Josh Funk

HERSHEY, Pa. – After drenching head coach Art Walker with ice cold Gatorade following the team’s ninth touchdown, senior linebacker Kevin Edwards had four words for his mentor.

“Get sticky!” Edwards bellowed. “Get sticky!”

Coatesville’s prolific offense, spearheaded by quarterback Emmett Hunt and speedy back Daquan Worley, found solving NA’s defense to be quite a sticky situation.

North Allegheny (16-0) became the 10th team from the WPIAL since 2004 to complete a season with 16 victories, claiming its second PIAA AAAA title in three years with a 63-28 mercy rule rout of District 1 champion Coatesville (13-3) Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium.

In PIAA mercy rule games, the clock runs continuously when one team builds a lead of 35 points or more in the second half of a game. The clock only stops for possession changes, injuries, timeouts or scoring plays. If the losing team draws within the 35-point margin, the running clock continues anyway for the duration of the contest.

The Tigers’ 63 points scored set a new PIAA record for most points scored in a championship game, regardless of classification, topping the 57-point mark set by Dunmore in the 1989 Class A title game against Keystone, of District 9. The 63 points is also a new AAAA title game record, breaking CB West’s 56-point outburst against New Castle in 1998.

North Allegheny and Coatesville combined for 91 points, the highest combined PIAA finals single-game point total, breaking the record of 77 between Manheim Central and Pine-Richland in the 2003 AAA title game, which was a double overtime game played in a heavy snowstorm.

Speaking of storms, Coatesville found itself on the eye wall of North Allegheny’s defensive hurricane. Before the Red Raiders even knew what hit them, they trailed by 21 points.

Credit the senior Edwards and “The Bandits,” the nickname given to the NA defense, which robbed the Raiders’ of any championship hopes within the first 8:04 of the game. Edwards, who had 4.5 tackles, picked off a pass and returned it 50 yards and returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown and 21-0 NA lead. One Raider series prior, Brendan Coniker picked up a Dre Boggs fumble and raced 80 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown.

A chain dangling around his neck, Edwards looked ready to go another 12 rounds.

“The game is all about three phases,” Edwards said. “Our offense gets a lot of spotlight, and I don’t want to take anything away from them, but we have a very stingy defense. Coach (Doug) Brinkley does a great job getting us ready.”

Coatesville entered the game averaging 198.8 yards passing per game, but NA held the Raiders to just 131 yards, 43 of them coming on a late touchdown against the running mercy rule clock.

“That (facing that passing offense) motivated us, that’s exactly what it did,” Edwards said. “It motivated us to show them what NA Tiger football is all about.”

“Kevin Edwards has done it all year,” Walker said. “He’s a guy who gets knocked for not being 6’3 or 6’4, but if he doesn’t wind up with a full ride from somewhere, they’re missing the boat.”

After Coatesville cut a 35-14 halftime deficit to 35-21 thanks to a 1-yard run from Hunt, his second of the game, North Allegheny rolled to 28 consecutive points to put the game out of reach.

“We hurt ourselves with mistakes,” admitted Raiders’ head coach Matt Ortega.

Mack Leftwich, NA’s senior quarterback, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, completing 16-of-20 passes for 199 yards and rushing for another 90 on 16 totes. He finished his career with 65 touchdown passes, one of nine WPIAL field generals with at least 60 touchdown passes in his career, and sixth all-time in the league.

“Losing (to Central Dauphin last year) really set with us and motivated us to get back here,” Leftwich said. “This is a great finish to my career.” (Leftwich finished 30-1 overall as a starter for NA).

Leftwich also gave a shout out to two other “bandits” – Chas Smith and Ben Schweiger – “Those are guys who worked hard but didn’t always get the credit or spotlight,” Leftwich said.

“Everyone was a team,” Edwards said. “We’re all very close. We’re friends. We care about the game and care about each other. It was tough to see this come to an end.”

Winners of 45 of their last 47 games and three-time defending WPIAL AAAA champions, Walker tried to impress upon the media gathered around him the magnitude of the last three years.

“These guys have played the equivalent of five WPIAL regular seasons,” Walker said. “I know that’s tough to do because I’m a head football coach, but I’m not sure if everybody knows how difficult that is. This senior group was unbelievable with their leadership and work ethic.”

And, like glue, it stuck.

NOTES: Daquan Worley, Coatesville’s junior running back, set a new AAAA title game record with an 89-yard touchdown run in the first half. He rushed for 160 yards on 17 carries……..Leftwich finished his senior season with 3,331 yards passing, which ranks 11th all-time in state lore. Hunt finished with 3,113……..North Allegheny rolled up 456 yards of offense and 26 first downs……..Coatesville’s 28 points tied the Ches-Mont and District 1 single-season team season scoring total record, with 630 points, matching the 1996 Downingtown Whippets. The Whippets, however, scored the 630 points in only 14 games, while the Raiders hit the mark in 16…….North Allegheny finished its season with 671 points, easily a school record, which ranks 14th in state history and is the seventh-highest single season team scoring total in the WPIAL……..Walker became the second WPIAL football coach with multiple 16-0 seasons; Clairton’s Tom Nola is the other. Walker is the third WPIAL head football coach to complete two undefeated and untied state championship seasons, joining Nola (2010-12) and Upper St. Clair’s Jim Render (1989, 2006). Walker’s undefeated seasons came in 2004 and 2012.

Coatesville 7 7 7 7 – 28
N. Allegheny 28 7 14 14 – 63

Scoring
1st Qtr
NA – Skylar Cox 8 pass from Mack Leftwich (Ben Ziolkowski kick)
NA – Brendan Coniker 80 fumble return (Ziolkowski kick)
NA – Kevin Edwards 52 fumble return (Jason Buchert kick)
CVILLE – Emmett Hunt 1 run (Jon Bollenbach kick)
NA – Leftwich 5 run (Ziolkowski kick)
2nd Qtr
NA – Alex DiCiantis 22 run (Buchert kick)
CVILLE – Daquan Worley 89 run (Bollenbach kick)
3rd Qtr
CVILLE – Hunt 1 run (Bollenbach kick)
NA – Gregg Garrity 17 pass from Leftwich (Ziolkowski kick)
NA – DiCiantis 1 run (Buchert kick)
4th Qtr
NA – DiCiantis 1 run (Ziolkowski kick)
NA – Nick Cully 60 run (Buchert kick)
CVILLE – Dre Boggs 43 pass from Hunt (Bollenbach kick)

CVILLE NA
Rushes-yds 29-152 44-257
Passing 11-18-1 16-20-0
Passing yds 131 199
Total offense 283 456
1st downs 11 26
Penalties 3-10 4-35
Turnovers 4 2

Individual statistics

RUSHING: CVILLE: Daquan Worley 17-160 TD; Dre Boggs 4-39; Chris Jones 1-minus-17; Emmett Hunt 7-minus-30 2 TD. NA: Alex DeCiantis 21-115 3 TD; Mack Leftwich 16-90 TD; Nick Cully 1-60 TD; Josh Bergman 2-3; Sean Idowu 2-minus-2; Cage Galupi 2-minus-9.

PASSING: CVILLE: Hunt 11-18-1-131 TD. NA: Leftwich 16-20-0-199 2 TD.

RECEIVING: CVILLE: Boggs 4-71 TD; Chris Jones 3-12; Tyler Burke 2-32; Jay Stocker 1-11; Daquan Worley 1-5. NA: Gregg Garrity 5-55 TD; Zach Lyon 4-54; Skylar Cox 3-32 TD; Brendan Coniker 2-24; DeCiantis 1-19; Greg Baum 1-15.

HERSHEY, Pa. – Aliquippa. The name alone carries with it an aura, a mystique of sorts. Its slogan could very well be “Where legends are made.”

But on the state’s biggest stage, Wyomissing wrote a few legends of its own, and arguably the program’s biggest victory in its gridiron history proved to be no tall tale.

Wyomissing (16-0) rallied for 10 unanswered points in the second half and the Spartan defense limited Aliquippa to 2-for-6 in red zone opportunities to claim their first PIAA championship with a 17-14 victory over WPIAL champion Aliquippa (15-1) Saturday afternoon from sun-splashed Hersheypark Stadium.

The victory gave District 3 a perfect 8-0 record in PIAA A and AA championship games, while Beaver County teams fell to 7-9 all-time in PIAA championship games, with Aliquippa falling to 2-3. The Wyomissing victory marked the first PIAA championship ever won for Berks County and the Spartans became the third D3 program to finish a season 16-0, joining the 2008 Steelton-Highspire Steamrollers and the 2011 Lancaster Catholic Crusaders.

Chalk the blue and white’s victory up to two critical areas – defense and special teams. But especially the defense, where the numbers proved to be quite deceiving.

The Quips finished the game with 323 yards rushing and junior teammates Dravon Henry and Terry Swanson each rushed for more than 120 yards. On the Quips’ first two drives, they amassed nearly 100 yards of offense, all rushing, and led, 8-0.

“The first two times they had the ball, they just kicked our (butts) all over the field,” said Wyomissing head coach Bob Wolfrum. “But our defense – I’ve said this on numerous occasions – our defense has really been what’s carried us and held us together each of the last two seasons.

“We shifted to a Double Eagle flex (defense) about two or three years ago, and it really allows our linebackers to flow from sideline to sideline,” Wolfrum continued. “This team just finds a way. They just kept plugging and plugging.”

So tighten up the screws and rachet the bolts the Spartans did. While Aliquippa gained its share of yards between the 10s, it didn’t do much once it got in the Wyomissing red zone.

Take the Quips’ second possession of the game. After driving to the Spartan 3, Aliquippa went for it on fourth down and missed scoring by a yard. A second trip to the red zone in the first half ended on a turnover on downs. And right before halftime, after Malik Shegog busted a 48-yard run into the Spartan red zone for a third time, the guests were turned away on a 7-yard Shegog run on 4th and long.

“We couldn’t have done this without every little guy, including every guy on the practice squad,” said two-way senior Will Kroppe, a starting guard and linebacker.

Kroppe had several big blocks on offense, including a key one to spring Notre Dame recruit Alex Anzalone on the Spartans’ 99-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. He also was johnny-on-the-spot defensively, posting 5.5 tackles, deflecting a key pass in the first half to thwart a potential Quip touchdown and picking off the game-sealing interception with 44 seconds left.

On the pass deflection, Kroppe got in front of Shegog’s pass which was intended for junior tight end Dajon Perry. Without Kroppe’s hand redirecting the spiral, it could have been a sure touchdown.

“I didn’t think that guy (Perry) was an eligible guy on that play,” Kroppe admitted. “I just kind of stuck my hands up and got lucky there.”

And special teams was won easily by Wyomissing. The Spartan kicker, senior Jonah Bowman, booted a pair of touchbacks and a PIAA-championship game record 52-yard field goal in the third quarter. Bowman finished the season 9-of-12 converting field goals, and his previous season long was 45 yards. He also missed a 42-yarder against Berks Catholic in the Spartans’ regular season finale.

“He makes those kicks in practice every day,” Wolfrum said of Bowman. “It was sort of a no-brainer for us (to kick it). The only question was if it was going to be blocked.”

Bowman’s kick cleared the crossbar with five yards to spare. It was the longest field goal in a PIAA championship game since 1988, when Bethlehem Catholic’s Tony Lasiello booted a 45-yarder against Wilmington. Bowman’s boot also established a new PIAA playoff record, surpassing a 47-yarder by Bishop McCort’s Matt Domonkos in 2001.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Bowman said. “Oh yes (this is surreal), oh my goodness yes. It just feels great to be able to help the team in whatever way I can.”

Mason Smith, too, proved an integral part of the Wyomissing Wing-T offense. With Anzalone stuffed to just 41 yards on 16 carries, Smith darted through the Quips’ seemingly inpenetrable defense for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

“I don’t know what happened on those trap plays to the short side of the field,” said Quips’ head coach Mike Zmijanic. “I’ll have to go back and watch the film on that.

“We didn’t do anything differently (with Anzalone). We just play the way we play,” Zmijanic continued. “They’re a very good football team and they’re not a one-man team.”

It was Smith’s 36-yard run which gave the Spartans a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with 11:18 left in regulation. No. 30 finished as the Spartans’ second-leading rusher for the season, with 895 yards. Wyomissing finished the season with four backs over 630 yards rushing and three over 800.

“We don’t care who scores the touchdowns here,” Wolfrum said. “We got just enough offense (today).”

Just enough, though, to become Berks County legends.

NOTES: The phrase “it’s all about the academics” isn’t just a catch phrase at Wyomissing. The Spartans’ football team featured the valedictorian, salutatorian and No. 3-ranked individuals in the school’s 2013 graduating class…….Penn State head football coach Bill O’Brien was in attendance at Saturday’s game…….Wyomissing became the first team to successfully complete a 99-yard scoring drive against Aliquippa’s defense, doing so in the second quarter on nine plays……..Aliquippa’s pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Henry and Swanson, finished with 1,919 and 1,546 yards, respectively, and scored 52 of the Quips’ total touchdowns for the season. But, since 2006, teams with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers have fallen to 7-9 overall in PIAA championship games.

Aliquippa 8 6 0 0 – 14
Wyomissing 0 7 3 7 – 17

Scoring
1st Qtr
ALQ – Dravon Henry run (Swanson run)
2nd Qtr
WYO – Mason Smith 13 run (Jonah Bowman kick)
ALQ – Henry 10 run (pass failed)
3rd Qtr
WYO – FG, Bowman 52
4th Qtr
WYO – Smith 36 run (Bowman kick)

ALQ WYO
Rushes-yds 48-323 47-211
Passing 2-11-1 4-10-1
Passing yds 23 42
Total offense 346 253
1st downs 14 14
Penalties 5-40 3-23
Turnovers 2 4

Individual statistics

RUSHING: ALQ: Terry Swanson 14-126; Dravon Henry 22-123 2 TD; Malik Shegog 11-72; Jyier Turner 1-2. WYO: Mason Smith 15-127 2 TD; Alex Anzalone 16-41; Brandon Gonzalez 4-33; Scott McAvoy 4-16; Justin Causa 5-10; Corey Unger 2-minus-4; Spencer Lloyd 1-minus-12.

PASSING: ALQ: Shegog 2-10-0-23; Darrien Fields 0-1-1-0. WYO: Unger 4-10-1-42.

RECEIVING: ALQ: Devon Walker 1-17; Dennis Moreland 1-6. WYO: Anzalone 2-24; Gerald Burns 1-14; Mason Smith 1-4.

It’s been quite a long time since the Ches-Mont League has been in the statewide spotlight. Ever since the late 1990s, the Suburban One League had staked its claim to ownership of District 1 AAAA hardware, with few exceptions sprinkled in, like a pair of Ridley championships in 2007 and 2009. Otherwise, it had been North Penn, Neshaminy, North Penn, or, in 2006, Pennsbury, who reigned the kings of District 1.

That’s not to diminish the teams in the Ches-Mont over that span – Downingtown East boasted a prolific passing attack fronted by Pat Devlin in 2005. Henderson, of West Chester, reached a District 1 AAAA title game and then, as a No. 16 seed, felled No. 1 Ridley in another playoff run. Coatesville also had found its stride under Matt Ortega and reached the District 1 AAAA quarterfinals in 2011.

But, from 1997-2011, all the Ches-Mont had to show for its postseason hardware was one solitary championship – a D1 AAA title won by Bayard Rustin in 2008. The Knights then rolled to an 11-win season the following year before bumping up to AAAA and reaching the D1 AAAA semis in 2010 opposite Neshaminy.

Now, Coatesville has withstood every challenge thrown its way en route to a chance to bring the Ches-Mont its second PIAA football championship.

The District 1 champion Red Raiders (13-2), fielding one of eastern Pennsylvania’s most explosive offensive units, will face WPIAL champion and two-time PIAA champion North Allegheny (15-0) Saturday evening in the PIAA AAAA championship game at Hersheypark Stadium, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m.

North Allegheny has never lost at Hersheypark Stadium in its history; Coatesville, conversely, has never played in Hershey for a football game in its history. But the postseason run for these Raiders has been all about a series of firsts. For starters, the team won its first District 1 championship since 1992 (a 20-year gap) and then claimed its first PIAA semifinals victory in school history one week later.

Coatesville is the 25th different AAAA program to play for a PIAA championship since 1988, and teams making their initial appearance in the “big game” own a combined overall record of 13-11. That includes Central Dauphin, which won its initial AAAA title game appearance in 2011. If Coatesville would win state gold Saturday, it would mark the classification’s second straight first-time champion, which hasn’t happened since Neshaminy, Parkland and North Penn each won their first PIAA titles in a span from 2001-03.

Additionally, if Coatesville were to hoist state gold Saturday, the Red Raiders would become the Ches-Mont’s first state football champion since 1996, when Downingtown Area, then unified, routed WPIAL champion Woodland Hills, 49-14, in Altoona. The 49 points still stand as a record for the most points scored by a AAAA state champion, matched in 2004 by Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s machine of a team which routed Neshaminy.

That Whippet team scored a District 1 record (and Ches-Mont single-season standard) 630 points in 14 games. Coatesville has ripped and rolled its way to 602 points, including 246 in its last five games. The Red Raiders’ 602 points are the second most points scored by any Ches-Mont team in a season and are easily a school record.

District 1 also marks sending consecutive AAAA reps to Hershey for the state football finals since 2003-04, with North Penn and Neshaminy, respectively. District 1 last won a PIAA football championship in 2004, when Lansdale Catholic, then a AA school and member of the Pioneer Athletic Conference, defeated Grove City. D1, which has won 10 state championships, last won a AAAA title in 2003. Seven of the region’s 10 titles have come in Class AAAA.

Head coach Matt Ortega is in his fourth season at Coatesville, joining the Red Raiders’ fold in 2009 after a five-year stint as head coach at York-William Penn High School. In his final season in York, Ortega helped guide the team to a 10-win season and the Bearcats boasted a prolific scoring team which averaged 44.2 points per game. Ortega is 35-13 overall at Coatesville entering Saturday’s contest and 72-31 in his career.

Ortega’s Red Raiders are averaging 40.1 points per game and haven’t lost since September, ripping off 11 consecutive victories since a 35-34 setback to Downingtown East. The Cougars boasted an offensive arsenal which averaged 35.5 points per game and featured Richmond recruit Kyle Lauletta at quarterback and Michigan State recruit Jay Harris at wide receiver. Over those past 11 victories, the Red Raiders’ average margin of victory has been 27.8 points.

Coatesville’s offensive arsenal has been just as explosive. Senior field general Emmitt Hunt is on the verge of becoming the school’s first career 3,000-yard passer for any single season. He’s completed 146-of-229 passes for 2,982 yards and 43 touchdowns, averaging 198.8 yards per game. Hunt’s 43 touchdown passes rank him among the top-13 single-season marks for scoring passes in state history. He’s presently tied with Kyle Smith, formerly of Lancaster Catholic, Mack Leftwich of North Allegheny and Brendan Nosovitch from Allentown Central Catholic, for eighth all-time.

Hunt has enjoyed the luxury of throwing to a pair of talented receivers in Chris Jones and Dre Boggs. Jones, the Raiders’ featured target, has hauled in 68 passes for 1,485 yards and 24 touchdowns. The 24 touchdown receptions ties Jones for the second-most touchdown receptions in a single season in state history and is only three TDs shy of tying the state record of 27 touchdown receptions set by Kevin Gulyas of Allentown Central Catholic in 2011. Boggs, meanwhile, has caught 33 passes for 811 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s averaging 24.6 yards per reception and a touchdown every third catch.

Daquan Worley headlines a ground game which rolled up more than 270 yards in the semifinals against LaSalle. Worley has rushed for 1,599 yards and 20 touchdowns on 217 carries. Boggs, Jones and Hunt have also contributed to the Raiders’ ground game over the course of the season.

Fronting the Coatesville offensive unit is a line comprised of Titus Richards, Joe Phillips, Dylan Morgan, Collin Rayser and Andrew Baker, along with tight end Tyler Burke. Morgan, Phillips and Baker are seniors and Richards and Rayser are juniors.

Between its first string and reserves on defense, Coatesville allows an average of 19.3 points per game.

Can Coatesville bring District 1 its 11th PIAA football championship? Or will District 1 fall to 10-9 all-time in PIAA championship games?

Find out Saturday night.

The last time we heard from Dunmore in the PIAA finals, it was 2007 and the Bucks were a AA program facing Jeannette, led by future Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and running back Jordan Hall. Both Hall and Pryor scored 30 touchdowns or more for the Jayhawks, who romped, 49-21, over the Bucks. At that time, the Bucks were making District 2’s first state football finals appearance in a decade.

Fast-forward now by a full half decade. Dunmore is back in the state finals, but it’s not the first-in-a-while type of appearance. In Class A, it’s District 2’s second PIAA finals appearance in three years, as fellow Lackawanna Co. program Riverside reached Chocolatetown in 2010.

But in terms of winning gold, the District 2 drought has continued and is in its 15th year. If Dunmore is to end that drought, it has an extremely tall order to do so.

Dunmore (14-1), champions of District 2 and winners of 11 games in a row (which includes an opponent’s forfeit) will face WPIAL powerhouse Clairton, winners of 62 games in a row, for the PIAA A championship Friday afternoon at Hersheypark Stadium, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. Dunmore is looking to become only the second District 2 program with multiple PIAA football titles while Clairton seeks its fourth state title in a row.

Something notable will happen when the Bucks and Bears toe the pigskin and kick off Friday’s state title game. It will mark a pair of 600-game winning programs facing off in the biggest game of the state’s smallest classification. Dunmore has won 618 games in its history and Clairton, who joined the 600-win club this year, has 612 victories. It is believed to be the first time that a pair of 600-win programs have ever met before in a PIAA A title game.

The Bucks’ appearance Friday will mark District 2’s third overall state finals appearance since 2007, which is notable considering the region went without a PIAA finals representative for nearly a full decade, from 1998-2006. District 2’s last PIAA football championship came in 1997, when Berwick rallied from 14 points down to defeat Perry Traditional Academy in Class AAA. Dunmore’s appearance in the 2007 AA and Riverside’s appearance in the 2010 A finals ended with both teams hoisting the silver state runner-up trophy.

History, however, has not been kind to quarterbacks like Dunmore’s Brandon Kujawski. Kujawski is a southpaw, and left-handed quarterbacks own a 4-5 overall record in PIAA championship games. The four quarterbacks who were left-handed who won PIAA football titles were Joey Monaghan (Archbishop Wood, 2011), Anthony Gonzalez (Liberty, 2008), Tyler Palko (West Allegheny, 2001) and Brian Brady (Dallas, 1993). Palko also lost a pair of PIAA finals (1999-2000); Pottsville’s Eric Lurwick (2006), Garnet Valley’s Eric Van Wyk (2007) and Berwick’s Jake Kelchner (1989) account for the five PIAA finals in which a left-handed quarterback was defeated.

Dunmore also marks a recent trend of PIAA finalists who won’t finish the season with 500 points scored or more. At 412 points scored in 15 games, the Bucks join a list of recent PIAA finalists which include both North Penn and Central Dauphin of a season ago, LaSalle’s 2009 and ’10 teams, State College Area’s 2009 edition. None of those recent teams mentioned finished with more than 496 points scored in their respective seasons.

The Bucks’ latest PIAA football finals appearance marks the third of head coach Jack Henzes’ third appearance in the state finals. He won the 1989 PIAA A championship in a 57-18 rout of Keystone. All told, Henzes owns a career record of 371-153-8, claiming six District 2 football championships and an unblemished 3-0 record in PIAA semifinal games. Of the coaches who comprise the 300-win club (there are 11), they have combined for an impressive 41 PIAA championship games, winning 22.

Dunmore doesn’t pass the ball much, but then again, it hasn’t had to with the success of its offensive line and power running game. The Bucks’ 1-2 punch of Daiqwon Buckley and Austin Seamon chewed through Bellwood-Antis’ defense for a combined 387 yards rushing and all six Buck touchdowns. The Dunmore offensive line, anchored by senior Mike Boland, junior James McHale and sophomore Dan Drewes, have fronted a unit which averages 257.7 yards rushing per contest along with 27.5 points per game.

The Bucks’ aforementioned backs, Seamon and Buckley, are the two offensive headliners at the skill positions. Both Seamon, a senior, and Buckley, a junior, have run for more than 1,000 yards this season. The Bucks’ duo is one of 17 such 1,000-yard backfield pairs and 15th such pair to reach a PIAA football final since 2006. In that span, teams with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers are 7-7 overall in state football finals.

Buckley leads Dunmore with 1,755 yards and 23 touchdowns on 197 carries and Seamon adds 1,295 yards and 17 touchdowns on 190 totes. Additionally, Seamon and Buckley have each surpassed the career 3,000-yard rushing plateau. Buckley has 3,707 yards for his career and Seamon 3,066. The duo is the first backfield pair of active career 3,000-yard rushers since Portage Area’s Mike Sinosky and Tommy Burgan in 2009.

Dunmore doesn’t pass much, but Kujawski has been efficient so far, connecting on 41-of-82 passes for 675 yards and 10 touchdowns against two interceptions. But Kujawski hasn’t thrown a pick in Dunmore’s postseason run. Josh Zilla, John Rinaldi and Mike Kolcharno each have 12 receptions or more, and combined, the trio accounts for 41 of the team’s 54 pass receptions and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, the Bucks allow an average of 12.1 points per game, having limited eight of 14 opponents (not including the victory gained by Holy Cross forfeiting) to 12 points or less with two shutouts.

Can Dunmore snap District 2’s state championship drought? Or will Clairton march on to another state championship?

Find out Friday afternoon.

Make it 5-for-5.

It was five years ago, believe it or not, that the Philadelphia Catholic League gained admittance as being a part of the fabric of PIAA football. And, for the fifth year, the PCL has sent at least one of its teams to Hershey to compete for a PIAA football championship.

Archbishop Wood can accomplish a couple of historic feats with a victory Friday night, but it will have a tall order to do do.

Archbishop Wood (12-2), the five time defending PCL and District 12 AAA champion, will make its third PIAA finals appearance in school history against a fellow Catholic opponent, Cathedral Prep (14-0), an 18-time District 10 champion, Friday night in the PIAA AAA state championship game from Hersheypark Stadium, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. Both the Ramblers and Vikings are each seeking a second PIAA championship to add to the trophy case.

Cathedral Prep would become District 10’s first-ever two-time PIAA football champion with the victory. Ditto for Archbishop Wood. The Vikings would become the first PCL representative with two PIAA football titles. LaSalle and West Catholic each have one.

With a victory, Wood would raise District 12’s record to 4-3 in PIAA title games, the first time the region would have ever enjoyed a record better than .500 in state finals games. Wood could also become the PCL/District 12’s first consecutive state football champion and would be the AAA classification’s first repeat champion since Thomas Jefferson claimed consecutive crowns in 2007 and 2008, capping a run of three titles in a five-year span.

Archbishop Wood, located in Warminster, is not too distant from Doylestown, the home base for the only other PIAA finals opponent Cathedral Prep ever faced – Central Bucks West. CP faced CB West three times, in 1991, 1999 and 2000. Wood, like CB West, also boasts colors of yellow and black.

Entering Friday’s title game, Wood has recorded 282 victories in its program history. The Vikings have eight seasons of 10 victories or more, and five of them have come under current head football coach Steve Devlin. Only one Viking team has ever finished a season undefeated and untied – the 2003 edition – which went 11-0 overall.

Since the start of the 2003 season, Archbishop Wood has posted an impressive record of 109-22 (.832), averaging 10.9 victories per season in that decade-long run.

Archbishop Wood will also make some history when quarterback Tom Garlick steps under center Friday night. Garlick is a freshman, and would become the first freshman to start a PIAA championship game at quarterback since 1999, when Dave Shinskie led Mount Carmel Area against Tyrone. The Red Tornadoes lost to the Golden Eagles, 13-6, in what still holds as District 6’s only victory in a state football championship game.

Garlick enters Friday’s game needing just 24 yards to become the fifth freshman quarterback in the state to throw for 1,000 yards in 2012, joining Brandon McIlwain (Council Rock North), Zach Chandler (Avonworth), Levi Metheny (Bethel Park) and Jeff Martin (Eastern Lebanon County). Since 2005, no more than three freshman quarterbacks ever threw for more than 1,000 yards in a season. The high water mark was three in 2008.

Head coach Steve Devlin is in his sixth season at the helm of Archbishop Wood’s football program, and he’s had quite a dominant run, posting an overall record of 71-13. He’s won five consecutive PCL AAA and District 12 AAA championships and the 2011 PIAA AAA title with what might be regarded as Pennsylvania’s best AAA team ever.

It’s no secret that Wood loves to run the football, and once again the Vikings boast an efficient rushing attack. Spearheaded by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers last season, the Vikings averaged 255 yards per game to claim state gold last year. Flash back to the present, and the Vikings average nearly 30 yards more per game on the ground in 2012. Try 283.9 yards rushing per game, along with 37.3 points per contest, too, behind a line featuring seniors Fran Walsh, Chris O’Connor and George Griffin, along with tight end Brandon Arcidiacono, a Rutgers recruit.

The headliner of Wood’s ground attack is senior Andrew Guckin, who has 1,817 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns on 179 carries. Guckin did not play on offense in Wood’s first two games of the season, but he returned with full force and fury since Week 3. Guckin set a new school single-game rushing record with 345 yards against Mosignor Bonner-Prendergast and followed that up a week later with 304 yards rushing against Cardinal O’Hara. Josh Messina (77-674-7) and Jarrett McClenton (53-635-8) round out Wood’s offensive backfield behind Garlick.

Garlick relieved senior Chris Rahill in Week 3 and has completed 63-of-126 passes for 976 yards and nine touchdowns. Rahill has become the Vikings’ featured receiving target. He’s caught 18 passes for 311 yards.

Defensively, Wood has allowed an average of 15.8 points per game between its first string and reserve units. The Vikings do not have a shutout for the entire season, but have limited eight of 14 opponents to 14 points or less.

Can Archbishop Wood become the PCL’s first two-time PIAA champion in football? Or will the Vikings have to settle for state silver for the second time in the last five years?

Find out Friday.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and, for Thanksgiving weekend, the team’s most recent result from the previous week. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district. Please note, if multiple teams from a geographic district appear in HM, they are arranged in alphabetical order within that specific region.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 14-0), def. McDowell 56-6
2. La Salle College High School (12, 12-1), def. Parkland 28-7
3. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 13-1), def. Harrisburg 39-14
4. Coatesville (1, 12-2), def. Spring-Ford 59-28
5. Woodland Hills (7, 10-3)
6. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 10-1)
7. Parkland (11, 11-3), lost to La Salle College High School 28-7
8. Harrisburg (3, 11-3), lost to Wilson-West Lawn 39-14
9. Upper St. Clair (7, 10-2)
10. Central Dauphin (3, 10-3)

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Downingtown East (1), Neshaminy (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Scranton (2), Governor Mifflin (3), Penn Manor (3), Gateway (7), Seneca Valley (7), McDowell (10), Easton Area (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 14-0), def. West York Area 21-10
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 13-0), def. West Allegheny 27-13
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 11-2), def. Interboro 35-7
4. Allentown Central Catholic (11, 9-5), def. Selinsgrove 41-13
5. West York Area (3, 13-1), lost to Bishop McDevitt 21-10
6. West Allegheny (7, 12-2), lost to Cathedral Prep 27-13
7. Lancaster Catholic (3, 9-4)
8. Thomas Jefferson (7, 11-1)
9. West Mifflin (7, 11-2)
10. Interboro (1, 11-3), lost to Archbishop Wood 35-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Academy Park (1), Henderson (1), Pottsgrove (1), Abington Heights (2), Berwick (2), Cocalico (3), Manheim Central (3), Susquehanna Township (3), Selinsgrove (4), Central Valley (7), Mars (7), Montour (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10), Slippery Rock (10)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 14-0), def. Karns City 51-15
2. Wyomissing (3, 14-0), def. Danville 52-0
3. Imhotep Charter (12, 14-0), def. Pen Argyl 54-7
4. Richland (6, 14-0), def. Hickory 38-12
5. Washington (7, 12-1)
6. West Catholic (12, 7-4)
7. South Fayette (7, 11-1)
8. Bermudian Springs (3, 12-1)
9. Hickory (10, 11-2), lost to Richland 38-12
10. Danville (4, 11-3), lost to Wyomissing 52-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Berks Catholic (3), Biglerville (3), Trinity (3), Montoursville (4), Mount Carmel (4), Forest Hills (6), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Jeannette (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Catasauqua (11), North Schuylkill (11), Pen Argyl (11), Tamaqua (11)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 14-0), def. Berlin-Brothersvalley 53-0
2. Dunmore (2, 13-1), def. Bristol 34-12
3. Bellwood-Antis (6, 13-1), def. Delone Catholic 33-26 (F/2OT)
4. Sto-Rox (7, 11-2)
5. Southern Columbia (4, 12-1)
6. Old Forge (2, 11-1)
7. Port Allegany (9, 13-0), def. Sharpsville 28-21
8. Neshannock (7, 10-2)
9. Sharpsville (10, 11-2), lost to Port Allegany 28-21
10. South Williamsport (4, 10-2)

HONORABLE MENTION: Bristol (1), Delone Catholic (3), Steelton-Highspire (3), Line Mountain (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), North Star (5), Bishop McCort (6), Penns Manor (6), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Rochester (7), Clarion Area (9), West Middlesex (10), Tri-Valley (11), Williams Valley (11)

HERSHEY, Pa. – It might have been hard not to confuse West York head coach Ron Miller’s strategy for Penn State’s new boss, Bill O’Brien. The Bulldogs went for several fourth down attempts and took a fair share of risks against perennial Mid-Penn Conference power Bishop McDevitt.

“We felt tonight that we had to take our chances,” Miller said. “We’re always very aggressive and we go after teams.”

But this night for West York, the Bulldogs’ rolls of the dice seemed to come up snake eyes.

Bishop McDevitt (14-0) overcame three missed opportunities in the red zone and four total turnovers to claim the program’s 10th District 3 football championship, and fifth in AAA, with a 21-10 victory over West York (13-1) Friday night at Hersheypark Stadium.

With the victory, the Crusaders will take on District 10 champion Cathedral Prep (13-0), a 27-13 victor over West Allegheny next weekend in a PIAA AAA semifinal game at a site and time to be determined. Two years ago, McDevitt and Cathedral Prep met in the semifinals at DuBois’ E.J. Mansell Stadium.

Before the start of the game, some reporters were engaged in a high-stakes Internet game of Yahtzee, a game which involves dice. It was only fitting that the Bulldogs and Miller played a Memphis riverboat gambler style in an attempt to fell the Crusaders.

But on five fourth down situations, McDevitt’s defense played the joker to the Bulldogs’ hand.

“Obviously, in hindsight, I’m kicking myself because I feel like I let the kids down,” Miller said. “I wanted to put a district gold medal around their necks, but hey, to get to this point, you’re already a winner. We just came up short against a very good football team.”

One critical McDevitt stop came in the second quarter with the Crusaders clinging to a 7-0 lead. West York, deep in its own territory, was forced to punt. But punter Zach Smith, who used a rugby style of punting, couldn’t roll right and kick. He tucked the ball under and ran, and gained six yards, but was stopped short of the sticks.

“That was not by design,” Miller said. “Zach and I disagreed, but our coaches had a good vantage point and they said there was no way he could have gotten the punt off.”

Another critical stop came in the third quarter with the Crusaders leading narrowly, 14-10. The Bulldogs went for it on a 4th-down-and-4 from their own 36, but Brandon Kinneman’s quarterback keeper was stuffed for a yard loss. Seven plays later, McDevitt’s Andre Robinson scored on a 7-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10.

“That was a play we had sent the punt team out and Brandon said, ‘Coach, I know we can get the first down,’” Miller said. “I trust in these kids, and we called a play we were having success with.”

Those two turnovers on downs each led to Crusader touchdowns. West York committed five turnovers on downs for the game, but didn’t lose a fumble or throw an interception.

“We were worried,” said McDevitt head coach Jeff Weachter. “All week long we heard about how big and physical their line was (at West York). And our front seven did a really great job.”

McDevitt limited West York to 130 yards rushing on 40 total team carries and 177 yards of total offense on 55 plays.

Offensively, though McDevitt gained yards at will, it did so in spite of itself, and only led 14-7 after Brock Snellbaker scored for West York on a 2-yard run before intermission. The Crusaders finished the game 2-of-5 in the West York red zone, scoring a pair of touchdowns on a 6-yard pass from Alec Werner to Brian Lemelle and the Robinson 7-yard run. The Crusaders also missed a field goal and threw a pair of interceptions.

“We hadn’t turned the ball over much all season,” Weachter said. “Tonight was uncharacteristic. We’ve got to clean that up.”

The Crusaders got on the board on their initial possession of the game when Werner hit freshman Kobay White on a pinpoint 28-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead. McDevitt threw the ball 10 times in its first 13 offensive plays and attempted 31 passes in the game. Werner completed 21 of 31 for 276 yards.

“We have a lot of weapons out there,” Werner said. “They all make me a lot better and I’m thankful for them.”

Werner became the fourth Pennsylvania quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in consecutive seasons in the first quarter when he completed a 29-yard pass to White. Werner joined Derek Buganza (Brockway), Matt Bodamer (Port Allegany) and Brendan Nosovitch (Allentown Central Catholic) on that short list.

McDevitt is also one of just a handful of teams with a 14-0 record. But ask Werner or Weachter about that mark, and it surprises both – in a way.

“We didn’t expect this,” Weachter said. “We’re a very young team. But our seniors deserve a lot of credit – we don’t have a lot of them, but they’ve done a great job with leadership.”

“I would agree (with Coach),” Werner said. “Going 14-0 is hard. We thought we might have some bumps in the road, but every close game we were in, we pulled them out.”

Its 10th District 3 football championship in tow, postseason success for these Crusaders hardly seems like a roll of the dice.

SPECIAL NOTE: West York’s football team wore bright green socks Friday night, which noticably stood out against their all-white uniforms with blue numbers. The green socks were for a neighbor of Miller’s – Tom Duffy, whose 2-year old son, Joey, is battling a disease called MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome), which is also referred to as preleukemia and affects bone marrow. Miller said Mr. Duffy asked if awareness for bone marrow swabs and donations could be raised, so the team ordered the green socks to wear for its last regular season game. Due to Hurricane Sandy, the socks didn’t arrive in time for Week 10, but did arrive in time for the Bulldogs’ first playoff game. “They wore them, and they won, so the guys told me, ‘Coach, we’re wearing these all the way to Hershey,’” Miller said.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Friday’s meeting marked just the second time the Bulldogs and Crusaders had done war in each other’s program histories. The only other meeting came in the 1997 District 3 Class AA championship game, won by McDevitt, 35-14……..Since dropping to the AAA classification in 2010, McDevitt owns an impressive 12-0 record in District 3 playoff games and has not lost to any AAA team from District 3 since an upset to Susquehanna Township in 2010 during the regular season……McDevitt became the first District 3 AAA team to win three consecutive district championships since Manheim Central from 2003-05…….The 13 victories for West York tied a school single-season record set in 2008……Miller said he’s losing 24 seniors off of the current West York team. “These are the kids I had at my first youth football camp when I got here seven years ago,” Miller said. “The goal was to make the program a state-recognized program.”

West York Area 0 7 3 0 – 10
Bishop McDevitt 7 7 7 0 – 21

Scoring
1st Qtr
McD – Kobay White 28 pass from Alec Werner (Conner Maloney kick)
2nd Qtr
McD – Brian Lemelle 6 pass from Werner (Maloney kick)
WY – Brock Snellbaker 2 run (Chris Markel kick)
3rd Qtr
WY – FG, Markel 25
McD – Andre Robinson 7 run (Maloney kick)

WY McD
Rushes-yds 40-130 31-150
Passing 6-15-0 21-31-2
Pass yds 47 276
Total offense 177 426
1st downs 13 18
Penalties 4-28 9-75
Turnovers 0 4

Individual statistics

RUSHING: WY: Brock Snellbaker 18-92 TD; Brandon Kinneman 12-15; James Johnson 5-16; Steve Wilson 3-4; Zack Smith 2-1. McD: Rashad Lawson 14-103; Andre Robinson 16-55 TD; Alec Werner 1-minus-8.

PASSING: WY: Kinneman 6-15-0-47. McD: Werner 21-31-2-276 2 TD.

RECEIVING: WY: Smith 4-37; Snellbaker 1-8; Johnson 1-2. McD: Brian Lemelle 10-98 TD; Kobay White 4-71 TD; Tyrone Gibson 3-26; Robinson 2-44; Lawson 1-36; Nate Showalter 1-10.

If the names Interboro and Bristol don’t sound like familiar PIAA playoff participant names, it’s because neither is often a participant.

Interboro (11-2) won its first District 1 football championship since the region began a postseason football bracket in 1992. The Bucs, led by 200-game winning head coach Steve Lennox, face powerful Archbishop Wood Friday.

Bristol, meanwhile, won its first District 1 championship since 1998, when it was a AA school, and first Class A title since 1997. The Warriors, led by 1,400-yard rusher Donte Simmons, had never won a PIAA playoff game until its surprising 20-0 shutout of District 11 champion Williams Valley Saturday.

The 9-1 Warriors weren’t favored last week and also likely won’t be favored this week against District 2 champion Dunmore in the quarterfinals.

***
Bishop McDevitt senior quarterback Alec Werner is closing in on a milestone accomplished by only three other quarterbacks prior to him. Werner needs only 53 yards passing to become the second Eastern PA quarterback and fourth quarterback in state history with consecutive seasons of 3,000 passing yards or more.

Werner would join a list which includes Brockway’s Derek Buganza, Port Allegany’s Matt Bodamer and Allentown Central Catholic’s Brendan Nosovitch.

***
If Archbishop Wood reaches the PIAA AAA championship game, it will have done so with a freshman quarterback, Tom Garlick, at the helm. How many other PIAA football finalists ever had a freshman help guide a team to the championship game?

***
Coatesville’s 63 points against Neshaminy allowed the Red Raiders to surpass the 500-point plateau for the first time in school history. Entering its game with Spring-Ford, Coatesville has scored 501 points for the season.

The Red Raiders hung 60 points on Spring-Ford the last time the two teams met. Not saying that will happen again in 2012, but just say if the Red Raiders did manage to hit a 60-something total on the Rams, how many other teams in District 1 playoff history would own consecutive 60-point outbursts since the region began district football playoffs in 1992?

***
Abington Heights’ shutout loss to Allentown Central Catholic added another year to District 2’s PIAA playoff victory drought in the AAA class. District 2 hasn’t won a AAA playoff game since 2008, when Berwick defeated Wilson Area, 13-6. The Bulldogs were then beaten by Selinsgrove a week later.

***
West York Area is making its second District 3 AAA championship game appearance under head coach Ron Miller. West York won that initial appearance in 2008 before facing Thomas Jefferson in the state semifinals.

***
After securing the District 3 A championship with a 28-13 victory over Steelton-Highspire, Delone Catholic head coach Steve Wiles said opportunities like that don’t come around often. Maybe not recently. The championship was Delone’s first since 2007. But it was the Squires’ eighth District 3 football championship overall and first in Class A since 1994. Delone won AA titles in D3 in 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2007.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and, for Thanksgiving weekend, the team’s most recent result from the previous week. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district. Please note, if multiple teams from a geographic district appear in HM, they are arranged in alphabetical order within that specific region.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 13-0), def. Woodland Hills 21-14
2. La Salle College High School (12, 11-1), DNP Week 13 (playoff bye)
3. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 12-1), def. Governor Mifflin 21-14
4. Parkland (11, 11-2), def. Delaware Valley 49-41
5. Harrisburg (3, 11-2), def. Central Dauphin 27-21
6. Coatesville (1, 11-2), def. Neshaminy 63-28
7. McDowell (10, 7-5), def. State College Area 42-0
8. Woodland Hills (7, 10-3), lost to North Allegheny 21-14
9. Spring-Ford (1, 12-2), def. Pennridge 35-24
10. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 10-1), def. Malvern Prep 35-6

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Downingtown East (1), Neshaminy (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Delaware Valley (2), Scranton (2), Central Dauphin (3), Governor Mifflin (3), Penn Manor (3), Gateway (7), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), Easton Area (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 13-0), def. Lancaster Catholic 27-7
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 12-0), def. General McLane 48-14
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 10-2), DNP Week 13 (playoff bye)
4. West Allegheny (7, 12-1), def. West Mifflin 34-8
5. West York Area (3, 13-0), def. Susquehanna Township 31-7
6. Allentown Central Catholic (11, 8-5), def. Abington Heights 23-0
7. Lancaster Catholic (3, 9-4), lost to Bishop McDevitt 27-7
8. Interboro (1, 11-2), def. Henderson 14-12
9. West Mifflin (7, 11-2), lost to West Allegheny 34-8
10. Selinsgrove (4, 10-3), def. University Prep 41-14

HONORABLE MENTION: Academy Park (1), Henderson (1), Pottsgrove (1), Abington Heights (2), Berwick (2), Cocalico (3), Manheim Central (3), Susquehanna Township (3), Central Valley (7), Mars (7), Montour (7), Thomas Jefferson (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10), Slippery Rock (10)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 13-0), def. Washington 34-7
2. Wyomissing (3, 13-0), def. Bermudian Springs 44-0
3. Imhotep Charter (12, 13-0), def. Boys Latin Charter 58-8
4. Hickory (10, 11-1), def. Wilmington 39-7
5. Washington (7, 12-1), lost to Aliquippa 34-7
6. Richland (6, 13-0), def. Forest Hills 27-0
7. Danville (4, 11-2), def. Mount Carmel 28-21
8. South Fayette (7, 11-1), SEASON COMPLETE
9. Pen Argyl (11, 11-2), def. Wyoming Area 21-7
10. Catasauqua (11, 12-1), def. Northampton 52-21

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Bermudian Springs (3), Berks Catholic (3), Biglerville (3), Trinity (3), Montoursville (4), Mount Carmel (4), Forest Hills (6), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Jeannette (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Karns City (9), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), North Schuylkill (11), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 13-0), def. Sto-Rox 58-21
2. Dunmore (2, 12-1), def. Southern Columbia 35-29
3. Sharpsville (10, 11-1), def. West Middlesex 28-0
4. Sto-Rox (7, 11-2), lost to Clairton 58-21
5. Bellwood-Antis (6, 12-1), def. Bishop McCort 54-3
6. Southern Columbia (4, 12-1), lost to Dunmore 35-29
7. Old Forge (2, 11-1), SEASON COMPLETE
8. Port Allegany (9, 12-0), def. Clarion Area 47-8
9. Bristol (1, 9-1), def. Williams Valley 20-0
10. Berlin-Brothersvalley (5, 11-1), def. North Star 14-6

HONORABLE MENTION: Delone Catholic (3), Steelton-Highspire (3), Line Mountain (4), So. Williamsport (4), North Star (5), Bishop McCort (6), Penns Manor (6), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Rochester (7), Clarion Area (9), West Middlesex (10), Tri-Valley (11), Williams Valley (11)

ALTOONA, Pa. – As a small band of reporters meandered away from Selinsgrove head football coach Dave Hess, the Seals’ ringleader made one small, simple request.

“Hey guys,” Hess said, smiling. “Just make me look smart. Please. That’s all I ask.”

Truth be told, Hess had already earned straight As for his power-running game plan which helped Selinsgrove win its first PIAA playoff game since 2009.

Selinsgrove (10-3) bulled its way to a 325-yard rushing effort and forced eight turnovers on defense in a 41-14 rout of University Prep (7-4) Saturday afternoon in a PIAA Class AAA playoff game from Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona.

With the victory, Selinsgrove will take on District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic, a 23-0 winner over Abington Heights, which victory Saturday marked the Seals’ first PIAA playoff victory since the 2009 PIAA AAA championship game and also the program’s first 10-win season since 2009.

Looking at the score and knowing the Seals forced eight turnovers, it would be hard for some to believe that University Prep made it challenging for Selinsgrove. Yet the runners-up of the Pittsburgh City League did exactly that.

“We didn’t have any film exchange,” explained senior Mike Walter. “We had to go to Clearfield to get game film of them (University Prep). That fired us up.”

Walter played especially inspired ball, crashing through University Prep’s defense to the tune of 151 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 21 carries and also playing linebacker on a defense which limited a high-flying Panther passing attack to a 19-of-45 day while forcing seven interceptions.

Seven – spread out amongst five Selinsgrove defenders. Tyler Krebs and Logan Benner each had a pair of picks while Hunter Kantz, Austin Benner and Zach Adams posted one pick apiece.

“That’s a great day for us,” Hess said. “I seriously lost count of how many interceptions we had because we were getting so many. But that’s because we have lots of kids around the ball.”

“Their strength was our weakness,” said University Prep head coach Lou Berry.

The game did not end in a mercy rule, but Selinsgrove was far from merciful with the punishing running style of Walter and fullback Connor Leisenfeld. The duo accounted for all six Selinsgrove touchdowns for the game – Walter scored four on runs of 15, 4, 1 and 29 yards and Leisenfeld added the others on runs of 2 and 1 yard.

“We’ve been blessed with two fullbacks who are really big, power guys,” Hess said.

Walter hadn’t seen any time in his career as a ball carrier until this season, and it was his first career four-touchdown game.

“It’s my senior year and this very well could have been my final game,” Walter said. “We’ve got a reputation (in the state playoffs) and alumni always telling us to continue to carry it on.”

Walter raised his season rushing totals to 577 yards and a team-leading 13 touchdowns. Leisenfeld added 93 yards and raised his season rushing yardage total to 217 with four touchdowns.

“I’m so proud of my teammates,” Walter said. “Our line played awesome.”

On the opposite sideline, Berry was disappointed to see the career of first-year varsity starter and senior quarterback Akil Young come to an end. University Prep had won its first two PIAA playoff games in school history, over Somerset and Clearfield Area, and Young finished the Panthers’ postseason run with 1,005 yards passing and 12 touchdowns.

“He will be difficult to replace,” Berry said of Young.

Marcus Johnson’s 61-yard punt return for a touchdown brought University Prep to within 14-8 of the District 4 champion Seals, but that was as close as they’d get the rest of the way. Selinsgrove rattled off 21 consecutive points before University Prep scored in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard touchdown pass.

In the end, Selinsgrove simply overpowered its counterpart from District 8.

“They were stacking nine men in the box,” Hess said. “It came down to fundamental football.”

NOTES: University Prep is a program in its second year of existence and has won 18 games against six losses in that span………Selinsgrove freshman back Juvon Batts was limited to 51 yards rushing on 12 carries, but played sparingly following a late hit out of bounds by the Panthers’ Myles Catlin in the first half. Batts has rushed for 912 yards on the season……..Selinsgrove attempted only five passes, and completed one, for one yard……..University Prep is 0-2 all-time at Mansion Park Stadium. The Panthers fell to State College, 33-32, last season…….The two teams combined for 19 penalties – the Panthers had 12 for 90 yards and the Seals seven for 45.

University Prep 0 8 0 6 – 14
Selinsgrove 14 7 7 13 – 0

Scoring
1st Qtr
SEL – Mike Walter 15 run (Kaelen Sullivan kick)
SEL – Connor Leisenfeld 2 run (Sullivan kick)
2nd Qtr
UP – Marcus Johnson 61 punt return (Michael Wright pass from Ryan Daniels)
SEL – Walter 4 run (Sullivan kick)
3rd Qtr
SEL – Walter 1 run (Sullivan kick)
4th Qtr
SEL – Walter 29 run (Sullivan kick)
UP – Clay Moorefield 28 pass from Akil Young (pass failed)
SEL – Leisenfeld 1 run (kick failed)

UP SEL
Rushes-yds 16-48 65-325
Passing 19-45-7 1-5-0
Passing yds 192 1
Total offense 240 326
1st downs 14 18
Penalties 12-90 7-45
Turnovers 8 1

Individual statistics

RUSHING: UP: Abner Roberts 7-42; Marcus Johnson 2-18; Ryan Daniels 2-6; Akil Young 4-minus-4. SEL: Mike Walter 21-151 4 TD; Connor Leisenfeld 20-93 2 TD; Juvon Batts 12-51; Mike Adams 9-43; Isaiah Rapp 3-minus-3.

PASSING: UP: Young 19-45-7-192 TD. SEL: Rapp 1-5-0-1.

RECEIVING: UP: Marcus Johnson 6-62; Clay Moorefield 5-41 TD; Roberts 3-44; Michael Wright 2-18; Myles Catlin 2-17; Noah Stewart 1-9.  SEL: Dylan Beaver 1-1.

HERSHEY, Pa. – The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act was established in 1940 to protect both bald and golden eagles within the United States borders.

Bermudian Springs, nicknamed the Eagles, probably wishes high school football teams also received protection under that same federal law, because it got gunned down by Wyomissing.

Wyomissing (13-) ripped and rolled through Bermudian Springs (12-1) for an impressive 403 yards rushing on just 40 team carries, claiming the program’s first District 3 football championship since 2006 with a 44-0 rout in the District 3 Class AA title game from Hersheypark Stadium Friday night.

With the victory, Wyomissing will face District 4 champion Danville, a 28-21 victor over Mount Carmel Area next Saturday afternoon in a PIAA Class AA quarterfinal game at Hersheypark Stadium. Danville won its first District 4 football championship since 1999.

In PIAA mercy rule games, a running clock is employed in the second half when a team leads another by 35 points or more. The clock only stops for timeouts, injuries, possession changes or scoring plays. If the losing team pulls within 35 points at any point after the running clock is invoked, the mercy rule still remains in effect.

At the onset of the game, someone in the press box quipped about the lack of flashiness of the paper banner the Spartans’ football team ran through onto the field. But Wyomissing flashed past the Yorks-Adams League rep Eagles all game long.

“We’re pretty explosive,” said Wyomissing head coach Bob Wolfrum, who won his 240th career game in the process. “They (Bermudian Springs) were hurt and we out-personnelled them. But he (Bermudian head coach Jon DeFoe) does a great job with that program and I love the way he coaches his team.

“Save tonight, they had the same record as us each of the last two years we faced them,” Wolfrum continued. “There’s no baloney between our two programs. It’s just a good game when we play each other.”

Bermudian Springs played without its leading rusher, a 1,200-yard rusher in Zack Stroup, who injured his collarbone the previous week. And senior quarterback Michael Moore was a game-time decision due to a concussion. Moore played, but completed just 4-of-12 passes for 83 yards.

Wyomissing eschewed the baloney, the fillers, the what-have-you all game long. It feasted on a steady diet of traps, sweeps and draws, gouging the Eagles for 327 yards rushing in the first half on just 22 carries. In fact, within its first 10 plays from scrimmage, the Spartans already held a commanding 21-0 lead.

It only got wider.

Alex Anzalone, a Notre Dame recruit, ripped off touchdown runs of 5 and 91 yards which were sandwiched around a Jonah Bowman 26-yard field goal to build a 37-0 halftime lead. Justin Causa gashed Bermudian for a 53-yard touchdown run and a 37-yard run later in the half. Mason Smith also chalked up a 30-yard run on the Spartans’ initial touchdown drive. And the seldom-used Spartan aerial assault landed a 22-yard touchdown pass from Joe Cacchione to Spencer Lloyd.

But Wolfrum said it wasn’t as easy as it might have looked.

“They played a defensive alignment we hadn’t seen all season, the 5-3, and it threw us off a little bit,” Wolfrum said. “But we had some big third down plays because our backs can scoot a bit.”

Both Anzalone and Causa rushed for more than 100 yards in just one half of action. Anzalone had 121 and Causa 113. Mason Smith added 82 yards on seven carries and reserve Scott McAvoy had 64 on five totes, including a 19-yard touchdown run for the exclamation point on the rout.

Fourteen different Spartans registered at least one carry in the game.

“This is an accomplishment we’ve been working for our whole lives,” Causa said postgame in front of the Wyomissing side of bleachers. “I’ve been playing football for 11 years, and tonight feels like all of the hard work we’ve put in has finally paid off.”

Bermudian boasted a pair of 1,000-yard rushers entering the game. Tristan Sponseller, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards entering the game, was held to 10 yards on six carries and caught two passes for 23 yards. Bermudian, as a team, rushed for just 43 yards on 27 carries and finished with 126 yards of total offense.

The Eagles faced Wyomissing in the District 3 Class AA semifinals last season, and were defeated, 34-7. Wyomissing, meanwhile, had reached two consecutive district title games in 2010 and ’11 and finished the bridesmaid both times.

“This (winning the title) was a goal of ours all season long,” Wolfrum said. “We got here each of the last two years but came away empty-handed. This is a (senior) class who has set some pretty lofty goals.”

NOTES: Bermudian Springs has a combined record of 23-2 over the last two seasons and DeFoe owns a career record of 96-55 at the helm of the York Springs-based program……Wyomissing has established a new single-season record for team points scored in a season, with 525. The previous school record for points scored in a season was 515, set in 2006, when the Spartans reached the PIAA AA semifinals………Wyomissing outrushed Bermudian 327-13 in the first half………Anzalone’s 1,169 yards rushing lead the team, but Wyomissing has four backs in all with 600+ yards rushing, including Causa (723), Smith (620) and Brandon Gonzalez (600).

Bermudian Springs 0 0 0 0 – 0
Wyomissing 27 10 0 7 – 44

Scoring
1st Qtr
WYO – Alex Anzalone 5 run (Jonah Bowman kick)
WYO – Justin Causa 53 run (Bowman kick)
WYO – Spencer Lloyd 22 pass from Joe Cacchione (Bowman kick)
WYO – Anzalone 5 run (kick failed)
2nd Qtr
WYO – FG, Bowman 26
WYO – Anzalone 91 run (Bowman kick)
4th Qtr
WYO – Scott McAvoy 19 run (Daniel Faust kick)

BS WYO
Rushes-yds 27-43 40-403
Passing 4-12-0 2-3-0
Passing yds 83 32
Total offense 126 435
1st downs 7 16
Penalties 4-40 7-86
Turnovers 2 1

Individual statistics

RUSHING: BS: Landon Mohney 9-5; Tristan Sponseller 6-10; Michael Moore 8-4; Adam Cashman 2-23; Brennan Waltmeyer 1-2; Ben Thomas 1-minus-1. WYO: Justin Causa 7-113 TD; Alex Anzalone 6-121 3 TD; Mason Smith 7-82; Scott McAvoy 5-64 TD; Joe Cacchione 2-11; Jack Baker 2-2; Rahul Kalani 2-2; Peter Bonino 2-1; Thomas Paolini 2-minus-2; Caleb Naylor 1-14; Josh Naylor 1-9; Eric Waxler 1-2; Sam Weaver 1-2; Brian Walters 1-minus-5.

PASSING: BS: Moore 4-12-0-83. WYO: Cacchione 1-2-0-22 TD; Scott Kuczala 1-1-0-10.

RECEIVING: BS: Sponseller 2-23; Ryan Markle 1-29; Austin Felts 1-31. WYO: Spencer Lloyd 1-22 TD; Sean Smith 1-10.

HERSHEY, Pa. – In the game of bowling, three strikes in a row is termed a “turkey” and four consecutive strikes is called a “four-bagger.”

Brett Smith, a senior for Delone Catholic, didn’t land four straight strikes Saturday, but he bowled through Steelton-Highspire both offensively and defensively for a “turkey” and a “four-bagger” of a different sort.

Smith picked off a trio of passes on defense and had a hand in all four Delone Catholic (9-3) touchdowns as the Squires scored a quick 21 points in the first half and fended off a Steelton-Highspire (8-4) rally in the second half to claim the District 3 Class A football championship, 28-13, Friday afternoon at Hersheypark Stadium.

With the victory, Delone Catholic advances to face the winner of the District 6 Class A championship game, which will be played Saturday evening in Altoona at Mansion Park Stadium featuring Bellwood-Antis and Bishop McCort.

The Squires claimed their first District 3 football championship since 2007 and were making their first title game appearance since 2009.

“These guys just don’t understand it, but these (district championships) are very difficult to attain,” said DC head coach Steve Wiles. “It’s just so satisfying to see the team celebrate this game. They worked hard and responded.”

Not to say Friday’s title game was a cakewalk for the black-and-gold clad Squires. Steel-High made things interesting in the second half after having fallen down by three scores at halftime.

The Rollers used a pair of big passing plays – a 13-yard touchdown pass from James Warren to Anthony Ferguson and a 40-yard connection from Warren to Jaki Haywood – to pull within 21-13 with 2:30 left in the third quarter.

And the Rollers, who at one point reigned supreme over the District 3 Class A bracket and won a pair of PIAA football titles, had strung together a trio of first downs and was advancing into Delone territory with 8:01 remaining in regulation.

Then, just as quickly as it had sprung to life, the wheels fell off of the Rollers’ wagon.

A reverse play lost 10 yards and set up a 4th-and-14 situation, when punter A.J. Savol floated a pass which was intercepted by Smith and returned 78 yards for the decisive touchdown.

“There was a formation malfunction (on the faked punt),” said Rollers’ head coach Tom Hailey. “That’s on me. That was a coaching error. Sometimes, those things happen in a game.”

Up until Smith’s critical second half interception, the Squires had only one first down on offense and a mere nine net yards from scrimmage.

“All that I was thinking about was, ‘No mistakes. Play like you are capable of playing,’” Smith said. “I was in seventh grade when Delone last won a district football championship and I watched that game here in the stands. It feels good to win this game, but we’re not done yet.”

The Squires, nowhere near done with their season goals, lent the impression the outcome was merely an afterthought after racing to 21 unanswered points to open the game. Smith scored on a pair of short touchdown runs and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Staub, but Steel-High’s Dywan Blanding made an athletic play to intercept a Smith pass to prevent Delone from jumping up four scores.

“I hate to say it was the arena and the atmosphere (of a championship game), but we played like it got to us early,” Hailey said. “We went in at halftime and talked about playing Roller football.”

Maybe Delone junior Matt Guiffreda was in on the Rollers’ halftime talk, because he rolled through the silver and blue for a game-high 160 yards on 24 carries.

“He was breaking a lot of tackles,” Smith said. “It was huge for us. He runs the ball hard.”

“We liked what we saw (from them defensively) and he had a tough game for us,” Wiles said of his fullback. “He only started playing running back as a freshman for us and he’s just gotten better and better (as time has gone on).”

NOTES: Friday’s title game appearance was Delone Catholic’s first since 2009, when the Squires were a AA school and fell to Lancaster Catholic. It marked the third District 3 title game appearance in Wiles’ tenure as DC’s head coach, which began in 2007. “Being in Class A, we thought we’d have a good chance to reach the district finals,” Wiles said……..Steelton-Highspire has not won a District 3 football championship since 2008, when the Rollers finished 16-0 and won PIAA gold for the second consecutive year. Steel-High was only a two-win team a season ago, but rebounded for eight wins in Hailey’s second year. “You have to look at the long-range forecast of the team,” Hailey said. “I’m happy for our seniors for their hard work, but I’m disappointed because our seniors couldn’t end their careers as district champions”……..The official attendance for the game was 854.

Steelton-Highspire 0 0 13 0 – 13
Delone Catholic 6 15 0 7 – 28

Scoring
1st Qtr
DC – Brett Smith 2 run (kick failed)
2nd Qtr
DC – Patrick Staub 25 pass from Smith (Matt Guiffreda run)
DC – Smith 3 run (Jay Strickland kick)
3rd Qtr
SH – Anthony Ferguson 13 pass from James Warren (Dywan Blanding kick)
SH – Tyquan Walker 2 run (kick failed)
4th Qtr
DC – Smith 78 interception return (Strickland kick)

SH DC
Rushes-yds 36-76 47-196
Passing 4-15-3 3-6-1
Passing yds 64 56
Total offense 140 252
1st downs 12 13
Penalties 1-15 4-34
Turnovers 3 1

Individual statistics

RUSHING: DC: Matt Guiffreda 24-160; Lance Reneker 11-34; Brett Smith 9-14 2 TD; Zach Smith 3-minus-12. SH: Tyquan Walker 19-68; Dywan Blanding 8-15; James Warren 8-minus-7; Alex Furlan 1-0.

PASSING: DC: B. Smith 3-6-1-56 TD. SH: Warren 4-13-1-64 TD; Blanding 0-1-1-0; A.J. Salov 0-1-1-0.

RECEIVING: DC: Guiffreda 1-26; Patrick Staub 1-25 TD; Austin Noel 1-5. SH: Jaki Haywood 2-51; Anthony Ferguson 1-13 TD; Blanding 1-0.

Those who know me well know I loathe the “youth soccer” philosophy where everybody, regardless of record, gets a trophy and that losing somehow ruins someone’s self-esteem.

Losing can actually be a good thing. It can motivate teams and kids to want to do better. And if it wasn’t for a rare losing season, Abington Heights may not have been the ones donning District 2 AAA championship gold medals Saturday afternoon at Crispin Field in Berwick.

The Comets, who now have won five D2 football titles under Joe Repshis, went 3-7 a year ago. They missed the playoffs and snapped a streak of three consecutive seasons of 10 victories or more and a berth in the District 2 AAA championship game.

“The scoreboard (in 2011) didn’t always show the results we wanted,” Repshis said postgame Saturday, “but I give credit to all of the kids who learned from it and worked hard (in the offseason).”

Finding motivation wasn’t hard between seasons. Senior field general and career 3,418-yard passer Dante Pasqualichio confirmed that.

“Last season, we didn’t motivate each other (during offseason workouts),” Pasqualichio said. “This year, we got on people’s cases so that they’d go the extra mile. We’re a very strong-minded football team. Sure, we’ll make mistakes, but we just tell our teammates, ‘Hey, just go out there and make the next play.’”

That mindset was especially important Saturday – Berwick hit several big plays over the course of the game. Jeff Steeber scored on touchdown runs of 74 and 55 yards. Matt Cashman returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and a punt 70 yards to set up another touchdown.

But Abington Heights always had an answer for the Bulldogs. It answered Cashman’s return with a drive for a touchdown. It stopped Berwick two yards shy of the goal line as the first half expired to preserve a 10-point lead. After Berwick cut the Comets’ lead to three points early in the second half, AH got another touchdown.

“We talk about playing every down, not just about playing 48 minutes,” Repshis said. “We just get back in the huddle and play the next down.”

Abington Heights has won 10 games for the sixth time under Repshis and is 72-22 overall since the start of the 2005 season.

***
Williams Valley head coach Tim Savage won a district football championship in his first season. Ditto for Imhotep Charter’s Albie Crosby. Both Williams Valley and Imhotep Charter are 12-0 overall.

Bristol’s Leo Plenski is in hist first season, and the Warriors are District 1/12 champions and are 8-1.

A fourth first-year head coach has also helped guide his team to a district championship game. Steve Mitten, of West Chester Henderson, is 9-3 overall since taking over for 130-game winner Joe Walsh and will face Interboro (10-2) for the District 1 AAA championship.

I can’t think of too many seasons where four first-year head coaches took their teams to a district championship game, let along having three coaches already winning district crowns with a shot at a fourth. If Mitten’s Warriors would win against the Bucs, I really couldn’t begin to formulate a year when four first-year head coaches won district titles in the same season. The PIAA playoffs have only been around since 1988, and some geographic districts didn’t begin playoff tournaments until as late as 1992.

***
Spring-Ford’s incredible season continued with a 28-26 victory over Ridley Friday night. The Rams, who face Pennridge in the District 1 AAAA semifinals, are 11-1 overall, with the lone loss coming to Pottsgrove during the regular season. The Rams feature three 675+-yard rushers and a 1,597-yard passer in senior quarterback Hank Coyne.

***
Cumberland Valley head football coach Tim Rimpfel announced his retirement, and ends his career with an overall record of 307-100-3. Rimpfel coached at Trinity (Camp Hill) and Bishop McDevitt before arriving at Cumberland Valley. He won 12 District 3 football championships – two with Bishop McDevitt and 10 with CV.

***
Harrisburg, which eliminated Cumberland Valley from the District 3 AAAA playoffs Saturday, put up video game-esque numbers in its 47-28 victory. The Cougars amassed 733 yards of total offense (587 rushing, 146 passing) and saw junior running back Robert Martin III gain 360 of those yards and score three touchdowns on 26 carries. Martin has rushed for more than 1,630 yards.

***
Dunmore claimed its sixth District 2 football championship (and first in Class A) with a 7-6 victory over Old Forge Friday. The Bucks (11-1) face Southern Columbia (12-0) for the first time in the history of either program’s football existence. Combined, Southern and Dunmore have won 28 district football crowns and seven state titles. Southern has claimed 22 District 4 titles – all since 1991.

Head coaches Jack Henzes and Jim Roth own a combined 710 victories. Henzes is 368-153-8 while Roth is 342-59-2.

***
Imhotep Charter’s David Williams quietly surpassed the career 4,000-yard rushing benchmark a week ago and continues to add to his totals. The Panthers’ senior back has rushed for 1,454 yards and 17 touchdowns on 148 carries, giving him 4,316 yards and 50 rushing touchdowns in his career.

***
Scranton’s Marlinn Waiters may have seen his varsity football career come to an end Friday in a 27-16 loss to Delaware Valley, but he capped an impressive two-year run at the helm of the Knights’ offensive arsenal. He finished his career with 3,451 yards passing and 41 touchdowns and helped lead the Knights to eight wins as a junior and 11 victories as a senior.

The Knights finished the 2012 season with 465 points scored, unofficially a team single season record.

***
Coatesville senior quarterback Emmitt Hunt has thrown for 2,263 yards and 32 touchdown passes and has helped lead the Red Raiders to a berth in the District 1 AAAA semifinals opposite Neshaminy.

***
Is there a bigger game than the District 3 AAA semifinal Friday night between Bishop McDevitt (12-0) and Lancaster Catholic (9-3)?

***
And while we’re on the subject of Bishop McDevitt, the Crusaders have become the latest Pennsylvania team to enter the USA-Today’s Super 25 prep football poll. The Crusaders were ranked No. 24 in the nation a week ago before jumping three slots this week to No. 21. McDevitt was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation in the USA-Today poll in 2005 before bowing in the PIAA AAAA semifinals to McKeesport, 14-13.

In addition to McDevitt, Central Dauphin, LaSalle College High School and St. Joseph’s Prep also spent at least two weeks ranked in the USA-Today poll during the 2012 season, which is compiled by Jim Halley.

If McDevitt wins out and claims the 2012 PIAA AAA championship trophy, it would mark the first time in the USA-Today poll that the Super-25 poll ended consecutive seasons with a Pennsylvania Class AAA team ranked since a five-year span from 1992-’96. In that five year window, Berwick finished ranked No. 1 in 1992, No. 18 in 1994, No. 1 in 1995 and No. 4 in 1996. Allentown Central Catholic was ranked No. 10 in 1993. Archbishop Wood, recall, finished the 2011 season ranked No. 21 in the final USA-Today Super 25 poll.

If the PIAA AAAA champion were to also finish nationally ranked by the USA-Today, it would mark the first time since 2007 that Pennsylvania placed two teams in the final edition of the poll, when Pittsburgh Central Catholic finished No. 11 and Jeannette finished No. 25.

***
If Parkland is victorious Saturday afternoon in the District 2/11 AAAA subregional championship game against Delaware Valley, it will mark head coach Jim Morgans’ 225th career victory and his second berth in the PIAA AAAA quarterfinals during his time leading the Trojans’ program.

***
Selinsgrove claimed its 12th District 4 Class AAA football championship with a 31-0 shutout of Milton Friday. The Seals’ latest D4 title is the program’s ninth in the last 13 years. District 4 began its football playoff tournaments in 1986.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district. Please note, if multiple teams from a geographic district appear in HM, they are arranged in alphabetical order within that specific region.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 12-0), def. Seneca Valley 47-17
2. La Salle College High School (12, 11-1), def. Frankford 37-20
3. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 11-1), def. Central York 35-10
4. Parkland (11, 10-2), def. Pleasant Valley 37-0
5. Pennridge (1, 11-1), def. Pennsbury 28-27
6. Woodland Hills (7, 10-2), def. Upper St. Clair 42-20
7. Delaware Valley (2, 11-1), def. Scranton 27-16
8. Central Dauphin (3, 10-2), def. Manheim Township 38-30
9. Harrisburg (3, 10-2), def. Cumberland Valley 47-28
10. Spring-Ford (1, 11-1), def. Ridley 28-26

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Coatesville (1), Downingtown East (1), Neshaminy (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Scranton (2), Governor Mifflin (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Gateway (7), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), McDowell (10), Easton Area (11), Whitehall (11), St. Joseph’s Prep (12)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 12-0), def. Conrad Weiser 42-21
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 11-0), def. Warren 54-12
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 10-2), def. Bok Vo-Tech 49-28
4. West Allegheny (7, 11-1), def. Thomas Jefferson 24-7
5. West York Area (3, 12-0), def. Spring Grove 42-17
6. West Mifflin (7, 11-1), def. Central Valley 36-35
7. Lancaster Catholic (3, 9-3), def. Cocalico 20-7
8. Henderson (1, 9-3), def. Pottsgrove 31-28
9. Abington Heights (2, 10-2), def. Berwick 44-35
10. Pottsgrove (1, 11-1), lost to Henderson 31-28

HONORABLE MENTION: Academy Park (1), Interboro (1), Berwick (2), Cocalico (3), Manheim Central (3), Susquehanna Township (3), Selinsgrove (4), Central Valley (7), Mars (7), Montour (7), Thomas Jefferson (7), University Prep (8), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10), Slippery Rock (10), Allentown Central Catholic (11)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 12-0), def. Jeannette 56-0
2. Wyomissing (3, 12-0), def. Schuylkill Valley 42-14
3. Washington (7, 12-0), def. South Fayette 26-14
4. Imhotep Charter (12, 12-0), def. West Catholic 40-8
5. Hickory (10, 10-1), def. Grove City 35-13
6. Bermudian Springs (3, 12-0), def. Biglerville 34-14
7. Richland (6, 12-0), def. Tyrone 43-22
8. Mount Carmel (4, 8-4), def. Montoursville 48-20
9. South Fayette (7, 11-1), lost to Washington 26-14
10. Pen Argyl (11, 10-2), def. Catasauqua 26-20

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Berks Catholic (3), Biglerville (3), Trinity (3), Danville (4), Montoursville (4), Forest Hills (6), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Jeannette (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Catasauqua (11), North Schuylkill (11), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 12-0), def. Neshannock 37-7
2. Southern Columbia (4, 12-0), def. South Williamsport 47-12
3. Dunmore (2, 11-1), def. Old Forge 7-6
4. Sto-Rox (7, 11-1), def. Pittsburgh North Catholic 34-20
5. Williams Valley (11, 12-0), def. Tri-Valley 48-0
6. Sharpsville (10, 10-1), def. Lakeview 41-34
7. Bellwood-Antis (6, 11-1), def. Bishop Guilfoyle 19-6
8. West Middlesex (10, 10-2), def. Farrell 42-0
9. Old Forge (2, 11-1), lost to Dunmore 7-6
10. Port Allegany (9, 11-0), def. Elk County Catholic 48-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Delone Catholic (3), Steelton-Highspire (3), Line Mountain (4), So. Williamsport (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), North Star (5), Bishop McCort (6), Penns Manor (6), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Rochester (7), Clarion Area (9), Tri-Valley (11)

WILLIAMSTOWN, Pa. – It was all about records Saturday night.

Running back Cole Barnhardt set a pair of single-season rushing records. Quarterback Stephen Sedesse set a single-season passing yardage record. Heck, even the 50/50 prize of $2,025 was a record.

Williams Valley winning a district football championship, however, won’t go down as sounding like a broken record.

Tri-Valley League champion Williams Valley (12-0) rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead and held Tri-Valley’s (10-2) potent 1-2 backfield punch of Blake Bowman and Dalton Miller in check the entire game to secure the school’s second District 11 Class A football championship, and first since 1990, in a 48-0 mercy rule victory Saturday night from Gerald Stauffenburg Field at Viking Stadium in Williamstown.

In mercy rule games, the clock runs continuously in the second half when one team builds a lead of 35 points or more. The clock only stops for timeouts, injuries or scoring plays, and the running clock doesn’t stop if the losing team pulls to within 35 points at any point in the second half.

With the victory, the Vikings advance to a PIAA Class A preliminary round game against District 1/12 champion Bristol, a representative of the Bicentennial Athletic League in District 1. The Warriors defeated Philadelphia Public League rep Communications Tech, 27-24, Friday, and will host next week’s game Friday night at a site to be determined.

When Williams Valley won its only District 11 A crown, the Eastern Conference playoffs were still a major player and the primary way for teams to gain enough points to enter the PIAA tournament. So the Vikings didn’t qualify for the PIAA playoffs in 1990. Next Friday’s game will mark the program’s first-ever PIAA playoff game.

“We’re having a (heck) of a season,” said first-year head coach Tim Savage, a 1992 graduate of WV. “We’re coaching for the kids and the kids are playing for us. This means everything to us (as a program). It’s our first 12-0 season, first PIAA playoff berth.”

It was also Tri-Valley’s first shutout loss of the season.

“They won the game up front,” said Tri-Valley head coach Mike Kogut. “They were tenacious on defense.”

Tri-Valley featured a potent 1-2 backfield rushing duo of Blake Bowman and Dalton Miller, both seniors, who combined to form the seventh 2,000/1,000 backfield rushing duo in Pennsylvania since 2003. But Williams Valley left Bowman and Miller punchless.

Bowman rushed for 75 yards on 19 carries and completed one pass for four yards. Miller rushed for 36 yards on 10 carries and completed 2-of-10 passes for 5 yards with two interceptions (both by WV’s James Deiter). Tri-Valley finished a combined 4-of-13 passing for 16 yards. The Bulldogs finished with 129 yards of total offense and committed as many turnovers in the game as it had first downs (five).

“Our defense has been key,” said senior receiver/safety Owen Daniel. “Ever since Week 1, we wanted to shut everybody out.”

Saturday marked Williams Valley’s seventh shutout in 12 games. The Vikings have allowed an average of 7.3 points per game.

“We were able to shut them down and limit their big plays the first time we played,” Kogut said.

The scoreless tie lasted all of 56 seconds. Daniel streaked behind the Bulldog defense for a 75-yard touchdown reception from Stephen Sedesse on the game’s second play to build a 7-0 advantage. Daniel also caught two 15-yard scoring passes later in the game and finished with three receptions for 105 yards.

This night, it was Cole Barnhardt’s turn to shine. Barnhardt widened the Vikings’ lead to 14-0 with a 5-yard run in the first quarter, then added scoring runs of 62 yards in the second and 16 yards in the third quarter to cap a 21-carry, 162-yard game.

“I expected to run it a lot, but it was nice to get all of those yards,” Barnhardt said. “It feels amazing to be able to wear this gold medal around my neck.”

Trevor Whelski capped the game scoring with a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter.

NOTES: Tri-Valley was seeking its first District 11 championship game since 2009, when the Bulldogs finished 10-5 and advanced to the PIAA semifinals opposite Bishop McCort…….Barnhardt established single-season records for rushing yardage (1,559) and rushing touchdowns (22), while Sedesse set a single-season passing yardage record (1,795). Daniel went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving and has 50 catches for 1,084 yards and 16 touchdowns. Daniel said he is “fully settled in” to playing receiver and loves the position. In fact, he hopes to play receiver at the collegiate level…….The Tri-Valley League featured four of its teams (WV, T-V, Millersburg and Line Mountain) in three different PIAA Class A district playoff tournaments this season…….Williams Valley, through 12 games, has averaged 353.1 yards per game – 203.3 rushing and 149.8 passing. “I believe we’re the most balanced team remaining in Class A in the state,” Savage said.

Tri-Valley 0 0 0 0 – 0
Williams Valley 14 14 13 7 – 48

Scoring
1st Qtr
WV – Owen Daniel 75 pass from Stephen Sedesse (Cody Miller kick)
WV – Cole Barnhardt 5 run (Miller kick)
2nd Qtr
WV – Barnhardt 62 run (Miller kick)
WV – Daniel 15 pass from Sedesse (Miller kick)
3rd Qtr
WV – Barnhardt 16 run (kick blocked)
WV – Daniel 15 pass from Sedesse (Miller kick)
4th Qtr
WV – Trevor Whelski 15 run (Miller kick)

TV WV
Rushes-yds 32-113 35-214
Passing 4-13-2 4-9-0
Passing yds 16 139
Total offense 129 353
1st downs 5 12
Penalties 5-50 5-36
Turnovers 5 1

Individual statistics

RUSHING: TV: Blake Bowman 19-75; Dalton Miller 10-36; Hunter Harner 2-4; Tyler Lucas 1-minus-2. WV: Cole Barnhardt 21-163 3 TD; Trevor Whelski 10-42 TD; Owen Daniel 1-4; Brandon Bohr 2-5; Matt Miller 1-0.

PASSING: TV: Miller 2-10-2-5; Bowman 1-2-0-4; Harner 1-1-0-7. WV: Stephen Sedesse 4-9-0-139 3 TD.

RECEIVING: TV: Harner 2-5; Tanner Coleman 1-4; TEAM 1-7*. WV: Daniel 3-105 3 TD; Codie Miller 1-34.

* = No player w/ jersey No. 15 appears on Tri-Valley’s roster posted on Maxpreps.com. If we receive note who the player is, we will accordingly update his name in the box score.

DANVILLE, Pa. – During halftime, the Athens Area marching band’s color guard dressed up in costume as superheros, as the group’s performance centered around movies like Batman, Spiderman, and others.

Then, on the verge of being upset on its home turf, No. 1-seeded Danville got its best “Super Friends” impersonation from junior fullback Sam Dressler.

Dressler scored the game-tying touchdown on a 15-yard run with 5:26 left in regulation and kicker Shayne Riley converted the eventual game-winning extra point as Danville (10-2) narrowly escaped a very strong upset bid from Athens Area (9-3) of the Northern Tier League, 14-13, Friday night at Ironmen Stadium in Danville in a District 4 Class AA semifinal game.

With the victory, Danville will host Mount Carmel Area (8-4), a 48-20 winner over Montoursville Friday night in the other District 4 Class AA semifinal game. Mount Carmel is averaging 32.5 points per game in its playoff run to its second consecutive District 4 championship game, while Danville will make its second title game appearance in three years.

A district title game berth, though, was very much in doubt for the Ironmen, and that was so because the visiting Wildcats dictated the flow and pace of much of Friday night’s game.

“They (the team) gave us everything they had,” said Wildcat head coach Jack Young. “They (Danville) are a good football team. Both teams played with a lot of heart and guts. I hope the crowd got its monies’ worth tonight.”

Athens made life miserable for Danville all night long. Normally reliable quarterback Weston Baylor didn’t complete a pass and threw an interception. Danville committed three first-half turnovers and had an interception by Cale Rice negated by a pass interference penalty in the third quarter.

Danville, which spun itself a web of self-imposed errors in the first half, even got controlled at the line of scrimmage in the second half. Athens pushed Danville off the line on its go-ahead touchdown drive, highlighted by Tyler Birdsall runs off right tackle out of a traditional I-formation set. Birdsall’s 14-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, with 6:30 left in the third quarter put Athens ahead, 13-7, but the Wildcats’ extra point attempt was blocked.

“Each team made some little adjustments and we thought we had something there (with the ground game),” Young said.

But on the opposite sideline, there wasn’t much that was sure or certain.

“I have no answer for it,” said Danville head coach James Keiser. “It’s hard to describe this team. I don’t know what was in their heads. But they’re kids (at the end of the day). Maybe it was a rough day at school or something.”

Right before halftime, Dressler, who led all rushers with a game-high 140 yards on 20 carries, was going up and down the home sideline like a man possessed, imploring his team that they were going to get the ball into the end zone. But after a Cale Rice 39-yard touchdown run staked the hosts to a 7-0 lead, Danville only amassed 34 yards rushing and three first downs until there was 7:46 left in regulation.

At that point, the Ironmen had totaled only 103 yards, all rushing. The team huddled around Keiser and the message was simple.

“We told the kids that we needed to score,” Keiser said. “Stop screwing around and get on some blocks and make some plays.”

That’s what Danville did, beginning from its own 15. Dressler ripped off a 49-yard run on a belly trap down to the Athens’ 21. Two plays later, he took the same handoff around left tackle for the tying 15-yard touchdown. Dressler accounted for all 85 Danville yards on the drive and had five of the six rushing attempts in that pivotal sequence.

“Sam’s a good leader,” Keiser said. “He’s a kid who gives 100 percent all of the time.”

“Our linemen sealed the end well and I just took it and ran it to the outside,” Dressler said. “They are a good football team and I think we underestimated them a little bit. We were looking ahead to the District 4 championship game.”

But Danville could exhale a little when Rice notched his second interception – and ninth of the season – of Troy Stivason with 3:34 left in the game, and then fully exhale when Stivason’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 42 ticks left.

“At this point, a W is a W,” Dressler said. “There’s always going to be adversity in high school football, but what defines us is what we do when it comes.”

And in the face of said adversity, Dressler may have just sprouted an “S” across his chest underneath that home orange jersey. And those decisive fullback belly traps were, well, Athens’ playoff kyrptonite.

NOTES: Danville narrowly avoided losing to a Northern Tier League team for the second consecutive season in the playoffs. Last year, the Ironmen fell in the quarterfinal round to Towanda, 35-20…….Athens capped a two-year span in which it won 17 games. “There’s no such thing as moral victories, but I’m very proud of the pride that the kids displayed tonight,” Young said following one final meeting with his team…….Dressler raised his season rushing total to 1,184 yards, a new career high. He had rushed for 1,149 yards as a junior and now is over 2,300 yards for his career in rushing……..Prior to Danville’s winning drive, Athens had outgained the host Ironmen, 160-103…….Birdsall rushed for 86 yards on 25 carries for Athens, finishing his senior season with 1,549 yards and a team-leading 14 touchdowns scored.
Athens 0 7 6 0 – 13
Danville 7 0 0 7 – 14

Scoring
1st Qtr
DAN – Cale Rice 39 run (Shayne Riley kick)
2nd Qtr
ATH – Tyler Birdsall 3 run (Troy Stivason kick)
3rd Qtr
ATH – Birdsall 14 run (kick failed)
4th Qtr
DAN – Sam Dressler 15 run (Riley kick)

ATH DAN
Rushes-yds 32-106 48-194
Passing 8-20-2 0-8-1
Pass yds 69 0
Total offense 175 194
1st downs 10 9
Penalties 4-35 2-20
Turnovers 2 3

Individual statistics

RUSHING: ATH: Tyler Birdsall 25-86 2 TD; Shane Martin 3-15; Troy Stivason 2-1; Mike Estes 2-3. DAN: Sam Dressler 20-140 TD; Cale Rice 11-78 TD; Weston Baylor 14-minus-3; TEAM 3-minus-21.

PASSING: ATH: Stivason 8-20-2-69. DAN: Baylor 0-8-1-0.

RECEIVING ATH: Ray McDougan 5-25; Brad Sampson 2-35; Curt Moore 1-9. DAN: None.

Mount Carmel Area head football coach Carm DeFrancesco is one of the best postgame interviews around.

He’s honest and thorough, and he’s also got personality with his answers. He’s not afraid to react when he hears a stat that blows him away, like the 29 total offensive plays and five first downs the Red Tornadoes’ defense limited No. 2-seeded Central Columbia to Friday night in the District 4 AA quarterfinals.

“Coaches (Gary) Howanec and (Robert) Veach had the guys ready to go,” DeFrancesco said following the 17-0 victory. “Our team just took control in the second half.”

Friday’s game began eerily similar to the first meeting between the two teams. Central’s Jordan Thivierge hit Dylan Hine for a huge gain on a pass play down the far sideline, which spanned 58 yards. In the first meeting, Thivierge and Hine connected on a 76-yard touchdown, but then did little else. Ditto for Friday night, minus the touchdown.

The Red Tornadoes face yet another rematch in the semifinals – Montoursville – a team which hung 41 points on the vaunted Red Death defense earlier in the season. If Mount Carmel survives that test with the Warriors, it likely would face Danville in the District 4 title game.

“We told our kids, ‘We are the defending District 4 champions until someone else says we aren’t,” DeFrancesco said. “Our kids here (at Mount Carmel) have championship heart.”

***
How about the huge showdown in southeastern PA between undefeated Imhotep Charter and four-time PIAA AA semifinalist West Catholic? Imhotep Charter has set a Philadelphia Public League record for points scored in a single season, with 486, and loves to run, run, run the football. West Catholic, meanwhile, has scored 40 points or more in six of its seven victories and brings to the table a 1,400-yard rusher in Greg White and 1,400-yard passer in Antwain McCollum.

Imhotep Charter’s defense faces by far its stiffest test of the season. The Panthers have allowed only 50 points – an average of 4.5 points per game – and has recorded six shutouts.

***
Depending on the length of Pennridge’s playoff run, junior running back Mike Class might surpass the 4,000-yard benchmark in career rushing this season.

Class, the Rams’ feature running back and primary offensive centerpiece, has rushed for 2,201 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. Entering Friday’s game with Pennsbury, Class has rushed for 3,713 yards for his career, needing just 287 to reach 4,000 and 288 to surpass the mark.

***
Parkland has been playing red-hot football as of late, ripping off nine consecutive victories and averaging just a hair under 40 points per game. Last season, the Trojans finished the season with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Rob Dvoracek and Jarel Elder.

But this year, Parkland could potentially have a shot at a 1,000-yard rushing trio.

The aforementioned Elder has rushed for 1,060 yards, but teammates Tim Baranek (906) and Elijah Redmond (830) are also within shouting distance of 1,000 yards rushing as well. If both Baranek and Redmond join Elder with 1,000 yards rushing, Parkland will become just the sixth PIAA-affiliated program with a trio of 1,000-yard rushers since the 2005 season, and the first program in that span from District 11.

***
There are a pair of major rematches involving District 2 programs this weekend.

In the 2/11 AAAA subregional semifinals, Scranton and Delaware Valley meet again. The Knights beat the Warriors, 34-27, in the first meeting.

Meanwhile, in the District 2 A championship game, Dunmore meets Old Forge. Old Forge won the initial meeting, 21-0, but Dunmore was without its two top rushers, Daiquon Buckley and Austin Seamon.

***
Wyoming Area’s Nick O’Brien unofficially needs just 99 yards rushing Friday against Lakeland to attain 5,000 for his career and 100 yards passing for his first-ever 1,000/1,000 season.

***
Despite his team being eliminated from the District 3 AA playoffs Friday, Trinity senior running back Adam Geiger surpassed the 4,000-yard benchmark for his career. Geiger’s career for the Shamrocks saw him rush for 4,041 yards, including 1,510 as a senior.

***
Schuylkill Valley won its first-ever District 3 playoff game in program history Friday, eliminating Berks Catholic, 42-21.

***
Bermudian Springs officially has posted its third consecutive season with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers – Zack Stroup has 1,230 and Tristan Sponseller 1,063.

Muhlenberg and Hamburg also each have 1,000-yard backfield duos. For the Muhls, Ben Ortiz (1,072) and Francisco German (1,032) have helped the blue and yellow reach the Eastern Conference AAA championship game against Scranton Prep. For Hamburg, Montay Berger (1,157) and Joe Raffensberger (1,006) fronted the run-centric Hawks’ offensive arsenal.

District 3 lays claim to five of the 10 1,000-yard rushing tandems in the state this year.

***
Archbishop Wood had scored only 192 points through its first seven games of the season. Over the last four weeks, the Vikings have scored 210, bumping their season total to 402 through 11 games (36.5 points per game).

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district. Please note, if multiple teams from a geographic district appear in HM, they are arranged in alphabetical order within that specific region.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 11-0), def. Bethel Park 42-14
2. La Salle College High School (12, 10-1), def. St. Joseph’s Prep 28-27 (F/OT)
3. Ridley (1, 11-0), def. Downingtown West 20-17
4. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 10-1), def. Dallastown 48-0
5. Parkland (11, 9-2), def. Easton Area 41-10
6. Upper St. Clair (7, 10-1), def. Pittsburgh Central Catholic 38-0
7. Scranton (2, 11-0), def. East Stroudsburg South 42-20
8. Pennridge (1, 10-1), def. Abington 35-14
9. Central Dauphin (3, 9-2), def. J.P. McCaskey 37-20
10. Central Bucks South (1, 10-1), def. Haverford 38-14

HONORABLE MENTION: Coatesville (1), Downingtown East (1), Pennsbury (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Cumberland Valley (3), Governor Mifflin (3), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Gateway (7), Seneca Valley (7), Woodland Hills (7), McDowell (10), Easton Area (11), Whitehall (11), St. Joseph’s Prep (12)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 11-0), def. Lampeter-Strasburg 40-13
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 10-0), DNP Week 11 (playoff bye)
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 9-2), def. Monsignor Bonner 38-16
4. Thomas Jefferson (7, 11-0), def. Franklin Regional 24-21
5. Pottsgrove (1, 11-0), def. Strath Haven 32-13
6. West Allegheny (7, 10-1), def. Montour 14-2
7. West York Area (3, 11-0), def. Northeastern 49-20
8. Central Valley (7, 9-2), def. Hopewell 49-21
9. Lancaster Catholic (3, 8-3), def. Hershey 32-14
10. Cocalico (3, 10-1), def. West Perry 37-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Academy Park (1), Henderson (1), Abington Heights (2), Berwick (2), Conrad Weiser (3), Manheim Central (3), Susquehanna Township (3), Selinsgrove (4), Mars (7), Montour (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10), Slippery Rock (10), Allentown Central Catholic (11)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 11-0), def. Mt. Pleasant 43-6
2. Wyomissing (3, 11-0), def. Littlestown 45-13
3. Washington (7, 11-0), def. Seton-LaSalle 33-17
4. South Fayette (7, 11-0), def. Beaver Falls 35-21
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 11-0), def. Prep Charter 32-7
6. Hickory (10, 9-1), def. Northwestern 48-22
7. Jeannette (7, 10-1), def. Beaver Area 47-15
8. Richland (6, 11-0), def. Penn Cambria 28-0
9. Catasauqua (11, 11-0), def. Northern Lehigh 42-15
10. Bermudian Springs (3, 11-0), def. Susquenita 42-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Berks Catholic (3), Biglerville (3), Schuylkill Valley (3), Trinity (3), Danville (4), Montoursville (4), Mount Carmel (4), Forest Hills (6), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Pen Argyl (11), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 11-0), def. Brentwood 39-0
2. Southern Columbia (4, 11-0), def. Line Mountain 28-21
3. Old Forge (2, 11-0), def. Riverside 42-7
4. Dunmore (2, 10-1), def. Lackawanna Trail 32-12
5. Sto-Rox (7, 10-1), def. Union (New Castle) 33-8
6. Williams Valley (11, 11-0), def. Shenandoah Valley 42-28
7. Sharpsville (10, 9-1), def. Cochranton 42-6
8. Tri-Valley (11, 10-1), def. Marian Catholic 28-13
9. Bellwood-Antis (6, 10-1), def. Glendale 40-14
10. Port Allegany (9, 10-0), DNP Week 11 (playoff bye)

HONORABLE MENTION: Steelton-Highspire (3), Line Mountain (4), So. Williamsport (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Northern Bedford (5), Windber (5), Bishop McCort (6), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Rochester (7), Clarion Area (9), West Middlesex (10)

BERWICK, Pa. – There were points in time Saturday afternoon where it seemed Berwick’s offensive front just couldn’t stop Dallas from getting pressure in the backfield.

“We just couldn’t block (Dallas linebacker Jason) Simonovich,” said Bulldogs’ head coach George Curry. “That kid is an animal.”

It turns out Berwick got a block of a different sort to steal the momentum back to its side.

Will Marsteller blocked Dallas’ go-ahead 41-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter and Berwick (10-1) used a 19-point fourth quarter to advance to next weekend’s District 2 AAA championship game with a 28-7 victory over Dallas (7-4) Saturday afternoon from Crispin Field in Berwick.

Saturday’s victory means Berwick will face Abington Heights, a 13-6 winner over Valley View, at a time to be determined. Rumors were that the game would be at 1 p.m. Saturday, but Curry wouldn’t confirm that postgame. In its most recent District 2 championship victory (2008), Berwick defeated Abington Heights, 3-0.

And wouldn’t you know it, a field goal became the turning point of Saturday afternoon’s semifinal game.

Dallas began the second half much t the same way it ended the first half – on fire. The Mountaineers had closed to within 9-7, forced a Bulldog three-and-out, and drove from their own 29 to the Berwick 24 thanks to the mobility and playmaking ability of dual-threat quarterback Ryan Zapoticky.

Placekicker Ryan Kozloski lined up for a 41-yard field goal attempt with 6:56 left in the third quarter, which would have given Dallas a 10-9 lead. But Marsteller, a senior, saw to it the Mountaineers wouldn’t enjoy a lead. Not at all.

“We weren’t going to lose (this game),” Marsteller said. “We decided that at halftime (that we weren’t losing). That block definitely changed the momentum. Everyone was up. Everyone was together.”

But the change in momentum wasn’t instantaneous. Berwick muddled through the remainder of the third quarter scoreless and the hosts faced a 4th-and-24 situation to start the fourth quarter.

Enter Jeff Steeber, another senior. He came up with a critical 31-yard reception from C.J. Curry to the Mounts’ 5-yard line. Matt Cashman scored on the next play to make it 15-7.

“It (the play) was by design to come to me, but there toward the end the play began to break down so I started drifting back toward C.J.,” Steeber said.

“That was a guardian angel,” Curry said. “It was a heck of a catch by Steeber, too. Give that kid credit for that play.”

Steeber wasn’t done making plays, though. He finished with 53 yards rushing on five carries and caught three passes for 40 yards, and he drove a few nails in Dallas’ coffin with a 33-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to propel Berwick to a 21-7 advantage.

Zach Ladonis capped the 19-point fourth period with a 12-yard interception return of Zapoticky with less than a minute left in the game.

Dallas had surpassed the 100-yard mark in team rushing in the third quarter, but after that juncture, the Mounts registered minus-44 yards rushing on its last 10 carries, including sacks.

“We had the momentum on defense,” Marsteller said. “That’s definitely a strong side of the ball for us.”

After Berwick jumped to a 9-0 lead, Dallas clawed its way back to within 9-7 at halftime thanks to Zapoticky’s mobility. On Dallas’ touchdown drive, capped by a 4-yard pass from Zapoticky to Kris Roccograndi, No. 5 recorded four first downs via rushing attempts. But Berwick clamped down in the second half and Dallas’ slippery senior quarterback finished with 33 yards rushing and 72 yards passing.

“He’s a heck of a back,” Curry said of Zapoticky. “That’s a good football team we beat. Watch the film (from the first game) and you’d wonder how the heck we scored 50 on them because we couldn’t block. But we hit big plays.”

Dallas’ defense, too, deserved credit for limiting Berwick to just 27 yards rushing through the first 25:41 of the game. But the Bulldogs found its footing in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, and rushed for 105 yards over the duration of the game.

“We challenged some kids and told ’em to take them off the ball,” Curry said. “Take ’em off the stinkin’ ball. We challenged them and we got some blocks.”

Consider it a case of one block leading to the others.

NOTES: Andrew Force caught one pass for seven yards Saturday, but it was notable because it was his first non-touchdown reception of the season. Each of Force’s six receptions of the 2012 season had gone for touchdowns. C.J. Curry began the game 5-of-5 passing for 102 yards, but finished 2-of-8 for 36…….Dallas was hit with a pair of personal foul penalties in the fourth quarter after forcing a Berwick turnover on downs, and one of the Mountaineer players was ejected as a result. Dallas finished with eight penalties for 66 yards to Berwick’s seven for 51……Ladonis’ interception return for a touchdown came on Dallas’ first play from scrimmage following the pair of personal fouls.

Dallas 0 7 0 0 – 7
Berwick 3 6 0 19 – 28

Scoring
1st Qtr
BER – FG, Olivia Seely 25
2nd Qtr
BER – Jake Peccorelli 38 pass from C.J. Curry (kick failed)
DAL – Kris Roccograndi 4 pass from Ryan Zapoticky (Ryan Kozloski kick)
4th Qtr
BER – Matt Cashman 5 run (kick failed)
BER – Jeff Steeber 33 run (pass failed)
BER – Zach Ladonis 12 interception return (Seely kick)

BER DAL
Rushes-yds 40-132 32-59
Passing 7-13-0 6-14-1
Passing yds 138 72
Total offense 270 131
1st downs 15 10
Penalties 7-51 8-66
Turnovers 0 2

Individual statistics:

RUSHING: DAL: Ryan Zapoticky 21-33; Kris Roccograndi 9-22; Bill Gately 2-4. BER: Matt Cashman 15-58 TD; C.J. Curry 17-7; Jeff Steeber 5-53 TD; Jordan Stout 2-8; Jake Peccorelli 1-6.

PASSING: DAL: Zapoticky 6-14-1-72 TD. BER: Curry 7-13-0-138 TD.

RECEIVING: DAL: Jason Simonovich 1-33; Darik Johnson 2-22; Kyle Zumchak 2-13; Roccograndi 1-4 TD. BER: Peccorelli 2-85 TD; Steeber 3-40; Zach Ladonis 1-6; Andrew Force 1-7.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Central Columbia was having a blast of a season. Seven wins was exactly half of the Blue Jays total number of victories over the seven seasons prior to 2012. The Blue Jays also found themselves as the No. 2 seed in the District 4 AA playoffs.

Then, Mount Carmel did a different sort of blasting Friday night, knocking the Blue Jays out of playoff flight.

Behind a relentless power running game which chewed up 210 yards on 55 total carries, Mount Carmel (7-4) brought Central Columbia’s (7-4) turnaround season to a screeching halt with a 17-0 shutout victory in a District 4 AA quarterfinal game from the campus of Central Columbia High School Friday night.

With the victory, the Red Tornadoes advanced to the District 4 AA semifinals for the third consecutive season and will face the winner of the Lewisburg-Montoursville game which will be played tonight at 7 from Christy Mathewson Stadium at Bucknell University.

The Red Tornadoes’ record entering the playoffs – 6-4 – wasn’t impressive on the surface, and the program’s vaunted “Red Death” defense had four times been gouged for 32 points or more during the regular season. But Friday night, the “Red Death” found its groove and never let Central Columbia get into rhythm.

This night, Central Columbia ran only 29 offensive plays – 10 rushes, 19 passes. The Jays rushed for four net yards as a team, committed a pair of second half turnovers and finished with 115 yards of offense and only four first downs. Only one of those first downs came in the second half.

Carm DeFrancesco, Mount Carmel’s head coach, was almost in disbelief to hear the numbers.

“To do that against that offense…..,” DeFrancesco trailed off. “We said all along that if our defense got straightened out, we’d be tough.”

And Mount Carmel was also tough offensively, lining up Northwestern recruit Eric Joraskie, a two-way lineman, at tight end/fullback and making the Jays’ defense’s lives miserable with punishing blocks paving the way for Luke Klingerman all game long.

The Red Tornadoes shifted to the power I formation at the start of the second quarter and lined Joraskie up at fullback. The guests ran right at Central, and ran at them and ran at them and ran at them. It was as close to “lather, rinse, repeat” as it could get in a football game. Feature running back Luke Klingerman wound up with a game-high 142 yards rushing on 33 carries.

“We probably ran blast, blast, blast, like 20 times in the second half,” said Joraskie, who finished with 22 yards rushing on five carries and caught a 10-yard pass.

He wasn’t kidding. Joraskie even said that at one point, the Red Tornadoes called the same play eight times in a row in the goal line. Yet for the better part of the night, Central Columbia bent, but held.

“To our guys’ credit, they didn’t wear down,” said Central head coach Jason Hippenstiel. “They were still making goal line stands in the fourth quarter and that’s what I expect from a Central Columbia football team.”

But eventually, Mount Carmel broke the Jays’ defensive 11. A 9-play, 56-yard, 5:05 drive was capped with a Zach Wasilewski 1-yard run with 3:24 left in the third quarter. Mount Carmel widened the margin to 10-0 with a Rob Varano 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Both drives were the direct result of the Red Tornadoes’ north-to-south style ground game.

“That’s exactly what we talked about at halftime – running right at them,” Joraskie said.

“The kids know what’s going on out there,” DeFrancesco said. “The kids told the coaching staff, ‘We feel something, let’s run it right at them.’ And they were right. We (as a coaching staff) listen to our kids and trust our kids.”

Joraskie’s rushing attempts were his first five of the season, and it was a package No. 89 said was devised largely during the week leading up to the game.

“We started messing around with that package in practice this week,” DeFrancesco said. “And he told me, ‘Coach, in Little Leagues I played fullback. Heck, everybody plays fullback in Little Leagues.”

Wasilewski capped the game scoring with his second 1-yard run with 2:59 left in the game.

NOTES: If Lewisburg wins Saturday’s quarterfinal game, its semifinal game with Mount Carmel would be played at a neutral site. Lewisburg plays its home games at Christy Mathewson Stadium, but Bucknell University reportedly won’t be available for usage next weekend…….Central Columbia was 14-56 overall from 2005-11 and was making its first playoff appearance since 2004……..Mount Carmel has won 27 games over the last three seasons……Hippenstiel made certain to note there were more to take away from the game and his team’s legacy. “This senior group has done everything we’ve asked of them. We’re back on the map,” Hippenstiel said. “I have to give the seniors from two years ago a lot of credit, because they taught that sophomore class about hard work despite finishing 0-10.” Those sophomores were the members of the Blue Jays’ current senior class.

Mount Carmel 0 0 7 10 – 17
Central Columbia 0 0 0 0 – 0

Scoring
3rd Qtr
M – Zach Wasilewski 1 run (Rob Varano kick)
4th Qtr
M – FG, Varano 22
M – Wasilewski 1 run (Varano kick)

MCA CC
Rushes-yds 55-210 10-4
Passing 7-12-0 7-19-1
Passing yds 81 111
Total offense 291 115
1st downs 15 4
Penalties 4-25 4-40
Turnovers 0 2

Individual statistics

RUSHING: MCA: Luke Klingerman 33-142; Zach Wasilewski 10-4 2 TD; Eric Joraskie 5-22; Bobby Beierschmitt 1-33; Danny Lesko 3-7; Corey Langton 2-2. CC: Dain Kowalski 3-3; Eric McCracken 4-2; Jordan Thivierge 3-minus-1.

PASSING: MCA: Wasilewski 7-12-0-81. CC: Thivierge 7-19-1-111.

RECEIVING: MCA: Rob Varano 4-50; Elijah Duran 1-17; Joraskie 1-10; Klingerman 1-0. CC: Dylan Hine 2-85; Kowalski 4-17; Adam Novak 1-9.

Before delving into some notes from around the eastern half of the state, many individual milestones were achieved throughout the course of the weekend. Some of the following made Dave Mika’s shoutouts which he posts weekly on Eastern PA Football’s Facebook page. Some did not. Check these items out:

– Harriton senior quarterback Pat Moriarty helped engineer a 36-35 victory over Strath Haven Friday night. In the victory, Moriarty set numerous milestones. First, he surpassed 6,000 career passing yards, becoming the first Harriton quarterback to ever accomplish that feat. Moriarty also established himself as the Central League’s all-time leading passer for career yardage, with 6,153 yards, passing former Marple Newtown quarterback Chris Gicking, who threw for 5,897. Moriarty also set a new single-season career high in passing yards (2,115), edging his mark of 2,040 as a junior.

– Colin McDermott of Allentown Central Catholic rushed for 422 yards on 43 carries in a rout of Bethlehem Catholic, giving him the Vikings’ single-season rushing yardage record of 2,114 yards (and counting). McDermott surpassed the 5,000-yard career benchmark Friday night as well, and unofficially has 5,294 yards for ACC in his career.

– Tri-Valley senior running back Blake Bowman surpassed 4,000 career yards rushing in the Bulldogs’ 42-28 victory over Line Mountain Friday night. Bowman scored all six T-V touchdowns in the game and has rushed for 1,958 yards and scored 31 touchdowns this 2012 season and has rushed for 4,228 yards for his career.

– Riverside senior quarterback Nick Dranchak surpassed 5,000 career yards passing Friday in the Vikings’ 34-20 loss to Dunmore by completing 16-of-36 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Dranchak is now up to 5,165 yards for his career, and has an upcoming playoff game to add to those totals against Old Forge. Dranchak is Riverside’s career passing leader and first-ever 5,000-yard passer in school history.

– Cedar Cliff junior quarterback Andrew Ford eclipsed the career 4,000-yard passing benchmark in Cedar Cliff’s 38-34 loss to Mechanicsburg Friday night. Ford’s 153 yards on a 13-of-21 night moved him to 4,087 yards and 46 touchdowns for his career and 2,717 yards passing and 34 touchdowns in his junior season alone. The Colts have qualified for the District 3 AAAA playoffs and will face Penn Manor Friday.

– Delaware Valley senior quarterback and Miami (OH) recruit Bryan Schor surpassed the 2,000-yard mark in passing, giving him his first-ever season of 2,000 pass yards or more. Schor has thrown for 2,001 yards for the Warriors (9-1) for the season and is just 66 yards away from 6,000 for his career. Schor is already the first quarterback in Del Val history to surpass the 4,000 & 5,000-yard career passing benchmarks.

– One week after rushing for a school single-game record 345 yards, Archbishop Wood’s Andrew Guckin posted a second consecutive 300-yard rushing performance. Guckin rushed for 304 yards and four touchdowns in a 54-28 blitz of Cardinal O’Hara, giving him 10 touchdowns over the last two weeks. Consecutive 300-yard rushing performances is a first for Guckin’s career at Wood.

– Just weeks removed from setting a District 2 single-game passing yardage record, Holy Redeemer’s Jimmy Strickland was at it again, throwing for 447 yards and five touchdowns while completing 22-of-28 passes. Strickland threw for 481 yards earlier in the season and now owns two of the top three individual single-game passing performances in District 2 history and two top-10 single game passing performances in state history.

– Eastern York’s Alex Cooley rushed for 492 yards scored 10 touchdowns in the Golden Knights’ 81-56 (81-56!!!!) Week 10 victory over York County Tech. Cooley’s 10 touchdowns are a single-game school record, breaking the mark of eight touchdowns he scored against Hanover in establishing himself as the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association’s all-time career leading rusher. Cooley’s 492 yards are the second-highest single-game rushing totals in both District 3 and state history, trailing only his 500-yard performance against Hanover earlier in the season.

– Nazareth’s Parish Simmons joined the 1,000/1,000 quarterback club despite the Eagles losing to Easton, 35-14, Monday. Simmons has passed for 1,499 yards and rushed for 1,075.

– Williamsport’s Devin Miller finished with his third consecutive season of 1,000+ rushing yards. Though 2012 was a struggle for the Millionaires, Miller still rushed for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns, giving him 3,260 yards for his career.

– ELCO freshman quarterback Jeff Martin threw for a career-high 282 yards in the Raiders’ 42-28 loss to North Schuylkill Saturday, giving him 1,016 yards passing for the season. Martin is the second freshman quarterback from eastern Pennsylvania this season to surpass 1,000 yards in the air (Council Rock North’s Brandon McIlwain is the other). Martin is also the 17th freshman to pass for 1,000+ yards in a season since 2005.

***
Following Friday night’s 24-14 loss to Danville, I caught up with Seals head coach Dave Hess (44-19) and got his take about a few things from the game and his team. Last year, Selinsgrove went through an aberration of a season, finishing 1-9 overall. But this season, the Seals rebounded and won seven games, finished second in the Heartland Athletic Conference Divsion-I and earned its traditional No. 1 seed in the District 4 AAA playoffs.

I noted to Hess that maybe this season was about validation that Selinsgrove hadn’t faded off from being relevant in the District 4 football community, and he wholeheartedly agreed.

“That’s correct – we haven’t gone anywhere (as a football program),” Hess said. “This is one of the youngest teams I’ve ever coached in my 30+ years here at Selinsgrove. Our three losses came to Berwick, Southern Columbia and Danville, and there’s no shame in losing to those teams. Plus we beat a state-ranked Trinity team. The future here is very bright.”

Another bright future lies with one of Hess’ former Seals, Seth Lauver, who scored the game-winning touchdown in the Seals’ 2009 PIAA AAA championship victory over Manheim Central just months before a horrific car accident on prom night which seriously injured both he and his date.

Hess said his former fullback is attending Bloomsburg University and commutes there daily. He transferred home from Edinboro University, where he played in a wheelchair basketball league.

“His goals have still remained the same,” Hess said. “He is majoring in counseling at Bloomsburg and he hopes to eventually get back down to Philadelphia to work with young people who are going through things similar to what he experienced.”

***
Last week’s notebook column generated a lot of comments about 1,000-yard backfield duos and even a question about 1,000-yard backfield trios. As I was going over those comments and responding to some of them, I realized I’d left out a really cool tidbit about Pottsgrove’s Tori Hudgins and Mark Dukes in relation to pairs of 1,000-yard rushers.

I promised I’d share that tidbit in this week’s notebook.

Hudgins and Dukes, recall, both surpassed 1,000 yards rushing each one week prior to last, and that’s especially noteable because they’ve added their names to the list of repeat 1,000-yard backfield duos. Plus, Hudgins and Dukes are the second Pottsgrove pair to finish consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards rushing each.

Hudgins and Dukes join a list which includes, at a minimum, the following backfield tandems: Alex Svetz and Tyler Johnson, North East (10), 2010-11; Roman Clay and Brandon Hollister, Lancaster Catholic (3), 2010-11; Desmon Peoples and Brandon Peoples, Archbishop Wood (12), 2010-11; Maika Polamalu and Kayvon Greene, Pottsgrove (1), 2009-10; Rob Hollomon and Ray Maples, West Catholic (12), 2007-08; and Jeffrey Noyes and Matt Falcone, Palmerton (11), 2007-08.

***
Two Lancaster-Lebanon League teams added their names to the list of 1,000-yard backfield rushing duos over the weekend – Cocalico and Donegal.

For the Indians, Kris Trimby (1,236) and Dylan Maxwell (1,069) gave the Indians their first 1,000-yard rushing duo under head coach Jeff Polites. The Indians, who are 9-1 and have qualified for the District 3 AAA playoffs, will face Conrad Weiser in the opening round. Weiser has played Donegal in non-league action before, and enjoyed success against the Indians.

Cocalico, meanwhile, is averaging 325.8 yards rushing per game and is led by Nick Reitenbach (1,030 yards) and Spencer Moser (1,027). The Eagles are no strangers to enjoying a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same backfield. 2012 marks the third time since 2007 that the Eagles have had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers on the same team.

The 2012 Donegal and Cocalico duos are the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s 9th and 10th 1,000-yard rushing duos since 2003 – Cocalico has three of the 10, and Lancaster Catholic and Manheim Central have produced two each. Donegal, Cedar Crest and Penn Manor each have one.

***
Speaking of 1,000-yard backfield duos, Shippensburg Area in District 3 is closing in on one. Junior William Burt has already surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau and senior Tyrell Kater needs just 81 yards to reach 1,000 himself.

Shippensburg, which has qualified for the District 3 AAA playoffs and is 9-1 overall, has had quite a run of success these last three years under head coach Eric Foust. Foust has helped turn the Greyhounds into an annual playoff contender, finishing 8-3 in 2010 and 9-3 last year, winning a playoff game and reaching the D3 AAA quarterfinals. Foust has coached at Shippensburg since 2001, and has posted a 58-67 record.

***
On the subject of coaching, Ridley’s Dennis Decker completed his second unblemished regular season since becoming the head coach of the Green Raiders prior to the 2009 season. Decker’s overall record at Ridley is 42-7 and includes a District 1 AAAA championship, which came in 2009.

Bermudian Springs and head coach Jon DeFoe also capped its second straight undefeated regular season Friday night. Bermudian finished 11-1 overall last season and reached the District 3 AA semifinals.

***
Wyomissing blue-chipper Alex Anzalone reaffirmed his decision to continue his collegiate football career at Notre Dame. The Spartan senior running back/linebacker issued a statement via Twitter Monday evening. Anzalone is Wyomissing’s leading rusher and has scored a team-high 19 touchdowns in 10 games. In helping preserve Wyomissing’s 10-0 record against rival Berks Catholic Saturday afternoon, Anzalone recorded a pair of sacks and picked off a pass. He also scored both Wyomissing touchdowns.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district. Please note, if multiple teams from a geographic district appear in HM, they are arranged in alphabetical order within that specific region.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 10-0), def. Altoona Area 42-14
2. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 9-0), def. Archbishop Ryan 29-6
3. Gateway (7, 9-1), def. Peters Township 35-19
4. Downingtown East (1, 10-0), def. Henderson 6-3
5. La Salle College High School (12, 9-1), def. Roman Catholic 42-13
6. Ridley (1, 10-0), def. Penncrest 47-20
7. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 9-1), def. Warwick 28-0
8. Scranton (2, 10-0), def. Abington Heights 35-0
9. Easton Area (11, 9-1), def. Nazareth 35-14
10. Central Dauphin (3, 8-2), lost to Central Dauphin East 21-19

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Coatesville (1), Garnet Valley (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Mt. Lebanon (7), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), Woodland Hills (7), McDowell (10), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 10-0), def. Palmyra 49-14
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 10-0), def. General McLane 47-0
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 8-2), def. Cardinal O’Hara 54-28
4. Thomas Jefferson (7, 10-0), def. Hollidaysburg 63-19
5. Pottsgrove (1, 10-0), def. Phoenixville 24-7
6. West Allegheny (7, 9-1), def. Ringgold 48-7
7. West York Area (3, 10-0), def. New Oxford 35-0
8. Montour (7, 9-1), def. Washington Trinity 27-6
9. Central Valley (7, 8-2), def. Belle Vernon Area 17-16
10. Cocalico (3, 9-1), def. Ephrata 54-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Academy Park (1), Henderson (1), Abington Heights (2), Berwick (2), Conrad Weiser (3), Garden Spot (3), Lancaster Catholic (3), Manheim Central (3), Shippensburg (3), Selinsgrove (4), Franklin Regional (7), Mars (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10), Slippery Rock (10), Allentown Central Catholic (11)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 10-0), def. Steel Valley 55-0
2. Wyomissing (3, 10-0), def. Berks Catholic 14-0
3. Washington (7, 10-0), def. Shady Side Academy 47-12
4. South Fayette (7, 10-0), Freedom Area 49-13
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 10-0), def. Delaware Valley Charter 48-0
6. Hickory (10, 8-1), DNP Week 10
7. Jeannette (7, 9-1), def. South Allegheny 40-7
8. Trinity (3, 9-1), def. Middletown Area 29-7
9. Richland (6, 10-0), def. Bellwood-Antis 14-7
T-10. Bermudian Springs (3, 10-0), def. Biglerville 37-21
T-10. Catasauqua (11, 10-0), def. Northwestern Lehigh 57-3

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Berks Catholic (3), Schuylkill Valley (3), Danville (4), Lewisburg (4), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 10-0), def. Frazier 58-6
2. Southern Columbia (4, 10-0), def. Warrior Run 50-19
3. Old Forge (2, 10-0), def. Susquehanna 49-6
4. Dunmore (2, 9-1), def. Riverside 34-20
5. Sto-Rox (7, 9-1), def. Charmichaels 40-7
6. Rochester (7, 9-1), def. Avonworth 35-15
7. Williams Valley (11, 10-0), def. East Juniata 41-0
8. Bloomsburg (4, 8-2), def. Central Columbia 34-12
9. Sharpsville (10, 8-1), def. Sharon Area 28-6
T-10. Bellwood-Antis (6, 9-1), lost to Richland 14-7
T-10. Port Allegany (9, 10-0), def. Brockway 54-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Lackawanna Trail (2), Line Mountain (4), So. Williamsport (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Northern Bedford (5), Windber (5), Penns Manor (6), Portage (6), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Clarion Area (9), Union-Rimersburg (9), West Middlesex (10), Marian Catholic (11), Tri-Valley (11)

WYOMISSING, Pa. – Even though Berks Catholic and Wyomissing have only faced each other two times, the Week 10 meeting already has a nickname – “The Backyard Brawl.”

Meeting No. 2 might go down in history as “The Backyard Scrap.”

Wyomissing (10-0, 6-0 Berks Football League Section 2) used another stingy defensive effort and limited Berks Catholic’s (9-1, 5-1) run-centric Wing-T offense to 71 yards on 41 total carries to earn a 14-0 victory Saturday afternoon at Wyomissing Area High School’s campus in Reading’s western suburbs.

The Spartans capped a second consecutive unblemished regular season and also claimed the Wolfrum-Keeley Trophy, the prize to the victors of the “Backyard Brawl” named for the head coaches of both schools who are fixtures in the Berks prep football community – Bob Wolfrum (Wyomissing) and Rick Keeley (Berks Catholic).

“Well, we won,” Wolfrum deadpanned postgame.

That would be the short of it. Heck, the game was also pretty short – it was completed in just under two hours time. But the thought of getting a jump start on watching some college football wasn’t on the forefront of the mind of the Spartans’ veteran coach.

“Our defense played well,” Wolfrum said. “But they kicked the crap out of our offense.”

Wyomissing had averaged 42.2 points and more than 305 yards rushing per game entering Saturday’s showdown with BC, but Wyomissing never really ran away from its local rival, save for a couple of big plays.

The Saints held Wyomissing in check – to 167 yards rushing on 36 carries – and ran decidedly more plays than the hosts. BC ran 57 plays to Wyomissing’s 39.

“Our defense played with a lot of heart today,” Keeley said. “They’re a good football team. We wish them luck and they wish us luck.”

And Wyomissing also had a couple of opportunities slip through its grasp – steady placekicker Jonah Bowman pushed a 42-yard field goal attempt wide left to cap the Spartans’ opening possession. That field goal was set up by an Alex Anzalone 53-yard run.

The Spartans also committed a pair of second half turnovers, as many as the team had committed through its first nine games, throwing an interception and losing a fumble.

“They were running 11 up (front) and daring us to throw,” Wolfrum said. “We did throw early in the second half, and it wound up being a turnover. We knew our defense was playing well, so we decided that as long as we held them, we could do just enough (offensively) to get by.”

After picking up five first downs within the first 13:23 of game clock, Wyomissing had just two first downs for the remainder of the game.

Yet it was enough, thanks to Anzalone. He rushed for a game-high 117 yards on 11 carries and scored the game’s opening touchdown on a 23-yard run in the second quarter. Two plays prior to the touchdown, teammate Justin Causa broke a 23-yard run to open the drive.

“We knew what was coming with the counter (which Anzalone scored on),” Keeley said. “We knew they’d run it and we thought we had a good look at it. But that’s a credit to how good of a team they are when we knew what was coming and they made it work anyway.”

Then, later in the period, Anzalone did something he hadn’t done all season – record a pass reception. Lined up in the slot, the Notre Dame recruit ran a wheel route and hauled in a floating spiral from Joe Cacchione for a 56-yard touchdown.

Berks Catholic players said one of the Spartan players, split end Gerald Burns, set a pick on the play, physically blocking the defender from covering Anzalone. Keeley said he didn’t see it because he was on the far end of the field, but would watch film.

“We’ve been running that play the whole season,” Anzalone said. “The quarterback gave me a nice throw and an opportunity to make a play.”

Anzalone was also forceful defensively, recording two sacks and picking off a pass.

“We were in position to make those defensive plays because of our coaches,” Anzalone said.

But the Spartans’ defense bent at times – the Saints managed 13 first downs for the game and twice advanced deep into Wyomissing territory – including earning a 1st-and-goal from the 10 yard line late in the first half. Wyomissing, though, didn’t break, forcing a punt on one and a turnover on downs for the other. The hosts also limited Saints’ feature back Jack Huntsman to 51 yards on 13 carries.

“We struggled a bit on defense last week (against Schuylkill Valley),” Wolfrum said. “But today it was just the opposite. Our defense has really carried us over the past two seasons.”

NOTES: Berks Catholic is a second-year program which came about as the result of the jointure of Reading Holy Name and Reading Central Catholic high schools. “Last year, we were Cardinals and Blue Jays playing on the same field,” Keeley said. “This year, we are all Saints on the field. We’ve made remarkable progress.”…….Berks Catholic has yet to score a point against Wyomissing in the series, being outscored 49-0 overall, including 35-0 in 2011……Twenty of Wyomissing’s 22 starters between offense and defense are seniors……..Both teams battled to a scoreless first quarter, and the Spartans and Saints have surrenderred a combined 17 first quarter points all season…….Anzalone has scored 19 total touchdowns, which is tops on Wyomissing’s team.

Berks Catholic 0 0 0 0 – 0
Wyomissing 0 14 0 0 – 14

Scoring
2nd Qtr
WYO – Alex Anzalone 23 run (Jonah Bowman kick)
WYO – Anzalone 56 pass from Joe Cacchione (Bowman kick)

BC WYO
Rushes-yds 41-71 36-167
Passing 8-16-1 1-3-1
Pass yds 159 56
Total offense 230 223
1st downs 13 7
Penalties 1-17 2-10
Turnovers 1 2

Individual statistics:

RUSHING: BC: Jack Huntsman 13-51; Chris Warren 9-40; Cooper Kutz 4-12; Carsen Allen 3-0; Patrick Causa 6-minus-5; Matt Kase 6-minus-27. WYO: Alex Anzalone 11-117 TD; Justin Causa 8-41; Brandon Gonzalez 8-11; Mason Smith 5-6; Joe Cacchione 4-minus-8.

PASSING: BC: Kase 5-9-0-102; Causa 3-7-1-52. WYO: Cacchione 1-3-1-56 TD.

RECEIVING: BC: Kutz 3-56; Warren 3-49; Allen 1-34; Kyle Eliff 1-7. WYO: Anzalone 1-56 TD.

TAMAQUA, Pa. – Feeling the certainty of history being made, the anticipation on the visiting side of Men of Marian Stadium was building over the final minute.

There was a large, paper banner being carried by some cheerleaders. Some fans waved white rally towels. And as the final seconds of the game clock ticked away, the roar from the Blue Raider faithful was something else.

And when the final horn sounded after Marian’s Damian Richards was tackled to the turf on the game’s final play, so many firsts wrapped themselves into one collective moment for the guests clad in blue and white.

Tamaqua (10-0 overall, 8-0 Anthracite League) capped the school’s first undefeated and untied 10-0 regular season in school history and also claimed the program’s first Anthracite League championship thanks to a 12-0 victory over Marian Catholic (8-2, 6-2) Saturday night.

But consider it a case of the tables being turned. In the series, played since 1982, Marian had shut out Tamaqua eight times, including five times in a six-year window from 1992-’98. Saturday night also marked the Blue Raiders’ first-ever shutout of the Colts.

When Tamaqua took the field before the start of the game, the entire team gathered and danced on the “M” at midfield. All that was left for the exclamation mark postgame was one Blue Raider player to stake the school flag to the midfield emblem.

“Marian did a really good job,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “But I think our defense is pretty good, too.”

Actually, the Blue Raiders’ defense might be its best-kept secret.

Marian head coach Stan Dakosty noted pregame he’d changed up the offensive philosophy of his Colts to more of a spread attack. And for the opening drive of the game, the hosts did keep the Raiders off-balance, mixing the speed of Dylan Quirk, the power of Richards and junior Anthony Agosti. The Colts rang up 55 yards on the drive and four first downs, which ended on downs at the Tamaqua 27.

The rest of the night, the Colts managed 68 yards – with 53 of them coming on a pass-and-catch from Corey Quick to tight end Lukas Damian.

Defensive end Derick Vandermartin, who recovered a fumble Saturday night and entered the game with 30 tackles and three sacks, said the defensive unit wasn’t happy with how the game began.

“We didn’t come out as strong as we wanted to,” Vandermartin said. “But after halftime, we came out on fire. That was because the seniors got together and said we wanted to leave a mark.”

Oh, Tamaqua made its mark, to be sure. Marian rushed for only 18 yards on 28 team carries, including sacks. Quick, who was sacked three times in the game, never quite got the same amount of time to survey Tamaqua’s defense as he had on the game’s opening possession. After completing 4-of-5 passes on the Colts’ opening possession, Quick finished the game 2-of-13.

Ten of Marian’s 44 offensive plays went for negative yardage, including a center snap which sailed high and wound up in a 20-yard loss. Vandermartin recovered that bad snap.

“Our defense knew that they had a lot of speed and that they would try to stretch it to the outside,” Bonner said. “No doubt our defense has been getting better. They really stepped up in the North Schuylkill game (in Week 6) and they’ve been making big plays ever since.”

Quarterback Nate Edmonds, too, noted the Raiders’ defense and its playmaking ability.

“Our defense is really amazing,” said Edmonds, who threw for 156 yards and both Tamaqua touchdowns Saturday night. “It’s not just one guy who makes all of the plays. Everybody makes plays.”

The victory earned Bonner a Gatorade bath – but the Blue Raiders have been gaining more and more with each victory each week. They’ve become the talk of the town of Tamaqua, a town in northeastern Schuylkill County at the juncture of Routes 209 and 309.

“It (being the talk of the town) is really nice,” Vandermartin said. “We were always the underdogs and always under the radar. This night and this win are more than words can describe. It means so much to us and to our town.”

Chalk the Blue Raiders up among the numerous Schuylkill County small-school football teams having very successful 2012 seasons. Beyond the Raiders’ historic 10-0 mark, Williams Valley (a Class A school from Tower City) finished 10-0 and won the Tri-Valley League championship. Tri-Valley, a Class A team based in Hegins which won just three games a season ago, is 9-1 and enjoys a powerful 1-2 backfield punch. Marian’s eight wins are its most in a season since 2007, when the Colts went 11-3 and claimed a District 11 championship.

“Schuylkill County football – the whole region is improving every day,” Vandermartin said. “We really want to show other regions that Schuylkill County isn’t a slouch (for football).”

Bonner has said before, and said so again Saturday night, that the Blue Raiders’ season was only going to go as far as its senior class would take it.

“And they’ve done a tremendous job the whole year,” Bonner said. “Every one of them. I’m very proud of them.”

Vandermartin is one of those seniors. Edmonds, conversly, is a junior, but he doesn’t want the Blue Raiders’ run to stop with only an Anthracite League crown.

“We definitely don’t want it to end here,” Edmonds said.

NOTES: Tamaqua can finish no worse than the No. 2 seed in the District 11 Class AA playoff bracket. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs. Before the start of Saturday’s game, Marian Catholic faced the possibility of playing Tri-Valley in the opening round……Marian Catholic was dealt two big blows in the form of first-half injuries – Quirk left the game after only recording four carries and did not return. Agosti, meanwhile, was injured attempting a halfback option pass. He left the game and was wearing a soft cast on his lower left leg in the second half. The extent or severity of the injuries was not known……Marian Catholic leads the all-time series with Tamaqua, 19-9.

DANVILLE, Pa. – Cale Rice, a Danville senior defensive back, had something he’d been itching to tell any member of the media willing to listen.

It wasn’t something to be confused for a bold statement or guarantee of a District 4 championship. Rather, it was about a nickname for his school’s defensive unit.

“We call ourselves the ‘Orange Crush’ defense – you know – just like the soda,” Rice said. “The whole defense, before every game, we each drink a can of Orange Crush as a team bonding thing.”

Turns out Rice was just a part of a collective Danville defensive effort which opened a can of forcing turnover after turnover against a rising, but youthful, Selinsgrove team.

Rice intercepted his team leading seventh pass and recovered three Seal fumbles as Danville (8-2, 6-0 HAC-I) hassled and pressured Selinsgrove (7-3, 5-1) into six turnovers, including two recoveries of muffed kickoffs to open the second half, to secure the Heartland Athletic Conference Division-I championship with a 24-14 victory Friday night at Ironmen Stadium in Danville.

The Danville victory, coupled with Central Columbia’s 34-12 loss to red-hot Bloomsburg, unofficially gave the Ironmen the No. 1 seed in the upcoming District 4 Class AA tournament. Selinsgrove was already the No. 1 seed in the District 4 Class AAA tournament, so the loss Friday did not affect the Seals’ playoff seeding.

If Rice-A-Roni is indeed the San Francisco treat, then Rice was the orange and purple’s treat this night.

“In our second game, I had four interceptions against Loyalsock,” Rice said. “But this is a lot more special. It was the biggest game of our season. This is the best feeling in the world. The best feeling in the world.”

Selinsgrove, which deferred receiving the kickoff until the second half, never could have figured the move would not see them run their first play of the second half with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. And yet, that’s what became reality for Dave Hess’ crew as Danville reached back into its special teams playbook for a pooch kickoff.

“That was something a former special teams coach at Danville used to do (the pooch kicks), and we didn’t have the wind at our backs (in the third quarter),” explained Danville head coach James Keiser. “Those were very much by design because we wanted to keep the ball away from Juvon Batts.”

On the initial kickoff, Rice recovered the fumble of a Seal upback at the 40-yard line, and it led to a Danville touchdown – a 5-yard scoring pass from junior Weston Baylor to Zack Kozick. On the ensuing kickoff, the ball landed, rolled a little, but was never covered by a Seals’ player. Rice recovered at the 25 and Shayne Riley booted a short field goal to widen Danville’s margin to 17.

Counting the two kickoffs (uncovered kickoffs by the return team count against a team as a lost fumble), Selinsgrove lost three fumbles in the game.

“The second kickoff was just a mistake (on our part),” Hess said. “It was youth, man. It was youth. We made a lot of goofy mistakes tonight, but I don’t want to take anything away from Danville. They are a very good and well-coached team.”

That didn’t stop the Seals from keeping it a game for much of the first 24 minutes. The Seals ran 35 plays to Danville’s 30 in the first half, and tied the game at 7s in the first quarter on a Batts 14-yard run following a 3-yard punt.

Batts, a freshman, led all rushers for the game with 112 yards on 17 carries. But he had only 38 of those yards in the second half – 21 of which came in the final two plays of the game before Danville’s celebration began.

“He’s only a freshman and he’s going to get better,” Keiser said.

“We knew he (Batts) was fast and that we had to shut him down, but I had full faith in my defense the whole game,” Rice said. “I feel we’re the best defense in the state.”

Junior Sam Dressler got the scoring started for Danville with a 20-yard run, capping a quick 1:22 drive to open the game. Dressler’s run was set up by a Baylor to Bret Berg connection of 46 yards on the drive’s first play. Dressler then scored on a 4-yard run early in the second quarter.

Rapp capped the game scoring when he found Hunter Kantz for a 6-yard pass-and-catch in the fourth quarter. Rapp finished with 82 yards passing on a 7-of-17 night, but was intercepted not only by Rice, but also Kozick and linebacker Eric Haney, the team’s leading tackler and a junior linebacker.

At the onset of the season, Danville wasn’t among the short list of teams mentioned to contend for the HAC-I conference crown. “You know, it’s funny,” Keiser noted. “We weren’t in the preseason discussion (for the conference) and it got our kids pretty fired up.”

“That’s just how we like it,” Rice said of the lack of preseason mention.

And before the night was done, Rice threw out another number.

“Here’s a stat for you – 107 – we’ve allowed 107 points in 10 games. That’s pretty good,” Rice said.

You’d think Rice might have a future as an accountant. For the firm “Orange Crush, LLC.”

NOTES: Danville’s HAC-I championship is the program’s second in the last three seasons under Keiser, who took over the program in 2009. Danville is 35-10 overall since then……Riley’s 18-yard field goal in the third quarter was his seventh of the season……Batts’ 112 yards moved his season rushing total to a team-leading 544 yards with six touchdowns on 91 carries……Selinsgrove’s marching band received a standing ovation from the Danville crowd for its energetic and entertaining halftime show……Keiser was limping postgame after injuring his calf when he jumped in celebration in the first quarter and landed awkwardly. “That’s what’s bad about getting old,” Keiser said afterward……Baylor, who assumed the reins of Danville’s wing-T offense following three-year starter and 3,700-yard passer Andrew Andreychik, bumped his season passing totals to 1,118 yards with 13 touchdowns following Friday’s game…..Of Danville’s 43-man roster, 38 are underclassmen; 48 of Selinsgrove’s 64-man roster are underclassmen.

Selinsgrove 7 0 0 7 – 14
Danville 7 710 0 – 24

Scoring
1st Qtr
D – Sam Dressler 20 run (Shayne Riley kick)
S – Juvon Batts 14 run (Kaelen Sullivan kick)
2nd Qtr
D – Dressler 4 run (Riley kick)
3rd Qtr
D – Zack Kozick 5 pass from Weston Baylor (Riley kick)
D – FG, Riley 18
4th Qtr
S – Hunter Kantz 6 pass from Isaiah Rapp (Sullivan kick)

SEL DAN
Rushes-yds 36-167 41-115
Passing 7-17-3 11-18-0
Pass yds 82 158
Total offense 249 273
1st downs 16 14
Penalties 8-57 7-50
Turnovers 6 1

Individual statistics:
RUSHING: SEL: Juvon Batts 17-112 TD; Zach Adams 8-35; Mike Walters 8-25; Isaiah Rapp 2-2; TEAM 1-minus-7. DAN: Sam Dressler 20-79 2 TD; Weston Baylor 12-29; Zack Kozick 3-13; Tom Brouse 1-2; Isaiah Croll 5-minus-8.

PASSING: SEL: Rapp 7-17-3-82 TD. DAN: Baylor 11-18-0-182 TD.

RECEIVING: SEL: Walter Jacobs 3-42; Hunter Kantz 2-24 TD; Logan Benner 1-13; Dylan Beaver 1-3. DAN: Bret Berg 5-96; Kozick 3-41 TD; Brouse 1-10; Croll 1-8; Cale Rice 1-3.

Wilson-West Lawn’s relentless defensive unit now has a second member who has chosen to continue his football career at the Division-1 level.

Junior Joseph, a 6’3, 236-pound tight end/linebacker for the Bulldogs, issued a verbal declaration to Connecticut Thursday evening. Joseph announced he had committed to the Huskies, a representative of the Big East Conference, via Twitter.

Including UConn, Joseph held scholarship offers from programs like Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Old Dominion, Rutgers, Toledo and Western Michigan. Pitt had also shown interest, but not offered a scholarship.

Joseph becomes the second Bulldog player to issue a declaration to a Division-1 FBS or FCS program this week. Teammate Matt Rothrock issued a declaration to Lafayette of the Patriot League Tuesday.

The Huskies have secured two declarations from Pennsylvania prospects in this 2013 recruiting class – General McLane’s Quinn Thompson picked UConn in mid-July. Montour offensive lineman Matt Barone also declared to Connecticut earlier in the year before switching to Temple.

One of many keys to a defensive unit (including reserves) which has allowed an average of 7.2 points per game with three shutouts, Joseph has tallied 46 tackles, three sacks, six hurries and a deflected pass, averaging 5.1 tackles per game. He’s also hauled in five passes for 63 yards and one touchdown and rushed 27 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns, posting a season-high 118 yards and two touchdowns against Manheim Township.

The records, they were a-fallin’ this weekend. It wasn’t just one or two – several single-game school records were rewritten. And they seemed especially concentrated in the southeastern part of the state.

The following information regarding District 12 records is attributed to long-time Philadelphia prep sportswriting veteran Ted Silary (who, by the way, keeps one of the most remarkable informational prep football websites in all of Pennsylvania at www.tedsilary.com):

We begin with the Archbishop Wood-Monsignor Bonner scorefest, which Wood won, 56-35. A pair of records – one each for the Vikings and Friars – were established, and another was tied. On the Wood sideline, senior Andrew Guckin set a school single-game rushing record by amassing 345 yards and scoring six touchdowns on 20 carries.

Meanwhile, on the Bonner sideline, quarterback Colin DiGalbo threw for a single-game record 332 yards (on just 14 completions) and tossed five touchdown passes. Bonner receiver Christian Summers caught four of the five touchdown passes, which tied a Philadelphia City single-game record.

West Catholic saw a record fall in its narrow 28-26 loss to PCL AAAA rep LaSalle College High School. Sophomore quarterback Antwain McCollum set a new single-game passing record, throwing for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Burrs. West Catholic needed every one of those yards from McCollum’s aerial assault – the Burrs’ potent rushing attack was held in check – to 53 yards on 27 carries.

The Philadelphia Public League also got into the record-breaking act. Boys Latin Charter senior quarterback Erik Lark threw for a school single-game record 287 yards and three touchdowns, spreading his 18 pass completions among six different receivers. Lark is up to 2,928 yards passing for his career for Boys Latin, and could become the second PPL field general to reach the 3,000-yard mark in career passing this season – Frankford’s Tim DiGiorgio already accomplished that feat earlier in the year.

Simon Gratz, BLC’s opponent and the victor in a 62-34 contest, matched a school record for victories in a single season (9), and capped the first undefeated and untied regular season in program history.

In District 11, Allentown Central Catholic senior Colin McDermott moved within 80 yards of a new school single-season rushing record. McDermott, largely the focal point of ACC’s offense this season, has 1,692 yards and 22 touchdowns on 262 carries – just 77 yards shy of the school single-season record of 1,769, set in 1996.

Also in District 11, Tamaqua moved one step closer to its first-ever 10-0 start to a season in school history with a 49-0 shutout of Minersville. The Blue Raiders’ 9-0 start to its season is the first in 85 years – Tamaqua also started 9-0 in 1927.

***
Regrettably, we missed mention in this notebook of Bishop McDevitt senior quarterback Alec Werner’s recent passage of 5,000 career yards, making him the fourth 5,000+-yard passer in Crusader program history, which ties Conestoga Valley and Bangor Pius X for most 5,000-yard passers from one program. Werner moved ever closer to 6,000 career yards with a 325-yard performance Friday in a 44-34 shootout victory over Cedar Cliff.

The Cedar Cliff victory marked Werner’s 22nd of his career as a varsity starter, who has thrown for 5,567 yards in his career – 1,942 of those have come in his senior season.

***
Lancaster Catholic senior running back Roman Clay surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards in the Crusaders’ 49-0 shutout victory over Cedar Crest Friday. Clay needed just 13 carries to tally more than 300 yards on the ground and score four touchdowns. Clay has 5,212 yards and scored 74 rushing touchdowns in his career, and is up to 1,769 yards and 22 touchdowns through nine games.

***
Perkiomen Valley’s Rasaan Stewart became just the fifth District 1 quarterback to amass 1,000 yards rushing and passing in the same season. Despite his Vikings falling to Pottsgrove, 42-28, Stewart, who had nearly 300 yards of total offense, finds himself with 1,249 yards passing and 1,046 yards rushing. He joins John Haldis (Council Rock South, 2003), David Cronagle (Boyertown, 2008), Zac Gravelle (Quakertown, 2010) and Casey Perlstein (Upper Perkiomen) as 1,000/1,000 quarterbacks from District 1, according to the Pennsylvania Football News.

PFN’s records for 1,000/1,000 QBs date back to 1996.

NOTE: Don Seeley of the Pottstown-Mercury reports Stewart has 946 yards entering Perkiomen Valley’s Week 10 game against Spring-Ford, not 1,046 as published in this notebook. Stewart will look to become the 5th District 1 quarterback with 1,000 yards rushing and passing in the same season against the Rams.

***
Wilson Area’s Zack Bogoly, a senior wide receiver, is having a season to remember for the Warriors. Through nine games, Bogoly leads all receivers among AA schools in the state with 1,127 receiving yards on 55 catches. He’s scored 12 touchdowns and is among the team’s leading scorers for the season, with 76 points. The second-highest AA receiving yardage total in the state? Zach Challingsworth of South Fayette – with 952 yards on 46 receptions.

***
Bogoly isn’t Eastern PA’s only 1,000-yard receiver at this juncture of the season. Scranton’s Karlon Quiller is over 1,000 receiving yards, too, and he’s proven a vicious home run weapon in the Knights’ offensive arsenal. Quiller has hauled in 38 passes for 1,012 yards and 16 touchdowns through nine games – he’s caught 80 percent of senior QB Marlinn Waiters’ touchdown passes and accounted for 65.7 percent of Scranton’s receiving yardage.

***
Milton Area’s Brady Chappell completed 9-of-15 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns Friday night as the Black Panthers rallied to down Jersey Shore. But that’s not the notable about Chappell’s night. This is: the 180-yard effort gave Chappell a second consecutive season of 1,000 passing yards – he’s up to 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns after throwing for 1,035 as a sophomore.

Prior to 2011, Milton last had a 1,000-yard passer in football in 2001.

***
Old Forge has been scoring points in bunches – 397, officially, in nine games, which averages out to 44.1 points per game. To compare, the Blue Devils’ last two District 2 championship teams (2006 and 2011) finished their respective seasons with 318 and 380 points, respectively. Each season was 13 games – meaning OF averaged 24.5 points per game in 2006 and 29.2 in 2011.

To put it in perspective, Old Forge has already notched four 50-point games in 2012. The Blue Devils’ 2006 & ’11 teams combined for zero 50-point games. In those two district championship seasons, OF’s single-game high water mark was 47 points, which came in the 2011 D2 title game against Riverside.

***
Penn Manor committed five turnovers in its 14-7 loss to Wilson Friday night – more than the Comets had committed during its first eight games of the season (four).

***
Parkland senior running back Jarel Elder had a game to remember Friday – rushing for 294 yards and two touchdowns on only six (yes, six) carries. Elder averaged 49 yards per carry for the game in the Trojans’ 47-17 triumph, the team’s seventh victory in a row.

***
St. Joseph’s Prep advanced two spots in the USA-Today Super 25 prep football poll, and currently is ranked No. 15 nationally. The Hawks had been sitting in the No. 17 slot the last two weeks since a 24-16 victory over LaSalle.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district. Please note, if multiple teams from a geographic district appear in HM, they are arranged in alphabetical order within that specific region.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 9-0), def. North Hills 42-0
2. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 8-0), def. Archbishop Ryan 23-7
3. Central Dauphin (3, 8-1), def. Carlisle 31-10
4. Gateway (7, 8-1), def. McKeesport 21-6
5. Downingtown East (1, 9-0), def. West Chester East 48-7
6. La Salle College High School (12, 8-1), def. West Catholic 28-26
7. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 8-1), def. Penn Manor 14-7
8. Ridley (1, 9-0), def. Upper Darby 35-14
9. Easton Area (11, 8-1), lost to Whitehall 31-21
10. Scranton (2, 9-0), def. Wallenpaupack 39-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Haverford (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Mt. Lebanon (7), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), Woodland Hills (7), DuBois (9), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 9-0), def. Cedar Cliff 44-34
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 9-0), def. Erie East 70-0
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 7-2), def. Monsignor Bonner 56-35
4. Thomas Jefferson (7, 9-0), def. West Mifflin 28-14
5. Pottsgrove (1, 9-0), def. Perkiomen Valley 42-28
6. West Allegheny (7, 8-1), def. Chartiers Valley 48-0
7. West York Area (3, 9-0), def. Northeastern 35-14
8. Montour (7, 8-1), def. Moon Area 42-21
9. Central Valley (7, 7-2), lost to Beaver Falls 36-35
10. Abington Heights (2, 8-1), def. North Pocono 41-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Academy Park (1), Henderson (1), Interboro (1), Berwick (2), Cocalico (3), Conrad Weiser (3), Garden Spot (3), Lancaster Catholic (3), Manheim Central (3), Shippensburg (3), Selinsgrove (4), Franklin Regional (7), Hampton (7), Knoch (7), Mars (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 9-0), def. Beaver Area 39-7
2. Wyomissing (3, 9-0), def. Schuylkill Valley 37-33
3. Washington (7, 9-0), def. Waynesburg Central 69-6
4. South Fayette (7, 9-0), def. South Allegheny 42-0
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 9-0), def. Communications Tech 41-8
6. Hickory (10, 8-1), def. Reynolds 28-7
7. Jeannette (7, 8-1), def. Greensburg Central Catholic 7-6
8. Trinity (3, 8-1), def. Susquenita 28-25
9. Richland (6, 9-0), def. Central Cambria 35-7
T-10. Bermudian Springs (3, 9-0), def. Littlestown 24-8
T-10. Catasauqua (11, 9-0), def. Northern Lehigh 40-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Berks Catholic (3), Schuylkill Valley (3), Central Columbia (4), Danville (4), Lewisburg (4), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Brookville (9), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 9-0), def. Imani Christian 52-0
2. Southern Columbia (4, 9-0), def. Central Columbia 15-7
3. Old Forge (2, 9-0), def. Holy Cross 55-8
4. Dunmore (2, 8-1), def. Mid-Valley 34-12
5. West Middlesex (10, 8-1), def. Lakeview 41-6
6. Bellwood-Antis (6, 9-0), def. Glendale 41-13
7. Rochester (7, 8-1), lost to Sto-Rox 25-0
8. Williams Valley (11, 9-0), def. Newport 48-0
9. Sharpsville (10, 7-1), DNP Week 9
10. Port Allegany (9, 9-0), def. Brockway 55-20

HONORABLE MENTION: Bloomsburg (4), Line Mountain (4), So. Williamsport (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Northern Bedford (5), Windber (5), Penns Manor (6), Portage (6), Bishop Canevin (7), Neshannock (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Union-Rimersburg (9), Marian Catholic (11), Tri-Valley (11)

A few weeks ago, the Plymouth-Whitemarsh backfield duo of Corey Kelly and Tim Brown received brief mention in this notebook for making up the bulk of the Colonials’ offensive production.

It turns out the pair more than likely could be one of eastern Pennsylvania’s first 1,000-yard rushing duos of the season.

Kelly (1,057 yards) and Brown (938) are on the verge of the accomplishment and are one of eight potential backfield duos in the eastern half of the state who could have that distinction by the end of the regular season or early in the playoffs.

Having a team finish with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season isn’t rare – 24 teams accomplished the feat in 2011 and 27 did it in 2010. Since 2006, there have been 107 different instances across the state of a pair of 1,000-yard rushers on the same team.

What is notable is that Kelly and Brown are believed to be the first pair of 1,000-yard rushers from Plymouth-Whitemarsh since 1993, when Matt Matheson and Mark Washington accomplished the feat.

Other Eastern PA programs who could boast a pair of 1,000-yard rushers by season’s end include Nazareth (Parish Simmons, 980, and Jordan Gray, 918); Tri-Valley (Blake Bowman, 1,425, and Dalton Miller, 786); Donegal (Kris Trimby, 975, and Dylan Maxwell, 845); Bermudian Springs (Zach Stroup, 919, and Tristan Sponseller, 700); Pottsgrove (Mark Dukes, 875, and Tori Hudgins (806); Cocalico (Spencer Moser, 864, and Nick Reitenbach, 746); and Imhotep Charter (Eerin Young, 795, and David Williams, 783).

Pottsgrove, it should be noted, has produced a pair of 1,000-yard rushers each year since 2008, and if Dukes and Hudgins each reach four-figures, would make it five straight years, the longest active streak in the state. Bermudian’s Stroup and Sponseller, should they reach the accomplishment, would make it three consecutive years with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers for the Eagles.

***
History was made in District 2 Friday night when Holy Redeemer junior quarterback Jimmy Strickland passed for 481 yards, establishing a new District 2 single-game record for passing yards. The previous high water mark for pass yards in a game, 474, had been set just a few weeks prior by Riverside’s Nick Dranchak. Strickland, who has thrown for more than 1,770 yards for HR this season (and for more than 2,300 yards in his career), sits perched with the No. 5-best passing output in a single game in state history.

***
Conrad Weiser ran on “Cruz” control this past weekend as senior running back Angel Cruz posted a new school single-game rushing record. Cruz’ 375 yards and five touchdowns paced the Scouts to victory, 32-13, over Muhlenberg. Cruz has rushed for 1,243 yards on 177 carries, caught nine passes for 198 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns for Weiser (7-1).

***
The Bloomsburg Panthers’ last three quarterbacks – Tyler Coombe, Blake Rankin and current junior Ricky Klingerman, have combined to throw for a whopping 13,714 yards since the start of the 2004 season. Both Coombe and Rankin threw for more than 5,000 yards each in their careers for the Panthers, and Klingerman, through eight varsity starts, has 1,851 yards to his credit.

***
Isaiah Rapp’s pair of touchdown passes Friday surpassed Selinsgrove’s seven-game total for touchdown passes (1). Rapp is a sophomore and has thrown for more than 220 yards since assuming the reins to the helm of Selinsgrove’s offense in Week 5.

Also, another note for the Seals involves junior Curtis Banasiak – he had tallied 28 tackles, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries defensively. Friday, he returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns, spanning 75 and 24 yards. Those two touchdowns Friday were the first Banasiak has scored in his Seals’ career.

***
Last year, the Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ All-State football team in Class AA didn’t feature a kicker. But it would be hard to overlook Tamaqua’s Dustin Vandermartin for postseason honors in 2012. Through eight games, Vandermartin has booted 47 of his 53 kickoffs for touchbacks (88.7 percent) to go along with 13 PATs.

Vandermartin also has made his presence known offensively – in 11 total offensive touches (eight receptions, three rushes), the Blue Raider junior has 324 total yards from scrimmage, averages 20 yards per carry and 33 yards per reception and has scored seven touchdowns.

***
Roman Catholic senior field general Michael Keir surpassed the 4,000-yard mark in passing for his career Friday in a 28-14 loss to LaSalle College High School. Keir, who has thrown for more than 1,300 yards in his senior season, is up to 4,055 yards and 33 touchdowns for the Cahillites.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 8-0), def. Shaler 55-7
2. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 7-0), def. Father Judge 42-3
3. Easton Area (11, 8-0), def. Bethlehem Liberty 31-21
4. Central Dauphin (3, 7-1), def. Cumberland Valley 35-28 (F/OT)
5. Gateway (7, 7-1), def. Penn-Trafford 42-0
6. Downingtown East (1, 8-0), def. Downingtown West 35-21
7. La Salle College High School (12, 7-1), def. Roman Catholic 28-14
8. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 7-1), def. Manheim Township 21-0
9. Ridley (1, 8-0), def. Springfield-Delco 7-3
T-10. Penn Manor (3, 8-0), def. Warwick 40-6
T-10. Scranton (2, 8-0), def. Delaware Valley 34-27

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Downingtown West (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), State College Area (6), Mt. Lebanon (7), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), Woodland Hills (7), Nazareth (11), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 8-0), def. Red Land 44-21
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 8-0), def. Erie Central Tech 61-19
3. Central Valley (7, 7-1), def. Ambridge 35-14
4. Archbishop Wood (12, 6-2), def. Archbishop Carroll 62-7
5. Thomas Jefferson (7, 8-0), def. Uniontown 49-8
6. Pottsgrove (1, 8-0), def. Pottstown 55-20
7. West Allegheny (7, 7-1), def. Montour 5-3
8. West York Area (3, 8-0), def. Kennard-Dale 35-0
9. Montour (7, 7-1), lost to West Allegheny 5-3
10. Abington Heights (2, 7-1), def. West Scranton 57-21

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Springfield-Delco (1), Berwick (2), Cocalico (3), Garden Spot (3), Manheim Central (3), Red Land (3), Shippensburg (3), Selinsgrove (4), Franklin Regional (7), Hampton (7), Knoch (7), Mars (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 8-0), def. Beaver Falls 66-7
2. Wyomissing (3, 8-0), def. Hamburg 42-6
3. Washington (7, 8-0), def. Freeport 60-6
4. South Fayette (7, 8-0), def. South Park 42-0
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 8-0), def. Prep Charter 47-0
6. Hickory (10, 7-1), def. Saegertown 54-0
7. Jeannette (7, 7-1), def. Waynesburg Central 38-7
8. Trinity (3, 7-1), def. Camp Hill 42-14
9. Richland (6, 8-0), def. Penn Cambria 30-12
10. Bermudian Springs (3, 8-0), def. Hanover 35-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Berks Catholic (3), Littlestown (3), Central Columbia (4), Danville (4), Lewisburg (4), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Brookville (9), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Catasauqua (11), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 8-0), def. Serra Catholic 41-0
2. Southern Columbia (4, 8-0), def. Shamokin Area 45-6
3. Old Forge (2, 8-0), def. Carbondale 35-8
4. Rochester (7, 8-0), def. Our Lady of Sacred Heart 41-0
5. Dunmore (2, 7-1), def. Western Wayne 56-21
6. Bellwood-Antis (6, 8-0), def. Northern Bedford County 20-0
7. West Middlesex (10, 7-1), def. Kennedy Catholic 55-20
8. Williams Valley (11, 8-0), def. Juniata 27-12
9. Sharpsville (10, 7-1), def. Lakeview 42-0
10. Port Allegany (9, 8-0), def. Cameron County 41-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Riverside (2), Bloomsburg (4), Line Mountain (4), So. Williamsport (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Northern Bedford (5), Windber (5), Bishop Guilfoyle (6), Penns Manor (6), Portage (6), Bishop Canevin (7), Neshannock (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Marian Catholic (11), Tri-Valley (11)

Preparation is key. And when it comes to preparations, the St. Joseph’s Prep football team leaves nothing to chance. Especially defensively.

The Prep flattened three-time defending District 12 AAAA champion LaSalle College High School, 24-16, Saturday night at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, limiting the Explorers’ potent passing offense to just 148 yards and three interceptions. In all, the Hawks forced seven turnovers and held the USA-Today’s former No. 23-ranked team to just 10 first downs, 4.4 yards per pass attempt and 1.4 yards per carry.

It almost seemed like the Prep knew what LaSalle was going to run before they ran it. And that made sophomore defensive back John Reid chuckle.

“A lot of people say that,” Reid said, smiling amidst a throng of Prep tailgaters in the Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School parking lot. “No, (we weren’t nervous about LaSalle), not at all. We did a lot of film study.”

The Hawks, in fact, do more than just watching film once or twice a week.

“During our free periods at school, we watch film,” Reid, who notched two first quarter interceptions of Chris Kane, explained. “Then, at home, we watch more film. Every player on the team has a personal Hudl account so we can all watch film at home, too.”

Literally, the Prep’s defensive leaves nothing to chance, and it showed Saturday night. It allowed only one LaSalle run of 10+ yards and one pass of 20+ yards. LaSalle ran 54 plays for the game, averaging a turnover every 7.6 snaps.

“We wanted to stop their offense,” Reid said. “I think our defense can be very good, but I don’t feel that we’ve played that perfect game yet.”

St. Joe’s Prep replaced LaSalle in the USA-Today Super-25 prep football poll as well. The Hawks are now No. 17 in the nation following their Saturday night victory. The Hawks also own a victory over Cocoa (Fla.), who defeated New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic this past weekend.

***
A tip of the hat to the William Allen Canaries, who scored their first victory of the 2012 season Saturday, a 26-14 decision over Lehighton. What makes that victory remarkable is that it marks the Canaries’ first victory against an opponent other than Louis Dieruff since 2005. Their most recent non-Dieruff win was a 28-6 triumph over Nazareth in the fifth week of that football season.

At the time, that victory over the Blue Eagles improved the Canaries’ record to 3-2 – also the most recent time Allen enjoyed a winning record in Week 5 of a season or later.

If the Canaries defeat Dieruff later this season, it will mark the program’s first multiple victory season since, you guessed it, 2005, when Allen finished 4-6 overall.

***
Council Rock North’s Brandon McIlwain is just 24 yards passing shy of 1,000 for the season. That becomes notable for this reason: McIlwain would become the 14th Pennsylvania quarterback to throw for 1,000 or more yards in his freshman season since 2005. McIlwain would become District 1’s first 1,000-yard passer as a freshman in that 2005-present time frame.

***
Downingtown East head coach Mike Matta was in attendance at Saturday’s Prep-LaSalle game, and I had a chance to chat with Matta and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Rick O’Brien briefly before the game kicked off. During our chat (where O’Brien literally got zero words in edgewise), I asked Matta about finding a balance offensively with junior running back Riley Angeline stepping up to rush for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns against St. Marks (Del.) in a Cougar victory in Week 6.

“That was very refreshing,” Matta said of Angeline’s emergence. Angeline, by the way, has posted consecutive 100-yard games on the ground and is now over 600 yards rushing for the season.

Downingtown East meets archrival Downingtown West Friday night. East is undefeated and West is 6-1.

***
Pennridge junior running back Mike Class needs only five yards rushing Friday night of Week 8 to reach 3,000 for his career. Through seven games of 2012, Class has rushed for 1,483 yards and Pennridge is 6-1 overall.

***
A huge showdown in District 2 Friday night pits unbeatens Scranton and Delaware Valley. Both the Knights and the Warriors bring to the table very potent offenses – Scranton has scored 43 points or more in five of its seven games and Delaware Valley is averaging 42.6 points per game.

***
Imhotep Charter has already scored 318 points through seven games, an impressive total, and the Panthers more than likely will soon eclipse the Philadelphia Public League record for points scored in a single season.

That distinction belongs to the 1997 Frankford Pioneers, who scored 457 points. Imhotep is just 139 points shy of the Pioneers’ standard, and, at its average of 45.4 points per game, the Panthers are on track to match Frankford’s mark in three games.

The Philadelphia Public League and PIAA’s District 5 are the only two leagues/regions which have never produced a team which scored 500 points or more in a season.

***
York Catholic senior James Dougherty surpassed the 4,000-yard passing mark for his career last weekend. Dougherty, who is up to 4,053 yards, is the first career 4,000-yard passer in Fighting Irish program history.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:
1. North Allegheny (7, 7-0), def. Pittsburgh Central Catholic 28-0
2. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 6-0), def. La Salle College High School 24-16
3. Easton Area (11, 7-0), def. Northampton 49-28
4. Central Dauphin (3, 6-1), def. Harrisburg 24-21 (OT)
5. Gateway (7, 6-1), def. Norwin 62-14
6. Downingtown East (1, 7-0), def. Bishop Shanahan 37-0
7. La Salle College High School (12, 6-1), lost to St. Joseph’s Prep 24-16
8. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 6-1), def. Lancaster Catholic 14-7
9. Delaware Valley (2, 7-0), def. Valley View 49-18
10. Ridley (1, 7-0), def. Lower Merion 28-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Downingtown West (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Spring-Ford (1), Scranton (2), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Mt. Lebanon (7), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), Woodland Hills (7), Nazareth (11), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 7-0), def. Lower Dauphin 32-14
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 7-0), def. Aquinas Institute (N.Y.) 34-9
3. Montour (7, 7-0), def. Blackhawk 40-35
4. Central Valley (7, 6-1), def. Hopewell 35-17
5. Archbishop Wood (12, 5-2), def. Lansdale Catholic 28-14
6. Franklin Regional (7, 6-1), def. Hollidaysburg 35-0
7. Pottsgrove (1, 7-0), def. Owen J. Roberts 59-7
8. Thomas Jefferson (7, 7-0), def. Belle Vernon Area 57-20
9. West York Area (3, 7-0), def. Dover Area 54-13
10. Berwick (2, 6-1), def. Williamsport 54-14

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Springfield-Delco (1), Abington Heights (2), Scranton Prep (2), Cocalico (3), Garden Spot (3), Manheim Central (3), Red Land (3), Shippensburg (3), Selinsgrove (4), Knoch (7), Mars (7), West Allegheny (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), General McLane (10), Cardinal O’Hara (12)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 7-0), def. Ellwood City 54-12
2. Wyomissing (3, 7-0), def. Fleetwood 52-7
3. Washington (7, 7-0), def. Mt. Pleasant 34-14
4. South Fayette (7, 7-0), def. Riverside (Ellwood City) 68-0
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 7-0), def. University City 47-12
6. Hickory (10, 6-1), def. Farrell 50-0
7. Jeannette (7, 6-1), def. Shady Side Academy 31-26
8. Trinity (3, 6-1), def. Boiling Springs 35-14
9. Richland (6, 7-0), def. Westmont Hilltop 51-23
10. Bermudian Springs (3, 7-0), def. Fairfield 41-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Berks Catholic (3), Littlestown (3), Schuylkill Valley (3), Central Columbia (4), Danville (4), Lewisburg (4), Ligonier Valley (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Brookville (9), Corry Area (10), Grove City (10), Wilmington (10), Catasauqua (11), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 7-0), def. Bishop Canevin 53-15
2. Southern Columbia (4, 7-0), def. Bloomsburg 32-20
3. Old Forge (2, 7-0), def. Lackawanna Trail 35-14
4. Rochester (7, 7-0), def. Laurel 35-13
5. Dunmore (2, 6-1), def. Lakeland 22-17
6. Bellwood-Antis (6, 7-0), def. Southern Huntingdon County 39-3
7. West Middlesex (10, 6-1), def. Sharon Area 41-12
8. Williams Valley (11, 7-0), def. Tri-Valley 14-12
9. Sharpsville (10, 6-1), def. Wilmington 20-14
10. Port Allegany (9, 7-0), def. Sheffield 69-30

HONORABLE MENTION: Riverside (2), Bloomsburg (4), Line Mountain (4), South Williamsport (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Northern Bedford (5), Windber (5), Bishop Guilfoyle (6), Penns Manor (6), Portage (6), Bishop Canevin (7), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Curwensville (9), Marian Catholic (11), Tri-Valley (11)

HARRISBURG, Pa. – If you listen to head coach Glen McNamee, the Central Dauphin football story didn’t cease being written after the Rams claimed PIAA gold last December. It’s a story, he told his players, which is ever evolving and being written with each additional game.

Really, on the surface, what other themes and stories could CD fit in its masterpiece?

Saturday, the Rams found a new chapter to add to their work: it was titled heart and resiliency. Though it’s a chapter that might appear stranger than fiction unless you directly witnessed it.

Though it was limited to 205 total yards of offense and just a 6-of-17 day passing, Central Dauphin (6-1) rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Harrisburg (5-2), 24-21, in overtime thanks to a Casey Hartzell 26-yard field goal from a sun-splashed Severance Field in Pennsylvania’s capitol city. The Rams didn’t clinch a conference championship with the victory, but did put itself in the drivers’ seat in advance of a key showdown next weekend with Cumberland Valley.

“This is Severance Field – it’s a big rivalry (with Harrisburg),” said McNamee. “This has become a big rivalry for us and this is a huge game.”

Though Harrisburg’s propensity for the big play kept it ahead for most of the game, it was Central Dauphin’s special teams and defense which kept the guests afloat and above water, though at times it seemed in doubt. And, as jet airplanes circled overhead bound for Harrisburg International Airport, it was Drew Scales who piloted the Rams in their furious comeback.

The Cougars, staked to a 21-7 lead, needed to convert a third down situation and opted to throw the ball with inside of five minutes left in regulation. Kyle Cook sent a pass bound for what appeared to be an intermediate route, but Scales picked the pass off and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Harrisburg return team, thinking Hartzell’s boot would roll into the end zone, found itself snakebit as the ball rolled dead at the 3 yard line, which CD recovered. One play later, Scales was crashing into the end zone, and the Rams, down 14 points just 15 seconds prior, had stormed back to tie the game.

“Our kids have a ton of heart and resiliency,” McNamee said. “Those who follow the program closely know about it, but that gets put on display on a big stage like today.”

“I don’t know which play was bigger (the INT return or the kickoff recovery),” said Scales. “I don’t want to say that my play was bigger, because both plays were equally big.”

Harrisburg did have a chance to throw a ball up to the end zone with one second left in regulation, but Cook’s floating pass toward the end zone was incomplete.

In overtime, each team gets one possession from the 10-yard line. If the score remains tied, then the process is repeated until it is broken.

Harrisburg went three-and-out, then saw its field goal attempt blocked by who else – Scales – and Central Dauphin ran two plays to center Hartzell for his winning attempt.

“It’s nice to end with the field goal,” Hartzell said. “I kind of had a feeling it might come down to that (a field goal).”

But it wasn’t just the game-winner which made Hartzell’s day so well-rounded. He converted all three extra points he attempted. Two of his punts were downed inside the 5 yard line, including one which landed six inches from the goal line and bounced backward to the Cougar 3. He also booted a 62-yard punt in the second quarter.

“I really don’t know how I did that,” Hartzell admitted of his first punt.

Robert Martin III proved quite the weapon for the Cougars, who were without the services of Domonique Shurns, a senior running back. But Martin showed another piece to the Cougars’ lethally quick and speedy backfield – after Hartzell’s 62-yard punt, he galloped 97 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Cougar lead. He also caught a 75-yard touchdown pass – a short pass in the flat from Cook turned into a big play thanks to excellent downfield blocking.

In all, Martin rushed for 179 yards on 13 carries and caught three passes for 76 yards. A special performance, sure, but the Rams got an equally special performance from its special teams unit, which, in addition to Hartzell’s day and Scales’ blocked field goal, also included a blocked punt by blue-chipper Zayd Issah.

“We really worked hard on special teams (in practice) and they came through today,” McNamee said. “They (Harrisburg) had a very potent offense and we definitely had to prepare very hard for that team.”

Issah noted Harrisburg’s toughness and tenacity during the overtime coin toss.

“They said, ‘This is the 12th round,’” Issah said.

NOTES: Harrisburg’s loss Saturday snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cougars, who had not lost since Week 1 to archrival Bishop McDevitt. The Cougars’ two losses have come by a combined four points….Central Dauphin’s Brandon LaVia entered the game needing 53 yards passing for 4,000 in his career. He got exactly 53 yards, but did so on a 6-of-17 day with two interceptions……Harrisburg outrushed Central Dauphin 206-152 and outgained the Rams 397-205……Both the Rams and Cougars totaled four turnovers each – Harrisburg lost three fumbles and threw a pick while CD split its fumbles and interceptions 2-2.

Central Dauphin 0 0 7 14 3 – 24

Harrisburg       0 7 7 7 0 – 21

Scoring

2nd Qtr

H – Robert Martin III 97 run (Michael Duncan kick)

3rd Qtr

CD – Drew Scales 6 run (Casey Hartzell kick)

H – Martin III 75 pass from Kyle Cook (Duncan kick)

4th Qtr

H – Jalen Williams 1 run (Duncan kick)

CD – Scales 34 INT return (Hartzell kick)

CD – Scales 3 run (Hartzell kick)

Overtime

CD – FG, Hartzell 26

CD HBURG

Rushes-yds     41-152  27-206

Passing                       6-17-2  14-25-1

Passing yds     53        191

Total offense   205      397

1st downs        11        13

Penalties         5-45     3-15

Turnovers        4          4

Individual statistics

RUSHING: CD: Drew Scales 33-142 2 TD; Zayd Issah 2-26; Brandon Lavia 4-minus-9; Steven McNeal 1-minus-1; TEAM 1-minus-6. HBURG: Robert Martin III 13-179 TD; Jalen Williams 5-17 TD; Kyle Cook 6-minus-11; Darian Davis-Ray 3-21.

PASSING: CD: LaVia 6-17-2-53. HBURG: Cook 14-25-1-191 TD.

RECEIVING: CD: Jordan Bowman 3-25; Andrew Burgwin 2-17; Scales 1-11. HBURG: Williams 5-25; De’Quan Ware 4-37; Martin 3-76; Marcel Brown Jr. 2-53.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Maybe St. Joseph’s Prep should consider changing its nickname.

Yes, they’re called the Hawks. But why not lend consideration to something like, say, the Hornets, because the Prep’s defensive unit swarmed, smothered and stung LaSalle College High School all night long.

The Hawks (6-0) rode their strong defensive unit to another impressive victory – forcing turnover after turnover after Explorer (6-1) turnover and limiting the three-time District 12 AAAA champs to 178 yards of total offense in a 24-16 victory Saturday night in a key Philadephia Catholic League AAAA clash from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School.

It was estimated that more than 7,000 fans were in attendance for the game, though no official figures were provided. But the large crowd, if they didn’t already know, witnessed a clinic put on by the host Hawks in gang tackling, forcing turnovers and forcing LaSalle’s hand.

“We wanted to stop their offense,” said sophomore defensive back John Reid, who already holds six Division-1 verbal scholarship offers. “We always want to shut the opponent down.”

Reid posted a pair of interceptions for the Prep – Todd Jones had the other (which resulted in a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown) and the Hawks’ defense jumped on four LaSalle fumbles. In all, St. Joe’s forced seven turnovers, including a recovery of a muffed kickoff in the fourth quarter and another fumble on a hook-and-lateral play.

“They’re good,” said LaSalle head coach Drew Gordon. “Absolutely (they’re good), sure. But we turned it over and we played stupid.”

While the Prep made life miserable for LaSalle offensively, St. Joe’s found itself a reliable running back who could shoulder a full workload if necessary – sophomore Olamide Zaccheaus. And, as fate would have it, it was necessary for the sophomore to shoulder the burden of the Hawks’ rushing attack.

“Vince Moffett (a junior) wasn’t feeling 100 percent, and the coaches wanted to keep him healthy for the remainder of the season,” Zaccheaus explained. “So the coaches put the ball in my hands and they believed in me. I believed in my offensive line, and that’s what happened.”

Moffett finished with 52 yards on 14 carries, twice checking out of the game for minor injuries. But with Moffett not at full strength, it allowed Olamide to showcase his rising potential.

What happened was Olamide ripped LaSalle’s defense apart for 183 yards and back-breaking 38 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the Prep’s victory. Olamide, using a mix of cuts, jukes, ducks, and even his hands for balance to prevent from falling down, never gave the Explorers a good, clean chance to tackle him.

“We do drills in practice – the third leg drill – where we go down on one hand,” Olamide explained. “It helps us improve our balance when falling.”

“We missed probably 150 tackles (defensively),” Gordon said.

If only LaSalle could have enjoyed such balance. The Explorers finished with only 30 yards rushing on 21 carries and normally accurate senior quarterback Chris Kane finished with 148 yards passing and three interceptions on a 17-of-34 night.

But yet, the Explorers held a 7-3 halftime lead thanks to the motor of Mike Eife, who returned a Chris Martin interception 80 yards for a touchdown with 7:26 left in the second quarter. LaSalle also grabbed a 16-10 lead in the third quarter thanks to a Kane throwback pass to Jared Herrmann from 29 yards out.

“It’s been there all season, and you never want to use it (in a game like tonight), but we had to,” Gordon said.

Yet every time LaSalle punched, St. Joe’s punched right back, especially in the fourth quarter. The Hawks forced three LaSalle fumbles in the period and stole back control of the game with touchdown runs of 1 yard from Chris Martin, a junior quarterback, and Olamide. Martin’s run was set up by a 42-yard pass-and-catch from Martin to Peter Brooks.

Kicker Kyle Battin got the Prep on the board initially with a 35-yard field goal and converted three extra points.

The win over LaSalle was St. Joe’s first since 2009, but Olamide wasn’t quick to label the victory anything other than just another game.

“This means absolutely nothing – we just have to focus on the next game on the schedule,” Olamide said. “We have to keep working hard every day.”

And ask Reid about the Hawks’ defense, and he’ll strike a similar tone.

“I think our defense can be very good,” Reid said. “But I don’t quite think we’ve played that perfect game yet.”

Yet, the Hawks’ record might just indicate otherwise.

NOTES: LaSalle entered the game ranked No. 23 in the nation in the USA-Today Super 25 poll while St. Joe’s Prep is No. 17 in the nation according to Maxpreps.com. LaSalle is more than likely to drop out of the USA-Today poll, where only two other Pennsylvania programs – Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg) and North Allegheny (Wexford) grace the “Best of the Rest” section……Martin threw for 134 yards for the Prep, while completing 8-of-21 passes……Reid couldn’t recall how long it has been since the Prep has allowed a rushing touchdown this 2012 season, but did acknowledge it “seems like forever” since it happened…….Winslow converted a 27-yard field goal, his fifth of the season. His season-best for successful field goals converted is seven, established in 2011…….the Hawks’ pep band wore pink shirts in honor of breast cancer awareness and both the Prep and LaSalle made ceremonial check presentations to a breast cancer research fund at halftime. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

LaSalle College HS  0 7 9 0 – 16

St. Joseph’s Prep  0 3 7 14 – 24

Scoring

2nd quarter

SJP – FG, Kyle Battin 35

LS – Mike Eife 80 INT return (Ryan Winslow kick)

3rd quarter

SJP – Todd Jones 45 INT return (Battin kick)

LS – FG, Winslow 27

LS – Jared Herrmann 29 pass from Chris Kane (kick failed)

4th quarter

SJP – Kyle Martin 1 run (Battin kick)

SJP – Zaccheaus Olamide 38 run (Battin kick)

LS  SJP

Rushes-yds     21-30   52-258

Passing                       17-34-3            8-21-3

Pass yds         148      134

Total offense   178      392

1st downs        10        20

Penalties         11-78   6-55

Turnovers        7          5

Individual statistics

RUSHING: LS: Jordan Meachum 6-23; Jimmy Herron 4-5; Jared Herrmann 4-9; Mike Eife 2-3; Chris Kane 4-minus-9; TEAM 1-minus-5. SJP: Zaccheaus Olamide 22-183 TD; Vince Moffett 14-52; Chris Martin 14-21; Deluliis Dillon 1-2; TEAM 1-0.

PASSING: LS: Kane 17-34-3-148 TD. SJP: Martin 8-21-3-134.

RECEIVING: LS: Sean Coleman 7-70; Herrmann 4-39 TD; Herron 2-21; Meachum 2-10; Jon Naji 1-5; Andrew Halton 1-3. SJP: Peter Brooks 3-82; Olamide 2-13; Moffett 1-20; Shane Williams 1-4;

Before we get into some interesting football notes and tidbits in this week’s notebook, it is probably best to begin this week’s notebook by extending our thoughts, prayers and positive energy to a prep sports writer from York County.

Steve Navaroli, a veteran reporter for the York Daily Record/Sunday News, is undergoing treatments for cancer. He penned a column Oct. 7 on GameTimePA’s website noting he would be taking a break from day-to-day activities in a region he has covered extensively since 1991.

In his column, Mr. Navaroli noted he began treatments Sept. 24 and that they will continue through November.

I think that I can safely speak for the entire EasternPAFootball.com and WesternPAFootball.net family when I say that we all wish Mr. Navaroli nothing but success in his fight to overcome this disease. Cancer has personally affected my family, claiming the life of my grandfather in 1993. I was 7. I didn’t know what cancer was then, but I knew I didn’t like it. Then again, nobody likes it, no matter what age you are.

I’m sure many of us out there can think of a family member or relative who also has fought or is fighting life’s toughest fight.

Read Mr. Navaroli’s Sunday column for yourself if you have a chance (go to www.gametimepa.com) and you’ll understand the impact he’s had in his 20+ years of sports coverage for York County prep sport athletes, schools and programs across many sports, not only football.

Though Mr. Navaroli’s voice might be missing from the YDR’s sports pages for a brief time, it would be far worse for that voice to be lost from those sports pages forever.

***
Riverside quarterback Nick Dranchak became the Vikings’ third career 4,000-yard passer Friday night. Though the Wildcats hung around thanks to more than 200 yards rushing from Robbie Siclari, Dranchak threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns, moving him up to 4,197 yards and 43 touchdowns in his career.

The Riverside school record for career passing yardage is 4,253, set by Harry Armstrong, the former head coach of the Vikings, in a career spanning from 1995-97. Jay Velehoski threw for 4,210 yards from 2006-08, so Dranchak ranks third in school history. But at his current average of 255.3 yards per game, Dranchak should become the school’s career passing leader in the first quarter Friday night. He only needs 56 yards to tie Armstrong and 57 to pass.

In that Western Wayne game, Dranchak accounted for 538 yards of offense – he also rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown. He’s thrown for 1,532 yards in six games, the sixth-highest individual season passing total in the state this season. Among eastern teams (Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 11 and 12), Dranchak’s passing total is fourth.

***
It doesn’t seem like too long ago I mentioned Brennan Scott surpassing 5,000 yards passing for his career. Well, just a few weeks later, Scott is on the verge of 6,000. Scott is unofficially 67 yards shy of that milestone, and his next touchdown pass of his career will be his 60th, meaning Manheim Township will be the sixth program in state history with two quarterbacks with 60+ career touchdown passes. The other programs are Wilson Area, La Salle, Pius X, Sto-Rox and Forest Hills.

***
Crestwood has posted a five-game winning streak, but the Comets’ five opponents defeated during said streak own a combined record of 6-24. The Comets have faced only one opponent with a record better than .500- that was Berwick in Week 1, and the Bulldogs claimed a 27-point victory.

***
Stroudsburg, a AAAA school in the Mountain Valley Conference, is off to a 5-1 overall start after defeating Wyoming Valley West Friday. The Mounties, who do boast a Rutgers recruit in DL Sebeastian Joseph, have largely been paced by a trio of sophomores, at least in terms of the offensive backfield.

Quarterback Mike Nikorak has thrown for 688 yards and seven touchdowns while running backs Altarique Mosley-Dew and Gerald Douglas have combined for 1,174 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Stroudsburg went 9-3 overall in 2011, which was head coach Joe Bernard’s first season leading the program.

***
Southern Columbia has scored an impressive 43 offensive touchdowns through six games – 33 rushing, 10 passing. Despite losing so many seniors, the Tigers have merely reloaded. Already, six backs have surpassed 100 yards rushing for the season, including five (Adam Fuedale, Nate Hunter, Matt Lupold, Blake Marks and Brad Noll) who are over 200 yards rushing each.

And Taylor Young is proving to be pretty efficient as a passer, throwing a touchdown pass every 4.6 attempts while posting a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 10:1, the best TD-to-INT ratio in all of District 4.

***
As a junior, Downingtown East quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw 23 touchdown passes in 11 games. As a senior, Lauletta has already thrown 20 touchdown passes in only six games.

Lauletta, a Richmond recruit, threw for 1,971 yards in his junior season, and he’s closing in on that mark in six games. Lauletta has thrown for 1,645 yards, which unofficially ranks third in the state.

***
Is there a bigger game in the eastern half of the state this weekend than the Saturday night showdown in the Philadelphia Catholic League between St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle College High School? The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, and it pits a physical, unrelenting Prep team against LaSalle’s proficient offensive arsenal spearheaded by Chris Kane, Jared Hermann, Sean Coleman and Jimmy Herron, plus a very big offensive line.

There are a few other big Saturday games in other reaches of the state, too. In Clarks Summit, Scranton Prep takes to the road to face Abington Heights at The Pit. In the Mid-Penn Conference, Harrisburg rolls out the red carpet (figuratively, not literally) for defending PIAA AAAA champion Central Dauphin.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:
1. La Salle College High School (12, 6-0), def. Father Judge 35-7
2. North Allegheny (7, 6-0), def. Gateway 14-3
3. Easton Area (11, 6-0), def. Bethlehem Freedom 25-21
4. Central Dauphin (3, 5-1), def. Mifflin County 54-6
5. Gateway (7, 5-1), lost to North Allegheny 14-3
6. Downingtown East (1, 6-0), def. St. Mark’s (DE) 26-21
7. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 5-0), def. Archbishop Wood 23-10
8. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 5-1), def. Hempfield 56-6
9. Upper St. Clair (7, 6-0), def. Butler Area 34-3
10. Delaware Valley (2, 6-0), def. North Pocono 53-14

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Pennridge (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Spring-Ford (1), Scranton (2), Cedar Cliff (3), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Mt. Lebanon (7), Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7), Seneca Valley (7), Woodland Hills (7), Nazareth (11), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 6-0), def. Hershey 54-10
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 6-0), def. McDowell 41-27
3. Montour (7, 6-0), def. Chartiers Valley 50-9
4. Central Valley (7, 5-1), def. Moon Township 42-9
5. Franklin Regional (7, 5-1), def. Knoch 23-13
6. Archbishop Wood (12, 4-2), lost to St. Joseph’s Prep 23-10
7. Pottsgrove (1, 6-0), def. Methacton 27-14
8. Thomas Jefferson (7, 6-0), def. Laurel Highlands 45-6
9. West York Area (3, 6-0), def. Susquehannock 42-0
10. Berwick (2, 5-1), def. Tunkhannock 49-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Springfield-Delco (1), Abington Heights (2), Scranton Prep (2), Cocalico (3), Garden Spot (3), Lancaster Catholic (3), Shippensburg (3), Selinsgrove (4), Knoch (7), Mars (7), West Allegheny (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), Slippery Rock (10), Cardinal O’Hara (12)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 6-0), def. Freedom Area 49-3
2. Wyomissing (3, 6-0), def. Kutztown 70-13
3. Washington (7, 6-0), def. Brownsville 53-0
4. South Fayette (7, 6-0), def. Quaker Valley 52-0
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 6-0), def. Delaware Valley Charter 34-0
6. Jeannette (7, 5-1), def. Mt. Pleasant 28-27
7. Wilmington (10, 5-1), def. Reynolds 35-7
8. Hickory (10, 5-1), def. Sharon Area 49-7
9. Trinity (3, 5-1), def. East Pennsboro 15-14
10. Richland (6, 6-0), def. Somerset Area 47-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Berks Catholic (3), Bermudian Springs (3), Littlestown (3), Central Columbia (4), Danville (4), Lewisburg (4), Ligonier Valley (6), Tyrone (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Brookville (9), Corry Area (10), Grove City (10), Catasauqua (11), Pen Argyl (11), Tamaqua (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 6-0), def. Brentwood 42-7
2. Southern Columbia (4, 6-0), def. Selinsgrove 50-21
3. Old Forge (2, 6-0), def. Montrose 49-7
4. Rochester (7, 6-0), def. Neshannock 28-21
5. Dunmore (2, 5-1), def. Honesdale 41-7
6. Bellwood-Antis (6, 6-0), def. Everett 41-14
7. West Middlesex (10, 5-1), def. Sharpsville 21-14
8. Williams Valley (11, 6-0), def. Pine Grove Area 43-0
9. Sharpsville (10, 5-1), lost to West Middlesex 21-14
10. Port Allegany (9, 6-0), def. Smethport 48-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Riverside (2), Bloomsburg (4), Line Mountain (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Northern Bedford (5), Windber (5), Bishop Guilfoyle (6), Penns Manor (6), Bishop Canevin (7), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Curwensville (9), Marian Catholic (11), Tri-Valley (11)

Alex Cooley said “Good Knight” to several rushing records Friday.

What Eastern York’s senior running back did in the Golden Knights’ victory over Hanover will go down in school, York County, District 3 and PIAA record books.

According to EY assistant coach Steve Kline, Cooley rushed for 500 yards and eight touchdowns on 26 carries in the Knights’ 62-37 victory over the Nighthawks. Both Cooley’s rushing yardage total and touchdowns scored establish new single-game school records for EY, but Cooley’s performance doesn’t stop there.

Oh no. There’s more.

The 500 rushing yards establishes a new single-game state rushing record, previously held by Harbor Creek Huskies’ running back Stephen Blose, who rushed for 488 yards in a game in 2005. The mark is also the new District 3 single-game rushing record, supplanting the 442 yards totaled by Lancaster Catholic’s Roman Clay against Dallastown earlier this season.

Lastly, according to the York Daily Record/Sunday News, Cooley holds the YAIAA career rushing yardage record, which presently is 4,559 yards (and counting, it should be noted). Littlestown’s Jeremiah Collins rushed for 4,433 yards in his career for the Thunderbolts.

Cooley, by the way, leads all running backs in the state with 1,405 yards in five games. (And for those of you who never heard of Eastern York before, it’s a AAA school located in Wrightsville, a town along the Susquehanna River about a mile west of Columbia).

***
Sticking with the York County trend – has there been a York-Adams big school team as consistent as West York Area has been since Ron Miller took over as head coach in 2006? Miller, who arrived in York County after spending time at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, has helped lead the Bulldogs to a 5-0 start in 2012.

It’s the Bulldogs’ second 5-0 start in the last four years, as the blue and white also started 5-0 in 2009 and wound up finishing 11-2 and just missing a return trip to the District 3 AAA championship game opposite Manheim Central. That year, Susquehanna Township, led by dual-threat Ben Dupree, upended the Bulldogs, 7-6.

West York has, in fact, started 4-1 or better for five of the last six years. The lone exception was a 3-2 start in 2010.

Before anybody points out Northern York, a York County AAA program based in Dillsburg, which posted a 56-13 overall record (.811) overall from 2003-07 and made regular apperances in the D3 AAA quarterfinals in that span, remember this: Northern is a representative of the Mid-Penn Conference’s Colonial division, not the York-Adams.

***
Milton Area generated a little attention last fall when it rattled off six consecutive victories after an 0-5 start to its season and reached the District 4 AAA championship game, becoming the third known program in the state to pull off both a five-game winning streak and losing streak in the same season since 2003.

Friday night, Milton did something to place itself among state leaders in one historical scoring category.

The Black Panthers’ 48-point first quarter against Carson Long ties the unofficial state record for most points scored in one quarter, matching a feat previously established by District 9 rep Clarion Area in 2000 and then again by McKeesport of the WPIAL in 2008. Milton wound up defeating Carson Long, 73-3. The Warriors’ field goal, in the second quarter, came on a 3rd down play.

Milton, Clarion and McKeesport’s 48-point first quarters are unofficially tied for the 11th-most points scored in one quarter in the nation. There is a four-way tie for seventh place (49 points), and the national record for points in a quarter is 75.

***
Schuylkill Valley’s 5-0 start is most unprecedented – in the Panthers’ 40-year football history, they’ve never started 5-0, let alone 4-0. Schuylkill Valley puts that start on the line Friday night against fellow unbeaten Berks Catholic.

Sticking with Berks County – Mike Drago of The Reading Eagle tweeted an interesting stat involving Hamburg High School. The Hawks recorded a new school single-game record 639 yards rushing in a victory over Kutztown Friday, placing three backs with 170+ yards each. Hamburg’s Joe Raffensperger and Montay Berger each have more than 600 yards rushing, making them one of six programs with a pair of 600+-yard rushers, joining Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1), Nazareth (11), Tri-Valley (11), Juniata Valley (6) and Curwensville (9).

***
How about the tear that Old Forge has been on lately? The Blue Devils have demolished two teams I’d ranked ahead of them (Dunmore and Riverside) by a combined margin of 75-7 over the last two weeks. Seems their present No. 3 ranking is much, much more befitting.

Senior running back Brian Tomasetti has been one of the Blue Devils’ primary spark plugs offensively, having already scored 16 touchdowns to go along with 899 yards rushing. His 217 yards and six touchdowns against Riverside only further solidified him as a legit candidate to watch for a potential All-State nomination in Class A come later in the year.

Tomasetti, in case you were wondering, is on pace to finish the regular season with 32 rushing touchdowns.

Looking over the Blue Devils’ remaining schedule, only one more “toughie” game remains – and that’s against Lackawanna Trail. A 10-0 regular season is very, very realistic for the defending D2 Class A champion Blue Devils, who are averaging 44.6 points per game.

***
Raise your hand if, through five games, you thought Wellsboro, a Class AA school from the Northern Tier, would ever be ranked ahead of Mount Carmel in the District 4 AA playoff point standings this 2012 season. The Hornets (3-2) are seventh and the Red Tornadoes, who have lost three straight games, are eighth.

***
La Salle College High School advanced one slot in the USA-Today Super 25 prep football rankings to No. 23 in the nation.

***
Plymouth-Whitemarsh of the Suburban One League’s American Division is off to a 4-1 start and averaging 295.2 yards rushing per game. Seniors Corey Kelly and Terry Brown have teamed up to average 246.6 of those rushing yards per game, or 83.5 percent of the Colonials’ season rushing output.

***
Northwest Area’s Tony Politz has been a big, big reason why the Rangers are off to a 3-2 start to its 2012 campaign. He’s already run for 825 yards and nine touchdowns in five games for the Rangers and 2,235 yards and 22 scores in his career.

At his current pace of 165 yards rushing per game, Politz is on track to become the second Ranger running back to hit 3,000 career rushing yards in the last half-decade. Bret Rutkoski, a key offensive leader on the Rangers’ District 2 Class A championship team in 2009, holds the program record with 4,028 yards.

***
In its 69-7 demolition of Lebanon Friday night, Manheim Central rushed for 585 yards and scored all 10 of its touchdowns for the game on the ground. It spiked the Barons’ per game rushing average from 184.3 yards to 267.6. As a team, the Barons have already scored 19 touchdowns on the ground through five 2012 games – a keeper stat when you reflect on the fact that Manheim Central scored 20 rushing touchdowns in its entire 11-game 2011 season, which ended with an opening-round playoff loss to Palmyra.

Also in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, Elizabethtown snapped a 17-game losing streak with a 14-13 victory over Conestoga Valley.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:
1. La Salle College High School (12, 5-0), def. Archbishop Ryan 31-0
2. North Allegheny (7, 5-0), def. Butler Area 49-0
3. Easton Area (11, 5-0), def. Emmaus 15-14
4. Gateway (7, 5-0), def. Hempfield 41-13
5. Central Dauphin (3, 4-1), def. State College Area 32-7
6. Downingtown East (1, 5-0), def. Avon Grove 42-7
7. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 4-0), def. Roman Catholic 37-7
8. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 4-1), def. Cedar Crest 43-0
9. Upper St. Clair (7, 5-0), def. Baldwin 47-6
10. Delaware Valley (2, 5-0), def. West Scranton 41-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Garnet Valley (1), North Penn (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Spring-Ford (1), Scranton (2), Cedar Cliff (3), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Mt. Lebanon (7), Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7), Seneca Valley (7), Woodland Hills (7), McDowell (10), Nazareth (11), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11)

AAA:
1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 5-0), def. Susquehanna Township 37-14
2. Cathedral Prep (10, 5-0), def. Youngstown Ursuline 47-7
3. Archbishop Wood (12, 4-1), def. Cardinal O’Hara 38-14
4. Franklin Regional (7, 4-1), def. Belle Vernon Area 35-7
5. Montour (7, 5-0), def. Ambridge 45-14
6. Central Valley (7, 4-1), def. West Allegheny 28-14
7. Pottsgrove (1, 5-0), def. Spring-Ford 26-0
8. Thomas Jefferson (7, 5-0), def. Albert Gallatin 50-0
9. West York Area (3, 5-0), def. York-William Penn 38-21
10. Berwick (2, 4-1), def. Selinsgrove 17-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Springfield-Delco (1), Abington Heights (2), Scranton Prep (2), Valley View (2), Cocalico (3), Garden Spot (3), Lancaster Catholic (3), Manheim Central (3), Selinsgrove (4), Knoch (7), Mars (7), West Allegheny (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9), Cardinal O’Hara (12)

AA:
1. Aliquippa (7, 5-0), def. Mohawk 48-0
2. Wyomissing (3, 5-0), def. Pleasant Valley 31-27
3. Washington (7, 5-0), def. Jeannette 18-15
4. South Fayette (7, 5-0), def. Seton-LaSalle 51-12
5. Imhotep Charter (12, 5-0), def. High School of the Future 53-0
6. Jeannette (7, 4-1), lost to Washington 18-15
7. Wilmington (10, 4-1), def. Saegertown 49-6
8. Hickory (10, 4-1), def. Titusville 38-0
9. Central Columbia (4, 5-0), def. Danville 21-7
10. Trinity (3, 4-1), def. Milton Hershey 49-19

HONORABLE MENTION: Lake-Lehman (2), Berks Catholic (3), Bermudian Springs (3), Littlestown (3), Danville (4), Lewisburg (4), Montoursville (4), Martinsburg Central (6), Richland (6), Beaver Area (7), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Grove City (10), North Schuylkill (11), Northern Lehigh (11), Pen Argyl (11), West Catholic (12)

A:
1. Clairton (7, 5-0), def. Fort Cherry 65-0
2. Southern Columbia (4, 5-0), def. Muncy 47-7
3. Old Forge (2, 5-0), def. Riverside 54-7
4. Sharpsville (10, 5-0), def. Farrell 35-13
5. Rochester (7, 5-0), def. Western Beaver 41-0
6. Dunmore (2, 4-1), won by forfeit over Holy Cross
7. Bellwood-Antis (6, 5-0), def. Mount Union Area 21-0
8. Williams Valley (11, 5-0), def. Halifax 24-0
9. West Middlesex (10, 4-1), def. Mercer Area 34-13
10. Port Allegany (9, 5-0), def. Otto-Eldred 42-16

HONORABLE MENTION: Riverside (2), Bloomsburg (4), Line Mountain (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Windber (5), Bishop Guilfoyle (6), Penns Manor (6), Bishop Canevin (7), Neshannock (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Curwensville (9), Marian Catholic (11), Schuylkill Haven (11), Tri-Valley (11)

I’ve always enjoyed talking to football players who not only love the game, but get it and immerse themselves in it.

Talk for any length of time with Williams Valley’s Stephen Sedesse and you’ll learn quickly that he’s one of those players.

Sedesse, a junior quarterback, had to learn a new offensive system with first-year head coach Tim Savage – the multiple-I. Williams Valley ran a Wing-T offense in the past.

“I’ve been studying it and working with it since the spring,” Sedesse told me following his Vikings’ 35-28 victory over District 4 rep and Tri-Valley League traditional power Line Mountain Saturday night. “Then we got our guys back who played baseball during the summer months and we’ve kind of gone from there.”

Williams Valley is 4-0 – averaging 144.5 passing yards and 39.3 points per game in its new-look offense. And Owen Daniel, an 1,100-yard rusher in his junior season, still gets his carries, but leads WV with 26 receptions for 412 yards and seven touchdowns. Daniel has also returned a kickoff for a touchdown and scored on an 89-yard touchdown run for his only rush attempt of the season before Saturday night.

Daniel recorded his second 40+-yard carry of the season in the second half of Saturday’s game, a 46-yard run on a toss sweep which, on the surface, looked eerily similar to a play straight out of a Wing-T scheme. Sedesse, who’s spent lots of time in learning the system, noted it wasn’t.

“It does look like a Wing-T play,” Sedesse said. “But if it was, Owen would have been up much closer to the line.”

Sedesse’s immersion in the game goes beyond his own team – “Hey, how about what Schuylkill Haven did to North Schuylkill last night?” Sedesse asked as our postgame conversation veered into talking potential players in the District 11 A playoffs.

Just a guess – and nothing more than that – Schuylkill Haven and Williams Valley might just get a chance to tango in the D11 A tournament this year.

***

Just in case you were wondering, Williams Valley’s Savage isn’t the only first-year head coach who is undefeated thus far in 2012. West Chester Henderson’s Steve Mitten, Lansdale Catholic’s Tom Kirk and Imhotep Charter’s Albie Crosby are also off to undefeated starts in their initial seasons.

In fact, the Williams Valley-Line Mountain game pitted a pair of undefeated first-year head coaches. Rodney Knock is the new head coach at Line Mountain.

***

Philadelphia Catholic League AAAA rep La Salle College High School has found its way into the USA-Today’s Super 25 high school football national rankings. The Explorers are No. 24 in the latest poll, which is compiled by USA-Today sportswriter Jim Halley. The No. 24 national ranking matches the Explorers’ best-ever rating in the poll – La Salle’s 2009 PIAA championship team finished with the same ranking after defeating State College, 24-7. La Salle was 14-1 that season.

Central Dauphin, the defending PIAA AAAA champion, was listed in the Super 25 preseason poll (No. 25), but the Rams slipped out following a 24-7 loss to Bishop McDevitt in Week 2.

***

Bloomsburg senior wide receiver John Klingerman eclipsed a milestone in his career – surpassing the 3,000-yard plateau in receiving. Klingerman entered the Panthers’ Week 4 game against Jersey Shore needing just 12 yards to reach the mark. He finished the night with 72, on six receptions and scored two touchdowns, to bring his career total to 3,060 yards and 42 touchdowns. Bloomsburg is 3-1 overall, and Klingerman has eight touchdown receptions to his credit, which ranks among the top totals in the state.

***

Central Columbia is off to a 4-0 start, and the Blue Jays have showed marked improvements offensively.

I remember talking with Jason Hippenstiel following his team’s 35-7 victory over Warrior Run last October, a game where Central Columbia rushed for more than 300 yards as a team. Hippenstiel was tickled pink over that. Central’s leading rusher from 2011, Dain Kowalski, finished with 215 yards for the Jays – in 10 games. Central averaged only 80 yards rushing and 16.5 points per game last season.

But now fast-forward to 2012 – Central is averaging 28.8 points and 186 yards rushing per game. And Kowalski has already surpassed his 2011 rushing total in just four games – he’s up to 221 yards and four touchdowns and is on pace to more than triple his 2011 rushing output (try a 737-yard, 10-touchdown pace for Mr. Kowalski). In fact, the Blue Jays are on pace to end the 2012 regular season with four backs with 250+ rushing yards each.

***

I promise this is the last District 4 note in this suddenly District 4-centric notebook, but why not save a first for last? Make sense? Loyalsock Township defeated Mount Carmel, 32-29, for the Lancers’ first-ever victory against the Red Tornadoes in program history. Loyalsock is 2-2 overall, with losses to Danville and Central Columbia, who are a combined 8-0 overall.

***

Speaking of improved rushing totals, Cedar Cliff senior Xavier Baney is on track to establish a new career-high in rushing yardage this week when the Colts take on West Shore rival Red Land Friday night. Baney, who rushed for 89 yards in the Colts’ 41-27 victory over Hershey Saturday, is up to 309 yards through four games. His career high for rushing yardage in a single season is 334 – established last year. While the headlines and ink go toward Cedar Cliff’s prolific passing attack and field general Andrew Ford (and deservedly so), Baney has quietly scored 20 rushing touchdowns for the Colts since the start of the 2010 season.

***

Cardinal O’Hara has only scored 32 points through its first three games of the 2012 season. Then, Saturday, the Lions nearly doubled that season total in one game, a dominating 56-20 victory over Archbishop Carroll. Thadd Smith, an O’Hara junior, nearly outdid the Lions’ three-game scoring output by himself, scoring 30 of the Lions’ points in the win.

***

Three Eastern Pennsylvania teams – Archbishop Wood (12), Lampeter-Strasburg (3) and Council Rock North (1) are starting freshman quarterbacks. Tom Garlick has taken over the reins of Wood’s offense the last two games; Bear Shank is piloting L-S’ ship; and Brandon McIlwain is a dual-threat at CRN’s offensive controls.

***

When Wyoming Area senior Nick O’Brien scores his next rushing touchdown, it will be the 60th of his career.

***

Since a season-opening loss to Berwick, Crestwood is undefeated and has outscored its opposition by a combined margin of 68-38.

***

Trinity senior running back Adam Geiger has scored nine rushing touchdowns over the Shamrocks’ last two games – five against Columbia and four more against Steelton-Highspire. Geiger has run for 616 yards and 10 touchdowns through four games and has 3,145 yards and 45 rushing touchdowns for his career. Trinity is 3-1 overall.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:

1. La Salle College High School (12, 4-0), def. Malvern Prep 38-6

2. North Allegheny (7, 4-0), def. Pine-Richland 35-3

3. Easton Area (11, 4-0), def. Allentown Central Catholic 35-10

4. Gateway (7, 4-0), def. Altoona Area 42-7

5. Central Dauphin (3, 3-1), def. Chambersburg 52-27

6. Downingtown East (1, 4-0), def. Coatesville 35-34

7. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 3-0), DNP Week 3

8. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7, 4-0), def. Fox Chapel 35-3

9. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 3-1), def. J.P. McCaskey 57-12

T-10. Upper St. Clair (7, 4-0), def. Penn Hills 27-0

T-10. Delaware Valley (2, 4-0), def. Abington Heights 34-14

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Garnet Valley (1), North Penn (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Spring-Ford (1), Scranton (2), Cedar Cliff (3), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), Penn Manor (3), State College Area (6), Seneca Valley (7), Woodland Hills (7), McDowell (10), Nazareth (11), Whitehall (11), Roman Catholic (12)

AAA:

1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 4-0), def. Mechanicsburg 45-14

2. Cathedral Prep (10, 4-0), def. St. Francis (N.Y.) 69-0

3. Archbishop Wood (12, 3-1), def. West Catholic 27-6

4. Franklin Regional (7, 3-1), def. Greensburg-Salem 44-0

5. Cardinal O’Hara (12, 3-1), def. Archbishop Carroll 56-20

6. Montour (7, 4-0), def. New Castle 33-14

7. Lancaster Catholic (3, 3-1), def. Manheim Township 28-14

8. Central Valley (7, 3-1), def. Blackhawk 42-14

9. Pottsgrove (1, 4-0), def. Boyertown 56-6

10. Berwick (2, 3-1), lost to Wyoming Valley West 33-15

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Abington Heights (2), Scranton Prep (2), Valley View (2), Cocalico (3), Garden Spot (3), Manheim Central (3), West York Area (3), Selinsgrove (4), Knoch (7), Mars (7), Thomas Jefferson (7), West Allegheny (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9)

AA:

1. Aliquippa (7, 4-0), def. New Brighton 66-0

2. Wyomissing (3, 4-0), def. Blue Mountain 35-0

3. Jeannette (7, 4-0), def. Brownsville 60-7

4. Washington (7, 4-0), def. Yough 42-12

5. Imhotep Charter (12, 4-0), def. Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy 34-10

6. South Fayette (7, 4-0), def. Burgettstown 56-6

7. Wilmington (10, 3-1), def. Titusville 32-7

8. Hickory (10, 3-1), def. Grove City 41-12

9. Danville (4, 4-0), def. Mifflinburg 23-13

10. Pen Argyl (11, 4-0), def. Wilson Area 35-22

HONORABLE MENTION:  Berks Catholic (3), Bermudian Springs (3), Trinity (3), Central Columbia (4), Lewisburg (4), Mount Carmel (4), Penn Cambria (6), Richland (6), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Grove City (10), North Schuylkill (11), Northern Lehigh (11), West Catholic (12)

A:

1. Clairton (7, 4-0), def. Monessen 52-7

2. Southern Columbia (4, 4-0), def. South Williamsport 42-21

3. Old Forge (2, 4-0), def. Dunmore 21-0

4. Riverside (2, 3-1), def. Susquehanna 42-21

5. Sharpsville (10, 4-0), def. Kennedy Catholic 55-13

6. Dunmore (2, 3-1), lost to Old Forge 21-0

7. Rochester (7, 4-0), def. South Side Beaver 38-6

8. Bellwood-Antis (6, 4-0), def. Juniata Valley 47-34

9. Williams Valley (11, 4-0), def. Line Mountain 35-28

10. Port Allegany (9, 4-0), def. Coudersport 70-8

HONORABLE MENTION: Line Mountain (4), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Windber (5), Bishop McCort (6), Penns Manor (6), Avonworth (7), Bishop Canevin (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Curwensville (9), Farrell (10), West Middlesex (10), Marian Catholic (11), Schuylkill Haven (11), Tri-Valley (11)

MANDATA, Pa. – Before even coaching a game in Tower City, first-year head coach Tim Savage had already generated talk about his Williams Valley Vikings. He had decided to move 1,100-yard rusher Owen Daniel to wide receiver.

“I caught a lot of grief for doing that – you have no idea,” Savage admitted.

Turns out that Savage’s preseason hunch is paying dividends for the Vikings. Line Mountain might well be wishing the Viking boss hadn’t thought outside the box.

Between rushing, receiving and special teams, Daniel amassed more than 280 yards and scored three long touchdowns as Williams Valley (4-0 overall, 3-0 Tri-Valley League) rolled off 22 unanswered points to quell host Line Mountain (3-1, 2-1 TVL), 35-28, Saturday evening from Glenn Ressler Field at Eagles Stadium in Mandata.

Truth be told, Daniel always envisioned himself playing wide receiver. In fact, it was his dream position to play.

“I was curious about getting to play wide receiver – all of the time when I was younger, that was what I wanted to be,” Daniel said.

But Saturday night, Daniel found himself being the proverbial dagger being stabbed repeatedly into Line Mountain’s Tri-Valley League dominance.

Daniel’s two touchdown receptions – spanning 22 yards in the second quarter and 79 yards in the third, were part of a stretch in which WV outscored Line Mountain 22-0 between the second to fourth quarters. He finished with 158 yards on six receptions, carried twice for 43 yards, including a 46-yard toss sweep to set up the Vikings’ final touchdown, and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown after Line Mountain had jumped to an early 7-0 lead.

“It (the momentum) turned when they had that kickoff return for the touchdown,” said Eagles’ first-year head coach Rodney Knock. “They (Williams Valley) deserve a lot of credit. They played well.”

It didn’t start out well for the guest Vikings, as junior field general Stephen Sedesse was intercepted by the Eagles’ Cory Warford, resulting in a 34-yard return for a touchdown. Warford would also provide the Eagles a 14-7 lead with a 31-yard run later in the first period.

But Sedesse didn’t get down.

“My teammates had real confidence in me and my receivers made a lot of plays – I just had to throw the ball to them and they made plays,” Sedesse said. “I give all the credit to my line. I didn’t face any pressure all game long.”

Sedesse staying upright all night long was the complete opposite for Eagle starter Cole Rickert. Battling a nagging ankle injury from the previous week against Juniata, Rickert started the game watching from the sideline for a play. He then entered the game on the Eagles’ second play from scrimmage, but Rickert’s final Homecoming game was cut short.

On an option keeper in the second quarter following recovery of a Viking fumbled punt return, Rickert reaggravated the ankle injury and sat out the rest of the game, trading his helmet and pads for a blue jacket. Fellow senior Codi Morris was forced into the game.

“We preach here: ‘Next guy up, do your job,’” Knock said.

Morris did. He completed his first pass attempt to Jeremy Renn for a 60-yard touchdown and a 21-13 Eagle lead. He also found Renn for a 56-yard scoring connection to bring the hosts to within seven in the fourth quarter. In all, Morris threw for 132 yards, completing 4-of-6 passes and rushed for 14 more yards on seven carries.

“As a coach, I couldn’t ask for more out of him,” Knock said. “He did exactly what we preach – step up. And he didn’t turn the ball over. He can run our offense just as good (as Rickert). He showed that tonight.”

Only a comeback wasn’t destined to be in the Eagles’ cards. Williams Valley got the ball back with 7:12 remaining in regulation, and soon found themselves forced to punt. Only WV never gave up possession. Line Mountain was flagged for a roughing the kicker penalty, giving the Vikings a first down.

A steady diet of Cole Barnhardt later, the Eagles found themselves out of timeouts and facing a fourth-and-8 if it opted to decline a WV holding penalty. The Eagles chose to accept the foul, which enabled Barnhardt to post a 14-yard run on third down and drain more clock. Sedesse lobbed a rainbow to the end zone for Daniel, but the Eagles were flagged for pass interference. Line Mountain never saw the ball again after Renn’s second touchdown reception.

“This is huge for us – Line Mountain has been the program in the TVL for years,” Savage said. “This win is monumental for us and for our program.”

Sedesse admitted he’s looking toward bigger goals for both himself and the Vikings, like a run in the District 11 and possibly state playoffs, too.

“We can be right up in there,” Sedesse said.

You might just call it a hunch.

NOTES: Prior to the start of Saturday’s game, Glenn Ressler was honored as the field at Eagles Stadium was named in his honor. Ressler, a graduate of Mahanoy Joint High School, was a 1964 Maxwell Award winner along the offensive line at Penn State and played 125 games in his NFL career, including being a member of the Baltimore Colts’ Super Bowl V championship team. Mahanoy Joint operated as a high school until 1966. Line Mountain formed in 1967…..Barnhardt, Williams Valley’s featured tailback, finished with 98 yards on 30 carries and caught three passes for 52 yards, scoring two touchdowns…….the 50/50 drawing at halftime yielded the night’s prize winner (from Williams Valley, ironically) a whopping $1,395……Williams Valley turned the ball over three times – twice via fumbles and the opening interception. Line Mountain’s Nick Strohecker recovered both Viking fumbles while forcing one.

Williams Valley 7 14 6 8 – 35

Line Mountain 14 7 0 7 – 28

Scoring

1st quarter

LM – Cory Warford 34 interception return (Austin Snyder kick)

WV – Owen Daniel 80 kickoff return (Stephen Sedesse kick)

LM – Warford 31 run (Snyder kick)

2nd quarter

WV – Cole Barnhardt 15 pass from Sedesse (pass failed)

LM – Jeremy Renn 60 pass from Codi Morris (Snyder kick)

WV – Daniel 22 pass from Sedesse (Tim Schorr pass from Sedesse)

3rd quarter

WV – Daniel 79 pass from Sedesse (pass failed)

4th quarter

WV – Barnhardt 2 run (Daniel pass from Sedesse)

LM – Renn 56 pass from Morris (Snyder kick)

WV LM

Rushes-yds 33-143 38-125

Passing 12-16-1 8-12-0

Passing yds 220 152

Total offense 363 277

1st downs 14 11

Penalties 4-40 5-52

Turnovers 3 0

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Williams Valley: Cole Barnhardt 30-98 TD; Owen Daniel 2-43; Trevor Whelski 2-2. Line Mountain: Cory Warford 13-98 TD; Austin Snyder 6-18; Dillan Michael 9-minus-1; Cole Rickert 3-minus-5; Codi Morris 7-14.

PASSING: Williams Valley: Stephen Sedesse 12-16-1-220 3 TD. Line Mountain: Morris 4-6-0-135 2 TD; Rickert 4-5-0-17; Michael 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Williams Valley: Daniel 6-158 2 TD; Barnhardt 3-52 TD; Brendan Miller 1-7; Tim Schorr 1-1; Ryan Hand 1-0. Line Mountain: Jeremy Renn 4-132 2 TD; Michael 2-13; Erik Smeltz 2-6.

HERSHEY, Pa. – Just in case he needs a backup career plan, Cedar Cliff junior quarterback Andrew Ford might want to consider a career in the medical field.

His dissection of Hershey’s defense was, well, surgical.

Ford accounted for 432 of his team’s 538 total offensive yards and had a hand in all six touchdowns as Cedar Cliff (4-0) remained undefeated with a 41-27 victory over Hershey (3-1) Saturday afternoon from a sunsplashed Henry Hershey Field on the picturesque campus of Milton Hershey School in Derry Township.

Hershey High normally plays its home football games at nearby Hersheypark Stadium, but the venue was unavailable to use to host a football game this weekend due to activities and a concert for an event called FarmAid. So the Trojans played their game at Milton Hershey instead.

But if Hershey was looking for aid in trying to contain the Colts’ spread offense, it found none. Instead, Ford and company created headaches for the Trojans all afternoon.

“They (Hershey) came to our place last year and hung 41 on us,” said Cedar Cliff head coach Jim Cantafio. “I think our kids wanted it more and I think our kids are in good shape (compared to this time last year).”

Cantafio, and Ford, too, noted the key to solving Hershey’s defensive package was to take advantage of the Trojans’ aggressiveness with its front four on the line, despite the fact the Colt offensive trenchmen gave up what Cantafio called “a considerable amount” of size to their counterparts. Try as Hershey might, they just couldn’t quite solve what No. 7 threw at them.

“I just try to put my team in a good situation,” Ford said. “Today, they needed me to run.”

So run Ford did, to the tune of 120 yards and five touchdowns on 16 carries while scoring on runs of 22, 5, 1, 14 and 30 yards. And when he wasn’t running, he was using a series of screen and intermediate passes to receivers Ajlane Youssef and Jake Scott and running back Xavier Baney.

In the first half alone, Ford completed 17 of 20 pass attempts and the Colts tallied 18 first downs. At one point in the opening 24 minutes, Cedar Cliff had run 40 plays to Hershey’s nine. The Colts had rendered Hershey’s strength practically useless.

“That’s what it is,” said Trojan head coach Mark Painter. “In a (shootout) game like this, it comes down to stops and mistakes. They are a team that can score points in bunches.”

It appeared as though Hershey would make the game into a track meet when Jailen Harmon rocketed 97 yards on the hosts’ second offensive play to tie the game at 7. It turned out it was as close as Hershey would get.

Ford scored the Colts’ next three touchdowns to help build a 28-7 halftime lead. He added a 53-yard laser to Aljane after Hershey cut the CC lead to 28-14, and his fifth touchdown run, the aforementioned 30-yarder, put the game out of reach. In addition to his 120 yards rushing, Ford threw for 312 yards, completing 24-of-31 passes.

“We’ve got the right guy at QB, buddy,” Cantafio said. “I’ve told people time and time again that he’s going to be the best QB to ever come from central Pennsylvania. And I firmly believe that.”

Ford, who has thrown for 1,218 yards and 15 touchdowns and run for 256 yards and eight additional scores through four games, was quick to note the play of his line – “I give them all the credit,” the lefty said. “They made my job easy.”

He also talked about feature wide receiver Jake Scott, who snagged 11 passes for 117 yards and leads Cedar Cliff with 30 receptions and 438 yards through four games.

“Jake Scott is central Pennsylvania’s best-kept secret, but I don’t think he’s much of a secret anymore,” Ford said. “He (Scott) came with me to some of the camps I attended over the summer and we had that chance to work and (develop that connection).”

Ford is also astute on the Colts’ football history – he noted that it is the first time since 1997 that Cedar Cliff has started a season 4-0.

Hershey added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin. The scores were sandwiched around Ford’s 30-yard scoring run.

NOTES: Cedar Cliff running back Xavier Baney ran for 89 yards Saturday and now has 309 yards rushing through four games. Baney’s career high in rushing yardage for a single season is 334, set last year. Baney has also scored 20 career rushing touchdowns for the Colts….Hershey quarterback Zach Drayer threw for 195 yards and rushed for 49 as the Trojans piled up more than 400 yards of offense – most of that in the second half……Drayer booted a pair of long punts in the first half, one of which went 55 yards.

Cedar Cliff 14 14 7 6 – 41

Hershey 7 0 7 13 – 27

Scoring

1st quarter

CC – Andrew Ford 22 run (Noah Malone kick)

HER – Jailen Harmon 97 run (Ben Haines kick)

CC – Ford 5 run (Malone kick)

2nd quarter

CC – Ford 1 run (Malone kick)

CC – Ford 14 run (Malone kick)

3rd quarter

HER – Nick Kroutch 53 run (Haines kick)

CC – Ajlane Youssef 53 pass from Ford (Malone kick)

4th quarter

HER – Jesse Campbell 2 run (Haines kick)

CC – Ford 30 run (kick blocked)

HER – Harmon 8 pass from Drayer (kick failed)

HER CC

Rushes-yds 23-213 38-226

Passing 12-26-1 24-31-0

Passing yds 195 312

Total offense 408 538

1st downs 17 28

Penalties 4-20 5-28

Turnovers 1 0

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Cedar Cliff: Andrew Ford 16-120 5 TD; Xavier Baney 17-89; Youssef Ajlane 1-14; Mike Viti 1-8. Hershey: Zach Drayer 15-49; Jailen Harmon 2-103 TD; Nick Kroutch 2-57 TD; Jesse Campbell 2-6 TD; Jimmy Eberle 1-0; Dallas Ricker 1-3.

PASSING: Cedar Cliff: Ford 24-31-0-312 TD. Hershey: Drayer 12-26-1-195 TD.

RECEIVING: Cedar Cliff: Jake Scott 11-117; Youssef 7-132 TD; Baney 4-45; Nate Orris 1-15; Viti 1-5. Hershey: Harmon 4-71 TD; Campbell 4-41; Adam Luchansky 2-67; Ian Whelan 1-5.

Just call it the year of the quarterback.

Several quarterbacks in the eastern half of the state have or recently have eclipsed career milestones for passing yardage. One quarterback, in fact, helped his program establish a new state standard in one statistical category.

It begins with Manheim Township’s Brennan Scott, who surpassed the 5,000-yard passing benchmark in Week 3. Scott passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns in the Blue Streaks’ 27-7 victory over Carlisle Friday. Township has won consecutive games following a setback to defending PIAA champion Central Dauphin to open the season.

Scott is Township’s second career 5,000-yard passer and Manheim Township became the third Lancaster-Lebanon League program to boast multiple 5,000-yard passers. Conestoga Valley and Lebanon are the others – Lebanon, like Township, has two, and the Buckskins have four such field generals, tied with Bangor Pius X for the most 5,000-yard passers from one program in state history. Scott has thrown for 5,118 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Spring-Ford’s Hank Coyne surpassed the 4,000-yard plateau this past weekend, giving him 4,105 yards and 41 touchdowns. Coyne is the second career 4,000-yard passer for the Rams and finds himself a mere 613 yards shy of Trevor Sasek’s program record of 4,718 career pass yards.

Bishop McDevitt’s Alec Werner, like Coyne, surpassed the 4,000-yard passing plateau in the Crusaders’ 48-28 thumping of Cumberland Valley. Over his last 19 games, Werner has thrown for 4,074 yards. He becomes McDevitt’s fifth career 4,000+-yard passer, which establishes a new state standard for any program. Werner joins Matt Johnson, Marcus Stone, Jeremy Ricker and Mike Eisman in the 4,000+-passing yard club. Selinsgrove, Pius X and Conestoga Valley each have four.

Harriton’s Pat Moriarty is over 4,400 career passing yards and Bryan Schor, a senior at Delaware Valley, became the Warriors’ first career 4,000-yard passer following Week 2.

***

Continuing with the aerial assaults, how about the impressive starts by quarterbacks to this 2012 scholastic football season? Cedar Cliff junior (and southpaw) Andrew Ford already has 14 touchdown passes through three games. Downingtown East’s Kyle Lauletta has 11 and East Pennsboro’s Austin Wilson and Delaware Valley’s Schor have each thrown 10.

Riverside’s Nick Dranchak is well on his way toward a new career-high in passing yards in a season. The Viking senior’s season standard is 1,285 yards, set last season. Already, Dranchak, a career 3,400-yard passer, has 764 yards and nine touchdowns.

***

Marian Catholic’s 48-7 victory over Mahanoy Area Friday night marked the 275th victory of head coach Stan Dakosty’s career. The Colts’ boss owns a career record of 275-125-3.

Mark Evans (Manheim Township), Roy Wall (Northern Lebanon) and Mike Matta (Downingtown East) all recorded their 75th victories within the first three weeks of the season. Emmaus’ Joe Bottiglieri’s next victory will be his 75th overall. The Green Hornets are undefeated.

***

Central Bucks South sophomore running back Josh Adams leads the state with 13 rushing touchdowns through three weeks. He’s also the state’s leading sophomore rusher, leading Pittsburgh North Catholic’s P.J. Fulmore by 50 yards. Eastern Pennsylvania’s second-leading sophomore rusher is Easton’s Shane Simpson (534). Unofficially, Simpson ranks third among state sophomore rushing leaders through three games.

***

Pope John Paul II junior quarterback James Bleming has attempted 115 passes through three games, an average of 38 attempts per game. Another junior – Bloomsburg’s Ricky Klingerman – has thrown 92 passes through the Panthers’ first three games for an average of 30.7. Both Bleming and Klingerman are on pace to finish the regular season with 300+ pass attempts.

***

In Dave Mika’s “40 Teams in 40 Days” series this preseason, Downingtown East’s Mike Matta noted his senior fullback, Chris Beals, and his pass-catching ability. Believe it or not, Beals is the Cougars’ featured receiver, having hauled in 22 passes for 408 yards and five touchdowns through three games. It leads me to ask: How many teams had a fullback lead the team in receiving yardage for a season and didn’t run an option/Wing-T offense?

***

Why wait until Week 10 to iron out conference supremacy? Williams Valley and Line Mountain, both undefeated, meet Saturday night in Herndon in a Tri-Valley League showdown. Expect lots and lots of running – Line Mountain boasts four backs with at least 15 carries and 104 yards rushing. Williams Valley’s Cole Barnhardt, a junior, averages 191.7 yards rushing per game himself and has scored eight touchdowns. Both the Eagles and the Vikings are also averaging gaudy scoring averages – Line Mountain 50 points per game and Williams Valley 40.7.

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb.

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:

1. La Salle College High School (12, 3-0), def. Cardinal O’Hara 38-6

2. North Allegheny (7, 3-0), def. Seneca Valley 45-3

3. Easton Area (11, 3-0), def. Bethlehem Catholic 48-14

4. Gateway (7, 3-0), def. Kiski Area 55-14

5. Central Dauphin (3, 2-1), def. South Western 63-7

6. Downingtown East (1, 3-0), def. Pennsbury 42-28

7. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 3-0), def. North Penn 31-3

8. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7, 3-0), def. Canon-McMillan 42-0

9. McDowell (10, 2-1), def. Lancaster Catholic 49-20

T-10. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 2-1), def. Reading 31-12

T-10. State College Area (6, 3-0), def. Father Judge 33-23

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Garnet Valley (1), Neshaminy (1), North Penn (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Scranton (2), Cedar Cliff (3), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), Manheim Township (3), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), Woodland Hills (7), Nazareth (11), Whitehall (11), Roman Catholic (12)

AAA:

1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 3-0), def. Cumberland Valley 48-28

2. Cathedral Prep (10, 3-0), def. Lake Catholic (OH) 37-6

3. Archbishop Wood (12, 2-1), def. Frankford 35-6

4. Franklin Regional (7, 2-1), def. Highlands 35-3

5. Cardinal O’Hara (12, 2-1), lost to La Salle College High School 38-6

6. Montour (7, 3-0), def. Mohawk 41-0

7. Berwick (2, 3-0), def. Dallas 50-14

8. Lancaster Catholic (3, 2-1), lost to McDowell 49-20

9. Pottsgrove (1, 3-0), def. Upper Perkiomen 56-7

10. Central Valley (7, 2-1), def. Chartiers Valley 49-7

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Abington Heights (2), Scranton Prep (2), Valley View (2), Cocalico (3), Manheim Central (3), West York Area (3), Selinsgrove (4), Blackhawk (7), Knoch (7), Mars (7), Thomas Jefferson (7), West Allegheny (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9)

AA:

1. Aliquippa (7, 3-0), def. Riverside (Ellwood City) 68-0

2. Wyomissing (3, 3-0), def. Muhlenberg 34-7

3. Jeannette (7, 3-0), def. Yough 45-13

4. Mount Carmel (4, 2-1), lost to Southern Columbia 49-33

5. Washington (7, 3-0), def. Charleroi 64-14

6. Grove City (10, 3-0), def. Reynolds 20-6

7. Imhotep Charter (12, 3-0), def. Roxborough 54-0

8. South Fayette (7, 3-0), def. Steel Valley 50-0

9. Wilmington (10, 2-1), def. Hickory 35-28

10. Danville (4, 3-0), def. Shamokin 20-10

HONORABLE MENTION: Bermudian Springs (3), Trinity (3), Lewisburg (4), Forest Hills (6), Penn Cambria (6), Richland (6), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), Hickory (10), North Schuylkill (11), Northern Lehigh (11), Pen Argyl (11), West Catholic (12)

A:

1. Clairton (7, 3-0), def. California 54-6

2. Southern Columbia (4, 3-0), def. Mount Carmel Area 49-33

3. Dunmore (2, 3-0), def. West Scranton 7-6

4. Riverside (2, 2-1), def. North Pocono 57-47

5. Sharpsville (10, 3-0), def. Conneaut 30-22

6. Old Forge (2, 3-0), def. Holy Redeemer 56-7

7. Rochester (7, 3-0), def. Union 21-19

8. Bellwood-Antis (6, 3-0), def. West Branch 54-20

9. Line Mountain (4, 3-0), def. Juniata 56-26

10. Port Allegany (9, 3-0), def. Ridgway 55-14

HONORABLE MENTION: Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Windber (5), Bishop McCort (6), Penns Manor (6), Avonworth (7), Bishop Canevin (7), Monessen (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Curwensville (9), Mercyhurst Prep (10), West Middlesex (10), Marian Catholic (11), Williams Valley (11)

ALTOONA, Pa. – If you’d take a look at Erie McDowell’s final team rushing statistics from its 2011 season, you wouldn’t see James Conner’s name in the No. 1, 2, or 3 slot. And not even the fourth. The now 6’2, 230-pound senior and Pitt recruit was fifth, with 267 yards and three touchdowns.

“I had a different role last year,” Conner said. “Greg Garmon (an Iowa recruit) was on the team and I was asked to be more of a blocker. We looked to Greg last year to spark us when we needed a big play – the guys were like, “C’mon, Greg.’ Now, my teammates are the ones looking to me to be that guy.”

But Conner did more than spark McDowell Saturday afternoon. He was on fire.

McDowell (2-1) got 248 yards rushing and three long touchdown runs from Conner and rolled to an impressive average of more than 10 yards per carry against defending PIAA “AA” champion Lancaster Catholic for a 49-20 victory at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona, snapping the Crusaders’ 18-game winning streak in the process.

The Trojans, in fact, invoked the PIAA’s mercy rule with a Dylan Ukasik touchdown just three seconds into the fourth quarter – a rarity in games featuring Lancaster Catholic on the short end of such margins. It was the Crusaders’ first mercy rule loss since 2003, when Columbia defeated Catholic, 48-0.

In PIAA mercy rule games, the game is played with a running clock when a team builds a lead of 35 points or more in the second half. If the losing team scores to bring the margin within 35 points, it does not stop the running clock.

McDowell entered the fray the state’s overall leader in rushing yardage per game, averaging 426.5 yards per and led by a three-headed monster backfield of quarterback Sean Gallagher, Khyre Drayer and Conner. Catholic, bent on shutting down the Trojans’ midline running game, left their flanks vulnerable.

“Lancaster Catholic was very cognisent of staying in their gaps and stuffing the run up the middle,” said McDowell head coach Mark Soboleski. “But we’re the No. 1 rushing team in the state because every week, it’s a different guy for us. Today, it was Conner and Tyree (Spearman).”

Conner’s scoring runs – of 73 yards on the Trojans’ second play from scrimmage, 92 yards in the second quarter and 68 yards to put the exclamation mark on McDowell’s day – moved him to seven for the season and six in his last two games. Spearman, who entered the game with negative rushing yardage, became McDowell’s fourth 100-yard rusher for the 2012 campaign with 134 yards on just five carries and two long touchdown runs spanning 46 and 45 yards.

McDowell finished with 465 yards rushing on 42 carries.

On his first touchdown run, and several times throughout the game, Conner showed an impressive stiff-arm which kept Crusader defenders at bay and even further limit good looks to tackle him.

“I don’t know where I learned that move,” Conner admitted. “But with my long arms, I can use that to my advantage and then hope my speed is good enough to get me to the next level.”

“Conner is unbelievable,” Soboleski said. “We (as a staff) asked him to be more of an upright runner this season and more downhill, because when he gets going, he’s unstoppable.”

On the opposite sideline, the Crusaders, who rode the coattails of senior running back and career 4,100-yard rusher Roman Clay to a 2-0 record, never could quite get their ground game working. Averaging better than 300 yards per game on the ground, McDowell limited Clay to just 63 yards on 19 carries. As a team, Catholic managed 34 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Catholic was able to pull within 14-7 of McDowell in the second quarter when Sean Titus hauled in a 68-yard scoring pass from starter Aaron Springer. Titus also scored the Crusaders’ second touchdown on a 9-yard pass in the fourth quarter from Evan Purvis and finished with nine catches for 232 yards in the game. Between Springer and Purvis, Catholic passes for 286 yards.

“It was nice for us to get the passing game going,” Titus said. “We knew they’d be keying on stuffing the box and trying to stop Roman and that the pass would be there for us. But missed opportunities hurt us.”

One of those missed opportunities which loomed large came in the first half. Down 21-7, LC had recovered a muffed McDowell punt and appeared to be in business. Just two plays later, Springer threw a floating pass which was intercepted by the Trojans’ Devontae Newby, and, two plays after that, Spearman notched his 46-yard touchdown run to make it a 28-7 game.

Special teams also weren’t friendly to Catholic this day – the Crusaders had three punts which didn’t travel further than 21 yards in the game. McDowell, meanwhile, did not punt in the game. Kicker Ethan Stark bombed seven touchbacks, converted all six extra points attempts he faced and missed a 48-yard field goal attempt.

Clay said the loss for the Crusaders was one that would serve as a “real wake-up call.”

“All good things have to come to an end at some point,” Clay said of LC’s 18-game winning streak. “(This game) was a good learning lesson and much needed for us. We have to go back to practice and work hard and focus (the rest of the way).”

NOTES: Catholic and McDowell will face each other again next season in Altoona in a Saturday afternoon game. LC served as the “home” team Saturday and McDowell will “host” next season…..Conner, through three games, has run for 539 yards and seven touchdowns on only 30 carries…..Drayer, limited to 32 yards on 13 carries, did not play in the second half of the game, but was not injured. “We wanted to start getting guys out, and I put in another senior who we wanted to get some work,” Soboleski said……Lancaster Catholic head coach Bruce Harbach politely declined to comment on the game outside of the Crusaders’ locker room…….Purvis started the second half at quarterback, and completed 10 of 11 passes for 168 yards. Springer was 6-of-12 in the first half…….Eight of McDowell’s 50 offensive plays went for 20 yards or greater.

Lancaster Catholic 0 7 0 13 – 20
Erie McDowell     7 21 7 14 – 49

Scoring
1st quarter
E – James Conner 73 run (Ethan Stark kick)
2nd quarter
E – Khyre Drayer 3 run (Stark kick)
L – Sean Titus 68 pass from Aaron Springer (Evan Purvis kick)
E – Conner 92 run (Stark kick)
E – Tyree Spearman 46 run (Stark kick)
3rd quarter
E – Spearman 45 run (Stark kick)
4th quarter
E – Dylan Ukasik 2 run (Stark kick)
L – Titus 9 pass from Purvis (Purvis kick)
E – Conner 68 run (Zac Dellecurti kick)
L – Harrison Heise 17 pass from Purvis (PAT failed)

Team statistics
  EM  LC
Rushes-yds 42-465  23-34
Passing  4-8-0 16-23-1
Passing yds 63 286
Total offense 528 320
First downs 16 12
Penalties 5-40 3-31
Turnovers 1 1

Individual statistics
RUSHING: McDowell: Conner 8-248 3 TD; Spearman 5-134 2 TD; Drayer 13-32 TD; Sean Gallagher 8-11; Ukasik 6-21 TD; Todrick Arrington 3-13. Lancaster Catholic: Roman Clay 19-63; Aaron Springer 3-minus-25; Carmelo Cruz 1-minus-4.
PASSING: McDowell: Gallagher 4-8-0-63. Lancaster Catholic: Purvis 10-11-0-168 2 TD; Springer 6-12-1-118 TD.
RECEIVING: McDowell: Eric Iavarone 2-47; Conner 1-11; Spearman 1-5. Lancaster Catholic: Titus 9-232 2 TD; Heise 2-26 TD; Charles Scarff 2-14; Rafael Mateo-Mota 1-11; Kurt Kessler 1-7; Clay 1-minus-4

Statewide football rankings are compiled and updated weekly by EasternPAFootball.com’s Josh Funk and released for publication each Monday during the season. Installments for Weeks 1 through 16 will include the team, geographic district, overall season record and the previous week’s result. Teams listed in the “Honorable Mention” category are arranged in numerical order by geographic district.

AAAA:

1. La Salle College High School (12, 2-0), def. Monsignor Farrell (N.Y.) 37-20

2. North Allegheny (7, 2-0), def. Fox Chapel 48-7

3. Easton Area (11, 2-0), def. Parkland 35-28

4. Gateway (7, 2-0), def. Connellsville 46-16

5. Central Dauphin (3, 1-1), lost to Bishop McDevitt 24-7

6. Downingtown East (1, 2-0), def. Roman Catholic 42-20

7. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7, 2-0), def. North Hills 14-0

8. St. Joseph’s Prep (12, 2-0), def. Gonzaga (D.C.), 28-14

9. North Penn (1, 1-1), def. Archbishop Wood 24-10

10. Wilson-West Lawn (3, 1-1), lost to Harrisburg 21-13

HONORABLE MENTION: Central Bucks South (1), Garnet Valley (1), Neshaminy (1), Pennsbury (1), Ridley (1), Spring-Ford (1), Delaware Valley (2), Scranton (2), Cumberland Valley (3), Harrisburg (3), Hempfield (3), Manheim Township (3), State College Area (6), Seneca Valley (7), Upper St. Clair (7), McDowell (10), Parkland (11), Whitehall (11), Roman Catholic (12)

AAA:

1. Bishop McDevitt (3, 2-0), def. Central Dauphin 24-7

2. Cathedral Prep (10, 2-0), def. Strong Vincent 48-22

3. Archbishop Wood (12, 1-1), lost to North Penn 24-10

4. Franklin Regional (7, 1-1), def. Indiana Area 35-0

5. Cardinal O’Hara (12, 2-0), def. Haverford School 13-12

6. Lancaster Catholic (3, 2-0), def. Governor Mifflin 27-20

7. Montour (7, 2-0), def. Central Valley 28-27 (OT)

8. Pottsgrove (1, 2-0), def. Pope John Paul II 53-14

9. Berwick (2, 2-0), def. Pottsville 41-0

10. Central Valley (7, 1-1), lost to Montour 28-27 (OT)

HONORABLE MENTION: Henderson (1), Abington Heights (2), Valley View (2), Cocalico (3), Manheim Central (3), Shippensburg (3), West York Area (3), Selinsgrove (4), Blackhawk (7), Mars (7), Thomas Jefferson (7), West Allegheny (7), West Mifflin (7), Clearfield Area (9)

AA:

1. Aliquippa (7, 2-0), def. South Park 44-7

2. Wyomissing (3, 2-0), def. Conrad Weiser 42-7

3. Jeannette (7, 2-0), def. Charleroi 50-0

4. Mount Carmel (4, 2-0), def. Lewisburg 27-13

5. Hickory (10, 2-0), def. Greenville Area 35-10

6. Grove City (10, 2-0), def. Wilmington Area 19-7

7. Washington (7, 2-0), def. Southmoreland 42-7

8. Imhotep Charter (12, 2-0), def. Communications Tech 28-0

9. Danville (4, 2-0), def. Loyalsock Township 20-6

10. South Fayette (7, 2-0), def. Keystone Oaks 53-0

HONORABLE MENTION: Wyoming Area (2), Bermudian Springs (3), Trinity (3), Lewisburg (4), Montoursville (4), Forest Hills (6), Penn Cambria (6), Richland (6), Beaver Falls (7), Seton-LaSalle (7), North Schuylkill (11), Northern Lehigh (11), Pen Argyl (11), West Catholic (12)

A:

1. Clairton (7, 2-0), def. Carlynton 50-7

2. Dunmore (2, 2-0), def. GAR Memorial 29-0

3. Southern Columbia (4, 2-0), def. Montgomery 55-3

4. Riverside (2, 1-1), def. Carbondale Area 32-28

5. Sharpsville (10, 2-0), def. Mercer Area 28-14

6. Rochester (7, 2-0), def. Shenango 35-0

7. Old Forge (2, 2-0), def. Wilkes-Barre Meyers 42-7

8. Bellwood-Antis (6, 2-0), def. Moshannon Valley 35-14

9. Line Mountain (4, 2-0), def. Millersburg 38-0

10. Port Allegany (9, 2-0), def. Kane 46-13

HONORABLE MENTION: Delone Catholic (3), Berlin-Brothersvalley (5), Windber (5), Bishop McCort (6), Penns Manor (6), Avonworth (7), Bishop Canevin (7), Brentwood (7), Monessen (7), Pittsburgh North Catholic (7), Sto-Rox (7), Brockway (9), Clarion Area (9), Mercyhurst Prep (10), West Middlesex (10), Shenandoah Valley (11), Williams Valley (11)

SCRANTON, Pa. – At one point in the second half, a Delaware Valley assistant coach asked, “Is it Thursday (morning) yet?”

It was hard to tell whether the assistant was joking or serious with the inquiry, but one thing was certain: in the 78th installment of the Scranton Lions’ Club Dream Game, the City all-stars scored nearly enough points to knock its County counterparts into next week.

Pat Inguilli (Wallenpaupack) and J.P. Gething (North Pocono) combined to rush for more than 120 yards and score five of the City’s six touchdowns in a convincing 41-20 victory from Scranton High School Wednesday evening.

For some of the participants, the Dream Game, which holds the distinction of being the nation’s longest-running all-star football game, marks the final time for donning a helmet and pads.  Others, like Gething and Inguilli, are bound for the collegiate ranks.

And City head coach Keith Olsommer (Delaware Valley) hoped his running back tandem’s future destinations were paying attention to their performances this night. If you are to place a bet on them, you can head out to bro138.

“Wilkes and (Lebanon) Valley are getting two great athletes – I hope they know what they’re getting,” Olsommer said.  “We had a real nice group of skill kids and tough blockers up front.  We didn’t go too hard in practice, but come game time, they went out and got after it.”

Inguilli, who ran for more than 1,800 yards in his senior season for the Buckhorns, said it was easy to pick out the holes his teammates were creating.

“Our fullback (Chris Yurechko, Dunmore), our wide receivers downfield, our linemen, they all did a great job blocking all game long,” Inguilli said.  “In every game of football, you can’t do anything without your line.”

It was Inguilli’s 43-yard touchdown run in the second quarter which snapped a 10-point spurt by the County to pull within three, and his 1-yard run on the City’s first play from scrimmage of the fourth quarter helped the blue and white widen its margin to 34-17.  He also recovered a fumble in the end zone to give the City a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, though No. 2 said he never lost control of the ball.

“Our guys were still up, but they were starting to show signs of getting down a bit,” Inguilli said before his 43-yard scoring run.  “I saw nothing but green in front of me and it was like, ‘Nobody’s getting in my way.  I’m going all the way.’ It’s awesome to be in the drivers’ seat like that.”

Gething’s two touchdowns bookended the City’s scoring effort in the game.  His 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter capped the City’s scoring and a 4-yard run on the squad’s first offensive play of the game following an 18-yard interception return by Nick Hessling (Honesdale) gave the blue and white a 6-0 lead.

The County, however, was spearheaded largely by a trio of Old Forge Blue Devils.  Quarterback Colin Carey, running back Louis Febbo and wide receiver David Argust all made significant contributions offensively for the red and white, who twice pulled to within three points in the first half, 13-10 in the first quarter and 20-17 in the second.

In fact, the Old Forge triumvariate was responsible for both County touchdowns in the game.  Carey hooked up with Argust (5 rec., 100 yards) on an 84-yard pass-and-catch for a touchdown in the first quarter, punctuated by an Argust backflip into the end zone, which ultimately drew a flag.

“I had told Coach (Mike) Schuback I wanted to do that (a backflip) at some point, and that if I got a big run or big play I was going to do it,” Argust explained.  “I looked behind me (on the long reception) and there was no one there, so I did it.  But I couldn’t believe it drew a flag.  This is an all-star game, man.  Just have fun.”

Argust, who will not play football in college, admitted it was disappointing to lose the final game he’d ever play.

“It did feel good playing in this game – Colin and I were feeling it out there,” Argust said. “These last two weeks, practicing and hanging out with these guys, I’ve made friends who I intend to keep for my entire life.  A bigger team like this isn’t something we’re used to seeing in Class A.”

Febbo (10 rush, 45 yards), who was the Blue Devils’ featured running back in 2011, scored the County’s other touchdown on an 11-yard run in the second quarter to pull within 20-17.

But the City strode back in control on its first play following the County kickoff.  Jordan Dempsey (Dunmore) hit Austin Cowpertnwait (Susquehanna) on a 61-yard touchdown pass to jump back up by 10 at halftime.  The County would never get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

Carey threw for 145 yards and ran for 54 yards on six carries for the County while Antonio Russo (Mid-Valley) added 53 yards rushing on 11 carries.  The County all-stars finished with 397 yards of offense and 18 first downs.

Gething paced the City with 71 yards rushing on 11 carries and Inguilli added 56 yards on seven totes.  Quarterbacks Dempsey, Rob Heyen (Susquehanna) and Tom Timlin (Scranton Prep) combined to throw for 153 yards on 4-of-8 passing.  Heyen also added 36 yards rushing on five carries.

Though the County outrushed, outpassed and outgained the City, Olsommer noted that his group not only had talent, but character as well.

“When you combine talent and character, that’s very hard to defeat,” Olsommer said.

NOTE: Dunmore’s Jack Henzes Jr. was honored at halftime as the Scranton Lions Club’s 2012 Man of the Year.  Henzes ranks second all-time in career victories among Pennsylvania scholastic coaches, with an overall record of 357-152-8.  In receiving the award, Henzes also achieved the same honor earned by his father, John “Papa Bear” Henzes, who coached the former Blakely High School and was honored posthumously with the Man of the Year award in 1986…..In the Dream Game, rules stipulate that if the losing team is trailing by nine points or more, it gets to receive the ensuing kickoff following any of its scores.  The County’s first points came via a field goal in the first quarter, and, down 13-3, received the ensuing kickoff after some discussion.  An official said nowhere in the game rules did it explicitly state the rule applied only to the second half.

78th Dream Game

County 10 7 0 3 – 20
City 13 14 0 14 – 41

Scoring
1st quarter
CIT – J.P. Gething 4 run (PAT failed), 11:12
CIT – Pat Inguilli fumble recovery in end zone (Caleb Volger kick), 8:07
CNT – FG, Brandon Pacyna 28, :40.7
CNT – David Argust 84 pass from Colin Carey (Pacyna kick), :23.8
2nd quarter
CIT – Inguilli 43 run (Volger kick), 2:46
CNT – Louis Febbo 11 run (Pacyna kick), :32.2
CIT – Austin Cowpertnwait 61 pass from Jordan Dempsey (Volger kick), :15
4th quarter
CIT – Inguilli 1 run (Volger kick), 11:56
CNT – FG, Pacyna 38, 7:01
CIT – Gething 30 run (Volger kick), 4:09

Team statistics
CITY  COUNTY
Rushes-yds 27-157  39-209
Passing  4-8-1 15-26-1
Passing yds 153 188
Total yds 310 397
Penalties 5-50 5-46

Individual statistics
RUSHING: CITY: J.P. Gething, 11-71 2 TD; Inguilli, 7-56 2 TD; Rob Heyen, 5-36; Chris Yurechko, 2-5; Jordan Dempsey, 2-minus-11. COUNTY: Antonio Russo, 11-53; Louis Febbo, 10-45 TD; Colin Carey 6-54; J.J. Rojenches, 5-12; Tyler Kapinus, 4-5; Eric Laytos, 3-14; Alex Filarsky, 1-27.
PASSING: CITY: Tom Timlin, 2-3-0-38; Heyen, 1-2-0-54; Dempsey, 1-3-1-61 TD. COUNTY: Carey, 10-17-0-145 TD; Rojenches, 5-9-1-43.
RECEIVING: CITY: Austin Cowpertnwait, 1-61 TD; Daniel Repshis, 1-54; Pat Robinson, 1-39; Gething, 1-minus-1. COUNTY: David Argust, 5-100 TD; Russo, 3-35; Matt Aten, 2-21; Regan Grossman, 2-13; Kapinus, 2-2; Febbo, 1-19.

HERSHEY, Pa. – “Four-peat! Four-peat! Four-peat!”

That was the chant the 34 all-stars from Ohio bellowed from a midfield stage postgame after the trophy presentation from honorary game chairman Ben Roethlisberger.

But the Buckeye Staters’ four-peat wouldn’t have been possible without a “repeat” of a different sort – from defensive back Nana Kyeremeh (Thomas Worthington).

Kyeremeh bookended Pennsylvania’s six turnovers in the game by picking off a pair of passes, including what proved to be the game-winner in overtime, and plackicker Tyler Grassman (Gahanna Lincoln) converted a 39-yard field goal in overtime to seal a 17-point rally as Ohio defeated Pennsylvania, 24-21, in the 55th installment of the Big-33 Football Classic played Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium.

“I was looking for a fade to the back side,” Kyeremeh said of the winning play.  “But the ball was tipped by the PA receiver, and I told myself, ‘I’ve got to get that ball.  It means a lot (to win this game).  We came out with intensity in the second half that we should have had in the first.”

The victory gave Ohio its fourth consecutive triumph and a 13-12 overall lead in the series between the two states, coming on the heels of a dominating 50-14 victory in the 2011 installment of the game.  In a game that had started oh so well for the Keystone State stars, it all came undone in a 17-second span of the fourth quarter.

The overtime rules for the Big-33 Classic follow that of college football, where each team takes a possession at the 25-yard line.  If the score remains tied, the process is repeated until the start of the fourth overtime, when both sides would have had to begin attempting two-point conversions if touchdowns were scored.

Pennsylvania’s defense, a unit which put forth a stalwart effort all game long, had forced its only turnover of Ohio, a fumble, at the 9:06 mark of the fourth quarter.  Staked to a 21-7 lead, Skyler Mornhinweg (St. Joseph’s Prep) lined up at the helm of Pennsylvania’s offense, looking to deliver the knockout blow.

But it never came.

Mornhinweg was intercepted by Ohio’s Andre Jones (Cincinnati Colerain), and just five plays later, Tyler O’Connor brought the scarlet and grey to within 21-14 on a 1-yard run.  Just seventeen seconds later, the game was tied.

On the ensuing kickoff, Desmon Peoples (Archbishop Wood) fumbled the handle of the kickoff, then retreated into the end zone and took a knee.  Under PIAA rules, that would have resulted in a safety, but the play was not blown dead.  Peoples ventured out of the end zone, was hit at the 3 yard line and lost control of the ball, where Ohio’s E.J. Junior recovered the ball in the end zone.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Pennsylvania head coach Mike Brennan (Blue Mountain). “The guys played hard and we had a great week of practice.  We made a lot of plays and I’m proud of the kids.  But it hurts to leave here tonight because they played well enough to win.”

That Pennsylvania did, especially in the first half, as it outgained Ohio, 174-100, in total offense and led, 14-0 on the arms of Mornhinweg and Blake Rankin (Bloomsburg).  The duo, bound for Florida and Rutgers, respectively, combined to throw for 165 yards and two touchdowns – Mornhinweg’s a 61-yard bomb to Kevin Gulyas (Allentown Central Catholic) and Rankin’s a 13-yard pass to Shakim Alonzo (Woodland Hills).

But it was the Keystone State’s defense that also stole the show.  Linebackers Nyeem Wartman (Valley View), Mike Caprara (Woodland Hills), Bryton Barr (Mechanicsburg) and Jon Hicks (Palmyra) played with their hair on fire over the first 24 minutes.  And defensive tackle Tyrique Jarrett (Taylor Allderdice) was clogging up space in the interior of the trenches.

“We went out and practiced hard, in full gear almost every day,” Jarrett said.  “We made it into a competition in practice – OK, you did well this play, but on the next one, we’re going to beat you.  It made everybody better.  We were all from different schools, but in the end, we became brothers.  This was a great experience and I had so much fun.”

Pennsylvania’s defense had also made Ohio pretty one-dimensional offensively.  Until late in the fourth quarter, Ohio had only attempted a trio of passes in the second half – two from scrappy quarterback Adam Wallace (Norwayne), who led his team to an Ohio Division-IV state championship in December.  Wallace finished with 38 total yards of offense, leading a single-wing-esque offensive attack which churned out 120 hard-earned rushing yards.

Ohio got its initial touchdown on an 85-yard pass from O’Connor (161 pass yards, 13 rush yards, 2 total TD) to Najee Murray (Steubenville) with 4:35 left in the third quarter, but Pennsylvania countered when Rankin found tight end J.P. Holtz (Shaler) on a 4-yard pass to make it 21-7 with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.

O’Connor was named the Ohio MVP and Rankin the PA MVP.

“It was an amazing feeling getting selected to play (in the game) and coming out here and playing well,” Rankin said. “But we just made a few mistakes.  You have to be able to finish (in this game), and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Both Kyeremeh and Jones intercepted a pair of passes for Ohio, which forced six total Pennsylvania turnovers in the game (five interceptions, one fumble).

During its four-game winning streak, Ohio has outscored Pennsylvania, 130-81.

NOTES: Saturday’s Big-33 Football Classic marked the 25th all-time meeting between the Pennsylvania and Ohio squads, and the series was tied, 12-12, entering the game….Pennsylvania and Ohio had traded three-game winning streaks in the series since 2000; PA claimed victories from 2000-02 and 2006-08, while Ohio claimed victories from 2003-05 and 2009-11….Ohio’s four-game winning streak is a first in the 25-meeting series, as neither Pennsylvania or Ohio has ever won four consecutive games in the entirity of the series, which was resumed annually in 1993…..Pennsylvania’s all-stars raised their helmets in the air as a moment of silence was held prior to the start of the game to honor the late Joe Paterno, who passed away in January after a battle with lung cancer…..Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger served as the game’s honorary chairman and posed for pictures and signed autographs prior to the start of the game.

55TH BIG-33 FOOTBALL CLASSIC

BOX SCORE

OH 0 0 7 14 3 – 24
PA 7 7 7 0 0 – 21

1st Quarter
PA – Kevin Gulyas 61 pass from Skyler Morhninweg (Bryant Myer PAT), 7:14
2nd Quarter
PA – Shakim Alonzo 13 pass from Blake Rankin (Myer PAT), 2:49
3rd Quarter
OH – Najee Murray 85 pass from Tyler O’Connor (Tyler Grassman PAT), 4:35
PA – J.P. Holtz 4 pass from Rankin (Myer PAT), 0:47
4th Quarter
OH – O’Connor 1 run (Grassman PAT), 6:27
OH – E.J. Junior 0 fumble return (Grassman PAT), 6:10
OT
OH – FG, Grassman 39

OHIO  PA
1st downs 15 12
Rushes-yds 40-121 16-35
Passing  9-24-0 16-28-5
Passing yds 176 253
Total yards 297 288
Penalties 6-54 5-55

Individual statistics
RUSHING: OHIO: Warren Ball, 13-41; Jack Snowball, 7-43; Adam Wallace, 6-23; E.J. Junior 6-13; Tyler O’Connor 3-13 TD; TEAM 1-minus-8. PA: Rushel Shell, 5-24; Julian Durden, 5-2; Blake Rankin, 3-minus-1; Skyler Mornhinweg, 2-9; Corey Jones, 1-minus-4.
PASSING: OHIO: O’Connor, 8-19-0-161 TD; Wallace, 1-2-0-15; Derik Swinderman, 0-3-0-0. PA: Rankin, 11-17-2-145 2 TD; Mornhinweg, 5-11-3-108 TD.
RECEIVING: OHIO: Ball, 2-15; Anthony Melchiori, 1-2; Matt Eckhardt, 1-17; Quincy Jones, 1-8; Malcolm Robinson, 1-12; Brice Fackler, 1-7; Najee Murray, 1-85 TD. PA: Shell, 3-18; Durden, 3-24; Shakim Alonzo, 3-56 TD; Eugene Lewis, 2-54; Jones, 2-43; Kevin Gulyas, 2-58 TD, J.P. Holtz, 1-4 TD.

Photo’s provided by Matt Topper

MANHEIM, Pa. – Listing only one quarterback on a roster for an all-star game isn’t always common, but that’s exactly what South head coach John Manion did for Saturday evening’s Tri-County All-Star Game.

“I got a lot of questions about that, about who the backup would be, but we had a lot athletes with (prior) experience at quarterback,” Manion said.  “We knew our quarterback was a tough kid and that it would take a lot to knock him out.”

But South field general Jonathan Hulyo (McCaskey) was forced to the sideline with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter because of an injury.

Though Hulyo was knocked out, it was backup Jordan Groff (Lampeter-Strasburg) who ultimately KO’d the North’s chances for a victory.

Groff scored the game-winning 30-yard touchdown on a designed keeper with 2:38 left in regulation and the South defense did its part to limit the North to 33 percent passing and two interceptions in a 30-23 victory in the Manheim Touchdown Club’s 11th annual Tri-County All-Star Game from a steamy Elden Rettew Field in Manheim.

“It was a designed run, a designed keeper,” Groff said.  “I saw a cutback lane and took off.  I ran as fast as I could.  The line sealed off the back side.”

Manion said the South had that keeper play saved, but didn’t want to run it earlier in the game out of fear of possible injury to Hulyo.

“And you saw what happened in the fourth quarter – he got hurt on a run up the middle,” Manion said.  “It looked like a helmet-to-helmet hit, but nobody really knows (what the injury was).”

To that point, the South had relied on the arm and legs of Hulyo, who is bound for Lebanon Valley College.  He amassed 360 yards of total offense in his final scholastic game, including 321 passing on a 14-of-22 night.

“Really?  I didn’t even know I threw for that much!” Hulyo exclaimed postgame.  “That means a lot.  It’s more about pride than anything.”

Though he mentioned pride, Hulyo said he was not upset that he was absent from the game when the winning touchdown was scored.

“Nah, nah, nah, this is a team game,” Hulyo said. “Groffy made one (heck) of a play. It’s a team game.  That’s what backups are for.”

And speaking of good performances, Blaise Glover (McCaskey) was doing everything -literally – for the South in the first half, and his final stat line reflected it.  The Shippensburg wide receiver recruit caught five passes for 87 yards, including a go-ahead touchdown right before halftime to push the South ahead, 16-13.  He booted a 43-yard field goal at the onset of the second quarter to stake the South to a 10-6 lead and converted a trio of extra points.  And he also handled the team’s punting chores, booting one of his punts for nearly 50 yards.

“I was just telling my quarterback to get me the ball so I could make plays,” Glover said.  “This was just a great way to end my high school career and a great way to go out.”

Glover admitted he was mostly a decoy in the Red Tornadoes’ spread offense, which relied heavily on Division-1 prospect Diante Cherry, a junior who caught more than 60 passes and was a Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ Class AAAA All-State selection.

“Sometimes good players get overshadowed by other great teammates,” Manion said.  “It was so tough for us because we had so many athletes to try to get the ball to.”

After the North jumped to an earl 6-0 lead on a Caleb Walton (Manheim Central) 8-yard touchdown, the South fired right back, and did so in only four plays as Hulyo found Jake Morgan (Wilson-West Lawn) on a 68-yard connection for a 7-6 lead.

The North grabbed a 13-10 lead when Andrew Dzurik (Lancaster Catholic) hit Alex Kuhn (Lebanon) on a 2-yard pass in the second quarter.  The ball was tipped by a South defender, but Kuhn adjusted to the ball to make the catch.

After Glover’s touchdown near the end of the half, the North retook the lead in the third quarter, 20-16, on a Brandon Hollister (Lancaster Catholic) 2-yard run.  Bryant Myer (Manheim Central) then made it 23-16 with a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.  But that was it for the North after that, as Myer’s field goal came at the 11:48 mark of the period.

Hulyo’s third touchdown pass – a 36-yard fly pattern to QuaShaun Davis (McCaskey) knotted the game at 23-all before the deciding touchdown drive later in the period.  The South had gained possession at the North 35, but had been flagged for a 15-yard penalty which set up a 2nd-and-29 scenario.  Hulyo deftly escaped the North defense for an 18-yard run before hitting Davis on 3rd-and-11.

Dzurik, who helped direct Lancaster Catholic to a PIAA championship in December, never quite got going in the steamy May air.  He finished 6-of-17 for 168 yards.  In the fourth quarter, some of the fans in the home bleachers began chanting, “We want Garrett!” (referencing Garrett Levengood, who was the quarterback for Cedar Crest).  Walton finished with 24 yards passing on a 2-of-6 night and added 12 yards on six carries.  Hollister had 47 yards on nine carries.  Daulton Ritter (Cedar Crest) caught three passes for 104 yards and Jordan Harro (Palmyra) added four catches for 85 yards.

In addition to his 321 yards passing, Hulyo added 39 yards rushing on 14 carries.  Groff, bound for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, ran for a game-high 53 yards on just four carries and Rodney Gillin (Wilson-West Lawn), the Bulldogs’ career rushing leader with more than 3,500 yards, had both 22 yards rushing and receiving for the South.  Morgan caught three passes for 131 yards and Johnnie Martin (Donegal) added two receptions for 44 yards.

NOTES: The South leads the all-time series, 6-5, having collected all of their victories in the last seven meetings.  The North, after winning the first four games of the series, last won in 2010, 14-7. Eight of the 11 games in the series have been decided by 15 points or less.  The skies darkened during the first half and thunder rolled in the distance as a severe thunderstorm moved through eastern Lancaster County, though no rain fell at the stadium.  The Barons’ Walton was injured in the fourth quarter and, postgame, had his right ankle area iced and was limping on crutches.  An unknown male streaked across the stadium turf, causing a buzz in the crowd before the kickoff following Groff’s game-winning touchdown run, and public address announcer Dennis Enck didn’t miss the chance for a quick one-liner.  “We don’t know who ran the other way,” Enck said over the mic, “but we do know that he didn’t have his mouthpiece on.”

South 30, North 23

South 7 9 0 14 – 30

North 6 7 7 3 – 23

1st quarter

N – Caleb Walton 8 run (PAT failed), 7:51.

S – Jake Morgan 68 pass from Jonathan Hulyo (Blaise Glover PAT), 5:38.

2nd quarter

S – FG, Glover 43. 11:53.

N – Alex Kuhn 2 pass from Andrew Dzurik (Bryant Myer PAT), 6:37.

S – Glover 15 pass from Hulyo (Glover PAT failed), :10.6.

3rd quarter

N – Brandon Hollister 2 run (Myer PAT), 7:31.

4th quarter

N – FG, Myer 27. 11:48.

S – Quahaun Davis 36 pass from Hulyo (Glover PAT), 5:15.

S – Jordan Groff 30 run (Glover PAT), 2:38.

North South

First downs 9 16

Rushes-yds 26-43 31-128

Passing 8-24-2 14-22-0

Passing yds 192 321

Penalties 3-30 12-80

Turnovers 2 1

Individual statistics:

RUSHING: NORTH: Brandon Hollister, 9-47 TD; Caleb Walton, 6-12 TD; Dylan Hickernell, 6-4; Tim Murray, 2-4; Andrew Dzurik, 2-minus-17. SOUTH: Jonathan Hulyo, 14-39; Rodney Gillin, 6-22; Jordan Groff, 4-53 TD; Joe Welk, 4-8; Johnnie Martin, 1-4; Blaise Glover, 1-2.

PASSING: NORTH: Dzurik, 6-17-2-168 TD; Walton, 2-6-0-24; Garrett Levengood, 0-1-0-0. SOUTH: Hulyo, 14-22-0-321 3 TD.

RECEIVING: NORTH: Jordan Harro, 4-85; Daulton Ritter, 3-104; Alex Kuhn, 1-2 TD. SOUTH: Glover, 5-87 TD; Jake Morgan, 3-131 TD; Gillin, 3-22; Martin, 2-44; QuaShaun Davis 1-36 TD.

Video Highlights

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter @Funk_pafb

Photo provided by Chuck Blough

MONROEVILLE, Pa. – During his high school career, it wasn’t uncommon for Pittsburgh Central Catholic quarterback Perry Hills to only attempt nine passes in a game.

But what Hills did with his nine pass attempts Sunday afternoon in his final scholastic football game of his career was something he admitted he’d never, ever done before during his two and one-half seasons as the Vikings’ field general.

Hills, a Maryland recruit, threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns, including two scoring strikes of 80 yards or more to Dontez Ford (Sto-Rox) as the West rolled up 364 yards passing in a 45-24 victory over the East in the PSFCA East-West All-Star Game played at Gateway High School in Monroeville.

The East-West game, previously played at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona, was not played last season, but will now follow an alternating site pattern with its resumption.  Gateway High School will serve as the host site for the even-numbered seasons and Downingtown East High School in Exton will serve as the East’s site in odd-numbered seasons.

The 45 points scored by the West marked a new game record for points scored by one team in the game.  The 69 combined points also established a new game record, besting the 2009 edition, which featured 59 combined points in a 37-22 East victory.

And while there aren’t records for passing efficiency kept, it’s pretty safe to assume Hills would take the cake in that department.

“At Central Catholic, we always had a great running back I could hand the ball off to in Damion Jones-Moore,” Hills, the West MVP, said postgame.  “It was great to come out and throw that much and for that many yards.  It was my personal goal to win this game.”

If any Maryland Terrapin fans were watching, Hills certainly gave them plenty of reason to be excited, especially with his fourth and final touchdown pass – an 88-yard connection to Ford in the fourth quarter to cap the game scoring.  Hills, lined up in the shotgun formation, saw the snap roll between his legs and into the end zone.  He regained possession, rolled right, then floated a spiral to a wide-open Ford, who did the rest.

“It was supposed to be a running play,” Ford explained.  “And I looked back and the defensive back was nowhere in sight and I was like, ‘How did he know it was a run so quickly?’ Then I saw Perry in the end zone.  I just stayed with the play, caught the ball and took off.”

Take off the Syracuse-bound Ford did, high-stepping into the end zone to cap a five-catch, 193-yard, three-touchdown game.

“It feels good,” Ford said.  “It feels good to come back and play good ball in my final game.  My senior season ended with a 42-6 loss to Clairton (in the WPIAL championship game).  It was great to end things on a high note.”

Early on, however, it was the East pushing all the right buttons.  Just 61 seconds into the contest, the green-and-white clad visitors led 7-0 thanks to a Daniel Brown (C.B. South) nine-yard scoring run.  That margin was pushed to 10-0 thanks to a Brad Lukasak (Blue Mountain) 48-yard field goal.

The West, meanwhile, was sputtering.  Starting field general Steve Franco threw a pair of interceptions within the West’s first four plays from scrimmage and lost a fumble on the team’s sixth play from scrimmage.

“After the first three possessions (of the game), I went over to Steve on the sidelines and we talked about bouncing back,” said West head coach Homer DeLattre (Corry Area).  “I told him, ‘I have full confidence in you to go out and get the job done.’”

Franco did rebound, connecting with Darren Massey (Montour) on a 74-yard pass-and-catch before hooking up with Ford for a seven-yard scoring pass to bring the West within 10-7 through one quarter.

Then, it was Hills’ show.  He hit his first four passes of the day for 122 yards, including scoring passes of 32 yards to Jamar Clark (McKeesport) and 80 yards to Ford to move the West ahead, 21-10.

Then, right before halftime, Hills stuck a dagger in the East’s side after the guests had pulled to within 21-17 on a 61-yard pass from Matt Johns (C.B. South) to Adam Bridgeforth (Nazareth).  On that seven-play, 67-yard drive, Hills hit passes of 10 yards to Ford and 40 yards to Clark before finding Massey from 13 yards out with 16 seconds left in the half.

After Brown brought the East to within four, 28-24, on an eight-yard run in the third quarter, the West scored the game’s final 17 points to pull away.  De’Andre Moon (Rochester) scored on a 19-yard run; Ryan Gralish (Mars) booted a 30-yard field goal and Hills found Ford on the aforementioned 88-yard broken play.

“They had some very talented athletes that had the ability to make plays,” said East head coach Joe Repshis (Abington Heights).  “I thought our defensive backs played well today, but it’s just a testament to the quarterback and his ability to hit those passes.”

The West finished with 532 yards of total offense – 364 through the air and another 168 on the ground.  Moon led all backs with a game-high 119 yards rushing, while Hills added four totes for 24 yards and Franco four carries for 17 yards.  Clark caught two passes for 72 yards and Massey two for 87.

Johns, the East MVP, finished 8-of-14 for 194 yards and one touchdown and added five rushes for 20 yards.  Brown paced the East ground game with nine rushes for 33 yards and the pair of touchdowns.  Bobby Martarella (Neshaminy) was the top receiver, hauling in four passes for 76 yards while Mark Doe (Academy Park) added two receptions for 85 yards.

Both Repshis and DeLattre noted the efforts of their teams coming together despite only a few weekend practices leading up to Sunday’s game.

“The experience leading up to this game was phenomenal – we had zero problems,” Repshis said.  “I can’t say enough about the work ethics of the players and I am very proud of their effort.”

“This game shows you that guys of great character who are good football players can come together and connect as a team,” DeLattre said.  “The comraderie was amazing, and these guys just connected.”

NOTES: The East leads the all-time series, 7-4.  Sunday marked the first time the West all-stars had scored more than 24 points in the game and marked the West’s first victory in the series since 2008.  Lukasak, who will walk on at Pitt, had a 37-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter blocked by Mike Shansky (Blackhawk), which was recovered and returned 26 yards by Brian Jones (Gateway).  Philipsburg-Osceola’s Kyle Lanich, listed at 6’4, 315 pounds, played the entire game at center for the West.  Both teams were flagged six times each for a combined 115 yards.  Harding, who threw for 3,739 yards at Nazareth in his senior season, finished with 31 passing yards in 16 attempts.  The game featured 10 plays from scrimmage of 32 yards or longer, not including special teams.

District 1 AAAA runner-up Council Rock South will now feature one of its players on the 2012 Big-33 Classic roster.

According to John Pizzigoni of the Council Rock South Football Boosters, tight end P.J. Gallo has been selected as a replacement for the Big-33 game, played June 16 at Hersheypark Stadium.

Gallo, a Maryland recruit, helped the Golden Hawks to a 23-4 record over the last two seasons.

Gallo was rated as the No. 23 tight end in the 2012 recruiting class by national recruiting service Scout.com, which ranked the CRS senior as the No. 3 tight end prospect in Pennsylvania’s 2012 class, trailing only Archbishop Wood’s Colin Thompson (Florida) and Shaler’s J.P. Holtz (Pitt).  Thompson was ranked No. 2 and Holtz No. 10.

In his senior season, Gallo hauled in a team-leading nine passes for 135 yards as part of a Golden Hawk triple-option offensive attack which completed 21 pass attempts in 14 games.  He averaged 15 yards per reception.

Also, as a blocker, Gallo helped to pave the way for a CRS ground game which averaged 278.8 yards per game and seven yards per carry on 518 total rushing attempts.  The Golden Hawks finished the 2011 season with five backs with season rushing totals between 205 to 1,370 yards, scoring 44 rushing touchdowns.

Central Dauphin will now have two athletes representing it in the Big-33 Football Classic June 16.

Zach Wilk, a 6’5, 275-pound offensive and defensive lineman, will join teammate Evan Schwan for one last high school football game together before departing for college.  Wilk is a Cornell recruit; Schwan will head to Penn State.

Wilk received notification via e-mail from Big-33 Player & Coach Coordinator Lisa Gemmell Feb. 20 that he was able to play in the game as a replacement.  Gemmell’s e-mail did not say who Wilk was replacing; however, it has been reported by LLLeagueSports.com’s Jeff Reinhart that Lancaster Catholic’s Adam DePietro will not be playing in the June 16 game.

As a senior, Wilk was a two-way presence in the trenches for a Central Dauphin team which finished 15-1 overall, claiming the District 3 and PIAA AAAA championships.

Wilk helped to pave the way for a Ram offensive unit which averaged 325.5 yards (215.7 rushing, 109.8 passing) and 30.2 points per game, yielding three backs with season rushing totals between 699 to 1,345 yards.  The Rams scored 59 total offensive touchdowns (40 rushing, 19 passing).  Defensively, Wilk added 93 tackles and eight sacks, averaging 5.8 tackles per game.

HERSHEY, Pa. – At the beginning of the season, Central Dauphin head coach Glen McNamee said he was worried only about getting better each day.

Because the Rams focused on the little things, it was able to take one giant leap Saturday night – a leap into the history books that neither the 54 players wearing green and white or the Central Dauphin community will ever, ever forget.

Behind Drew Scales’ 280 all-purpose yards, which included a 74-yard touchdown reception on a pass from junior quarterback Brandon LaVia, Central Dauphin (15-1) hit enough big plays to win its first ever PIAA AAAA football championship and District 3’s first crown in the state’s largest classification since 1992 with a 14-7 victory over North Penn (13-3) from Hersheypark Stadium.

The Rams claimed District 3’s 12th PIAA football championship, only the third among the region’s AAA and AAAA schools. District 1, meanwhile, fell to 10-9 in PIAA championship games, with the most recent victory coming in the 2004 AA title game, when Lansdale Catholic defeated Grove City. North Penn fell to 1-1 in state title games, winning in its first appearance in 2003.

McNamee took over as Central Dauphin’s head coach in the 2006 season, and winning state gold just six short seasons later was a great reward.

“In my 10 years of being a part of the Central Dauphin program, I’ve fallen in love with the Central Dauphin school community,” McNamee said. “Everything in the CD school community was on display tonight. It was great for the school.”

One of the key components to the Rams’ success was the offensive line, but, at the start of the season, that facet of the Central Dauphin football team was being viewed as a weak link. Only one full-time starter, senior Zach Wilk, returned, and McNamee and company, as well as offensive line coach Steve Stoner, had to break in a new group of trenchmen.

“We were focused on improving each day and then trying to get better each week (during the season),” McNamee said. “Tonight was the end and the line played its best.”

Wilk, who grew several inches and added more than 20 pounds between his junior and senior seasons, found it hard to describe the feeling.

“Words can barely describe how it feels to be a state champion,” Wilk said. “Togetherness and family were themes of this football team, and through the entire summer and season we (the linemen) were very close.”

North Penn head coach Dick Beck, however, found a way to describe Central Dauphin’s first home run – the 74-yard touchdown pass from LaVia to Scales with 7:25 left in the second quarter.

“The quarterback made a perfect throw,” Beck said. “That was an excellent ball and a perfect strike. No. 5 (Scales) is a (heck) of a ball player. I thought he may have been the difference in the ball game for them (CD) tonight.”

Scales also made another big play after the Knights had managed to tie the game at 7 with a 5-yard run from James Fielder with 10:09 left in regulation. Scales took the ensuing kickoff back 47 yards before Adam Hollinger ripped off a 36-yard run to the North Penn 2. Junior battering ram Zayd Issah scored on a 2-yard run on the next play, and, with 8:08 left, Central Dauphin had regained the lead.

And it didn’t relinquish it, either. North Penn couldn’t quite get its offense in gear all night long, and couldn’t break through the Rams’ rugged defensive front seven for the remainder of the game. The Knights’ aerial assault also struggled to find its footing on the snow-slicked gridiron. Senior field general Corey Ernst, the first career 4,000-yard passer in North Penn’s program history, threw for a meager 62 yards on a 7-of-15 night.

“We couldn’t seem to get over the hump,” Beck said. “We knew they were a good football team. Give them credit. They made plays when they had to.”

Central Dauphin ground out 265 yards on the ground, using a mix of sweeps and traps and draws using the three-headed monster of Scales (109 yards), Hollinger (79 yards) and Issah (58 yards). LaVia needed only to complete 2-of-9 passes for 74 yards this night, but he didn’t throw an interception.

While the Rams gave up size to North Penn, Wilk noted it didn’t give up anything in terms of athleticism and physicality.

“Playing (WPIAL champion) North Allegheny helped us to prepare for tonight,” Wilk said. “We came out going low and North Penn didn’t get lower than us. NA helped us get ready for North Penn a lot.”

Scales’ performance may have stood out, but McNamee noted it was more than just one player who helped make the Rams click.

“Go back and watch the film and you’ll see a whole team of competitive kids,” McNamee said. “(The state championship) is a great holiday moment and something the community is going to remember for a long, long time.”

Photo provided by Matt Topper and Mike Zortman

HERSHEY, Pa. – Holding a five-pound Hershey’s chocolate bar firmly in his left hand, Lancaster Catholic junior Roman Clay outlined the Crusaders’ set of goals for the season.

“We wanted to win our non-league games; win our section; win Districts; win the state championship,” Clay said.

The purple and gold have a message to headquarters: Houston – err, Lancaster – mission accomplished.

Lancaster Catholic (16-0) got another 150+-yard rushing effort on the ground from Clay and a stout defensive performance which limited Akron recruit Steve Franco to just an 8-of-23 day passing in a 17-7 victory over District 6 champion Tyrone (14-2) in the PIAA Class AA championship game Saturday afternoon from a chilly Hersheypark Stadium.

The victory gave Lancaster Catholic its second PIAA football championship in three seasons and allowed the purple and gold to become Lancaster County’s first two-time state football champion. District 3 also remained undefeated in small school state championship games (4-0 in A; 3-0 in AA). District 6, meanwhile, fell to 1-6 all-time in PIAA championship games; the region has been outscored in its title game appearances by an average of 13 points.

Additionally, Lancaster Catholic joined the 2008 Steelton-Highspire team as the only other District 3 school to post a 16-0 season.

“This is the last check mark,” said Lancaster Catholic head coach Bruce Harbach, who celebrated his 105th career victory. “It’s absolutely mission accomplished.

“It means so much for the kids and so much for the program,” Harbach continued. “It’s especially important for the seniors who have played their last game for us and will never wear the purple and gold again. We wanted them to go out in style with that championship and we got it for them.”

Seniors like Northwestern-bound lineman Adam DePietro. Like running back/linebacker Brandon Hollister. Like receiver/defensive back Charles Sweigert. And others, too.

A week after celebrating its second victory over perennial WPIAL powerhouse Aliquippa, the mood was much more somber on the Tyrone sideline. The Golden Eagles, who were making their third PIAA championship appearance and first since 1999, took home state silver for a second time.

“I don’t know if it’s the finality of the season that’s upsetting – I think it’s the fact that we lost that’s more upsetting,” said Golden Eagle head coach John Franco. “We made too many mistakes in the first half.”

Those mistakes could have – and possibly should have – put the game out of reach for the Golden Eagles. But despite a botched snap of a punt (a 10-yard loss), two interceptions and a lost fumble, the Golden Eagles only found themselves down 7-0 at intermission.

Lancaster Catholic put the lone dent in the scoreboard over the first 24 minutes when it gained possession of the ball following the botched punt snap at Tyrone’s 35. Eight plays and 4:11 later, Clay crashed in from two yards out and Lancaster Catholic held a 7-0 lead. Satchel Ziffer extended the Crusader lead to 10-0 with a 20-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Between Clay’s touchdown and halftime, however, the game slogged to a turnover fest. Five straight possessions between both the Crusaders and Eagles ended in a turnover. LC threw a pair of interceptions and Tyrone threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble. One of the Lancaster Catholic interceptions came after it drove inside the Tyrone 10-yard line.

“Our kids pressed a little,” Harbach said.

Clay admitted much the same.

“We pressed a little and we got close to scoring on a couple of occasions,” Clay said. “But we didn’t hang our heads because we’ve been in tight games before.”

Harbach said Tyrone’s defensive front seven worried him a bit with their ability to stuff the run.

“But we thought that we could ultimately wear them down with our size advantage,” Harbach said.

Tyrone pulled to within 10-7 on a Christian Getz (17 rush, 88 yards) 4-yard run with 3:11 left in the third quarter. Getz finished his senior season with 1,803 yards and 22 touchdowns. But that’s as close as Tyrone would get.

“On the (state finals preview show), the writers were saying that the game would be over by halftime,” Franco said. “I thought we battled well with those guys for the whole game. We battled them tooth and nail in everything.”

Catholic finally broke the Eagles’ collective backs and championship chances with 1:36 left in regulation when Sean Titus (3 rec., 35 yards) hauled in a 15-yard pass from senior Andrew Dzurik (11-of-17, 121 yards).

Clay’s 154 yards rushing and the first-half touchdown gave him 1,899 yards and 32 touchdowns – both LC single-season school records. Backfield mate Hollister finished with 53 yards on 16 totes, giving him 1,547 yards and 25 touchdowns for the season. Lancaster Catholic became the 12th PIAA champion (and the 19th PIAA finalist) since 2001 with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Sweigert caught four passes for 59 yards.

The Crusader’s defense limited Akron-bound Steve Franco to just an 8-of-23 passing day for 101 yards with two interceptions and minus-30 yards rushing on seven carries. Franco did surpass 6,000 yards passing for his career, finishing his senior season with 2,602 yards and 30 touchdowns. Tyrone, though, ran for only 60 yards and averaged barely more than three yards per play (53 offensive plays, 161 yards).

“All season long our defense was under-rated,” Harbach said. “They always played hard and gave it their all.”

Interestingly, Clay, who is hearing from Miami (FL), Maryland and Rutgers, among other Division-1 programs, said he wouldn’t have viewed the season as a failure if the Crusaders hadn’t hoisted state gold.

“It wouldn’t have been a failure, but it wouldn’t have been what we wanted,” Clay said. “If we had only reached three out of our four goals, I (personally) would have been OK with that, so long as we all left everything we had on the field.

“I thought we all played well as a team,” Clay continued. “I think I did my job well and the line did their job well so I could do mine.”

NOTE: Lancaster Catholic finished the season with 668 points scored, finishing 14 points shy of tying the District 3 record for points scored in a single season, set by the 1994 Manheim Central Barons (682). The Crusaders are the 19th PIAA champion to score 600+ points in a season.

Clay’s career rushing total boosted to 3,443 yards and 52 rushing touchdowns. Clay ran for 1,544 yards as a sophomore.

Since the start of the 2004 season, Lancaster Catholic is an impressive 98-11 overall (.899).

Photos provided by Matt Topper and Mike Zortman

HERSHEY, Pa. – About an hour prior to kickoff, the hood of one of Southern’s school buses was raised briefly for what appeared to be some sort of engine inspection.

And while Clairton’s offense was very much slowed by Southern’s grinding, ball-controling Wing-T offense, it didn’t take long for junior Tyler Boyd to rev his engine to full throttle.

Boyd ran for 218 yards and scored two touchdowns on plays spanning 78 and 68 yards to propel Clairton (16-0) to its 47th consecutive victory and third straight PIAA title with a 35-19 victory over Southern Columbia (14-2) from Hersheypark Stadium Friday afternoon.

Clairton established the new WPIAL standard for consecutive victories, topping Braddock’s 46 straight victories in the mid-1950s. The Bears’ third straight state championship is also a WPIAL first, regardless of classification. And the 47-game win streak by the Bears is the longest active win streak in the nation; Clairton passed New Jersey non-public juggernaut Don Bosco Prep, which had won 46 straight games and finished its 2011 season several weeks ago.

“These kids have accomplished something that is history-making,” said Clairton head coach Tom Nola. “I’ve got good players and I’ve got really good coaches. It’s not just me.”

Another pair of records were also established this day – both by Tyler Boyd. Boyd’s 218 rushing yards gave him 2,400 for the season, surpassing the school single-season mark of 2,234 yards amassed by Deontae Howard in 2009. Boyd’s two fourth quarter touchdowns gave him 12 more points for the season, and he ended the year with 324 points scored (48 total touchdowns, 18 two-point conversions), also a new school record, according to athletic director James Wessel.

The note of the nation’s longest active winning streak was music to senior Trenton Coles’ ears.

“Maybe they (the national media folks) will now be talking about the Clairton Bears,” Coles said.

Coles’ season, unfortunately, ended two quarters prior, when he injured his right knee on what proved to be a successful extra point attempt to give Clairton a 21-12 lead right before halftime. He finished the game on the sideline on crutches and wasn’t putting any weight on his right leg. The extent or severity of Coles’ injury wasn’t immediately clear.

The story for the game was Clairton’s propensity for hitting the big play – four of Clairton’s five touchdowns went for 65 yards or longer – and Southern Columbia head coach Jim Roth noted such.

“We weren’t able to hit the quick, big plays like they did,” Roth said. “We just weren’t able to consistently handle them up front and then they used their athleticism to bust a few big ones.”

Clairton only had three first downs in the second half – all courtesy of Boyd and all via running plays. Beyond the two touchdown runs, Boyd also broke loose on a 12-yard run. He needed just 14 carries on the day.

“Everybody was a little down and we needed to make a big play,” Boyd said. “My number was called and I made a big play (the 78-yard touchdown run). I saw the right was open and I cut back.”

The Bears ran only three offensive plays in the third quarter as Southern Columbia pulled to within two points – 21-19 – thanks to a Matt Moore five yard touchdown reception from Brad Fegley. The touchdown pass was set up by a critical 4th-and-21 conversion where backup quarterback Taylor Young hit Moore for a 23-yard gain. The Tigers ran 20 plays in the third period and 70 for the game.

“For three quarters, I thought we really hung with them,” Roth said.

Clairton got on the board first when quarterback Capri Thompson hit junior Terrish Webb on an 88-yard touchdown pass. Webb also caught a 65-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to push Clairton’s lead to 14-6.

“We weren’t as aggressive in pass defense in the first half as much as I would have liked,” Roth said.

But Southern battled back. The Tigers converted a pair of fourth downs – the second of which was a Tyler Levan five yard run – to get within 8-6 at the 5:57 mark of the second quarter. Southern then pulled to within 14-12 on a Moore three-yard run with 1:47 left in the half.

The Tigers left Clairton enough time to make a move, and did the Bears move. Boyd hit a 55-yard run, starting left, then cutting across the width of the field before leaping toward the right pylon only to be ruled out-of-bounds at the one. Reuben Kelly scored on the next play before Coles’ fateful PAT, where a Southern player was reportedly blocked into the Clairton senior. Clairton coaches were noticably animated about the non-call, but no flag was ever thrown.

Clairton had heard all week about the Tigers’ Delaware Wing-T and, historically, the Bears have had trouble against the misdirection with their attacking defensive style. And, while Moore piled up 136 rushing yards and Levan 70 on 37 combined carries, Clairton forced six sacks and limited Fegley to just 7-of-19 passing for 74 yards and minus-40 rushing yards on 10 carries. Moore caught six passes for 80 yards.

Webb caught three passes for 167 yards for the Bears, who finished with 436 yards of offense on just 39 plays (11.2 yards per play). Thompson threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 1,866 yards passing for the season.

Nola, a 130-game winner who is not a man of many words, said the Bears’ success has nothing to do with him and, as he put it, “I’m not taking any credit for this.”

Boyd said Southern Columbia really impressed the Bears.

“They used to be us,” Boyd said. “This (state title) game is the best game ever. We couldn’t take any plays off because if we did, they would make us pay.”

NOTES: Clairton finished the 2011 season with 705 points scored, fifth-best in state history. Southern Columbia finished with 657.

The Bears’ third PIAA championship ties three other WPIAL programs – Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Thomas Jefferson and Rochester – for the most state championships won among any WPIAL program.

Clairton’s 47-game winning streak is 12 shy of tying Pennsylvania’s all-time record for consecutive games won – 59 – set by Central Bucks West from 1997 to 2000.

Photos provided by Matt Topper and Mike Zortman

It’s been quite a while since District 3 sent a representative to the PIAA AAAA championship game. Try longer than a decade and a half. It’s actually the 20th season (if counting 1992 as the starting point) since Cumberland Valley hoisted District 3’s only PIAA AAAA championship.  Lower Dauphin was the last D3 AAAA title game representative, in 1995.

And by PIAA playoff experience, Central Dauphin is a relative newcomer, though it is the Rams’ third PIAA playoff appearance in school history. The deepest the Rams had advanced in their PIAA playoff forays was the 1997 PIAA semifinals opposite Central Bucks West, and that ended with a narrow 27-24 loss.

Now, the Rams, just minutes from home, are playing on arguably their biggest stage to date.

Central Dauphin (14-1) faces six-time District 1 champion North Penn in the PIAA AAAA championship game from Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. In North Penn, the Rams’ rough-and-tumble defense will be matched against a Knight offense averaging 383 yards and 32.6 points per game.

The Mid-Penn has been the most represented of District 3’s leagues that have qualified for the PIAA finals. Including Bishop McDevitt’s berth in the AAA title game for the second consecutive season, Central Dauphin will be making the Mid-Penn’s 11th state finals appearance. The District’s seven other berths have come from the Lancaster-Lebanon League and includes Lancaster Catholic’s 2011 appearance against Tyrone.

District 3 has never sent more than two teams to the PIAA finals prior to this season. D3 sent a pair of schools in 1988, 1992, 1995 and 2009. In each instance, the region walked away with at least one state championship trophy. Having three or more teams come from a particular region is most often associated with the WPIAL, who has sent three or more teams to the PIAA finals a whopping 16 times in the now-24 years of PIAA football finals. District 11 is the only other region to send three teams or more to the state finals, sending a trio each in 2005 and 2006.

Of the vast number of programs who have made PIAA football finals appearances, 44 of them have made only one appearance and never again returned to the big stage. Those 44 teams are a combined 16-28 in state final games – the most recent champion was General McLane in 2007. The most recent runners-up were State College, Greensburg Central Catholic and Bishop McCort, in 2009.

Perhaps the Rams’ greatest offensive football team was its 2002 edition, which featured quarterback Mike Probst and running back Arden Bransford. Under then-head-coach George Chaump, the Rams rolled to the District 3 AAAA championship game, survived a solid Wilson-West Lawn team and was eliminated by eventual PIAA champion Parkland a week later, 28-21, in the quarterfinals. In that Parkland game, the Rams dug themselves an early hole and watched a rally fall just short. That ’02 CD team scored a school-record 586 points in 13 games, an average of 45.1 points per game.

The North Penn-Central Dauphin game pits teams that have scored 489 and 469 points, respectively. It’s the third consecutive season the AAAA title game has pitted two teams who didn’t yet top the 500-point mark in season points scored entering the title game. Prior to 2009, the last time both AAAA state title game reps entered the championship game with fewer than 500 points scored was in 2001, when Neshaminy faced Woodland Hills in a muddy, mucky, rainy Hersheypark Stadium.

Central Dauphin has reached this juncture with an efficient offense averaging 324 yards and 31.3 points per game. Quarterback Brandon LaVia missed the Rams’ first two games of the season, but has returned and thrown for a respectable 1,415 yards and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions while completing 94-of-163 passes (57.7 percent). LaVia has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in his career (3,057) and is generating interest from Maryland and Penn State.

Junior running back Zayd Issah has proven to be more than just a running back. He has led the Rams in rushing and receiving yards and touchdowns scored, is second on the team in tackles and is among the team leaders in the sacks department. After running for 1,653 yards as a sophomore, Issah has plowed for 1,285 yards on 217 carries, caught 29 passes for 672 yards, scoring 30 total touchdowns (20 rush, 10 rec.), and recorded 112 tackles and 14 sacks. Division-1 FBS programs like Connecticut, Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers Syracuse, Southern California, Virgina and West Virginia have all expressed interest at some point in Issah. Drew Scales (126 rush, 845 yards, 7 TD) and Adam Hollinger (86, 620, 4) are valuable options on the ground, and receivers Sam Adams (19 rec., 301 yards, 3 TD), Scales 19, 246, 1), Bobby Schaffer (20, 180, 1) and Jesse Myers (7, 173, 2) are also targets of LaVia passes.

Central Dauphin’s offensive line is fronted by mammoth senior Zach Wilk (6’4, 275), who has major, major interest from Cornell and had sent film out to D-1 FBS programs like Penn State and Pitt, among others, to gauge their interest.

Defensively, Wilk (85 tackles, 8 sacks), Evan Schwann (69 tackles, 15.5 sacks), Nate Hamilton (111 tackles, 13 sacks, 4 blocked punts, 2 blocked field goals), Issah (4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries), Ben Mosey (99 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), Daylin Russo (121 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries), Hollinger (100 tackles, 3 forced fumbles) and Scales (3 INTs) have made life miserable for opposing offensive units. Between its first string and reserves, the Rams have allowed an average of 14.4 points per game, holding six opponents to seven points or less, with one shutout.

On special teams, Evan Brandes has been lights out automatic, converting 60 PATs and five field goals while also handling kickoff chores for the green and white.

Can Central Dauphin make its first PIAA finals appearance a memorable one? Or will North Penn bring District 1 its 11th PIAA football championship?

Find out Saturday night.

District 1 used to be a frequent participant in PIAA championship games, making a total of 12 appearances from 1990 to 2004. But since 2004, D1 hasn’t sent a team on to compete for a state title in the state’s largest classification. District 11 took a stranglehold on PIAA final appearances before a two-year run by La Salle College High School of the Philadelphia Catholic League.

 Now, District 1 is back. And, surprise surprise, the title game rep hails from the Suburban One League.

North Penn (13-2) will mark the Suburban One League’s 10th PIAA finals appearance when the Knights battle with Mid-Penn Conference rep Central Dauphin (14-1) Saturday night in the PIAA AAAA championship game from Hersheypark Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.

The North Penn-Central Dauphin matchup is probably the one few saw coming. La Salle, for all intents and purposes, had North Penn’s number over the last three meetings, dropping 109 points in three consecutive victories over the Knights. And, since shifting to the western half of the PIAA AAAA bracket in 2004, District 3 reps had been 0-for-6 in semifinal games.

Don’t look for either the Rams or Knights among the national rankings. Or, for that matter, even the USA-Today’s regional rankings, which have both Archbishop Wood and Bishop McDevitt, a pair of Class AAA programs, among the top-10 in the east.

Prior to 2011, District 1’s last two big school teams to earn berths in the PIAA finals weren’t all that memorable. Neshaminy is still probably haunted by the 2004 Pittsburgh Central Catholic team which demolished the traditional District 1 power, 49-14, scoring touchdowns on each of its seven first half possessions. Then, in 2007, Garnet Valley, a AAA school from Delaware County, fell to a powerful Thomas Jefferson team, 28-3. District 1’s only state championship since Neshaminy’s 2001 triumph over highly touted Woodland Hills belonged to then-AA and Pioneer Athletic Conference rep Lansdale Catholic.

In the SOL’s nine previous PIAA finals appearances, its representatives have posted a 6-3 overall record. Central Bucks West won four titles and lost two others; North Penn won its only appearance; and Neshaminy split its two appearances in a four-year span. In all, District 1 is 10-8 in PIAA final appearances.

Should North Penn win Saturday night, it would move to 2-0 all-time in PIAA championship games, joining a list of schools which includes Bethlehem Catholic, North Allegheny, Allentown Central Catholic, South Park, McKeesport Area, Thomas Jefferson and Steelton-Highspire as programs with unblemished records in two or more PIAA title games. Both ACC and TJ are 3-0.

The Knights have been on a pretty dominant run over the last decade. Including the 2011 season, North Penn has won 128 games against 23 losses (.847), claimed six District 1 championships and the 2003 PIAA title, finishing No. 8 in the nation that season. Head coach Dick Beck has a record of 119-20, a position he’s held since the 2002 season.

This edition of the Knights doesn’t boast some four- or five-star recruit or umpteen million Division-1 collegiate football prospects. In a way, North Penn is very much like that of its opponent – hard-nosed and physical on both lines and defensively, with respectable ground attacks and an effective passing attack.

Corey Ernst, a two-year varsity starter at quarterback, operates the controls of North Penn’s offense which is averaging 383.7 yards (238 rush, 145.7 pass) and 32.6 points per game. Ernst has had a solid senior season, connecting on 146-of-232 passes (62.9 percent) for 2,069 yards and 25 touchdowns against five interceptions. He’s proven one of the most accurate passers in school history, completing 281-of-441 (63.7 percent) for 4,162 yards and 47 touchdowns. He owns North Penn records for career passing yardage, single-season passing yardage, career completion percentage, career touchdown passes and single-season touchdown passes.

North Penn has a steady bevy of running backs it can use at its disposal. Kyle Mayfield has a team-leading 1,352 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 195 carries, but he has been dinged up in recent weeks. James Fielder, who ran for 755 yards and seven scores, has also been hurt at times, allowing leading receiver Dan Gevirtz (56 rec., 918 yards, 9 TD; 602 rush yards, 6 TD) to make an impact on the ground game. But if high school football had a fantasy football league, it would Ralph Reeves who you want in your corner. The Knights’ “ace-in-the-hole”, Reeves plays fullback and tight end, and he’s scored 16 rushing touchdowns on only 39 carries and hauled in another 14 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns. Reeves also plays linebacker on defense.

Eddie Posavec (19 rec., 253 yards, 2 TD) and Shayne Watson (18 rec., 226 yards, 4 TD) are also reliable targets in the Knights’ aerial assault.

The Knights’ skill postion players have enjoyed the protection of a beefy and physical offensive line fronted by John Garland (6’4, 325), T.J. Smink (6’2, 285), Josh Cook (6’0, 235), Derek Brandt (6’0, 235) and George Shipp (6’2, 230), an average of 262 pounds per man.

Defensively, North Penn has steadied itself following two season-opening thumpings by La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep. In its 13 victories, North Penn has allowed a miniscule 115 points, or 8.8 per game. The Knights’ first-string and reserve units have held 12 of those 13 opponents to 14 points or less and posted three shutouts along the way. The Knights have gotten key contributions on the defensive side of the ball from players like Cook, Shipp, Jeff Gozur, Reeves, Watson, Danny Wynne and Gevirtz, among others.

Does North Penn have the necessary ingredients to bring District 1 its 11th PIAA football championship? Or will Central Dauphin claim District 3’s second PIAA AAAA title?

Find out Saturday night.

EasternPAFootball.com’s Armand “The Godfather” Vanore has contributed some of the information appearing in the story.

HERSHEY, Pa. – There have been some dominant teams who have been counted among the Class AAA ranks in PIAA history, including the 1992 Berwick Bulldogs and 2008 Thomas Jefferson Jaguars.

Add the 2011 edition of the Archbishop Wood Vikings to the list.

Wood (14-1), ranked nationally among the USA-Today’s top-25 teams, rolled to 343 rushing yards behind the backfield tandem of cousins Desmon and Brandon Peoples and lethally physical offensive line to pummel District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt (13-3), 52-0, in the PIAA Class AAA championship game from Hersheypark Stadium Friday night.

The Viking victory marked the third state football championship for the Philadelphia Catholic League since it gained PIAA membership just four years ago. The 52-point margin was the widest victory ever in the history of the PIAA football championships and marked the second-most points scored in a AAA final, when Thomas Jefferson scored 56 points in a 2004 mercy rule victory over Manheim Central.

“They (McDevitt) are a good football team and have a good staff and good kids,” said Archbishop Wood head coach Steve Devlin. “To score 52 points on that defense is mind-boggling. I didn’t see it coming.

“From Day One, everyone said Wood was going to be this or Wood was going to do that,” Devlin continued. “There was a lot of pressure.”

Neither did Crusader head coach Jeff Weachter, whose team became the third to lose consecutive AAA championship games since Sharon Area in 1994 and 1995 and Pottsville in 2005 and 2006. McDevitt lost last year’s state final to Allentown Central Catholic, 28-27.

“Both losses hurt in different ways,” Weachter said. “That’s hands down one of the best teams in the state, and possibly one of the best teams (ever) in AAA.”

Wood was flat out dominant from the word “go,” racing to a touchdown on its third play from scrimmage when Temple-bound Brandon Peoples burst 30 yards through the McDevitt defense. Brandon Peoples would score two more touchdowns on the night – via runs of 67 and 6 yards in the fourth quarter – with the PIAA mercy rule running clock in effect.

Brandon Peoples ran for a game-high 171 yards on 16 carries. Desmon Peoples ran for 151 yards on 18 carries – meaning the cousins each surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season, becoming the 11th PIAA champion to feature a pair of 1,000-yard rushers since 2001. The Peoples’ became the fifth backfield tandem to each run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since 2006.

“Winning the state title means everything,” Brandon Peoples said. “That’s the Wood standard. Our girls basketball team is outstanding. Our soccer teams are very good. It was time for the football team to pick up its load.”

Did Wood ever. The Vikings averaged 8.4 yards per carry on 41 rushing attempts, and the Crusaders had no answer for Wood’s offensive line of Frank Taylor, Brandon Arcidiacono, Nick Arcidiacono, Fran Walsh and George Griffin and blocking tight end Colin Thompson. Offesive line coach Mike Carey called the Wood line “one of the two best offensive lines I ever coached.” Carey said Brandon Arcidiacono was the best center he ever coached and Frank Taylor was the second-best lineman he coached, behind Joe Wilson on the 1998 Central Bucks West team.

“(Collectively), it’s one of the greatest lines I’ve ever coached,” Carey said.

“They were such an incredible force,” said Desmon Peoples, a Rutgers recruit. “The talent of the line gave extra motivation for the backfield to work hard.”

Desmon Peoples pushed Wood’s lead to 21-0 by the 8:40 mark of the second quarter on touchdown runs of 54 yards and 1 yard and Nate Smith caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joey Monaghan (2-of-6, 48 yards) to widen the Viking lead to 28-0. Kicker Nick Visco added a 41-yard field goal to push the lead to 31-0 at halftime.

Junior linebacker Andrew Guckin invoked the mercy rule on a 75-yard interception return with 5:37 left in the third quarter.

McDevitt quarterback Alec Werner had thrown only three interceptions in his last 14 games, but this night, the Crusaders’ junior threw three picks, completing only 21-of-48 passes for 249 yards. Werner finished his season with 3,538 yards, a new school record for passing yards in a single season. Junior Brian Lemelle finished with 11 catches for 127 yards and Shawn Seif caught eight passes for 90 yards.

“The only chance we had to win was with the pass,” Weachter said. “We were banged up (with our running backs).”

McDevitt finished with just 20 rushing yards on 15 team carries.

NOTE: Archbishop Wood finished with 699 points scored in 15 games – the seventh-highest total in PIAA history. The Vikings became the sixth PIAA champion to score 680 points in a season.

Photos provided by Matt Topper and Mike Zortman

HERSHEY, Pa. – About an hour prior to kickoff, the hood of one of Southern’s school buses was raised briefly for what appeared to be some sort of engine inspection.

And while Clairton’s offense was very much slowed by Southern’s grinding, ball-controling Wing-T offense, it didn’t take long for junior Tyler Boyd to rev his engine to full throttle.

Boyd ran for 218 yards and scored two touchdowns on plays spanning 78 and 68 yards to propel Clairton (16-0) to its 47th consecutive victory and third straight PIAA title with a 35-19 victory over Southern Columbia (14-2) from Hersheypark Stadium Friday afternoon.

Clairton established the new WPIAL standard for consecutive victories, topping Braddock’s 46 straight victories in the mid-1950s. The Bears’ third straight state championship is also a WPIAL first, regardless of classification. And the 47-game win streak by the Bears is the longest active win streak in the nation; Clairton passed New Jersey non-public juggernaut Don Bosco Prep, which had won 46 straight games and finished its 2011 season several weeks ago.

“These kids have accomplished something that is history-making,” said Clairton head coach Tom Nola. “I’ve got good players and I’ve got really good coaches. It’s not just me.”

Another pair of records were also established this day – both by Tyler Boyd. Boyd’s 218 rushing yards gave him 2,400 for the season, surpassing the school single-season mark of 2,234 yards amassed by Deontae Howard in 2009. Boyd’s two fourth quarter touchdowns gave him 12 more points for the season, and he ended the year with 324 points scored (48 total touchdowns, 18 two-point conversions), also a new school record, according to athletic director James Wessel.

The note of the nation’s longest active winning streak was music to senior Trenton Coles’ ears.

“Maybe they (the national media folks) will now be talking about the Clairton Bears,” Coles said.

Coles’ season, unfortunately, ended two quarters prior, when he injured his right knee on what proved to be a successful extra point attempt to give Clairton a 21-12 lead right before halftime. He finished the game on the sideline on crutches and wasn’t putting any weight on his right leg. The extent or severity of Coles’ injury wasn’t immediately clear.

The story for the game was Clairton’s propensity for hitting the big play – four of Clairton’s five touchdowns went for 65 yards or longer – and Southern Columbia head coach Jim Roth noted such.

“We weren’t able to hit the quick, big plays like they did,” Roth said. “We just weren’t able to consistently handle them up front and then they used their athleticism to bust a few big ones.”

Clairton only had three first downs in the second half – all courtesy of Boyd and all via running plays. Beyond the two touchdown runs, Boyd also broke loose on a 12-yard run. He needed just 14 carries on the day.

“Everybody was a little down and we needed to make a big play,” Boyd said. “My number was called and I made a big play (the 78-yard touchdown run). I saw the right was open and I cut back.”

The Bears ran only three offensive plays in the third quarter as Southern Columbia pulled to within two points – 21-19 – thanks to a Matt Moore five yard touchdown reception from Brad Fegley. The touchdown pass was set up by a critical 4th-and-21 conversion where backup quarterback Taylor Young hit Moore for a 23-yard gain. The Tigers ran 20 plays in the third period and 70 for the game.

“For three quarters, I thought we really hung with them,” Roth said.

Clairton got on the board first when quarterback Capri Thompson hit junior Terrish Webb on an 88-yard touchdown pass. Webb also caught a 65-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to push Clairton’s lead to 14-6.

“We weren’t as aggressive in pass defense in the first half as much as I would have liked,” Roth said.

But Southern battled back. The Tigers converted a pair of fourth downs – the second of which was a Tyler Levan five yard run – to get within 8-6 at the 5:57 mark of the second quarter. Southern then pulled to within 14-12 on a Moore three-yard run with 1:47 left in the half.

The Tigers left Clairton enough time to make a move, and did the Bears move. Boyd hit a 55-yard run, starting left, then cutting across the width of the field before leaping toward the right pylon only to be ruled out-of-bounds at the one. Reuben Kelly scored on the next play before Coles’ fateful PAT, where a Southern player was reportedly blocked into the Clairton senior. Clairton coaches were noticably animated about the non-call, but no flag was ever thrown.

Clairton had heard all week about the Tigers’ Delaware Wing-T and, historically, the Bears have had trouble against the misdirection with their attacking defensive style. And, while Moore piled up 136 rushing yards and Levan 70 on 37 combined carries, Clairton forced six sacks and limited Fegley to just 7-of-19 passing for 74 yards and minus-40 rushing yards on 10 carries. Moore caught six passes for 80 yards.

Webb caught three passes for 167 yards for the Bears, who finished with 436 yards of offense on just 39 plays (11.2 yards per play). Thompson threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 1,866 yards passing for the season.

Nola, a 130-game winner who is not a man of many words, said the Bears’ success has nothing to do with him and, as he put it, “I’m not taking any credit for this.”

Boyd said Southern Columbia really impressed the Bears.

“They used to be us,” Boyd said. “This (state title) game is the best game ever. We couldn’t take any plays off because if we did, they would make us pay.”

NOTES: Clairton finished the 2011 season with 705 points scored, fifth-best in state history. Southern Columbia finished with 657.

The Bears’ third PIAA championship ties three other WPIAL programs – Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Thomas Jefferson and Rochester – for the most state championships won among any WPIAL program.

Clairton’s 47-game winning streak is 12 shy of tying Pennsylvania’s all-time record for consecutive games won – 59 – set by Central Bucks West from 1997 to 2000.

Prior to 2003, the Lancaster-Lebanon League could only claim a pair of PIAA finals appearances – Wilson-West Lawn in 1989 and Conestoga Valley in 1991. Neither trip ended well for the L-L League. The Bulldogs and Buckskins would lose their appearances by a combined 14 points.

And so it stayed until 2003. But between 2003-’09, the L-L League made four state finals appearances – three by Manheim Central and one by Lancaster Catholic – and brought home a pair of golden footballs.

Now, in 2011, Lancaster Catholic has the chance to do something never before accomplished in Lancaster County football history – win a second PIAA championship.

The Crusaders (15-0) will face nine-time District 6 champion Tyrone (14-1) in the PIAA Class AA championship game Saturday at high noon from Hersheypark Stadium. The Crusaders seek to win their second state title in three years while facing an opponent in Tyrone which has forced 36 total turnovers and tallied 29.5 sacks.

Ever since November 2010, the Crusaders were a team on a mission. That’s when Wyomissing stunned the purple and gold in the District 3 AA semifinals, 21-14, with an effective, efficient and punishing Wing-T offense. Wyomissing lost the district final to Trinity one week later, and one week after that, Trinity fell to Lewisburg in the PIAA quarterfinals. So it became important for th Crusaders to right that single blemish, and go out on top, because, after this season, LC will no longer be a AA program. It will bump up a class, to AAA, and bump from Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League to Section 1.

When Bruce Harbach, a 104-game winner, inherited Lancaster Catholic’s program, five wins was considered a great season. But what Harbach has done since the 2004 season is flip the program on a complete 180-degree turn. In that span, the Crusaders have posted an overall record of 97-11 (.898) and won a quartet of District 3 AA football championships, appeared in three PIAA semifinals and now two PIAA championship games.

The Crusaders could become the eighth PIAA affiliate school to post a 2-0 record (or better) in PIAA championship games, joining Bethlehem Catholic, North Allegheny, Allentown Central Catholic, South Park, McKeesport Area, Thomas Jefferson and Steelton-Highspire. ACC and TJ are each 3-0 in PIAA championship games.

And the whole second PIAA championship to Lancaster County has had two other chances to happen – Manheim Central in 2004 and 2009, and neither quest ended successfully. The ’04 trip, in fact, ended in one of the worst losses of Manheim Central’s history in the PIAA playoffs.

Lancaster Catholic is looking to become the 18th team which has scored 600 points or more to win a PIAA championship (both Clairton and Southern Columbia have scored more than 630 points each) and possibly 19th if Archbishop Wood claims the AAA crown. Wood has scored 647 points. LC’s 651 points are a school record, the 16th-highest mark in state history and third-highest total in District 3 history, trailing only the Manheim Central teams of 2005 (658) and 1994 (682).

Catholic has proven it can play to any style. It can fly high – the Crusaders have topped 46 points in a game on nine different occasions. It can get down and dirty – LC won tighter-than-normal affairs against Donegal, East Pennsboro and survived gritty Wyomissing and Mount Carmel teams before rallying to defeat Philadelphia Catholic League power West Catholic in the semifinals. You name it, Catholic can do it and adapt to it. They’ve had seemingly everything but the kitchen sink thrown at it.

The Crusaders’ offensive unit is fronted by a vicious offensive line led by seniors Adam DePietro (6’4, 285, Northwestern recruit), James Dreer (6’1, 230) and Anthony Juliano (6’2, 250) and juniors Shay Mento (6’5, 260) and Luke McDonald (6’2, 240). Add it up and that line averages a cool 253 pounds per man.

The line has helped LC’s offensive unit produce a pair of 1,400-yard rushers – junior Roman Clay (1,745 yards, 31 TD) and senior Brandon Hollister (1,494 yards, 25 TD). Clay is generating D-1 interest. And senior quarterback Andrew Dzurik has thrown for 1,872 yards and 20 touchdowns and receivers Sean Titus (34 rec, 806 yards, 13 TD) Charles Sweigert (41 rec., 854 yards, 8 TD) are the focal points in the aerial assault.

Defensively, Lancaster Catholic has made life all kinds of mean for the opposition. Don’t be fooled by the fact the Crusaders only have one solitary shutout to their credit and, between first string and reserves, allow an average of 13.9 points per game. These guys are wicked.

DePietro, Mento and Juliano front the three-man line, backers Charles Bell, Hollister, Bobby DePietro and Carmelo Cruz are tough, and the defensive backfield of Sweigert, Titus, Isiah Taltoan and Peter Heise have proven steady. Satchel Ziffer handles the placekicking chores and Heise is the punter.

Can Lancaster Catholic become the latest in a string of programs to remain undefeated in multiple state title game appearances? Or will it be Tyrone’s day to bring District 6 its second PIAA football championship?

Find out Saturday afternoon.

Jeff Reinhart, editor of L-LLeagueSports.com, the league’s online newspaper, contributed information appearing in this story.

If the Tigers win the 2011 PIAA title, it would mark a state first. No program has won more than six PIAA championships, regardless of classification. Southern is presently tied with Berwick with six state championship victories, claiming state gold in 1994 and 2002-06. Berwick claimed its six state crowns in 1988, 1992 and 1994-97. But to win that seventh crown, the Tigers will have to overcome a Clairton team which has won 46 consecutive games in a row, which has tied the WPIAL record for longest winning streak.

During the 2009 season, head coach Jim Roth joined Pennsylvania’s exclusive 300-win club, an accomplishment reached by only 10 total coaches (Roth included) in state history. The Tigers’ leader, who is now up to 330 career Ws against 58 losses and a pair of ties, ranks fifth among active coaches and sixth overall. Under Roth’s guidance since 1984, Southern Columbia has had only three teams which have failed to reach 10 victories in a season (1986, 2007 and 2009). The 2007 and 2009 teams each reached nine wins and the 1986 team won only six times.

The rest of the time, 10-win seasons (or more) have been the norm. Almost football-factory-esque. Consider that, since 1990, Southern Columbia has posted an overall record of 299-45-1 (.869) and won 20 District 4 football championships. That works out to an average season of 13.5 wins against 2.04 losses per year.

But there was a time, however, when Southern Columbia nearly dropped its football program altogether. Success on the gridiron wasn’t always synonymous with the Catawissa-based program. In fact, the Roth era has accounted for 79.9 percent of the program’s 413 all-time victories. Prior to 1984, Southern’s football program was a mere 83-127-6 overall (.395).

Southern Columbia counts itself as one of only five total District 4 programs to have played for a PIAA football championship, joining Mount Carmel Area, Selinsgrove, South Williamsport and Montoursville. Up until Selinsgrove’s 2009 victory over Manheim Central in the AAA state final, only Mount Carmel and Southern had won PIAA titles for the district, numbering 10 in all, and D4 teams not named either Southern or Mount Carmel were 0-3 in PIAA finals.

It is interesting to note that Southern Columbia is the 19th PIAA finalist since 2001 with at least a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in its backfield – Tyler Levan and Matt Moore. It’s the fifth time Southern Columbia has produced a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season since 2004. The last two times the Tigers reached the PIAA finals with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers (2004 and 2005), they walked away with state gold. But state titles aren’t guaranteed for such teams. The previous 18 such finalists with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers are just 10-8 in state title games; however, at least one PIAA champion in six of the last seven seasons has produced a pair of 1,000-yard backs.

The Tigers’ offensive arsenal has done the predominant amount of its damage on the ground this season. The aforementioned Levan and Moore have wreaked havoc on opposing defenses, but so too has Casey Savitski and quarterback Brad Fegley. Levan, Moore, Savitski and Fegley are all seniors, and they’re protected by an offensive line which averages 239 pounds per man – seniors Bill Reigle (5’11, 205), Bryan Gedman (6’1, 250) and Tom Schetroma (6’0, 260), junior Ryan Cherwinski (6’1, 245) and sophomore Josh Trip (6’3, 235) have helped to pave the way for a team which has scored 638 points – an average of 42.5 points per game and the third-highest single-season scoring output in school history.

Levan (200 rush, 1,856 yards, 28 TD), Moore (121 rush, 1,197 yards, 19 TD) and Savitski (109 rush, 631 yards, 13 TD) pace the Tigers’ ground attack which has chewed up a whopping 4,794 yards on the ground (319.6 yards per game). Even the Tigers’ No. 5 back, Adam Fuedale, has scored six rushing touchdowns and run for more than 350 yards.

But don’t think for a minute that all the Tigers do is run the football. Fegley has been lethally accurate when called upon to pass. The Tiger field general has gone 114-of-167 (68.2 percent) for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns without throwing an interception all season long. He has also added 57 rushes for 422 yards and six touchdowns. Over the Tigers’ last two victories (Pius X and Penns Manor), Fegley has gone a cool 15-of-20 for 311 yards and a touchdown. Keith Day (44 rec., 694 yards, 6 TD) and Moore (25 rec., 509 yards, 3 TD) are Fegley’s primary targets in the passing game. Tight end Jake Becker (6’1, 215, Jr.) has only four receptions, but they’ve gone for 138 yards. He’s also a pretty good blocker for the Tigers’ ground attack.

Defensively, including the first string and reserves, Southern Columbia has allowed an average of 15.5 points per game. Seven of 15 opponents have scored 14 points or less, and the black and gold have pitched a trio of shutouts. Fegley, Moore, Cody Pavlick, Jamie Slotterback and Day each have more than 50 tackles this season. Through their first 13 games, the Tigers forced 25 sacks, 16 interceptions, nine fumble recoveries and 44 deflected passes.

Can the Tigers notch program win No. 413 against a tough Clairton team? Or will the Bears have their way and push their win streak to 47 games?

Find out Friday afternoon.

Last year at this time, we were talking about Bishop McDevitt as a “first-in-a-while” type of program, referencing its appearances in PIAA championship games. That same type of chatter can’t be applied this year, except when speaking in terms of hoisting PIAA gold.

For just the third time in District 3’s PIAA finals history, a program is making consecutive appearances in a title game. Manheim Central and Steelton-Highspire were the others.

This time around, however, McDevitt hopes it ends with a different outcome.

The Crusaders (13-2) face Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Wood (13-1) for the PIAA AAA championship Friday at Hersheypark Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Archbishop Wood, a member of the PIAA for only its fourth season, seeks its first state championship in that short span while McDevitt, who is making its third state title appearance, seeks its first crown since 1995, when it was a member of the AA classification.

Wood and McDevitt have rolled to a combined 25 victories since each of their most recent losses – Wood’s came in Week 1 and McDevitt’s in Week 3. But McDevitt’s roll has been especially impressive, considering the team was in need of some rapid maturation with some young players staring a brutal non-league slate of Gateway, Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley square in the chops.

While the Crusaders showed some flashes of their potential, Gateway feasted (as Gators tend to do) on the blue and gold’s inexperience, forcing Alec Werner into three costly interceptions and stuffing McDevitt’s ground game in a 28-7 victory. A tight game (also a McDevitt win) came against Central Dapuhin, and Cumberland Valley edged the Crusaders on a last-second Lance Geesey field goal for a 3-0 decision.

After that gauntlet, the Crusaders haven’t looked back. Ironically, last season, McDevitt endured a 2-2 start to its season only to win 11 straight games before facing off against a powerful Allentown Central Catholic team who had run opponent after opponent out of the building. McDevitt only lost by a point. After a 1-2 start in 2011, 12 straight victories, and another berth against another juggernaut of a football team. Oh, the similarities.

McDevitt’s PIAA finals berth marks the Mid-Penn’s 10th appearance in a state championship game. In its five combined A and AA appearances, Mid-Penn teams are undefeated. But in the AAA and AAAA games, well, it’s been a different story. Those four games have yielded a 1-3 mark, with Cumberland Valley as the lone winner in 1992.

In AAA state title games featuring a District 3 representative, such teams are 1-4. Conestoga Valley lost the 1991 title game; Manheim Central dropped the 2004 and 2009 title games and McDevitt last year. The last time a particular geographic district dropped three consecutive AAA state finals occurred from 1998-2000, when the WPIAL saw Moon fall to Allentown Central Catholic and West Allegheny bow in consecutive meetings to Strath Haven.

But while it hasn’t necessarily been pretty for the District 3 AAA reps who have reached the PIAA title game, McDevitt brings with it a solid and respectable football team capable of challenging the Vikings.

The Crusaders, nine-time District 3 champions and winners of 501 total games in their program history, boast quite the offensive arsenal, starting with the aforementioned Werner, who has gone through a rapid maturation process over the last 14 weeks. Thrust into the spotlight after the graduation of Matt Johnson (Bowling Green), Werner has responded, throwing for a school-record 3,279 yards and 30 touchdown passes against only three interceptions. His season passing total ranks 10th in state history. Werner has also been a model of efficiency, completing 68.9 percent of his passes (217-of-315) and throwing only three interceptions over the last 14 weeks.

Beyond Werner, the Crusaders have a triumvarite of running backs – and they’ve stuck with it all season. Rashad Lawson (164 rush, 940 yards, 14 TD), Andre Robinson (111, 818, 16) and Darnell Holland (107, 645, 11) spearhead the ground game. Receivers Brian Lemelle (82 rec., 1,503 yards, 15 TD) and Shawn Seif (68, 890, 6) have had solid seasons again. Lemelle owns the McDevitt single-season record for receptions and receiving yards, and has more than 2,700 yards in that department for his career. Raki Nelson (3,132 yards) is McDevitt’s all-time receiving leader.

The skill has thrived with the progression of McDevitt’s offensive line, which features seniors Tyler Conde (6’4, 310), Kyrie Ross (6’1, 280), Pat Narus (6’5, 290), DeAndre Lawson (6’0, 255) and sophomore Jordan Mosley (6’1, 260). Tight end Tom Scully, also a senior, checks in at a healthy 6’3, 225.

Defensively, McDevitt has been anchored by blue-chipper Noah Spence, Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year. Spence, who has 50 career sacks, is second on the team with 98 tackles. He’s also posted 12.5 sacks, 27 tackles for loss and blocked four kicks (three punts and a field goal). But the Crusaders’ defense is more than just No. 9. Mike Perloski, DeAndre Lawson and Tariq Spence round out the D-line; Maryland recruit Brock Dean, leading tackler Allen Holman and Nate Monroe complete the linebacking corps; and Maurice Geter, Khalid Carter, Holland and Miles Williams comprise the defensive secondary.

The Crusaders’ first string defense and reserves have combined to allow an average of 13.3 points per game. The first-string defense has only surrendered 17 touchdowns on the season.

Can McDevitt attempt to slow down Archbishop Wood’s steamrolling machine? Or will Wood continue with the throttle down, full-speed ahead?

Find out Friday night.

Rob Pugliese, color commentator for EPASportsRadio.com, has contributed some of the information appearing in this story.

It’s been quite the ride for Archbishop Wood this 2011 season. Actually, it’s been a pretty smooth ride. The Vikings have met little resistance with each passing week.

Now, Archbishop Wood has finally arrived at the destination it wanted to reach all season long – Hersheypark Stadium and the PIAA championship game. This time around, though, the Vikings are out to bring home the gold.

Archbishop Wood (13-1) takes on two-time defending District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt (13-2) for all the marbles in the AAA classification Friday night in Chocolatetown, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. The only certainty is that the losing team will take home its second PIAA runner-up trophy in school history.

The last time Archbishop Wood reached this juncture of the season, it was the new kid on the block and was the Philadelphia Catholic League’s first crack at trying to bring home a golden football trophy. Standing in the Vikings’ way was a juggernaut, five-time WPIAL champion Thomas Jefferson, who made short work of the boys from Warminster, 34-7. Each of the Vikings’ last two seasons ended in the PIAA semifinals – to Selinsgrove in 2009 and Allentown Central Catholic in 2010. Both Selinsgrove and ACC were crowned state champs a week later.

In reaching those semifinal games, however, Wood planted itself among an exclusive club of AAA programs from the eastern half of Pennsylvania. Since the PIAA playoffs were begun in 1988, only Berwick (District 2), Strath Haven (District 1) and Wood (District 12) have made four or more consecutive appearances in the PIAA semifinals. Berwick and Strath Haven each made six straight appearances – Berwick from 1992-97; Haven from 1998-2003.

Wood’s berth in the PIAA finals will mark the Philadelphia Catholic League’s sixth appearance in Hershey. The PCL has already claimed two PIAA champions – La Salle College High School in 2009 and West Catholic in 2010. In addition to Wood’s 2008 defeat, West Catholic fell in the 2008 AA title game to Wilmington and La Salle lost last year to North Allegheny. Though its history of PIAA affiliation is short, District 12 is one of five districts which own a sub-.500 record in PIAA title games (2-3, .400), joining Districts 6 (1-5, .167), 7 (WPIAL), (32-35, .477), 9 (0-2, .000) and 10 (6-7, .461).

In its program history, which began in 1966, Archbishop Wood has won 269 games, nine PCL championships (first in 1974) and is the four-time defending District 12 AAA champion. Head coach Steve Devlin has piloted the Vikings’ ship since the 2007 season, and he’s piled up 58 victories against 11 losses in that span. Of Wood’s seven seasons of 10 wins or more, four have come under Devlin. The Vikings own only one solitary undefeated and untied team – its 2003 edition – which went 11-0.

Since the start of that 2003 season, Archbishop Wood is 96-20 overall (.827), and averaged 10.7 victories per season against 2.2 losses.

Wood’s 2011 football team – and season, really – seems almost video-game-esque. The Vikings have only been “held” below 40 points on three occasions. Most of their games have ended with the PIAA’s “mercy rule” in place. In all, Wood has outscored its opposition by a margin of 523 points this season – a whopping average of 37.3 points per game. The Vikings’ closest games came in the first two weeks of the season, a 20-17 loss (with controversy) to WPIAL rep Pittsburgh Central Catholic and a 28-0 whitewash of AA state semifinalist West Catholic.

The Vikings’ 647 points scored this season account for the second-highest single season total in the history of southeastern Pennsylvania, trailing only the 2008 edition of the West Catholic Burrs, who tallied an impressive 775 points. The Vikings surpassed the 1996 Downingtown Whippets for the No. 2 slot this past weekend. The Whippets’ 1996 PIAA championship team scored 630 points, which still stands as the single-season standard for total points scored among District 1 teams.

Wood’s offense has been so incredibly dynamic thanks to the play of its talented offensive line. The Vikings’ line could arguably be considered not only the best in Class AAA, but also in the state. Fronted by seniors Frank Taylor (6’4, 295), Brandon Arcidiacono (6’6, 255) and juniors Chris O’Connor (6’4, 285), Nick Arcidiacono (6’2, 230), George Griffin (6’3, 275) and Fran Walsh (6’1, 235), you have a line combination that averages 262.5 pounds per man. Throw in senior tight end Colin Thompson (6’5, 255), and the average dips only slightly, to 261.4 pounds per man.

It’s not just the size of Wood’s line that has people talking, but also the number of Division-1 prospects on it. Taylor (Boston College recruit), Brandon Arcidiacono (Rutgers recruit) and Thompson (Florida recruit) highlight the Vikings’ senior class, and Nick Arcidiacono and Chris O’Connor are juniors getting some early looks. It is pretty safe to assume the AAA classification has not see a line with this much collegiate talent a part of it.

Wood doesn’t stop there, either. The skill position talent is also lethally good and effective. Senior quarterback Joey Monaghan has connected on 80-of-103 passes (77.6 percent) for 1,563 yards and 22 touchdowns, and is receiving looks from Ivy League colleges. Featured receiver Nate Smith (21 rec., 600 yards, 8 TD) is a West Virginia recruit, and the balance of Wood’s aerial assault includes receivers Kyle Adkins (17 rec., 300 yards, 8 TD), running back Brandon Peoples (17 rec., 219 yards, 2 TD) and Thompson (15 rec., 265 yards, 3 TD). Wood averages 111.6 passing yards per game.

Running back Desmon Peoples (118 rush, 1,085 yards, 20 TD) and fullback Brandon Peoples (87 rush, 841 yards, 16 TD) and third option Ryan McMullin (51 rush, 549 yards, 10 TD) lead a Viking rushing attack which has chewed up 3,472 yards (248 per game). Desmon Peoples is a Rutgers recruit and Brandon Peoples is bound for Temple.

Defensively, the Vikings first string and reserve units combined have allowed a total of 114 points (8.1 points per game), holding nine opponents to eight points or less, with four shutouts. Thompson, Taylor, Brandon Peoples and Joe Vicari head the D-line; Benji Abercrombie, Andrew Guckin and Kyle Adkins spearhead the linebacking corps; and Ulis Jordan, Smith, Monaghan and Desmon Peoples round out the defensive secondary.

Can Wood even the PCL’s overall record in state championship games to .500? Or will McDevitt steal one from the favored Vikings?

Find out Friday night.

HERSHEY, Pa. – Columbia hadn’t had much luck, historically, in District 3 Class A championship games opposite Mid-Penn Capital rep Camp Hill, losing the 1988 and 2001 title games to the Lions.

Mike Burke III, Columbia’s present head coach in just his second season, was a senior on that 1988 Crimson Tide team.

This time around, Columbia left nothing to chance.

The Crimson Tide (7-5) rolled up 426 yards of offense and saw three rushers post 60 yards each or better en route to their second District 3 Class A football championship in school history (and first since 1995) with a 36-20 victory over Camp Hill (7-5).

With the win, Columbia advanced to the PIAA A quarterfinals opposite the winner of the Bellwood-Antis/Penns Manor District 6 final next Saturday at noon at Hersheypark Stadium.

One year ago, Columbia went 4-7 and lost in the D3 semifinals.  Now, they’re hoisting gold.

“If you wear the crimson and gold, today’s a good day,” Burke III said.  “The town….that’s why we came back and got involved with the program.”

It helps to have a heady, multi-purpose quarterback like Seth Lefever at the helm of the Tide’s spread/single-wing offense.  It also helps to have a stud athlete like Mike Burke IV, a jack-of-all-trades offensive threat who posted more than 1,000 receiving yards, at receiver.  Or running back.  Or quarterback.

“We put in new packages to get me more looks out of the backfield,” Burke IV said.

“He (Burke IV) can be a natural quarterback, a natural running back…he does everything we ask of him,” Burke III said.

In all, Burke IV connected on 2-of-2 passes for 48 yards, recorded seven carries for 61 yards and a seven-yard touchdown run and caught six passes for 71 yards.

Camp Hill came out like gangbusters.  After a Marcellus Hayes 36-yard punt return, Jake Bingham took the Lions’ first play from scrimmage for a 19-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Lions lead.  Columbia, though, was not daunted.

“They responded,” said Lions’ head coach Frank Gay.  “We needed to respond defensively and get some stops and we didn’t.”

Columbia scored the next 22 points of the game.  Lefever scored on runs of 3 and 8 yards and Burke IV added his 7-yard run to stake the Tide to a 22-7 halftime lead.  While the Lions’ scored on their initial possession of the second half thanks to a Bingham (22 rush, 176 yards) 56-yard run, Columbia fired right back.

Just two plays after Bingham’s big run, Lefever broke free down the near side and then bobbed and weaved his way through a convoy of blockers and the Lion secondary for what proved to be a 75-yard touchdown run and a 30-13 Crimson Tide lead.

“Pound for pound, Seth’s one of the toughest kids in the Lancaster-Lebanon League,” Burke III said.  “He does everything we ask of him, running or passing.”

Camp Hill made things interesting when Hayes (3-of-16, 116 yards) hooked up with Tyler Simpson for a 92-yard touchdown pass with 8:40 left in regulation to bring the blue and white to within 10 (30-20).  The pass connection established a District 3 championship game record for longest TD pass, regardless of classification.

But, as was the case all day, the Tide answered back just seven plays later.  Andrew Combs (15 rush, 75 yards) darted 22 yards down the left hashes for the deciding score and a 36-20 lead.  After Camp Hill turned the ball over on downs, Columbia ran out the clock.

The Tide finished with 286 rushing yards on 43 team carries.  In addition to Burke and Combs, Lefever paced the ground game with 124 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns.  He also threw for 92 yards on an 8-of-14 day.  Qunicy Wells added a 23-yard rush on a double-reverse.

Bingham paced the Lions’ offense, which rang up 183 rushing yards.  But aside from Bingham, the rest of the Camp Hill team managed just seven yards rushing on 11 carries.

“They were 1-9 last year,” Gay said.  “We’re not here to lose, but we did.  Kudos to Columbia.  They’re a good team.  I told our guys I was proud of them.  They could have packed it in at 1-4, but they battled and won six straight.  They changed themselves and the hearts of their school, parents and community.  They are first-class kids, first-class citizens.”

HERSHEY, Pa. – In the critical moments, big-time players make big-time plays.  When Lancaster Catholic needed a shot in the arm, it got what it needed from junior corner Isaiah Taltoan.

When it needed the knockout punch, senior Brandon Hollister delivered.

Hollister ran for a game-high 159 yards, 87 of which came on the final, game-clinching drive comprised entirely of runs by No. 33 as Lancaster Catholic (13-0) celebrated its sixth District 3 Class AA championship with a 21-14 victory over Berks County power Wyomissing (11-1) Friday night from a chilled Hersheypark Stadium.

“It’s absolutely mission accomplished,” Hollister said.  “We were trying not to get caught looking ahead.  You have no idea how much crap I’ve been getting about the loss to Wyomissing last year.  That was the worst feeling.”

Pretty much the same Spartan team returned from the one that stunned Lancaster Catholic, 21-14, at Rossmere Stadium in the District 3 AA semifinals a year ago.  This time around, the Crusaders were all smiles.  Even head coach Bruce Harbach.

“This one’s sweet,” Harbach said.  “They’re all sweet.  But this one especially.  I can go home to Berks County with a smile on my face.”

Two weeks ago, Harbach won his 100th career game.  Now, Harbach is a four-time District 3 champion.  But the outcome was very much in doubt, as Wyomissing did all it could to take the air out of the ball in the first half and force the Crusaders’ hand.

Veteran head coach Bob Wolfrum, a 220-game winner, said his team was only trying to run its offense.  And run it the Spartans did…to near perfection.

The Spartans took the opening possession of the game from their 20 to LC’s 21, but turned the ball over on downs.  However, the Spartans drained 5:21 of game clock, racked up four first downs and averaged 5.7 yards per carry.

“It was disappointing that we didn’t get a score off of that opening series,” Wolfrum said.

Catholic was the first to capitalize.  After runs of 41 yards by Carmelo Cruz and 36 yards by Roman Clay, Clay finished the drive with a 3-yard scoring run and the Crusaders had a 7-0 lead.

Wyomissing immediately countered.  Alexander Anzalone took a scissors play 25 yards to the house to bring the blue and white to within 7-6.  The Spartans would gain the lead on its ensuing possession when A.J. Nally leaped over the top of the pile from a yard out on 4th-and-goal with 1:22 left in the half.

“I was very pleased with how our team played in the first half,” Wolfrum said.  “But in the second half, we couldn’t make the plays and they made just enough.  They’re as good as it gets.”

The Crusaders, in need of a spark, got it from Taltoan when he intercepted Grayson Helm with 8:26 left in the third quarter.  Harbach called that interception the “spark” that the purple and gold needed to get going.

Three plays later, senior Anthony Dzurik hooked up with Sean Titus on a 28-yard touchdown pass, knotting the game at 14-all.  That’s how it would stay until Hollister’s game-winning touchdown drive, which he capped with a 34-yard socring run.

The Crusaders did have a scare when junior back Roman Clay went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury in the second half.  He returned for one last carry before leaving the game at the end of the third quarter and would not return to the field.  Clay ran for 62 yards on the night.

“Roman was dinged up a bit and I told him, ‘If you’re not 100%, you’re not going to go because I’m not willing to risk your season or future,’” Harbach said.  “We told Brandon he had to shoulder the load.

“The kids deserved this,” Harbach continued.  “They’ve worked so hard.”

Wyomissing was paced by Anzalone’s 86 yards rushing on 14 carries while Nally added 45 yards on 13 totes.  Senior field general Grayson Helm threw for 53 yards and ran for another 23 on nine carries.  Helm needed 75 passing yards to reach 4,000 for his career – he finished a mere 22 yards shy of the milestone.

Dzurik threw for 105 yards and the one touchdown, but threw his first two interceptions of the season.  Through 12 games, Dzurik, a Hempfield transfer, hadn’t thrown an interception.

The 21 points scored this night give Lancaster Catholic 607 points for the season.  The 2011 LC team is the 37th in state history with 600 or more points scored.

EASTON, Pa. – The Easton Red Rovers are loaded with underclassmen – many sophomores and juniors grace the roster – and even some freshmen are starters.

Like wide receiver Shane Simpson.  But you’d never know that No. 18 was only a frosh by the way he plays on the field.

“He hasn’t played (like a freshman) all season long,” Easton head coach Steve Shiffert said of Simpson.  “Ever since the Pennsbury game, he’s stepped up for us.”

Simpson was named offensive MVP for a six-catch, 107-yard performance as Easton (11-2) dominated its cross-river rival Phillipsburg (7-3), 24-8, in the 105th installment of the two school’s Thanksgiving Day rivalry game played Thursday morning at Fisher Field on the campus of Lafayette College.

“It’s my second or third 100-yard receiving game this season,” Simpson said.

But what did it mean to put up 100 yards against a rival like Phillipsburg?

“It feels great,” Simpson said.

The Red Rovers will play for the District 11 AAAA championship opposite Nazareth in less than 48 hours.  But in the meantime the Rovers showed they were ready to flex their muscles this day and avenge a 3-0 overtime defeat to the Stateliners in last year’s game.

“We heard about that (3-0) defeat all this week,” said junior defensive lineman Tyler Green, who posted three sacks as part of a dominant defensive performance that notched five sacks of Phillipsburg quarterbacks Michael Diamond and Jason Bohem.  The Rovers’ unrelenting defense also forced an interception and two turnovers on downs.

“The defensive line was exceptional today,” Shiffert said.

Exceptional would be most appropos in describing Easton’s performance in the trenches.

In all, the Rovers’ defense posted nine total tackles for loss and dominated the Stateliners on the line of scrimmage all game.  In fact, Green, Matthew Mowad (seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss), Jeremy Swick (five tackles, half a sack, two TFL) and company spent so much time in the Phillipsburg defensive backfield, they probably could have been charged rent.

With all the defensive pressure, the Stateliners couldn’t mount much of a ground attack.  Limited to minus-16 yards in the first half alone, the maroon-clad visiting team finished with just 29 yards on 33 carries.

Easton, though, faced little resistance.

Kevin Griffin broke a scoreless tie with 9:27 left in the first quarter on a 36-yard touchdown run on the Rovers’ sixth play from scrimmage.  It remained 7-0 until Mowad caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Ian Hayden (9-of-18, 166 yards) to push the lead to 14-0 with 5:21 left in the first half.

A 35-yard field goal by Chris Roubik widened the Phillipsburg deficit to 17-0 before fullback Austin Brown bulled his way into the end zone on a 4th-and-1 from the Stateliner 2 with 32 seconds left in the third quarter to cap Easton’s scoring.

The Stateliners countered Brown’s touchdown run with a 70-yard drive for its only points of the day, which came when Diamond (170 pass yards, TD) hooked up with senior Robert Waterson for a 30-yard scoring pass with 9:02 left in the game.

Diamond’s day would come to an end soon after.  He was knocked out of the game following a 15-yard keeper with about six minutes left in the game, and Bohem came in as the replacement.  No. 10 was promptly greeted with a sack for a seven-yard loss.  Bohem did connect on a 27-yard pass to Robert Howell to give Phillipsburg a 1st-and-goal at the Easton 8 yard line, but the Stateliners turned the ball over on downs four plays later.

Phillipsburg finished with 231 yards of total offense (202 passing, 29 rushing) and 12 first downs.  While Diamond did throw for 170 yards, he didn’t find much room to run the ball, finishing with zero yards on 12 carries.  Joseph Moyer posted 31 yards on seven carries; Alexander Martin had 14 yards on seven totes and Robin Custido had nine yards on five carries.  Martin finished as the leading receiver for the game, posting seven catches for 125 yards.

Griffin finished with 98 yards on 17 carries.  Simpson was easily the featured receiver with the six catches, but also registered a 44-yard run in the game.  Brown had six carries for 22 yards and caught two passes for 40 yards.  In addition to his 166 passing yards, Hayden, who has thrown 16 touchdown passes and has more than 1,600 yards through the air, added 16 yards on seven keepers.

“He’s not really a first-year starter (on varsity),” Shiffert said of Hayden.  “He was a scout team quarterback the last two years going up against the first string defense every day in practice.  He’s a pretty good one.”

Easton ran for 164 yards in the game and finished with 330 yards of offense and 14 first downs.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Freedom junior quarterback Brian Uliana barely had time to finish off posing for photographs and receiving postgame congratulations from Freedom fans before facing some questions, namely if the Patriots ever got down or thought a win against their hated rival, Liberty, was out of reach.

“Not at all,” Uliana said. “We never give up on this team.  We just keep going (and find a way).”

That never-say-die attitude was only fitting for the Pats’ junior.  The latest installment of the Freedom-Liberty rivalry was chock full of that mindset.  And the two bitter, bitter rivals played what turned into an instant classic.

Uliana threw four touchdown passes to senior Frank Bucsi and another junior, kicker Sean Wrobel, booted a 35-yard field goal for the winning points with only 27 seconds left in regulation as Freedom (8-2) held off Liberty (6-4) before a crowd of well over 10,000 people Saturday afternoon at Frank Banko Field in Bethlehem.  It was the first time Freedom had beaten Liberty since a 24-0 decision in 2002.

The Patriots’ win carried additional significant weight, because it sent the black and gold into the District 2/4/11 AAAA subregional playoff, which begins next weekend, and knocking Liberty out of the eight-team bracket.  Asked if his team was destined for the Eastern Conference playoffs for a second consecutive year, Hurricane head coach Dave Brown was succinct.

“We haven’t even discussed that yet,” Brown said.

Freedom head coach Jason Roeder, meanwhile, was also speechless, but in a different sort of way.

“This day (in my coaching career) is #1.  It’s #1 by far,” Roeder said.  “What a tremendous football game.”

Fireworks were incorporated as part of the Liberty marching band’s halftime performance, but really, the fireworks had already been exploding in full force during the first 24 minutes of action.

Freedom led, 28-21, at halftime, and the seven touchdowns scored between the two teams covered distances of 72, 56, 69, 31, 24, 57 and 36 yards.  Liberty jumped up 7-0 on Devon Jones’ 72-yard scoring run on its second play from scrimmage, and the Hurricanes would add a 31-yard scoring pass from James McCarthy to KJ Williams and a McCarthy 24-yard run to build a 21-14 lead with 11:10 left in the half.

Freedom’s first five total plays netted two touchdowns – a 56-yard pass-and-catch from Uliana to Bucsi and an Okezie Alozie (19 rush, 138 yards) 69-yard touchdown run.  Alozie also returned a McCarthy interception 57 yards and Uliana and Bucsi hooked up for a 36-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the half.

After forcing a Patriot punt, Liberty took over in the shadow of its own end zone, but it mattered little.  Seven plays after starting at their own 3, Jones took a sweep around left end untouched and rocketed for a 74-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 28s.

Freedom’s ensuing possession stalled, but the Patriots recovered a muffed Hurricane punt at the 19-yard line (one of five Hurricane turnovers on the day), and three plays later, Uliana found Bucsi from 17 yards and a 35-28 lead.  But Liberty fired right back.  After runs of 33 yards from Jones (8 rush, 196 yards) and 11 yards from Mike Harris, Harris found Williams for a 31-yard touchdown on a halfback option pass.  For what seemed like the millionth time, things were right back at square one.

“You never know with a Freedom/Liberty game,” Brown said.  “(That the kids leave everything on the field) is all that we ask.”

Williams entered the game with only 20 receptions on the season and said he always kept his head up and waited for his number to get called.  Williams was a hot commodity in the Canes’ aerial assault this day.  He finished the day with five catches for 129 yards and also picked off a pass on defense which helped Liberty eventually build a 42-35 lead on a McCarthy 4-yard run with 3:51 left in the game.

As was the theme of the day, Freedom rallied.  Uliana’s 44-yard pass to a streaking Bucsi tied the game at 42 with 1:46 left, and, after recovering Liberty’s third fumble of the game at the 1:14 mark, the Patriots ran three plays to set up Wrobel’s monumental kick.

“We preached ‘team’ the whole year,” Roeder said.  “Today Wrobel made a kick he’ll never forget.  And Freedom will never forget it, either.”

Freedom won’t soon forget the Uliana-to-Busci combination, either.  Of Uliana’s 10 completions, eight went the way of Bucsi for 196 yards and the four scores.  Uliana threw for 222 yards on the day.

“We didn’t expect to pass that much,” Uliana said.  “We wanted to try to establish the run, but the name of our game is about executing, and today, the passing game was really clicking.”

Liberty finished with 578 yards of offense and 21 first downs, including 382 yards on the ground.  McCarthy ran for 78 yards and threw for another 165.  Stephon Font-Toomer added 33 yards on 10 carries; Harris finished with 46 yards on seven rushes; and Jack Long added 27 yards on eight totes.

Freedom finished with 402 yards and 14 first downs, but did have three turnovers.

NOTE: Both Alozie and McCarthy surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season with their respective individual performances Saturday afternoon.

MOUNT CARMEL, Pa. – Ian Murray, North Schuylkill’s starting punter, hadn’t caught a pass in his varsity career entering Sunday night’s showdown opposite unbeaten Mount Carmel.

“I’d caught passes in JV, but none in my varsity career…until tonight,” Murray said.

Murray’s big night helped the Spartans boot the Red Tornadoes from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Ian Murray hauled in four Ryan Henning passes for 88 yards, including the game-winning 19-yard touchdown reception with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter, to help North Schuylkill (7-0) defeat Mount Carmel (6-1), 21-13, before a near-capacity crowd at the Silver Bowl Sunday evening.

On the winning play, Murray said the expectation was for Mount Carmel to blitz heavily.

“But they didn’t,” Murray said.  “So I delayed, waited three seconds, and made my move.  Henning got me that ball and I made a play.”

Three plays prior to the winning connection between Henning and Murray, junior Matt Gownley scooted 57 yards from the Spartan 21 yard line to the Red Tornado 22, on a run around left end.

“I saw nothing but green in front of me,” said Gownley, who finished with 74 yards on six carries .  “And I was hoping it would end in more points on the scoreboard.”

“(Gownley) has been playing like that all season long,” said Spartan head coach Rick Geist.  “And (Murray) wasn’t even a starter (at tight end), but he came in and did a good job for us.”

Throughout the course of the game, North Schuylkill lost four players to injuries, including its star fullback and linebacker, Mike Shinkus, who was injured on the opening kickoff may want to try products such as ones on this official site.  Shinkus spent the rest of the game on the NS sideline on crutches with ice wrapped around his right knee.

But perhaps the scariest of the four injuries came right before halftime, involving sophomore Tim Sokoloski.

Sokoloski was making a break for an underthrown Henning pass with less than 30 seconds left in the half, when he was sandwiched between two Mount Carmel players.  Motion was made for the ambulance staff, and Sokoloski left the game and stadium immobilized on a stretcher.  Mount Carmel was flagged for pass interference on the play, but the officiating staff did not oblige the Ashland faithful, who were chanting, “Throw him out! Throw him out!” (referencing the Red Tornado player who hit Sokoloski).

“Every time someone went down, another player stepped right up, and that’s what they have to do,” Geist said. “These kids have been overcoming adversity all year. That’s a sign of a good team.”

Mount Carmel worked the first quarter with a stiff breeze blowing toward it, and Rob Varano’s first four passes all fell incomplete.  But right before the end of the first period, Zach Wasilewski found Justin Keman for a 15-yard strike, and, after the period ended, Mount Carmel was in the end zone two plays later thanks to a 25-yard run from Meyrick Lamb.

Moving into the same stiff breeze which the red and white had little success with in the first period, North Schuylkill countered two possessions later.  Two plays after Henning found Murray on a 46-yard pass, catch and run, Curt Adams hauled in a 10-yard pass from Henning for the Spartans’ first points of the night.

Three plays after Sokoloski left the game, NS grabbed a 13-7 lead thanks to Jonathan Long’s two-yard touchdown run, and the Spartans made the wind relegated to seemingly non-factor status as it drove for its two scores.

Mount Carmel stole the momentum back early in the second half.  After stuffing Long for a three-yard loss on a 4th-and-1 situation, the Red Tornadoes rode the strong running of Lamb to its second touchdown – a seven yard burst – to tie the game at 13.  Lamb set up the touchdown run with a 27-yard burst from the Spartan 34 yard line.

After that drive, however, North Schuylkill’s run defense stiffened, holding MCA to just 26 yards over its final 10 rushing attempts.  The Spartans also limited Mount Carmel to just 75 passing yards on a combined 5-of-17 night between Varano and Wasilewski.

The Spartans seemed poised to strike after recovering a punt at the Red Tornado 22 yard line with 9:40 left in regulation after Lamb inadvertently touched the ball.  But NS turned the ball over on downs just 19 seconds later.

On the winning touchdown drive, the Spartans needed just five plays to cover 80 yards.  NS’ seniors haven’t tasted defeat to Mount Carmel in their careers, and it’s the first time North Schuylkill has defeated MCA three years in a row.

“Our kids are tough enough to grind stuff out,” Geist said. “If something goes wrong, they bounce right back.”

NOTES: North Schuylkill outrushed Mount Carmel, 214-107, for the game.  Long ran for a team-high 79 yards for the Spartans and Adams had 36 yards on 16 carries.  Henning threw for 115 yards on a 7-of-13 night.

The Spartan victory denied Mount Carmel its 800th victory in program history.  The Red Tornadoes will try again to win #800 next weekend when they travel to Sunbury to take on Shikellamy.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – It isn’t about how you start, but rather, how you finish.

And in Saturday evening’s Lehigh Valley Conference showdown between Nazareth and Allentown Central Catholic, that finish will come down to two words: Wide left.

Despite a prolonged cold stretch in the second half during which Nazareth quarterback Daniel Harding completed only 1-of-9 passes and Allentown Central Catholic rattled off 22 unanswered points, the Blue Eagles (5-0) could finally exhale as the Vikings (2-3) missed 35-yard field goal by Tim DiGiacomo to the left with 13 seconds left in regulation.  The miss preserved a 31-30 Nazreth victory from a rainy J. Birney Crum Stadium.

Last season, the two teams played to a 39-36 ACC victory, which came down to a missed Nazareth field goal at the very end of the game.

Even though both teams each reached the 30-point plateau, the defenses reigned supreme early, as Allentown Central Catholic led, 2-0, after a Blue Eagle punt was snapped out of the end zone with 9:28 left in the opening stanza.  Central Catholic had a chance deep inside the red zone on its initial possession, but G.B. Harkins fumbled the ball away at the 1 yard line two plays after junior tailback Colin McDermott busted loose on a 57-yard run.

It took Nazareth’s offense a little while to find its legs.  Despite Harding connecting on his first four pass attempts, the Blue Eagles had only 46 yards of offense and a pair of first downs to show for their efforts.  That changed in the second quarter as the blue and white strung together three first downs and got on the board with a 24-yard field goal.

Harding pushed the Nazareth advantage to 10-2 with a 61-yard scoring pass to Adam Bridgeforth, but Central Catholic countered when Brendan Nosovitch found Kevin Gulyas on a 34-yard pass to pull within 10-8.  Gulyas, ACC’s all-time career leading receiver, had six catches for 92 yards in the first half.

Freshman Jordan Gray shifted the momentum just 1:50 later.  After Harding found Andrew Bridgeforth on passes of 31 and 12 yards, Gray capped the lightning-quick seven-play, 70-yard march with a 16-yard touchdown run, giving the Blue Eagles a 17-8 halftime lead.

Harding, who connected on 13 of his 15 passes in the opening half, capped a six-play, 70-yard march to open the second half and give the Blue Eagles a 24-8 lead with a three-yard run.  The march was highlighted by a Gray 47-yard run and a 17-yard connection with Adam Bridgeforth on a 4th-down-and-7 situation.

It was at this juncture ACC caught fire, down 16 and seemingly being ready to be run out of town by the guns-a-blazing Nazareth spread.  But the green and gold tightened the screws, denting the Blue Eagle lead with a McDermott six-yard scoring run with 5:09 left in the third period.  McDermott saw eight carries on the 13-play drive, during which Central Catholic converted two fourth downs.

Gulyas (9 rec., 155 yards) hauled in his second scoring pass from Nosovitch – a 28-yarder – on a 4th-and-15 with 11:32 left in the fourth quarter to pull ACC to within 24-22.

As ACC got hotter and hotter, Nazareth got colder.  Much colder.  Harding was intercepted by Jalen Snyder-Scipio, and, six plays later, Harkins scored from three yards out and Nosovitch ran in a successful two-point conversion for a 30-24 Central Catholic advantage.  The Viking student section’s roar reached a fever pitch when Noah Robb picked off Harding on Nazareth’s next possession, but ACC did nothing with the gift.

By that point, Harding, after starting 13-of-15, completed only one of his next nine pass attempts.  But the cold streak was forgiven in a two-play sequence which began with 1:44 left in regulation.

Adam Bridgeforth returned an ACC punt 45 yards from the Blue Eagle 41 to the Viking 14 yard line, and, on the very next play, Harding found Gray on a 14-yard touchdown pass to knot things up at 30, and a successful extra point gave Nazareth the one-point advantage.

Nosovitch found Gulyas on a 33-yard pass and then converted a 4th-and-3 (ACC’s fourth fourth-down convserion of the second half) with a three-yard run to set up DiGiacomo’s game-winning attempt.

Nosovitch connected on 19-of-36 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and also ran for 32 yards on 14 carries.  McDermott ran for 146 yards and Harkins added 17 yards on five carries for Central Catholic, which finished with 439 yards of offense (240 passing, 199 rushing) and 22 first downs.

Harding connected on 15-of-25 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.  Gray ran for 115 yards on 19 carries.  Adam Bridgeforth caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown and Andrew Bridgeforth hauled in six passes for 73 yards.

PEN ARGYL, Pa. – As Southern Lehigh head coach John Toman watched a reporter scribbling notes from his postgame comments, the Spartans’ head man couldn’t help but noting, “I don’t know how you can read that.”

It’s also hard to get a good read on Pen Argyl’s physical, unrelenting defense, which made life tough for the defending District 11 AAA runners-up all game long.

Southern Lehigh (2-3) turned the ball over on downs twice inside the Pen Argyl 40-yard line and the Green Knights (5-0) forced the Spartans into a trio of interceptions in a 35-0 shutout victory Saturday afternoon from Alumni Stadium in Pen Argyl.

The victory sets up a major Colonial League showdown when unbeaten Northern Lehigh invades Pen Argyl next weekend to take on the Green Knights.  For Southern Lehigh, the next few weeks will be a little bit different.

“We just went through the gauntlet of our league,” Toman said.  “We feel we have a favorable schedule in the second half of the season.  Our goal is to go 7-3 and make the playoffs.  7-3 is a respectable record.”

Pen Argyl head coach Paul Reduzzi thought his team’s performance was more than respectable.

“That was the best game we’ve played all year,” Reduzzi said.  “This is the right time of year for us to be playing like that.”

The sledding proved tough for the visiting Spartans right from the onset.  Despite stringing together a pair of first downs and advancing to the Knights’ 37-yard line, quarterback Ty Edmond was tackled for no gain on 4th-and-3 on Southern’s initial offensive series.  Then, after recovering a Knight fumble at its own 33, the Spartans advanced to the Pen Argyl 10 on an Edmond 14-yard pass to Jared Gerhard and a Jake Melusky 18-yard run.  But once again, PA bent but didn’t break.  Edmond’s pass on 4th-and-4 with 14 seconds left in the half fell innocently to the Alumni Stadium grass.

“We had to captialize when we had the chances, and we didn’t do it,” Toman said. “They (Pen Argyl) are a very opportunistic football team.”

Senior back Dylan Evans and first-year starting quarterback Conor Gum helped Pen Argyl’s offense fire in midseason form.  It was Gum’s deft fake of an option toss on what wound up being a 39-yard keeper on a midline option play, and three plays later, Evans crashed into the end zone from five yards out for a 7-0 Knights’ lead in the waning moments of the first quarter.  Evans pushed the advantage to 14-0 with a 12-yard run with 6:08 in the half, running for 61 yards in the first 24 minutes.

After the Spartans’ marching band featured the Blue Brothers in its halftime show, Gum left SL feeling particularly blue when he found Kyle Muller on a 38-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0, Knights.  Evans’ third touchdown run, a two-yard burst, pushed the lead to 28-0, and Gum capped the scoring with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Young.

With the mercy rule invoked due to a 35-point second half lead, both teams pulled their starters and finished the final 7:51 of the game under a running clock and also some light rain.

“Our senior leaders were focused today,” Reduzzi said.

Evans ran for a game-high 116 yards on 21 carries, and Gum did it both with his legs and through the air, connecting on 4-of-7 passes for 93 yards and running for another 66 yards on 10 carries.  Gum has connected on 18 passes this season, and eight of those have gone for touchdowns.  Reserve Ryan Lobb added five carries for 12 yards for Pen Argyl.

Southern Lehigh finished with 157 total yards of offense (77 rushing, 80 passing) and only nine first downs this day.  Melusky ran for a team-best 49 yards on seven carries and Gerhard ran for 12 yards on four carries.  Dylan Schmidt also ran for 12 yards, reaching that mark on five carries.  Edmond connected on 13-of-22 passes for 80 yards but was intercepted twice.

BERWICK, Pa. – The Berwick Bulldog mascot showed off some impressive balance Friday night, riding a unicycle up and down the home sideline on several occasions.

On the gridiron, Berwick’s football team showed some balance of its own with running back Jeremy Freeman and quarterback Jared Pierce.

Pierce and Freeman combined for five of Berwick’s six touchdowns and kicker Alex Oliver booted a career long 45-yard field goal in the third quarter as the Bulldogs (2-3) mercy ruled Selinsgrove (1-4) 45-0 from Crispin Field.

While Berwick could do little wrong, Selinsgrove could do little right.  And Seals taskmaster Dave Hess admitted he didn’t know what to say.

“We didn’t have an answer for #34 (Freeman) – he’s a heck of a back,” Hess said.  “Berwick was the best 1-3 team I’ve ever seen.  That’s a class act (on the other sideline).”

This night, the Seals offensive struggles continued.  Averaging only 193 yards of offense and 9.5 points per game entering the Berwick contest, Selinsgrove mustered only 65 yards of total offense and four first downs this night.  Field general Tyler Grein finished a 5-of-15 night passing for 40 yards and the Seals as a team ran for 25 yards on 20 carries.  The Seals’ leading rusher, Mike Ede, had only 12 yards on seven carries and Logan Harris also had 12 yards on four totes.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and look at the film Monday and find something positive to hang our hats on,” Hess said.

For the homestanding Bulldogs, meanwhile, the victory was a confidence booster.  A bigtime confidence booster.

“No doubt (the win was big),” said Bulldog head coach Gary Campbell.  “But I still look at it like we’re on a 2-3 schnide.  We really got beat up by Dallas and Valley West the last two weeks prior, so to get back moving again was key for us.”

Pierce and Freeman were a big reason for the Bulldogs getting moving.  Of the team’s 422 yards of offense, #s 2 and 34 for Berwick combined for 334 of them.

Freeman got it started early for the Bulldogs, registering five carries for 36 yards on the blue and white’s initial offensive possession, capped by Pierce’s two-yard run with 7:01 left in the first period.  Pierce pushed the Berwick lead to 14-0 with a six-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, but the Dawgs could have had the two-score advantage sooner had it not been for a five-yard penalty called on Freeman for assisting the runner (Pierce) forward into the end zone one play prior.

It wasn’t by design to see Pierce run the ball as much as he did, as the Berwick senior finished with 12 carries on the night.

“He did a good job audibling at the line of scrimmage and the check down tonight was him calling his own number,” Campbell said.  “He’s a three-year varsity starter and we trust him to do that.”

After showing off his legs, Pierce showed off his arm and the Berwick aerial assault.  He hit Jeff Steeber (4 rec., 43 yards) on a three-yard touchdown pass and then found Jake Pecorelli (3 rec., 43 yards) from 11 yards out to push the margin to 28-0 with 2:52 left in the half.

Freeman invoked the mercy rule on the first play of the second half – a 73-yard touchdown run – with 11:42 in the third quarter.  The Bulldog senior finished with 152 yards on 16 carries.  Pierce finished with 50 rushing yards, 132 passing yards, and four total touchdowns.

Berwick pulled its starters after Freeman’s long touchdown run, but the highlights still kept on coming.  Oliver’s field goal – a 45-yarder with :07 left in the third quarter set a new Berwick school record, which was his second 40-yard field goal of the 2011 season.

Backup quarterback C.J. Curry capped the Bulldogs’ scoring binge with a four-yard run in the fourth quarter.  In relief of Pierce, Curry threw for 25 yards and ran for another 14 on four carries.

The Bulldogs finished the night with 266 rushing yards and 157 more through the air.  In their two victories this season, Berwick is averaging 41.5 points per game.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Father Judge Crusader team gathered in a cluster on the visiting sideline and heartily sang their school fight song, “Here’s to our Crusaders.”

Early on, the Philadelphia Catholic League reps didn’t have much to sing a jaunty tune about.  A slew of flags and inopportune turnovers dug a quick hole. 

The Crusaders’ finish, however, was definitely worth singing about.

Father Judge (2-1) scored 28 of the game’s final 31 points to erase a 21-6 first half deficit, silencing a hostile crowd with a 34-24 victory over State College Area (0-2) from a boistrous Memorial Stadium in downtown State College Friday evening.

“We wanted to play this game,” said Judge head coach Tom Coyle.  “We wanted to put our kids in tough spots amd see what happens.  This was a great learning and bonding experience (for our team).”

State College put the press on right from the beginning of the game.  Just three plays after Little Lion quarterback Josh Weakland was intercepted by the Crusaders’ Connor Donohoe, SC was cashing in on a gift from the blue and white.  Linebacker Ben Roeshot stepped in front of Daniels’ first pass attempt and returned it 18 yards for the opening score and a 7-0 Lion lead.

Prior to staking itself to that 7-0 lead, State High was able to throw the Crusaders’ defensive unit for a loop on its initial series.  Judge was flagged for four offsides and a pass interference penalty, helping the Little Lions tally four first downs despite only running for minus-2 yards on the drive and netting 10 total yards of offense.

Judge seemed to get back on track with a Daniels-to-Albi Arapaj 35-yard connection, but three plays later, Daniels was intercepted again.  This time, Jack Haffner came up with the highway robbery, and #36 personally pushed the Lions’ lead to 14-0 with a 1-yard run with 10:39 left in the first half, sending the already raucous SC student section into a frenzy and aiding in adding to the volume of the strains of the State High fight song.

“We were trying to find something that worked, and Josh (Weakland) was making good reads and Jack (Haffner) was hitting the holes,” said State College head coach Al Wolski.

Haffner helped make it 21-6 Lions with a 13-yard run on which he dragged several Judge defenders for the final three yards to paydirt.  In the first half alone, Haffner ran for 97 yards on 13 carries.  For the game, he had 145 yards on 20 carries and the two touchdowns.

“He keeps his legs going,” Wolski said of Haffner. “He’s a tough player.”

But after the rough start – the two interceptions and seven penalties for 52 yards, including four offsides penalties – Judge found its feet.  Matt Smalley helped Judge break its goose egg on the scoreboard with a two-yard scoring run with 8:27 left in the half and cut SC’s 21-6 lead to 21-12 with a four-yard run with 12 seconds left in the half.  A Daniels-to-Donohoe connection for the two-point conversion made it 21-14 at half.

Judge kept its momentum going strong in the second half.  Daniels’ passes of 24 yards to Smalley and 25 yards to Arapaj helped set up Smalley’s third scoring run – a six-yard jaunt with 9:01 left in the third quarter.  Then, after forcing a State High punt, Judge took the lead for good.  Daniels hit a streaking John Landis for a 46-yard connection and a 28-21 Crusader lead with 1:46 left in the third.

“Rob delivered the ball and our guys caught it,” Coyle said.  “I told you pregame Rob’s very comfortable in the pocket.”

State College appeared to stop the bleeding when kicker Josh Cloithaux nailed a 38-yard field goal to bring the Little Lions to within four with 10:41 left in the game, but SC would get no closer.  After trading three-and-outs, Judge went to work, taking a 12-play, 77-yard, 5:20 drive to ice the game with a Daniels 1-yard run with 1:33 left.  The drive featured seven running plays between Smalley and Raul Quinones and a pair of State High offsides penalties, one of which resulted in a Crusader first down.

“I was very proud of our last drive,” Coyle said. “We ran it right down their throats – that’s what championship drives are made of.  To go on the road and win by 10 points against a very good team in a hostile environment – I’m very proud of our guys.”

Judge was paced by Daniels’ 216 passing yards and the tandem of Quinones (123 yards on 18 carries) and Smalley (59 yards on 17 carries).  Arapaj caught four passes for 106 yards and Landis three for 74 yards.  Judge had 394 yards of total offense and 16 first downs, but a glaring 12 penalties for 102 yards.

In addition to Haffner’s effort on the ground, State High got 43 yards on six carries from senior Saige Jenco, who has a full scholarship to Virginia Tech to play baseball.  Weakland connected on 4-of-9 passes for 46 yards and threw two interceptions.  SC finished with 226 yards and 15 first downs, but committed nine penalties for 60 yards and had three turnovers.

WARMINSTER, Pa. – West Catholic’s game plan against Archbishop Wood was rather simple.  Run the ball, control the clock and keep Wood’s explosive offensive unit watching helplessly from the sideline.

West did the run the ball – 47 times to be exact – and limited the Vikings to only 38 total offensive plays.  But Wood made those plays count.

Joey Monaghan threw for 279 yards in just 10 passing attempts and West Catholic (0-2) had to endure three turnovers on downs and an anemic passing attack as Archbishop Wood (1-1) posted a 28-0 shutout of the Burrs Saturday night at William Tennett High School in Warminster.

West head coach Brian Fluck said the effort came down to two words: missed opportunities.

“In the beginning, we did what we wanted to do,” the Burrs’ boss said.  “But we made too many mistakes.”

From the beginning, West showed its hand of trying to take the air out of the ball, orchestrating a 14-play march which drained 7:07 of game clock.  Junior running back David Williams saw six of the first 14 plays go his way, but the Burrs turned the ball over on downs at the Wood 37 yard line following a costly holding penalty and a pair of injured quail looking passes from Jaleel Reed fell incomplete.

West had another similar drive late in the first half.  Highlighted by a Williams 50-yard run to the Wood 27, the Burrs got as far as the Viking 14-yard line, but Jalil Shoatz fumbled away the opportunity at the seven yard line with 2:33 left in the first half.

Wood, already up 7-0 at that juncture, wasted no time in making West Catholic pay.  One play after West was flagged for pass interference, Monaghan hooked up with Nate Smith for a 52-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 Viking advantage.  Smith caught a 31-yard pass from Monaghan earlier in the drive and had four catches for 153 yards in the first half.

“Nate’s a good one,” said Wood head coach Steve Devlin.  “I kinda kick myself for not using him more (in the Central Catholic game the week before).  He’s definitely one of our playmakers.”

Monaghan wasn’t slowing down – on Wood’s second possession of the second half, he hit Kyle Adkins on a 45-yard screen pass which went all the way to the Burrs’ 19 yard line.  Three plays later, senior Ryan McMullin crashed into the end zone for Wood to push the lead to 21-0.

McMullin saw action this night as Rutgers commit Desmon Peoples was held out of action due to a sprained ankle, shifting Brandon Peoples to the tailback slot.  #5 got Wood on the board to start the scoring with a 14-yard run just five seconds into the second quarter.

“He’s one of our guys – we have several guys who can carry the ball,” Devlin said. “Tonight, Ryan ran it well for us.”

Just for good measure, Monaghan signed, sealed and delivered Wood’s win with one more long connection with Smith – a 65-yard bomb down the middle of the field after forcing a West punt.  In all, Smith caught five passes for 218 yards – and none of the passes went for any length fewer than 31 yards.

“The goal was to shut down their ground game and force them to pass,” Fluck said.  “And we got caught playing some man-to-man coverage.”

West had one last chance to try to dent the scoreboard, driving from its own 31 to the Wood 14 with runs of 22 and 13 yards by Williams along the way.  But Wood stiffened, sacking Reed for a 14-yard loss and bringing up a 4th-and-26 situation, which ended in a turnover on downs when Reed’s pass intended for Williams was incomplete.

From there, Wood strung together four first downs on a series of runs from Kendall Singleton and Jake Cooper to run out the clock.

Wood finished with 420 yards of offense and 16 first downs – most of that came from Monaghan, who reached his passing total with an 8-of-10 night.  McMullin ran for 55 yards on eight carries and the two touchdowns.  Cooper ran for 49 yards on six carries and Singleton 17 yards on three carries.

West was paced by Williams’ 211 yards on 32 carries.  Shoatz added 18 yards on four carries.  Reed finished with minus-31 rushing yards and connected on 4-of-9 passes for 15 yards.  West finished with only 11 first downs, gained either by way of Williams’ runs or Wood penalties.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Behind the area on the sidelines where the La Salle College High School football team stood, a weathered penny lie buried into the artificial surface, with the heads side facing upward.

Supposedly, pennies facing heads side up bring good luck.  But fate was not ready to yield the Explorers a lucky day.

Bergen Catholic (1-0) got a 306-yard passing effort from field general John Germano and two-time PIAA AAAA state finalist La Salle (1-1) had trouble keeping up with the Crusaders’ speed and spread offensive attack in a humbling 41-17 loss Saturday afternoon at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School.

BC, a 16-time New Jersey football state champion, wasted little time in flashing and dashing its way over, around, and through the La Salle defense en route to 396 yards of offense – mostly through the air – using an up-tempo offense.

“We really always want to play with that type of pace,” said BC head coach Nunzio Campanile. “We’re always trying to keep the opponent on its toes.  We want to be certain the other team is as uncomfortable as possible at all times.”

La Salle barely had time to settle in before Bergen began its offensive assault.  In just four plays after picking off La Salle’s Matt Magarity, Bergen had a 6-0 lead thanks to a Germano four-yard touchdown run.  But the Crusaders were just getting warmed up.

After La Salle went three-and-out, it took three plays for Bergen to find paydirt again.  Germano hit J.J. Rulsar for an 87-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 13-0 and then recovered the ensuing onsides kick.  Six plays later, Bergen was in the end zone again on a 15-yard connection from Germano to Charles Wingate.

“They have great speed and quickness,” said La Salle head coach Drew Gordon.  “It’s hard to replicate their speed in practice.”

The Explorers seemed to quell the bleeding a little bit with a small rally, slicing the BC lead from 20-0 to 20-9 on a Tim Wade three-yard run and a Ryan Winslow 32-yard field goal.  Wade’s touchdown run was one of the few scant highlights on the day.  Yards were hard to come by for #33 – in three and a half quarters, he ran for 35 yards on 19 carries.

But any momentum La Salle had built up deflated quicker than a balloon with a hole in it.  Winslow’s field goal came with 1:46 left in the half, but that was more than enough time for the Crusaders to break the Explorers’ backs.  Beginning at its own 20, the red and gold marched 65 yards in just three plays – all Germano passes – to the La Salle 15.  Two plays after an Explorer timeout to stop the bleeding, Bergen lodged the proverbial dagger in the blue and gold’s heart as Germano found John Tsimis from four yards out and a 27-9 lead.

Five plays.  Eighty yards.  All in a mere 51.8 seconds.  Who needs those two-minute drills, anyway?

“Bergen Catholic will test you every play,” Gordon said.

The Crusaders tacked on two more touchdowns in the second half – a James Dawson two-yard run and a 15-yard pass from Germano to Tsimis – to push the advantage to 41-9.

Using its reserves, La Salle capped the game scoring with a one-yard touchdown run by Jared Herrmann with 2:00 left in the contest.  Herrmann’s run capped a 12-play, 80-yard, 4:17 march which saw five total first downs and back-up field general Chris Kane connect on all four of his pass attempts.

All told, La Salle finished with 211 yards of offense and 11 first downs.  Magarity connected on 11-of-19 passes for 79 yards with the one interception.  Wade paced the Explorer ground attack, which finished with 65 yards on 34 carries.  Herrmann added 23 yards on seven carries and Kane threw for 57 yards.  Sean Coleman caught five passes for 39 yards and Colin Buckley snagged three passes for 44 yards.

Germano’s banner day also saw him add 16 yards on 12 carries.  Dawson ran for 22 yards on six carries and Michael Gerst added 27 yards on six totes.  Tsimis caught seven passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns and Kulsar added two receptions for 98 yards.  Bergen was flagged eight times for 45 yards – about the only negative from the Crusaders’ season opener.

MANHEIM, Pa. – The rapper Eminem once recorded a song titled “The Real Slim Shady,” and in that tune, the chorus invokes the question, “Will the real Slim Shady, real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up?”

For the first 24 minutes of Friday’s season opener, youthful Manheim Central didn’t seem to have much going for it, racking up only 57 yards and trailing a seemingly game Lower Dauphin 6-0, who had doubled up the Barons in total first half offensive yardage.

But that all changed in the second half thanks to some adjustments in strategy.  After a first half filled with figurative “pleases,” the Barons finally and resoundingly stood up.

Manheim Central (1-0) ran for 164 of their 189 yards in the second half, pummeling a suddenly defenseless Lower Dauphin (0-1) 28-12 from a muggy Elden Rettew Stadium.

The victory was Manheim’s first on the gridiron since the tragic deaths of John Griffith, DeVaughn Lee, Nicholas Bryson and Cody Hollinger, who were all killed in a vehicle accident in South Londonderry Township, Lebanon County, in mid-January.  The quartet was honored with a poignant pre-game ceremony.  A fifth Manheim football player – Evan Heiser – lost his life in a car crash in August 2010, and he was not forgotten either, as one of his good friends, tight end/linebacker Derek Schaub, honored his fallen friend by wearing his jersey with the nameplate “Heiser”.

Baron skipper Mike Williams said he knew his squad was going to get off to a slower-than-normal start.

“We knew we were probably going to do that,” Williams said.  “At times (in the first half), the only thing we did right was have 11 guys on the field.”

It was a comedy of errors (and growing pains) for the maroon and gray in the first half.  Division-1 prospect kicker Bryant Myer missed a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter and later had a 43-yard attempt blocked.  Manheim also had a turnover on downs but could not seem to move forward.

The only first half score – a Ben Goss 34-yard pass to Quincey Nissley – came with 6:12 in the half after the Falcons had strung together a pair of first downs on runs of seven yards by Josh Palmer and a 20-yard scamper by Travis Morrill.  And the way MC’s offense – particularly the ground game – was scuffling, the six-spot may have been enough to stand.

But it wasn’t.

“We went over some strategy at halftime and asked our running backs to run harder,” Williams said.  “They stepped up (in the second half) and did what we asked.”

The ground effort, paced by field general Caleb Walton and backs Hunter Root and Ian Hanselman, came to life from the onset of the third stanza.  Manheim went on a 14-play, 80-yard, 6:54 drive, highlighted by 13 running plays (seven by Root) before Walton found receiver Joe Good from 11 yards out and a 7-6 lead.

“That was absolutely by design,” Williams said of the opening second half drive.  “Once we saw we could get four or five yards each play, it became a no-brainer (what we would do offensively).  It was kind of a no-brainer.”

After forcing LD three-and-out, Hanselman became the go-to back, registering a personal six-play, 45-yard drive, including three runs of 10 yards or greater, to push the Baron advantage to 14-6.

Walton stretched the lead to 21-6 with a deft 30-yard option keeper around left end and Hanselman capped the Baron scoring with a 15-yard reception from Walton with 2:18 left in the game.  Sandwiched between those two MC scores was an 80-yard pass from Goss to Nissley to bring LD back to within 21-12 and add a little spice to the contest.

The first game out of the way – a “W” – was especially big for the confidence factor of the Barons, Williams said.

“This is one of the biggest victories in our program’s history,” Williams said.  “It’s not the state finals or a district final, but from where we came from January 16 to now, it’s nothing short of amazing.”

Walton served as the offensive catalyst for a Baron effort which churned out 255 yards of offense and 20 first downs, running for a team high 80 yards on 13 carries and connecting on 7-of-14 passes for 69 yards.  Hanselman added 54 yards on 14 carries and Root added 66 yards on 20 carries.  In all, Manheim Central ran for 189 yards on 51 carries.

Lower Dauphin was paced by Morrill’s 54 yards rushing on eight carries and Palmer added one yard on seven totes.  Goss finished with 124 passing yards for the Falcons and threw two touchdows, but did so on just a 3-of-16 night.  The Falcons missed a chance to take a 9-0 lead into the locker room when kicker Joe Julius missed a 41-yard field goal wide right as time expired in the first half.

NOTES: The number 129 appeared high atop the Donald E. Yingst Pressbox in the slots normally reserved for the program’s all-time number of victories as a tribute to the four fallen Barons involved in January’s car accident which can be addressed by professionals line the ones on this weblink.  The number 129 is the sum of the four players’ jersey numbers.  Additionally, the Baron team broke down its postgame huddle with a “129”.

In the last two meetings, Manheim Central has outscored Lower Dauphin by a combined margin of 75-22.

The Redskins haven’t hoisted a District 1 AAAA championship trophy since 2004, but there are a lot of solid pieces in place for Neshaminy to make a deep playoff run.

It all starts up front, where starters/significant contributors in the form of Alex McKenzie, Chris Kutsubos, John Bell, Mike Wunderlich and tight end Tadas Karusevicius all return. Neshaminy’s offensive line helped to pave the way for a unit which amassed 4,663 yards of offense (2,784 rushing, 1,879 passing) and scored 61 total offensive touchdowns (42 rush, 19 pass) en route to the District 1 AAAA championship game. Running back Sean Ulmer returns after running for more than 1,000 yards and junior wideout Justin Andrews caught 34 passes last season for the ‘Skins. Quarterback Joe Bianchino (1-of-5, 2 yds), a senior, will replace 1,800-yard passer Charlie Marterella, who completed 58.4 percent of his passes and averaged more than 144 yards per game.

Temple recruit Kiser Terry leads the Neshaminy defensive unit after posting 47 tackles and a team-leading six sacks. Bobby Marterella, a wide receiver/defensive back combination, picked off a team-leading five passes and returns to key the ‘Skins defensive backfield. Neshaminy is 99-25 overall (.798) since the start of the 2001 season.

2011 Schedule