Power Ratings: The Finals, 3A, 2A, 1A
3A Final; Middletown 13-1 vs Aliquippa 13-1….14.41 Aliquippa
Surprise, surprise! Here’s a game that actually held form with Middletown defeating Scranton Prep for the third consecutive year 35-21. The Blue Raiders beat the Cavaliers in 2017, 35-0 and the year before 40-13. They have some great talent passing through the school just now but the gulf is still evident. And, tradition runs deep along the Susquehanna in the communities of Middletown, Steelton and Highspire that border each other, handed a football the moment they can walk. That’s not meant to take anything from Scranton Prep, the four-time defending district champions who are 38-4 under four year coach Terry Gallagher. About the game; BASD Stadium is becoming something of a home field for both, meeting there for the third straight year. More of a home to the Raiders who scored the first 28 points of the game with Jose Lopez rushing for 224 yards on 22 attempts and scoring 2 touchdowns. They showed the big play with 59 and 80 yard touchdown runs by Lopez and a 60 yard run by Richie Sykes who finished with 68 yards on 5 carries. Qb Scott Ash completed 6 of 14 passes for 134 yards. Prep’s big gun Leo O’Boyle (6-7, 210, sr, 2416 career pass yards) completed 22 of 39 passes for 323 yards. He’ll be playing at Lafayette. He was all they had with the Raider D allowing 44 yards rushing, outdistancing them 418 to 267 in total yards. Their opponent Aliquippa is an old stand-by in the postseason, making their 7th title game appearance (first since 2015) after defeating Sharon. The Quips had to survive a fumbled opening kickoff, a subsequent fumble, the suspension of their leading rusher Avante MacKenzie and an early Sharon score to pull this one out. But they recovered, scoring on five consecutive possessions to rout the Tigers 41-7. MacKenzie’s status is uncertain but with the pile of athletes they have, it may not matter. Senior Xavier Harvey who had 13 carries coming into the game more than adequately replaced MacKenzie, rushing for 142 yards on 14 carries, helping the Quips to a 20-7 1st quarter lead. Wide receiver M.J. Devonshire moved to the backfield where he had 120 yards on 12 carries and 3 touchdowns. Qb Eli Kosanovich balanced the attack out, completing 11 of 13 passes for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is a force to reckon with, completing 64% for 3019 yards! His Td/Pick ratio is 38 to 4, throwing mostly to William Gipson with 1631 yards on 58 receptions. They have some weapons! Their defense was unyielding, holding Sharon to 34 yards rushing. Qb Lane Voytik came in with 2624 yards, but left in a heap, completing 5 of 22 for 98 yards, throwing 3 interceptions. Their lead back Jordan Wilson came in with 1893 rush yards, leaving with 12 more. For the 3rd straight year Middletown will be playing a District-7, 3A Beaver Valley Conference team. That’s bad news for Middletown who has had little success against them, losing in the final last year to Quaker Valley (14-1) 41-24 and the year before to Beaver Falls (13-1) 30-13. Both QV’s and BF’s only losses those years came against Aliquippa who finally got here with what looks like one of their very best teams. They resemble Farrell in the size of their offense scoring 48ppg with a defense allowing 7ppg that has 6 shutouts, holding 9 teams to a touchdown or less.
2A Final; Southern Columbia 15-0 vs Wilmington 13-1….19.69 Southern Columbia
Southern Columbia continued their quest to secure a 9th state title and 2nd straight with a dominating 42-7 win against West Catholic (12-3). The Tigers won gold in 1994, 2002 through 2006 and again in 2015 and 2017. Their run from 1998 through 2006 is unparalleled, appearing in 9 straight title games, winning silver from 1998 to 2001 and gold thereon. Other silver medals came in 1995, 1996, 2011 and 2016, for a total of 16 finals appearances and 8 state titles. Their trip to Chocolate Town went through West Catholic last week who like 15 other opponents, had no answers to the multi-faceted Tiger attack. Defensively, they were dominant, holding the Burrs to minus 7 yards rushing. Tre Johnson, in for the injured Zaire Hart-Hawkins, was then their only option, passing for 192 yards and a 62 yard scoring strike to Seth Degree in the 3rd quarter. 7 running backs had 35 carries for Southern with Gaige Garcia getting 22 for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Because the ground game motoring for 295 yards, Stone Hollenbach only threw 12 passes, completing 6 for 70 yards. The 6 completions netted 3 touchdowns, 2 to Julian Fleming (5/58) and one to Preston Zachman. The win sets up a rematch with Wilmington who they defeated in last year’s final 48-0. The Greyhounds got here after routing a well-regarded Steel Valley team 26-6. Scores don’t always tell the story with the Ironmen held to 11 total yards of offense. 11! Steel Valley’s Kam Williams was held to 17 yards on 10 carries after coming into the game with 1809. Todd Hill was also stuffed, coming in with 1618 yards, but held to 16 yards on 7 carries! They were zero for 5 passing and made 2 first downs. Wilmington ran for 239 yards, with Cameron Marett getting 148 on 28 carries. The Hounds disdain the pass as much as Steel Valley, completing 3 of 5 for 36 yards. That should box them into a tight corner against Southern Columbia who will shut down a one dimensional team. With no passing attack going against a prolific scoring machine like Southern’s, Wilmington won’t be able to keep up.
1A Final; Lackawanna Trail 14-1 (D-2) vs Farrell 14-0 (D-10)….37.04 Farrell
Lackawanna Trail or “Trail” as they refer to themselves got past the Hornets of Juniata Valley (11-3) in a good one. While it was a tight affair with JV’s standout quarterback Quinn Zinobile completing 8 of 16 passes for 160 yards and rushing for 2 scores and 105 yards, it’s still about running the football where Trail ran it 60 times for 260 yards. The 4 headed backfield that is Ray Melnikoff, Jeff Resto, Cody Moyle and Qb Nate Rolka rushed for 154, 80, 62 and 60 yards respectively. It was a special year for JV’s Qb Zinobile who finishes 1594 passing yards and 1138 rushing. LT’s defense really did a number in the second half, holding on to a 17-14 lead by shutting out Juniata Valley for the 24-14 win. Their ground game controlled the clock with a 74-44 advantage in plays to out gain JV on the ground 260 yards to 128. This is their first ever appearance in the state final where they’ll play the undefeated western historic powerhouse Farrell. Last week Farrell made a very good Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-2) look bad, beating them 41-10. OLSH came into the playoffs red hot, having defeated powerful Clairton 27-7 and Rochester 28-6, but were no match for the Steelers who sacked their outstanding quarterback Tyler Bradley 6 times. Bradley ended the season with 3352 yards passing and 8450 career passing yards. Apart from their defense, Farrell has weapons all over the field, particularly running back Christian Lewis who tapped OLSH for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns, taking his season total to 2227 yards. Quarterback Kyi Wright (1591 pass yards) isn’t bad either. He’s their 6-3, 240 pound signal caller and linebacker who will play at Pitt. He rushed for 84 yards on 14 attempts last week. Farrell embodies old school western Pennsylvania football at its best, meaning they line up and pound you. So its power running football behind a line that averages 6-3, 290 pounds at 278, 282, 283, 295 and 310. The lineman are not a collection of wild body jelly bellies. They ran it 52 times against OLSH for 346 yards, on occasion putting Kobe Hilton 6-4 283 or Melvin Hobson at 6-3 295 in the backfield for 2-pt conversions and other short yardage situations. While the offense is explosive scoring 660 points or 47 a game, the defense is lightening quick, getting 4 shutouts while holding 11 opponents to a touchdown or less. They allow 7ppg! And they’re a playoff staple, losing in the final to Bishop Guilfoyle in 2015, to Clairton in the 2016 semifinal and to Jeannette last year in the semifinal for a 49-9 won-loss over that period. They’ve won state titles in 1995 and 1996 with runner up Silver medals in 1990 and 2015. As a one dimension team, Trail looks to be in trouble here against a team that has the talent, size and speed to take on many of the 5A and 6A programs across the state.
3A Final; Middletown 13-1 vs Aliquippa 13-1….14.41 Aliquippa
Surprise, surprise! Here’s a game that actually held form with Middletown defeating Scranton Prep for the third consecutive year 35-21. The Blue Raiders beat the Cavaliers in 2017, 35-0 and the year before 40-13. They have some great talent passing through the school just now but the gulf is still evident. And, tradition runs deep along the Susquehanna in the communities of Middletown, Steelton and Highspire that border each other, handed a football the moment they can walk. That’s not meant to take anything from Scranton Prep, the four-time defending district champions who are 38-4 under four year coach Terry Gallagher. About the game; BASD Stadium is becoming something of a home field for both, meeting there for the third straight year. More of a home to the Raiders who scored the first 28 points of the game with Jose Lopez rushing for 224 yards on 22 attempts and scoring 2 touchdowns. They showed the big play with 59 and 80 yard touchdown runs by Lopez and a 60 yard run by Richie Sykes who finished with 68 yards on 5 carries. Qb Scott Ash completed 6 of 14 passes for 134 yards. Prep’s big gun Leo O’Boyle (6-7, 210, sr, 2416 career pass yards) completed 22 of 39 passes for 323 yards. He’ll be playing at Lafayette. He was all they had with the Raider D allowing 44 yards rushing, outdistancing them 418 to 267 in total yards. Their opponent Aliquippa is an old stand-by in the postseason, making their 7th title game appearance (first since 2015) after defeating Sharon. The Quips had to survive a fumbled opening kickoff, a subsequent fumble, the suspension of their leading rusher Avante MacKenzie and an early Sharon score to pull this one out. But they recovered, scoring on five consecutive possessions to rout the Tigers 41-7. MacKenzie’s status is uncertain but with the pile of athletes they have, it may not matter. Senior Xavier Harvey who had 13 carries coming into the game more than adequately replaced MacKenzie, rushing for 142 yards on 14 carries, helping the Quips to a 20-7 1st quarter lead. Wide receiver M.J. Devonshire moved to the backfield where he had 120 yards on 12 carries and 3 touchdowns. Qb Eli Kosanovich balanced the attack out, completing 11 of 13 passes for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is a force to reckon with, completing 64% for 3019 yards! His Td/Pick ratio is 38 to 4, throwing mostly to William Gipson with 1631 yards on 58 receptions. They have some weapons! Their defense was unyielding, holding Sharon to 34 yards rushing. Qb Lane Voytik came in with 2624 yards, but left in a heap, completing 5 of 22 for 98 yards, throwing 3 interceptions. Their lead back Jordan Wilson came in with 1893 rush yards, leaving with 12 more. For the 3rd straight year Middletown will be playing a District-7, 3A Beaver Valley Conference team. That’s bad news for Middletown who has had little success against them, losing in the final last year to Quaker Valley (14-1) 41-24 and the year before to Beaver Falls (13-1) 30-13. Both QV’s and BF’s only losses those years came against Aliquippa who finally got here with what looks like one of their very best teams. They resemble Farrell in the size of their offense scoring 48ppg with a defense allowing 7ppg that has 6 shutouts, holding 9 teams to a touchdown or less.
2A Final; Southern Columbia 15-0 vs Wilmington 13-1….19.69 Southern Columbia
Southern Columbia continued their quest to secure a 9th state title and 2nd straight with a dominating 42-7 win against West Catholic (12-3). The Tigers won gold in 1994, 2002 through 2006 and again in 2015 and 2017. Their run from 1998 through 2006 is unparalleled, appearing in 9 straight title games, winning silver from 1998 to 2001 and gold thereon. Other silver medals came in 1995, 1996, 2011 and 2016, for a total of 16 finals appearances and 8 state titles. Their trip to Chocolate Town went through West Catholic last week who like 15 other opponents, had no answers to the multi-faceted Tiger attack. Defensively, they were dominant, holding the Burrs to minus 7 yards rushing. Tre Johnson, in for the injured Zaire Hart-Hawkins, was then their only option, passing for 192 yards and a 62 yard scoring strike to Seth Degree in the 3rd quarter. 7 running backs had 35 carries for Southern with Gaige Garcia getting 22 for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Because the ground game motoring for 295 yards, Stone Hollenbach only threw 12 passes, completing 6 for 70 yards. The 6 completions netted 3 touchdowns, 2 to Julian Fleming (5/58) and one to Preston Zachman. The win sets up a rematch with Wilmington who they defeated in last year’s final 48-0. The Greyhounds got here after routing a well-regarded Steel Valley team 26-6. Scores don’t always tell the story with the Ironmen held to 11 total yards of offense. 11! Steel Valley’s Kam Williams was held to 17 yards on 10 carries after coming into the game with 1809. Todd Hill was also stuffed, coming in with 1618 yards, but held to 16 yards on 7 carries! They were zero for 5 passing and made 2 first downs. Wilmington ran for 239 yards, with Cameron Marett getting 148 on 28 carries. The Hounds disdain the pass as much as Steel Valley, completing 3 of 5 for 36 yards. That should box them into a tight corner against Southern Columbia who will shut down a one dimensional team. With no passing attack going against a prolific scoring machine like Southern’s, Wilmington won’t be able to keep up.
1A Final; Lackawanna Trail 14-1 (D-2) vs Farrell 14-0 (D-10)….37.04 Farrell
Lackawanna Trail or “Trail” as they refer to themselves got past the Hornets of Juniata Valley (11-3) in a good one. While it was a tight affair with JV’s standout quarterback Quinn Zinobile completing 8 of 16 passes for 160 yards and rushing for 2 scores and 105 yards, it’s still about running the football where Trail ran it 60 times for 260 yards. The 4 headed backfield that is Ray Melnikoff, Jeff Resto, Cody Moyle and Qb Nate Rolka rushed for 154, 80, 62 and 60 yards respectively. It was a special year for JV’s Qb Zinobile who finishes 1594 passing yards and 1138 rushing. LT’s defense really did a number in the second half, holding on to a 17-14 lead by shutting out Juniata Valley for the 24-14 win. Their ground game controlled the clock with a 74-44 advantage in plays to out gain JV on the ground 260 yards to 128. This is their first ever appearance in the state final where they’ll play the undefeated western historic powerhouse Farrell. Last week Farrell made a very good Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-2) look bad, beating them 41-10. OLSH came into the playoffs red hot, having defeated powerful Clairton 27-7 and Rochester 28-6, but were no match for the Steelers who sacked their outstanding quarterback Tyler Bradley 6 times. Bradley ended the season with 3352 yards passing and 8450 career passing yards. Apart from their defense, Farrell has weapons all over the field, particularly running back Christian Lewis who tapped OLSH for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns, taking his season total to 2227 yards. Quarterback Kyi Wright (1591 pass yards) isn’t bad either. He’s their 6-3, 240 pound signal caller and linebacker who will play at Pitt. He rushed for 84 yards on 14 attempts last week. Farrell embodies old school western Pennsylvania football at its best, meaning they line up and pound you. So its power running football behind a line that averages 6-3, 290 pounds at 278, 282, 283, 295 and 310. The lineman are not a collection of wild body jelly bellies. They ran it 52 times against OLSH for 346 yards, on occasion putting Kobe Hilton 6-4 283 or Melvin Hobson at 6-3 295 in the backfield for 2-pt conversions and other short yardage situations. While the offense is explosive scoring 660 points or 47 a game, the defense is lightening quick, getting 4 shutouts while holding 11 opponents to a touchdown or less. They allow 7ppg! And they’re a playoff staple, losing in the final to Bishop Guilfoyle in 2015, to Clairton in the 2016 semifinal and to Jeannette last year in the semifinal for a 49-9 won-loss over that period. They’ve won state titles in 1995 and 1996 with runner up Silver medals in 1990 and 2015. As a one dimension team, Trail looks to be in trouble here against a team that has the talent, size and speed to take on many of the 5A and 6A programs across the state.
