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Eastern finals representatives

Hausmann1978

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May 5, 2021
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I was trying to remember the last school to win a state title in the 3 biggest classifications and before 2015 the 2 biggest classifications from the east that wasn't a private or charter school. Was it Selinsgrove in 09 or was there a team after them?
 
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yes Selinsgrove is the last public school from the east to win a state title in the two biggest classes
 
yes Selinsgrove is the last public school from the east to win a state title in the two biggest classes
That's insane! 09 is the last public school in the east. That's my point on what's going on out there out in eastern pa especially with the pcl.
 
I'd caution basing any argument on the PIAA's designations of East - West that is often arbitrary and misleading. Selinsgrove who won 3A in 2009 is 45-50 miles north of Harrisburg.
The team they beat, the 'West' rep, was Manheim Central, 30 miles East of Harrisburg....????....and north of Lancaster. The PIAA often 'creates' these designations of East - West for convenience sake.

**** Central Dauphin of Harrisburg won 4A in 2011, designated the West rep. Again, these are arbitrary terms. Check a map to see how much closer CD is to Philly than Pitt to see the utter lack of logic in their contrived designations of east-west.
 
Good call Stalk.

I'm gonna move back to PA and seriously get on the "Open Schools" -- or whatever it's called -- "program" so that any districts (public or private) that are into sports can give it their best shot (like the olden days). Whatever it takes -- barnstorming around the state (northeast, southwest -- the middle part in Pennsyltucky "up" and then out west from the W. Virginny border and all along Ohio and all the Whip-Pee-All schools all the way to Lake Erie -- or camping out in Harrisburg bugging legislators) it's time for some "noise" to be made. A solid, in your face, grassroots effort.

Then no more "one-hand-behind-the-back" whining ... and of course, after the new arrangement is implemented there will also be no more whining at all if some private school dominates.

Then we're going to have "Open Bowls" for the championship games PLUS post-season bowls with travel and lodging paid for by the PIAA (going out to Vegas for the Bishop Gorman games -- how about that for a "prize", think people might enjoy chasing and then winning that "carrot").

No more Mr. Nice Guy PA Used to Be Good stuff (I can't take the ribbing I get out here from my friends who have kids who went to or are going to Trinity League schools).

And I'll be pounding on Neshaminy to lead the effort!!

PS Maybe the NFL should pick up the tab (or the Steelers and the Iggs) for whatever is required. Seems to me that bunch has a vested interest in continuing to cultivate bodies that are available to play PLUS people that have interest in the game. They have to be studying trends that might support some lessening of the game's importance (that could filter up some day and bite them all in the ass).
 
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I'd caution basing any argument on the PIAA's designations of East - West that is often arbitrary and misleading. Selinsgrove who won 3A in 2009 is 45-50 miles north of Harrisburg.
The team they beat, the 'West' rep, was Manheim Central, 30 miles East of Harrisburg....????....and north of Lancaster. The PIAA often 'creates' these designations of East - West for convenience sake.

**** Central Dauphin of Harrisburg won 4A in 2011, designated the West rep. Again, these are arbitrary terms. Check a map to see how much closer CD is to Philly than Pitt to see the utter lack of logic in their contrived designations of east-west.
True I forgot about central dauphin. I think you play that 2011 season 10 times over north Allegheny wins more then half of them but cd was the better team that night. That was a big upset. Other then cd in 11 and 09 Selinsgrove is there another public school from the east winning a title?
 
True I forgot about central dauphin. I think you play that 2011 season 10 times over north Allegheny wins more then half of them but cd was the better team that night. That was a big upset. Other then cd in 11 and 09 Selinsgrove is there another public school from the east winning a title?
This was only an upset in the eyes of western guys or the Wpial crowd that in 2011 thought the WPIAL was the center of the football universe in Pennsylvania.

Got to ask you Haus, why do some of you say...'they'd win 5 of 10 or 9 of 10' or whatever whenever you lose a game? They don't play best of 3 of 5 or 5 of 10. I call that sour grapes.

CD's defense reduced NA to a 'Leftwich only' attack. Look at game film, stats and especially special teams where most games are won to see this was no upset, beating NA with the big play, booming punts and the field goal.
 
This was only an upset in the eyes of western guys or the Wpial crowd that in 2011 thought the WPIAL was the center of the football universe in Pennsylvania.

Got to ask you Haus, why do some of you say...'they'd win 5 of 10 or 9 of 10' or whatever whenever you lose a game? They don't play best of 3 of 5 or 5 of 10. I call that sour grapes.

CD's defense reduced NA to a 'Leftwich only' attack. Look at game film, stats and especially special teams where most games are won to see this was no upset, beating NA with the big play, booming punts and the field goal.
I’ll be annoying about the East in 2011.

Easton’s best offensive player (1,300 yards from scrimmage through week 9) got into a fight in school and got kicked off the team before the playoffs. Moved a 150 pound freshman Shane Simpson from wideout to running back for the playoffs.

Rovers played the D11 final two days after Thanksgiving, had a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter against Nazareth, but ultimately lost 28-21. Nazareth played a classic the next week with LaSalle, who popped off a 4th down TD run with four minutes left to win, then needed a pick in their own territory to hold on. LaSalle then lost a classic with North Penn the following week, who lost a very tight state final to Central Dauphin.

Of course, Central Dauphin hung on to beat Wilson West Lawn in the D3 final, who upset a very good Cumberland Valley team (that beat 3A runner-up Bishop McDevitt). I think any of those six teams could have won a state title if you play that season enough times, in addition to North Allegheny. 2011 and 2001 are probably the two most wide open years we’ve had in the biggest classification.
 
Rover!!!

Come on now, my man -- my beloved Neshaminy was a team of destiny in 2001 (nobody was gonna beat them).

Go 'Skins!!
 
Rover!!!

Come on now, my man -- my beloved Neshaminy was a team of destiny in 2001 (nobody was gonna beat them).

Go 'Skins!!
I would have loved to see our Alma maters knock heads that year - would have been one of the great street fight games of all time. Becahi was a terrible match up. And Becahi probably pissed it away when all those kids got kicked off of the team.

Team of destiny, yes, but Woodland Hills, Becahi, Easton, Cumberland Valley, any of that years Bucks County contingent, maybe Pitt Central Catholic also could have been the team of destiny with a couple more breaks.
 
Easton -- the thorn in our side (I actually have a headline from the early '60s when after the third game our schools had played -- and the Rovers beat the 'Skins 13-7 or something like that -- it said "Easton nips Neshaminy ... again" with the whole tenor of the article about Neshaminy's record being 38 wins, 2 losses and a tie or something over 40 games with Easton responsible for the 2 losses and the tie).

As young children our parents told us that when we grew up we had to beat Easton to make it right.
 
I played for Turk Starneri, who would have been one of the better Easton players on those teams you locked horns with. It was so great when we brought Pennsbury on the schedule as a season opener, I wish the dumb EPC crossover games would get nixed and we could do something like that with Neshaminy for the history the two schools share. We owe you for 2004 too - though with the current state of the program we’d get our butts kicked.

I’ve said this in “what if” threads before, but the 2001 Easton team was the best run defense we’ve had since I’ve followed the program. Probably the most complete offense. Secondary was a slight weakness, and Becahi’s proto-Air Raid was a nightmare match up. But in a state run, seeing Cumberland Valley, Neshaminy, and Woodland Hills would not have tested that weakness. Alas, styles make fights.
 
This was only an upset in the eyes of western guys or the Wpial crowd that in 2011 thought the WPIAL was the center of the football universe in Pennsylvania.

Got to ask you Haus, why do some of you say...'they'd win 5 of 10 or 9 of 10' or whatever whenever you lose a game? They don't play best of 3 of 5 or 5 of 10. I call that sour grapes.

CD's defense reduced NA to a 'Leftwich only' attack. Look at game film, stats and especially special teams where most games are won to see this was no upset, beating NA with the big play, booming punts and the field goal.
I just thought NA was the better team and played down to their competition that day. That NA team was loaded and favored to win. Don't forget they were 4A champs the year before and the year after. I remembered watching that game online but I'm having a hard time recalling it. Didn't NA have a really slow start, turned it up the second half and ran short on time. Didn't NA also have some key penalties and turnovers? I'm not taking anything way from CD. That team was nice and was the better team that day. NA was definitely the favorite to win it all that year and got upset.
 
From the CD 2011 State Champs Project

North Allegheny (14-1): 23-20 (State Semifinals
In the western final, Central Dauphin faced the defending state champion North Allegheny Tigers. North Allegheny thrashed State College in the state quarterfinal, 40-14, putting up 509 yards of total offense. All State quarterback Mack Leftwich threw for 136 yards, ran for 186 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns (5 rushing, 1 passing) in the win. The Tigers came into the western final on a 21 game winning streak and Leftwich had added a new dimension to the offense. The junior had over 2,000 yards passing and 800 yards rushing (one of five Tigers with over 500 yards on the ground). No 4A District 3 team had beaten a WPIAL team in the postseason since Cumberland Valley’s 1992 win over Upper St. Clair and no D3 team had punched a ticket to state finals since Lower Dauphin in 1995. Meanwhile, North Allegheny was looking for their second straight final and to be the tenth WPIAL finalist in the last 11 years in the state’s biggest classification.

Central Dauphin got off to a fast start when late in the first quarter, a snap rolled to North Allegheny punter James Henderson and he was tackled at his own 18. The Rams took advantage of the short field with a three yard Zayd Issah touchdown run to go up 7-0. North Allegheny responded with a ten play touchdown drive and Leftwich scored from two yards out to tie the game on the first play of the second quarter. After a defensive struggle for the remainder of the second quarter, with the Tigers particularly bottling up the inside run game of Zayd Issah, Central Dauphin got Drew Scales to the perimeter on an end around, and he turned the corner and hit the jets for a 53 yard touchdown run with 1:06 left in the first half. Issah forced a Leftwich fumble at his own 28 on the first drive of the second half and Adam Hollinger took a fullback dive on the next play for a 28 yard touchdown and a 20-7 lead. But North Allegheny answered with an 11 play touchdown drive, with Leftwich scoring his second touchdown of the day to cut the lead to 20-13.

Again, the defenses took over until a special teams disaster hit, this time for the Rams. Punter Casey Hartzell shanked a punt 15 yards and three plays later, Leftwich hit James Kleinhampl for a 5 yard touchdown to tie the game with 5:14 to go. After an exchange of punts, Central Dauphin caught a huge break when the Tigers hit Drew Scales out of bounds on a punt return for a 15 yard penalty, part of 101 yards in flags against North Allegheny, to set the Rams up at the North Allegheny 46 with 1:39 on the clock. After gaining one yard on the first two plays, LaVia hit Scales short of the sticks, but the gritty slot receiver carried a Tiger defender for a first down at the 35. On the next play, Scales came around on a jet sweep and made two Tigers miss in the backfield before getting the corner and gaining ten yards on the play. With the clock running, LaVia dropped back to pass and hung in the pocket long enough for Issah to run a deep hitch route. The junior got crushed just after releasing the ball, but Issah got separation and made his first catch of the day, good for 23 yards down to the two yard line. After a pair of North Allegheny timeouts designed to freeze the kicker, Evan Brandes drilled a 21 yard field goal to complete the upset and send the Rams to the first state final in program history. LaVia threw for 111 yards, while Scales had 106 all purpose yards, including three of the biggest offensive plays of the game. Issah was held to 15 yards on 12 carries, and his only catch was the 23 yarder on the second to last play of the game, but his impact was felt on defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Defensive end Zach Wilk starred on the defensive side of the ball with 13 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack. Leftwich was nearly a one man show, rushing for 158 yards and throwing for 75, but it was not quite enough to extend the Tigers winning streak.


For more: https://papreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/state-champs-project-2011-central-dauphin.8203/
 
From the CD 2011 State Champs Project

North Allegheny (14-1): 23-20 (State Semifinals
In the western final, Central Dauphin faced the defending state champion North Allegheny Tigers. North Allegheny thrashed State College in the state quarterfinal, 40-14, putting up 509 yards of total offense. All State quarterback Mack Leftwich threw for 136 yards, ran for 186 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns (5 rushing, 1 passing) in the win. The Tigers came into the western final on a 21 game winning streak and Leftwich had added a new dimension to the offense. The junior had over 2,000 yards passing and 800 yards rushing (one of five Tigers with over 500 yards on the ground). No 4A District 3 team had beaten a WPIAL team in the postseason since Cumberland Valley’s 1992 win over Upper St. Clair and no D3 team had punched a ticket to state finals since Lower Dauphin in 1995. Meanwhile, North Allegheny was looking for their second straight final and to be the tenth WPIAL finalist in the last 11 years in the state’s biggest classification.

Central Dauphin got off to a fast start when late in the first quarter, a snap rolled to North Allegheny punter James Henderson and he was tackled at his own 18. The Rams took advantage of the short field with a three yard Zayd Issah touchdown run to go up 7-0. North Allegheny responded with a ten play touchdown drive and Leftwich scored from two yards out to tie the game on the first play of the second quarter. After a defensive struggle for the remainder of the second quarter, with the Tigers particularly bottling up the inside run game of Zayd Issah, Central Dauphin got Drew Scales to the perimeter on an end around, and he turned the corner and hit the jets for a 53 yard touchdown run with 1:06 left in the first half. Issah forced a Leftwich fumble at his own 28 on the first drive of the second half and Adam Hollinger took a fullback dive on the next play for a 28 yard touchdown and a 20-7 lead. But North Allegheny answered with an 11 play touchdown drive, with Leftwich scoring his second touchdown of the day to cut the lead to 20-13.

Again, the defenses took over until a special teams disaster hit, this time for the Rams. Punter Casey Hartzell shanked a punt 15 yards and three plays later, Leftwich hit James Kleinhampl for a 5 yard touchdown to tie the game with 5:14 to go. After an exchange of punts, Central Dauphin caught a huge break when the Tigers hit Drew Scales out of bounds on a punt return for a 15 yard penalty, part of 101 yards in flags against North Allegheny, to set the Rams up at the North Allegheny 46 with 1:39 on the clock. After gaining one yard on the first two plays, LaVia hit Scales short of the sticks, but the gritty slot receiver carried a Tiger defender for a first down at the 35. On the next play, Scales came around on a jet sweep and made two Tigers miss in the backfield before getting the corner and gaining ten yards on the play. With the clock running, LaVia dropped back to pass and hung in the pocket long enough for Issah to run a deep hitch route. The junior got crushed just after releasing the ball, but Issah got separation and made his first catch of the day, good for 23 yards down to the two yard line. After a pair of North Allegheny timeouts designed to freeze the kicker, Evan Brandes drilled a 21 yard field goal to complete the upset and send the Rams to the first state final in program history. LaVia threw for 111 yards, while Scales had 106 all purpose yards, including three of the biggest offensive plays of the game. Issah was held to 15 yards on 12 carries, and his only catch was the 23 yarder on the second to last play of the game, but his impact was felt on defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Defensive end Zach Wilk starred on the defensive side of the ball with 13 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack. Leftwich was nearly a one man show, rushing for 158 yards and throwing for 75, but it was not quite enough to extend the Tigers winning streak.


For more: https://papreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/state-champs-project-2011-central-dauphin.8203/
Thx My memory is fading with my old age. That game was a classic. I thought NA and CD would have been on a collision course the following year with what both teams had returning in 2012 but that game never happened.
 
Rover!!!

Come on now, my man -- my beloved Neshaminy was a team of destiny in 2001 (nobody was gonna beat them).

Go 'Skins!!
That was quite a team with Brittingham who was a scary, brutal dude with the ball. I think he liked mud! Apart from the mud/rain/mess of the game I was stupid enough to attend, you almost had to be there to appreciate how bad the field was, if you could call it a field. It truly was slop.
But I wanted to say a few of us from the area were impressed with your Qb who was a cool customer. Two friends were lineman from McDevitt and were impressed with Skins line play. You had some horses up front.
 
Stalk -

A bunch of "no-name" guys that year (I think only Brittingham and one other player were all state which was the lowest for a champ).

Along the lines they were a true bunch of uglies. And Schmidt used that two fullback lineup (with Brittingham as the tailback -- who was a bruiser) and it looked like the line was in the backfield.

The whole year was crazy as every game saw a comeback necessary to ice the win.

You just gotta love the 'Skins!!!

And Stalk - check the link that shows some of the work going on at "Heartbreak Ridge" and "Harry Franks Stadium":


The field is going to be turfed and the concrete stadium is being replaced. Of course, and as you know, the stadium was christened in the 1963 opener when one of your tough D3 teams, Central Dauphin, came to town (that was when CD was riding high a 5 year or so run since the school was put together in the later '50s).

Needless to say, the game went to Neshaminy, 7-0, but the Rams made it a nail-biter right to the final gun.

Here's a contemporary account of that game:


I was at that game (9 years old) and I thought I was looking at Notre Dame stadium when my Dad took me up there and we got out of the car! No doubt about it, I stared dumbfoundedly at the scene for quite a period (as it was, the light from the standards had been illuminating the whole complex as we approached on Old Lincoln Highway and it glowed over the tree line in a way that made it seem right out of "The Wizard of Oz" -- yes sir, I guarantee I was slack jawed).

For sure, I fell in love with the Neshaminy Redskins that night and the flame has never wavered!

My one true love (and an honest love at that): Go 'Skins!!
 
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Stalk -

A bunch of "no-name" guys that year (I think only Brittingham and one other player were all state which was the lowest for a champ).

Along the lines they were a true bunch of uglies. And Schmidt used that two fullback lineup (with Brittingham as the tailback -- who was a bruiser) and it looked like the line was in the backfield.

The whole year was crazy as every game saw a comeback necessary to ice the win.

You just gotta love the 'Skins!!!

And Stalk - check the link that shows some of the work going on at "Heartbreak Ridge" and "Harry Franks Stadium":


The field is going to be turfed and the concrete stadium is being replaced. Of course, and as you know, the stadium was christened in the 1963 opener when one of your tough D3 teams, Central Dauphin, came to town (that was when CD was riding high a 5 year or so run since the school was put together in the later '50s).

Needless to say, the game went to Neshaminy, 7-0, but the Rams made it a nail-biter right to the final gun.

Here's a contemporary account of that game:


I was at that game (9 years old) and I thought I was looking at Notre Dame stadium when my Dad took me up there and we got out of the car! No doubt about it, I stared dumbfoundedly at the scene for quite a period (as it was, the light from the standards had been illuminating the whole complex as we approached on Old Lincoln Highway and it glowed over the tree line in a way that made it seem right out of "The Wizard of Oz" -- yes sir, I guarantee I was slack jawed).

For sure, I fell in love with the Neshaminy Redskins that night and the flame has never wavered!

My one true love (and an honest love at that): Go 'Skins!!
Interesting and thanks for the history segment from your files. I love those old concrete palaces. Saw Malvern at Henderson years ago back when Warriors had good teams. I'd shoot out there to get current with the Ches Mont power structure and Malvern all in one game. Liked that stadium a lot behind the school as so many of them used to be.

Didn't know your stadium were the first on the East Coast to go with LED lighting. And I bet the new stadium sets the standard in the SOL.
PS, You sure about that CD-Skins score? Ha. Good stuff and thanks for it.
 
Ha-ha-ha.

That reminds me of somebody's post on here:

What do they call the worst state champion?

State champion.

Now we can add:

What do they call the luckiest state champion?

State champion!
Excellent! Caveat's, qualifiers and 'what if's' mean nothing. Some guys say things like, 'yeh, but they fumbled 3 times ' as if that's not part of the game. How about....'yeh, but my team scored 3 more touchdowns than yours'. Maybe we shouldn't count them!*?
 
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Ha-ha-ha.

That reminds me of somebody's post on here:

What do they call the worst state champion?

State champion.

Now we can add:

What do they call the luckiest state champion?

State champion!
yes a state champ is a state champ no matter how and when they won, but why can't we debate who was the best and worst among them?
 
How do you know that?
I have two eyes and a brain

in 2020 who on Lebo is covering Marvin Harrison Jr with Kyle Mccord throwing the ball? Joel Klatt called him maybe the best receiver he has seen, you think ELi Heidenreich is going to shut him down?

2022 SJP was clearly far superior to the 2021 version, those kids were just kids in 2021, they became young men in 2022
 
I have two eyes and a brain

in 2020 who on Lebo is covering Marvin Harrison Jr with Kyle Mccord throwing the ball? Joel Klatt called him maybe the best receiver he has seen, you think ELi Heidenreich is going to shut him down?

2022 SJP was clearly far superior to the 2021 version, those kids were just kids in 2021, they became young men in 2022
If you combine 2017 PR and 2021 Lebo Into one teams, could they beat 2022 SJP?
 
If you combine 2017 PR and 2021 Lebo Into one teams, could they beat 2022 SJP?
What ifs don’t matter. We can’t take anything away from ML. We call it luck bc sjp was young? That’s a part of football you’re gonna have young teams and you’re gonna have your senior led teams. ML was a senior led team and more times than none those teams do well.
 
What ifs don’t matter. We can’t take anything away from ML. We call it luck bc sjp was young? That’s a part of football you’re gonna have young teams and you’re gonna have your senior led teams. ML was a senior led team and more times than none those teams do well.
Good points. If we're not careful we'll say SJP was 'lucky' beating all the teams they beat before losing to Lebo. Yikes!
Some young teams have pounded their way to a title only to come up short the following year with a veteran team everyone thought would kick ass for a repeat.
 
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I was in the hospital watching the NA/CD game in 2011. Wasn't NA missing a few starters in the title game? I thought it was a lineman or 2?
 
I was in the hospital watching the NA/CD game in 2011. Wasn't NA missing a few starters in the title game? I thought it was a lineman or 2?
don't remember but Art Walker complained about the officiating, said they call penalties that they don't call back home

well back home he benefited from bad officiating, who can forget the NA receiver cathching a pass 3 yards out of bounds that was called a touchdown in the wpial title game?
 
Good points. If we're not careful we'll say SJP was 'lucky' beating all the teams they beat before losing to Lebo. Yikes!
Some young teams have pounded their way to a title only to come up short the following year with a veteran team everyone thought would kick ass for a repeat.
which teams come to mind when you say that?
 
which teams come to mind when you say that?
Penn Hills 1996 brought almost everybody back, I think was the USA Today #1 team in the country, lost in the first round of WPIALs.

Not the same total firepower, but 2009 Liberty brought back Anthony Gonzalez, Jarrod West, and Dante Holmes and went from preseason #1 to D11 first round exit after their state title. Central Dauphin in 2012 with Issah and Scales back.
 
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Who would play on the 2021 Lebo team if they combined with 2017 P-R? Maybe an OL? Lebo's best three players were QB, WR, RB

QB: Phil vs. Joey Daniels?
RB: Crawford or White vs Tecza?
WR: Falcone or DeFrancis or Goltz vs Heidenrich

I think maybe 1 OL or an OLB would be the two positions, but have no idea who that would be from Lebo or if they were any good.

2021 Lebo was a good HS team. That 2017 P-R team was top 3 ever in WPIAL.
 
Who would play on the 2021 Lebo team if they combined with 2017 P-R? Maybe an OL? Lebo's best three players were QB, WR, RB

QB: Phil vs. Joey Daniels?
RB: Crawford or White vs Tecza?
WR: Falcone or DeFrancis or Goltz vs Heidenrich

I think maybe 1 OL or an OLB would be the two positions, but have no idea who that would be from Lebo or if they were any good.

2021 Lebo was a good HS team. That 2017 P-R team was top 3 ever in WPIAL.
For this scenario, you have to minimize two way players
 
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