers led the Rams back yet again to a third fourth-quarter score after three quarters of offensive futility.

After Zollers connected with Belal Abdelrahman on a 14-yard touchdown pass with :26.9 seconds left, Rams’ coach Chad Brubaker opted to go for a two-point conversion–and the win.

Zollers’ conversion pass in the end zone wound up in a tangle of arms and hands and fell harmlessly incomplete.

“I should have called a timeout, because there was some confusion and that can’t happen in that situation,” Brubaker said. “We thought we had it straightened out, and apparently it just didn’t get communicated. We didn’t get some stops in the second half, and hats off to them. They were bringing pressure all over the place. Their corners and secondary held up. We had some big plays, and we had some big plays that we missed.

“The (two-point conversion) was something the coaching staff talked about (going for).”

PJP is 10-0 and entered the game ranked No. 1 in PIAA District 1 Class 4A, while Spring-Ford fell for the second time this season, dropping to 8-2 overall and falling to No. 4 in the PIAA District 1 Class 6A standings.

“The plan was not to be in the game, but to win the game,” Golden Panthers’ coach Scott Reed said. “We were going to challenge them and we played press man. They have more guys than we do and we began to wear down a little bit, but our offense was able to answer back.

“We were doing a lot inside the tackles (on offense) and we felt we could take a shot on the perimeter. The plan was to get four yards, and Boyd wound up taking it to the house. We focused on making one play at a time.

“This is 10 games in and these guys trust each other and believe in each other. This is about these kids and these players. They will never forget this for the rest of their lives.”

The teams combined to score 34 points in the fourth quarter, snapping open what had been a dull offensive game.

Through three quarters, Spring-Ford had not scored an offensive touchdown, and this was from a team that was averaging 36 points a game over its last five games.

The teams went into halftime locked at 7-7. It was the defense that created the scoring in a defensive struggle over the first 24 minutes.

The Golden Panthers forced a Spring-Ford punt deep in its own territory on the Rams’ second possession of the second quarter.

The result was field position at the Spring-Ford 42 for PJP. The Golden Panthers used six plays to travel the distance, culminating in Skarbek’s four-yard scoring run with 3:21 left in the first half. The key play in the drive was an 18-yard completion from PJP quarterback Luke Terlesky to Braden Reed on a fourth-and-four at the Rams’ 36.

On the play, Terlesky rolled left and a backside defender caught up to him. As he was being pulled down by the waist, Terlesky managed to get the ball out to Reed, who caught it in stride and reached the Spring-Ford 18. A pair of Skarbek runs touched off the scoring drive.

PJP’s 7-0 edge, however, did not last long.

About 13 seconds.

That’s because Mason Scott took the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a tying score. Scott got a clear causeway down the sideline and went almost untouched.

Other than the Skarbek run and Scott kick return, neither team was able to close offensively.

The Rams took the opening kickoff to the PJP 18 when that drive stalled under consecutive plays that resulted in tackles for losses (four of Spring-Ford’s first 13 plays were for either 0 or negative yardage). PJP reached the Spring-Ford 28 on its last drive of the first half, but that stopped when Rams’ sophomore defensive back Liam McGarvey intercepted Terlesky at the one-yard line with :14 left in the half.

Scoring Summary

Pope John Paul II (10-0) 0 7 7 14-28

Spring-Ford (8-2) 0 7 0 20-27

2nd Quarter

JPJ – Boyd Skarbek 4 run (Benjamin Boscio kick), 3:21

SF – Mason Scott 94 kickoff return (Ryan Fields kick), 3:08

3rd Quarter

JPJ – Skarbek 11 run (Boscio kick), 8:55

4th Quarter

SF – Scott 73 pass from Matt Zollers (Liam McGarvey kick), 9:44

JPJ – Skarbek 47 run (Boscio kick), 5:53

SF – Scott 10 pass from Zollers (Fields kick), 2:59

JPJ – Skarbek 48 run (Boscio kick), 2:36

SF – Belal Abdelrahman 14 pass from Zollers (pass failed), :26.9

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

CB West’s Finn McGowan (74) and Hayden Milligan (54).

DOYLESTOWN, PA — They know. They know to their teammates, coaches, and Central Bucks West fans that they mean more than numbers on the field. They know that they are the unsung foundation of a Central Bucks West team on a historic course this season.

Bucks’ left tackle Hayden Mulligan, left guard Gio Pellegrino, center Cole Patterson, right guard Christian Pudlo, right tackle Finn McGowan, and tight end Shane Dillon created gaping holes and huge causeways for the Central Bucks West offense to churn out 316 yards rushing in a 40-29 victory over previously unbeaten Central Bucks South Friday night at West’s legendary War Memorial Field.

The West victory secured first place in the Suburban One League National Conference.

It is the first time the rivals faced each other at 8-0, and with the victory, West moves to 9-0 for what is believed to be the first time since 2000—before any of the current West players were born.

Right now, what is certain is that CB West is the team to beat in PIAA District 1 Class 6A.

Bucks’ coach Rob Rowan, who has built a winning culture in six years, was not about to openly admit that. His players were not about to, either. But they were rightfully feeling confident after stopping a South team that had been holding opponents to eight points a game while averaging around 35 points a game.

“We knew if we keep grinding, working hard every day in practice, we could do what we want,” said Mulligan, a senior. “(South) never saw anyone like us. We knew what we were coming into, and we knew what we had to do. We just had to execute.

“We have a lot of confidence right now. We stay on the same line. Not too high, not too low. We keep in line. Coach Rowan says it all the time. If you shake a bottle of water and you open it, nothing happens. If you shake a bottle of soda and open it, it pops. We are a bottle of water.”

A bottle of water that has been exploding on teams. For the fifth straight week, West has scored 28 points or better. The 40 the Bucks dropped on South equals a season-high.

“The first quarter we came out and dominated, and the third quarter we repeated what we did in the first quarter,” McGowan said. “They could not keep up with our rush offense. No team has been able to so far this year.”

Rowan wants his team to follow a steady path. He expected his offensive line to be this cohesive. He says the team puts a lot on the offensive front.

“We challenge the offensive line, we challenge them every week that we are going to put the game on their backs and they respond,” Rowan said. “There is no doubt that the offensive line is the unsung hero of this team. They absolutely are. This clinches the Suburban One League National Conference. I’ll allow you (media) guys to decide (whether West is the team to beat in District 1).”

West had to combat South junior quarterback Owen Pinkerton. Regardless of the score, he kept scratching and crawling until the end, rushing for a game-high 216 yards on 22 carries, including two touchdowns.

West’s Conor McFadden put the game out of reach with his second touchdown, an 11-yard run with 9:36 to play, which put the Bucks up 40-21. Pinkerton, however, was not willing to surrender.

He rallied the Titans to a late score, and when South scooped up an onside kick with just over two minutes to play, it gave South faint hope of a comeback. That, however, was quickly squashed with a stubborn Bucks’ defensive stand and the faint promise of a comeback was dashed.

McFadden finished with 111 yards on just eight carries, while his backfield mate Ryan Clemens rushed for a team-high 159 yards on 20 carries.

Early on, the game was taking the shape of a blowout, when the Bucks scored on their first four possessions, taking a 27-7 with 10:58 left in the half.

It was primarily the groundwork that chewed up the South defense, as Mulligan, Pellegrino, Patterson, Pudlo, McGowan and Dillon opened gaping holes for Bucks’ McFadden and Clemens.

After one quarter, Clemens had rushed for 70 yards, including a 41-yard run that set up one score, and the speedy McFadden had rushed for 80 yards on five carries, which included a 16-yard touchdown run.

After one quarter, West had rushed for 155 yards on 14 carries, averaging 11 yards a carry. The Bucks had pounded the South for 202 yards of total offense in one quarter, and by halftime, that total had reached 282 yards.

South, however, kept clawing back. The Titans made two key fourth-down stops, converting one into a 35-yard touchdown pass from Pinkerton to Sean Moskowitz with 4:23 left in the first half, drawing to within 27-14 by halftime.

By halftime, Clemens had rushed for 125 yards and McFadden had 100.

Scoring Summary

Central Bucks South (8-1) 7 7 7 8-29

Central Bucks West (9-0) 21 6 7 6-40

1st Quarter

CBW – Devin McGowan 47 pass from Cooper Taylor (Ryan Clemens kick), 10:05

CBW – Conor McFadden 16 run (Clemens kick), 6:12

CBS – Anthony Leonardi 58 pass from Owen Pinkerton (Brendan Hazell kick), 4:39

CBW – Jack Williams 1 run (Clemens kick), :48

2nd Quarter

CBW – Taylor 4 run (Clemens kick), 10:58

CBS – Sean Moskowitz 35 pass from Pinkerton (Hazell kick), 4:23

3rd Quarter

CBS – Pinkerton 17 run (Hazell kick), 5:29

CBW – Williams 1 run (Clemens kick), 1:58

4th Quarter

CBW – McFadden 11 run (run failed), 9:36

CBS – Pinkerton 33 run (Jack Mauz run), 2:09

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

CHESTER — Chester’s players believed. Everyone else, apparently, did not. Social media has a funny way of spreading falsehoods, like how Downingtown West was supposed to smoke Chester High on a raw, rainy Saturday afternoon at the Chester Athletic Complex.

The Chester football team saw the posts and then heard with their own ears how it seemed the undefeated Whippets did not want to be there, arguing and complaining to each other.

Chester pulled off a shocker on Saturday beating Downingtown West, among the top seeds in District 1 Class 6A, 28-19, behind a stubborn defense that caused three fumbles, the brutal running of Dayshon Jackson, the constant pressure from Connecticut-bound Dominic Toy, the key plays made by Emohj Barrett and the Clippers’ physical dominance.

With the victory, Chester (7-1) surged to the top of the PIAA District 1 Class 5A ranks carrying a seven-game winning streak, while the Whippets (7-1) fell to No. 5 in the District 1 Class 6A point rankings.

The triumph also marked the most significant football victory the Clippers’ program has had since Howie Maxwell and George Jones ran over then-powerhouse Glen Mills in 1990.

“We believed in ourselves, we were confident, we didn’t back down one bit, we never stopped pushing,” said Toy, whose blindside second-quarter strip sack led to a touchdown and a Clippers’ lead that they would not relinquish. “I’m happy to be a part of this, happy to be a part of history. This was our last home game. They came to our city. They came to our field. We were way too strong up front.”

Chester’s offensive line of left tackle Jerry Young, left guard Zane Tillery, center Damon Moore, right guard Jailynd Johnson and right tackle Lameer Powell opened holes for Jackson to rush for 165 yards on 19 carries and the Clippers to amass 274 yards rushing on soggy, slippery turf.

Defensively, Chester used two fumbles in the first half to score its first two touchdowns. Barrett’s fumble recovery and 36-yard return led to Nahree Melvin’s four-yard scoring run, and Toy’s blindside strip-sack led to Dayshon Jackson’s fumble recovery in the end zone and a 14-7 Chester edge at halftime.

“They outplayed us, they were excited to see us, and I don’t know if we were excited to be here, and we continue to get in our own way,” Whippets coach Mike Milano said candidly. “Nobody was able to do that to us (rushing for over 200 yards) and they did. Some of that spirit, that mojo that they had going a little bit, they had belief and we certainly didn’t.

“I’ve been coming down here (to Chester) for a long, long time, with Unionville kids, with Penncrest kids, and it’s always different. Somebody said we were coming off of Coatesville, is that a deal? I don’t think so. We didn’t have a great week of preparation and it was pretty obvious. Give them all the credit. They were excited to see us. They played great.

“It’s a hard lesson. It’s a nonleague loss. We’ve been preaching the same lesson for a while: We need to get out of our own way.”

Chester, meanwhile, looks like it may have made an easier path to reach the PIAA District 1 Class 5A championship. The version of the Clippers that showed up on Saturday will be difficult for any team in the district to beat.

“They doubted us and they weren’t about to come in here and beat us,” said Jackson, a transfer from Ridley who became the first Chester tailback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season since Shaheer McBride in 2002. “Everyone played their part, especially our offensive line. When they first came out, we knew that they did not want to play. Their demeanor said it. We beat them off the ball, and we heard them complaining and yelling at each other.

“I think we can take this to the district championship. We have things to fix. We can’t be lazy in practice. This boosts our confidence a lot.”

Chester shut the door in the fourth quarter scoring on consecutive drives to open what had been a close game into a 28-13 lead with 3:10 to play.

“We need to maintain this and that starts in practice,” Barrett said. “I don’t really how much more we found out about ourselves today. All I really know is that we came to play today.”

Scoring Summary

Downingtown West (7-1) 7 0 6 6-19

Chester (7-1) 0 14 0 14-28

1st Quarter

DW – Quinn Henicle 24 run (Ben Mehan kick), 7:19

2nd  Quarter

Ch – Nahree Melvin 4 run (Larry McDaniel run), 11:06

Ch – Dayshon Jackson fumble recovery in end zone (pass failed), 5:42

3rd Quarter

DW – Henicle 3 run (kick failed), 1:14

4th Quarter

Ch – Jackson 2 run (Jalen Harris pass to Dominic Toy), 8:23

Ch –Melvin 3 run (pass failed), 3:10

DW – Dean Hangey 12 pass from Henicle (run failed), :55

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Josh McMenamin & Marple Newtown coach Chris Gicking.

WALLINGFORD — Josh McMenamin was seemingly stuck there, frozen in starry-eyed disbelief. The magnitude of what he did appeared to hover around the ether where he was standing 10 minutes later, though not exactly spilling into the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Marple Newtown senior kicker.

McMenamin did it.

He played the hero, booting a walk-off 34-yard field goal to hand Strath Haven its first defeat this season, 23-20, on Friday night at Strath Haven in a memorable game not so much for how it was played—but for how it played out. McMenamin showed great poise in suppressing every nerve in his body in nailing the game-winner with about 10 yards to spare, then taking off around the field in triumph as the rest of his teammates chased him.

Marple Newtown is the No. 3 seed in PIAA District 1 Class 5A thanks to a kicker who never attempted a field goal before Friday night.

And it all started with a knock on his door.

Last year, in mid-September, McMenamin was greeted at his front steps by Tigers’ head coach Chris Gicking, along with a few player’s parents and coaches. Marple Newtown just lost its kicker to injury. Gicking needed to find one fast and enlisted McMenamin, a soccer player who Gicking knew had a strong leg. It also helped that McMenamin was a neighbor.

There was, however, one glaring problem: McMenamin never played football.

“I remember answering the door and there was Coach Gicking. I had no idea what they were there for,” remembered McMenamin, whose father Michael passed away suddenly last April. “I let them in my living room and Coach Gicking told me, ‘I know you play soccer. I’ve seen you kick a ball. I want you to come kick for my team. Our kicker just went down with a big injury. Come out the next day to practice. I need a kicker.’

“For everything this community has done for me and my family, I had to do it. I didn’t imagine this. I’m still nervous. I was nervous when I kicked the ball. I liked hearing the crowd. It didn’t matter who they were yelling for, I felt that they were yelling for me. I kept my head down. I knew it felt good leaving my foot. I knew it had the distance. I saw it go through.”

About 20 minutes after the game, after everyone scattered, Gicking actually asked McMenamin if he ever kicked a field goal before. To the surprise of them both, they realized he had not until that moment.

“Wow, that’s unbelievable, that’s Josh’s first field goal. I’ve known Josh since he was a little kid. I believed in him and I knew we had a special friend watching,” said Gicking, a crack of emotion in his voice in reference to Josh’s father Michael. “I remember going to Josh’s house and telling him he was kicking. He told us he never kicked a football in his life. I told him that I didn’t care (laughs). This is great for Josh, and it’s great for his family.

“Overall, I’m proud of these kid’s efforts. Strath Haven is a great team, and coach (Kevin) Clancy is a legend. We get to enjoy this for two hours. We willed our way back into this game and we focus next on another great team, Garnet Valley.”

To put Marple Newtown and McMenamin in a position to win, the Tigers (7-1) received great performances from senior quarterback David Bertoline, who put the team on his back in completing 18 of 30 for 205 yards and two touchdowns, and senior wide receiver Alex Gillian and senior running back Paul DeFruscio, who combined for 14 catches for 150 yards and a TD.

The Tigers’ defense stymied Strath Haven (7-1) in the second half, holding the Panthers scoreless after Strath Haven had taken a 20-6 lead into halftime. The Panthers, behind their vaunted Wing-T offense, scored on their first three possessions, helped along by costly Marple Newtown penalties.

The Panthers’ counter up the middle was particularly biting. By halftime, Strath Haven had rolled up 184 yards of total offense—all rushing, and nine first downs. In the second half, the Panthers were held to 65 yards of total offense, 48 on the ground, and just three first downs.

Marple Newtown, meanwhile, used exhaustive drives to wear down the Panthers’ defense. The Tigers pounded Strath Haven for 322 total yards of offense, 179 coming in the second half.

Strath Haven led 20-6 entering the fourth quarter when the Panthers made their only mistake of the game, fumbling the ball away at their 12. Marple Newtown sophomore linebacker Aidan Curran pounced on the loose ball and the Tigers converted a crucial fourth-and-one at the Strath Haven 2 to begin the fourth quarter.

From there, Lou DiLuzio bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out, and after another Marple Newtown stop, Bertoline found DeFruscio in the back of the end zone for a 20-20 tie with 6:45 to play.

The Tigers once again put the clamps on Strath Haven with just under three minutes to play at the Marple Newtown 18. From there, junior tailback Brian Box plowed his way through the Panthers’ defense for 35 yards on four carries. A crucial play came on Box’s 11-yard sprint through the right side of the Strath Haven line on a third-and-six at the Tigers’ 22.

Bertoline calmly handled the clock, guiding the Tigers upfield. With two seconds left, he wisely curled up at the left hash mark at the Strath Haven 17, giving McMenamin a better angle to kick.

The only piece missing for McMenamin was that his mother Katie was not there. She missed the game at home sick.

“She knows,” McMenamin said. “I just still have a hard time believing it. This is nothing I could have imagined.”

And it all started with a knock on the door.

Scoring Summary

Marple Newtown (7-1) 0 6 0 17-23

Strath Haven (7-1) 6 14 0 0-20

1st Quarter

SH – James Fisher 34 run (kick failed), 7:20

2nd  Quarter

SH – Shane Green 2 run (Ben Milligan kick), 11:07

MN – Trey Saviour 20 pass from David Bertoline (kick failed), 3:53

SH – Marco Kaufman 5 run (Milligan kick), :20

4th Quarter

MN – Lou DiLuzio 2 run (Josh McMenamin kick), 11:54

MN – Paul DeFruscio 26 pass from Bertoline (McMenamin kick), 6:45

MN – McMenamin 34 FG, :00

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

DOWNINGTOWN — A smile creased Quinn Henicle’s face. The Downingtown West senior quarterback was well aware of the history between the Whippets and Ches-Mont League National Division rival Coatesville

The last time Downingtown West beat Coatesville was in 2019 when the Whippets’ seniors were in eighth grade. Because the game was canceled last year due to threats of violence, many of these seniors never previously faced Coatesville, including Old Dominion commit Henicle.

Call Friday night at Downingtown’s Walter E. Kottmeyer Stadium making up for lost time.

After struggling offensively in the first half, the Whippets came back to score in the third and fourth quarters to hand Coatesville a 21-14 defeat. Before that, the last time Downingtown West beat Coatesville was a Will Howard-led 48-36 Whippets’ victory in the District 1 Class 6A championship in November 2019.

This season, Downingtown West remains undefeated at 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Ches-Mont National, while the Red Raiders fell to 5-2 and 0-1 in the Ches-Mont National.

“It’s a war against (Coatesville) and we knew that going in,” said Henicle, who completed 14 of 18 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown, with a fourth-quarter score that proved to be the game-winner. “We fought for this. We wanted it more. We learned we’re mentally tough. I waited my whole career to face them. I’m a two-year starter, so I never got a chance to play them last year. This feels great.”

The play of the game came when Henicle hit senior receiver Dean Hangey with a 33-yard sideline bomb with just over two minutes to play. The Whippets had their backs to their end zone on a third-and-nine at the West two, when Henicle found Hangey at the 35.

From there, West ran the clock down to 55 seconds left to play, forcing Coatesville into a panic. The Red Raiders committed three penalties for 15 yards and never found any cohesion to threaten West.

“I used to live in Coatesville and I know those guys and love all of them,” said West’s Kam Alex, who scored the first touchdown of the game. “Two years ago, we lost in the last seconds. Last year, from our perspective, we felt that they were running away from us, that they were scared of us. I kept motivating our guys to finish, finish, finish.

“This is amazing. I’m about to celebrate with the guys.”

With the West offense dragging, Henicle tied the score by hitting Jordan Barry in stride for a 60-yard TD pass with 49 seconds left in the third quarter. On the Whippets’ next drive, they banged out an exhaustive 10-play, 76-yard drive, with Henicle touching it off with a nine-yard TD run with 5:55 to play.

“Last year we didn’t get a chance to play, and two years ago, they hit a fade ball in the corner of the end zone with 13 seconds left to beat us,” West coach Mike Milano said. “These seniors really didn’t get a chance to play Coatesville twice, and for some of these seniors, this was their first time. Henicle played a great game.”

Milano and Henicle saw the corner bite on an earlier play, which set up the Barry touchdown. The 33-yard toss to Hangey was a call that came from sheer guts.

“That was huge to get us out of that hole,” Milano said. “I trusted Quinn and he put it up and gave Dean a chance to get it. We talk history, and these guys go way, way back with the Downingtown-Coatesville rivalry. I told them afterward that I was proud of them.”

Coatesville took a 14-7 lead into halftime. Neither team was able to do much offensively, with the Whippets picking up 98 yards of total offense to Coatesville’s 111 yards.

West scored on its first possession, traveling 67 yards over eight plays. The big play of the drive was West’s first play of the game, a 23-yard completion from Henicle to Jake Kucera. Henicle kept the drive alive with an eight-yard scramble on a fourth-and-three at the Coatesville 18. One play later, Alex zig-zagged his way into the end zone for a 7-0 West lead.

Coatesville responded by scoring on its next two drives. The Red Raiders tied it on a Damon Watson four-yard run, made possible by Matt Ortega Jr.’s 35-yard completion to Frank Miles.

On the next drive, Coatesville took advantage of a CJ Miller fumble recovery at the West 27, caused by a blind-side sack by Matt Luton. The Red Raiders took the lead when Ortega connected with James Jack Qwan for a 29-yard touchdown. The score came after a Red Raiders’ unsportsmanlike penalty, which put the Red Raiders in what appeared to be a second-and-26 fix. Ortega wiped that out by hitting Qwan.

There was a total of five combined unsportsmanlike or personal fouls between the two teams in the first half.

Early on, the difference was the Coatesville defense, which held West to a scant 30 yards of total offense the rest of the half after the Whippets’ opening drive. Miller, a 6-3, 340-pound freshman defensive tackle, caused a lot of havoc inside for West, which could not move the ball between the tackles, and by the pressure of Luton and senior linebacker Jon Rivera.

Miller, Luton, and Rivera combined for five tackles in losses for minus-17 yards in the first half.

By the second half, Coatesville was struggling.

“We had guys cramping up and guys playing different positions because guys were getting tired, and that showed with guys not getting lined up right,” Coatesville coach Matt Ortega Sr. said. “We have to come back Monday and bounce back from that. We have to move on to next week. We weren’t right in the second half on offense.”

Scoring Summary

Coatesville (5-2) 14 0 0 0-14

Downingtown West (7-0) 7 0 7 7-21

1st Quarter

DW – Kam Alex 10 run (Ben Mehan kick), 7:21

C – Damon Watson 4 run (Colin Shaeffer kick), 4:22

C – James Jack Qwan 29 pass from Matt Ortega Jr. (Shaeffer kick), 2:54

3rd Quarter

DW – Jordan Barry 60 pass from Quinn Henicle (Mehan kick), :49

4th Quarter

DW – Henicle 9 run (Mehan kick), 5:55

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall-of-fame, 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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The scoreboard behind Central Bucks West coach Rob Rowan said 28-0 as he addressed his team, but you could not tell who won by the tone of his voice or the rigid, stern expression on his face.

In six years, Rowan has built a culture, a winning, successful culture at CB West that had been missing for a while at the traditional Southeastern Pennsylvania powerhouse. It is a culture that expects more, and demands more, even if it shuts out another traditional powerhouse like North Penn, as the undefeated Bucks did Friday night in a Suburban One League National Conference game, 28-0, for the first time since 2007.

What was so scary about the Bucks’ victory is that they could have played even better in moving to 5-0 for the first time since 2019 and the second time for the program in about 20 years.

What’s more, is that CB West has become the standard this season in PIAA District 1 Class 6A—and the Bucks have not yet reached their own standards.

“From a leadership standpoint, a culture standpoint, the brotherhood standpoint, the connectedness, all of those intangibles you don’t see with your eyes and are important, this team is very similar to what we had here in 2019,” said Rowan, who directed the 2019 Bucks to the Suburban One League championship. “That all leads to a level of self-belief and confidence that when you take the field, you know that you are going to execute, no matter who you line up against.

“I think that is something that is alive with this team right now. We did not play well in the first half and I told my team afterwards that this was a 28-0 wakeup call. I was proud of the way our guys came out in the second half. We have a standard that we believe in, and the goal is to chase perfection. We want to be better in Week 6 than we were tonight.”

The overheard chat among some of the old-timers that filled War Memorial Stadium on Friday night was about how this version of the Bucks reminds some of legendary coach Mike Pettine’s glory teams of the past.

Rowan kind of balked at that talk, but he does like the way his defense is playing, and he has a game-changer in speedy senior Conor McFadden, who is one of the top sprinters in the state getting attention from Stanford, Penn State, and Navy for the track.

McFadden scored twice, once on a fumble recovery and another on a third-quarter touchdown run, tailback Ryan Clemens added a score in the first half and quarterback Cooper Taylor topped the scoring with a 59-yard run.

Defensively, the Bucks held North Penn to 42 yards of total offense and two first downs in the first half and 132 yards of total offense for the game. It has to be noted that North Penn came into the game pretty banged up, missing starting quarterback Matt Bucksar, who was injured the previous week in the Knights’ 22-14 win over Neshaminy, but North Penn coach Dick Beck was not about to make any excuses.

“Hey look, CB West has a good squad and their kids play really hard,” Beck said. “They do some nice things defensively. They are pretty tough. They have a good team. I thought we played really well defensively, but we can’t give up the big play. That really hurt us. We just have to get healthy.”

CB West junior defensive lineman Chris Hutchinson was a one-man wrecking machine, with three tackles for minus-10 yards and he dined in the North Penn backfield most of the night.

He finished with around 10 tackles.

“I would say this was a breakout game for me,” Hutchinson said. “We prepared very well for this game. We had great looks on defense and we were very confident in the defense. We play for each other. In every play, everyone is giving 100-percent effort. That’s what we are all about. I still think we have a lot more to show.”

McFadden did not come away completely pleased. He stood on the sidelines last year with a broken collarbone in the District 1 Class 6A championship when the Bucks lost to Garnet Valley. He’s entered this season looking to make up for that lost chance.

“We come into this season super confident,” he said. “We trust each other, and we trust each other to do our jobs. But tonight, we got a little angry with each other in the first half. We still came out with a 28-0 win. We did not play our best.

“I thought we would be solid this year, but I didn’t really know how our line would shape up and they’ve looked really, really good. I think we’re good enough to get back to the district championship and have a good chance of winning. We definitely have a good shot of making it back.”

Right now, no Class 6A team looks better than the Bucks in District 1—and they have not even looked their best.

Scoring Summary

North Penn (2-3) 0 0 0 0-0

Central Bucks West (5-0) 7 7 14 0-28

1st Quarter

CBW – Conor McFadden 39 fumble recovery (Ryan Clemens kick), 3:46

2nd Quarter

CBW – Clemens 9 run (Clemens kick), :57

3rd Quarter

CBW – McFadden 27 run (Clemens kick), 6:00

CBW – Cooper Taylor 59 run (Clemens kick), 2:45

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. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

PHILADELPHIA — The path is clear now. Imhotep’s road grader made sure of that Friday night, moving and plowing through previously undefeated Malvern Prep to the tune of 364 yards rushing in the Panthers’ 24-14 victory at the Germantown Super Site.

For the first time in Imhotep coach Devon Johnson’s four-year tenure, the Panthers will begin their Philadelphia Public League schedule with a pristine 4-0 record.

At the tip of the spear has been Imhotep’s offensive front, consisting of Illinois-bound left tackle Zafir Stewart, left guards David Johnson and Joshua Lee-White, center Anthony Richardson, right guard Nick Williams, and right tackle Brian Moore.

Combined the group opened gaping holes for Georgia-bound running back Jabril Wallace-Coleman to have a career night, rushing for 278 yards on 39 carries and two touchdowns.

There doesn’t appear to be a team in the Public League that will challenge the undefeated Panthers, leaving them with a fairly easy slate until December.

It’s why Johnson schedules tough programs like Malvern Prep. It’s the first stage of how the Panthers’ coach likes to break down a season. This non-league portion has seen Imhotep win in comeback fashion in consecutive weeks. The previous week, the Panthers surged by Maryland power Archbishop Spalding, 21-17. This week, the Panthers came back from two deficits, 7-0 and 14-10. Both times the defense held strong in crucial situations, highlighted—once again—by yet another interception from sophomore safety Willie Norris, who has four picks this season, one in each game, and the stellar work by the offensive line.

In the past, Imhotep has had teams like this, bolting out strong, only to fade in December. This team has exhibited poise and determination throughout the first month of the season and a collective willful pride that embraces the doubt they know they will receive when they reach the PIAA Class 5A state finals.

“During this offseason, we committed ourselves to getting better, and it took us some time to get over losing in the state finals last year,” Stewart said. “We went from a roster to a team this year, and blocking for Jabril is easy. We know he’ll reach the second level.

“Malvern did not want us to come at them, and bring the pressure to them. They had a hard time adjusting to that. We know the history here, and we looked at the last four games knowing the only ones who can stop us is us. Looking at December, we just can’t get too big-headed. We know we’re going into the part of our season where we’re going to be facing teams we’re about to demolish. Everyone knows that. We know what we have to do.”

Richardson certainly knows. He’s the quarterback of the offensive line. He’s also one of the more underrated players in the area. When Wallace-Coleman went looking for a hole to run through, it was often created inside by the work Richardson did.

“We’re more focused and more dominant this year,” said Richardson, a two-year starter. “Personally, I’ve been in the weight room and having my mind right. I got better at working on my craft. We need to stay focused and keep going. We go through challenges by challenging ourselves every day.”

Wallace-Coleman promises to be a huge test for any team in the Western part of the state that tries to stop him. He averaged 7.1 yards a carry against a solid Malvern Prep defense.

He often was not touched until he was eight, sometimes nine yards downfield.

“I would say this is the best the offensive line ever did,” Wallace-Coleman said. “Every time, the line opened up big holes for me. Most of my runs were inside the zone. My line did a good job getting to the second level. I’ve never started a season 4-0 here, and I’m a three-year starter.

“We know the talk in the city and across the state. People expect us to get to the state finals and choke. This team is different. We won’t. Everyone has to know that. I feel so much stronger and so much more confident. Coming into this year. Our attitude is win the state championship or bust. We can’t afford to choke again.”