Narrative
Before the state playoffs, Erie Cathedral Prep was one of the great unknowns in Pennsylvania high school football. They hired Mina George in 1980, and after ups and downs in the ‘60s and ‘70s, emerged as a consistently excellent program - undefeated in 1982, 21-3 in 1986-87, and six Erie city championships in eight years. But the criticism was always the same, “who did they play?” The Ramblers beat up on the Erie public schools and due to geography, tried to schedule quality teams from New York and Ohio, but it was not the same as the grind in the WPIAL or the southeastern part of the state. So despite big win totals in the 1980s, they were very rarely in the mix for “mythical” state titles. That would change in 1988. After missing out in 1988 and 1989 (despite a combined 20-3-1 record) the Ramblers earned their first bid in 1990, where they would lose a #1 vs. #2 semifinal against eventual champ North Allegheny. In 1991, they advanced to the state final before falling to CB West. In 1992, they were upset in quarters by State College. However, the Mina George era would run out of steam, as the Ramblers went 12-18 in his final three years, before bottoming out under his replacement with records of 2-8 and 3-6 in 1996 and 1997.
To resurrect the program, the Ramblers turned to 29 year old Mike Mischler. His first act upon taking over before the 1998 season was to bring in former Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Moore as his defensive coordinator (Moore’s grandson was a student at Cathedral Prep). His second act was to completely revamp his roster - the freshman team went undefeated in ‘97, so he skipped almost all of those players over the JV level and brought them right to varsity. After a 2-4 start, ECP caught fire, advancing all the way to the western final. That group made it one step further in 1999, punching through to state finals before losing a 14-13 classic to CB West, covered in the 1999 edition of this series.
So in 2000, Erie Cathedral Prep was a solid favorite to make it back to Hershey and challenge the Bucks’s 45 game winning streak. Although they lost future NFL star Bob Sanders to graduation, the Ramblers were absolutely loaded. The sophomore class from 1998 were now seniors and superstars. Defensive lineman Charles Rush, linebacker Joe Dipre, and defensive back Ed Hinkel were All State selections in 1999 and amongst the top prospects in the senior class. Offensive/defensive linemen Matt Parsons and Dale Williams were both in their third year as starters and joined Rush as Division I prospects as up front. Hinkel was getting moved from wide receiver to quarterback (where he played on the freshman team) so that the Ramblers would snap the ball to their best athlete on every play. They also would feature elite speed - Hinkel, plus receivers/defensive backs Tim Dance, Josh Lustig, and Jason Easter finished third in the state in the 4x100 relay in 1999, and Dance was a finalist in the 100. The lone hiccup was junior running back Jawan Walker. A Sanders injury in ‘99 led to Walker getting feature back carries as a sophomore, and he responded with a 1,400 yard season. But that winter, Walker was expelled from Erie Cathedral Prep for an accumulation of demerits, and transferred to Erie Strong Vincent. He was allowed to re-apply to Cathedral Prep that spring and was accepted, but had to sit out the first five games of the season.
Still, very little could tamp down expectations. Over 1,500 fans showed up for a preseason scrimmage with North Allegheny. Street & Smith and the USA Today both had Erie Cathedral Prep ranked in the top 25 in the country. All state polls had the Ramblers ranked #1, with CB West slotted just behind at #2. All statewide pundits assumed that there would be a rematch of the instant classic 1999 state title game between the Ramblers and Bucks. The ECP regular season schedule only featured Altoona, an honorable mention squad in state preseason polls, before the playoffs.
The Ramblers opened the season with a 47-0 shellacking of Franklin Regional out of the WPIAl. Despite not having Jawan Walker, the Ramblers got a pair or rushing TDs from Dance, plus two TDs on the ground and one through the air from Hinkel. The Ramblers then would hit the New York portion of the schedule, outscoring Bishop Timon and St. Francis by a combined score of 83-21. Dance blew up against Timon, running for 217 yards and four touchdowns, while against St. Francis, Hinkel threw for two touchdowns, ran for a 51 yard TD, returned a punt for a TD, and had an interception - in the first quarter. The Ramblers would play out the rest of the Walker suspension by outscoring Erie Central and Central Mountain 122-7. The next week, with Walker back, the Ramblers struggled to a 19-10 halftime score before running away from Altoona for a 46-10 victory. The rest of the regular season was a formality, with huge wins over Hollidaysburg and Erie McDowell before throttling State College 61-28 with Dance running for 148 yards and 3 TDs and Hinkel setting a Cathedral Prep record with a 90 yard punt return for a TD.
Very little changed the consensus around Erie Cathedral Prep after a 10-0 regular season. They remained the top ranked team in the state, with #2 CB West still primed for a state final rematch. Woodland Hills, who barely lost to ECP in the ‘99 western final, was sitting at #3 as a potential western finalist. Downingtown, Pennridge, and CB East were ranked 4-6 and all were vying to knock off the Bucks and end the now 55 game winning streak. If they couldn’t one of #7 Parkland, #8 Bethlehem Catholic, or #9 Cumberland Valley would be waiting in state finals.
The Ramblers opened their state playoffs with a 62-10 over Erie McDowell. The following week, they would shut out Allderdice, 49-0, but lost Joe Dipre to an MCL injury. Meanwhile, out east, CB West torched #5 Pennridge 35-21 and set up a D1 final with #4 Downingtown. Parkland again would get upset by Easton, this time 42-14 after a 34-20 regular season victory, then the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks would rock and roll to a 65-0 win over the Red Rovers for their second straight state playoffs, where they’d meet D3 champion Cumberland Valley. In the WPIAL, Woodland Hills rolled their way to their second straight final, where they’d meet upstart Mount Lebanon. And the Ramblers would have a comfortable rematch in state quarters with Altoona, who they beat 45-10 during the season.
However, somebody forgot to tell Altoona that this game was already decided. The major difference the second time around was Altoona was healthy on the offensive line, and the Mountain Lions were intent on making the football game as short as possible. It also helped that there had been 28 inches of snow in Erie that weekend and wind chills were below zero for the game. Altoona ran the play clock under ten seconds for every snap of the game, ran the triple option almost exclusively, and tried to play keep away from the high powered Ramblers. This approach completely frustrated Erie Cathedral Prep, who only ran three plays in the third quarter. In the final two minutes, Altoona had a 7-6 lead and the football.
The Mountain Lions powered their way inside the Ramblers ten yard line with 1:56 to play. During a timeout, the ECP defensive staff decided to let Altoona score to give their offense the ball back with enough time to maybe score and keep their season alive. Altoona ran a quarterback sneak out of the huddle, but the ECP defense completely disengaged and Altoona’s quarterback stumbled forward nine yards for a touchdown. On TV replay, you can see the Cathedral Prep defenders clapping for Altoona playing into their hands. A missed extra point would keep the lead to 13-7.
Altoona squibbed the ensuing kickoff, which was picked up by speedster Tim Dance. There was no neatly designed blocking on the play, nor did he do anything particularly special. He scooped up the kick at the 25 and ran straight forward. He immediately broke a tackle, then started to get a head of steam. He ran through a tackle at the 35 then turned on the jets. Dance, a sprinter who won five state medals in his career, was not going to be caught. Erie Cathedral Prep made the extra point and tied the game at 13 with a minute and a half to go. Altoona was stuffed inside the five on the ensuing kickoff and the game went to overtime.
In the first OT, Altoona went full house backfield on three straight plays and powered into the end zone to take a 20-13 lead. On ECP’s first snap, Walker lost three yards on a toss play. On second down, Hinkel hit Lustig on a slant route inside the five. Hinkel had fullback Eric Field wide open on a third down rollout play, but the Altoona linebacker made a diving break up to put the Ramblers on the ropes. On fourth and the season, Cathedral Prep faked to Walker, and Hinkel made an incredibly risky throw to Lustig, who was well covered, but dragged his feet on the sideline in the end zone for a touchdown.
In the second overtime, the Ramblers wasted no time, running QB draw with Hinkel out of an empty backfield, and the senior captain danced in for ten yard TD. After Altoona picked up six yards on first down, a fullback dive went nowhere, and Charles Rush forced a bad throw on third down. On the final play of the game, Altoona short-hopped a slant pattern, and the Ramblers completed the improbable comeback with a 27-20 double overtime victory.
Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the state, CB West had no problem blowing past Downingtown, beating a team Altoona coach Phil Riccio said was “absolutely better” than Cathedral Prep after playing both during the season. Bucks quarterback Mike Orihel lit up the Whippets through the air, as CB West raced out to a 32-8 lead in their 39-14 win. The win pushed CB West ahead of Erie Cathedral Prep in state polls. It also set up a rematch with Bethlehem Catholic and the state’s leading passer, Mark Borda (2,755 yards), and electric tailback Eddie Scipio who ran for 248 yards in a 43-28 win over D3 champ Cumberland Valley. Out west, Woodland Hills was shocked by Mount Lebanon. The Wolverines, ranked #3 in the state for most of the year, trailed 14-0 with six minutes left, but used a 60 yard TD run by quarterback Steve Breaston and a 57 yards pass from Breaston to Ryan Mundy to set a what looked like the tying touchdown. But the ball rolled to the holder on the extra point, and the Wolverines could not convert a desperation two point try, and Mount Lebanon held on for a 14-13 win. Running back Sam Matthews set a WPIAL championship game record with 176 rushing yards running behind the massive Mount Lebanon line, which featured Division I recruits Chris Hathy (Boston College) and Joel Yakovac (Cincinnati).
Mount Lebanon presented a real challenge for Erie Cathedral Prep. Matthews came into the game with 1,459 yards and 24 TDs and Mount Lebanon was just as big and athletic up front as ECP. And the opening drive looked like it would be a repeat of the Altoona game. Mount Lebanon ran the ball down to the ECP 10, but the Ramblers stepped up and dropped quarterback Kevin Weidl for a 7 yard loss on third down, and they missed the ensuing field goal. Cathedral Prep immediately went on the move, getting a 46 yard completion from Hinkel to Dance to down to the 28, then Walker burst in on the next play to take a 7-0 lead. To start the second quarter, Cathedral Prep took over at midfield after a short punt and Hinkel ran a draw play for a 32 yard TD two snaps later. A Matthews punt return TD cut the lead to 13-7 and Mount Lebanon looked competitive for a brief moment, but Hinkel hit Lustig for a 59 yard TD just before halftime to put the Ramblers up 20-7 at the break. The second half was more of the same, with ECP scoring on their first two drives of the half to take an insurmountable 33-7 lead. The final would be a 39-14 thrashing, with Hinkel throwing for 178 yards, and rushing for 73, while Walker led all ballcarriers with 160 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, longtime Mount Lebanon coach Chris Haering said that ECP was “the best high school football team I’ve ever seen.” The Ramblers were headed to state finals for the third time, and it would be their third date with CB West for a championship.
CB West took care of their end of the bargain with a 27-12 win over Bethlehem Catholic. After Becahi opened the game with an electric 40 yard TD run by Scipio, it was all Bucks. CB West grinded out three straight TD drives to take control. CB West finished with 240 yards rushing, including a game high 123 from All State fullback Phil DiGiacomo. This year’s Bucks did not have the star power that Picciotti presented, nor the overwhelming offensive line talent of the ‘98 group, but they were balanced and dangerous. Quarterback Mike Orihel had developed into a dangerous passer, and DiGiacomo and tailback Dave Camburn both ran for over 1,000 yards, behind an excellent offensive line led by All State picks Gene Rich and Jason Outten. Defensively, head coach Mike Carey said it was the “fastest defense of my career.” The Bucks came in to the state final ranked #8 in the country, while ECP had moved up to #5. And of course, CB West was on a state record 59 game winning streak, one that had been miraculously extended by Andy Elsing’s blocked punt in the waning moments of the 1999 championship game.
While the 1999 game was a slugfest, the 2000 iteration was a shootout. After trading punts to start the game, Hinkel threw an interception to Zach Ingram at the 25, and CB West converted a short field for a Phil DiGiacomo touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. Again, Erie Cathedral Prep went nowhere on its second drive. CB West got the ball back and the game began to feel like Altoona all over again. The Bucks were milking the clock and grinding forward, with DiGiacomo picking up three and five yard gains. But the Rambler defense began to win battles with the CB West o-line, specifically Charles Rush started making plays, and the drive stalled out at the Cathedral Prep 33. On the next snap, Jawan Walker hit a hole and was gone for a 67 yard touchdown. The Ramblers had only gained positive yardage on two plays, but at the end of the first quarter, the game was tied.
CB West would answer with another long touchdown drive, capped by DiGiacomo plowing in from one yard out. A missed extra point made the game 13-7. Erie Cathedral Prep had one drive left before halftime. After picking up a first down, but looking like the offense was stalling out, they ran a simple toss play to Walker. He broke one tackle as he got to the corner, then outraced the CB West secondary, high stepping through a diving tackle attempt before racing off for a 61 yard TD with less than a minute left in the first half. 14-13 Ramblers at the break.
The second half opened with CB West going on a stereotypical Bucks drive. Twelve plays, 56 yards, and burning 7:21 off of the clock in the third quarter, capped by a DiGiacomo 2 yard TD run. A two point conversion put the Bucks up 21-14 and seemingly in control of the game physically. However, in an encapsulation of the teams’ styles, after the long and methodical CB West drive, Tim Dance fielding the kickoff at the 10 yard line, made one move, and was gone. The 90 yard kick return TD was the longest in championship history, and in the blink of an eye, the game was tied again at 21. On the following drive, the CB West offense made their first real mistake. DiGiacomo was stripped by defensive end Eric Field while fighting for extra yards inside his own 40. Ed Hinkel called his own number and ripped off 24 yards on a QB draw, which set up a Jason Easter touchdown to give Erie Cathedral Prep their first lead of the day at 28-21 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth, both teams continued to trade touchdowns. DiGiacomo capped a long drive, with a five yard TD run, two plays after a 30 yard carry, his longest of the day. Erie Cathedral Prep put together their only real drive of the day with Field scoring from 14 yard out on a fullback counter. But CB West continued the game of horse going right back down the field and scoring, with DiGiacomo tying Dustin Picciotti’s championship game record with his fifth touchdown of the game with 5:19 to go. After the touchdown, Mike Carey considered going for two, but thought better of it and kicked an extra point to tie the game at 35. Each team would break serve in the final five minutes, and these two rivals were headed for free football to decide the state title.
The Bucks took the field on offense first. Dipre dragged down DIGiacomo on first down, then Dale Williams and Charles Rush blew up the second down play with a tackle in the backfield. On third down, DiGiacomo threw the ball on a halfback option, but short-hopped his receiver in the end zone. CB West’s offense initially came out on the field, but Orihel called a timeout and they sent their field goal unit out for the first field goal attempt of the season. It showed. The snap was low, and Dale Williams got great pressure through the middle, and got a paw on the low attempt to block the field goal. The game stayed tied at 35 with the Ramblers getting a chance to win it in the first OT. Walker was stuffed on first down, but Jason Easter scamped inside the five on second down. On third and goal from the four, Walker took a simple iso handoff and scored from four yards out to give Erie Cathedral Prep their first state championship. The 41-35 victory snapped CB West’s winning streak at 59 games and was the first varsity loss for anybody in the Buck’s program. The big plays were huge, as Walker finished with 11 carries for 163 yards and three TDs. CB West ran for 215 yards, but needed 61 plays to do it. The time of possession was comical. with CB West having the ball for 33:38 compared to 14:22 for ECP. But the Rambler defense came up big in key spots, and got a monster effort from Charles Rush, who had a career high with 18 tackles.
After the season, Erie Cathedral Prep was ranked #2 in the country by the USA Today. Charles Rush took home AP Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Pennsylvania. He was the first interior lineman to win the AP award since its inception in 1988. He also was a Parade All American and named a second team All American by USA Today. ESPN had him ranked as the #29 overall prospect in the senior class. He was joined on the AP All State team by fellow title game hero Dale Williams, a first team selection at offensive tackle, Joe Dipre, a first team pick at linebacker, and Ed Hinkel, who earned first team honors as the defensive athlete. Wideout Josh Lustig earned third team honors. The Ramblers averaged 47.6 points per game, the most of any Big School state champion. Hinkel, Walker, and Dance all had at least 900 yards rushing for one of the most potent offenses in state history. The 30 year old Mike Mischler would finish as runner up for AP Coach of the Year honors behind Strath Haven’s Kevin Clancy.
Rush would delight the Pennsylvania faithful when he signed with Penn State in February, choosing the Nittany Lions over Michigan and Notre Dame. Although he was recruited as a defensive tackle, he would move to the offensive side of the ball after his freshman year, where he would be a three year starter at offensive guard, and a member of the 2005 Orange Bowl champions. Ed Hinkel also went on to a stellar Big Ten career, where he joined Bob Sanders at Iowa. Hinkel was a two time captain for the Hawkeyes, and finished his career with 135 catches for 1,588 yards and 16 TDs, despite his senior year being cut short by a torn ACL. His Iowa team’s won Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004 and finished in the AP Top 10 both seasons. Dale Williams signed with Pitt on signing day and started at right tackle for the Panthers. He was joined on the Pitt roster by Joe Dipre, who flipped from Kentucky after the Wildcats were hit with NCAA sanctions, and Jawan Walker, who was an All State back in 2001 as a senior, then joined the Panthers. Dipre and Walker would have star crossed careers at Pitt however. Dipre missed a season with a PEDs suspension and never gained traction in the lineup, while Walker led Pitt in rushing as a sophomore, but was academically ineligible for the remainder of his career. Tackle Matt Parsons also played at Pitt after transferring from I-AA power UMass.
Also at the FCS level, Josh Lustig was a four year starter at William and Mary and earned the Tribe Athletic Department’s leadership award as a senior. He was a receivers coach at Richmond, Georgetown, and Davidson before joining civilian life. Tim Dance played receiver at Buffalo, and is now a model and actor in Hollywood. And Mike Mischler’s career was just beginning. He stayed on at Cathedral Prep until 2004, leaving briefly to coach at Iroquois High, then returned in 2009. He has won four more state titles, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018, plus a finals appearance in 2015. He earned state coach of the year honors in all four championship seasons. His career record stands at 185-42
