Here we are at the last weekend of the postseason looking at the best teams in their respective classifications getting ready to sort things out. It's a diverse and interesting field with significant talent at every level, suggesting this year's games will be competitive and memorable. Good luck and health to all the players and people traveling to Chocolate Town's Hershey Park Stadium for all the games.
AAAA Class is exciting with St. Joseph's going for a rare repeat that hasn't been done in this classification since Central Bucks West (15-0) did it in 1998, beating New Castle 56-7 after beating Upper St Clair 44-20 the year before, finishing 15-0 that year as well. They 3-peated in 1999 (15-0), defeating Cathedral Prep 14-13, then lost the following year to the Ramblers in overtime 41-35 (14-1). Phew! Last year saw the Hawks (12-3) dominate Pittsburgh Central Catholic (15-1) 35-10. Since the inception of the playoffs in 1988 the West holds a 14-12 lead.
AAA Class sees the East winning four of the last five championships and 16 of the 26 finals. Hard seeing that change with the ascension of Archbishop Wood (and Imhotep) since the PCL entered the playoffs in 2008. Like St. Joseph's, they are looking to repeat. Unlike St. Joe's they have dominated in the postseason, winning titles in 2011 (14-1) and 2013 (13-2) and silver medal runner up trophies in 2008 (11-3) and 2012 (12-3). The last team that repeated was Thomas Jefferson in 2008, beating Wood 34-7 after beating Garnet Valley the year before 28-3. Private schools have dominated here, winning four gold medals and five silver medals since 2008.
AA ball finds the East dominating again in the finals, going 16-10 since 1988. Like the AAAA and AAA finals, here is another team trying to repeat, South Fayette. They've also logged back to back undefeated seasons, finishing last year 16-0 after the surprising 41-0 dismantling of Imhotep in the final. Wow, remember that one! They've reeled off 15 wins this season.
A ball is a dead heat between the East and the West at 13-13 but only because the West won the last five (District 7) since Steelton Highspire took two in a row in 2007 (13-3) and 2008 (16-0). This year's challenger Clairton won four of those titles[/I] from 2009 through 2012, following a silver medal in 2008 where they lost to the Rollers. Quite a run! Their streak was stopped by Sto Rox 24-19 who lost to the eventual champ Pittsburgh North Catholic (Cardinal Weurl), 14-0, giving Sto Rox's their third consecutive loss in the WPIAL final! That's how close Clairton was to being here going for their sixth straight title, seventh had they defeated Steelton in 2008.
Class AAAA Dec 13th 6 PM
St. Joseph's Prep Hawks 10-3, PCL District 12
vs
Pine Richland Rams 15-0, Northern 8 District 7
Defending Quad-A champ St. Joseph's cruised in last year's final trouncing Central Catholic 35-10 but will likely find the competition a little stiffer this year against the balanced and talented Rams of Pine Richland. The Rams sudden appearance on the playoff landscape is really a re-appearance, coming as they are from a program of some tradition. (Some of this is info from last week) Before moving to AAAA in 2008 they were a force in the district at AAA with a 64-10 won-loss from 2002 through 2007. They peaked in 2003 going 14-1 while advancing to the state final, losing 39-38 in double overtime on a blocked extra kick to Manheim Central (15-0). The move to AAAA saw them struggle, going 17-31 through 2012. Last year's turnaround was in part due to the hiring of a new head coach Eric Kasperowicz. Though modest at 5-5, his first year reflected Coach K's dynamic offense, soaring from 23ppg to 32 a game. A bit on the coach; In 1993 he was the starting quarterback for powerful North Hills where a pro-style offense led them to a 15-0 season (USA Today #2) and a PIAA title (Mansion Park), beating Central Bucks West (11-2) 15-14. LaVar Arrington played on that team which is still overshadowed by the 1987 13-0 North Hills team voted USA-Today's number 1 team with 11 shutouts, outscoring teams 435 to 20.
This year's team is averaging 45ppg, allowing 14. Three year starter Ben DiNucci (6-3, 200, Sr, Penn) has a strong arm, quick release and great accuracy, completing 69% of his passes for 3886 yards and 42 touchdowns. He has seven picks. They are one of the most prolific passing teams in their classification. Four receivers have 216 receptions led by Mike Merchaut with 96 catches totaling 1418 yards. Slot-back Luke Everett has 28 for 474 yards with D'Ondre Gastion snagging 57 for 1105 yards. Still, they are an excellent running team with Connor Slomka (6-0, 225, Sr, Army) rushing for 1514 yards. He runs behind a strong line; Jacob Good (6-3, 240, Sr), Matt Hampson (6-4, 230, Jr), James Willard (6-5, 270, Jr) John Koley (6-2, 275, Sr) and Matt Pickels (6-0, 250, Sr). Coach is a cool customer from his quarterbacking days at North Hills, through the Wpial trials or starring at linebacker for Pitt. In post games talks it's clear he brings that "cool" to the team who will not be like so many deer in the headlights.
Defending state champion St. Joseph's counter with their own array of impressive talent with a team more tested than any team in the playoffs at any classification with a non -conference slate of Mount Carmel-IL, Don Bosco Prep-NJ, St. Ignatius-OH and St. Joseph's Regiional-NJ. Then came the PCL, with repeat performances in the postseason against conference mates Father Judge and LaSalle before the district championship game against Franklin High. Parkland and Pennsbury were then defeated in States. All totaled, their average score in the postseason is 43-16. Only Parkland gave them a game, losing 34-30. Like Pine Richland they are a diverse offense with QB Jack Clements completing 59% of his passes for 1906 yards. Running backs D'Andre Swift rushed for 825 yards on 115 carries with 29 receptions for 439 yards while Olamide Zaccheaus has 683 rush yards on 97 carries and 388 yards in receptions. James Bell has 519 yards rushing and nine receptions.
You know the Hawk's are going to bring it against the Rams, applying as much pressure as they can. Or will they? Pine Richland usually has four receivers out with a single back (Slomka) making it interesting how the Hawks attack. This will be one of the better O-lines they've faced discounting non-conference but people have been after DiNucci all year; they know how to protect. Nothing lightweight about North Allegheny or Pittsburgh Central Catholic either but this will be the best pass rush the Rams have faced all year. They'll counter with a powerful running back and corps of receivers that rarely drop the ball. St. Joseph's also represent the most versatile offense the Rams have faced so maybe it's a matter of who makes the fewest mistakes and the timeliness and field position where those mistakes (turnovers, penalties, drops, missed tackles, etc.) are made.
Class AAA Dec 12th 1 PM
Archbishop Wood Vikings 13-1, PCL District 12
vs
Central Valley Warriors 15-0, Parkway Conference District 7
How about the Vikings going for a repeat after winning the AAA title last year beating Bishop McDevitt 22-10. And, how about the Philadelphia Catholic League with two teams going for back-to-back gold. That's special stuff. They come in with a heck of a resume beating DeMatha, should say pounding DeMatha, 34-13, North Penn and West Catholic before LaSalle put on a brake, beating them 35-31. Adding to that resume, their last three wins in the postseason were particularly impressive, beating powerful Imhotep (11-2) 42-34, Great Valley (12-2) 44-7 and Somerset (13-2) 63-20. Here is another balanced offense with quarterback Anthony Russo completing 85 of 153 passes for 1536 yards. So much for the ole ground and pound Vikings of old. The attack is well distributed to seven receivers with 1480 yards in receptions. Running back Jarrett McClenton is one of the best running backs in the state and beyond with 1958 yards on 175 attempts. Alex Arcangeli with 873 yards rushing is another key feature of the offense. It's a big attack, real big, averaging 45ppg supported by a defense allowing 14. With an excellent coaching staff and their unprecedented playoff experience (2 gold, 3 silver since 2008!) appearing here in their fourth consecutive 3A state final and fifth in the last seven years, you could say they are dominating the 3A landscape.
Central Valley is no stranger to the playoffs although this is their first finals appearance. Coming as they do from one of the most storied parts of the state meaning the WPIAL you know they will represent. They are blowing through teams, winning their postseason games by an average score of 41-21 with competition coming predictable from their old nemesis West Allegheny (11-2) who they beat 35-28 and Bishop McDevitt (13-1) who fell last week 26-21. Both were established programs that consistently field power meaning the Warriors are well tested by quality. At this point everyone has good stuff under center, CV has two, QB Chris Callahan (6-2, 180, Sr, 76-120-1314 13/2) and John George (5-11, 170, Sr, 66-105-1329 15/3). Like Archbishop Wood, they have one of the top running backs in the state in Jordan Whitehead who has 1899 yards rushing on 135 carries. Five other backs have 2553 yards (251 carries) with senior Preston Johnson at 5-11, 215 the bulldozer with 360 yards. Four receivers have at least 400 yards (2353 yards total) led by BJ Powell (6-4, 175, Sr) with 44 catches for 880 yards. Dante Lucci is a zipping little water bug at 5-8, 155 pounds with 519 yards. Don't let him get behind you! Like Archbishop Wood, they have a lot of ways to beat you. The McDevitt's game was good prep for this one since they were the best team in the Mid Penn (Central Dauphin, Cumberland Valley, Cedar Cliff, etc) and perhaps all of district three. The Wilson crowd would argue that but everyone knows McDevitt is big time football at AAA or AAAA where they played and dominated for years. Central Valley beating them suggests they can hang with Archbishop Wood.
Class AA Dec 13th 12 PM
Dunmore Bucks 14-1 Lackawanna League Division 2 District 2
vs
South Fayette Lions 15-0, Century Conference District 7
See what happens when you move from Single-A to Double-A! You get to play the defending state champion. Dunmore is actually no stranger to AA, having played for years at that classification, winning District 2-AA championships in 1995, 1999, 2007, 2008 and 2009, reaching the final in 2003 and 2004. They also have a state title, winning at the Single-A level in 1989, beating Keystone 58-18. Lackawanna League-2 fellow member Riverside also moved up to AA this year. Tough little conference with Riverside (14-2) losing in the state final to Clairton (16-0) in 2010, 36-30. Note: Single-A state power Southern Columbia moved to AA this year as well. It looked like Southern was going to be here until getting upset by Mountoursville. All they've done is establish the state record for consecutive finals appearances at nine in any classification, winning silver from 1998 to 2001, followed by consecutive state titles from 2002 through 2006. Go Tigers! Sorry
I digress. So here are the Bucks again after a recent finals appearance in 2012 (14-2), losing in a good showing to Clairton (16-0) 20-0. They bring interesting weapons this year with their usual battering ram in FB Sal Marchese (5-11 200, Sr, 147-1272). Quite a load. They also have sophomore speedster Colin Holmes (5-6-155, So, 198-1592) so you can't key on the one. Three other backs combined for 1502 yards on 191 carries. Everyone's involved in this offense. Throwing the football in that part of the state is not illegal but it is frowned on. Still, Quarterback Eric DeLuccie (5-11, 170, Sr) when allowed to throw does so at a 64% clip, completing 52 of 81 for 579 yards. But the Td to Pick ratio is a problem at 4 to 5. So is the season opening loss to neighboring Scranton Prep (8-3, AAA) 26-0. But they did beat a good Northwestern Lehigh (11-2) team 35-27, followed by solid wins against Neumann Goretti (9-5) 30-18 and Wyomissing (13-2) 23-21. We'll see if that's enough to deal with South Fayette.
Defending AA champ South Fayette lost some people to graduation but returned a great corps of starters (o-skill) to begin the season, headlined by record setting quarterback Brett Brumbaugh (6-4, 205, Sr), the PIAA career passing leader with 10948 yards.[/I] To date he's completed 205 of 351 passes for 3618 yards with an outstanding Td-Pick ratio of 40 to 8. He completed 260 of 379 last year for 3917 yards with 41 Tds. Three starting receivers returned and are his leading receivers again; Nick Ponikvar (5-11, 180, Jr, 52-996), TE Logan Sharp (6-3, 220, Sr, 48-856), Ryan Schmider (5-11, 185, Sr, 33-361) and sophomore newcomer Dan Trimbur (6-2, 175) with 30 catches for 554 yards. Senior linemen Anthony Douglas (6-2, 230) and Zach Radinick (6-2, 230) join TE Logan Sharp on the line. Also, they're on a 31 game winning streak going undefeated last year (16-0) after the stunning 41-0 rout of Imhotep Charter School. That's pretty much what they've done to teams this year winning by an average score of 45-14, 43-17 in the six playoff games. Compared to last year's team, the only area they've shown regression in on defense where they're allowing 14ppg vs 8 last year. But 14 is a good number, right inside the envelope.
Dunmore is the old established power facing the next generation that show multiple weapons as well as fierce defense. That the Lions could control Aliquippa in a 31-22 win suggests the same could happen here, especially seeing how they dominated good teams in Karns City (11-2) 42-15 and Hickory (11-2) 44-14. Dunmore's most recent win against Wyomissing 23-21 was not as impressive knowing that is a rebuilding Spartan group that over achieved this season. But, that's what programs steeped in tradition like Wyo and Dunmore do. They'll certainly have their hands full vs South Fayette! Be interesting to see if Dunmore's big tight end Logan Sharp can disrupt things.
Class A Dec 12th 1 PM
Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders 15-0, Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference District 6
vs
Clairton Bears 15-0, Eastern Conference, District 7
You have to take notice of a team averaging 63 points a game. In fact, the 940 points scored to date is the second highest points scored in a season for any high school team
.ever, anywhere, behind Aledo, TX who scored 1023 last year. Hitting numbers like that tells you they are super fast, athletic, way balanced and that everyone can catch. Special teams, defense, it's all here. It's interesting because they are so good that whatever you do, they've been able to counter because of that diversity. So they take whatever is offered, burning you on the edges, up the middle, over the top, whatever. Scoring 63ppg, you know individual stats will look like a misprint but here goes. Quarterback Ryan Williams completed 146 of 261 passes for2978 yards (Clairton!) with 38 Tds and only 2 interceptions. Lead back Lamont Wade has 2550 yards rushing with Aaron Matthews at 778 on 47 carries, Harrison Dreher at 822 yards and wide out Jamie Hines catching 36 passes for 914 yards. Then there is Jamie Hines and Raymone Clifford with 12.3 and 11.4 yards per carry, etc, etc, etc! And when they go hurry up-no huddle, as my Italian wife says
. "fa ged ah boud it". Get ready for jack rabbits on steroids. They must be doing something right as this is their sixth appearance in the title game in seven years, having won gold in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and silver in 2008.
Bishop Guilfoyle is as worthy opponent as there is, scoring 46ppg and allowing 6. Quarterback Brandon Chadbourne (6-1, 200, Sr) is a multiple-threat, completing 62% of passes (77-125) for1393 yards. His Td/Pick rate is 14 to 5. He also rushed for 906 yards on 123 carries. Full back Sam McCloskey (5-10, 190, Sr) is a banger, with 176 carries for 2014ry and 17 catches for385 yards. Other contributors are Aaron Yasulitis (5-10, 185, Jr, 35-283ry) and John Trybus (5-9, 145, So, 40-226ry). Matt Gormley and Evan Chadbourne combine for 48 receptions for 719 yards. It's a solid line featuring Andrew Berger (6-3, 255, Sr). The D has 54 sacks.
Bishop Guilfoyle resembles Neshannock (11-1) who took Clairton to overtime before losing in the Wpial semifinal 48-42. Both have a strong ground games supported by a capable passing attack, running 75% of the time, scoring 47ppg allowing 15. Big power backs, quick backs and multiple receivers. Neshannock pounded it, ran right at them and almost won, rushing for 236 yards. They'll be a load again next year. Importantly, Clairton has played very few 48 minute games, with most, all in fact before Neshannock played under a mercy-ruled (35-pt differential in 2nd 1/2) running clock. Make em play 48 minutes!
At first glance these two teams may seem worlds apart, one a private school the other a tough bunch from an old industrial town. But the truth of it if you can get past the private school part is that both sides come from tough hard-nosed towns, knowing Bishop Guilfoyle is located in the industrial-railroad town of Altoona. Economic realities change, whether that's Clairton, Altoona, Steelton or Coatesville. But often a handed down attitude of toughness and pride remains, allowing the beat to go on, of what once was. Don't be surprised if this is a real war.
