by Phil Myers
If you’ve never experienced a state championship football game and you’re a high school football fanatic, shame on you. The thrill of being there is an undescribable feeling. The anticipation of the opening kick coupled with the enthusiasm of just being there is invigorating. Make it a point next year to witness history when the PIAA will institute, for the first time, 6 state championship football games! Next are some recaps of the games. For a more detailed story see Billy Splain’s awesome reports on all 4 games.
The Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders dominated the Farrell Steelers from the word go as they opened the game by going 62 yards in 10 plays to score their first of five TDs. They used 4 different backs on that first drive and only needed one third down conversion which was their only pass of the drive. BG is big, strong, and fast. They were business like in their demeanor offensively and defensively. The District 6 rep, Marauders, will be great next year too as they bring back 7 starters on offense, including leading rusher Evan Chadbourn, QB Josh Trybus, 6’5″ TE Luke Frederick, and all three 300 lb. linemen. BG also has 7 starters returning on defense which includes Chadbourn, Trybus, Frederick, and one of their top tacklers in LB Andrew Irwin. Frederick stated that BG knew Farrell was good, so they had to focus and not make mistakes on either side of the ball. When asked how it felt to have back to back state titles he just said, “great.”
For Farrell there was disappointment, but as Coach Samuels said, “We ran into a buzz saw today. They deserve to be champions. They are a well coached team.” Samuels went on to say that being in the state championship game is the highlight of his coaching career, so far. He thanked the team for getting them to that place and especially thanked his senior leadership. One of which was Malachi Newell who finished the season with an amazing 222 tackles. QB Alex Myers gave kudos to Guilfoyle’s defense which ended up being the top scoring defense in the state allowing only 70 points all year!
There is talk that this Bishop Guilfoyle team is on par with some of the Southern Columbia teams of the early to mid 2000s in the single A classification. They are fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and don’t make mistakes. They’re quick and react so well, but don’t over react on defense. They are not only big on offense, but stay with their blocks and efficiently block down field too. Plus they are athletic, very fast and execute well. Add that all up and maybe one has an argument in comparing them to those old Southern teams.
Game two saw the Imhotep Panthers start slowly, but eventually put the pedal to the metal and pull away from the Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers. The nation’s #10 team, according to USA Today, has a plethora of stars on both sides of the ball. RB Mike Waters rushed for over 200 yards and found the end zone three times to become the Philly city all time touchdown leader. Senior defensive end, Andre Mintz, commented, “We knew they were a tough team coming in and when the offense struggled at first the defense picked it up till they got in sync.” “This is a great moment for us,” said Tep’s Coach Albie Crosby, “I feel for them (Prep), they do have a great team.”
The game was hard hitting as every Erie Prep or Imhotep game has been this year. “They have a phenomenal football team and it was a very physical game,” Erie’s Coach Mike Mischler stated. Erie took the brunt of it though as two of their players were taken to the hospital. Henry Fessler was rocked when Prep attempted an onsides kick to start the game. Henry leaped to get a high bouncing ball when he was hit. He suffered a chest injury and a probable concussion. Adam Valerio suffered a bad leg laceration when a player was spun around and their cleats hit him. Both players were later released from the hospital.
Imhotep, like Guilfoyle, has quite a few players back next year including QB Nasir Boykin, WR/DB Aamir Brown, and 6’7″ 340 lb. lineman, Justin Johnson. Many people feel the AAA Panthers were the best team in the state and polls seem to support that idea. But, no one will ever know for sure because Imhotep did not play quad A champ Pittsburgh Central Catholic. One thing is for sure though, the Panthers are mighty good.
The Aliquippa Quips-Southern Columbia Tigers matchup was probably the most anticipated contest of the weekend. But what wasn’t anticipated was the 7 turnovers by the Quips which cost them any chance of beating the Southern Columbia juggernaut. Aliquippa’s senior lineman, Antwar Washington said, “I don’t know what just happened, I really don’t know.” That probably summed up the feelings of the entire Quip team. What happened was for the first time since the mercy rule was introduced in 1998, Aliquippa was on the losing side of a 35 point deficit. For Southern Columbia it was their 7th state championship, but first at AA. For Coach Jim Roth it was his 381st career win in 32 years of coaching! Southern was the only team of the four champions who was a senior laden squad.
Besides the 7 turnovers, two plays in the first half were the key to SCA’s victory. The first was Billy Marzeski’s 41 yard pick six to give the Tigers a 21-6 lead in the second quarter. The second was the QB Nick Becker 30 yard run with 23 seconds left in the half capping a 60 yard drive in a little over a minute after Aliquippa pulled within one score. That gave Southern a more comfortable half time lead at 28-14. Lineman Gabe Delbo (who had 3 fumble recoveries) on why the Tigers held Aliquippa to a season low 14 points and only 236 yards of offense, “You can’t play defense defensively, you have to attack.” That is what they did, especially in the second half as they limited the powerful Quip offense to only 71 yards in the third and fourth quarters. Jared Torres echoed the feeling of winning another championship for the Southern Columbia nation, “This is crazy!”
Finally, Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Vikings held off a furious fourth quarter rally by the Parkland Trojans to win 21-18. Probably the thing that helped PCC win was the change in putting JJ Younger in at running back. He ended the game with 14 carries and 184 yards, but only had 1 attempt in the first quarter for 2 yards. He also ran for a 54 yard TD to put the Vikes up 21-0 in the third. This was Central Catholic’s 4th state title tying them with Central Bucks West for most 4A championships. Central Catholic is loaded with D-1 college talent as is Imhotep. Their defense is what they rely on to win games because there are possibly 9 D-1 recruits out there. And for 3 quarters they played lights out ‘D’. But an innocent field goal seemed to spark the Trojans. “You get points on the board and everything changes,” Parkland coach Jim Morgans declared.
The quad A game had plenty of big hits, but none bigger than when 6’1″ 190 lb. DB Damar Hamlin of Central absolutely leveled 5’8″ 165 lb. WR Carrick Panella of Parkland on a crossing route in the 2nd quarter sending Carrick’s mouthpiece flying too. Another observation on the game was twice Parkland split 3 receivers and Central Catholic only had 2 men covering. Neither time did the Trojans throw the ball to a wide open receiver who would’ve run for at least 20 or 30 yards. PCC usually put their best ‘d’back, Hamlin, on Parkland’s best wide out, Yeboah, to limit Kenny’s touches. For the most part it worked until late in the game. The PCC Vikings will have a lot of talent back next year and probably should be the favorite in the 6A class. Returning players include QB Troy Fisher, LB David Adams, RB JJ Younger, and ALL starting linemen on both sides of the ball.
The best play of the weekend was when Aliquippa worked the hook and lateral to perfection with just 1:39 left before half time to pull within one score at the time. “We didn’t just draw it up in the sand,” quipped Head Coach Mike Zmijanac when asked about the play. The best band goes to Parkland and their tribute to the rock group Queen at half time. They are definitely in my top ten of all time. The best restaurant goes to the Parkside Hotel only a few minutes away. (Not really a hotel, more like a bar & grill.) Next year bring the family and enjoy the lights at Hersheypark and the surrounding area along with Chocolate World, antique shops, great restaurants, the turkey hill experience, etc. Looking forward to the new 6A championships next year, meeting old acquaintances and making new ones. Should be fantastic, not only for PA high school football, but for possibly some new schools who have never been there before
