Three Days at the Chap – A Review of the Games and More – Year Three (2024)

Tagged under: News, pfn, Playoffs

Phil Myers | December 12, 2024

Last weekend at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg, home of the Cumberland Valley Eagles, we saw some of the best high school football in the 37 years the PIAA has been holding football state title games. There were six teams that had never played in the championship game before and two more who had chalked up only one appearance. The fans were treated to a pair of overtime contests and another game that wasn’t decided till the last play. Only one other time were two OT gold medal games played in the same year (2008). And only three other times were there three or more games decided by seven points or less (1999, 2019, and 2021).

Let’s take a quick review of each game and maybe throw out a few statistics. Look on the PFN website for the full stories of each game from all 12 teams’ angle. Also, congratulations to all 12 teams for making the show.

Day 1, Game 1

Bishop Guilfoyle 41 Port Allegany 22 – Guilfoyle took a 14-0 lead only to see Port come back and tie the game at the 4:30 mark of the third quarter. BG took control thereafter scoring 3 touchdowns in less than five and a half minutes and ultimately scoring 27 straight points before Port Allegany tallied a late touchdown. The Gators have one of the best lines in the state, but the BG Marauder line had the upper hand this day for sure. Port’s Carson Neely, a Clarion University wrestling commit at heavyweight, “is about the best offensive linemen we ever saw,” said Guilfoyle’s coach Justin Wheeler. Taurean Consiglio and Hamilton Gates both had 100 or more yards rushing for Guilfoyle, with Consiglio scoring 4 times. Port’s RB Aiden Bliss, who led the state in rushing, scored all three of the Gator touchdowns and he ran for 249 yards on 47 carries. The 47 carries is a new state championship game record.

: Aiden Bliss

: Taurean Consiglio

A big factor in the game, not that it would have changed the final outcome, was when one of Port’s fastest players and one of their leading tacklers, Tristan Kiser, got hurt on BG’s first touchdown and never came back. After that, the BG offense moved the ball consistently throughout the rest of the game. Both coaches had a lot of praise for the other team with BG’s Justin Wheeler saying his team played “really well for all four quarters.” Port’s Justin Bienkowski said his team “didn’t play their best football” and that is what is needed when you get to the finals. The two Justins coached with each other at an East-West all-star game a few years back. Bienkowski said, “Coach Wheeler is a very strong football dude and runs a legit program.” This was Bishop Guilfoyle’s fifth state title in six tries since 2014. Wheeler took over the reigns at BG in 2011. His record is 148-41 which equivocates to a .783 winning percentage.

Day 1, Game 2

Bonner-Prendergast 40 Lampeter-Strasburg 14 – Neither team had been to the football title game before which was actually refreshing. It also speaks to the quality of programs the two schools have attained. Just as in the first game, one team jumped out to a 14-0 lead only to see the other squad battle back to tie it. In this case, Bonner looked really good in going up by two touchdowns, but the Pioneers caught them, tying the game with 5 minutes left in the first half. Lampeter-Strasburg got the ball back again, but was intercepted giving the Friars a chance to score late in the half. Bonner converted a long pass and then scored on a short run with 31 seconds remaining to go up 21-14. L-S then proceeded to reach Bonner territory when disaster struck. A short pass over the middle turned into a 61-yard pick six by Jeremiah Coleman on the final play of the half. Bonner-Prendergast had scored twice in the final 31 seconds and the Pioneers of Lampeter-Strasburg never recovered. Victor Ridenour, Lampeter’s head coach, was happy the way the season went and was proud of his team’s effort, but disappointed they came up short.

: Coach Muldoon on left and his son Brady in middle.

: Mick Johnson #5 evading L-S tacklers.

That interception touchdown by Coleman was the turning point of the game. Lampeter turned the ball over a total of four times and that usually doesn’t help your cause in a championship contest. Bonner scored two more times and their ‘D’ held the Pioneers scoreless in the second half. The Friars’ Mick Johnson ran the ball for 111 yards and scored four touchdowns. Dominic Brown scored both TDs for Lampeter-Strasburg and their QB Calieb Howse ran for 124 yards to lead the Pioneer offense. Bonner’s only two losses were to the two best teams in Pennsylvania, St. Joes Prep and LaSalle. “This is for everybody, all of the teams and all of the guys who came before this team who never had a chance to do this,” Bonner’s Coach Jack Muldoon said, “This state championship is for them, too.” “This is the thrill of a lifetime. What they’ve given me — what he has given me — is truly special,” Muldoon said about his son Brady who is a member of the team, “I’ll never experience anything like this again. Sharing these last four years with him has been remarkable.” Muldoon had decades of assistant coaching experience including 12 years at St. Joes before being named head coach at Bonner-Prendergast in 2016. He is a Bonner grad. The actual name of the school is Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School.

Day 2, Game 3

Troy 25 Central Clarion 24 – This might have been the game most neutral observers were waiting to see. It not only was the only title game that pitted two undefeated teams against each other, but both had never reached this stage before. The contest did not disappoint, although Central Clarion got off to a slow start which ultimately that cost them, along with a time management snafu at the end of the game. But take nothing away from Troy who played inspired and disciplined football throughout the 48 minutes. One other vital stat was that the Trojans had the ball for almost 32 minutes, while the explosive offense of the Central Clarion Wildcats had the football only a little over 16 minutes.

Troy trailed early 3-0, but came back and took a 12-3 lead into halftime. Dave Eggleton, Central’s head honcho, decided to unleash the passing attack in the second half and it paid dividends. Central Clarion’s QB Jase Ferguson threw 2 touchdown passes to Ethan Rex in the 3^rd quarter and the Wildcats led 16-12 heading into the fourth. Troy’s Brendan Gilliand scored on a 28-yard run to put the Trojans up, but Ferguson countered with a TD run himself putting the Wildcats back on top 24-18 with 6:37 left. The Trojans answered by going on a 5-minute drive that ended when Mason Smith reversed his field finding no receiver open on a half back option. By heading back the way he started out, a crease opened and Smith darted 16 yards for what turned out to be the winning score after the extra point conversion with 1:15 left.

: Brendan Gilliland scoring one of his TDs.

: Jase Ferguson under pressure from Jack Burbage.

Central Clarion returned the kickoff into Troy real estate but a sack and then not calling one of their three timeouts cost them about 25 to 30 seconds. The Wildcats eventually got a first down but had to try a 50-yard field goal on the last play of the game. It fell a few yards short and looked a hair wide. When the refs signaled the kick was no good, the Troy Trojans celebrated their state championship. It was the Northern Tier League’s first state title. Ferguson was 17 of 24 for 189 yards passing. Gilliand lead the Troy offense running for 142 yards on 25 carries, scoring twice. He added a third TD by catching the only completion Troy had on the day. Troy’s head coach, Jim Smith, took over the program in 2011 and the Trojans have compiled 114 wins since then. He says his offense is a simple offense with a few wrinkles. It sure looked more than simple against a pretty good Central Clarion defense.

Day 2, Game 4

Bishop McDevitt 34 Roman Catholic 31 (OT) – What a game!! This was supposed to be one of the better games and it didn’t let people down. It was billed by me as the battle of the quarterbacks. Stone Saunders of McDevitt held almost all of the PA high school QB records going into the game and broke a couple more during this amazing contest. Separate passes to Dominic Diaz-Ellis and Liam Fuller broke the career passing yardage and pass completions records. Saunders is heading to the SEC to play for Kentucky. Semaj Beals of Roman is a junior and a D-1 recruit. He broke the career yardage passing record of Kyle McCord for the Philadelphia city during the season. Quite possibly the biggest factor of this contest were the dropped balls by Roman’s receivers including one late in the game that would have gotten the Cahillites pretty far inside McDevitt territory with a huge chance to win the game.

Roman Catholic got a field goal on their first possession only to have the Crusaders come back and score a pair of TDs to take a 14-3 lead into the intermission. Roman’s offense started to click in the second half but they still trailed by eleven, 28-17, entering the final quarter. The Cahillites tallied a couple of scores to go ahead 31-28 with 5:44 left. Louis Gaddy’s 75-yard pick six put Coach Rick Prete’s team in the lead for the first time since they led 3-0 early on. McDevitt’s Aidan Grella tied the game with a 20-yard field goal with under 3 minutes remaining but he missed a 42-yarder to win the game at the end of regulation. Beals pulled up with a leg cramp after running 3 yards in overtime and Roman subsequently faced a fourth down and missed their FG try. Grella then converted his 21-yard field goal attempt to win the game for the Crusaders.

: The trenches.

: Coach Weachter and Stone Saunders.

This was Bishop McDevitt’s third overall title. McDevitt’s coach, Jeff Weachter, won his second championship in three years. The other Crusader championship win was back in 1995 under Four Chapman. Weachter is one of the winningest active coaches in Pennsylvania, sporting a record of 276-107. Roman’s coach, Rick Prete, is one of the nicest coaches you’ll meet. It was a pleasure to talk with him and he had nothing but praise for Weachter and the McDevitt football team and program. Many of you may not know it, but Coach Prete almost didn’t coach this year due to a family tragedy. His oldest daughter was killed in an automobile accident back in July. Coach Prete will say he is a weak man, but if you ask his players and the coaching staff, they will tell you different. Through all of that, he managed to get his team prepared and the Cahillites played some outstanding football throughout the season. Unfortunately, they fell a play short of a title. If you think of it, say a prayer for Rick Prete and his family this Christmas season.

Day 3, Game 5

Northwestern Lehigh 36 Avonworth 33 (OT) – What a game, the sequel!!! This was supposed to be a defensive struggle, but it turned out to be anything but. Both squads were making only their second appearance in the state championship contest. Luca Neal, remember that name. Avonworth’s #4 put on quite a show to say the least. Even though his Antelopes lost, it wasn’t for lack of effort by him or his teammates. Neal carried the ball 36 times for Avonworth for 252 yards and he scored all four of his team’s touchdowns. Watch his incredible TD run below. On the other side, Northwestern’s #4 had himself a day too. Eli Zimmerman rushed for 123 yards and scored 3 times, including the game winner in overtime. “Eli’s just a straight dog. When he puts the ball in the end zone, you know it’s going your way,” his brother Brady said. Tiger QB Shane Leh contributed a touchdown pass and 114 yards throwing the ball.

54 yards! @AvonworthFB responds! @lucaneal16 @nwtigerfootball lead cut to 30-23. 1:42 third pic.twitter.com/Q3k6PycKui

— Pennsylvania Football News (@PaFootballNews) December 7, 2024

Including the overtime there were six lead changes in the game. No one punted until the second half. In the first half, both teams had the ball three times and both teams scored three times. Due to an Avonworth missed PAT, NW Lehigh led 17-16 at the break. The Tigers seemed to take command in the third by increasing their lead to 30-16, but the Antelopes came racing back to eventually tie the game and send it to OT. Avonworth booted a field goal on their overtime possession, but Eli Zimmerman ran ten yards to score on the first play and give the NW Lehigh Tigers their first ever state title. In fact, the Northwestern boys and girls soccer teams also went undefeated and won state championships. The combined record of those three teams was 72-0 as both soccer teams were 28-0.

Eli Zimmerman tries to get away from Jaden Jones #6.

Josh Snyder has been coaching at Northwestern Lehigh since 2012. He has compiled a record of 120-40, including 31-1 the past two years with a silver and gold medal. He is a Northwestern Lehigh grad where he starred in football and then played at Lehigh University.

Day 3, Game 6

St. Josephs Prep 35 Pittsburgh Central Catholic 6 – I must say that St. Joes stands with some of the best programs and best coaching I have ever seen. With the exception of Texas and California teams, I have seen some of the best over the years including IMG Academy (FL), Valdosta (GA), Ben Davis (IN), and Moeller (OH). St. Joes is like a machine. Sure, they have some great athletes, but these kids are also great students which many across the state don’t know or refuse to acknowledge. My hat is off to them. But let’s not forget they have been beaten on occasion in the finals. Ask Mt. Lebo and Pine-Richland about that. Having said that, the Hawks have appeared in 9 straight championship games winning 7 of them. Pittsburgh Central Catholic is well-coached too and they are a pretty darn good football team in their own right. But on this night, it was all St. Joes Prep.

: Khyan Billups #24. Seamus Mahon #7 .

: Jett Harrison #18 with the catch. PCC’s Zach Gleason can only watch.

St. Joes put this game away early by scoring 3 touchdowns in the first quarter including an 80-yard touchdown jaunt by Khyan Billups on the game’s first offensive play. Billups finished with 228 yards and 3 TDs on 29 carries. Khyan is the backup RB thrust into the starting role when Ohio State commit, Isaiah West went down with an injury. Jy’Aire Walls led the PCC Vikings scoring their lone touchdown and passing for over 120 yards. The offensive line of The Prep is massive. The starting five of Christian Leonard, Sean Molley, Jake Namnun, Kahlil Stewart, and Bleek Turner average 6’3” in height and 293 in pounds. Yes, there is another Harrison playing for St. Joes. His name is Jett. He’s a freshman but starts and had 4 catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Head coach, Tim Roken, began coaching the Hawks in 2019. Since then, he has compiled a record of 65-9. Only 3 of those losses are to Pennsylvania teams, twice to LaSalle during regular season games and to Mt. Lebanon in the state finals in 2021.

Some Final Notes and Thoughts – With expansion to 6 classes in 2016, thirty-one new teams have been given an opportunity to play for a state football title that most of them would not have had if the PIAA had stayed in the archaic days of just 4 classes. Nine of those teams won gold.

In 36 previous years, District Nine only ever had a total of three teams make the state finals. This year (2024) two teams made it from D9. They were Port Allegany and Central Clarion, both of whom were making their first appearance. No D9 team has ever made the state finals twice.

This was the fifth time District Twelve placed three teams in the finals in the same year. But it was only the second time two of them were new to the big stage. The other year was 2013 when Imhotep and St. Joes made their first appearances. Including 2013, The Prep has been in eleven of the twelve finals in either 4A or 6A. In fact, since the PIAA went to six classes in 2016, St. Joes has represented their side of the bracket in each and every year.

District 7 (WPIAL) was shut out of a title for only the second time. 1992 was the only other time they were denied at least one championship. It was the second time since the PIAA went to six classes that D7 only had two teams in the finals. The other year was 2018.

Speaking of St. Joes, they have now beaten Pittsburgh Central Catholic four times in four tries in the state playoffs. A trio of final victories are coupled with an overtime win in the ‘Western Finals’ back in 2019 on ‘the catch’ by Marvin Harrison Jr. from back-up QB Malik Cooper to send the game to OT which St. Joes won 31-24.

The weekend was a load of fun. Enjoyed catching up with media personalities from all over the state and especially enjoyed my conversations with the PFN crew including some of those who attended their first ever championship games. By the way Willie, thanks for treating me to breakfast for my retirement at the Middlesex Diner. On a side note, the Middlesex Diner has delicious food and very pleasant waitresses and staff. If I get down to states again, I will definitely drop by for breakfast.