PIAA Championship Weekend: By The Numbers

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Joe Ruby | December 8, 2016

Hello everyone!  After a long hiatus, I’m back to bring you everything you need to know about the PIAA Championships!  I’ll be reporting live from Hershey all weekend, starting tonight with the AAAA Championship between Imhotep Charter and Erie Cathedral Prep!

To get you set for this exciting weekend – now featuring 50% more action! – here’s a reference guide to some of the interesting numbers that will be floating around Hersheypark Stadium over the next few days.

1: Only one of the twelve teams in Hershey this weekend had a losing record last year – that would be Harrisburg, whose dramatic turnaround is fueled by a dynamic offense consisting almost entirely of underclassmen.

3: Out of the six games this weekend, three are rematches of past PIAA Championships.  In 2013, St. Joe’s Prep notched a 35-10 win over Pittsburgh Central Catholic.  In 2014, Bishop Guilfoyle edged Clairton 19-18.  And, last year, Imhotep Charter smacked Cathedral Prep to the tune of 40-3.

4: Of the dozen teams playing this weekend, four are making their first PIAA Championship appearance: Steel Valley, Middletown, Beaver Falls, and Harrisburg.

4.7: Imhotep Charter allowed a mere 4.7 points per game this year, the lowest among the teams in Hershey.

6: Over the last 5 years, these 12 teams have combined for just 6 losing seasons.  Harrisburg was on the wrong side of .500 in 2013 and 2015, as was Steel Valley in 2012 and 2013 and Middletown in 2012 and 2014.  In particular, Middletown’s 1-9 campaign from 2012 must feel like a lifetime ago!

6-0: The lowest scoring PIAA Championship Game occurred in 1995, when Farrell shut out Southern Columbia 6-0.

7: Since 1988, there have been seven PIAA Championship Games that have gone into overtime.  Of these seven, only Wilmington’s 35-34 win over West Catholic in 2008 went to double overtime!

11: Miles Middletown High School will need to travel to Hersheypark Stadium, edging out Harrisburg (13 miles) for the shortest trip.

12: Due to the increase in classifications from four to six, there will be twelve teams in Hershey for the first time ever!  The winners of the Harrisburg-Archbishop Wood and St. Joe’s Prep-Pittsburgh Central Catholic matchups will get to say that they are Pennsylvania’s first-ever AAAAA and AAAAAA Champions!

16: Since 1988, sixteen PIAA Championship Games have been shutouts.

18: Bishop Guilfoyle has allowed a mere 18 points in their four playoff games this year, the least of any team in Hershey.

19: This will be the 19th consecutive year that the PIAA Championships have taken place exclusively in Hersheypark Stadium.  Before that, they were held in Altoona’s Mansion Park for five years.

22: At least twenty-two schools offered scholarships to St. Joe’s Prep Running Back D’Andre Swift, the highest-ranked 2017 recruit who will be playing in Hershey this weekend.  In September, he committed to play his college ball at the University of Georgia.

32: The average margin of victory for these twelve teams, in all of their games this year, is 32 points.  “Ok,” you might say, “but how much of that is because they played weak opponents?”  Well, if you look at just the playoffs, the average margin of victory drops all the way to… 31.

40: The dozen teams in Hershey this weekend had combined for 40 championship appearances over the years, compiling a record of 24-16.  Of note: this is Southern Columbia’s fifteenth PIAA Championship appearance!  In their previous 14, they are 7-7.

44: Although everyone who gets to Hershey has demonstrated incredible talent, the games don’t always end up being too close: of the 112 PIAA Championship Games played since 1988, 44 – or just under 40% – have been decided by 10 points or fewer.  There’s never been a Championship Weekend in which all four games were decided by 10 points or fewer, though three of the four games were in 1990 and 1999.

54.1:  Steel Valley averaged 54.1 points per game this year, the most of any team in Hershey this weekend.

81: District 7 teams have reached the PIAA Championship Game a total of 81 times, the most of any of Pennsylvania’s 12 Districts, meaning that a little over one third of qualifiers for the Championship Weekend have been from the WPIAL.  In those 81 games, they’ve compiled a 39-42 record.  Right in line with the average, four out of this weekend’s twelve title contenders are from District 7.

91:  The highest-scoring PIAA Championship Game in history occurred in 2012, when North Allegheny did most of the work defeating Coatesville 63-28.  A close second was St. Joe’s Prep’s 49-41 victory over Pine-Richland in 2014.

95.7%:  Over the past 5 years, Southern Columbia has put together a 66-3 record, good for a 95.7 winning percentage, best of this weekend’s teams.  Clairton is a very close second at 94.4% (68-4).

103: The drive from Bishop Guilfoyle to Clairton is 103 miles, the shortest between any two schools playing each other this weekend.

157-7: The twelve teams in Hershey this year have put together a 157-7 record, winning nearly 96% of their games.

278: Pittsburgh Central Catholic has scored 278 points in their five playoff games, for an average of 55.6 points per game in the postseason.

285: Miles from Cathedral Prep in Erie, PA to Hersheypark Stadium, the longest drive for any team.  Beaver Falls is close, with a 251-mile drive.

415: Miles between Cathedral Prep and Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia, the longest drive between any two teams (and close to the longest drive you can make entirely in Pennsylvania!).

661-127:  Good programs don’t pop up overnight – these teams have combined for a 661-127 record over the past 5 years, meaning they’ve won about 84% of their games over this time frame.

Enjoy the games, everyone!  Check out PFN’s Twitter Feed (@pafootballnews) for news and game updates!

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