HERSHEY, Pa. – In reality, Selinsgrove’s Seth Lauver could play on the offensive line for the Seals. Lauver is a 6’2, 250-pound junior, and he could probably flatten many an opposing defensive player.
Lauver, though, did some flattening from his fullback position in Friday night’s PIAA “AAA” championship game – flattening Manheim Central’s hopes of a second state championship.
“It’s unbelievable,” Lauver said. “It’s almost surreal. I can’t believe it happened.”
Lauver scored the winning six-yard touchdown for Selinsgrove (16-0) with 1:47 left in the game, and Selinsgrove’s defense broke up a Justin Gorman fourth down pass to preserve a narrow 10-7 victory over Manheim Central (15-1) from Hersheypark Stadium.
The win gave Selinsgrove its first-ever PIAA football title. Manheim finished as AAA’s bridesmaid for the second time in five years.
Barons’ coach Mike Williams was visibly disappointed after the game, and said the game ranked “pretty high” on the disappointment meter. Then, the 302-game winner caught himself.
“Our team was great all season,” Williams said. “We had great kids, and I don’t want to say one negative thing about them. We just didn’t play good enough tonight to beat a good football team.”
It was almost too perfect to be scripted. Since the PIAA began playing state championship games in 1988, 65 percent of the games had ended with a final score margin of 9 points or greater, including eight mercy-rule games since 2003.
In the battle of two unbeatens, the game truly lived up to the hype. A crowd into the five-figures for attendance witnessed one of the best “AAA” title games since the famous “Snow Bowl.”
Both teams battled to a scoreless tie through one quarter, and Manheim Central broke the goose eggs with a 36-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Justin Gorman to Derek Hart. At that juncture, 8:27 left in the second quarter, Central led, 7-0. But it was to be their only score of the night.
Defensively, Central had rendered Selinsgrove’s offense rather ineffective. Cory Briggs, who will attend Harvard, was only 4-of-13 in the first half for 32 yards. He also threw an interception. Central had doubled-up Selinsgrove in terms of total offensive yards (150-73) and held statistical advantages in most categories.
“We knew they were going to be a good defense,” said Selinsgrove head coach Dave Hess, “but we didn’t know they were going to be that good.
“Manheim’s a heck of a football team,” Hess continued. “I can’t say enough about them.”
But Selinsgrove didn’t panic, even as Casey Ebersole intercepted a second Briggs pass in the third quarter, thwarting a potential Seals’ scoring threat after a long 35-yard completion to Matt Ruby (2 rec., 38 yards).
The Seals broke their goose egg with :52 left in the third quarter when Spencer Hotaling drilled a 21-yard field goal, slicing Manheim’s lead to 7-3.
That was where things began unraveling for Manheim. Gorman was intercepted by star safety Ryan Keiser, and Selinsgrove, 72 yards away from the end zone, was in business to do business.
The red and blue took 12 plays to score. But if it wasn’t for a key 15-yard pass interference penalty called against Manheim Central on a 3rd and 6 gave the Seals’ drive new life. That penalty was killer because Briggs had well overthrown his intended receiver, and Selinsgrove would have been forced to punt.
Lauver only registered 6 carries for 35 yards, but the sixth one was by all means the biggest of the game and his career.
The Seals head back to Snyder County with the golden football, its long, long, long quest achieved. The Seals first arrived on the PIAA playoff scene in 2000, against, ironically, Manheim Central. Since 2000, the Seals are 114-21 overall.
“It feels great,” Hess said. “We have the greatest kids on earth.”
NOTES: Selinsgrove finished with 680 points on the season, the 7th-best total in state history. Manheim Central, meanwhile, finished with 616, a tie for 21st in state lore with last year’s Thomas Jefferson juggernaut from the WPIAL.
Cameron Benner led the way with 67 rushing yards for Selinsgrove, who ran for 167 yards as a team and racked up 16 first downs to Manheim Central’s eight. Manheim had only a single first down after halftime.
Selinsgrove’s defense (both first string and reserves included) finished the season allowing a whopping total of 96 points in 16 games, a flat average of six points per game.
In terms of combined points scored, Friday’s “AAA” final was the third-lowest scoring game in the history of “AAA” state finals (17 combined points). Only the 1988 and 1998 title tilts (13 and 10 points, respectively).
20 Responses
one more PIAA trophy to pad District IV’S impressive display. must be something in the water in that area of the state……?
Im sure the Seals will be more than happy to show your brother how to play football befor he gets out of high school.
To ALL Seal Fans: Please record Mr. Stephen Ridall’s bold statement, for future reference after our game with Berwick in 2010. Time will tell. Go or should I say, Continue forward Seals!
And how is it possible that they only lost 1 game in the past 6 years? Were the current Juniors to be turned seniors not on the team this past season? Or the current Sophmores? Selinsgrove may lose a lot after this season but they have some key returning players such as, Seth Lauver, Kyle Reinard, Dakota Wolfe.
stephen ridall we finished 16-0 we also are champs how about you and your team pal by the way it’s a home game for us next season were going to stamp a mud hole in your(blank)got the picture
haha we just won a state title and a berwick fan comes on here and runs his mouth. How’d them Dawgs do this year? Oh that’s right they didn’t even make it out of districts
Berwick will kick your butt’s next year seal’s so be prepared my brother is a senior next season and the team we have next season only lost one game in the past 6 year’s
Way to go Seals!!!! I gotta give Manheim Central credit. They are one heck of a football team. Their fans were very nice too. I talked to a few after the game and they were very classy
What a class act football game for both teams. Way to go Seals! We finally brought home the gold. I’ve been waiting for something like this ever since I started following Selinsgrove football when I was in middle school. The dream has finally come true. We’re on the map now. Victory is sweet and we LEFT NO DOUBT! 🙂
is there a 12th man show tonight? what time?
I hope this finally puts to rest the talk about not playing anybody this season. Just an amazing group of kids. You guys have just been an enjoyment to watch all season long. Thanks for the memories that will be talked about in this community for a long time to come.
First off my hat is off to MC you should be very proud of yourselves and hold your heads high. You played a great game. And to my seals, I could not be more proud of you. You not only won for yourselves, the school and the town, but for all the alumni out there that were watching on tv listing on the radio, or cheering there hearts out at Hersey to bring us home the gold. I am proud to be a seal!!!!
Watched a great game from Arizona. Proud to be an alum and see the great tradition of SEALS football live on, PROUD SMASH MOUTH FOOTBALL. Great job men, 12th man fans and coaches, played with Hess and Schuck (bad to the bone) and I can see why the tradition lives on.
Congrats to Seals, and also to Manheim. Great competitive game! Great to see the fan support for both teams, and especially proud of both teams who played a game with excellent sportsmenship! NO PERSONAL Fouls for either team is an indication of not only sportsmenship, but also personal control and Excellent coaching on both teams!
ladies and gentelman children of all ages,finally the seals have brought home the piaa aaa state title home to selinsgrove,and we left no dought.all white!
i wish i would have been able to have watched it on webcast last night on PCN. sounds like reading this article just didn’t do the game justice. both teams represented well, just stinks in this case someone had to lose. i bet either one of these teams would more than hold their own against the 3A teams here in Tennessee. congrats to Selinsgrove.
Hats off to the Seals, they proved themselves and deserve to be hailed, “CHAMPIONS!”
Wow! Both teams played an amazing game, I am so happy for the Selinsgrove kids. Manheim Central and their fans were a class act. Congrats to the Seals on a great season!
Agree what an amazing battle. Lauver was the perfect choice for the end as he bulldozed over people. Great job Seals way to in the end LEAVE NO DOUBT!!!
This game was a grid iron battle of epic proportions. Both teams played their hearts out. All of those kids, on both teams, should be VERY proud of their teams achievements.
Congratulations Seals! You left no doubt.