Stone Saunders tosses 5 TDs as McDevitt claims Class 4A title

Stone Saunders threw five touchdown passes as second-ranked Bishop McDevitt knocked off unbeaten and top-ranked Aliquippa 41-18 Thursday night in the PIAA Class 4A championship game at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.

The District 3 champion Crusaders (13-1) avenged a 34-27 loss to the Quips (13-1) in last year’s title game and ended the season with 13 straight wins. It was McDevitt’s second state title; it beat Burrell 29-0 in 1995 in Class AA.

Saunders threw scoring passes of 70, 12, 12, 28 and 11 yards, the last to Tyshawn Russell, giving McDevitt a 34-6 lead with 4:19 left in the third quarter.

Russell had four catches for 121 yards and each ended up as a touchdown. The senior finished the season with 61 receptions, 1,134 receiving yards and 22 TD catches.

Saunders, a sophomore with numerous Division I offers, ended the season with 54 touchdown passes and nearly 3,600 passing yards.

Other than the scoring passes, Saunders had an off night by his lofty standards. He threw for just 167 yards and was intercepted three times. He had been intercepted just twice in 268 throws before Thursday.

Marquese Williams ran for 123 yards and a TD on 24 carries for the Crusaders.

Aliquippa had allowed 31 points in its four previous playoff wins.

McDevitt allowed 10 points in four previous postseason games, including shutouts the last two weeks over Manheim Central and Crestwood.

Bishop McDevitt lost its season opener to Imhotep Charter 19-14.

It was the second championship of the day for a District 3 team; Steel-High beat Union 20-8 earlier in the day. It is just the third time, and first since 2011 when Lancaster Catholic (AA) and Central Dauphin (AAAA) won, that two District 3 team have captured state titles.

Bruce Harbach, currently the head coach at Schuylkill Valley, coached Lancaster Catholic to the second of two state titles in 2011.