PIAA “AA” State Title Game – Wilmington Preview
It’s been a little while since Wilmington was seen in the state finals. In fact, the last time Wilmington played for a state title was in 1988, the inaugural year of the PIAA playoffs. Now, the Hounds are back. And they’ve built up quite an impressive resume to get to Hershey. But if they […]
PIAA “AA” State Title Game – West Catholic Preview
Have you heard the rumblings around Hershey lately? By mid-week, it should grow to a small roar. Come Saturday afternoon, there will be a very potent offense barreling into Chocolatetown, ready to explode at any time. That explosion spoken of belongs to the West Catholic Burrs’ high school football team, whose offense is putting […]
PIAA “AAA” State Title Game – Thomas Jefferson Preview
This just in: Thomas Jefferson is making another trip to Hershey. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. The Jaguars are making Hershey one of their many homes-away-from-home. Truth is it doesn’t matter which stadium Thomas Jefferson plays in these days, whether it’s Elizabeth-Forward High School, Heinz Field, Mansion Park Stadium, or Hershey. They just continue to […]
PIAA “AAA” State Title Game – Archbishop Wood Preview
Archbishop Wood, in the terms of the “AAA” landscape, is one of the new kids on the block. But in terms of the Philadelphia Catholic League, the Vikings’ program has established itself as a player year in and year out. Now, the black and gold find themselves playing a 16th game (Wood previously had […]
Josh Funk’s 2008 Statewide Rankings
JOSH FUNK’S 2008 STATEWIDE RANKINGS Updated through Week 15 A: 1. Steelton-Highspire (3, 15-0), def. Schuylkill Haven 20-9 2. Clairton (7, 15-0), def. Farrell 24-21 3. Schuylkill Haven (11, 14-1), lost to Steelton-Highspire 20-9 4. Farrell (10, 12-3), lost to Clairton 24-21 5. Riverside (2, 13-1), 6. Bishop McCort (6, 12-1), 7. Cameron County […]
Thomas Jefferson rolls on to Hershey
ALTOONA, Pa. – During pregame warm-ups, West York head coach Ron Miller looked over at the Thomas Jefferson coaching staff, clad in black jackets and khaki shorts in the frigid cold of Mansion Park. “They’re crazy,” Miller said, but in the same breath, he laughed as he threw in, “but it must work.” […]
Josh Funk’s 2008 Statewide Rankings – Week 14
JOSH FUNK’S 2008 STATEWIDE RANKINGS Updated through Week 14 A: 1. Steelton-Highspire (3, 14-0), def. Bishop McCort 27-9 2. Schuylkill Haven (11, 14-0), def. Riverside 43-38 3. Clairton (7, 14-0), def. Windber Area 26-0 4. Farrell (10, 12-2), def. Cameron County 31-0 5. Riverside (2, 13-1), lost to Schuylkill Haven 43-38 6. Bishop McCort […]
The spirit of giving dooms Cumberland Valley; Wilson wins 4th title
HERSHEY, Pa. – Christmas is still a month away. The start of the holiday gift-buying season started Friday. But Cumberland Valley was in a very giving mood in the District 3 “AAAA” championship game. The Eagles practically gave Wilson the game. Cumberland Valley (12-2) lost four fumbles and threw four interceptions as Wilson […]
PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS: Lancaster Catholic rolls Mount Carmel
HERSHEY, Pa. – Another week, another playoff game, another playoff blowout victory. That’s been the M.O. for the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders this 2008 season, and, Saturday afternoon, Mount Carmel became the latest victim to fall under the wheels of the purple and gold steamroller. Lancaster Catholic (13-1) racked up 605 yards of offense en […]
PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS: Lancaster Catholic rolls Mount Carmel
HERSHEY, Pa. – Another week, another playoff game, another playoff blowout victory. That’s been the M.O. for the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders this 2008 season, and, Saturday afternoon, Mount Carmel became the latest victim to fall under the wheels of the purple and gold steamroller. Lancaster Catholic (13-1) racked up 605 yards of offense en […]
Barons’ title dreams “Fisseled”out by West York
HERSHEY, Pa. – Corey Harris couldn’t stand still. He was still clutching a football in his hands and running in place, maybe in an effort to try and keep warm in the chilled Hershey Stadium air. Moments earlier, Harris and his West York Area Bulldogs warmed the hearts of their fans – and all […]
District 3 “AAAA” Championship – Wilson-West Lawn Preview
The Game: District 3 “AAAA” Championship game Where: Hersheypark Stadium When: Saturday, Nov. 29th, 2008, kickoff @ 6 p.m. Wilson last played in the PIAA championship game in 1989, and their quarterback was Kerry Collins, a player who could throw the ball all over the yard. While Collins and the Bulldogs fell […]
District 3 “AAAA” Championship – Cumberland Valley Preview
The Game: District 3 “AAAA” Championship game Where: Hersheypark Stadium When: Saturday, Nov. 29th, 2008, kickoff @ 6 p.m. When you think of District 3 “AAAA” football, you probably think of Bishop McDevitt and Harrisburg. It’s only fair – those two schools have combined to win the last four District 3 “AAAA” […]
District 3/4 “AA” Quarterfinal – Lancaster Catholic Preview
The Game: District 3/4 “AA” Quarterfinal Where: Hersheypark Stadium When: Saturday, Nov. 29th, 2008, kickoff @ 12 noon Open up Webster’s New World Dictionary, and turn to the definition of “rolling.” Do you see a photo of Bruce Harbach’s Lancaster Catholic Crusaders? If not, worry not – their photo […]
District 3/4 “AA” Quarterfinal – Mount Carmel Preview
The Game: District 3/4 “AA” Quarterfinal Where: Hersheypark Stadium When: Saturday, Nov. 29th, 2008, kickoff @ 12 noon Mount Carmel, prior to last Friday, won its last District 4 championship in 2002. It made a couple of playoff appearances since, but hasn’t made this deep of a playoff push since hoisting the […]
District 3 “AAA” Championship – West York Area Preview
The Game: District 3 “AAA” Championship game Where: Hersheypark Stadium When: Friday, Nov. 28th, 2008, kickoff @ 7 p.m. It had become the goal of the York-Adams league “AAA” teams for what seemed like forever – beat Manheim Central. Three of the league’s reps had their chances. Heck, one nearly knocked the […]
District 3 “AAA” Championship – Manheim Central Preview
The Game: District 3 “AAA” Championship game Where: Hersheypark Stadium When: Friday, Nov. 28th, 2008, kickoff @ 7 p.m. Don’t look now, but that team that no one wants to play on Thanksgiving weekend is back. Maybe it took a three-year hiatus, but once again, that football team so synonymous with Hershey […]
Josh Funk’s 2008 Statewide Rankings
JOSH FUNK’S 2008 STATEWIDE RANKINGS Updated through Week 13 A: 1. Riverside (2, 13-0), def. Southern Columbia 25-7 2. Clairton (7, 13-0), def. Monaca 12-6 3. Steelton-Highspire (3, 13-0), def. Camp Hill 49-16 4. Schuylkill Haven (11, 13-0), def. Communications Tech 43-0 5. Bishop McCort (6, 12-0), def. Portage Area 42-7 6. Farrell (10, […]
Josh Funk’s 2008 Statewide Rankings
JOSH FUNK’S 2008 STATEWIDE RANKINGS Updated through Week 12 A: 1. Riverside (2, 12-0), def. Old Forge 48-21 2. Clairton (7, 12-0), def. Rochester 16-0 3. Steelton-Highspire (3, 12-0), def. Millersburg 42-7 4. Schuylkill Haven (11, 12-0), def. Williams Valley 43-7 5. Bishop McCort (6, 11-0), def. Bellwood-Antis 24-20 6. Portage Area (6, 12-0), def. […]
Josh Funk’s 2008 Statewide Rankings
JOSH FUNK’S 2008 STATEWIDE RANKINGS Updated through Week 11 A: 1. Riverside (2, 11-0), def. Wilkes-Barre Meyers 66-22 2. Clairton (7, 11-0), def. Monessen 47-0 3. Steelton-Highspire (3, 11-0), def. Columbia 39-8 4. Schuylkill Haven (11, 11-0), def. Pottsville Nativity BVM 58-13 5. Bishop McCort (6, 10-0), def. Laurel Valley 31-6 6. Saegertown (10, 11-0), […]
Patriots “muff” chances to beat Liberty
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – There’s an old saying that states the stars might lie, but the numbers never do. Just look at the large disparity in rushing yardage between Liberty and Freedom in their annual rivalry game. Liberty ran for 332 yards. Freedom ran for a mere 99. Sounds like the Hurricanes dominated, right? […]
DAWG-GONE IT: Berwick’s six turnovers propel Hazleton to victory
BERWICK, Pa. – Hazleton Area head coach Rocco Petrone was coaching his 100th career football game, and was awarded the game ball afterward. Petrone hoisted the gift high in the air, and then tucked it under his arm, holding it with a near death-grip. Truth is, Hazleton’s defense had a death grip on […]
Bethlehem Liberty – Bethlehem Freedom preview
The Game: Bethlehem Liberty (11 AAAA) @ Bethlehem Freedom (11 AAAA) Date: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, from Frank Banko Field @ BASD Stadium, Bethlehem 2008 Record: Bethlehem Liberty (8-1), Bethlehem Freedom (8-1) About Bethlehem Liberty: After a tough Week 1 loss to a very strong North Penn squad, the Hurricanes have roared […]
Hazleton – Berwick Preview
The Game: Hazleton Area (2 AAAA) @ Berwick Area (2 AAA) Date: Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, from Crispin Field in Berwick 2008 Record: Hazleton Area (8-1), Berwick Area (8-1) About Hazleton Area: The Cougars rolled over District 11 powers Easton and Liberty before bowing to Parkland in the District 2/11 “AAAA” subregional, […]
West Catholic’s offense tops 60 points…..again
Through the first six weeks of the season, the West Catholic Burr offense had scored 236 points. Not bad, but you knew at some point this team was just going to explode. Well, they’ve done it. West Catholic routed Kennedy-Kenrick 63-21, to advance to 8-1 on the season. West Catholic is ranked among the top-5 […]
Jeremiah Young hits 8,000 career rushing yards
Steelton-Highspire senior running back Jeremiah Young became just the second running back in Pennsylvania history to surpass the 8,000 yard rushing mark Friday night. According to Pennlive.com, Young ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the Rollers’ 53-14 rout of East Pennsboro, which now gives Young 8,021 career rushing yards. The career rushing record […]
Central Dauphin “Smacked” around Happy Valley
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Despite being some 70 miles apart, both Central Dauphin and State College featured offenses reliant on the ground. And with a steady rain pouring down upon Memorial Field, the ground game that worked most effectively would ultimately decide which team won the game. State College’s ground game was efficient, too […]
Manheim Central Uses 7-on-7 for Learning Experience
BERWICK, Pa. – Don’t let the scorecard deceive you. Yes, Manheim Central did finish the Berwick 7-on-7 scrimmage with a 2-4 overall record. Yes, Manheim Central got off to an 0-3 start before drawing victories against Delaware Valley and Danville by a combined 57-36. Yes, Manheim Central only had 18 kids on the trip. But […]
Runner-up Mount Carmel Shines at Berwick 7-on-7
BERWICK, Pa. – Mount Carmel can think of 107 reasons to smile when it rides the team bus back down Route 61. That’s the exact number of points the Red Tornadoes scored in all in the second annual Berwick 7-on-7 and Big Man Challenge held at Crispin Field. On the day, Mount Carmel finished with […]
Round-by-round Results for the Berwick 7-on-7 Scrimmage
Preliminary results of through 6 rounds of the Berwick 7-on-7 scrimmage: Round 1: Mount Carmel: 7, Berwick Area: 6 Delaware Valley: 22, Danville: 15 Round 2: Berwick Area: 29, Manheim Central: 28 Danville: 15, Central Bucks West: 14 Round 3:Mount Carmel: 22, Manheim Central: 21 Delaware Valley: 22, Central Bucks West: 21Round 4:Berwick Area: 25, Danville: 21Mount Carmel: 22, Delaware Valley: 21Round 5:Berwick Area: 14, Central Bucks West: 0Danville: 28, Manheim Central: 27Round 6:Mount Carmel: 21, Central Bucks West: 6Manheim Central: 28, Delaware Valley: 7 PlayoffsQuarterfinals#6 Central Bucks West: 14, #3 Delaware Valley: 0 #5 Manheim Central: 29, #4 Danville: 28 Semifinals #1 Mount Carmel: 21, #5 Manheim Central: 14 #2 Berwick Area: 14, #6 Central Bucks West: 0 Championship #2 Berwick Area: 21, #1 Mount Carmel: 14
Berwick Wins Second Annual 7-on-7 Scrimmage
BERWICK, Pa. – The home team got the members-only bounce when it mattered the most. Berwick, the host team for its second annual 7-on-7 scrimmage and big man challenge, won the 7-on-7 scrimmage championship over #1-seeded Mount Carmel Area 21-14 when Steve Walton caught a pass tipped by a Red Tornado defender. Walton caught the […]
2008-09 Top Players in District 2
Chad Nicholas, Junior WR/DB, Hazleton Area HS – The Hazleton Cougars had one of the most impressive playoff runs in the state last season, even if it ended as finishing with the title of District 2/4/11 runners-up. Nicholas was one of the contributors to that 11-2 effort, as he amassed 235 receiving yards to go […]
Football at Northeastern High School a Reality
Sit back for a moment and try to imagine a typical Friday night in Pennsylvania. It doesn’t have to be any specific location. Fans are buying tickets, filing into stadiums, and finding their seats in aluminum bleachers. They are cheering their team to victory — or booing the refs for a bad call. Every touchdown […]
2008-09 Top Players in District 12 & Independent Teams
Adam Novak, Senior WR, Father Judge HS – Novak finished 2007 as the second-leading receiver for Judge, as he hauled in 26 passes for 421 yards and 3 scores. Novak averaged 16.2 yards per reception and was responsible for nearly 30 percent of Judge’s receiving yardage output in 2007. He helped Judge reach the PCL […]
WILD, WILD WEST
ALTOONA, Pa. – The East-West All-Star game saw some electricity late in the first half with the West team trying to kill the clock. Then, electricity cut the game short. After two lightning delays, officials called the 8th annual PSFCA East-West game with 7:18 left in the 3rd quarter. The West, which led 10-0, won […]
2008-09 Top Players in District 4
Andrew Shoop, Senior QB, Danville Area HS – Danville is a pass-happy, run-and-gun offensive football team, and the phrase “running game” is certainly not in the Ironmen’s vocabulary. That type of offense benefits a quarterback like Shoop, or, for that matter, any quarterback. Shoop completed 179-of-298 passes for 2,583 yards and 32 touchdowns. A quarterback […]
East Pennsboro Senior No “Couch Potato”
East Pennsboro’s senior center Matt Couch had just gotten done with his fourth Division-1 football camp in the past 3 weeks. He had gone to camps in Ann Arbor, Mich., Pittsburgh, and Happy Valley, and his latest excursion took him to Paolo Alto, Calif., on the campus of Stanford University. “I think he was the […]
Potential 2008 PIAA Playoff Match-ups
It may only be April, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2008 high school football season. It’s even tougher not to think about potential playoff match-ups when the PIAA released its restructured brackets for the 2008-2009 state playoffs. The Class “A” bracket didn’t change from its format of last season, but […]
Joey Orlando Gears Up for East-West All-Star Game
ALTOONA – When Joey Orlando straps on his helmet and laces up his cleats at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium on Saturday evening in the East-West All-Star Game, his father, and former NFL defensive back Bo Orlando, will be watching. The elder Orlando played in the Big 33 game after his senior year at Berwick, and […]
2008-09 Top Players in District 1
Angelo Berry, Junior WR, Pottsgrove HS – 15 receptions may not sound like many, and in Pottsgrove’s 14-game season, that works out to just over 1 reception per game. But it’s what Berry did with those 15 receptions that stands out. He averaged 23.1 yards per catch and scored 7 touchdowns. His 347 receiving yards […]
Drake verbally commites to Penn State
PHILADELPHIA – West Catholic’s fan base has always been one that is loyal and follows their Burrs very closely. Come next fall, Burrs’ quarterback Curtis Drake will be playing for another loyal fan base — the Penn State Nittany Lions. Drake made the verbal commitment to the navy blue and white this morning at 11:30 […]
West Catholic Quarterback will make verbal commitment tomorrow
PHILADELPHIA – After the noon hour tomorrow, one member of West Catholic’s dynamic backfield trio will make his verbal commitment to a Division-1 college, most likely Penn State, according to several sources. Curtis Drake, the talented dual-threat field general for the two-time defending PCL Blue Division champion Burrs, will announce his school of choice at […]
