Narrative
After becoming the first school to win multiple 4A titles, the Bucks were looking to make history again as the first repeat champion. Despite graduating state player of the year Dave Armstrong, the Bucks were ranked #2 in the state in the preseason behind perennial District 3 power Cumberland Valley.
Expectations were lofty in Doylestown, particularly due to what Pettine described as a “once in a lifetime” offensive line. Leading the way was returning All State guard Ben Carber, a 6’4 310 pounder who committed to Virginia shortly before the opening of camp. Replacing graduated all state center Matt Volitis would be 6’5 285 pound Chris Havener, who was the swing lineman on the ‘97 team. Lining up next to Carber on the left side would be Joe Wilson, who put on 30 pounds in the offseason and had a scholarship offer from Miami. Wilson’s twin brother Jon would move from guard to tight end, giving the Bucks a massive left side of their offensive line. Wilson’s move opened up reps at guard for 255 pound Jon Tor, and budding star junior Rob Bowser at right tackle. And while Armstrong was in camp at Ann Arbor, junior Dustin Picciotti, who had an excellent sophomore season at defensive end, was the heir apparent at fullback. Their regular season schedule was highlighted by Pettine vs. Pettine II, when CB West would take on North Penn, the preseason #6 team in Pennsylvania.
CB West outscored their opponents 155-14 in the first three weeks of the season, setting up an early season showdown with Norristown. Mike Pettine came in to the game with 299 career victories, and had a shot to join George Curry as the only coaches in Pennsylvania history with 300 wins. CB West got on the board early, with a 30 yard scramble by Mike Orihel and a 34 yard run by Dustin Picciotti to put the Bucks up 14-0. However, Norristown quarterback Kris Blake kept his squad in the game, throwing for 225 yards, and the Eagles cut the Bucks’ lead to 8 with five minutes to play. But CB West closed the game out with an 8 play, 83 yard TD drive ending with Picciotti’s second touchdown of the day. Picciotti finished with 184 yards on 19 carries and a pair of scores to clinch his coach’s 300th career win.
Two weeks later came Pettine vs. Pettine II. North Penn moved up to #4 in the state and both squad came in undefeated. It absolutely poured, limiting both teams offensively. North Penn struck first when Picciotti fumbled at the 32 and sophomore linebacker Dan Chang ran it back 68 yards the other way for a touchdown. The Bucks answered with a typical, 15 play 66 yard touchdown drive with Picciotti scoring from six yards out. In the third quarter, North Penn put the Bucks in major trouble when on a 4th and 4 from the 17, they ran a halfback option pass with Hikee Johnson throwing a touchdown to put the Knights up 12-7. The rest of game was North Penn trying to hang on as the Bucks leaned on them with their offensive line. Picciotti carried on 21 of 26 plays in the second half, and finished the game with a 3 yard TD with 2:46 left which allowed the Bucks to escape. He finished with 142 yards and 2 TDs in the 13-12 victory.
CB West would face their last challenge of the regular season in week 9 against Council Rock. The Bucks were up 14-3 at halftime, but were sluggish in the third quarter, gaining only 12 of offense and giving up a TD and two point conversion to cut their lead to 14-11. With Council Rock driving to take a lead in the fourth, linebacker Bryan Buckley forced a fumble, then scored on the ensuing drive to give CB West a 21-11 lead and seemingly clinch the game. Council Rock went backwards on their last drive, losing 7 yards on the first two snaps and backing them up to their own 14. But on 3rd and 17, the CB West corner fell down, and Council Rock connected on an 86 yard touchdown pass to make it 21:17 with 2:11 left. Council Rock then recovered the onside kick, and had the ball with a chance to win in the final two minutes. But the Bucks were able to survive when Damien Smith intercepted a pass with 1:29 left and CB West could kneel out the clock.
Heading in to district playoffs, the Bucks were ranked #1 in the state, while 9-1 Norristown was ranked #4. Between the two were a pair of D3 powers, with undefeated Central Dauphin at #2, who moved up after beating preseason #1 Cumberland Valley during the regular season. The CV Eagles dropped one spot behind the Rams. Also in the eastern half was undefeated #5 Whitehall, and #10 Abington Heights out of District 2. Glen Mills was ranked #6 in the state, but did not qualify for District 1 playoffs. Out west, the highest ranked team was #7 Shaler, and there were no ranked teams from District 6, 8, or 10.
CB West drew fourth seeded North Penn in the opening round of District 1 playoffs. The Knights only regular season loss came to the Bucks, and after playing an instant classic in week 5, the second Pettine vs. Pettine matchup of the year was the most hyped playoff game in the state that weekend. Unlike the regular season, the Bucks enforced their will early. Tailback Dave Edwards and fullback Dustin Picciotti combined for 156 yards in the first half running behind their monstrous offensive line and the Bucks took a 16-0 lead into the break. They opened the second half with a 84 yard touchdown drive, then sophomore safety Phil DiGiacomo picked off a pass and returned it into the red zone, and the Bucks were up 29-0 midway through the third quarter. Picciotti finished with 135 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 29-0 win. In the other District 1 semi, Norristown thrashed Pennridge, with all state running back Troy Swittenberg running for 182 yards and a touchdown to dispatch the Rams and set up a rematch with CB West.
The Bucks opened the game with a three play scoring drive, enforcing their will on the offensive line and using Edwards and Picciotti to plow down the field. Norristown answered in the early second quarter with Swittenberg ripping off a 64 yard touchdown to even the score. But CB West would re-take control almost immediately, with Edwards answring with a 57 yard TD run of his own. After forcing a three and out, CB West would controll the ball for virtually the rest of the half, marching 76 yards in 10 plays, capped by a Picciotti TD to take a 21-7 lead in to teh break, plus they had the ball coming after halftime. But Picciotti fumbled near midfield, and Norristown returned it for a 53 yard TD and cut the lead to just 7. But as they so often did, CB West put the game in the hands of their big, physical offensive line, and strung together a 10 play touchdown drive, with every snap being a running play. CB West then snapped their necks when Swittenberg fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Bucks went up 35-14 after a short scoring drive to win their second consecutive D1 title. Picciotti ran for 163 yards and 4 touchdowns on 21 carries, while Edwards chipped in with 137 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
The Bucks were one of the only favorites to survive in a chaotic weekend in 4A football. In District 3, the second ranked and undefeated Central Dauphin Rams, lost a a rematch to #3 Cumberland Valley. Central Dauphin defeated the Eagles during the regular season, but after averaging 44 points a game, they were held to 10 in the D3 final, and Cumberland Valley used special teams and a turnover to set up scores in a 14-10 win. Up in District 11, #5 and undefeated Whitehall would lose in even more shocking fashion, getting absolutely walloped by Parkland, 42-7 in a reversal of their regular season match up. Out in the WPIAL, none of the semi-finalists had less than two losses, with 9-3 New Castle and 10-2 North Allegheny advancing to finals. District 10 champion Erie Cathedral Prep had seven sophomore starters, and began the season 2-4, while State College was the lone true favorite to take care of business, coming out of District 6 at 9-1.
CB West’s first round opponent would be District 2 champion Abington Heights. Although listed at 11-1 coming in to the state quarterfinals, the Comets had not suffered defeat on the field, but rather had to forfeit a 30-0 win over Wyoming Valley West for using an academically ineligible player. They would defeat WVW 28-16 in the District 2 championship game, no ineligible players to be found, and snap the Spartan’s streak of three straight years winning D2.
While the final score of the state quarterfinal was 37-10, Mike Pettine was less than pleased. After the game, he fumed that he could not even convey his level of frustration, noting that he had “never had as good a football as this that wanted to kill itself with penalties” and noted that his club was “in a state of disarray”. The Bucks only mustered three first downs in the first half, but scored when Abington Heights could not handle a snap on a field goal and the desperation pass attempt was intercepted by Dave Camburn and returned 101 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, CB West could not move the ball with any consistency play-to-play, but scored on a 53 yards Dave Edwards touchdown run, an 83 yard punt return by Sean-Michael Yonson, and a 40 yards halfback option pass from Phil DiGiacomo to Yonson. So despite only earning eight first downs, the Bucks nearly scored 40 points in the quarterfinal win.
Meanwhile, the postseason of upsets continued. Out west, four loss Erie Cathedral Prep beat State College in overtime and the WPIAL Cinderella New Castle continued their improbable run with a win over North Allegheny. But neither result was as shocking as Parkland crushing Cumberland Valley in the other eastern quarterfinal. The Eagles had spent the entire year in the top three in the state and were seen as the biggest challenger to CB West’s throne. But the junior laden Trojans amassed nearly 500 yards of total offense, including 210 rushing yards from fullback Sean Blelier, and held the powerful CV Wing-T to 34 yards in a 31-14 win.
Parkland was supposed to be a year away, with nearly all their impact players as first year varsity starters. But the Trojans came alive in they playoffs after an 8-2 regular season, scoring 170 in three wins. Bleiler, a junior, was the star of the show, with 1,861 rushing yards 27 TDs heading in to the tilt with CB West, but they also had a credible passing game, with star sophomore wide receiver Tim Massaquoi catching 40 passes for 781 yards and 12 TDs. With the chaos in the west, the eastern final was looking like the place where the state cham would be decided.
The Bucks were as sharp against Parkland as they were flat against Abington Heights. Dave Edwards set the tone right away, returning the opening kickoff 70 yards inside the Parkland 25, setting up a Picciotti score. After a Parkland three-and-out, Sean-Michael Yonson returned the punt 45 yards inside the red zone, and Picciotti rumbled into the end zone for his second score in two possessions. Edwards opened the second quarter by dashing 61 yards on a draw play, and it was 21-0 before Parkland could breathe. The Trojans did open the second half with a Bucks-esque 16 play, 75 yard TD drive, but Picciotti ended any hopes of a Parkland comeback when he rumbled 20 yards for a touchdown to answer, and nobody was climbing out of a 28-7 hole against the Bucks. The game would finish 34-7, with Picciotti running for 126 yards and three scores, while Edwards tacked on 98 yards. After the game, Pettine quipped that “when we’re not killing ourselves, we’re really tough to stop.”
Out west, New Castle became the seventh different WPIAL program to make a state final when Joe Rosati scored a 22 yard touchdown on a shuffle pass with four minutes left to beat Erie Cathedral Pre 27-25 and thwart a monster effort by do-everything junior Demond Sanders (who would go by Bob during as an All American at Iowa and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Indianapolis Colts). The last second win continued a trend for the Red Hurricanes, who won their three playoff games by a combined 12 points.
New Castle had been one of the dominant WPIAL programs in the 1960s and ‘70s, and were led by alum Gary Schooley, attempting to return the school to their former glory. After a 4-6 year in 1997, the Red Hurricanes were an afterthought headed in to the 1998 season. Frankly, they were an afterthought heading in to the WPIAL playoffs after finishing third in their division with a 6-3 regular season. But they gutted out come-from-behind victories agianst Woodland Hills, North Allegheny to win their first WPIAL title since 1973 before the thriller with Erie Cathedral Prep to earn their way to state finals. They did present a tremendous amount of team speed in the always pesky Wing-T, but no real star. However, four ballcarriers had between 430 and 630 yards, and quarterback Joe Cowart had thrown for 1,000 yards on the year. But there would be no miracle in Hershey.
The headlines from around the state pretty much said it all.
“CB West Shows No Mercy in 4A Final.”
“CB West Rips New Castle”
“CB West Crushed New Castle”
“New Castle Helpless vs. Bucks Picciotti”
“Central Bucks Cruises to AAAA Title”
“CB West Demolishes New Castle”
“CB West Dominate”
The Bucks extended their winning streak to 30 games and were the first team to win back-to-back state titles in 4A. The Bucks took the opening kickoff and drove 72 yrards in 11 plays, with Dustin Picciotti scoring on a one yard TD run. Picciotti wasted little time finding the end zone a second time, taking a pitch with Carber pulling in front of him and clearing the way for an 86 yard touchdown on CB West’s next offensive play. The bull would score two more times in the first half, plus Dave Edwards added his own 70 yard touchdown run to trigger the mercy rule at halftime. Picciotti would touch the ball for the final time on the third play of the third quarter, scoring his record fifth touchdown of the championship game with a 42 yard jaunt. He would finish with an all class state finals record of 236 yards on just 18 carries. The 86 yard run was also the longest TD run in 4A finals history. The Bucks scored on every possession but one, when the clock ran out at the end of the first half. They piled up 535 yards of offense, 492 of them on the ground. The final score was 56-7 and the game was frankly never really that close.
The Bucks would close the year ranked #8 nationally by the USA Today. Dustin Picciotti would finish as the runner-up to Perry’s Rod Rutherford for AP Player of the Year honors. CB West tied the 1995 Penn Hills record with five All State picks, with Picciotti and Ben Carber earning first team honors (Carber’s second straight first team selection), left tackle Joe Wilson and linebacker Bryan Buckley garnering second team honors and linebacker/safety Greg Kinzel on the third team. Picciotti finished the year with 1,969 yards and 40 touchdowns, breaking Dave Armstrong’s single season touchdown record and finishing just 11 yards shy of his yardage record. Pettine won the AP Coach of the Year for the third time in the history of the award, joining Berwick’s George Curry as the only three-time winners.
Picciotti returned for a huge senior season, leading CB West to a third straight state title and earning AP Player of the Year honors. Ben Carber would go on to the University of Virginia, where he was a part-time starter at guard. Joe Wilson would spurn a number of I-A suitors, including Miami (FL) and Boston College to attend college with his twin brother Jon. The Wilson’s would up at I-AA power Richmond, where Joe was a three-time All Conference tackle who earned All American honors as a senior, and Jon was a three year starter at center. They blocked for Dave Edwards, who was a third down back and kick returner for the Spiders. Chris Havener was a three-year starter at tackle for Princeton. Bryan Buckley spent a year in prep school before joining former teammates Greg Ward and Corey Potter at UMass. Head coach Mike Pettine was very open about being near the end of his coaching career after the 1998 season. After winning with relative underdogs in ‘97, the expectations on the ‘98 squad were taxing for the team and Pettine all year. He had retired from teaching, and there was not a lot left for the 58 year old legend to accomplish. But Pettine would ultimately decide to return for the 1999 season, which the Bucks would enter on a 30 game winning streak and as the two-time defending 4A champions.
