Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10

Districts 1, 12 and Inter-Ac

December 14, 2010

Once again we are at the end of another exciting season of Pennsylvania High School Football.  Wow, did it have to go by so fast?  I want to thank all the guys at NeshaminyFootball.com and HavenFootball.net for posting the weekly rankings and also for providing their great product that offers so much to all the fans of our area and beyond.  Be certain to visit both sites that rank among the best in the state.  See for yourself!  Also, thanks to other outstanding sites like TedSilary.com and ePaFooball.com for the tonnage of information they present.  There are too many other high school websites and online newspapers to mention here.  It is really something when you think about the amount of information that is out there and all the hard work that goes into gathering it and maintaining the websites. 

For me, it was fun doing the research and write ups each week that featured the Top 10 teams of both Southeastern Pennsylvania and those throughout the Commonwealth.  The larger “state” view gives us all some insight on teams and trends from other parts of the state.  While opinions will always vary on what team should be ranked where, my thought and goal is for the State Top 10 to serve as a reasonable attempt at ranking teams and also a forum to get information out to those that might not otherwise see it.  About those rankings, sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t.  Here is a look at the Preseason Rankings, looking at the Top 5 only.  See NeshaminyFootball.com for entire Preseason Rankings.  And finally, thanks guys for tuning in.  I look forward to doing this again next year.

Southeastern PA

1. North Penn 13-2

2. Neshaminy 12-2

3. Ridley 10-2

4. West Catholic 13-2

5. Archbishop Wood 13-1

North Penn lost in the state semifinal to LaSalle, Neshaminy lost in the quarterfinals to North Penn, top seeded Ridley lost in first round to Henderson, West Catholic won the Class-AA championship and Wood lost in the semifinal to Allentown Central Catholic. LaSalle was ranked as an honorable mention. 

STATE

1. Woodland Hills 9-4

2. North Penn 13-2

3. Cumberland Valley 12-3

4. Pittsburgh Central Catholic 11-1

5. Gateway 6-5

Woodland Hills lost in D7 final to North Allegheny, North Penn -- see above, Cumberland Valley lost in state semifinal to North Allegheny, Pittsburgh Central Catholic lost in D7 semifinal to North Allegheny, Gateway lost in D7 second round to Pittsburgh Central Catholic.  North Allegheny unranked.

Class AAA

1. Bishop McDevitt 13-3

2. Archbishop Wood 13-1

3. West Allegheny 7-4

4. Allentown Central Catholic 16-0

5. Cardinal O’Hara 9-2

McDevitt lost to Allentown Central Catholic in the final, Wood..see SE PA Top 10, West Allegheny lost in D7 second round to Mars, Allentown Central Catholic won state title, Cardinal O’Hara lost in D12 semifinal to Wood.

Class AA

1. West Catholic 13-2

2. Aliquippa 12-1

3. South Fayette 15-1

4. Forest Hills 13-2

5. Wilmington 7-5

West Catholic won state title, Aliquippa lost in D7 final to South Fayette, South Fayette lost in state final to West Catholic, Forest Hills lost in state semifinal to South Fayette, Wilmington lost in D10 second round to Sharon.

Class A

1. Clairton 16-0

2. Rochester 12-1

3. Steelton Highspire 7-5

4. Farrell 13-2

5. Mercyhurst Prep 12-1

Clairton won state title, Rochester lost in D7 final to Clairton, Steel High lost n D3 semifinal to Holy Name, Farrell lost in state semifinal to Clairton, Mercyhurst Prep lost in D10 final to Farrell.  Runner up Riverside unranked.

 

The Playoffs: At Hershey Park Stadium last weekend.

4A: North Allegheny (15-1) beat LaSalle (13-2), 21-0

North Allegheny won their first AAAA state championship in 20 years by defeating error prone and previously top ranked LaSalle, 21-0.  The shutout was only the second in AAAA playoff history.  The other occurred in 2007 when Pittsburgh Central Catholic blanked Parkland by the same score.  North Allegheny looked like the champion early on by controlling the line of scrimmage, then ultimately winning the turnover battle 5-0 and forcing LaSalle out of their comfort zone by having to play from behind.  North Allegheny’s first score came as a result of a LaSalle fumble recovered on the Explorer’s 40 yard line near the 10 minute mark of the first quarter.  Keeping the ball on the ground for most of the game, the Tigers pounded the ball down field on 9 consecutive running plays with quarterback Mike Buchert taking it in from 4 yards out. The next score came near the end of the first half with the Tigers going on a 6 play, 70 yard drive in under 2 minutes, scoring on a 28 yard misdirection play.  Quarterback Mike Buchert took off to his right then pitched it to running back Matt Steinbeck who shot off to his left and was gone on a 28 yard run to the end zone with only 46 seconds left in the half.  That had to hurt the defending champs.  LaSalle’s first possession of the second half ended in disaster when Matt Magarity’s pass was tipped into the hands of Strong Safety/Running Back Matt Steinbeck who returned it 46 yards to LaSalle’s 23 yard line.  Five plays later, Buchert ran in from a yard out, putting the Explorer’s in a 21-0 hole with 7:46 left in the third quarter.  There was plenty of time but no where to run with North Allegheny stuffing any semblance of a running game, holding the Explorer’s to 87 yards rushing on 27 attempts.  No one came close to doing that since North Penn in the opener where the Knights held them to 98 yards rushing.  Other games against major players saw them gain 145 yards rushing against Bergen Catholic, 216 against West Catholic, 192 against Easton and 177 in the semifinal against North Penn.  So it was an outstanding performance by the North Allegheny defense who also pulled down 3 interceptions.  On the other side of the ball, North Allegheny found plenty of room to run, netting 220 yards on 44 carries.  They were led by their fine O-line and running back Matt Steinbeck who gained 120 yards on 20 carries.  The Tigers completed just one pass but it was pivotal when on a third and 18, they connected on an end around pass from Brenden Coniker to senior Dan Slivka that went for 29 yards and a first down on LaSalle’s one yard line.  The next play saw quarterback Mike Bruchert take it in to extend the lead to 21-0.  Mike finished the game with 51 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.  Final stats show LaSalle’s 108 yards passing giving them 195 total yards in the game.  North Allegheny had that one completion of 29 yards plus the rushing for a total of 249 total yards of offense.  In winning, North Allegheny brings the title back to the West for the first time in 3 years.  The last team from the West to win the AAAA championship was Pittsburgh Central Catholic in 2007.  Since then, the gold medal trophy has resided in the East with Liberty winning in 2008 and LaSalle winning last year.  The Tigers won the trophy with a senior laden team, meaning they face a major rebuild next year after graduating 7 from the offense and 9 from the defense.  They’ll fall back a rung or two but don’t expect a collapse from a program that went 50-12 the last 5 years.                     

3A: Allentown Central Catholic (16-0) beat Bishop McDevitt (11-3), 28-27

They don’t get much better than this one with two of the state’s premier private schools facing off in a real slugfest that was not decided until the 2:09 mark of the fourth quarter.  Passing unequivocally ruled the day with both defenses slamming the door shut on the other’s running game.  Combined, Central Catholic and Bishop McDevitt rushed for a total of 142 yards of the 613 total yards of offense generated.  In other words, 77% of the total yardage came through the air!  How unusual is that with Central having two backs over 1600 yards rushing and McDevitt one.  Central has running back Colin McDermott with 1666 yards and quarterback Brendan Nosovitch at 1647 yards.  McDevitt counters with Jameel Poteat at 1653 yards so there were a lot of quality backs out there.  As good as those three are, their respective defensive fronts were up to the task of stopping them.  McDevitt got the lead after making little progress on the ground when quarterback Matt Johnson connected with speedy Brian Lamelle on a 28 yard touchdown with 8:38 left in the first quarter.  Two minutes later, Central’s quarterback Brendan Nosovitch went in on a 1 yard keeper to tie the score.  With :39 left in the first quarter, Jameel Poteat got the lead back for the Crusaders on a 22 yard burst right up the middle to the end zone.  He is not the quickest back but does shed tacklers well with his strength.  That was one of the best running plays of the game.  But as the game progressed, Central’s defensive front won the battle with McDevitt’s O-line.  They continued trading points into the second quarter when Brendan Nosovitch, playing out of the shotgun, broke free on a quarterback draw for a 25 yard touchdown that tied the score at 14 all going into the half.  McDevitt just missed recovering a Nosovitch fumble the play before that touchdown.  The second half was a repeat of the first with both teams trading blows in the third quarter on Kevin Gulyas’ 15 yard touchdown pass from Nosovitch and QB Matt Johnson’s 9 yard touchdown run for McDevitt with :05 left in the quarter.  Before that possession, Matt, who also punts, just missed gaining a first down off a fake punt, pulling up a yard short of the first down at their 49 yard line.  It was close, but a good spot.  McDevitt’s defense was on fire in the fourth quarter, forcing three-3 and outs.  They had Central at their own 42 yard line but nailed them on a fourth and 2, just short of a first.  From there, the Crusaders went on a 58 yard drive in 10 plays, mixing Poteat and Johnson carries in with a few passes, setting up Poteat for a 3 yard touchdown run with 6:54 left in the game.  With a 27-21 lead, the all important snap for the extra point was high and the kick went wide to the left.  Central still couldn’t generate anything on their next possession, going three and out after moving from their 24 to their 26 where they punted to McDevitt’s 49 yard line.  McDevitt moved the ball to Central’s 42 yard line, coming up 2 feet short of a first down.  It’s a state championship game with everything on the line.  How many shots do most teams get at a gold medal?  Do you go for it or turn it over to one of the most productive and innovative quarterbacks in the state?  Following a tense time out, the decision was made to punt with 3:35 left in the game.  Johnson got off a good one, booting it to Central’s 15 yard line.  Following an incompletion, Central jumped, moving the ball to the 10 yard line.  Another stop for a short gain of 2 saw the Vikings facing a third and 13 from their 12 yard line.  That led to the next play that will be seared into the memory banks of both teams for its decisive boldness when Nosovitch lobbed a short pass over the line to tight end Jack Sandherr, who had set up in the left tackle position from where he lumbered all the way to McDevitt’s 18 yard line before being dragged down from behind.  The next play seemed almost too easy with Nosovitch darting up the middle against a stunned Crusader defense on a quarterback draw for the score.  Wow!  What a game and great win for Central Catholic who secured their third AAA state title.  The other titles came in 1993 when they beat Blackhawk 40-0 and a few years later in 1998 where they shutout Moon, 10-0.  Look for them to again be strong next season with the return of almost all their skill players including quarterback Brendan Nosovitch, running back Colin McDermott and wide receiver Kevin Gulyas.  The three combined for 7344 yards of offense this year.  The lines are almost a complete rebuild but they should hit the ground running with the veteran skill they’ll put on the field.                   

2A: West Catholic (13-2) beat South Fayette (15-1), 50-14

West Catholic settled a score in the AA state final last Saturday where they disassembled a good South Fayette (15-1) football team by a record setting 50-14 score.   Their first trip to Hershey and the finals back in 2008 was less successful, coming up 36 inches short of winning the Class AA championship in a heartbreaking double overtime 35-34 loss to Wilmington (15-1).  The Burrs (14-2) had a quick 14-0 lead in that one but it wasn’t meant to be.  Back to the present; the 50-14 drubbing West Catholic put on South Fayette belies the fact the Lions have good athletes.  They do.  Last year’s AA hoops final saw their 24-5 team beat a pretty good Strawberry Mansion team (28-2) in the AA final, 49-47.  And you don’t get to 15-0 in any of the power districts unless you have good stuff.  West Catholic simply had more, a lot more as evidenced by the 530 to 135 total yardage advantage.  Those totals broke Jeannette’s AA record of 506 yards in the 2007 final against Dunmore.  The only school at any classification to gain more yardage than that in a title game was Central Bucks West in 1998 with 533 yards after crushing New Castle 56-7.  West Catholic’s win was just as impressive when they exploded for 30 second quarter points, giving them a 36-14 lead at the half.  South Fayette looked good at the start, scoring on a Christian Brumbaugh pass to Zach Challingsworth for an 8 yard touchdown.  But from thereon it was wipeout city with the Burrs defense applying constant pressure on Brumbaugh and the offense outscoring them 50-7!  Big plays broke the Lion’s back when sophomore David Williams answered with an 81 yard run for 6 (first play after punt) to bring them within a point at 7-6, followed by Jaelen Strong-Rankin and quarterback Anthony Reid connecting on a 75 yard strike for another 6.  Anthony kept it all to himself on the next one, scoring from 7 yards out.  South got their last score of the game after this when Brumbaugh connected with his favorite target Zach Collingsworth for a 20 yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 20-14 with just under 3 minutes left in the half.  Two more Burrs scores in the last moments of the first half ripped it wide open when Brandon Hollomon ran in from the 16 and Anthony Reid again connected with Jaelen Strong-Rankin for a 25 yard touchdown giving them a 36-14 lead at the half.  Second half action saw the Burrs close the deal with a score on their first possession with David Williams scoring from the 4.  Joshua Mathis’ 26 yard romp to the end zone in the fourth quarter ended the scoring.  He finished with 61 yards on 8 carries and just under 1000 yards with 984 yards for the year.  Brandon Holomon had a strong outing, rushing for 113 yards on 14 carries.  He led the team in rushing this year with 1557 yards.  The top gainer against South Fayette was sophomore David Williams (5-11, 180), who rushed for 182 yards on just 14 carries.  He ended the year with 924 yards rushing and will be a mainstay in the offense next year.   Anthony Reid completed but 3 of 7 passes for 124 yards but two went for touchdowns of 75 and 25 yards to Jaelen Strong-Rankin.    Next year also looks promising from this distance with all of the O-line returning except tight end Jim Lynch, a real loss.  They lose their receiver corps and quarterback but return talented running back David Williams.  Defensively, they return 1 lineman, 2 linebackers and 2 to the secondary.  So there you have it, with West Catholic ridding themselves of the ghosts of 2008 and bringing home their first state championship gold medal trophy.  It doesn’t get any better than that!                   

1A: Clairton 16-0) beat Riverside (14-2), 36-30

Defending Class-A champion Clairton got a lot more than they bargained for last Friday at the Stadium in Hershey where the hard charging Riverside Vikings came out with a purpose to put a 16-0 first quarter hurtin on the stunned Bears.  No one expecting that.  No disrespect to District-2 who fielded monster teams from Berwick and good stuff from Dunmore, Wyoming Valley West and sometimes GAR, Coughlin and West Scranton.  The West Scranton game at the top of the season was the one that told you they may be more than expected after beating the Invaders (9-3, AAA) 32-19.  They have some history of good football actually, losing to Sharpsville 10-7 in the 1997 Single-A final.  And they proved themselves in the Class-A playoffs, beating renown teams like Dunmore (7-5) 22-14 and heavyweight Southern Columbia (10-3).  Taking down Southern 36-0, then District-11’s Schuylkill Haven (11-3) 41-0, told you they could play with the big boys and were rolling.  So while some felt it could be a reasonably competitive game, no one expected the Vikings to jump on the Bears as hard as they did.  Nick Rossi, their 6-2, 240 pound senior fullback, got it started with a 64 yard touchdown with 4:26 left in the first quarter.  The big guy can run!  Talk about stunned. The Vikings came right back with a follow-up score when quarterback Corey Talerico found Kyle Walsh for a 60 yard connection to another 6 points.  They went for two on both scores to take a 16-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.  Just over 2 minutes into the second quarter, the Vikings struck again for what appeared to be the coup de grace when Tommy Armillay got under a 23 yard toss from Talerico for the score.  For the third straight time, they went for the 2 point conversion and got it!  There they were, sitting pretty with a 24-0 lead against the defending state champion who allowed only 34 points the entire year.  So how would Clairton respond, faced with such a deficit?  A fast background check would provide some clues.  Since their last losing season in 2005, a dismal 4-5 campaign, they’ve only lost 5 games, providing a 54-5 won-loss.  And if you haven’t kept up on these things, this year’s appearance in the Class-A finals is their third finals appearance in a row.  Quite a feat!  The 2008 team that went 15-1, lost to the all conquering Steelton Highspire Rollers (16-0) who won their second consecutive title by defeating the Bears 26-15.  Last year’s opponent was a powerful squad from Bishop McCort (Johnstown), who they defeated in a wild one, 15-3.  So you’re talking about a playoff proven, somewhat veteran team with a division one player and leader in quarterback Desimon Green (6-5, 230! sr), protected by a division one tackle, Marquis Norris (6-5, 325, sr), who was seeing reduced time with a torn MCL and PCL but still capable of opening holes for a trio of speedy backs including Karvonn Coles (716ry), Tyler Boyd (630ry) and Brandon Small (602ry) who rushed for 1948 yards combined coming into the game.  Back to the quarterback for a moment who entered the final with 1756 yards passing and 688 rushing.  He is no Terrelle Pryor or Cam Newton but a number of schools including Texas Tech, Michigan State, Michigan, Rutgers etc, are recruiting him as a DE.  The firing of Coach Wannestadt caused him to de-commit to Pitt, although that is still an option.  Back to the initial question; how would Clairton respond to a second quarter 24-0 deficit?  By mounting the largest comeback in PIAA playoff history, scoring 3 touchdowns before the end of the second quarter then 2 more in the third quarter, giving them 5 consecutive scores or 36 unanswered points to take a 36-24 lead going into the final quarter.  What an explosion.  Desimon Green got it started with a 2 yard run with 4:29 left in the half.   Desimon then connected with Tyler Boyd for a 37 yard touchdown.  Junior quarterback Capri Thompson (6-0, 160) got in on some fun throwing a 19 yard touchdown pass to Josh Page with 33 second left in the half, cutting Riverside’s lead to 24-20.  The surge continued in the second half with Tyler Boyd and Green again hooking up for a 82 yard touchdown followed by Trenton Coles 2 yard dash for 6.  So, what once was a seemingly secure 24-0 lead for Riverside dissolved over the course of two quarters to a 36-24 Clairton lead.  Kyle Walsh made it interesting for by pulling in a 35 yard touchdown pass from Talerico with 1:28 left in the game.  That’s where it ended, in what after all was a competitive game with Clairton edging Riverside 36-30 and winning their second straight Class-A title.  The win takes their 5 year won-loss to dazzling 70-5! The Bears will likely take a hit next year with the graduation of Desimon Green and lineman Marquis Norris.  But they should still be strong with the return of experienced quarterback Capri Thompson, receivers Tyler Boyd and Trenton Coles, along with running backs Tyler Boyd and Kavonn Coles.  Center Carvan Thompson (6-1, 225, jr) and LT Erik Walker (6-2, 205, jr) also return.  That’s enough to extend their 31 game winning streak at least a few more games.  How about these Bears, winning two straight Class-A titles!

Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10

1. LaSalle (13-2)  LaSalle lost in the AAAA state final to North Allegheny 21-0 but still have much to feel good about.  They’ve become the alpha quad in the Philadelphia Catholic League by winning 3 consecutive titles and establishing themselves as a team to be reckoned with across the state after earning a silver medal this year and a gold medal last year.  Their overall won-loss since the arrival of Coach Drew Gordon in 2006 is 51-16 so there is much to be proud about.  One thing that stands out in the loss to North Allegheny was how well the defense held up with no help from a turnover prone offense that coughed up 2 fumbles and 3 interceptions.  Take those away and it’s a game. A look at North Allegheny’s most difficult opponents, Upper St. Clair, McDowell, North Hills, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Woodland Hills and Cumberland Valley who have a combined won-loss of 57-16, shows the Tigers winning by an average score of 23-12.  The loss was against archrival North Hills (10-2), 21-16, in the final game of the regular season.  Just a little bit of offense by the Explorer’s would have made a tremendous difference in their momentum but it wasn’t meant to be.  For next year they return a decent core on offense with quarterback Matt Magarity and running back Tim Wade joined by an exciting sophomore in wide out Sean Coleman.  Congratulations to the Explorer’s who, once again, took us on a whirlwind of a journey through another exciting season.             

2. North Penn (13-2)   

3. West Catholic (13-2, AA)

4. Archbishop Wood (13-1, AAA)  

5. Strath Haven (12-2, AAA) 

6. Council Rock South (11-2)

7. Neshaminy (12-2) 

8. Abington (10-3)

9. Rustin (11-2) 

10. Downingtown East (9-3)  

 

Honorable Mention

Ridley (10-2)

Springfield (8-4, AAA)

Penn Wood (9-2)

Interboro (7-6, AAA)

Pottsgrove (10-3, AAA) 

Henderson (8-4) 

Coatesville (8-3) 

Central Bucks West (9-3) 

Souderton (7-4)

Philadelphia Northeast (8-3) 

Cardinal O’Hara (9-2, AAA)

 

Pennsylvania State Wide Top 10 

(All classifications eligible)

1. North Allegheny (15-1)   

2. LaSalle (13-2)

3. North Penn (13-2)

4. Allentown Central Catholic (16-0, AAA) 

5. West Catholic (13-2, AA)

6. Archbishop Wood (13-1, AAA)   

7. Woodland Hills (9-4) 

8. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (11-1)

9. Bishop McDevitt (13-3, AAA)  How hard was it for Bishop McDevitt to lose a game on a missed extra point and tackle eligible play that set up the winning score?  This was a game the Crusaders owned in terms of first downs 16-11, total yardage (barely) 312- 301 and profoundly in possession time, 28:35 to 19:25.  But you can’t suffer a special teams breakdown or leave the tight end uncovered, tackle eligible or not, in a playoff game.  Most of the people I’ve talked to from District-3 wonder why McDevitt didn’t go for the first down.  Hindsight is sure a wonderful thing but there is something about failing while “going for it” that is not as bitter a pill to swallow as not “going for it”.  Had they gone for the first down and not made it, perhaps the same argument would be “they should have kicked the ball away”.  The punt was a good one, pinning the Vikings on their 15 yard line.  That gets us back to the missed extra point and tackle eligible play.  One thing is certain, they will be talking about this one for a very long time to come.  Whatever the judgments, McDevitt was one of the best teams in the state, proving themselves against AAAA heavyweights in conference action, dominating District-3 playoff teams, escaping a Erie Cathedral Prep team you’ll be hearing a lot about next year and battling Allentown Central Catholic down to the wire.  

10. Easton (12-3)

 

Honorable Mention

Cumberland Valley (13-3) 

Wilson (11-1)          

Whitehall (10-3)

Riverside (14-2, 1A)  See write up above.

Strath Haven (12-1, AAA)

Neshaminy (12-2)

Council Rock South (11-2)

North Hills (10-2)

Mount Lebanon (10-1) 

Upper Saint Clair (8-3)

Clairton (16-0, 1A)  See write up above.

Cathedral Prep (9-4, AAA)

 

Dropped out

South Fayette (15-1, AA) Lost in final to West Catholic 50-14.