Combined Final Top 25 and Pennlive’s Final Rankings:
I’m closing out the 2023 season with some information and rankings some of you might enjoy, thinking it was fun and challenging coming up with a combined listing that included any classification. Hence, Aliquippa #3. Pennlive’s Final Rankings of the six classifications ranked by class follow. Something to hold us over until the NFL games this weekend and the CFP Final between Michigan and Washington. Happy New Year.
1 St. Joseph’s Prep 13-1, D12, 6A, 13-1
In their tenth PIAA Finals appearance, St. Joseph’s Prep won their second straight 6A title and eighth overall defeating North Allegheny 45-23. That breaks down to Gold medals in 2013, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22 and 23, with runner up Silver medals in 2017 and 2021. That consistency is reflected in their record with a 119-14 (89%) mark the last ten years. This comes against a highly competitive schedule. This year’s opponents went 110-60 (65%), or, 98-30 (77%) eliminating sub .500 teams at St. Peters, Don Bosco, Wood and Judge. Some of their more notable wins came against Florida powerhouse Lakeland (12-3) 45-24….(boo, nephew sent there), Archbishop Spalding (10-2) 24-6 of Maryland and Philly’s Roman Catholic (9-3) 45-7, before skating through playoff competition including Nazareth (12-2) 59-21, Central Bucks South (13-2) 49-0 and North Allegheny (13-2) 45-23 by and average score of 51-14. This was quite a team!
2 Imhotep Charter School 15-0, D12, 5A
St. Joe’s isn’t the only juggernaut in Philly. Imhotep made that obvious with their third straight appearance in the State Final, winning a second State Title with a 38-13 win against Peters Township. Like the Hawks, ICS has an eye popping won loss, going 111-16 (87%) over the last ten years. Breaking that down shows Gold in 2015 and 2023 with Silver in 2013, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22. This year’s team averaged a whopping 44ppg. They haven’t had a year like that since their last title team in 2015 that averaged 47ppg. Both went 15-0 averaging 8ppg on defence. Their schedule typically features high end comp like DeMatha, Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Bishop McDevitt of Harrisburg. This year’s included wins against Archbishop Spalding-MD (10-2) 21-17, Malvern Prep (9-1) 24-14 and Roman Catholic (9-3) 30-26. With competition like that, no wonder they waltzed through the playoffs (includes Roman) by an average score of 43-13 against teams with a won loss of 63-17.
3 Aliquippa 15-0, D7, 4A
Aliquippa made their third consecutive appearance and tenth overall in the State Final, defeating Dallas 60-14 for their fifth State Title to go along with five Silver runner up trophies. They won Gold in 1991, 03, 18, 21 and 23 with Silver trophies in 1988, 00, 12, 15 and 22. Once again, the Quips had a huge offense averaging 43ppg, making this the eighth time in the last 12 years they’ve averaged over 40ppg. Their record the last ten years is an eye catching 123-12, a 91%-winning rate. Since being forced to play ‘up’ to 4A in 2020, they’ve won 49 of 52 games with two State Titles and a Silver medal. Evidently, penalizing a team for success isn’t working. They did this against some of the best teams in the state including Bishop McDevitt, Central Valley, Selinsgrove and McKeesport. Not bad for a true 1A.
4 Roman Catholic 9-3, D12, 5A
With a 25-23, five overtime loss to DeMatha (9-2) and a 30-26 loss to Imhotep, this has to be one of the top teams in the state, despite the 45-7 loss to St. Joe’s. SJP and ICS both won State Titles. And no one gave ICS as good a game except Archbishop Spalding (10-2) who lost 21-17. Spalding is in Maryland just south of BWI. And DeMatha’s only losses were to Our Lady of Good Counsel 35-28 and 7-0 in the highly regarded Washington Catholic-Capital Conference. OLGC finished #1 in the DC-Metro while Roman had a schedule full of sneaky good teams like Wilson (7-4), Episcopal (5-6), LaSalle (6-5) and Judge (5-7).
5 North Allegheny 13-2, D7, 6A
North Allegheny made their first appearance in the State Final since 2012 with one of their most exciting teams, winning by an average score of 43-19. That’s their greatest margin since the 16-0 title team of 2012 that averaged 42ppg and allowed 9. They were one of the more balanced teams in the state, rushing 60% of the time, fuelled in part by their dynamic dual threat quarterback Logan Kushner. Surprisingly, the defence was not senior dominated (5 starters), as at least seven starters return for 2024. Like a lot of teams, they came up short against St, Joseph’s Prep in this year’s final losing 45-23. Keeping with the 10-year check, they’ve gone 91-25 since 2014, without a losing season since 2004. Standout wins this year include Pine Richland (9-4) 45-10, Central Catholic (10-2) 44-41 and Harrisburg (12-2) in the semi-final 24-12.
6 Pittsburgh Central Catholic 10-2, D7, 6A
The Vikings showed aspects of a ‘Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde’ personality with impressive wins against North Allegheny 50-22 and Penn Hills (9-3) 45-12, only to morph into Hyde like behaviour against Pine Richland (9-4) in a 26-19 loss and the rematch against NA, losing 44-41. They did this with their best team in years that scored 45ppg on average. They have topped the 40ppg mark on only two other occasions, going 15-1 with a Silver medal in 2013 averaging 42ppg, then losing in the final to St. Joseph’s 35-10 and three years later at 14-2 in 2016 averaging 46 a game then losing again in the final to St. Joe’s 42-7. Still, they’ve stacked up a pile of Gold winning it all in 1988, 04, 07 and 15 with runner up games mentioned above and in 2003.
7 Harrisburg 12-2, D3, 6A
The Cougars put together another strong season with their third straight double digit winning season and sixth in the last eight years. This includes State Finals appearances in 2018 at 13-2 and 2022 at 11-3. At 38ppg, their offense was prolific, with a defence allowing 17. That’s pretty good stuff in their conference with their non-league schedule. Their 10-year record through 2023 is 94-29 (76%). This includes out-of-conference games against Coatesville, Manheim Township, Pine Richland, Governor Mifflin, Archbishop Hoban of Ohio and others. The BIG news for next season is the Mid Penn Conference reconfiguring from five divisions to four. This will move both Bishop McDevitt and Cedar Cliff from the MP-Keystone to the MP-Commonwealth Division, making that division the best in the state with a strong argument coming from the EPC-South. McDevitt brings a 92-21 record the last 10 years and Cedar Cliff 73-28. They’ll join Harrisburg at 94-29, State College 90-34, Central Dauphin 79-35 despite going 19-16 the last four years and Cumberland Valley at 70-44, reflecting a 30-26 slump {coach fired} and rebuild the last six years. Carlisle, Chambersburg, Altoona and CD East are the other four.
8 Peters Township 15-1, D7, 5A
Head Coach P.J. Plack is an example how one person can turn a program around (culture change) in a relatively short period of time. He arrived at Peters Township before the 2016 season. It wasn’t an overnight success, having a 4-6 season followed by a respectable 7-4 campaign. Bear in mind they had two winning seasons the previous 15 years before his arrival, making 7-4 look pretty special. Thereon, they strung together seven winning seasons for a 65-20 record. This year ended with a State Finals appearance and loss to Imhotep. But it was a record setting 15-win season, averaging 37ppg while allowing 10 with five shutouts. They didn’t face a stiff challenge until the postseason against Pine Richland (9-4), who they trounced 43-17. This was followed by wins over Cathedral Prep (7-4) 33-13 and Cocalico (12-2) 14-9, before bowing to perennial state power Imhotep (15-0), 38-13. While this group stands out, the 2019 team was just as formidable losing in the Wpial Final to Gateway 21-20.
9 Manheim Township 12-1, D3, 6A
Like Peters Twp above, Manheim Township had a record setting 12-1 season culminating in a 34-28 loss to Harrisburg in the District Final. They fielded their largest offense ever scoring 45ppg against quality competition including Cumberland Valley (7-5) x2, Harrisburg (12-2) x2, Spring ford (9-3), Cedar Crest (8-3) and Wilson (7-4) where they won six of seven games. The defence was also outstanding, holding nine opponents to eight or less points with four shutouts. Like so many teams in the post season, they fell victim to the revenge-rematch syndrome, losing to Harrisburg in the district final 34-28 after embarrassing them 38-6 earlier in the season.
10 Bishop McDevitt 13-1, D3, 4A
Bishop McDevitt had another outstanding season, one that will go down as a disappointing season as well, finishing prematurely with a loss in the State Semi-Final to Dallas (15-1) 26-23. So many in the district thought they’d repeat, playing Aliquippa again in the final. Still, it was one heck of a year with wins against Mount St. Joseph’s (7-5) of Baltimore, DePaul Catholic (6-6) of New Jersey, LaSalle (6-5) of Philadelphia and district players including Cedar Cliff (10-2), Hershey (9-4), Lampeter Strasburg (9-3) and Manheim Central (11-2). They had another huge offense at 44ppg with a defence allowing 13. This was slightly down from the previous season where they averaged a school record 49ppg with a defence allowing on average 9ppg. However that’s viewed, they’re one of the top programs in the state with a 108-21 record the last ten years.
TIE
10 Dallas 15-1, D2, 4A
Dallas has always been good football. They almost got there in 1992 until Valley View’s undefeated team gave them their only loss before going on to win the 2A State Title 21-13 against East Allegheny. District 2 had powerful teams then in Valley View, Berwick, Dallas even Hanover Area who won medals in 1990 and 1991. As recently as 2019, Dallas was at it again, getting to the final before being upended by an awesome Thomas Jefferson (16-0) team 46-7. It came together again this year when they defeated rival and perennial D2 power Valley View (10-3) 21-18, Bonner-Prendi (10-3) from the Philadelphia Catholic League in overtime 28-27 and top ranked Bishop McDevitt (13-1) in a double overtime shocker, 26-23. Then came powerful Aliquippa where they were evidently on ‘E’ following the overtime struggles, getting pounded 60-14. As special as the Quips were, a full tank of gas may not have helped! But it was still a great year for the Mountaineers, setting a record with 15 wins. This brings their 10 year won-loss to 83-37 (69%), with an even more impressive 79-18 mark, 81.4%, the last seven years.
11 Central Bucks South 13-2, D1, 6A
When you’re a big and bad downhill ground pounder (85% rush-15% pass), everyone knows what’s coming. To the Titan’s credit, that didn’t matter as they survived a season full of close calls, winning 3, 1, 7, 11 and 12 point games against one of the most balanced conferences, the Suburban One-National, in the state. Oddly, things opened up in states where they blew past Spring Ford (9-3) 35-19, Central Bucks West (12-1) 42-14 in the revenge-rematch and Downingtown West (11-3) 27-7. Only Coatesville (7-4) gave them a game, losing 21-20 in the opening round. They were reminiscent of CB West’s undefeated state champions of 1991, 1997, 1998 and 1999. Ok, maybe a little reach there. But it’s no reach calling this their best team since the school’s inception in 2004 when they split off from CB West. They’d ultimately lose in the State Semi-Final against St. Joe’s 49-0, but it was quite a ride getting a school record 13 wins with what has to be a record setting defence allowing 16ppg. Take St, Joe’s 49 points out of the total to see a 12.7ppg yield for all other games. That’s how they won those close games.
12 Downingtown East 11-1, D1, 6A
There’s no way this team doesn’t get to and win the district championship except for the revenge rematch game vs Downingtown West. At 37ppg, East High fielded one of their best offenses in years. What leaps out at you is their record setting defence that allowed an incredible 5ppg. They had eight, repeat eight shutouts, and two other occasions where they allowed seven or less points. Only State College put up significant points on them in their 28-26 win at SC. Then came the dreaded revenge-rematch game against Downingtown West in the District Semi-Final where West scored in the last :16 of the game for the 17-14 win. This was their most successful season since the school split in 2003, taking their 10 year won-loss to 89-26. Since the split, they’ve gone 168-65 (72.1%).
13 Downingtown West 11-3, D1, 6A
Like East High above, Downingtown West had one of their most successful season’s last year. They started off winning their first seven games by the average score of 35-12 before running into a ‘better than advertised’ Chester team where the Clippers prevailed 28-19. Their non-conference slate was diverse and competitive, playing Neshaminy (4-6), Lincoln (6-7), Perkiomen Valley (9-3) and Chester (12-2), going 3-1. Following the Chester loss, they went 4-2, advancing to the District Final. Along the way they defeated Council Rock South (7-4) 17-0 and Souderton (11-1) 34-17 before losing to Central Bucks South (13-2) 27-7 in the District Final. Their 10-year record is 75-34 (68.8%). This included four non-winning seasons. Their won-loss since the split creating Downingtown East is 155-78 (66.5%).
14 Nazareth 12-2, D11, 6A
Nazareth had one of those teams this year that seemed destined for big things with a veteran class of seniors and a promising sophomore quarterback. And they came through, winning the District crown with a postseason win over Parkland before losing to St. Joe’s 59-21 in the 6A Quarterfinals. It was a strong offense at 34ppg with an even stronger defence that held eight teams to seven or less points. With Coach Tom Falzone at the helm, they’re a lock to continue putting competitive teams on the field as evidenced by his 48-19 mark the last five years and 71-41 since coming aboard in 2014.
15 Parkland 12-1, D11, 6A
Parkland fielded one of their stronger teams in years from a statistical point of view, scoring on average 37ppg and allowing 11. That’s saying something knowing their won-loss is 99-27 (78.5%) the last 10 years. The defence was one of their best, not bested since the 2007 15-1 team that allowed 8ppg, losing in the State Final to Pittsburgh Central Catholic 21-0. This year’s team was derailed in the dreaded revenge-rematch game by a conference rival when they lost to Nazareth 24-17 at BASD in the District-11 Final; a team they beat earlier in the season 31-24. Unfortunately, Parkland and other EPC-South 6A teams have been lost in the long shadow cast by St. Joseph’s Prep with a fixed playoff structure that has the District-11 winner play the District-12 winner every year. Otherwise, the rest of the state would view and better appreciate some fine football teams that go largely unnoticed.
16 Central Bucks West 12-1, D1, 6A
The injury bug altered the course of this program when quarterback Ganz Cooper suffered a torn ACL in camp, missing the 2023 season, followed by RB/DB/KR specialist Conor McFadden also tearing his ACL at the opening kick-off against Cheltenham in the playoff’s first round. Must say, Cooper Taylor did a heck of a job stepping into the quarterback position! But no one could replace the versatile McFadden. Up to the Cheltenham game, they were 10-0, scoring 31ppg with a defence allowing 10. They beat Cheltenham 27-12 then slipped past Garnet Valley in a revenge-rematch in overtime 28-27 (missed extra point) before succumbing to Central Bucks South in another revenge-rematch where they lost 42-14 after beating the Titans 40-29 five weeks earlier. Still, this was the Bucks most successful season (12 wins) since the 2000 team went 14-1, losing to Cathedral Prep in the State Final 41-35 in overtime. At 14ppg, this year’s defence was their best since the 2004 team went 9-2 allowing 12ppg. Coach Rob Rowan (09 PSU) has the program revitalized going 46-21 since his hire in 2018 and 30-9 the last three.
17 Belle Vernon Area 13-1, D7, 3A
The Leopards moved into the upper tiers of high school football in the state with a 92-20 record the last ten years, crowned by consecutive State Titles the last two. Along the way, they played a difficult slate of 4A and 5A teams in their out-of-conference games, beating teams like McKeesport and Penn Trafford. This year’s squad beat McKeesport (11-2) 21-14, Elizabeth Forward (10-2) 49-28, outmanned Hickory (11-3) 42-6 from District-10 and a very strong Northwestern Lehigh (15-1) team 38-7 in the final. Last year’s team beat Neumann-Goretti (11-4) in the final, always tough Martinsburg Central (12-3) from District-6 and Avonworth (11-2) to name a few. Although BVA has always fielded high octane offenses, they back that up with outstanding defensive play as anyone knows who saw the goal line stand against Neumann in ‘22 or any game against quality where on average they allow 9ppg the last two years.
18 McKeesport 11-2, D7, 4A
The McKeesport program as always is rolling, going 91-26 the last ten years with double-digit winning 11-2 seasons the last two! The past two years have been their most successful seasons since 05 when they went 14-2 and beat Liberty (13-2) 49-10 in the State Final. District 7 is a tough place for a 4A with Thomas Jefferson, West A, Aliquippa, Mars showing a pulse and Belle Vernon joining the ranks next year. They lost to BVA this year 21-14 in overtime but beat TJ (9-3) 28-7 and Montour (10-2) 28-14 before falling to Aliquippa (14-0) 35-21. As mentioned, it’s a tough neighbourhood.
19 Cocalico 12-2, D3, 5A
Cocalico won their second consecutive District Title before advancing to the State Semi-Final where they lost to Peters Township 14-9. Along the way, they beat highly successful teams including Wyomissing (12-2) 34-14, Manheim Central (11-2) 48-28, Cedar Cliff (10-2) 31-13 and Ephrata (12-2) 23-9 before losing to PT. They didn’t just beat those team, they manhandled them with a suffocating defence holding the teams above to 15.6ppg average. Their option offense is a puzzle to defend that eats up the clock then heads to the side-line with a brutal defence taking over. They’ve done it this way for years, grinding out a 87-37 (70%) won-loss along the way.
20 Southern Columbia Area 15-1, D4, 2A
There’s not much that hasn’t been said about SCA so here goes with a listing of their many titles for those out of the loop. The school, appropriately known as the Tigers, have won 14 State Titles and 8 runner-up Silver medals. The Gold medals were won in 1994, 2002, 03, 04, 05, 06, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 2023. Along with this are 8 Silver medals won in 1995, 96, 98, 99, 2000, 01, 11 and 2016. They’ve made inordinate ‘runs’, with consecutive finals appearances from 1998 through 2006 and the current streak from 2015 through 2023. It’s a lot easier listing the years they didn’t win a title! This year’s group got a battle royale from Westinghouse, needing a Pick-6 of 68 yards by DT Isaac Carter, a 99-yard drive and score with :42 left in the game and a successful stop of a 2-point conversion attempt in a 21-20 win. When you’re good, you’re good!
21 Westinghouse 13-1, D8, 2A
Westinghouse is the first Pittsburgh City League team to reach back-to-back State Finals. That’s quite an achievement in Coach Donte Green’s fifth year at the helm. He turned things around right away, going 8-4 in 2019, then, 7-0, 10-2, 14-1 and 13-1 last year. Heck of a run. Like Imhotep, he has the entire city of Pittsburgh to pull from. But it’s still an accomplishment at any school going 52-8 your first five years. They’ve done this against high-end comp including Steel High, Berlin Brothersvalley, Farrell and Steel Valley in 2022, teams that went 59-8 combined, and this season against Clairton, Beaver Falls, Farrell and Central Clarion, teams that went 41-12 combined. All that’s left is to beat Southern Columbia and they narrowed that gap significantly this year losing 21-20.
22 Manheim Central 11-2, D3, 4A
The Barons fielded another strong edition to go along with all the other strong editions over the years to win another District Title. They lost to rival Cocalico early before reeled off eight straight against good comp until getting edged by Bishop McDevitt 23-17. Prior to that they beat Conestoga Valley (9-3), 47-14, Exeter (8-3) 42-14, Susquehanna Township (7-4) 45-34 and Twin Valley (10-2) 65-28 before the McDevitt loss. They fielded another huge and balanced offense this season that averaged 44ppg and allowed 17. to remain one of the winningest teams in the state with a 99-25 record the last 10 years.
23 Central York 11-1, D3, 6A
The Panthers have been on a torrid pace the last five years with a 50-9 record. They’ve done that with outstanding quarterbacking and an offensive philosophy that averaged 41.2ppg over that span. The philosophy is to pass the football extensively, while always having a threatening breakaway runner. They’ve succeeded. And they play defence, allowing a league low of 13ppg this year. Coach Gerry Yonchiuk is considered something of a ‘quarterback whisperer’. Since coming aboard in 2020, he’s at double digits for four consecutive years making his record 41-7! They came close this year to making an even bigger splash with a very competitive 28-21 loss to Harrisburg in the District Final.
24 Strath Haven 13-2, D1, 5A
Strath Haven had another strong year, winning the 5A District Title after racking up a number of tight wins by 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9 points. It was a competitive schedule, beating Springfield x2 (11-2) 19-15 and 13-12 in the playoffs, plus edging Upper Dublin (7-5) 26-21 and Chester (12-2) 29-20 also in the postseason before losing to Imhotep 42-14. Their 10-year record is 74-43 (63.2%). A seven-year slump in part dragged that down, going without a winning season from 2012 through 2018. Thereon they’ve gone 52-9.
25 Chester 12-2, D1, 5A
Chester served notice they’re legit with a team that recovered from a season opening rout by Perkiomen Valley (9-3) 31-0, to beat Ches-Mont blue bloods Downingtown West (11-3) 28-19 and Rustin (10-2) 26-20, before falling to Strath Haven 28-20 in the 5A District Final. The Final! As a reminder, we’re talking football here not hoops where Chester has been a dominant force since I was a kid. In football, they’ve had two winning seasons from 1999 to 2018. Thereon they’ve gone 36-11. Scarier still, they got to 12 wins this year with a team loaded with juniors and sophomores, making them a favorite for the coming season.
Honorable Mention:
Garnet Valley 9-3, D1, 6A
Strath Haven 13-2, D1, 5A
Chester 12-2, D1, 5A
Coatesville 7-4, D1, 6A
Delaware Valley 10-4, D2, 5A
Central York 11-1, D3, 6A
Steel High 16-0, D3, 1A
Pine Richland 9-4, D7, 5A
Penn Hills 9-3, D7, 5A
Monsignor Bonner-AB Prendergast 10-3, D12, 4A
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