Roman Catholic Wins First State Title In School History

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Nicholas Mastripolito | December 6, 2025

REJOICE ROMAN, A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IS COMING HOME

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and the Cahillites of Roman Catholic got their revenge Friday night, just one day shy of 365 days from their previous championship matchup against Bishop McDevitt. The Cahillites picked up a huge 28-6 victory, cementing their legacy in school history by winning the school’s first-ever football state title.

Defensively, the Cahillites shone all game, holding Bishop McDevitt to only 6 points, but it was really the offense that found its rhythm early. Semaj Beals takes charge of the offense, and with his development and overall skills, the Cahillites were set up for success from day one.

“Semaj Beals is the best quarterback in the history of Philadelphia,” exclaimed Coach Rick Prete.

Semaj Beals truly showed why he’s in the conversation for the best QB in Philadelphia history. Beals dominated in the championship game, kick-starting the game with multiple deep passing plays that resulted in touchdowns later down the line.  The Akron commit QB used his special chemistry with WRs Ash Roberts and Eyan Stead to rack up huge yardage. Beals connected with Stead 9 times on the day, amounting to 102 yards and a score, while Ash Roberts had three massive receptions for 95 yards and a TD.

The Roman defense was also truly special, forcing the Crusaders to turn it over 4 times. Julian Enoch and Walter Hudson had massive games for the Roman defense. Enoch recovered an early fumble and applied pressure all game, making tons of tackles and playing the entirety of the field. Walter Hudson had one of the interceptions for the Roman defense and, like Enoch Hudson, was everywhere, involved in every single play.

Roman Catholic did find the endzone once more, towards the end of the third quarter, when Semaj Beals hit Hanif Sheed for the touchdown. Sheeds’ score put Roman up 28-0 with only 12 minutes to go.

Bishop McDevitt did get on the board once in the game, with Gage Ruth pulling in a receiving touchdown, but the Crusaders did not have enough time to bring the game back in reach.

The Cahillite is a name for Roman founder Thomas Cahill, meaning “Sons of Cahill.” Cahill’s dream was to provide free catholic education for young men. Fast forward to 2025, the Roman Catholic Cahillites achieved something that had never been done before since its opening, while still under the name of the man who started it all, Mr. Thomas Cahill.

For these players, they knew they would get back to this point; it’s the confidence that brought them this far. QB Semaj Beals described how he felt while exclaiming, “I told y’all we would be back.”

Roman Catholic truly dominated in a game that was a nail-biter the previous year; the Cahillites showed out, making a case for the best team in the state of Pennsylvania. Head Coach Rick Prete has believed this since day one, and now they are making it known to the people that Roman Catholic is one of the best teams in PA.

“We felt like all year we were the best team in Pennsylvania,” said Prete

Roman Catholic has finished the job nearly one year after their heartbreaker. A State Championship is coming back to Broad Street for the first time.

Game Highlights:

Roman Catholic 28 Bishop McDevitt 6

Score by Quarters

Bishop McDevitt – 0 0 0 6 – 6

Roman Catholic – 7 14 7 0 – 28

Scoring Summary

FIrst Quarter

RC – Semaj Beals 7 yd run, (Eli Pollack pat), 7:33

Second Quarter

RC – Hanif Sheed 8 yd pass from Beals, (Pollack pat), 10:37

RC – Ashdan Roberts 40 yd pass from Beals, (Pollack pat), 1:53

Third Quarter

RC – Eyan Stead 1 yd pass from Beals, (Pollack pat), 1:16

Fourth Quarter

BM – Gage Ruth 24 yd pass from Sebastian Williams, (kick failed), 1:12

Individual Stats

Rushing: RC – Tre Montgomery 17-77, Beals 12-19, Sheed 5-13, Roberts 1-7, Stead 1-(-10). Totals: 36-136. BM – Nazir Jones-Davis 19-118, Jerome Larue Jr. 8-22, Maurice Barnes 3-13, Williams 6-(-14). Totals: 36-139.

Receiving: RC – Stead 9-102, Roberts 3-95, Eisa Nealy 4-27, Sheed 2-12, Montgomery 1-(-4). BM – Jontai Quick 5-66, Ruth 4-43, Howard Holton Jr. 2-38, Jones-Davis 1-(-4).

Passing: RC – Beals 18 for 25, 232 yards, 3 TD. BM – Williams 11 for 25, 143 yards, 1 TD.

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