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Interboro Stampeeds Bishop Shanahan to Advance to D1 4A Title Game

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, Playoffs

| November 5, 2022

GLENOLDEN PA – The moon sat just above a dewy grass field. Lights, “Kamara”, Action was all Interboro needed as the electric South Ave got ready for a playoff game. It was the semifinals, and everything was on the line. It did not matter if you played an amazing season or a terrible one, if you do not win, none of it matters. An Interboro Buccaneers team returned to the playoffs after an exit last year against West Chester Rustin in 5A. The visiting Bishop Shanahan Eagles, who took home the D1 4A title last year, looked to repeat the history book. Ultimately, Interboro’s offense was too much for Shanahan as the Buccaneers took a convincing 48-28 win.

In the words of Abu Kamara, “Let’s show em the dark side.” That is how this game would play out across four quarters of offensive-heavy football. The coin toss fell into the hands of the referee, and Bishop Shanahan won it. They elected to defer, and the ball would be Interboro’s ball to kick things off.

Interboro who flipped the script on a rough 3-7 season last year, now found themselves to receive a kick in a playoff game. With a solid 8-2 record on the current season, it was nothing but grit and grind for them. A first drive would find Abu Kamara taking most of the snaps for yardage on the ground. Eventually, Kamara found himself in his opponent’s red zone; where he would punch in a touchdown. The foot, on kicker, Luke Dunleavy would ail successful on the PAT and would begin a perfect night for him. Up 7-0, Interboro knew Shanahan would not bat an eye at the scoreboard.

A quick drive by the Eagles would end in a punt, but a fumble by Interboro would be recovered by Shanahan. It was now a short field and the end zone looked more tempting than it ever was before. A handoff in the red zone to Patrick Gahllager would end in a 13-yard TD. Shanahan tried to take the lead with a 2pt attempt, but it was vetoed by Interboro. A 7-6 nail bitting first quarter was not done yet. Right after the score, Shanahan kicked off. Back to receive was Dom Gunter. Not even a brick wall could stop him as he went 80-yards to the house. It was another score, making it 14-6 after the PAT. The first-quarter scoreboard would sit just like that as the second began.

The second quarter was an offensive shootout. A nice drive from Bishop Shanahan would be stopped dead in its tracks with an Aaron Keene interception. Despite the interception, Interboro could not capitalize on the turnover. With Interboro having the lead in score, Shanahan still maintained the lead in possession time. A lengthy red zone stand would dissolve most of the time in the second. Relentless, Shanahan would find the end-zone for a touchdown by way of Pat Gallagher running it in. It was a tie at 14 a piece, but this game and scoring were far from over. With only 3 minutes left in the half, a packed house would go on to see three more scores, two from Interboro, and one from Shanahan. One of those scoring plays would be a 85-yard touchdown pass by Julian Bulovas to Dom Gunter! The half would conclude with a 27-21 Interboro lead, it was still anyone’s game.

It was 24 minutes for it all. One team would rain victorious, one would play their last minutes this season. Abu Kamara would make his presence known all night, but a third quarter would be his calling. He kept it on the ground for a 34-yard run. Anthony Barr, who is only a sophomore, would go on to run it 30-yards for a touchdown. After the game, he was asked what it felt like to contribute to a varsity team as a sophomore. His response was simple, “It feels great.”

Theo Demopoulus would contribute to the unstoppable force known as the Interboro run game. He would tack on six to the scoreboard after a 15-yard run. With only 10 minutes left in a win or go home battle, the chances of Shanahan winning dwindled into the night. Down 41-21, Shanahan looked to tack on something. They would not get that opportunity until the very end. In the mean time, Interboro would once again score. This time Abu Kamara would run right down to the goaline, but the rock got slippery. It was a fumble and the ball bounced into the endzone, it looked like an indentical painting to the Miles Sanders – JJ Arcega-Whiteside touchdown last year. There to scoop up the ball and score was Sean Lewis. It would yield the last score for Interboro after an entire night of nonstop scoring. Shanahan would score once more, marking it 48-28. Victory formation is the play Interboro leaned on as time expired.

Kamara said “… the attmosphere here at South Ave, when everbody rolling, defense rolling, we’re unstoppable baby.” Winning seven straight on the season gives an alibi to Kamara’s words. Few high school football players ever get to call themselves District Champs. For Interboro and the 50 some players they roster, they get an opportunity to do that next week. Head Coach, Dennis Lux, told his team “I’m not satisfied”. He went on to tell the team that these wins are just stepping stones to the final product and they are not done yet. They await to see who they will play for the title after Pope John Paul II vs. Springfield-Montco concludes this afternoon. For Bishop Shanahan, the Eagles fell short of back to back title game appearances. While on paper it is a lost, a team who went 4-6 on the season kept it competitive, but their gas tank hit E before Interboro did, and that is how this semifinal game ended.

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