2022 Season ending State Top 30 (Dec 19, 2022)
As always, here’s a best esti-guestimate for a Top 30 with a confession upfront that it’s pretty much impossible to do. Teams get all mixed up; Team-A beats Team-B, then Team-B beats the team Team-A lost too jumping Team-A and on and on. After looking at videos and game stats, it’s still just an opinion. So here’s a mixed bag of data, results, stats and more about the teams that might be interesting to the board. Wrote a little more about the top ten teams and less for the rest to keep it manageable.
1 St. Joseph’s Prep 12-1, 6A State Champion
This one was easy, and that’s before they crushed Harrisburg 42-7 in the 6A final. The win gives them their 7th State Title in the last 10 years, having also won gold in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2014 and 2013. They also won Silver medals (runner up) in 2021 and 2017 meaning they’ve come in 1st or 2nd nine of the last ten years. This past season saw them manage another difficult schedule, losing only to St. Thomas Aquinas (13-0) 48-37, before winning out with 12 straight defeating St. Peters-NJ (7-4) 55-20, Erasmus-Brooklyn (11-2) 14-7, Gonzaga-DC and LaSalle x 2 (not their best editions at 5-6), Roman (9-3) 42-0, Northeast (9-3) 49-6, Parkland (9-5) 55-21, Garnet Valley (13-1) 48-7 and Harrisburg (11-3) 42-7. They did this with a young group that averaged 40ppg and allowed 14 with many from both sides returning next season, notably Qb Samaj Jones (2263-62&, 28 Tds, 641 rush yds) with most of the running backs and receivers.
2 Bishop McDevitt 13-1, 4A State Champion
This is the strongest McDevitt team I’ve seen (seen a few), with LeSean McCoy’s 2005 team that lost to McKeesport 14-13 with McCoy sidelined with an injury in the conversation along with quarterback Matt Johnson’s 2010 team that lost to Allentown Central Catholic 28-27 in the final. Their schedule while far from daunting, saw them play two teams that made finals appearances, losing to Imhotep (10-3) 19-14 in the opener, and defeating Aliquippa (13-1) 41-18 in the final. No one does that to Aliquippa. Other wins came against LaSalle (5-6) 56-7, Manheim Central (11-2) 40-0 in the district final and Crestwood (13-2, D2) 35-0 in the state semifinal. At 49ppg average, this was a record setting offense with an aggressive defense at 9ppg. Like SJP, they return key skill personnel next season in sophomore Qb Stone Saunders (3583-69%, 54/5), another new and outstanding tailback broken in in freshman Maurice Barnes (6-2, 195, 43/312) and the #2 receiver Rico Scott with 1184 yards in receptions.
3 Pine Richland 13-3, 5A State Champion
Like St. Joe’s and McDevitt, Pine Richland has an extraordinary quarterback in Ryan Palmieri who made all the difference this season. After a 1-3 start, he was moved back to quarterback where they went on a 12 game winning streak, capped by a hard fought 28-14 win in the 5A final against Imhotep. Palmeiri was outstanding, completing 4 of 4 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, rushing for 196 yards on 31 carries for 2 touchdowns and getting a 40-yard Pick-6! On the year he completed 72% for 934 yards with a 7/3 ratio. He was also the #7 rusher in the WPIAL at 1733 yards with 24 more touchdowns. Since 2014, they’ve been on one of the best runs in the state with finals appearances in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 and this year, winning Gold in 17, 20 and 22 along with the runner- up Silver Medal in the epic 39-38 double overtime loss to Manheim Central on a blocked extra point in 2003. The program is rolling again with Coach Jon LeDonne making them viable after the disruption of 2021 with statistics improved across the board. As with St. Joe’s and McDevitt, look for them to continue putting quality teams on the field despite losing Palmieri to graduation with running back Ethan Pillar (198/1059) returning along with quarterback Kanan Spencer (initial 2022 starter) and 3 of 5 linemen including current juniors Ryan Cory, Logan Alexander and Jonathan Smith with Brady Carrigan, Jack Beam and Isiah Kerns graduating.
4 Cathedral Prep 5A 8-3
Can’t forget a solid Prep team that lost to Archbishop Hoban-OH (14-2) 47-14, the Div-2 runner up, St. Frances-NY (6-4) 28-26, then Pine Richland 21-14 in the playoffs, failing to hold a 14-0 lead in the quarterfinals. You wonder how the game played on Nov 25th might have gone had Prep not been idle since Oct 28th per the awkward playoff format? But the regular season saw them wallop archrival McDowell 41-0 which matches the intensity of an Army-Navy game in that city. Awesome rivalry! McDowell went on to take State College to 3 overtime periods in states before losing 57-50 at their place. Cathedral actually overachieved this year with a young team, doing it with first year coach Mike Krahe replacing the legendary Mike Mischler. Looks like the program is in good hands. For next year, they return quarterback Luke Costello (51%-1201, 15/4), who took over for the injured senior Carter Barnes and their leading rushers led by Dajoure Hollingsworth (853) and Suhtaun Lewis (718). The defense returns 7 starters and many experienced players.
5 Imhotep 4A 10-3
Their only regular season losses came against Archbishop Spalding-MD (11-1, MIAA-A champ) one of the better MIAA (Maryland Interscholastic) teams 20-13 and Malvern Prep (8-2) 17-13 of the Inter-Ac. Wins of note were against city rival Northeast High (9-3) 28-0; Roman Catholic (9-3) 14-6 who defeated Wilson, Trinity and Perk Val; Whitehall (8-6, D11) 55-7, who beat Parkland and Allentown Central Catholic; and Upper Dublin (14-1) 21-14, who beat Central Bucks West, North Penn, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Souderton and Rustin for comparison/linkage purposes. That’s a nice spread helping to get them to the 5A finals where they lost to Pine Richland 28-14 after giving up 21 unanswered second half points. Since 2013, they’ve won Silver Medals in 2013, 16, 17, 18, 21 and 2022 with a Gold Medal in 2015. Looking at just a short list of this year’s recruits alone wanted by major college football powers suggests there might (should?) have been a few more Gold Medals in that group. Some egs; returning starters DE Zahir Mathis, CB Kenneth Woseley, CB Naim Dantzer and DT Jahsear Whittingham are a few. Linebackers Semaj Bridgeman and Rahmir Stewart are two more who graduate. Offensively there’s one of the top sophomores in the country in running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman and junior quarterback Mikal Davis. Bottom line, who’s complaining about 7 finals appearances the last 10 years!
6 Upper Dublin 5A 14-1
This was their best team since 2015’s 14-1 group that averaged 41ppg and allowing 10. This year’s offence was at 33ppg and their best defense EVER at 8ppg. They had notable wins against Central Bucks West (9-5) 35-7, North Penn (6-6) 32-28, Souderton (8-3) 34-3, Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-3) 30-0 and Rustin (11-2) 21-7 before losing to Imhotep 21-14 in the 5A semifinal. They’ll enter 2022 without standout quarterback Colin O’Sullivan who threw at 64% for 2835 yards with a 35 to 5 Td-Pick ratio! Also gone are 4 of their top 5 receivers taking 133 receptions, 20 touchdowns and 1973 yards with them. The D was hit hard returning 4 starters while graduating 536 tackles. That’s some big losses. But a mild surprise to the Suburban One faithful shows a 10 year won-loss of 97-24 to puts them atop the league ahead of North Penn at 93-28. Looks like they know how to rebuild in Fort Washington.
7 Roman Catholic 5A 9-3
A lot of talent on this team winning on the road against Wilson (8-4) 46-15, Perkiomen Valley (11-2) 26-10 (upper tier D3, D1 teams), and a lesser but interesting/building 2A Trinity (10-5, D3, Mid-Penn) program, 41-14. A competitive 10-0 loss to Malvern Prep was also away, putting 5 of their first 6 games on the road. Then a 31-14 win against inconsistent LaSalle (5-6) before the blowout to St. Joe’s 42-0 and narrow loss to Imhotep (10-3) 14-6. They stayed competitive in most games with a stubborn defense that allowed 12ppg by year’s end. That’s their best defense since 2007’s 12-2 team allowed 11, the year they beat St. Joe’s 10-9 in the PCL-Red title game. Hard as it is to believe, 2022 was also their first winning season since 2012.
8 Harrisburg 6A 11-3
6A ‘Public School Champ’ Harrisburg was crushed in the final by a fired up bunch of Hawks 42-7, revealing the gulf between St. Joseph’s Prep and many PA public schools. But it doesn’t diminish the quality schedule Harrisburg played to get here, beating Wilson (8-4) 32-21, Central York (10-2) 44-7, Cumberland Valley (9-4) 30-14, Manheim Township (9-4) 44-6 and State College (13-1) 27-7. What’s scary about that ‘gulf’ is that this was a good football team by many mesurables. Next year’s group will likely be strong but diminished losing FB Mahkai Hopkins and Kyle Williams, both over 1000 rush yards, Williams with another 577 in receptions. The defense loses their record sack DE Terrell Reynolds. But sophomore quarterback Shawn Lee (1662-68%, 568ry) and their #2 receiver freshman Elias Coke 25/372 to name a few and at least 7 to the defense return. They were a young team at many positions this season.
9 State College 6A 13-1
These guys were on cruise control for most of the season blowing through their first thirteen opponents including some of the better teams in the state verses Downingtown East (9-4) 32-31, Harrisburg (11-3) 20-6 and Cumberland Valley (7-4) 48-21 before taking down the best of the west defeating McDowell (10-3) 57-50 in triple overtime and WPIAL power North Allegheny (11-1) 28-7 before losing to conference rival Harrisburg 27-7 in the playoff rematch. They fielded an interesting dual Qb system with Finn Furmanek and Owen Yerka that worked without telegraphing with both effective throwers and runners. Yerka (54%-481, 5/2, 347ry) returns with frosh hot shot D’Antae Sheffey (5-11, 185) who rushed for 1729 yards. Key losses are OL Michael Dincher (6-2, 295), TE/DE Stephen Scourtis (6-4, 240, 104 tackles) and linebackers Will Stone (67 tackles) and John Scott (105 tackles). They played a lot of youth on defense (4 sophs, 2 jrs) who return 427 tackles to a defense that was improved to 17ppg from 23.
10 Aliquippa 3A 13-1
Like State College above, the Quips breezed through the regular season unscathed defeating quality teams in Armstrong (10-2) 28-14 and their exceptional quarterback Cadin Olsen who threw for 3199 yards (63%, 43-13 ratio), McKeesport (11-2) 42-7, Central Valley (11-2) x 2, 35-14 and 34-7, and the “Jekyll-Hyde” team from Allentown Central Catholic (9-6) 31-10. Then they ran into a team from Harrisburg that matched their size, speed and physicality with a superior passing game, and a whole lot of attitude, losing 41-18 to Bishop McDevitt. But it was a good season, winning their 19th WPIAL championship with a team that before McDevitt, battered opponents with good quarterback play and special running backs operating behind a massive line. The backfield featured Qb Quentin Good (51%-1929, 23/6), and running backs Tiquai Hayes (250/1959) and Jon Tracy (128/818), doing their thing behind guards Jason McBride (6-2, 298, sr) and Nico Eberhardt (6-2, 286, sr), tackles Naquan Crowder (6-3, 341, sr) and Kamari Matthews (6-4, 332, jr), and center Braylon Wilcox (5-11, 248, jr). The entire backfield returns.
11 North Allegheny 6A 11-2
The Tigers beat McDowell (10-3, D10) 29-18, Pitt Central Catholic (7-5) twice, 7-3 and 35-21 and survived some speed bumps in Seneca Valley (6-4) 27-26, Penn Trafford (6-5) 20-13, Mt. Lebanon (5-6) 20-6 even Canon-McMillan (5-6) twice, 35-21 and 7-0 who had their moments in the well balanced 6A-5A WPIAL. Had losses to high quality Pine Richland 28-17 and State College 28-7. The offense at 26ppg was their lowest since 2006 and an issue. But the defense at 13ppg, an Art Walker hallmark, kept them in most games where the offense failed in wins against Central Catholic 7-3 and C-Mac 7-0. In the end State College stressed them too much in the quarterfinal that wasn’t quite as bad as the 28-7 final score indicated. Weird game. Bottom line, they won their first Wpial title in 10 years advancing them to the state quarterfinal.
12 Emmaus 6A 10-2
Emmaus stood out in a number of categories, with wins against Freedom (10-3), Allentown Central Catholic (9-6), and Parkland (9-5) muted by a 6-point loss to Nazareth (9-2) and a 1-point loss to Freedom in the D-11 semifinal; another dreaded rematch. Credit to Freedom for stopping the 2-pt conversion at the end. Would like to have seen Qb Jack Fotta (63%, 2081, 23/3; 71-365 for 10 Tds rushing) get deeper in the playoffs the way Palmieri did for Pine Richland.
13 Garnet Valley 6A 13-1
The Jags blew through regular season unchallenged, excepting CB West 14-7 in the opener then handled Ridley (8-4) 35-7, Springfield (8-4) 20-7 and Haverford (6-5) 25-7 with playoff wins against Spring Ford (8-4) 30-27ot, Downingtown East (9-4) 28-17 and CB West 35-7 again before losing to St. Joseph’s Prep 48-7. Quite a first year for Coach Eric VanWyk who was a G-Val varsity assistant for 10 years under Mike Ricci, and a G-Val grad in 2008, playing college baseball at LaSalle. A favorable schedule saw all the teams above at Garnet Valley except Haverford and SJP.
14 McDowell 6A 10-3
McDowell fielded their most productive offense ever, averaging 43ppg. Everyone had trouble stopping the Trojans except crosstown rival Cathedral Prep who throttled em 41-0, outgaining them 387-188. 13 penalties for 125 yards prevented any momentum. Even North Allegheny was in trouble through the third quarter, behind 18-15 at home before pulling out a 29-18 win. And State College probably doesn’t want to see them any time soon after 3 overtime periods before eking out a 57-50 win at home in the PIAA 1st round. The big offense masked a leaky D at 23ppg that prevented more.
15 Downingtown East 6A 9-4
Funky bunch here with a 1-point season opening loss to State College, a 4-point loss to Coatesville, then a 3-point loss to Downingtown West before flipping the losses to Coatesville 31-15 and D-West 28-17 in ‘districts’, then losing a tough one (up 17-14 entering 4th) at Garnet Valley in the district semifinal 28-17. Probably low in the tanks for that one following rivals Coatesville and D-West. This is one of the top programs in the area with an 82-34 record the last 10 years. Except for the Covid-2020 season at 2-3, they haven’t been below 9 wins since 2013. Like so many teams across the state throughout the classifications, it was close but no cigar season.
16 Central Valley 3A 11-2
Fielded another potent team that defeated Avonworth (11-2), West Allegheny (7-4) and Thomas Jefferson (8-4), but fell short against Aliquippa twice, 35-24 and 34-7 in the WPIAL final for their only losses of the year. They were a notch down from previous teams that got to the finals the last three years, winning ‘Gold’ in 20 and 21. Their 4-year record is 51-4 (!) with an offense averaging 43ppg and a defense at 10.25 points a game. Some kind of program.
17 Wyomissing 3A 13-1
The Spartans rolled over their first 13 opponents with a massive O-Line and a stable of running backs garnering impressive wins against Cocalico (10-5) 38-7, Lampeter Strasburg (9-3) 21-0, West Perry (11-2) 63-7 and Danville (12-2) 21-19 before running into a red hot Neumann Goretti (11-4) team that beat them 20-17 in a mild upset.
18 Southern Columbia 13-3 2A State Champion
Southern’s path to their 6th straight state title (8th straight appearance) and 13th overall mimicked Pine Richland’s by getting off to a bad start at 5-3. It fooled you since they were losing to good football teams beginning with tradition rich Loyalsock (11-2, 3A) with a veteran team 27-10, then Danville (12-1, 3A) 49-14 who looked like the next 3A state champion (49-14!?), and finally Mount Carmel (12-1) who beat them in Catawissa 35-21. Coach Roth worked his magic with a few returns from injuries enabling an 8 game run to the final where they beat a worthy opponent in Westinghouse (14-1, D8) 37-22.
19 Crestwood 4A 13-2
Big line, big ground game but little threat from above holds them here instead of higher with two wins against Valley View (10-3), an assortment of capable but flawed teams (Wilkes Barre, Hazelton) and the ‘attention getter’ against Philly’s Bonner-Prendie (11-2) that shot them up in the rankings before the semifinal loss to Bishop McDevitt.
20 Exeter Township 5A 12-1
Instant Karma for Exeter looking unbeatable their first twelve games with a big and talented OL (Anthony Caccese 6-6 285, DE commit) and versatile offense before the upset to Cocalico 34-14. Last year’s team stunned the state and Governor Mifflin upsetting the Mustangs in the district final 31-28.
21 Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast (Bonner-Prendi) 4A 11-2
Crestwood’s running game of 193 yards doomed Bonner who couldn’t get it going, rushing for 90 in a 21-14 loss at Northeast High (Charlie Martin) in the quarterfinals. Bonner was the real deal with a 14-12 loss to undefeated Haverford School (10-0) and a strong win against Neumann Goretti (11-4) 26-14.
22 Belle Vernon 12-2, AAA State Champion
The Leopards toughened up against Big School bullies 4A McKeesport (11-2) and 5A Penn Trafford (6-5) early in the season, losing narrowly 14-6 and 14-13 before winning 11 straight including wins against TJ, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Avonworth and Central Martinsburg who have a combined won-loss of 50-13. They put an exclamation on the season with a goal line stand that turned away one of Philly’s finest in Neumann Goretti (11-4) 9-8.
23 Saints Neumann-Goretti 3A 11-4
The Saints recovered from a 3-3 start with an 8-1 finish earning a berth in the PIAA 3A Final where they fell short at the goal line minus running back Shawn Battle (suspended) to Belle Vernon 9-8. Impressive playoff wins against Northwestern Lehigh (11-3) and formerly undefeated Wyomissing (13-1) got them there.
24 Steelton Highspire 14-1, A State Champion
Steel High won their second state title in three years with a 22-8 ‘short-handed’ victory against Union (12-3, D7) 22-8. The suspension of top receiver Durrell Ceasar (45/668/10Tds) allowed them to show off their talent with Jaeion Perry catching 7 passes for 122 yards. These guys just had too many weapons as demonstrated in wins against Dist-7 Bishop Canevin, D3 Trinity, D5 Windber, D11 Northern Lehigh, D3 West Perry and D4 Canton who collectively have a won-loss of 68-15. Rollers!
25 Rustin 5A 11-2
Stumbled vs Kennett (8-4) 24-14 (?) then breezed through an unchallenging slate until the 5A district final won in overtime 28-27 at Strath Haven. Lost in next game to Upper Dublin (14-1) 21-7 in a competitive game excepting inordinate penalties by Rustin (13/110). This was their first 11-win team since 2010’s 11-2 team that was shocked by Neshaminy (12-2) 33-7 in the district semifinal.
26 Strath Haven 5A 12-1
Nice team with a great back in Anthony Crawford setting the all-time single season rushing record rushing at 2089 yards. The Panthers’ promising playoff drive was stopped in overtime on a mishandled snap going for 2 in a 28-27 loss to Rustin in the 5A district final. Too bad, as this was their best defense at 11ppg yield since 2006 that allowed 8.
27 Central Bucks West 6A 9-5
The Bucks were seeing double this year losing twice to Garnet Valley (13-1) 14-7, 35-7, beating North Penn (6-6) twice 35-14, 44-35 and defeating Central Bucks East (8-3) twice 21-14 and 42-26, the team I was soft on in preseason. Oh well. The 35-7 loss at Upper Dublin (14-1) revealed them (no pass threat) as did Pennsbury’s Galamama Mulbah gashing them for 234 yards in a ‘exposing’ 26-21 loss. But a second 9-win season in a row says it’s going in the right direction.
28 Perkiomen Valley 6A 11-2
Nice year with a sophomore quarterback in Patrick MacDonald at 64%, 1222 yards but a poor 11/2 ratio. But it was good enough to beat Downingtown West (9-2) 30-29, Spring-Ford (8-4) 7-6 and Pope John Paul II (10-2) 21-14 in the regular season and Souderton (9-3) 27-14 in the postseason before losing to CB West by a point, 14-13. Roman (9-3) completely outgunned them 26-13 in the regular season.
29 Cocalico 5A 10-5
Like a number of outstanding teams this year, teams like Pine Richland, Southern Columbia, Imhotep and others, Cocalico also survived a rocky start at 3-3, then finished strong with a rebuilt team, winning out with a 34-14 surprise at Exeter to win the 5A District-3 title (no small feat) before losing to Pine Richland 34-12 in the 1st round. Nice rebuild!
30 Upper St. Clair 5A 10-3
Anyone knowing anything about USC’s history knows they’ve been in a funk for years with a number of ‘near miss’ teams. But it might surprise to know it’s been more like a draught with this season being their first double digit winning season since 2013’s 11-1 team. An offense averaging 29ppg was a big improvement over last year. Where they separated was (surprise, surprise) defense, hitting a nine-year low of 14ppg. But the D failed them against Bethel Park (10-2) 27-14, Canon McMillian’s (5-7) scary bunch 28-24 and Pine Richland 34-3 in the Wpial title game.
TIE
Bethel Park 5A 10-2
Like USC, Bethel emerged from the funk of a 6 year run of 31-28 football and into the bright lights of their first 10-win season since 2009’s 10-2 team. They did it with solid quarterbacking from Tanner Pfeiffer (64%-1438, 14/8, sr), a ‘committee of 3’ rushing for 787 yards, 651 and 578, the latter by sophomore Ryan Petras who also caught 44 passes for 579 yards. All others graduate. The 17-7 loss to USC in the WPIAL semifinal, another dreaded rematch, kept them from getting a crack at Pine Richland in the Wpial final.
As always, here’s a best esti-guestimate for a Top 30 with a confession upfront that it’s pretty much impossible to do. Teams get all mixed up; Team-A beats Team-B, then Team-B beats the team Team-A lost too jumping Team-A and on and on. After looking at videos and game stats, it’s still just an opinion. So here’s a mixed bag of data, results, stats and more about the teams that might be interesting to the board. Wrote a little more about the top ten teams and less for the rest to keep it manageable.
1 St. Joseph’s Prep 12-1, 6A State Champion
This one was easy, and that’s before they crushed Harrisburg 42-7 in the 6A final. The win gives them their 7th State Title in the last 10 years, having also won gold in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2014 and 2013. They also won Silver medals (runner up) in 2021 and 2017 meaning they’ve come in 1st or 2nd nine of the last ten years. This past season saw them manage another difficult schedule, losing only to St. Thomas Aquinas (13-0) 48-37, before winning out with 12 straight defeating St. Peters-NJ (7-4) 55-20, Erasmus-Brooklyn (11-2) 14-7, Gonzaga-DC and LaSalle x 2 (not their best editions at 5-6), Roman (9-3) 42-0, Northeast (9-3) 49-6, Parkland (9-5) 55-21, Garnet Valley (13-1) 48-7 and Harrisburg (11-3) 42-7. They did this with a young group that averaged 40ppg and allowed 14 with many from both sides returning next season, notably Qb Samaj Jones (2263-62&, 28 Tds, 641 rush yds) with most of the running backs and receivers.
2 Bishop McDevitt 13-1, 4A State Champion
This is the strongest McDevitt team I’ve seen (seen a few), with LeSean McCoy’s 2005 team that lost to McKeesport 14-13 with McCoy sidelined with an injury in the conversation along with quarterback Matt Johnson’s 2010 team that lost to Allentown Central Catholic 28-27 in the final. Their schedule while far from daunting, saw them play two teams that made finals appearances, losing to Imhotep (10-3) 19-14 in the opener, and defeating Aliquippa (13-1) 41-18 in the final. No one does that to Aliquippa. Other wins came against LaSalle (5-6) 56-7, Manheim Central (11-2) 40-0 in the district final and Crestwood (13-2, D2) 35-0 in the state semifinal. At 49ppg average, this was a record setting offense with an aggressive defense at 9ppg. Like SJP, they return key skill personnel next season in sophomore Qb Stone Saunders (3583-69%, 54/5), another new and outstanding tailback broken in in freshman Maurice Barnes (6-2, 195, 43/312) and the #2 receiver Rico Scott with 1184 yards in receptions.
3 Pine Richland 13-3, 5A State Champion
Like St. Joe’s and McDevitt, Pine Richland has an extraordinary quarterback in Ryan Palmieri who made all the difference this season. After a 1-3 start, he was moved back to quarterback where they went on a 12 game winning streak, capped by a hard fought 28-14 win in the 5A final against Imhotep. Palmeiri was outstanding, completing 4 of 4 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, rushing for 196 yards on 31 carries for 2 touchdowns and getting a 40-yard Pick-6! On the year he completed 72% for 934 yards with a 7/3 ratio. He was also the #7 rusher in the WPIAL at 1733 yards with 24 more touchdowns. Since 2014, they’ve been on one of the best runs in the state with finals appearances in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 and this year, winning Gold in 17, 20 and 22 along with the runner- up Silver Medal in the epic 39-38 double overtime loss to Manheim Central on a blocked extra point in 2003. The program is rolling again with Coach Jon LeDonne making them viable after the disruption of 2021 with statistics improved across the board. As with St. Joe’s and McDevitt, look for them to continue putting quality teams on the field despite losing Palmieri to graduation with running back Ethan Pillar (198/1059) returning along with quarterback Kanan Spencer (initial 2022 starter) and 3 of 5 linemen including current juniors Ryan Cory, Logan Alexander and Jonathan Smith with Brady Carrigan, Jack Beam and Isiah Kerns graduating.
4 Cathedral Prep 5A 8-3
Can’t forget a solid Prep team that lost to Archbishop Hoban-OH (14-2) 47-14, the Div-2 runner up, St. Frances-NY (6-4) 28-26, then Pine Richland 21-14 in the playoffs, failing to hold a 14-0 lead in the quarterfinals. You wonder how the game played on Nov 25th might have gone had Prep not been idle since Oct 28th per the awkward playoff format? But the regular season saw them wallop archrival McDowell 41-0 which matches the intensity of an Army-Navy game in that city. Awesome rivalry! McDowell went on to take State College to 3 overtime periods in states before losing 57-50 at their place. Cathedral actually overachieved this year with a young team, doing it with first year coach Mike Krahe replacing the legendary Mike Mischler. Looks like the program is in good hands. For next year, they return quarterback Luke Costello (51%-1201, 15/4), who took over for the injured senior Carter Barnes and their leading rushers led by Dajoure Hollingsworth (853) and Suhtaun Lewis (718). The defense returns 7 starters and many experienced players.
5 Imhotep 4A 10-3
Their only regular season losses came against Archbishop Spalding-MD (11-1, MIAA-A champ) one of the better MIAA (Maryland Interscholastic) teams 20-13 and Malvern Prep (8-2) 17-13 of the Inter-Ac. Wins of note were against city rival Northeast High (9-3) 28-0; Roman Catholic (9-3) 14-6 who defeated Wilson, Trinity and Perk Val; Whitehall (8-6, D11) 55-7, who beat Parkland and Allentown Central Catholic; and Upper Dublin (14-1) 21-14, who beat Central Bucks West, North Penn, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Souderton and Rustin for comparison/linkage purposes. That’s a nice spread helping to get them to the 5A finals where they lost to Pine Richland 28-14 after giving up 21 unanswered second half points. Since 2013, they’ve won Silver Medals in 2013, 16, 17, 18, 21 and 2022 with a Gold Medal in 2015. Looking at just a short list of this year’s recruits alone wanted by major college football powers suggests there might (should?) have been a few more Gold Medals in that group. Some egs; returning starters DE Zahir Mathis, CB Kenneth Woseley, CB Naim Dantzer and DT Jahsear Whittingham are a few. Linebackers Semaj Bridgeman and Rahmir Stewart are two more who graduate. Offensively there’s one of the top sophomores in the country in running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman and junior quarterback Mikal Davis. Bottom line, who’s complaining about 7 finals appearances the last 10 years!
6 Upper Dublin 5A 14-1
This was their best team since 2015’s 14-1 group that averaged 41ppg and allowing 10. This year’s offence was at 33ppg and their best defense EVER at 8ppg. They had notable wins against Central Bucks West (9-5) 35-7, North Penn (6-6) 32-28, Souderton (8-3) 34-3, Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-3) 30-0 and Rustin (11-2) 21-7 before losing to Imhotep 21-14 in the 5A semifinal. They’ll enter 2022 without standout quarterback Colin O’Sullivan who threw at 64% for 2835 yards with a 35 to 5 Td-Pick ratio! Also gone are 4 of their top 5 receivers taking 133 receptions, 20 touchdowns and 1973 yards with them. The D was hit hard returning 4 starters while graduating 536 tackles. That’s some big losses. But a mild surprise to the Suburban One faithful shows a 10 year won-loss of 97-24 to puts them atop the league ahead of North Penn at 93-28. Looks like they know how to rebuild in Fort Washington.
7 Roman Catholic 5A 9-3
A lot of talent on this team winning on the road against Wilson (8-4) 46-15, Perkiomen Valley (11-2) 26-10 (upper tier D3, D1 teams), and a lesser but interesting/building 2A Trinity (10-5, D3, Mid-Penn) program, 41-14. A competitive 10-0 loss to Malvern Prep was also away, putting 5 of their first 6 games on the road. Then a 31-14 win against inconsistent LaSalle (5-6) before the blowout to St. Joe’s 42-0 and narrow loss to Imhotep (10-3) 14-6. They stayed competitive in most games with a stubborn defense that allowed 12ppg by year’s end. That’s their best defense since 2007’s 12-2 team allowed 11, the year they beat St. Joe’s 10-9 in the PCL-Red title game. Hard as it is to believe, 2022 was also their first winning season since 2012.
8 Harrisburg 6A 11-3
6A ‘Public School Champ’ Harrisburg was crushed in the final by a fired up bunch of Hawks 42-7, revealing the gulf between St. Joseph’s Prep and many PA public schools. But it doesn’t diminish the quality schedule Harrisburg played to get here, beating Wilson (8-4) 32-21, Central York (10-2) 44-7, Cumberland Valley (9-4) 30-14, Manheim Township (9-4) 44-6 and State College (13-1) 27-7. What’s scary about that ‘gulf’ is that this was a good football team by many mesurables. Next year’s group will likely be strong but diminished losing FB Mahkai Hopkins and Kyle Williams, both over 1000 rush yards, Williams with another 577 in receptions. The defense loses their record sack DE Terrell Reynolds. But sophomore quarterback Shawn Lee (1662-68%, 568ry) and their #2 receiver freshman Elias Coke 25/372 to name a few and at least 7 to the defense return. They were a young team at many positions this season.
9 State College 6A 13-1
These guys were on cruise control for most of the season blowing through their first thirteen opponents including some of the better teams in the state verses Downingtown East (9-4) 32-31, Harrisburg (11-3) 20-6 and Cumberland Valley (7-4) 48-21 before taking down the best of the west defeating McDowell (10-3) 57-50 in triple overtime and WPIAL power North Allegheny (11-1) 28-7 before losing to conference rival Harrisburg 27-7 in the playoff rematch. They fielded an interesting dual Qb system with Finn Furmanek and Owen Yerka that worked without telegraphing with both effective throwers and runners. Yerka (54%-481, 5/2, 347ry) returns with frosh hot shot D’Antae Sheffey (5-11, 185) who rushed for 1729 yards. Key losses are OL Michael Dincher (6-2, 295), TE/DE Stephen Scourtis (6-4, 240, 104 tackles) and linebackers Will Stone (67 tackles) and John Scott (105 tackles). They played a lot of youth on defense (4 sophs, 2 jrs) who return 427 tackles to a defense that was improved to 17ppg from 23.
10 Aliquippa 3A 13-1
Like State College above, the Quips breezed through the regular season unscathed defeating quality teams in Armstrong (10-2) 28-14 and their exceptional quarterback Cadin Olsen who threw for 3199 yards (63%, 43-13 ratio), McKeesport (11-2) 42-7, Central Valley (11-2) x 2, 35-14 and 34-7, and the “Jekyll-Hyde” team from Allentown Central Catholic (9-6) 31-10. Then they ran into a team from Harrisburg that matched their size, speed and physicality with a superior passing game, and a whole lot of attitude, losing 41-18 to Bishop McDevitt. But it was a good season, winning their 19th WPIAL championship with a team that before McDevitt, battered opponents with good quarterback play and special running backs operating behind a massive line. The backfield featured Qb Quentin Good (51%-1929, 23/6), and running backs Tiquai Hayes (250/1959) and Jon Tracy (128/818), doing their thing behind guards Jason McBride (6-2, 298, sr) and Nico Eberhardt (6-2, 286, sr), tackles Naquan Crowder (6-3, 341, sr) and Kamari Matthews (6-4, 332, jr), and center Braylon Wilcox (5-11, 248, jr). The entire backfield returns.
11 North Allegheny 6A 11-2
The Tigers beat McDowell (10-3, D10) 29-18, Pitt Central Catholic (7-5) twice, 7-3 and 35-21 and survived some speed bumps in Seneca Valley (6-4) 27-26, Penn Trafford (6-5) 20-13, Mt. Lebanon (5-6) 20-6 even Canon-McMillan (5-6) twice, 35-21 and 7-0 who had their moments in the well balanced 6A-5A WPIAL. Had losses to high quality Pine Richland 28-17 and State College 28-7. The offense at 26ppg was their lowest since 2006 and an issue. But the defense at 13ppg, an Art Walker hallmark, kept them in most games where the offense failed in wins against Central Catholic 7-3 and C-Mac 7-0. In the end State College stressed them too much in the quarterfinal that wasn’t quite as bad as the 28-7 final score indicated. Weird game. Bottom line, they won their first Wpial title in 10 years advancing them to the state quarterfinal.
12 Emmaus 6A 10-2
Emmaus stood out in a number of categories, with wins against Freedom (10-3), Allentown Central Catholic (9-6), and Parkland (9-5) muted by a 6-point loss to Nazareth (9-2) and a 1-point loss to Freedom in the D-11 semifinal; another dreaded rematch. Credit to Freedom for stopping the 2-pt conversion at the end. Would like to have seen Qb Jack Fotta (63%, 2081, 23/3; 71-365 for 10 Tds rushing) get deeper in the playoffs the way Palmieri did for Pine Richland.
13 Garnet Valley 6A 13-1
The Jags blew through regular season unchallenged, excepting CB West 14-7 in the opener then handled Ridley (8-4) 35-7, Springfield (8-4) 20-7 and Haverford (6-5) 25-7 with playoff wins against Spring Ford (8-4) 30-27ot, Downingtown East (9-4) 28-17 and CB West 35-7 again before losing to St. Joseph’s Prep 48-7. Quite a first year for Coach Eric VanWyk who was a G-Val varsity assistant for 10 years under Mike Ricci, and a G-Val grad in 2008, playing college baseball at LaSalle. A favorable schedule saw all the teams above at Garnet Valley except Haverford and SJP.
14 McDowell 6A 10-3
McDowell fielded their most productive offense ever, averaging 43ppg. Everyone had trouble stopping the Trojans except crosstown rival Cathedral Prep who throttled em 41-0, outgaining them 387-188. 13 penalties for 125 yards prevented any momentum. Even North Allegheny was in trouble through the third quarter, behind 18-15 at home before pulling out a 29-18 win. And State College probably doesn’t want to see them any time soon after 3 overtime periods before eking out a 57-50 win at home in the PIAA 1st round. The big offense masked a leaky D at 23ppg that prevented more.
15 Downingtown East 6A 9-4
Funky bunch here with a 1-point season opening loss to State College, a 4-point loss to Coatesville, then a 3-point loss to Downingtown West before flipping the losses to Coatesville 31-15 and D-West 28-17 in ‘districts’, then losing a tough one (up 17-14 entering 4th) at Garnet Valley in the district semifinal 28-17. Probably low in the tanks for that one following rivals Coatesville and D-West. This is one of the top programs in the area with an 82-34 record the last 10 years. Except for the Covid-2020 season at 2-3, they haven’t been below 9 wins since 2013. Like so many teams across the state throughout the classifications, it was close but no cigar season.
16 Central Valley 3A 11-2
Fielded another potent team that defeated Avonworth (11-2), West Allegheny (7-4) and Thomas Jefferson (8-4), but fell short against Aliquippa twice, 35-24 and 34-7 in the WPIAL final for their only losses of the year. They were a notch down from previous teams that got to the finals the last three years, winning ‘Gold’ in 20 and 21. Their 4-year record is 51-4 (!) with an offense averaging 43ppg and a defense at 10.25 points a game. Some kind of program.
17 Wyomissing 3A 13-1
The Spartans rolled over their first 13 opponents with a massive O-Line and a stable of running backs garnering impressive wins against Cocalico (10-5) 38-7, Lampeter Strasburg (9-3) 21-0, West Perry (11-2) 63-7 and Danville (12-2) 21-19 before running into a red hot Neumann Goretti (11-4) team that beat them 20-17 in a mild upset.
18 Southern Columbia 13-3 2A State Champion
Southern’s path to their 6th straight state title (8th straight appearance) and 13th overall mimicked Pine Richland’s by getting off to a bad start at 5-3. It fooled you since they were losing to good football teams beginning with tradition rich Loyalsock (11-2, 3A) with a veteran team 27-10, then Danville (12-1, 3A) 49-14 who looked like the next 3A state champion (49-14!?), and finally Mount Carmel (12-1) who beat them in Catawissa 35-21. Coach Roth worked his magic with a few returns from injuries enabling an 8 game run to the final where they beat a worthy opponent in Westinghouse (14-1, D8) 37-22.
19 Crestwood 4A 13-2
Big line, big ground game but little threat from above holds them here instead of higher with two wins against Valley View (10-3), an assortment of capable but flawed teams (Wilkes Barre, Hazelton) and the ‘attention getter’ against Philly’s Bonner-Prendie (11-2) that shot them up in the rankings before the semifinal loss to Bishop McDevitt.
20 Exeter Township 5A 12-1
Instant Karma for Exeter looking unbeatable their first twelve games with a big and talented OL (Anthony Caccese 6-6 285, DE commit) and versatile offense before the upset to Cocalico 34-14. Last year’s team stunned the state and Governor Mifflin upsetting the Mustangs in the district final 31-28.
21 Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast (Bonner-Prendi) 4A 11-2
Crestwood’s running game of 193 yards doomed Bonner who couldn’t get it going, rushing for 90 in a 21-14 loss at Northeast High (Charlie Martin) in the quarterfinals. Bonner was the real deal with a 14-12 loss to undefeated Haverford School (10-0) and a strong win against Neumann Goretti (11-4) 26-14.
22 Belle Vernon 12-2, AAA State Champion
The Leopards toughened up against Big School bullies 4A McKeesport (11-2) and 5A Penn Trafford (6-5) early in the season, losing narrowly 14-6 and 14-13 before winning 11 straight including wins against TJ, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Avonworth and Central Martinsburg who have a combined won-loss of 50-13. They put an exclamation on the season with a goal line stand that turned away one of Philly’s finest in Neumann Goretti (11-4) 9-8.
23 Saints Neumann-Goretti 3A 11-4
The Saints recovered from a 3-3 start with an 8-1 finish earning a berth in the PIAA 3A Final where they fell short at the goal line minus running back Shawn Battle (suspended) to Belle Vernon 9-8. Impressive playoff wins against Northwestern Lehigh (11-3) and formerly undefeated Wyomissing (13-1) got them there.
24 Steelton Highspire 14-1, A State Champion
Steel High won their second state title in three years with a 22-8 ‘short-handed’ victory against Union (12-3, D7) 22-8. The suspension of top receiver Durrell Ceasar (45/668/10Tds) allowed them to show off their talent with Jaeion Perry catching 7 passes for 122 yards. These guys just had too many weapons as demonstrated in wins against Dist-7 Bishop Canevin, D3 Trinity, D5 Windber, D11 Northern Lehigh, D3 West Perry and D4 Canton who collectively have a won-loss of 68-15. Rollers!
25 Rustin 5A 11-2
Stumbled vs Kennett (8-4) 24-14 (?) then breezed through an unchallenging slate until the 5A district final won in overtime 28-27 at Strath Haven. Lost in next game to Upper Dublin (14-1) 21-7 in a competitive game excepting inordinate penalties by Rustin (13/110). This was their first 11-win team since 2010’s 11-2 team that was shocked by Neshaminy (12-2) 33-7 in the district semifinal.
26 Strath Haven 5A 12-1
Nice team with a great back in Anthony Crawford setting the all-time single season rushing record rushing at 2089 yards. The Panthers’ promising playoff drive was stopped in overtime on a mishandled snap going for 2 in a 28-27 loss to Rustin in the 5A district final. Too bad, as this was their best defense at 11ppg yield since 2006 that allowed 8.
27 Central Bucks West 6A 9-5
The Bucks were seeing double this year losing twice to Garnet Valley (13-1) 14-7, 35-7, beating North Penn (6-6) twice 35-14, 44-35 and defeating Central Bucks East (8-3) twice 21-14 and 42-26, the team I was soft on in preseason. Oh well. The 35-7 loss at Upper Dublin (14-1) revealed them (no pass threat) as did Pennsbury’s Galamama Mulbah gashing them for 234 yards in a ‘exposing’ 26-21 loss. But a second 9-win season in a row says it’s going in the right direction.
28 Perkiomen Valley 6A 11-2
Nice year with a sophomore quarterback in Patrick MacDonald at 64%, 1222 yards but a poor 11/2 ratio. But it was good enough to beat Downingtown West (9-2) 30-29, Spring-Ford (8-4) 7-6 and Pope John Paul II (10-2) 21-14 in the regular season and Souderton (9-3) 27-14 in the postseason before losing to CB West by a point, 14-13. Roman (9-3) completely outgunned them 26-13 in the regular season.
29 Cocalico 5A 10-5
Like a number of outstanding teams this year, teams like Pine Richland, Southern Columbia, Imhotep and others, Cocalico also survived a rocky start at 3-3, then finished strong with a rebuilt team, winning out with a 34-14 surprise at Exeter to win the 5A District-3 title (no small feat) before losing to Pine Richland 34-12 in the 1st round. Nice rebuild!
30 Upper St. Clair 5A 10-3
Anyone knowing anything about USC’s history knows they’ve been in a funk for years with a number of ‘near miss’ teams. But it might surprise to know it’s been more like a draught with this season being their first double digit winning season since 2013’s 11-1 team. An offense averaging 29ppg was a big improvement over last year. Where they separated was (surprise, surprise) defense, hitting a nine-year low of 14ppg. But the D failed them against Bethel Park (10-2) 27-14, Canon McMillian’s (5-7) scary bunch 28-24 and Pine Richland 34-3 in the Wpial title game.
TIE
Bethel Park 5A 10-2
Like USC, Bethel emerged from the funk of a 6 year run of 31-28 football and into the bright lights of their first 10-win season since 2009’s 10-2 team. They did it with solid quarterbacking from Tanner Pfeiffer (64%-1438, 14/8, sr), a ‘committee of 3’ rushing for 787 yards, 651 and 578, the latter by sophomore Ryan Petras who also caught 44 passes for 579 yards. All others graduate. The 17-7 loss to USC in the WPIAL semifinal, another dreaded rematch, kept them from getting a crack at Pine Richland in the Wpial final.
