On a searing cold and wind-swept night where the consistent 15-20 mile-per-hour wind removed throwing the ball from the equation, Bishop McDevitt was forced to manufacture a victory to claim its 15th District 3 title 7-0 over Lampeter-Strasburg in the Class 4A championship Friday night.

KEYS TO VICTORY

This game literally came down to McDevitt’s defense getting gashed on the edge at times but producing critical big play after big play to keep the Pioneers out of the end zone. Twice in the fourth quarter alone the Crusaders came up with huge fumble recoveries inside their own 20 while clinging to that 7-0 lead they grabbed late in the third quarter. McDevitt also had another red-zone fumble recovery, this one in the second quarter, that kept it 0-0 at halftime.

The Crusaders’ offensive line and the running back tandem of Marquese Williams and Cyncir Bowers was pushed to the limits in how much of the load they could carry in a game where passing was nearly impossible because of the sometimes howling wind and rock hard football. Every throw past 5 yards was a risky adventure all night. Williams and Bowers combined for 204 yards on 31 carries, including Williams’ 30-yard scamper for the only touchdown late in the third quarter.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

The two quarterbacks, McDevitt’s Stone Saunders and Lampeter’s Berkeley Wagner, went a combined 9 of 24 for 75 yards with Saunders throwing the only interception in the first half when McDevitt faced third-and-goal from less than a yard. … Combined the Crusaders and Pioneers ran the ball 87 times for 360 yards. That’s only 4.1 yards per carry. Each defense was excellent all night. … McDevitt junior DT Riley Robell was a beast with three of the Crusaders’ five sacks and also had two tackles for loss and recovered a fumble. … Williams’ 30-yard touchdown run with 1:05 left in the third quarter was designed to go inside, but he saw an opening and cut outside, broke two tackles and sailed into the end zone. … McDevitt’s defense finished with five sacks, five tackles for loss and recovered three of the Pioneers’ five fumbles. McDevitt did not officially have a fumble, but three times the snap from center was off the mark and forced McDevitt to fall on the rock and live to fight another day. … Pioneers’ RB Giovanni Malatesta led all rushers with 135 yards on 25 carries. 

WHAT WE SAW

McDevitt had to learn the hard way after that interception from inside the 1-yard line that passing was not an option in such extreme conditions. It didn’t matter whether you were against or with the howling wind. Getting the ball to travel close to anything that resembled normal was almost impossible. That forced the Crusaders to be extremely limited and one dimensional offensively and hope the defense could ride out the storm against an offense much better equipped to have success in those conditions.

Even ahead 7-0 late in the third quarter, the way the Pioneers were moving the ball the second and third quarters it felt like the Crusaders would need a second touchdown to win this game. One was enough for an opportunistic defense that simply made more big plays than any other unit on the field. 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage (5 sacks and 5 TFLs) and three turnovers means the Crusaders’ high-powered offense was simply a spectator in the fourth quarter while the defense slammed the door shut.

THEY SAID IT

“It was a tough night for passing. We faced adversity, but we couldn’t get mad at ourselves. We just had to remain positive. We’re used to having high scoring games. It was a great team win.” — Bishop McDevitt RB Marquese Williams
“The defense has always been there. We’ve been stride for stride with the offense all season. The offense gets all that shine by putting all those points on the board. Tonight when we hit that battle, and the offense has to struggle to get their points, the defense shined and that’s what really showed tonight. The cream rises to the top. Tonight we faced the adversity and everybody realized what we had to do. ” – Bishop McDevitt DT Riley Robell

Lampeter-Strasburg             0-0-0-0 — 0 

Bishop McDevitt                   0-0-7-0 — 7 

Third quarter 

McD-Marquese Williams 30 run (Michael Chiha kick), 1:05 

Team statistics           LS                   McD 

First downs                 14                    11 

Rush-yards                  50-182             37-178 

Passing                        38                    37 

Comp-Att-Int              6-10-0             3-14-1 

Fumbles-lost               5-3                   0-0 

Punts-Avg.                  6-28                 7-31 

Penalties-yards            3-20                 1-15 

Individual statistics 

RUSHING: Lampeter-Strasburg, Giovanni Malatesta 25-135, Payton Cunningham 4-26, Berkeley Wagner 18-13, Beau Heyser 3-8; Bishop McDevitt, Marquese Williams 21-124, Cyncir Bowers 10-80, Team 3-(minus-10), Stone Saunders 3-(minus-16). 

PASSING: Lampeter-Strasburg, Berkeley Wagner 6-10-0–38; Bishop McDevitt, Stone Saunders 3-14-1–37.

RECEIVING: Lampeter-Strasburg, Giovanni Malatesta 3-36, Austin Cole 2-0, Dean Herr 1-2; Mario Easterly 2-21, Jeff Penn 1-16.

Five-star performance

State College grad Pete Haffner had a season-high 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack on Saturday.

It was a critical performance that led Lehigh University (2-8) to its second straight win, 23-9 over Georgetown. 

After missing five games midway through the season, Haffner has 21 tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the last three games. He’s got 32, 5.5 and two on the year.

In his career, Haffner now has 190 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

In on the action

Old Dominion tight end Zack Kuntz (Camp Hill) had five receptions for 38 yards in the Monarchs’ 30-16 win over Florida Atlantic, their third straight win. 

Andre White Jr. (Harrisburg) had four tackles in No. 11 Texas A&M’s 29-19 loss to No. 12 Ole Miss, which snapped a four-game win streak.

Donte Kent (Harrisburg) recorded seven tackles and a fumble recovery in Central Michigan’s second straight win, a 54-30 victory over Kent State. It’s the third game in the last four in which Kent had at least seven tackles.

Ronald Kent Jr. (Harrisburg) had six tackles in Western Carolina’s 56-35 loss to East Tennessee State.

Keaton Ellis (State College) had a pair of tackles in Penn State’s 21-17 loss to No. 9 Michigan.

Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro) tied for a game high with 11 tackles, including half a tackle for loss, in Villanova’s 33-14 win over Stony Brook.

Bryce Carter (Steel-High) had two tackles and half a TFL in James Madison’s 32-22 win over William & Mary. Carter has 36 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, six sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery this season. On the other side of the ball, Hershey grad Drew Painter had a 27-yard reception to give him four receptions for 57 yards this season. 

Christian Arrington (Cumberland Valley) had a tackle in Rhode Island’s 28-3 win over New Hampshire.

Grant Breneman (Cedar Cliff) returned to the field but did not record a pass in the third straight week (two games played), finishing with two carries for negative-4 yards in Colgate’s 20-13 win over Lafayette.

Cody Gustafson (Shippensburg) was held under 100 receiving yards for the second straight week, recording four catches for 46 yards as Grove City College won its first game in the last three 56-0 over Thiel.

PSAC performances

Shippensburg University (9-4) won its fourth straight, beating Mercyhurst 17-13 and awaits its NCAA Division II playoff fate later Sunday. Camp Hill product Bill Williams came 2 yards shy of 100 for the first time this season, finishing with 26 carries while adding two grabs for 12 yards. Lower Dauphin’s Evan Morrill had two receptions for 34 yards. Laron Woody (Middleton) had seven tackles, including half a TFL, on SU’s defense. And Cameron Tinner (Shippensburg High) had a takedown.

Jaheim Morris (Cedar Cliff) ended the season with 36 yards on eight carries, and Timmy Smith (Central Dauphin) had 2 yards on two touches as Millersville’s campaign ended with a sixth straight loss, 42-21 to Edinboro. Tim Kissinger (Cumberland Valley) made all three PATs.

Raunya Mitchell (Susquehanna Township) had a season-high five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and his third sack of the season in IUP’s 31-24 win over West Chester. On the other side, A.J. Perez (Central Dauphin) had a tackle for the Rams.

Kutztown (10-1) ran its win streak to nine and won the PSAC championship 38-32 over Slippery Rock. Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (Carlisle) played but did not record a catch.

Class 6A — Record — Previous rank 

1. Mount Lebanon (7)             — 12-0 — 1 

2. Harrisburg (3)                     — 12-1 — 2 

3. St. Joseph’s Prep (12)          — 9-2   — 3 

4. Garnet Valley (1)                 — 13-0 — 4 

5. Coatesville (1)                     — 12-1 — 6 

6. Bethlehem Freedom (11)   — 11-1 — NR 

7. McDowell (10)                    — 9-1 — 10 

8. Quakertown (1)                  — 12-1 — 7 

9. Wilson-West Lawn (3)        — 9-4 — 8 

10. Central York (3)                 — 10-1 — NR 

Honorable mention: La Salle College HS (12) 9-2, North Penn (1) 11-1, Pittsburgh C.C. (7) 9-3, Ridley (1) 11-2, State College (6) 7-5. 

Class 5A — Record — Previous rank 

1. Governor Mifflin (3)            — 10-0 — 1 

2. Imhotep Charter (12)          — 9-1   — 2 

3. Moon (7)                             — 12-0 — 3 

4. Cathedral Prep (10)            — 11-1 — 4 

5. West Chester Rustin (1)      — 11-1 — 5 

6. Penn-Trafford (7)                — 10-1 — 6 

7. Strath Haven (1)                  — 12-1 — 8 

8. Exeter Township (3)            — 9-3 — 10 

9. Cedar Cliff (3)                      — 10-3 — 9 

10. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1)– 10-2 — NR 

Honorable mention: Academy Park (1) 9-3, Manheim Central (3) 9-2, Shippensburg (3) 11-1, Spring Grove (3) 10-2, Unionville (1) 10-2. 

Class 4A — Record — Previous rank 

1. Jersey Shore (4)                  — 13-0 — 1 

2. Belle Vernon (7)                  — 10-0 — 2 

3. Bishop McDevitt (3)            — 10-1 — 3 

4. Aliquippa (7)                       — 10-1 — 4 

5. Lampeter-Strasburg (3)      — 11-1 — 5 

6. Valley View (2)                    — 12-1 — 7 

7. Thomas Jefferson (7)          — 8-3   — 6 

8. Bishop Shanahan (1)           — 10-3 — NR 

9. Meadville (10)                     — 9-3 — NR 

10. McKeesport (7)                 — 9-3 — 8 

Honorable mention: Allentown C.C. (11) 9-4, Berks Catholic (3) 7-5, Hampton (7) 11-1, Juniata (6) 10-3, North Pocono (2) 10-3, Northwestern Lehigh (11) 11-1. 

Class 3A — Record — Previous rank 

1. Central Valley (7)                — 12-0 — 1 

2. Wyomissing (3)                   — 13-0 — 2 

3. Scranton Prep (2)                — 11-0 — 3 

4. Central Martinsburg (6)      — 13-0 — 5 

5. Neumann-Goretti (12)        — 11-1 — 6 

6. North Catholic (7)               — 12-0 — 7 

7. Grove City (10)                    — 10-2 — NR 

8. Bedford (5)                          — 10-2 — 8 

9. Danville (4)                          — 8-4 — NR 

10. North Schuylkill (11)         — 11-2 — 4 

Honorable mention: Avonworth (7) 9-3, Boiling Springs (3) 11-2, Lakeland (2) 10-1, Slippery Rock (10) 7-2, Wyoming Area (2) 10-2. 

Class 2A — Record — Previous rank 

1. Farrell (10)                          — 10-0 — 1 

2. Southern Columbia (4)        — 12-1 — 2 

3. Richland Township (6)        — 11-2 — 5 

4. Beaver Falls (7)                   — 9-3 — 8 

5. Karns City (9)                       — 11-1 — 7 

6. Serra Catholic (7)                — 12-1 — NR 

7. Sto-Rox (7)                          — 12-1 — 3 

8. Northern Lehigh (11)          — 10-3 — NR 

9. Steel Valley (7)                    — 11-1 — 4 

10. York Catholic (3)               — 11-1 — 6 

Honorable mention: Laurel (7) 11-1, Mount Carmel (4) 10-3, West Catholic (12) 4-6,Westinghouse (8) 10-2, Windber (5) 10-1. 

Class 1A — Record — Previous rank 

1. Old Forge (2)                       — 11-0 — 1 

2. Canton (4)                           — 12-0 — 2 

3. Redbank Valley (9)              — 11-1 — 3 

4. Juniata Valley (6)                — 10-1 — 5 

5. Bishop Canevin (7)              — 12-1 — 7 

6. OLSH (7)                              — 9-3 — 10 

7. Bishop Guilfoyle (6)            — 9-4 — NR 

8. Steelton-Highspire (3)         — 8-3   — 4 

9. Northern Bedford (5)          — 9-3 — NR 

10. Williams Valley (11)          — 9-3   — 6 

Honorable mention: Cornell (7) 9-2, Homer-Center (6) 8-4, Muncy (4) 10-2, Rochester (7) 9-3, Tri-Valley (11) 9-2. 

Harrisburg needed every ounce of its ability to stay cool under pressure in a tight spot to hold off surging Wilson Saturday to win the District 3 Class 6A championship at Severance Field.

All season this Cougars team has been rock steady and consistent in terms of how they take care of their business, and that showed up in spades in a really tight spot against the Bulldogs in the 14-10 Harrisburg triumph.

Late in the third quarter after Wilson had just taken a 10-7, Cougars quarterback Shawn Lee was strip-sacked inside his own 30 and Wilson took over. The Bulldogs had the lead, momentum and a sudden change of possession deep in Harrisburg territory to really put the Cougars in a bind.

Guess what didn’t happen? Wilson wasn’t able to knock the Cougars out of their comfort zone. Harrisburg’s defense rose to the challenge and slammed the door on the Bulldogs with a huge fourth-down stop.

Once the Cougars avoided going down two scores, they quickly went to work and put the game away. Mahkai Hopkins, who led all rushers with 128 yards, broke free for a nearly 40-yard run and rolled up 63 yards on the decisive march.

Lee capped the drive with a 7-yard scamper early in the third quarter to put the Cougars in front for good with 9:24 to play.

This was a defensive battle all the way. Neither offense managed to reach 225 total yards. Harrisburg lost the turnover battle 2-0 and had 10 penalties. Yet still the Cougars prevailed.

Denied an opportunity to participate in the 2020 postseason by an outbreak of COVID-19 after struggling so hard just to meet the minimum qualification, this was a sweet trophy to lift for the one-loss Cougars.

…

Boiling Springs’ 2021 season ended in the exact same manner the Bubblers’ 2020 campaign came to a close — with a lopsided defeat at the hands of Wyomissing in Berks County.

You can check out the recap of what took place at Varsity A Field in Wyomissing  as the Spartans claimed their third consecutive District 3 Class 3A title 55-14.

This game was about strength vs. strength. Could Boiling Springs’ offense be explosive and consistent enough against a Wyomissing defense that has slammed the door on every opponent this season? The answer was a resounding no.

Three years ago this program was a mess. In 2019 the Bubblers went 0-10. A boatload of the seniors on this year’s team played that year as sophomores. Over the last two seasons, the Bubblers have posted a 15-4 mark overall, made consecutive trips to the playoffs, won a postseason game and played for a district championship. After the game, Brad Zell said this senior class laid the groundwork for the start of a football program. He nailed it.

Steel-High will not repeat as PIAA Class 1A champions after the Rollers traveled three hours north to within 25 miles of the New York border to Towanda only to fall to undefeated District 4 champion Canton by five.

The Rollers had the ball with 1:15 to play and 85 yards of field to cover trailing 32-25. It’s a scenario during this run Steel-High has navigated before to snap victory from the jaws of defeat. Not this time.

Steel-High had plenty of offense — 246 passing yards from QB Alex Erby, Daivin Pryor rushing for 127 yards and wide receiver Tyrone Moore hauling in seven passes for 109 yards. What did the Rollers in against the Warriors was four turnovers — a pair of interceptions and a pair of fumbles.

The miscues allowed Canton to stay in its comfort zone and stick with its grind-it-out run offense.

Winning a District 3 Class 1A title might feel like a consolation prize for this team, but every championship should be celebrated. The final month of the season was a struggle. The Rollers lost three of their final four games to Big Spring, Boiling Springs and Canton.

For the second year in a row Wyomissing had no trouble overpowering Boiling Springs in the District 3 Class 3A playoffs. The Spartans scored at will and dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to cruise past the Bubblers 55-14 in the Class 3A title game at Varsity A Field in Berks County. The victory clinched the third consecutive district championship for Wyomissing.

KEYS TO VICTORY

You have to start up front. Midway through the second quarter Wyomissing led 14-7 and it was still a game on the scoreboard. But it was clear the Spartans were on their game and that means the offensive line is creating creases inside and evaporating the edge on runs outside the tackles. The Bubblers were scratching and clawing to hold on, but it was clear by the second quarter the Wyomissing offense wasn’t going to be slowed down by the Boiling Springs defense. The Spartans finished with a staggering 430 rushing yards.

Midway through the second quarter Wyomissing was ahead 14-7 and the Bubblers defense came up with a stop to force a punt and Boiling Springs took over at its own 37. Running back Jack Laing found a crease around right end and rumbled for only the second first down for the Bubblers. At the tail end of the run Wyomissing DE/OLB Amory Thompson punched the ball loose from behind Laing and the Spartans recovered. Wyomissing proceeded to go on a tear from that point, scoring two more touchdowns before halftime to start a run of six straight possessions for the Spartans that ended with a touchdown.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Boiling Springs senior RB Joey Menke had a game-high 184 yards on 15 carries with a pair of long touchdown runs covering 55 and 82 yards. … Boiling Springs did not complete a pass and finished with only 234 yards of total offense. … Wyomissing amassed 430 rushing yards on 53 carries, a very efficient 8.1 yards per carry for the Wing-T offense of the Spartans. … Thomas Grabowski paced the Spartans’ versatile and efficient run game with 178 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns. … Wyomissing QB Ben Zechman threw an interception on his first attempt then completed four of his final passes for 90 yards with a pair of touchdowns. … The Wyomissing defense had two sacks and two tackles for loss in the first half. … Boiling Springs ran only 16 plays the first half, had two first downs, 82 total yards – 55 of those on Menke’s first TD run – and trailed 28-7 at intermission. … The Spartans scored the final six times they had the ball.

WHAT WE SAW

This Wyomissing defense is as advertised. They are fast, aggressive and physical at the point of attack. The speed of that defense had the Bubblers on tilt all game. Menke’s two touchdown runs accounted for 137 yards. The other 41 plays the Bubblers ran offensively added up to just 96 yards.

Even when it was 14-7 in the second quarter it was clear Wyomissing was overall the better team. The fumble and a block punt by the Spartans on the next possession only accelerated the difference on the scoreboard so it matched the difference between the two teams that was playing out on the field. For all the points Wyomissing scored, the strength of this team is not its offense. The Spartans’ defense is a beast.

THEY SAID IT

“I didn’t think we were ready for how fast they were going to snap the ball on offense. We were messing around in the back, trying to get our calls right and I think that cost us.” — Boiling Springs RB Joey Menke

“We just couldn’t get it done. I feel bad for our seniors. They really turned this program around and we came up short. This sucks. We ran into a good team today and they outplayed us. The fumble … we were just finding some things that were working, we break one and then we put the ball on the ground. They just played downhill from there.” – Boiling Springs head coach Brad Zell

Boiling Springs            0-7-7-0 –14

Wyomissing                0-28-21-6 — 55

Second quarter

W-Thomas Grabowski 1 run (Ian Levering kick), 11:04

W-Charles McIntyre 22 run (Levering kick), 7:37

BS-Joey Menke 55 run (Jack Laing kick), 6:42

W-Amory Thompson 20 run (Levering kick), 3:04

W-Thompson 7 pass from Ben Zechman (Levering kick), :47

Third quarter

BS-Menke 82 run (Laing kick), 11:42

W-Grabowski 6 run (Levering kick), 7:35

W-Grabowski 69 run (Levering kick), 5:36

W-Aiden Mack 25 pass from Zechman (Levering kick), 1:59

Fourth quarter

W-Ryker Jones 65 run (kick blocked), 2:05

Team statistics           BS                    W

First downs                 7                      22

Rush-yards                  38-234             53-430

Passing                        0                      90

Comp-Att-Int               0-5-0               4-6-1

Fumbles-lost               1-1                   2-0

Punts-Avg.                   4-30.5              2-25

Penalties-yards           3-25                 3-20

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Boiling Springs, Joey Menke 15-184, Aidan Metzger 9-41, Jack Laing 8-27, Marcus Boyle 1-2, Team 2-0, Colin Lunde 3-(minus-8), Carson Garvey 1-(minus-10); Wyomissing, Thomas Grabowski 19-178, Amory Thompson 8-70, Ryker Jones 1-65, Charles McIntyre 5-51, Drew Eisenhower 13-40, Matthew Kramer 3-14, Andrew Forrey 1-11, Collin Niedrowski 1-6, Ben Zechman 2-(minus-5).

PASSING: Boiling Springs, Colin Lunde 0-5-0–0; Wyomissing, Ben Zechman 4-6-1–90.

RECEIVING: Wyomissing, Aiden Mack 2-66, Amory Thompson 2-24.

At first glance the final score from Rocco Ortenzio Stadium might lead one to believe Bishop McDevitt struggled a wee bit with Berks Catholic in the District 3 Class 4A semifinal.

This Crusaders offense has hung so many 50-point burgers laced with big play after big play for the better part of two straight months, seeing only 35 out McDevitt might raise an alarm or two.

Fear not, this was a very efficient and tidy effort by McDevitt. The Saints played their corners so far off receivers that getting beat down the field with deep throw after deep throw wasn’t going to happen. They were giving the Crusaders the intermediate routes.

Did head coach Jeff Weachter take some shots down the field? Of course he did. He always will. They didn’t hit, so on this chilly Friday night his offense took exactly what Berks Catholic was willing to concede.

McDevitt still had 453 yards of total offense on 60 plays. Every offense will take 7.6 yards per play. Every marquee weapon showed up and contributed, too.

Even when J.J. Jordan found wide-open space around the left end midway through the second quarter for a 29-yard touchdown scamper to cut McDevitt’s lead in half, 14-7, the outcome was never in doubt.

Freshman QB Stone Saunders missed a couple easy passes, but he also made two eye-popping throws to Mario Easterly for touchdowns. Each was the kind of throw you don’t see very often from a high school quarterback, let alone a freshman. Saunders finished with 304 yards and four touchdowns.

Easterly and Kamil Foster each had eight catches, went over 100 receiving yards and combined for three touchdowns. Running back Marquese Williams picked up 103 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown.

McDevitt punted once and had only three penalties. This was a respectable blueprint for the Crusaders offense moving forward.

Of course, we will not forget or overlook the defense. If you speak of the one-loss Crusaders and focus mostly on the offense, you have made a grave mistake. This defense could be the meal ticket in the coming weeks if this squad is going to make a deep run.

Berks Catholic was the first Wing-T offense McDevitt has seen all season. There’s some nuance and finesse needed to play defense against the favorite run-based offense of old-school coaches. And the Saints are better at running it efficiently than most.

Other than a few odd runs, McDevitt’s defense locked down the Saints and contributed big-time to making sure this result was never in doubt. Berks Catholic managed only 126 total yards, all of them on the ground, on 40 total plays. That’s a paltry 3.2 yards per play. You will win 99 out of 100 games surrendering 3.2 yard per play.

Berks Catholic managed only six first downs and punted eight times. Can we talk about this defense some more, please?

More than anything, getting my first in-person eyes on this defense, what grabbed my attention was the tackling. It was crisp, clean and there were not too many tackles missed. And they have some speed. It’s subtle, but if you watch close enough you’ll see it. They get to the football in a hurry.

Lampeter-Strasburg will get its crack at the Crusaders in the Class 4A championship game where McDevitt will look to claim District 3 title No. 15.

…

Cedar Cliff saw its 10-win season come to an end at West Shore Stadium, falling to No. 7-seed Exeter Township 42-35 in a District 3 Class 5A semifinal shootout. Each offense was in full-out assault mode the second half with three touchdowns apiece.

This was not an upset, either. Cedar Cliff was the No. 6 seed and a clear-cut underdog to the Eagles.

Cedar Cliff had no answer defensively for Exeter stud running back Eric Nangle. The senior scored all six touchdowns for the Eagles — five rushing and one receiving.

I give the Colts full props on this one. They spent almost the entire second half chasing the Eagles from behind and never stopped firing back every time Exeter would grab a two-score lead. It was clear Cedar Cliff’s defense was not going to stop Nangle and the Eagles’ offense to create an opportunity to win the game. But the Colts’ offense kept slugging away and never allowed Exeter to feel comfortable.

Colts standout running back Jontae Morris got his two yards to clear 2,000 for the season for an offense that was balanced and effective all night. Cedar Cliff scored 35 points and still chased the game.

Williams Valley saw its season come to close in the first round of the PIAA Class 1A playoffs against undefeated Old Forge 26-7, and the Blue Devils’ defense showed why they are the No. 1 ranked team in the state.

Despite creating three turnovers, the Vikings managed only a single touchdown late in the first quarter to square the contest 7-7. Old Forge only led by six at intermission before its defense completely took over and limited Williams Valley to only 66 yards the second half.

Only twice did the Vikings manage to nudge into Old Forge territory on its final six drives of the game. The Blue Devils’ defense has allowed only 73 points in 13 games for a reason.

Williams Valley was in this game for a long time. The Vikings’ defense did its part by holding Old Forge to 13 points until two late touchdowns iced it.