PIAA CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW – SOUTHERN COLUMBIA

Tagged under: District 4, News, Playoffs

Dave Fegley | December 8, 2022

Tigers Looking For Record 13th State Title

Will the Tigers need to replace the 1 with a 2?

Southern Columbia won’t be starstruck on Friday afternoon when they play for the PIAA Class 2A Championship in Mechanicsburg. After all, the Tigers are making their record 21st appearance into the gold medal clash, more than twice as many appearances as any other school in Pennsylvania history.

There are a few differences, however. For one, this will be a new venue as Cumberland Valley is the host of the state championships for the next four years. Southern’s first three appearances were in Altoona at Mansion Park. The past 17 were inside of Hersheypark Stadium in Chocolate World. This one will take place at Chapman Field.

“The ultimate goal is to get to this point. It doesn’t matter where the venue is, the team just need to do the prep work in the week leading up to the game and execute during the game,” said Southern 39-year head coach Jim Roth.

Another difference is how the Tigers got here. At one point in the regular season, the five-time defending Class 2A champions lost three games in a six-week span. Senior fullback/linebacker Wes Barnes tore ligaments in his elbow during that stretch, and junior record-breaking linebacker Garrett Garcia has been out since tearing his ACL on the opening kickoff of the season.

If the Tigers are able to defeat Westinghouse, a team making its first ever trip to the final, it will be the first time that the program has won Pennsylvania’s most coveted football prize with three losses.  (Continued below)

How they got here:

2022 Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME/SCORE
08-20	@ Valley View (SCR)	John Henzes Veterans Memorial	11:00 am
08-26	@ Berwick (5-7)	Crispin Field	W 42-27
09-02	@ Shamokin (5-6)	Kemp Memorial Stadium	W 43-0
09-09	vs. Loyalsock (11-2) *	Tiger Stadium	L 10-27
09-16	vs. Lewisburg (2-9) *	Tiger Stadium	W 54-0
09-23	@ Danville (12-1) *		L 14-49
09-30	vs. Montoursville (4-7) *	Tiger Stadium	W 34-16
10-07	@ Central Columbia (3-7) *		W 37-8
10-14	vs. Mount Carmel (12-1)	Tiger Stadium	L 21-35
10-21	vs. Wyoming Area (4-6)	Tiger Stadium	W 55-28
10-28	@ Shikellamy (1-9)		W 42-14
11-04	vs. Line Mountain (4-7) (P)	Tiger Stadium	W 69-6
11-12	@ Troy (9-3) (P)	Alparon Park	W 48-12
11-18	@ Mount Carmel (12-1) (SP)	The Silver Bowl	W 48-18
11-25	@ Bishop Guilfoyle (10-4) (SP)	Mansion Park (Altoona, PA)	W 42-14
12-02	vs. Trinity (10-5) (SP)	Selinsgrove HS	W 42-7
12-09	@ Westinghouse (14-0) (SP)	Chapman Field (Mechanicsburg)	1:00 pm

“We are playing our best football now. Those losses stung, but they have motivated us to get to this point. We are playing like a completely different team with more confidence. If we win the state championship, that’s all that matters. The losses won’t mean a thing at that point,” Barnes said.

One of the main reasons that Southern (12-3) has gotten to this point in the postseason, while winning a record 30th District 4 title along the way, has been the play of the defense in the five postseason games.

“Our defense has really improved from the regular season. We are making more plays. In addition to getting the ball back to our offense, we have also been able to score on some of the turnovers that we have forced,” said senior Braeden Wisloski.

While the starters were on the field, the defensive unit has given up just 31 points. They have scored more than that themselves as six interceptions and one fumble recovery have been returned to combine for 49 points.

Roth’s offense has been geared by the success of the running game in the Wing-T formation. The group of Wisloski (1,804 yards, 24 TD’s), Barnes (1,304 yards, 16 TD’s), junior Carter Madden (434 yards, 12 TD’s), and junior Louden Murphy (439 yards, and nine TD’s) have combined to rush for 10.7 yards per carry.

“Our offensive line had to get used to each other. Only a couple of us were returning starters, so we had some breakdowns earlier in the season,” said senior right tackle Chris Treshock. “We know that if we can get an initial opening that any of our backs can make a big play.”

On defense, Southern’s starting unit is giving just 42.4 rushing yards per game while they have been on the field. Sophomore inside linebacker Dom Fetterolf leads the team with 147 tackles which is the third most ever in a season. Junior defensive end Colden Bloom is also approaching the century mark as he has 90 tackles.

In the Eastern Final win last week, defensive end Tyler Arnold registered a sack. The senior leads the Tigers with eight on the year. Southern has intercepted 22 passes with junior Jake Hoy leading the category with five.

“We have been the most pleased with the play of our defense. The defense is playing with a lot more confidence and discipline. They have done a much better job as the season has progressed in terms of getting the ball back to our offense with great field position,” said Roth.

The defense will have to continue its strong play once the ball is kicked off at 1:00 in Mechanicsburg. Westinghouse (14-0) is averaging 44.1 points per game.

“It is going to be important to stay in position. We trust each other and know that when every is executing that we can make stops. We haven’t given up many big plays so far in the playoffs, so we are hoping to continue that trend in the championship,” Fetterolf said.

Starting Lineups:

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