Bishop McDevitt punched its ticket to its first appearance in the state final since 2013 Friday night in Coatesville. Led by a defense that kept Bishop Shanahan’s offense off the scoreboard the final 31 minutes and an efficient run game, McDevitt took out the Eagles 28-21 in one the PIAA Class 4A semifinals. The Crusaders will play WPIAL winner Aliquippa for the state title.
KEYS TO VICTORY It starts with the Crusaders defense that looked uncomfortable most of the first half but came alive after halftime to slam the door on the Eagles offense with authority. McDevitt opened the game with a three-man front and was playing mostly zone coverage against Bishop Shanahan’s spread offense, which is powered by quarterback Cooper Jordan. At halftime the Crusaders returned to their regular four-man front and went man coverage across the board. The Eagles had less than 100 total yards the second half, and the only touchdown for Bishop Shanahan was a 92-yard kickoff return by Jordan. McDevitt came out after halftime with plenty of juice and scored 15 quick points to turn a 14-13 intermission deficit into a 28-14 lead. After Bishop Shanahan went three-and-out to start the third quarter, Mario Easterly returned a punt 40 yards to the Eagles’ 13-yard line. Three snaps later, Cyncir Bowers scored from 3 yards out. The next time Bishop Shanahan had the ball, Crusaders DE Nate Kinsey knocked a Jordan pass in the air, caught it on the way down and scampered 25 yards for a defensive touchdown and the second McDevitt score in two minutes and a 14-point lead.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS Bishop McDevitt had more penalties (12) than pass attempts (9) and more penalty yards (113) than passing yards (90). The Crusaders committed 10 of those infractions in the first half. … The Crusaders running back duo of Marquese Williams and Bowers combined to rush for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Williams earned his game-high 108 yards on 22 carries with a 25-yard touchdown run. The Eagles defense stunted like crazy all game, and the two running backs made tacklers miss consistently all game. … Bishop Shanahan had 77 total yards in the second half on 27 plays. That’s 2.9 yards per play. … Jordan accounted for 169 of the Eagles 210 total yards. … Bishop McDevitt attempted only three passes in the second half and didn’t complete any of them. … Combined the two teams, both with high-powered offenses, punted 11 times.
WHAT WE SAW This was a very entertaining and quality Class 4A state semifinal. Once Bishop McDevitt went up two scores early in the third quarter, Crusaders skipper Jeff Weachter turned the game over to his defense. Freshman quarterback Stone Saunders was struggling, so Weachter leaned on his running backs and trusted his defense could finish the job. And they did. Bishop Shanahan took a 14-7 lead at the 7:32 mark of the second quarter, scoring on each of its first two drives. The offense never put another point on the board.
For all the talk about points and yards on offense heading into this contest, it was the two defenses that shined the brightest in this game over 48 minutes. The two teams combined for 449 total yards of offense and five touchdowns. Neither defense surrendered a point in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles’ defense didn’t allow the McDevitt offense to put a point on the board the final 22 minutes and change. This game was a physical meat grinder with both defenses forcing the offenses to earn everything they got.
THEY SAID IT “We had to get that quarterback under wraps. Once we started playing man we locked them up pretty good. We had to be disciplined.”
— Bishop McDevitt DB Chase Regan
“Once I saw that ball go up, I knew I had to grab it. And I saw the end zone and just took it to the house. Second half the defense came together and we knew we had to win this game. We changed our defense up a little bit at halftime, went from a three-man front to a four-man front and it worked. We played a four-man front all year, and when we switched it up to that it made for a whole different mindset.”
— Bishop McDevitt DE Nate Kinsey
PIAA Class 4A semifinal (at Coatesville Area High School)
Bishop McDevitt 7-6-15-0 — 28
Bishop Shanahan 7-7-7-0 — 21
First quarter
BS-Brandon Choi 13 pass from Cooper Jordan (Zane Domsohm kick), 5:48
MCD-Mario Easterly 16 pass from Stone Saunders (Mchael Chiha kick), 2:08
Second quarter
BS-Jordan 7 run (Domsohm kick), 7:32
McD-Marquese Williams 25 run (kick blocked), 4:05
Third quarter
McD-Cyncir Bowers 4 run (Easterly pass from Saunders), 9:11
RUSHING: Bishop McDevitt, Marquese Williams 22-108, Cyncir Bowers 10-51, Team 3-0, Mario Easterly 1-(minus-3), Stone Saunders 2-(minus-7); Bishop Shanahan, Cooper Jordan 15-44, Colin McGrory 4-15, Nicholas Romano 2-12, Brandon Choi 4-10, Simmi Whitehill 4-9
PASSING: Bishop McDevitt, Stone Saunders 5-9-1–90; Bishop Shanahan, Cooper Jordan 12-23-1–125, Simmi Whitehill 1-1-0–4.
RECEIVING: Bishop McDevitt, Mario Easterly 4-52, Kamil Foster 1-38; Bishop Shanahan, Colin McGrory 4-39, Simmi Whitehill 2-31, Evan Kapczynski 2-22, Nicholas Romano 3-20, Brandon Choi 1-13, Cooper Jordan 1-4.
(3-1) Exeter Township vs. (7-1) Penn-Trafford, at Bald Eagle HS, 7
Andy Shay: Penn-Trafford 24, Exeter Township 21: What do the Eagles do for a second act after executing the biggest upset in Pennsylvania last week? This confident group will believe they can’t be beat. My guess is the Warriors’ defense will have the final say.
Geoff Morrow: Exeter Township 28, Penn-Trafford 24: It’s uncharted territory for both of these programs, and both are riding high after narrowly toppling favored foes a week ago. I can’t imagine Eagles RB Eric Nangle getting 41 carries again, so I think the Berks County outfit’s path to victory is led by PSU WR recruit Joey Schlaffer. The Warriors, though, will be ready.
Andy Sandrik: Exeter Township 33, Penn-Trafford 28: Exciting time to be an Eagle or Warrior. Both squads are first-time district champions, and one will be in the state finals for the first time. Expecting a banger from beginning to end.
Adam Kulikowski: Exeter Township 28, Penn-Trafford 24: Perhaps the only folks who gave Township a shot to beat Governor Mifflin were inside the Eagles’ locker room, yet here they are fighting another week. Kudos to those gents, but the business is not done, and this is a winnable game.
(12-1) Imhotep Charter vs. (1-1) Strath Haven, at Ridley HS, 7
Andy Shay: Imhotep Charter 28, Strath Haven 14: I know it wasn’t the best Cathedral Prep team compared to recent years, but for Imhotep to drill that Ramblers club by 35 and surrender only a touchdown last week is a clear tell.
Geoff Morrow: Imhotep Charter 34, Strath Haven 14: The number that stands out to me is the 6+ ppg allowed by the Philly school’s defense. Just 65 points allowed all season against some high-quality opponents, including Pittsburgh Central Catholic, DeMatha (Md.), La Salle College and, of course, Erie’s Cathedral Prep last weekend. The District 1 champs need to dip back into the magic hat like they did last week.
Andy Sandrik: Imhotep Charter 32, Strath Haven 17: Finding a way to slow down Imhotep RB Tre McLeod — who rolled up 278 yards and three TDs on just 13 carries last week — is a must if the Panthers hope to stay in this game.
Adam Kulikowski: Imhotep Charter 31, Strath Haven 13: Imhotep hasn’t given up more than 13 points all season. That doesn’t change this week.
PIAA Class 4A Semifinals
(1-1) Bishop Shanahan vs. (3-1) Bishop McDevitt, at Coatesville HS, 7
Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 20, Bishop Shanahan 7: This could be a battle of quarterbacks, and dual threat Cooper Jordan for the Eagles presents a lot of the same challenges the Crusaders’ defense faced last week. He is the engine that drives the engine for Bishop Shanahan. No wind, please.
Geoff Morrow: Bishop McDevitt 35, Bishop Shanahan 14: Obviously when you get this far into the season, any surviving team is worthy of its semifinal status. But one thing that worries me about the Eagles is, even in the impressive victory last week vs. Valley View, they surrendered a handful of big plays. That’s bad news vs. notorious “Big Play” McD.
Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDevitt 21, Bishop Shanahan 0: It takes a certain level of toughness to pitch a shutout in the freezing cold of the state quarterfinals, like McDevitt did in a 7-0 win over Lampeter-Strasburg last week. I think the Crusaders will do it again this week.
Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 24, Bishop Shanahan 14: The Crusaders will be the first to admit that they didn’t play their best game last week against Lampeter-Strasburg. Still, for the 11th time in school history, they will take the field in a state semifinal. Barring 20 mph wind gusts, Jeff Weachter’s crew should play for a title in Chocolate Town.
(4-1) Jersey Shore vs. (7-1) Aliquippa, at Central Cambria HS, 7
Andy Shay: Jersey Shore 27, Aliquippa 25: Why do I keep waiting for Jersey Shore to stumble and not meet expectations? I like where the Bulldogs are, and they are playing with a certain freedom that is hard to harness if you’re the Quips.
Geoff Morrow: Jersey Shore 26, Aliquippa 19: The 18-time WPIAL champion Quips — a Class 1A-sized school, mind you — are young and playing some outstanding football right now. The unbeaten Bulldogs, meanwhile, are eying a return trip to the title game. Difference for me is the Jersey Shore defense, which last week minimized what had previously been a devastating Meadville rushing attack and hasn’t allowed a second-half point all postseason.
Andy Sandrik: Jersey Shore 24, Aliquippa 21: I’ll respect any QB that can run for 1,000 yards in a season, and Jersey Shore’s Brady Jordan reached that milestone last week. He could very well eclipse 2,000 passing yards this week, too.
Adam Kulikowski: Aliquippa 24, Jersey Shore 21: The mighty men from Aliquippa sport a pair of offensive linemen — Tyrese Jones (6-7, 365) and Naquan Crowder (6-4, 345) — who have opened plenty of holes for their freshman lead back. Countering that brute force will be tough, even for a Jersey Shore defense that has played well against the run.
PIAA Class 3A Semifinals
(6-1) Central at (7-1) Central Valley, 7
Andy Shay: Central Valley 42, Central 14: A couple of unbeatens, but CV has so much firepower to deal with in addition to leading rusher Landon Alexander and his nearly 2,000 yards.
Geoff Morrow: Central Valley 37, Central 13: Considering Dragons QB Jeff Hoenstine has tossed a state-record 56 TD passes this year, predicting just two scores might seem like a stunner. However, the defending champ Warriors — now on a 25-game winning streak — aren’t your typical playoff squad. CV is deep, skilled, smart and precise. Oh, and it gets to play at home, too.
Andy Sandrik: Central Valley 38, Central 21: Just watched a few Landon Alexander highlights. I’m a believer. Can he continue this tear against Central? I say yes.
Adam Kulikowski: Central Valley 35, Central 20: Central QB Jeff Hoenstine set a state record for passing with 56 touchdowns this season, part of an outstanding stat line that also includes 3,355 passing yards. CV’s Landon Alexander etched his own name in the record books this year with a new school career rushing record. All this to say that while both teams have front-line stars, the edge I’m riding is the stronger supporting cast CV possesses.
(12-1) Neumann-Goretti vs. (3-1) Wyomissing, at Pennridge HS, 7
Andy Shay: Wyomissing 28, Neumann-Goretti 14: What has become clear about the Spartans is they can play any brand of football you want when it comes to their defense. And they know exactly who they are offensively, and it works. Reminder: Wyomissing beat Southern Columbia this season.
Geoff Morrow: Wyomissing 21, Neumann-Goretti 14: While I still think the Spartans are deserved favorites, two things concern me: 1. The Saints’ strength is in the trenches, and they stop the run. Wyo loves to run, obviously, but might actually need to throw a few passes this week. 2. This is a weird one, but this is the Spartans’ first Friday night game since Oct. 15. That’s a long time without playing under the lights.
Andy Sandrik: Wyomissing 24, Neumann-Goretti 21: I’m personally separated from Wyomissing by about 80 miles, but thanks to the magic of social media, I’ve been able to follow the Spartans more closely in recent years. I really think their championship caliber defense — which has allowed an opponent to break the 20-point barrier just once this season — could take them all the way.
Adam Kulikowski: Wyomissing 30, Neumann-Goretti 24: I’m siding with the gents from Wyo and that stellar defense they put on the field each week. Can anyone break a game open against that crew? I have serious doubts.
PIAA Class 2A Semifinals
(10-1) Farrell vs. (7-1) Serra Catholic, at Slippery Rock U., 7
Andy Shay: Serra Catholic 33, Farrell 29: The most impactful player belongs to Farrell, but I like the depth of the Eagles’ weapons and think that has a major impact on this game in the end. Key matchup for me is the Serra Catholic offense vs. Farrell defense. How that plays out will make the ultimate difference.
Geoff Morrow: Farrell 42, Serra Catholic 22: While the Eagles scratched off a surefire winning ticket last week by turning Beaver Falls over NINE times, it still feels like a mighty uphill battle to me against the District 10 powerhouse. The big boy Steelers from Pittsburgh nearly gave up as many points last week vs. Cincinnati as the high school Steelers have allowed all dang season.
Andy Sandrik: Farrell 35, Serra Catholic 30: It’s hard to pick against Farrell and its sizable RB, Anthony Stallworth, a Division I recruit who is two wins away from a third straight state championship.
Adam Kulikowski: — Serra Catholic 35, Farrell 33: Serra sports a pair of 6-foot wideouts in Jayvon Holt and Terrell Booth–each of whom has more than 35 receptions and 600 yards. Pair them with a 1000-yard rusher and a gunslinger QB and you have an offense that could give Farrell fits.
(11-1) Northern Lehigh vs. (4-1) Southern Columbia, at Lehighton HS, 7
Andy Shay: Southern Columbia 34, Northern Lehigh 14: Yeah, the Tigers don’t have the ridiculous depth in terms of weapons they’ve enjoyed in recent years. Just not sure Northern Lehigh has enough in the tank to upend this powerhouse. Pedigree and history matter.
Geoff Morrow: Southern Columbia 55, Northern Lehigh 20: Since getting thumped by Wyomissing two months ago, the Tigers have been outright petulant, not exactly playing nice with others. In short, they’ve smoked everybody since. The Bulldogs have been tough and scoring in bunches, but I’m having a hard time imagining the defense making enough stops to keep up.
Andy Sandrik: Southern Columbia 35, Northern Lehigh 21: When I was a football-crazy kid — and eventually a player — the legendary program in the state was Central Bucks West. I think the Tigers have more than earned the right to carry that same level of mystique.
Adam Kulikowski: Southern Columbia 45, Northern Lehigh 24: Gavin and Garrett Garcia are absolute studs for the Tigers. Older bro Gavin needs just 129 stripes to move into third place all-time in career rushing yards in Tigers history — he currently has 2,147 yards this season and 6,947 career yards. Garrett, a sophomore, already has his name etched in the record book with a school-best 183 tackles this year. Yep, they are pretty good.
PIAA Class 1A Semifinals
(7-1) Bishop Canevin vs. (9-1) Redbank Valley, at North Hills HS, 7
Andy Shay: Redbank Valley 23, Bishop Canevin 21: I’m taking the Bulldogs’ talent at quarterback and depth at receiver in this one. Not usually a favorable matchup for a District 9 team playing the WPIAL champion. Is this the upset pick?
Geoff Morrow: Bishop Canevin 30, Redbank Valley 25: Could be one of the more entertaining games this weekend. I’ll take the Crusaders, who’ve been wrecking foes and last weekend mercy-ruled their way to school’s first WPIAL title since 1990. The Bulldogs, impressively, are the first District 9 school since 2013 to reach the state semifinals. Unrelated side note: My college roommate became a math teacher at Redbank Valley after graduating IUP, and I haven’t heard from him since.
Andy Sandrik: Bishop Canevin 18, Redbank Valley 14: Coin flip all the way for me. Going with the Crusaders just out of respect for the WPIAL.
Adam Kulikowski: Redbank Valley 21, Bishop Canevin 14: With two teams that should be evenly matched, give me the QB who has a 60% completion percentage, nearly 2,000 passing yards and 28 TDs. That’s Redbank Valley’s Bryson Bain.
(6-1) Bishop Guilfoyle vs. (4-1) Canton, at Altoona HS, 7
Andy Shay: Canton 21, Bishop Guilfoyle 14: Everything tells me BG is the team better equipped for this game. But give me the Warriors and their magic carpet ride through the postseason. Canton has been in back-to-back highwire games and came out on top.
Geoff Morrow: Canton 27, Bishop Guilfoyle 21: Like Steel-High a year ago, the Warriors feel like a team of destiny. That’s, of course, partially because they held off the Rollers two weeks ago before going OT to knock off Old Forge last week. The Marauders are always tough, though, and rebounded quite nicely after a 1-2 start to the season.
Andy Sandrik: Canton 28, Bishop Guilfoyle 14: Why not Canton? The unbeaten Warriors are coming off a down-to-the-wire win in OT over Old Forge and are two weeks removed from dispatching defending state champ Steel-High.
Adam Kulikowski: Canton 34, Bishop Guilfoyle 21: Yes, it is a bit cliché, but defense really does win championships — and the Warriors have all the tools on D to slow any offense.
Saturday’s Games
PIAA Class 6A Semifinals
(6-1) State College vs. (7-1) Mt. Lebanon, at Altoona HS, 1
Andy Shay: Mt. Lebanon 31, State College 10: Physically, I think the Little Lions will be just fine in this tilt. Their limitations on offense will show up, though, and Mt. Lebanon is a very explosive and balanced offense that can really stretch a defense and get it out of its comfort zone.
Geoff Morrow: Mt. Lebanon 35, State College 17: As much as it pains me to pick a team nicknamed the Blue Devils now that we’re officially into basketball season, I can’t deny the workmanlike, championship-caliber feel of this WPIAL outfit. Meanwhile, State High’s Matt Lintal is the Coach of the Year, right? This was NOT an impressive Little Lions team that lost four of five games heading into Week 10. Yet here it is, knocking on the door of a state championship. I feel like SC is more comfortable as the underdog, too.
Andy Sandrik: Mt. Lebanon 28, State College 14: You know how I know the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division is one of the best in the state? The sixth-place team from the division, State College, is playing for a berth in the state championship. That’s how I know.
Adam Kulikowski: Mt. Lebanon 37, State College 21: For almost three quarters last week, it looked like we would be writing about Harrisburg’s chances in this semifinal matchup against Mt. Lebanon. Then the big men up front took over for the Little Lions. Dominant fourth-quarter performance by those dudes. It will take another such effort to keep practicing another week.
(1-1) Garnet Valley vs. (12-1) St. Joseph’s Prep, at Ridley HS, 7
Andy Shay: Garnet Valley 30, St. Joseph’s Prep 27: I’m looking for lots of fireworks and plenty of points. SJP has flourished in these high-level state playoff games, and it is due to lose one of them every now and again. I think GV has the ingredients to make it happen.
Geoff Morrow: Garnet Valley 44, St. Joseph’s Prep 33: This is and isn’t unfamiliar territory for the Hawks. On one hand, the Philly school is seemingly always in this game — and it’s comfortable winning, reaching the state finals in seven of the last eight seasons. On the other, Prep carries a rare underdog label (barely). The Jaguars have been monsters this year in every facet. Nobody’s played them within two TDs yet. That probably changes Saturday night, but I still expect the District 1 champs to punch a ticket to Hershey.
Andy Sandrik: St. Joseph’s Prep 33, Garnet Valley 28: There aren’t many rosters equipped to handle the luxury of one-way players, but SJP is deep and will be fresh when this close game reaches crunch time.
Adam Kulikowski: St. Joseph’s Prep 28, Garnet Valley 27: OK, so the over/under on future NFL players on this team might not be as high as in recent years. But that hardly means there aren’t enough dynamic weapons for Prep to play for the right to hoist another one of those giant chocolate bars next week.
Pennsylvania high school football Week 14 rankings (Nov. 30)
Class 6A — Record — Previous
1. Mount Lebanon (7) — 13-0 — 1
2. Garnet Valley (1) — 14-0 — 4
3. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) — 10-2 — 3
4. Bethlehem Freedom (11) — 11-2 — 6
5. State College (6) — 8-5 — NR
6. Harrisburg (3) — 12-2 — 2
7. Coatesville (1) — 12-2 — 5
8. Quakertown (1) — 12-1 — 8
9. McDowell (10) — 9-3 — 7
10. Wilson-West Lawn (3) — 9-4 — 9
Honorable mention: Central York (3) 10-1, La Salle College HS (12) 9-2, Northampton (11) 12-1, North Penn (1) 11-1, Pittsburgh C.C. (7) 9-3, Ridley (1) 11-2.
Class 5A — Record — Previous
1. Imhotep Charter (12) — 10-1 — 2
2. Penn-Trafford (7) — 11-1 — 6
3. Exeter Township (3) — 10-3 — 8
4. Strath Haven (1) — 13-1 — 7
5. Governor Mifflin (3) — 10-1 — 1
6. Moon (7) — 12-1 — 3
7. West Chester Rustin (1) — 11-2 — 5
8. Cathedral Prep (10) — 11-2 — 4
9. Cedar Cliff (3) — 10-3 — 9
10. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1)– 10-2 — 10
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.
Riley Robell, jr., DT, Bishop McDevitt — In conditions that gave all the advantages to defense, Robell stood the tallest. The big man in the middle of the Crusaders’ impressive defense had a banner day in their 7-0 win over Lampeter-Strasburg for the District 3 Class 4A gold. In ending L-S’s streak of two straight titles, Robell recovered two fumbles — one in the second quarter and another late in the game — had three of McDevitt’s five sacks and tallied two tackles for loss. One of those sacks helped stall the Pioneers’ final drive in the closing minutes.
Marquese Williams, jr., RB, Bishop McDevitt — Someone had to score to win this game, and that someone was Williams. The ___ burst forth for a 30-yard TD with 1:05 left in the first half to give the Crusaders a 7-0 lead over Lampeter-Strasburg, and that was all that was needed. Williams finished with 21 carries for 124 yards on a night when McD’s vaunted aerial game was grounded due to strong, cold winds.
Kajetan Kaszubowski, jr., K, State College — We are unabashedly ashamed here, at 4th Down Magazine headquarters, of being excited about a kicking nomination. Kaszubowski drilled three field goals in the Little Lions’ 16-13 PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal victory over Harrisburg on Saturday, including the game-winning 34-yarder with 3 seconds left. He nailed a 33-yarder in the third quarter, then tied the game with a 37-yarder with 4:55 left to play. He also had a fourth-quarter PAT.
Brady Bendik, sr., RB, State College — Bendik was one of the few offensive bright spots on a tough day for anyone on offense. He ran for 132 yards and a fourth-quarter 4-yard run that sparked the Little Lions’ comeback win over Harrisburg. He finished with 34 carries, easily the most in the game, and caught two passes for 24 yards. His TD came with 8:58 left to play and drew SC to within 13-10.
Justin Cook, sr., WR/DB, Harrisburg — A nomination for a season of dominance, Cook picked off his 11th pass of the season, tying a Harrisburg program record for the most in a season. It was one of three interceptions of State College passes in the Cougars’ loss and came with the ‘Burg up 13-3 midway through the third quarter. He also had a 4-yard reception and had two carries for 0 yards.
Once State College fell behind Harrisburg by 10 points late in the third quarter the path to victory for the Little Lions was a murky proposition at best. Turns out the five-loss Little Lions were just getting started against the one-loss Cougars. State College scored 13 fourth-quarter points, dominated the line of scrimmage all day and left wind-swept Severance Field Saturday afternoon with a well deserved 16-13 PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal victory.
KEYS TO VICTORY
It starts with the line of scrimmage, and on both sides of the ball State College was dominant. The Little Lions limited Harrisburg to nine yards rushing on 24 carries and offensively pounded out 218 yards on a staggering 52 carries. State College ran twice as many plays (68-34) and leaned on the Cougars all game by dominating time of possession by nearly nine full minutes.
Junior kicker Kajetan Kaszubowski’s right leg propelled the Little Lions into the state semifinal round opposite WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon. Kaszubowski was 3-for-3 converting field goals from 33, 34 and 37 yards with enough wind around to impact kicks. His final one, from 34 yards out, came with :03 on the fourth-quarter clock.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
State College senior RB Brady Bendik, a 6-4, 215-pound horse in between the tackles, carried 32 times for 134 yards and had the lone State College touchdown. … In the fourth quarter, when State College scored 13 of its 16 points, the Little Lions piled up 142 yards on 23 snaps. Harrisburg had the ball twice the final 12 minutes, went three-and-out both times and those six plays yielded minus-1 yards. … State College won despite three interceptions by the Cougars. Senior Justin Cook tied the Harrisburg school record for interceptions in a season with his 11th pick in the third quarter. … Harrisburg RB Mahkai Hopkins was limited to 10 yards on 10 carries. … Combined the two teams rolled up 155 penalty yards on 16 accepted flags including five personal fouls. … Harrisburg playmaker Kyle Williams scored the Cougars’ first-half touchdown on a 43-yard stellar catch-and-run. He finished with four catches for 79 yards. … State College had an 18-play, 70-yard drive in the first half that chewed up nearly nine minutes of clock but came away with no points. … State College sophomore quarterback Owen Yerka had 62 of his 70 rushing yards in the fourth quarter on seven carries. The Little Lions found something on the left edge with Yerka down the stretch and it paid huge dividends. … State College was 7-for-13 on third down conversions including 4 of 6 in the second half.
WHAT WE SAW
State College deserved to win the game. They were the better team overall from start to finish. Harrisburg really didn’t do anything to lose this game, but the Cougars found themselves in the position of behind helpless to have a say in the outcome in the fourth quarter. Once State College seized momentum with a Bendik touchdown with 8:58 to play that made it 13-10, it was clear State College was in complete control. The Cougars defense was dog tired from being on the field so long and Harrisburg’s offense was rendered powerless to stem the tide. Once State College started rolling downhill late in the third quarter, each play the rest of the way only added fuel to the Little Lions’ fire. Harrisburg had three possessions after grabbing a 13-3 lead inside the final 2½ minutes of the third quarter. And each time the Cougars went three-and-out and punted. The snowball from State College was rolling downhill on Harrisburg on both sides of the ball.
It was hard to decide which group up front was better for the Little Lions. Either way, the line of scrimmage victory across the board belonged to State College. The Little Lions’ game plan was a meat grinder of ground-and-pound inside the tackles with a little sprinkle of outside shots on a very limited basis. It took extreme patience, even down 10 points, to stick to that plan. State College head coach Matt Lintal never wavered and stayed true to his plan. In the end, when Harrisburg desperately needed a stop of any kind to seal a victory in the fourth quarter, the tank was empty.
THEY SAID IT
“I’m so proud of this team. It was a great win. The defense played their heart out. This team creates our own energy. We had a lot of momentum today. Defense made a ton of big plays and that fueled our offense. It felt great.” — State College RB Brady Bendik “It’s been a mixed bag of guys up front all year with the injuries we’ve had. Since the first Harrisburg game, this group has come together. That loss was the turning point of our season. Those guys were grinding today and getting the job done.” — State College head coach Matt Lintal
State College 0-0-3-13 — 16
Harrisburg 7-0-6-0 — 13
First quarter
HBG-Kyle Williams 43 pass from Shawn Lee (Mahkai Hopkins kick), 9:48
Third quarter
SC-FG Kajetan Kaszubowski 33, 6:13
HBG Hopkins 30 pass from Lee (kick failed), 2:27
Fourth quarter
SC-Brady Bendik 4 run (Nick Kowalski kick), 8:58
SC-FG Kaszubowski 37, 4:55
SC-FG Kaszubowski 34, :03
Team statistics SC HBG
First downs 22 7
Rush-yards 52-218 24-9
Passing 71 113
Comp-Att-Int 6-16-3 6-10-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Punts-Avg. 1-45 6-37.8
Penalties-yards 7-70 9-85
Individual statistics
RUSHING: State College, Brady Bendik 34-132, Owen Yerka 12-70, Jashaun Green 6-16; Harrisburg, Mahkai Hopkins 10-10, Kyle Williams 3-3, Nayquan Prather 1-2, Justin Cook 2-0, Shawn Lee 8-(minus-6).
PASSING: State College, Owen Yerka 5-13-2–68, Finn Furmanek 1-3-1–3; Harrisburg, Shawn Lee 6-10-0–113.
RECEIVING: State College, Kyle Kurzinger 2-28, Brady Bendik 2-24, Stephen Scourtis 1-16, TJ Yoder 1-3; Harrisburg, Kyle Williams 4-79, Mahkai Hopkins 1-30, Justin Cook 1-4.
This was the 15th time tradition-rich Bishop McDevitt has claimed a District 3 championship trophy.
During 30 years covering the Mid-Penn Conference, it’s safe to say I’ve seen more than my fair share of McDevitt teams coached by Jeff Weachter win district titles.
This one stands out as one of the most impressive in my book because the Crusaders had to win with one hand tied behind their back against the two-time defending champions from Lampeter-Strasburg.
The final was 7-0 Crusaders in an extremely competitive and physical game that was contested on a bitterly cold night with a searing 15-20 mile-per-hour wind that took away McDevitt’s competitive advantage.
McDevitt’s 300-plus yard passing offense with Stone Saunders firing the ball around the lot and having his choice of three elite receivers to target was taken off the table.
The Crusaders’ passing game, complemented by a more-than-adequate running game, makes them very difficult to defend most nights. But this Friday was not like most nights. Throwing the ball was impossible.
McDevitt tried in vain against and with the wind to get anything cooking in the passing game. Mother Nature simply threw up a big red stop sign at any pass that traveled more than 5 yards in the air. It was brutal.
The frigid conditions and howling wind actually favored Lampeter-Strasburg. The Pioneers didn’t have to cover those wideouts, their offense is built around the run with just enough out of the passing game to be lethal. In these conditions, L-S was built to have success.
Enter the X-factor on this night — McDevitt’s defense. It has been very quietly rock solid all season but gets lost in the sea of 56-point output after 56-point output by the offense.
And the Crusaders’ D was facing an offense that was built for success on a night tailor made for the Pioneers to pull off the upset. Holding L-S to zero points required a little luck, some bend-but-don’t break in the fourth quarter and a bushel of big plays from several players that made sure the Crusaders get one more week of practice.
McDevitt’s defense surrendered only 187 rushing yards to the Pioneers on 50 carries, forced three red-zone turnovers, had five sacks and added another five tackles for loss to finish with 10 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
As the game wore on the Pioneers found more success on the edges, especially running left, but simply could not stop turning the ball over at the end of impressive drives instead of scoring.
DT Riley Robell was a monster in the middle. He finished with three sacks and two tackles for a loss. Five stops behind the line is massive, but it was the timing of his stops in critical situations that made his work all that more impressive. He also recovered one of the three fumbles.
Linebacker Ryan Russo was all over the field. He made a couple stops on those sneaky good QB read-options the Pioneers run that prevented really big plays. He also came up with a huge sack in the fourth quarter.
Robell had the most impact on the game. Russo was the best player on the field over the course of four quarters for the Crusaders.
DE Jamani George-Heron not only recovered a fumble, he came up big in the second half holding the edge to keep those chunk plays outside of him from happening in crunch time. He was getting folded inside the first half on a regular basis. He was not off the mark very often the final 24 minutes when the Pioneers went back to the well.
After McDevitt took that 7-0 lead on Marquese Williams’ nifty and ad-libbed 30-yard touchdown run with 65 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Crusaders’ offense went silent.
Lampeter-Strasburg ran 23 of the final 29 plays in this game. This championship came down to McDevitt’s defense making one touchdown stand up against an offense built to flourish in less-than-stellar conditions.
“I never look down on our offense,” Robell said. “They punched one through and got us a lead. We made our adjustments that we need to tonight, and tackled well. That made a difference.”
Right after McDevitt scored to go up 7-0, the Pioneers marched from their own 32 to the Crusaders’ 25 before Giovanni Malatesta fumbled after a 6-yard run on first down at the McDevitt 19 and George-Heron recovered.
McDevitt’s offense immediately went three-and-out in less than 90 seconds and gave the ball back to L-S at the Pioneers’ 39.
Back on the march, L-S converted on third down twice and completed the only normal looking pass of the evening, really, on fourth-and-8 from the McDevitt 19 to set up first-and-goal at the 10 with less than four minutes remaining. The intense and impressive drive came to a screeching halt when Pioneers QB Berkeley Wagner pulled out a little quick from under center and left the ball on the ground.
Robell pounced on the miscue and gave the ball back to the offense with 3:40 to play. Three more snaps in less than 90 seconds put the Crusaders’ defense back out on the field with 1:47 to play and 52 yards of field to defend.
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.
Logan Williard is this week’s 4th Down Small School Player of the Week.
The Williams Valley junior made his impact during the Vikings’ 26-7 loss to unbeaten Old Forge in the PIAA Class 1A first round Friday on defense, recording eight tackles and an interception of James Sobol. Willard, who plays linebacker and running back, also added three carries for 29 yards and a 4-yard reception.
After missing a good chunk of the first half of the season, Williard closed strong in the final three weeks, averaging 10 tackles in three playoff games, including a season-high 12 a week ago against Tri-Valley. He finished with 56 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions (one he returned for a touchdown) and a fumble recovery. On offense he ran 16 times for 72 yards and a touchdown over six games.
Williard dominated the poll this week, claiming 1,711 votes. That’s more than all other nominees in the large and small school polls this week combined. He finished with a season-high in the 4th Down POTW polls with 73% of the vote. Second place this week was Boiling Springs’ Joey Menke with 495 votes.
Trenten Smith is this week’s 4th Down Big School Player of the Week after one of his best performances of his career.
During Cedar Cliff’s 42-35 loss to Exeter Township in the District 3 Class 5A semifinals Friday, Smith posted numbers only bested by his Week 1 performance. Smith caught eight passes over the weekend for 137 yards and two touchdowns (13 and 24 yards). In Week 1 he went for 171 yards and two TDs on seven receptions against Red Lion.
Smith’s performance Friday kept the Colts in a tight playoff game. He was quarterback Ethan Dorrell’s top target after the QB threw for 225 yards, four touchdowns and an interception on 17-of-27 passing.
Smith picked up 327 votes this week, beating second-place Mahkai Hopkins, of Harrisburg (231 votes). Of the 645 votes cast, Smith picked up 51%.
His senior season came to an end with 59 receptions for 947 yards (16.1 yards per catch) and eight TDs. He also rushed 16 times for 263 yards (16.4 yards per rush) and a TD. He had five games of 100 or more receiving yards this season. Defensively, he finished with 29 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
The Preview: Andy Shay shares his expertise, breaking down all the action this week–plus his predictions.
Friday’s Games
District 3 Class 5A Championship
(7) Exeter Township at (1) Governor Mifflin, 7
Andy Shay: Governor Mifflin 49, Exeter Township 28: The Eagles know exactly what to expect here with a loss to the Mustangs already on their ledger. And that will serve them well. That shock factor of this GM offense won’t be in play. At the end of the day, I think Mifflin has the better defense.
Geoff Morrow: Governor Mifflin 45, Exeter Township 35: I fully expect Mike Drago’s box score will have a lot of marks on it indicating a lot of yards gained. And while I realize this was a 33-point game back in early October, the Eagles haven’t lost since and have beaten some pretty good teams. So I anticipate something a lot closer.
Andy Sandrik: Governor Mifflin 42, Exeter Township 28: Trying to pick state football games is harder than it looks, but having Governor Mifflin and Nick Singleton in the dance sure makes it a lot easier.
Adam Kulikowski: Governor Mifflin 55, Exeter Township 21: I may be in last place, but even I can see that Governor Mifflin is destined for the District 3 Class 5A championship.
District 3 Class 4A Championship
(2) Lampeter Strasburg at (1) Bishop McDevitt, 7
Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 35, Lampeter-Strasburg 14: Two teams with more than 500 points scored each while also combining to limit 16 of 23 opponents to one score or less in a game. So what gives? The big-play strike of the Crusaders is always in play, and my guess is that will show up here a couple times.
Geoff Morrow: Bishop McDevitt 21, Lampeter-Strasburg 14: Bizarrely similar seasons for these two District 3 powerhouse programs, with both losing their season openers but not really being challenged since. Easy to overlook with their freakishly high point totals, though, is the fact that both defenses have been outstanding. I’m going against the grain and predicting it’s the defenses that rule this day.
Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDevitt 49, Lampeter-Strasburg 21: We haven’t seen McDevitt truly get pushed in a game since Week 1. Are the Pioneers the team that can keep up with the Crusaders?
Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 55, Lampeter-Strasburg 24: This might be the best test the Crusaders receive since Week 1 against La Salle College. Having said that, the outcome should not be in question.
Saturday’s Games
PIAA Class 6A Quarterfinals
(6-1) State College at (3-1) Harrisburg, 1
Andy Shay: Harrisburg 20, State College 13: It was just a month ago these two hooked up on a Saturday at Severance Field in a run-of-the-mill Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division game. It was a defensive battle then, and I don’t see much changing this time around.
Geoff Morrow: Harrisburg 23, State College 20: Just a couple of hard-nosed, tough clubs, led by coaching staffs who know how to get the best out of their players and who find something to improve each week. Mid-Penn Commonwealth action at its best, though this time played after Thanksgiving. An absolute treat — dare I suggest even better than pumpkin pie — for the fans around these parts.
Andy Sandrik: Harrisburg 35, State College 14: When the going has gotten tough for the Cougars this postseason, Mahkai Hopkins has gotten going. Tough yards from Hopkins, and a smart game from freshman QB Shawn Lee Jr., should be enough to get over the hump for Harrisburg, which already brings an airtight defense to Severance Field.
Adam Kulikowski: Harrisburg 28, State College 21: Both teams likely feel that they left points on the field in their first matchup in October. Stopping Mahkai Hopkins could cause the Little Lions fits — and that’s the edge I see for the Cougars in this one.
PIAA Class 3A Quarterfinals
(3-1) Wyomissing vs. (2-1) Scranton Prep, at Governor Mifflin HS, 2
Andy Shay: Wyomissing 24, Scranton Prep 14: Couple of undefeated powers that have been on a collision course all season while pretty much killing teams along the way. Both have little problem putting points on the board and feature defenses that know how to lock down the opposition. My lean in this one favors the Spartans’ defense. It’s faster and more volatile than you might think.
Geoff Morrow: Scranton Prep 28, Wyomissing 21: Be on the lookout for a dude named London Montgomery toting the rock for the Cavaliers. The Division I recruit has the backing of a top-notch defense, too. Basically, this battle of unbeatens — the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the state — could, and should, be a lot of fun. Coin flip for me.
Andy Sandrik: Wyomissing 27, Scranton Prep 21: Anything can happen when two unbeatens clash, but my gut is telling me that the Wyomissing defense, which allows 8.23 points per game, comes through with the goods.Adam Kulikowski: Wyomissing 23, Scranton Prep 17: Watching the Spartans’ defense clamp down on the Bubblers last week was a sight to see — and Boiling Springs still posted more points on Wyo than any team not named Southern Columbia. Those NEPA boys have done similar feats in Steamtown all season. Expect this one to be a low-scoring affair.
