Narrative
Penn Hills was probably a year away. The Indians opened 1995 outside of the top 10 in Pennsylvania, though a young team with promise. The WPIAL favorites were Upper St. Clair, ranked #1 in the state after six WPIAL championship appearances in the last seven years, and #3 North Allegheny. Returning champ McKeesport also had key pieces back. Penn Hills was one of a group of teams that could contend if all the pieces fell into place.
Penn Hills did have a distinguishing feature. The mid 1990s was slightly before the era of 300 pound high school players becoming routine. The NFL was just really getting into the norm of 300 pounders along the offensive and defensive lines. While a few teams around the state had one player tipping the scales above 299, Penn Hills had a pair of 300+ pound lineman who were both Division I prospects. Demond Gibson and Mike White were terrors. The two had started since they were sophomores on both sides of the ball, and gave Penn Hills a size and athleticism advantage against any offensive or defensive front they’d face. The rest of the state was keenly aware of White and Gibson as difference makers for the Indians heading in to 1995.
What the rest of the state was not aware of was that Penn Hills had the best junior class in Pennsylvania. Linebacker Ron Graham had started as a sophomore and shown flashes, but running backs/defensive backs Victor Strader and DeWayne Thompson, defensive end/tight end BJ Dinatale, corners Nick Brown and Damion Germany, and quarterback Len Gilmer all had played JV football in 10th grade and were about to cut their teeth on the varsity level. With White and Gibson, these juniors would form the backbone of a state champion.
Penn Hills started the season 4-0, and it became quickly apparent that Thompson and Strader were going to be a handful running the football. With Gibson, White, and left tackle Kevin McCoy dominating opponents up front, Thompson and Strader were often 4 and 5 yards upfield before encountering a defender. Week 5 brought rival Plum to town. The Mustangs frustrated Penn Hills for the entire game, using a 44 yard touchdown pass and a 75 yard touchdown pass on back-to-back offensive snaps to take a 14-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, DeWayne Thompson ripped of a 57 yard touchdown, then Strader popped off a 70 yard touchdown to put Penn Hills up 7 in the fourth quarter. However, Plum was able to move the ball then pin Penn Hills deep in their own territory. As Penn Hills was trying to run out the clock, Thompson fumbled in the end zone, recovered by Plum to tie the game at 21. In overtime, Plum punched the ball in on third and goal, but Strader scored on the first play to re-tie the game. In the second OT, Strader scored again on 2nd and goal, then Plum was unable to answer the touchdown, and Penn Hills snuck away with a 35-28 double overtime win.
The following week, Penn Hills met the defending state champion McKeesport Tigers. After the near upset with Plum, the Indians were not playing around in their crack at the champs. They went up 21-0 in the first half, then DeWayne Thompson returned the second half kick 88 yards for a touchdown and the route was on. McKeesport only mustered 145 yards of offense, while Penn Hills ran for 249 yards in snapping the Tigers 19 game WPIAL winning streak. Victor Strader ran for 138 yards and a touchdown, while Thompson scored three times.
Penn Hills rolled through the rest of the regular season and entered the WPIAL playoffs 10-0 and ranked first in the state. The Tigers were the lone undefeated team in District 7, with preseason favorite Upper St. Clair dropping a week 2 contest to North Allegheny. North Allegheny was #1 in the state from week 2 through week 8, but dropped two in a row in the final two weeks of the season to miss the playoffs entirely.
The first two rounds of the WPIAL playoffs allowed Penn Hills to flex their muscle. They opened with a 35-6 pounding of Norwin, where they ran for 350 yards - 163 from Thompson and 94 from Strader, putting both over the 1,100 yard mark for the season. The following week, the Penn Hills defense completely neutralized WPIAL Player of the Year Tony Zimmerman, who threw for 2,800 yards in the PT run-and-shoot offense. But Zimmerman was just 13-32 and the Penn Trafford offensive managed just 13 points. Meanwhile, Penn Hills abused Penn-Trafford up front, and the Indians ran for 383 yards (141 from Strader and 174 and four touchdowns for Thompson) in the 42-13 rout.
Penn Hills was in the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1978 (where they won their third straight title). They would have to go through Upper St. Clair, who at this point had taken up residency at Three Rivers Stadium. USC was in their fifth straight WPIAL final and their seventh in the last eight years. They were led by future Virginia Tech running back Cullen Hawkins, who had over 1,600 yards headed into the WPIAL finals. Upper St. Clair had bottled up Lavar Arrington in their first round match up (44 yards) and blew out Seneca Valley in the semi. The Panthers were in the midst of a ten game winning streak since the week 2 loss to North Allegheny. They had moved all the way up to #3 in the state rankings, making the WPIAL title game the marquee game of the week.
Penn Hills raced out to an early lead that looked like a knockout punch. Victor Strader and DeWayne Thompson shredded the Panther defense, combining for 177 yards in the first half and each scored a touchdown. Linebacker BJ Dinatale capped the first half scoring by returning an interceptions 55 yards for a score to give Penn Hills a commanding 20-0 lead. However, USC sophomore quarterback Mac McArdle led a 68 yard touchdown drive to get Upper St. Clair on the board in the third quarter. After forcing a three-and-out, Hawkins returned the punt inside the Penn Hills 20, then took advantage of the short field with a two yard TD run to cut the lead to 20-13. Penn Hills moved the ball out past midfield, but could not ice the game, and McArdle got Upper St. Clair on the move again. The Panthers drove from their own nine inside the Penn Hills 20, but Gibson stripped the ball away from Hawkins to end the threat. On a final desperation drive, Upper St. Clair crossed midfield, but Strader picked off a McArdle pass and returned it inside the 10, and Penn Hills was able to kneel out the clock for a WPIAL title. Thompson finished with 169 yards rushing, while Strader chipped in 109 and the interception. The Indians were the first team all year to hold Hawkins under 100 yards rushing.
Elsewhere in the state, #5 East Stroudsburg had one of the most fascinating seasons of the state playoff era. The Cavaliers had opted out during the four team era, but were participating in the District 11 tournament for the first time. East Stoudsburg was led by junior running back James Mungro, who set state records with 3,089 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns in 1995. East Stroudsburg went undefeated and beat archrival Stroudsburg in the D11 title game. However, they were slated to play Stroudsburg on Thanksgiving as well, two days before taking on Plymouth-Whitemarsh, the District 1 champion (who beat #4 CB West in the D1 final). Pennsylvania initially told East Stroudsburg they had to choose between Thanksgiving and the state playoffs, but the school district was able to successfully sue the state to be allowed to play both games (a decision handed down days before Thanksgiving). East Stroudsburg beat Stroudsburg for a second time in six days, before falling to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 24-13.
In District 3, returning champion Cumberland Valley was ranked #7 in the state, but left out of the playoffs due to losing a tiebreaker with Cedar Crest. However, there was a clerical error calculating their opponents records (the tiebreaker) that was caught too late and CV did not get to defend their title. The vacuum was filled by surprise champion Lower Dauphin. In the northwest, #6 Erie McDowell blew away D8 champ Schenley and D6 champ Hollidaysburg for a semifinal date with Penn Hills. For the season, Erie McDowell had outscored their opponents 396-80 and had not played a game within two touchdowns all season.
The semifinal would also not be within two touchdowns. Erie McDowell only crossed midfield once, gaining 34 yards of total offense (including negative 1 yard rushing). The Penn Hills defense had six sacks and forced four turnovers. Victor Strader was the star for the Indians, running for 128 yards on 16 carries, scoring three touchdowns, and blocking a punt in the 28-0 thrashing. In the other semifinal, Lower Dauphin continued their Cinderella season with a win over Plymouth-Whitemarsh to set up a D7 vs. D3 state final.
Penn Hills opened the state final with a 5 play, 58 yard drive, capped by a Thompson TD. But Lower Dauphin returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to state in the game early. Penn Hills engineered a 9 minute, 19 play drive after the kickoff return, but Len Gilmer threw a pick in the end zone to end the threat. But after forcing a three and out, Penn Hills got the ball right back and scored after a 13 play drive ending with a Victor Strader touchdown with 33 seconds left in the first half. Rather than kneel out the clock, Lower Dauphin ran a trick play, throwing a bounce pass across the width of the field, which Brian Broadwater threw down the field for a touchdown with 10 seconds remaning. Penn Hills ran 42 of the 49 plays in the first half, but somehow was tied 14-14 at intermission.
In the second half, Penn Hills offensive line leaned on Lower Dauphin until they broke. They opened the second half with yet another long drive, capped by a 21 yard touchdown by Strader on 3rd and 14. On the following possession, Thompson stepped in front of a pass and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown to blow the game open. Thompson tacked on a final TD in the fourth quarter to ice the 35-14 victory. Penn Hills outrushed Lower Dauphin 307-39 for the game, and the Falcons only had 117 yards of offense. Thompson ran for 133 yards and four touchdowns, while Strader led all ballcarriers with 143 yards. The effort in finals put both backs over 1,600 yards for the season, the first time in PIAA history that two backs clear the 1,600 yard mark.
Penn Hills finished the season ranked #6 in the country by the USA Today, jumping 3A champion Berwick in the final national poll after the dominant effort in finals. Immediately, all talk turned to whether Penn Hills would repeat - a feat not yet achieved in 4A. Mike White earned first team All State honors on the offensive line, while Demond Gibson (defensive tackle) and Ron Graham (linebacker) earned first team honors on defense. Strader was named to the second team as a defensive back, while Thompson earned third team honors at running back. Head coach Neil Gordon earned AP Coach of the Year honors in guiding the young Indian squad to a state title. The five players named to All State teams tied a record for champions.
Penn Hills entered the 1996 season as the overwhelming favorite to repeat, and the #1 team in the country according to the USA Today. Ron Graham was all over recruiting rankings, he and childhood friend Lavar Arrington were the top two rated linebackers in the country heading in to 1996. Penn Hills blew through their schedule, winning by an average of three touchdowns and stretching their winning streak to 28 games. They retained their #1 ranking in the state and the country until their opening WPIAL playoff game, where they met Plum. Like in 1995, the Mustangs gave Penn Hills fits and shocked the Indians, 14-12, to end their season and repeat bid.
Demond Gibson signed with Pitt, where he started as a true freshman at defensive tackle. He set a Pitt record with 48 straight starts, and was All Big East as a senior. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints, and played a season in the NFL followed by a year in the CFL. After his professional career, he came back to Penn Hills as their defensive line coach and defensive coordinator, where he mentored future NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. Fellow lineman Mike White also ended up at Pitt, though he started his career at IUP before transferring up to play for the Panthers. He and Gibson started alongside of each other in their final two years. White is currently the offensive line coach at Penn Hills. Ron Graham was a Parade All American as a senior and one of the top linebacker recruits in the country. He signed with Penn State, to form the WPIAL dream lineup of linebackers with Lavar Arrington and Brandon Short. Though not a star like Arrington and Short, Graham was a four year letterwinner and multi-year starter for the Nittany Lions. Victor Strader would earn first team All State honors again as a senior, then joined White and Gibson at Pitt. However, he transferred to Slippery Rock after one season, and was a three year starter at safety. DeWayne Thompson went to Rutgers, where he was an All Big East kick returner and defensive back for the Scarlet Knights. Kevin McCoy and Damion Germany were teammates at IUP on squads that made four consecutive NCAA DIvision II tournaments and were ranked as high as #2 nationally. Gibson, Graham, Strader, Thompson, and McCoy are all in the Penn Hills hall of fame. Head coach Neil Gordon finished his Penn Hills career with a 156-74-2 record and five conference titles. Gordon coached the Indians until 2008, when the school board decided not to renew his contact.
