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Bishop Guilfoyle Routs Westinghouse 56-15

Tagged under: District 6, District 8, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

| November 23, 2024

Farrell – Bishop Guilfoyle opened up a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the Marauders cruised past City League champion Westinghouse 56-15.

The general consensus across the state from several media outlets and pundits thought the game would either be close or a Westinghouse blowout of the Marauders.

Well, at the end of the day, nobody knows anything. Bishop Guilfoyle dominated from start to finish and sent a message to the rest of the state.

“It feels great, said Bishop Guilfoyle head coach Justin Wheeler. “From the end of last season, we wanted to make a run this season. When we started looking at the brackets in August, we knew that if we took care of our business, we could meet in the playoffs. We had that in the back of our mind. They’re an incredible team, but I couldn’t be happier with our effort for four quarters. It was outstanding.”

Westinghouse, who appeared in the last two state finals, had no answer for Chase and Jake Kissell, a dominant offensive line, and senior wide receiver Hamilton Gates, who led the Marauders’ offense.

“It’s awesome, there’s no better feeling than this,” Chase Kissell said. “I have to give credit to our coaches. They came up with a great game plan. We knew what they were going to do pretty much every time. We knew they were going to make some plays, but BG football is all about the next play. They had the momentum going into halftime, but we came out and executed. We put it on them. It was just unbelievable.”

Bishop Guilfoyle started things immediately with a methodical 13-play 65-yard drive that ate up 6:15 off the first quarter clock, scoring on Taurean Cosiglio’s 5-yard run.

“With how good their defense is, our goal was to get one first down when they differed,” Wheeler said. “We wanted that first down to break the ice. Once we did that, we started putting the ball in Hamilton’s hands and letting Chase throw the ball. We ran the ball well in the last couple of weeks, and Chase threw it well. That’s what we need to do to win games in November and December. That balance is key. That first drive gave our guys confidence to do it.”

Defensively, they forced a quick punt and drove 47 yards, capped off by Cosiglio’s second touchdown, a 1-yard run.

On the initial snap of their succeeding possession, Bulldogs quarterback Khalil Green threw a backward pass, and the Marauders recovered at the 9-yard line.

Chase Kissell scored his first of five total touchdowns on the afternoon with a 9-yard keeper pushing the lead to 21-0 after a quarter.

“Our guys put the time in, said Wheeler. “I have an incredible group of coaches who do a great job with game plans. The kids believe in us and what we’re doing. Whether it’s a film we watch daily or practice, they’ve been laser-focused. Our seniors have been giving great leadership all season. With the love they have for each other they just came out and played outstanding today.”

As the first quarter became the second, Green launched a 55-yard completion to Lloyd Penn. However, Bishop Guilfoyle’s defense forced Green to throw incomplete on fourth down from the Marauders’ 16-yard line.

Two plays later, Chase Kissell threw a dime to Hamilton Gates, who caught the ball and raced 88 yards for a touchdown.

“We had a different play called,” Chase Kissell said. “I saw there was some room over the middle of the field, and anytime I see that with my guy Hamilton, I’m going to take a shot at him. We converted, and that was huge.”

Bishop Guilfoyle led 28-0 at the 9:12 mark of the second quarter.

Westinghouse didn’t quit, however, and scored touchdowns on two of their next three offensive snaps, with Khalil Green throwing a 56-yard touchdown to Penn before connecting with John Bailey for a 61-yard touchdown with 5:44 remaining in the first half.

The Bulldogs forced back-to-back punts and found themselves in position to possibly pull within a touchdown late in the first half when they drove near the red zone trailing 28-15, only to have Harrison Gates intercept Green in the end zone ending the threat where the Marauders would take a knee to preserve the 28-15 halftime lead.

Khalil Green completed 7-of-22 passes for 261 yards. Two touchdowns and two interceptions. Two hundred twenty-six of those yards came on four completions. The two passes to Penn, the touchdown to Bailey, and a 54-yard completion to Jaylen Stanford late in the game after the outcome had been decided.

“We started playing more coverage over the top,” said Wheeler. “We knew they were big up front with a great running game.  We liked our skill against their skill. Once we got a lead we needed to adjust that. We pressed them and doubled them over the top, and it led to some turnovers in the second half.”

In the third stanza, Bishop Guilfoyle put the game away after driving 74 yards in nine plays, with Chase Kissell connecting with Jake Kissell on a 29-yard touchdown.

Jake Kissell caught four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Twenty-one seconds late, Chase Kissell scored on a 6-yard run after a procedure penalty. The score was set up from another backward pass that resulted in a 9-yard loss, with Bishop Guilfoyle recovering at the Bulldogs’ 1-yard line.

Early in the fourth quarter, Chase Kissell again connected with Jake Kissell on a 67-yard touchdown pass off a tipped ball, which put the Marauders ahead 49-15.

Chase Kissell completed 12 of 18 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 39 yards and a pair of scores.

“I expect that from myself,” said Chase Kissell. “I set those kinds of standards for myself, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates and coaches. These guys were laying blocks for me and getting open down the field. They made my job easy.”

Bishop Guilfoyle invoked the mercy clock with 3:22 to play when Gates scored on a 9-yard run.

Hamilton Gates caught five passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, rushing for a team-high 40 yards and intercepting a pass on defense.

“I’m a little buyest, but I think he’s the best receiver in the state,” said Wheeler. “If some college coaches watch this game against some serious competition. They had three or four pass interference calls that would have been touchdowns if they didn’t pull him down when he had them beat.”

Bishop Guilfoyle will now play District 4 champion Muncy in the PIAA semifinals.

“I watched them last night and they’re big and physical,” said Wheeler. “Their back has nearly 3,000 yards and this bracket is extremely difficult. Whether it’s Fort Cherry, Clairton, us, or Westinghouse. We’re going to enjoy our 3-hour bus ride home. Then, hopefully, we can continue our tradition at this school.”

Game Highlights

Bishop Guilfoyle 56 Westinghouse 15

Score by Quarters

Westinghouse – 0 15 0 0 – 15

Bishop Guilfoyle – 21 7 14 14 – 56

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

BG – Taurean Cosiglio 5 yd run, (Michael Cacciotti pat), 5:45 – 13-65

BG – Cosiglio 1 yd run, (Cacciotti pat), 0:30 – 9-47

BG – Chase Kissell 9 yd run, (Cacciotti pat), 0:09 – 1-9

Second Quarter

BG – Hamilton Gates 88 yd pass from Chase Kissell, (Cacciotti pat), 9:12 – 2-84

W – Lloyd Penn 56 yd pass from Khalil Green, (Penn from Green), 8:38 – 2-63

W – John Bailey 61 yd pass from Green, (kick good), 5:44 – 1-61

Third Quarter

BG – Jake Kissell 29 yd pass from Chase Kissell, (Cacciotti pat), 4:18 – 9-74

BG – Chase Kissell 6 yd run, (pass failed), 3:57 – 1-1

Fourth Quarter

BG – Jake Kissell 67 yd pass from Chase Kissell, (Jake Kissell from Cosiglio), 11:02 – 5-80

BG – Gates 9 yd run, (Cacciotti pat), 3:22 – 4-33

Individual Stats

Rushing: BG – Gates 8-40, Cosiglio 17-17, Kissell 13-39, Jack Gioiosa 3-13, Team 5-(-3). Totals: 46-106. W – Khalil Mitchell 9-22, Green 13-24. Totals: 22-46.

Receiving: Gates 5-138, Jake Kissell 4-130, Braden Reilly 2-12, Nicholas Mccloskey 1-2. W – Penn 2-111, Bailey 1-61, Jaylen Stanford 4-89

Passing: Kissell 12-for-18, 282 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT. W – Green 7-for-22, 261 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT.

Interceptions: BG – Gates, Cosiglio. W – Markius Richardson.

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