Here's a glance at the Big School playoffs, Class AAAA and AAA. It features some interesting newcomers like Pine Richland and Somerset as well as more entrenched programs like defending AAAA state champ St. Joseph's Prep and multiple medalists Archbishop Wood and Bishop McDevitt. Other, well established programs like Pennsbury and Central Valley are after their first title but no strangers to the postseason, Wilson having won Silver in 1989. Wouldn't it be great if the PIAA played one more game, a super bowl of Big School powers to settle the question many of us have at the end of the season; who's the best team in the state? We all know many of the AAA's are on a par with AAAA teams. We know this from on-field-performance in inter classification games. Why not unify the championship? The same could be done at other classifications with the Double-A winner facing off against the Single-A champ. Right, never happen but still a good Chrsitmas wish list!
The East
AAAA
Pennsbury Falcons District 1, 13-1 vs St. Joseph's Prep Hawks District 12, 9-3
Dec 6th, 1PM Charlie Martin Stadium, Philadelphia in District 12.
Webster defines raptor as a bird of prey, from the Latin, rapere, one who seizes. That is an apt description of the Falcon's performance Saturday when they seized the moment, digging in (Raptors kill by the feet) along the 6-yd line with under two minutes left in the game to kill a desperate Coatesville (13-1) drive, preserving a 21-14 win that ruined Coatesville's perfect season. Charles Snorweah was his usual gifted self, rushing for 208 yards on 33 carries, complimented by Raheem Thompson adding another 106 on 18 attempts to soften the Red Raider defense. 314 rushing yards against Coatesville speaks to clear dominance on that side of the ball. Flip that to see dominance on the other as well, holding them to 14 first downs and 258 total yards of offense, well under their season average of 377. They did that in part by taking away the most prolific aspect of the Coatesville attack, the passing game that previously averaged 203 ypg. Quarterback Jordan Young was held to 80 yards passing, completing 6 of 13 passes, becoming the eleventh team Pennsbury held to 14 points or less this season. The lack of a passing game by Coatesville raises questions about the quarterback's health given the absence of what had been a critical part of their attack.
St. Joseph's earned a 34-30 win that was every bit as exciting as Pennsbury's by turning back a stiff challenge from Parkland (11-3) then scoring late in the game for the go ahead and winning touchdown. They featured a dominating balanced attack with running back D'Andre Swift running for 174 yards and Olamide Zaccheaus catching three passes for 128 yards. How about some rare props for quarterback Jack Clements who had an extraordinary game, running for a score and passing for four more. The last one iced it when he connectd with a wide open D'Andre Swift for the winning 50 yard strike. Should mention that Parkland's quarterback DeVonte Cross tossed four touchdowns and returns next year along with a number of other starters.
Seeing what Pennsbury brings to the table shows they are not as multiple-balanced as Parkland, suggesting they are in for a difficult game here. But you could say the same thing prior to the Coatesville game who came in with as many weapons and as much versatility but was defeated. Watch the line of scrimmage ih this one and the depth Pennsbury brings to the running game. Then sit back and see if Pennsbury can find anyone to keep up with D'Andre Swift and the Hawk's versatile attack.
AAA
Archbishop Wood Vikings District 12, 12-1 vs Somerset Golden Eagles District 5, 13-1
Dec 6th, 12PM, Chambersburg High School, Chambersburg in District 3 (great facility)
Archbishop Wood had no trouble in the Eastern quarterfinal crushing Great Valley (12-2) 44-7. Except for the Great Valley faithful, most expected Wood to roll here. Perhaps not as convincingly knowing they held the Patriots under 100 yards of total offense (98) and only 52 yards rushing. They wrecked the Pats D for 352 yards rushing with Jarrett McClenton getting the lion's share at 173 yards on 13 carries. And it was a balanced atatack with Anthony Russo completing 6 of 9 passes for 142 yards. The score was 30-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.
Somerset did the same to Bethlehem Catholic (12-2) winning 30-0. Well, at least the quads had competitive games with Pennsbury, St. Joe's and Wilson holding on while Pine Richland staved off State College in a misleading final score and game.
The way Wood has been winning in the playoffs beating Cardinal O'Hara 56-12 and Archbishop Ryan 35-14 before edging Imhotep 42-34 in the district final then routing Great Valley last week says it could be a long day for Somerset. That's not to take anything from the Eagles who embarassed the high quality program Selinsgrove (9-4) 42-14 before taking Bethlehem Catholic (12-2) apart 30-0. Of concern is the loss to Bishop Guilfoyle (14-0, Single-A) 27-3. Heck of a team but at best a mini version of Archbishop Wood. Somerset didn't get to 13-1 for nothing but they didn't play anyone with the size and talent of Archbishop Wood either. The Eagles are scrappy, very quick and fly to the ball on defense (see Guilfoyle You Tube game) and have some size, definitely quickness along the front in Colton Slayback (6-1, 220, Sr), Brock Leazier (6-1, 235, So) and DE/TE Bryce Mosteller (6-3, 235, Sr) who is also their leading receiver with 34 receptions for 540 yards. Quarterback Dylan Barnes (6-1, 180, Jr) is a multi-threat with 1475 passing yards and 704 rushing. Jake Heiple (5-11, 180, Jr) is their lead back with 1502 yards. Somerset with a population of 6200 is located between Greensburg (District 7) 30 miles to their west, Johnstown (District 6) just to their north and 20 miles north of the Mason-Dixon. District 3 (Chambersburg) is on their eastern border. Should they win, they will be the first team from District 5 (12 teams) to advance to the final in any classification.
Defending AAA champ Archbishop Wood is on a roll like few other teams across the state, winning gold last year beating Bishop McDevitt 22-10, winning the silver in a loss to Cathedral Prep 24-14 the year before and winning their first title the year before that in 2011, beating McDevitt 52-0. Their first year of participation in the PIAA saw them get to the final in 2008 where they lost to Thomas Jefferson 34-7. What a run! This year's team is led by runningback Jarrett McClenton with 1728 yards, running back Alex Arcangeli with 723 yards plus 267 in receptions and quarterback Anthony Russo with 1536 yards passing (57%). It's a well distributed offense where six receivers play important roles. With a schedule featuring a narrow 35-31 loss to LaSalle and wins against DeMatha, North Penn, West Catholic and Imhotep, any opponent in any classification in this state would be in trouble facing this bunch.
The West
AAAA
Wilson Bulldogs District 3, 14-0 vs Pine Richland Rams District 7, 14-0
Dec 6th 1PM Mansion Park Stadium, Altoona in District 6
Well here we go again with one of the best programs in the state you rarely hear about making another run for the elusive gold medal. Welcome to the crowd! Wilson has had their chances, losing to Upper St Clair 12-7 in 1989, Bethel Park in 2008, 38-35 in triple-ot and again in 2012 losing to North Allegheny 45-10. They have some players who experienced 2012 and of course the coaching staff that has been there and done that. Pine Richland does not have this experience. The Bulldogs are similar to Cumberland Valley but far more multiple, in that they are almost always a senior dominated team. This year's group returned a senior quarterback in Jake Templin with a two games experience, a dynamic junior running back in Shane Dantzler and five returning starters to the defense. At Wilson, that's a veteran team and speaks to the talent of undersclassmen starting. Last Saturday on a chilly evening at Hershey Park Stadium the Bulldogs defeated Central Dauphin 21-10. CD ended the year 11-3 with two of those losses coming to Wilson, removing any doubt who the top dog is in the district and last year as well with Wilson repeating.
Pine Richland struggled with a feisty State College (6-7) team but ultimately prevailed, winning 49-29. The tell in this one wasn't the score that was misleading, rather, that State College got 510 total yards of offense and 36 first downs
.and lost!? Quarterback Josh Weakland completed 22 of 48 passes for 268 yards. One of the best kept secrets in the state is running back Jordan Misher who had 158 yards rushing. State High isn't the story here except that they exposed Pine Richland, hounding quarterback Ben DiNucci all night. DiNucci said no team brought that kind of pressure all year. He completed 16 of 26 passes for 230 yards with the Rams gaining 404 total yards of offense. Note; Lions return big numbers for next season including Misher. In the coming match against Wilson, the Bulldogs may not bring as much front pressure as State but they will play a higher level of team defense than the Lions did with good people in the back end and a talented linebacking corps. They are more than well tested playing Manheim Township, Central Dauphin and Central Dauphin East twice, along with Hempfield, Penn Manor and powerful Governor Mifflin. The Rams counter with a schedule almost as difficult playing Central Catholic twice, North Allegheny, North Hills and Mckeesport. It's at the Mansion where PR played last week which likely counts for little. At this point, who cares where you play!
AAA
Bishop McDevitt Crusaders District 3, 14-0 vs Central Valley Warriors District 7, 14-0
Dec 5th, 7PM Mansion Park, Altoona, District 6
Bishop McDevitt had no trouble with outmanned Cocalico (10-4), holding their vaunted veer to 106 yards rushing. And once that was shut down, it was all over with no passing attack to fall back on. A 27-0 half time deficit is too much for the most versatile offense to overcome against McDevitt's defense, let alone a veer. The Crusaders ground out 226 yards on the ground and 238 up top, with quarterback Nick Marsillio completing 15 of 22 for 238 yards. Cocalico was held to 5 first downs and 114 total yards, losing 41-0. For McDevitt, the win sealed their 5th consecutive district title. So, once again the Crusaders are off on another medal quest, having won silver in 2010 (13-3) losing to Allentown Central Catholic (16-0) 28-27, 2011 (13-3) losing to Archbishop Wood (14-1) 52-0 and 2013 (14-2) losing again to Archbishop Wood (13-2), 22-10. They won gold in 1995 (15-0) as an AA beating Burrell 29-0. Everyone knew that was special group beating the top quads in the area in Cumberland Valley 29-28, Central Dauphin 47-0 and Harrisburg 12-7. Many of us felt the 13-1 2005 team was the best of the bunch that lost to McKeesport (14-2) in the semifinal 14-13. Although a true AA, they were playing in the Commonwealth made up largely of the same teams there now excepting Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Red Land and Cedar Cliff who have realigned. What made the 2005 team special was a player near and dear to the hearts of many Eagle fans, LeSean McCoy. LeSean was sidelined for McKeesport with a broken ankle suffered in the fourth game of the season. It happened in the hard hitting City Championship game against archrival Harrisburg. But it was a clean hit that Shady has very clearly recovered from! The term snake-bit comes to mind when thinking about Bishop McDevitt, knowing this is a team that went 90-13 since 2008 without winning a gold medal. Despite beating State College 34-14, Cumberland Valley 6-3, Cedar Cliff 49-33, Lower Dauphin 35-14 and Red Land twice, 53-31 and 44-0, they have to get past one heck of a team from the Wpial for that to happen. Central Valley comes into the semifinal off a resounding win against Conneaut (11-2, almost pronounced Cognac) out of District 10. The Eagles were no contest for CV despite a resume showing a 14-7 win over 11-1 Cathedral Prep. Cathedral was well regarded with wins over Aquinas Institute-NY (6-2) and perennial Ohio power Glenville (8-3). Against Conneaut, the Warriors scored on their first eight possessions on the way to a 52-23 win. Their top running back Jordan Whitehead (6-0, 185, Sr, Pitt) had 208 yards rushing in seven carries, all in the first half before sitting for the rest of the game. They pounded out 419 total yards, 374 on the ground. For the year, Whitehead has 1726 yards on 115 attempts with 387 yards in receptions on 20 catches. Two quarterbacks have shared time in 4 of their 14 games with independent roles in the other 10; John George (5-11, 170, Sr) with 1155 yards at 67% and Chris Callaghan (6-2, 180, Jr) at 1314 yards with a 63% completion rate. Four receivers have at least 20 receptions led by BJ Powell with 41 receptions gaining 810 yards. For those unfamiliar with Central Valley, they are the result of a merger between Center and Monaca in 2010. And they've never had a losing season, going 10-4, 11-1, 9-3, 11-2 and 14-0 this year. One of their biggest wins of the season was beating Penn Hills (7-3, AAAA) 35-14 who upset Woodland Hills (8-3, AAAA) 22-15 in the playoffs, then beating West Allegheny (11-2) twice, 28-17 and 35-28. So, we are talking about two very accomplished teams here, both featuring exception D1 talent at the running back position. Bishop McDevitt has Penn State commit Andre Robinson who rushed for 2279 yards last year (32 Tds) and 1465 this year (17 Tds) despite missing 5 games with an injury. Jordan Whitehead for Central Valley rushed for 1724 yards this season with 21 Tds after rushing for 674 last year with 11 Tds. He's going to Pitt. Both are going to Altoona Friday night to put on a show. This looks like a classic!
