PIAA roundup: St. Joseph’s Prep dominates in winning third straight 6A title
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Khyan Billups set the tone for St. Joseph’s Prep with an 80-yard touchdown run on the opening play from scrimmage and the Hawks went on to beat Pittsburgh Central Catholic 35-6 Saturday for the PIAA Class 6A championship at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.
It was the third straight state championship for the Hawks (11-2), their sixth in seven years and seventh in nine years. They are 9-2 in PIAA finals.
It was also the Hawks’ ninth straight win since a 35-34, four-overtime loss to Philadelphia Catholic League rival La Salle College. St. Joe’s other loss came in the season opener to St. Edwards of Ohio.
In its last three games Prep has outscored its opponents 159-20.
Billups added scoring runs of 45 and 1 yards on his way to a game-high 230 rushing yards. His third touchdown gave Prep a 28-6 lead with 7:29 remaining in the first half. Neither team scored again until Prep backup Will Vokolos took his second touch of the night 44 yards for a TD with 2:44 left.
Prep dominated the game with 285 rushing yards and a 433-217 advantage in total yards.
Prep quarterback Charlie Foulke completed 13-of-22 passes for 148 yards, including a 19-yard TD to Jett Harrison for a 13-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Central Catholic quarterback Jy’Aire Walls completed just 12-of-32 passes and was sacked seven times.
The lone bright spot for Central Catholic (12-3) was its kick return game with Xavier Thomas and Chrys Black combining for 171 yards on five kickoff returns.
The game marked the ninth straight trip to the PIAA championship game for St. Joseph’s Prep.
Billups’ game-opening TD was the longest ever in a PIAA Class 6A title game.
Central Catholic was bidding for its fifth title and first since 2015.
St. Joe’s Prep was the only defending champ to make it back to state championships this year.
Central Catholic held off Harrisburg 38-33 in the semifinals at Mansion Park to advance to the championship game for the first time in eight years.
Central was the top seed in the District 7 playoffs and defeated Seneca Valley and two-time defending champion North Allegheny to claim the WPIAL championship, then ousted District 6 winner State College in the quarterfinals.
St. Joe’s Prep was the No. 2 seed in the District 12 postseason and upended LaSalle College and Imhotep Charter, then eliminated District 11 champion Parkland in the state quarters and District 1 winner Downingtown West in the semifinals.
Class 3A
Eli Zimmerman’s 10-yard run on Northwestern Lehigh’s first play of overtime gave his team a thrilling 36-33 win over Avonworth Saturday in the PIAA Class 3A championship game at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.
The Tigers completed a 16-0 season and earned their first state football championship.
Avonworth (12-4) got the ball first in OT but managed just 3 yards in three plays and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Calder Mahan for their first lead since late in the first half.
The WPIAAL champion Antelopes battled back from a 30-16 deficit, tying the game on Luca Neal’s 1-yard run and a PAT with 4:32 remaining in regulation.
Neal carried the load for the Lopes, rushing for 252 yards and four TDs on 36 carries. He also scored on runs of 18, 32 and 54 yards.
Neal, a junior, stepped in as the Wildcat quarterback in place of his older brother Nico, who was missed the game due to turf toe.
Zimmerman finished with 123 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns.
“It was a great, hard-fought game,” Avonworth coach Duke Johncour told the Pittsburgh Union Progress. “It’s a shame one team had to lose. Overtime in the state championship — I don’t know if it gets any worse than that.”
Northwestern Lehigh reached its first state title game last year, losing to Belle Vernon in the Class 3A title game. It hasn’t lost since. Northwestern beat Wyomissing 33-24 last year in the semifinals.
Avonworth was making its second title game appearance; it lost to Southern Columbia 74-7 in Class 2A in 2019.
The Antelopes made a surprising championship run after finishing the regular season with a 7-3 record and in a three-way tie for first place in the Western Hills Conference; they were the No. 5 seed for the WPIAL playoffs.
Class 2A
Troy took the lead with just over a minute left, then withstood a 50-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game to hold off Central Clarion 25-24 Friday afternoon and claim the PIAA Class 2A championship, its first, at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.
The only match-up of unbeatens among the six championship games lived up to its billing as the Wildcats had a chance to win their first title as they sent All-State placekicker out for the final play. His kick into the wind was short and the Trojans (16-0) were able to complete the first unbeaten season in program history.
Troy took the lead for good when Mason Smith, looking to throw a halfback pass, instead tucked it under and ran 18 yards for a TD with 1:15 remaining.
Central Clarion (14-1) took its final lead with 6:37 to go on quarterback Jase Ferguson’s 11-yard touchdown run, making it 24-18. Ferguson threw for 189 yards and two TDs, completing 17-of-24 passes. He also recorded a game-high 15 tackles.
Troy’s Brendan Gilliland scored three touchdowns, the last giving his team an 18-16 lead with 8:46 left in the game. Gilliland rushed for 142 yards on 25 carries.
Troy controlled the ball throughout, running 54 times and holding the ball for 31 minutes, 37 seconds, compared to 16:23 for Central Clarion. The Trojans converted 8-of-12 third-down plays and both their fourth-down tries.
Troy led 12-3 at the half.
Neither team had won a PIAA Tournament game before this season.
Class 1A
Taurean Consiglio ran for 161 yards and four touchdowns as Bishop Guilfoyle defeated Port Allegany 41-22 Thursday in the PIAA Class 1A championship game at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.
The championship was the fifth for the Marauders (15-1) and first since beating Redbank Valley 21-14 in 2021.
Hamilton Gates, who for rushed for 101 yards on seven carries, gave Guilfoyle the lead for good with a 65-yard scoring run late in the third quarter, snapping a 14-14 tie.
Consiglio scored his third TD, on a 26-yard run, three minutes later. He also scored on runs of 12, 6, and 15 yards.
Guilfoyle rushed for 302 yards and had a 28:23-19:37 advantage in time of possession.
Port Allegany’s Aiden Bliss rushed for 249 yards and scored on TDs of 3, 2, and 19 yards, the last coming with 36 seconds left in the game.
Port Allegany rushed for 261 yards but did not complete a pas and had the game’s only turnover, on an interception.
This was the first championship game appearance for Port Allegany. It was the sixth for Guilfoyle, which is now 5-1 in state championship games.
Class 4A
Lampeter-Strasburg enjoyed a perfect regular season and some terrific comebacks during the postseason to reach its first PIAA championship game.
Once there, the Pioneers were far from perfect, especially their clutch quarterback Caileb Howse who was intercepted three times in the first half, helping Bonner-Prendergast pull away for a 40-14 victory in the Class 4A title game Thursday at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.
It was the first PIAA championship for Bonner-Prendergast.
Howse didn’t throw an interception over his first 14 games and 169 attempts this season but saw his first throw picked off.
His last throw of the first half turned into a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown by Brett Johnson to put the Pioneers (14-1) in a 27-14 hole. All three of his interceptions came in the first half.
Lampeter-Strasburg had not allowed more than 27 points in a game this season, a 30-27 overtime win over Wyomissing in the state quarterfinals. Bonner had 27 points by halftime.
The Friars (12-2) led 14-0 late in the first quarter, the second score coming when Saleem Frink recovered teammate Mick Johnson’s fumble at the 1 and tumbled into the end zone with it.
The Pioneers came right back, tying the game with a pair of Dominic Brown touchdowns, the first on a 28-yard pass from Howse, the second on a 6-yard run.
Bonner-Prendergast took the lead for good four plays later on Johnson’s 4-yard TD run.
Howse ended up 1-for-6 with three interceptions; he also lost the ball on a fumble. His lone completion was the touchdown pass to Brown.
Howse ran for 91 yards, on 24 carries. Brown carried 22 times for 77 yards.
Bonner outgained Lampeter 363-196 in total yards.
Bonner quarterback N Campbell completed 13-of-21 passes for 162 yards, often keeping plays alive with his feet.
Johnson ran for 111 yards on 24 carries and scored four touchdowns.
Linebacker Emory Fluhr had 18 tackles for the Pioneers.
Lampeter-Strasburg was bidding to become just the third state champ from the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
The Pioneers are the fifth L-L program to play for a championship following Wilson, Conestoga Valley, Manheim Central, and Lancaster Catholic. Only the Barons and Crusaders have won.
The Bulldogs were the first team from the league to make it to a state championship game, in 1989.
Lancaster Catholic won the 2A championship in 2009 and 2011, both under Bruce Harbach, who’s currently the head coach at Schuylkill Valley.
Manheim Central has made four title-game appearances, winning its only title in a classic: It beat Pine-Richland 39-38 in two overtimes in 2003. The Barons lost in their most recent appearance, 2018, against Penn Hills.
Lampeter-Strasburg needed to pull off several comebacks in the playoffs to reach the final game, none great than its District 3 championship win over Wyomissing. Howse converted a clutch fourth-and-13 pass on the final drive to set up the tying touchdown and PAT with 28 second left in regulation.
Once in overtime the Pioneers blocked a field goal attempt – the first against Wyomissing all season — then won it on the next play when Peter Fiorello booted his third field goal for a 30-27 win.
In the state semifinals the Pioneers trailed Thomas Jefferson 16-3 at half before Howse sparked them to a 20-16 victory.