The lights were shining bright for the first-ever home night game in girls flag football history at Pope John Paul II, and the Golden Panthers made sure it was a night to remember. On senior night, Pope John Paul II delivered an impressive win over Perkiomen Valley by a score of 37-13.

PJP came out fast, taking a 12-0 lead after the first quarter before both teams traded scores in the second and third quarter.. The Golden Panthers closed the game strong with another 12-point fourth quarter to seal the convincing win.

Leading the offensive attack was quarterback Julia Colasanti, who put together a tremendous performance through the air. Colasanti completed 20 of 29 passes for 332 yards and five touchdown passes while also contributing two tackles defensively.

Her favorite target on the night was Lourdes Armstrong, who exploded for 112 receiving yards and three touchdowns while also recording seven tackles on defense.

Delainey Cathers added another big-play performance with 89 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Casey Schuler chipped in 57 receiving yards and seven tackles.

Brinley Steele showcased her versatility all over the field, finishing with 50 receiving yards, 30 rushing yards, and completing both of her pass attempts for 24 yards. Defensively, Steele was a game changer with five tackles and two interceptions.

Additional contributions came from Miriana Michinok, who totaled 27 receiving yards, 10 rushing yards, and a touchdown while adding three tackles and two pressures on defense.

Kailey Hudy hauled in a touchdown reception and added three tackles with a pass breakup, while Abby Hamilton anchored the defense with eight pressures and a pass block.

Defensively, Pope John Paul II consistently pressured the quarterback and created turnovers, helping control the momentum throughout the night. Lindey Quintero also contributed defensively with a tackle.

The historic evening combined celebration, energy, and strong execution as Pope John Paul II capped off senior night with a memorable victory in front of the home crowd.

FAIRLESS HILLS, PA — It was a few years ago, yet they can remember almost every detail, from their go-ahead touchdown, to the devastating feeling of being sprawled on the ground left crying on a last-play touchdown.

Conwell-Egan juniors Sarah Beck and Brianna Jackson were freshmen on that team, which lost on the final play of the 2024 Catholic League game against Archbishop Wood.

So, on Wednesday, in front of a good crowd on an overcast day, Beck and Jackson got their revenge, combining to score all three Eagles’ touchdowns in a thrilling 20-14 overtime victory over a very good Wood team in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals.

Conwell-Egan, the No. 1 seed in the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL), will now play Archbishop Ryan for the PCL 2026 flag football championship on Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Cardinal O’Hara High School. Ryan, 13-7 winners in the other semifinal game over defending PCL champ Lansdale Catholic, will be playing in the finals for the first time.

This will be the second trip for Conwell-Egan in three years to the PCL championship, with the first coming in 2024, when Wood beat Conwell-Egan, 20-19, on the final play of the game.

“Oh, I remember it, they had the ball on the 15, and they won it on the last play of the game,” said Beck, who scored the Eagles’ two touchdowns against Wood in regulation. “I scored (the go-head) touchdown with 40 seconds left (in the 2024 PCL finals), and Wood came right up the field. There was 7 seconds left when they beat us on the last play of the game. We were all in tears. We were that close. We were determined to come into this game ready.”

It was a back-and-forth game, with Conwell-Egan striking first, when Olivia DellaVecchio flung a pass down the middle of the field that was snatched up by Beck for a 35-yard touchdown.

Wood came right back, when the Vikings tied it on a 38-yard TD pass from Angella Kiss to Paige Savage with 1:17 left in the first half. It looked like Conwell-Egan would break the game open after a Dora Reddington interception at the outset of the third quarter, but the Vikings’ defense held at the Wood five.

Taking advantage of good field position, the Eagles went ahead on Beck’s second touchdown, a 5-yard pass from Fran Simeone, which put Conwell-Egan ahead, 14-7, with 8:15 left in the third quarter.

Again, Wood responded.

After being inside its five, Kiss found Brigid Johnston for a 38-yard reception, setting up Savage’s second score, an 18-yard pass from Kiss in the corner of the end zone for a 14-14 tie with 2:09 left in the third.

That set the stage for Jackson, a standout guard and two-year starter for Conwell-Egan’s basketball team.

The Eagles had been winning this season on their ground attack. Conwell-Egan coach Dan Friscia mixed his plan up on Wednesday.

“We all got together after we lost to Ryan (during the regular season) and we have come together so much more,” Jackson said. “We trust each. We didn’t have as much confidence earlier this season as we do now.”

Conwell-Egan managed to cause the Wood defense to drift right, while Jackson snuck below and came out on the left side of the end zone wide open. Simeone dropped it in and the celebration was on.

“I was the intended receiver on that play,” Jackson said. “We tried the same play before and I was open then, too. We just couldn’t complete the pass, because the wind blew the ball. We did well my freshmen and sophomore years, and I definitely remember losing to Wood with 7 seconds left. This win was a lot more than just a win. There was a little revenge involved, and it felt very nice.”

Beck, a soccer player, was introduced to flag football out of curiosity her freshman year. She has taken to flag very well. She’s been the Eagles’ go-to receiver this season.

“I was crying after that loss to Wood (in the PCL finals), because we were that close,” Beck said. “We thought we had the game won. There were zero seconds left on the clock and I remember (Wood) scoring in the right corner of the end zone.”

The semifinal loss ended a highly successful season for Wood, which received very strong performances from Savage and Johnston.

Wood won the PCL in 2024, and lost to Lansdale Catholic in the PCL championship last year. It’s the first year the Vikings will not be in the PCL finals.

“It’s always a street fight with Conwell-Egan, and Dan has done a really nice job in his first year,” Wood coach Jim Savage said. “All the girls play hard, and it’s impressive to see. It was a great battle, but we were on the wrong end of it this year. Sometimes, that’s what happens.”

What happens next for Friscia and his team is a date in the PCL championship next Monday.

“The strength of our game has been running the ball, and throwing over the top, and we really don’t change anything regardless of opponent,” Friscia said. “We stick to what we do, and make other teams adjust to us. That was a designed play with Brianna in the corner. We had to wait for it to develop, and Fran made the throw.

“Ryan is a top team. The difference in this game was Nana (Anna Zoryea, who had six sacks). She’s the MVP of our defense, and she was out the first time we played Ryan. She makes a difference in every game we play, and she’s the reason why we are able to float around on defense.

“Our main concern was watching Johnston and Savage. Those girls are great players, and they made great plays. We just had to limit the great plays they made. I was fortunate to come into a program with established stars and the goal has been since Day One to win a Catholic League championship.”

The Eagles are in a position to do just that next Monday night.

Scoring Summary

Archbishop Wood  0 7 7 0 0-14

Conwell-Egan 0 7 7 0 6-20

2nd Quarter

CE – Sarah Beck 35 pass from Olivia DellaVecchio (Beck pass from Fran Simeone), 6:00

AW – Paige Savage 38 pass from Angella Kiss (Brigid Johnston pass from Kiss), 1:17

3rd Quarter

CE – Beck 5 pass from Simeone (Beck pass from DellaVecchio), 8:15

AW – Savage 18 pass from Kiss (Savage pass from Kiss), 2:09

OT

CE – Brianna Jackson 18 pass from Simeone

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].

From the opening drive, Palisades established control behind a high-powered offense led by quarterback Izzy Carson. Carson put together an outstanding performance, completing 17 of 23 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Her ability to stretch the field and make quick decisions kept the Lancaster County Christian defense on its heels all game long.

Felicity Houghton complemented the attack with an efficient outing of her own, completing 11 of 15 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, while also finding the end zone on the ground. The dual-quarterback approach gave Palisades versatility and kept the offensive tempo high.

The receiving corps was equally impressive, highlighted by a breakout performance from Ani Brewer, who hauled in three catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing big-play ability. Jane Salva added two touchdown receptions, while Gabby Brader and Sadie Chilton each contributed receiving scores. Luca Wilson and Houghton also chipped in with key catches to keep drives alive.

On the defensive side, Palisades continued to dominate. Sadie Chilton led the way with four flag pulls, two pass breakups, and a momentum-shifting pick-six that further widened the gap. The defense consistently applied pressure and forced mistakes, never allowing Lancaster County Christian to gain any rhythm offensively.

With strong performances across all phases of the game—offense, defense, and execution—Palisades showcased why they are a force to be reckoned with in girls flag football.

The final score was 67–7.

Palisades Stats
Passing Attempts Completions Yards TD Int
Izzy Carson 23 17 286 4 0
1 rushing TD
Felicity Houghton 15 11 87 1 0
1 rushing Td

Receiving. Catches yards. TDs
Jane Salva 3 28 2
Gabby Brader 2 14 1
Sadie Chilton 2 30 1
Luca Wilson 2 21
Felicity Houghton 1 5
Ani Brewer 3 123 2

Defense:
Sadie Chilton 4 flag pulls,    2 pass breakups, 1 Pick 6

The Monarchs surpassed Abington’s area-record 18-game win streak earlier this week with a victory over Villa Joseph Marie and added another win Thursday with a 42-13 victory over Boyertown to make it 20 wins in a row.
The reigning Pennsylvania state champions haven’t lost a game since a title game loss in 2024 and are gearing up for another deep postseason run as they wind down their regular season, striving to become the first back-to-back champs in the half decade of girls flag football.

“We just keep rolling because we have that fight,” said senior co-captain and quarterback Keira Quinn. “We love how we felt last year, and we just want to repeat. … I think that our fight is harder this year. We really see the opportunity in front of us, and we just want to go get it.”

Quinn, who was honored the Maxwell Football Club 2025 Girls National Flag Football Player of the Year in January, passed for six touchdowns in Thursday’s game, including five in the first half when she found five different receivers for scores.
Short touchdowns passes to sophomore Ava Lapotosky and junior Lily Walker put the Monarchs ahead 14-0 after a quarter of play. Quinn started the scoring in the second quarter by intercepting a pass and going 58 yards for a touchdown.
She found sophomore Shiloh Okiro (15 yards), sophomore Reilly Graham (35 yards) and senior Sophie Caufield (21 yards) before half to make it 42-0 Gwynedd at the break. Quinn added another 23-yard touchdown pass to Graham in the third quarter.

“I just trust all of my teammates,” Quinn said. “If I put the ball in their hands, I know they’re going to score. I just have a lot of confidence in them.”

“Different people step up all the time,” added junior co-captain Rowan Cunningham, who caught one of the conversions.

“Every girl understands that they’re here to play a role, and we all fit into a role on this team. And I think it’s so nice to see everyone step up in different ways each game.”
Defensively, Quinn and Lapotosky were the top flag pullers for Gwynedd with Okiro, Quinn and Caufield each intercepting passes.

The Monarchs are now 7-0 this season following last year’s 13-0 undefeated campaign and a 12-1 mark the season before that included 12 straight victories before a loss to Archbishop Wood in the Pennsylvania championship.
Thursday’s dominant result was par for the course as Gwynedd has outscored its opponents 306-45 on the year with the closest margin of victory a 41-14 win over Spring-Ford.

“We’re not result focused,” Monarchs coach Tim Quinn said. “We’re not focused on the score. What we’re focused on is trying to be better every day, every rep in what we’re doing. … The girls are motivated by the streak, they’re motivated in that they want to be the champs. They want to be there again.

“It’s not what everyone else is looking at. They understand the personal reward in trying to be great.”
Boyertown (4-4) scored on its first drive of the second half after forcing a Gwynedd three-and-out. Freshman Paige Stankina caught a 12-yard score from senior Callie Wieber. Senior Karolina Jaronski snagged a 14-yard touchdown pass from Wieber in the fourth. The Bears, who came in having won four of their last five, also got strong outings from senior Zoey Quay and sophomore Alexis Shimukonas.

The Bears close out their regular season Monday night at Norristown. The Monarchs finish their regular season at home against Pennridge.

“It’s focus and preparation,” Cunningham said. “Everyone makes mistakes. We gotta fix even the tiny ones, and then hopefully we come out strong Monday, finish our regular season at home strong.”
~~~
Scoring Summary
Gwynedd Mercy 14 28 7 0-49
Boyertown 0 0 7 6-13
1st Quarter
GM – Ava Lapotosky 1 pass from Keira Quinn (Ava Lapotosky pass from Keira Quinn)
GM – LIly Walker 1 pass from Keira Quinn (Rowan Callahan pass from Keira Quinn)

2nd Quarter
GM – Keira Quinn 58 INT return (pass fail)
GM – Shiloh Okiro 15 pass from Keira Quinn (Quinn run)
GM – Reilly Graham 35 pass from Keira Quinn (Ava Lapotosky pass from Keira Quinn)
GM – Sophia Caulfield 21 pass from Keira Quinn (Reilly Graham pass from Keira Quinn)

3rd Quarter
BT – Paige Stankina12 pass from Callie Webber (Makayla Piazza pass from Callie Webber)
GM – Reilly Graham 23 pass from Keira Quinn (Lily Walker pass from Keira Quinn)

4th Quarter
BT – Karolina Jaronski 12 pass from Callie Webber (pass fail)

OREFIELD – Palisades delivered an explosive offensive performance and a strong defensive effort to defeat Parkland, 39–13, in girls flag football action Thursday night.

After a scoreless first quarter, Palisades took control in the second, putting up 12 points and never looking back.

A dominant third quarter, where they added 20 more points, broke the game open before closing it out in the fourth.

Offensive Explosion Led by Carson

Quarterback Isabella Carson led Palisades, putting together an outstanding performance through the air. She completed 25 of 34 passes for 291 yards and threw six touchdowns, consistently finding open receivers and keeping Parkland’s defense on its heels.

Balanced Contributions in the Run Game

While the passing attack led the way, Palisades mixed it up with the ground game:

– Dakota Wizeman added 19 rushing yards on seven carries
– Carson contributed 13 yards on three carries
– Felicity Houghton chipped in 13 yards on two carries

Receiving Corps Shines

Carson’s success was fueled by a deep and productive receiving group:
– Jane Salva led the way with 8 receptions for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns, along with 2 extra points
– Gabrielle Brader added 5 catches for 21 yards and 2 touchdowns
– Felicity Houghton recorded 4 receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown
– Sadie Chilton contributed 3 catches for 24 yards and a score
– Aniela Brewer (27 yards), Dakota Wizeman (25 yards), and Luca Wilson (17 yards) also made key contributions

Defense Sets the Tone

Palisades’ defense played a major role in limiting Parkland’s opportunities:
– Ella Salva led the team with 9 flag pulls
– Felicity Houghton added 7 flag pulls and a pass breakup
– Abbey Schmidt recorded 6 flag pulls
– Gabrielle Brader added 5 flag pulls
– Jane Salva contributed 4 flag pulls, a pass breakup, and an interception
– Aniela Brewer and Isabella Carson each recorded interceptions, helping shut down Parkland’s passing attack

Complete Team Effort

With a dominant quarterback performance, multiple scoring threats, and a defense that consistently made plays, Palisades showcased a complete team effort. Their ability to score quickly and create turnovers proved too much for Parkland to overcome.

Palisades will look to carry this momentum home against Emmaus and Parkland looks to rebound on the 28th against Emmaus.

Scoring summary:

1st:
No Score

2nd:
Parkland: Sienna Mobilio to Sarah Gohman 11:23
Palisades: Isabella Carson to Gabrielle Brader 1:55
Palisades: Isabella Carson to Felicity Houghton 4.3

3rd:
Palisades: Isabella Carson to Gabrielle Brader 7:50
Palisades: Isabella Carson to Sadie Chilton 3:25
Palisades: Isabella Carson to Jane Salva 1:35

4th:
Parkland: Sienna Mobilio to Avrie Arnfeldt 8:40
Palisades: Isabella Carson to Jane Salva 5:30

Izzy Balisalisa, Ali Kaltenbacher, Londynn Laney

LANSDALE, PA — The pieces were there. They just had to be found and fit. Lansdale Catholic, the defending Catholic League champions, had its struggles early this season—and still won, save for one loss to Conwell-Egan.

Crusaders’ coach Brandon Reese was searching for some chemistry, starting with a quarterback. Halfway into this season, it looks like he found one in freshman Londynn Laney, who had a background in flag football at the grade school level.

Ever since then, the Crusaders have been humming.

Lansdale Catholic scored two fourth-quarter three-yard touchdowns when Laney hit sophomore Izzy Balisalisa and freshman Molly Flavel with the winning score to spell a 13-7 victory over previously undefeated Archbishop Ryan.

Ryan was the last team in the Catholic League undefeated. The Raiders loss creates a three-team logjam atop the Catholic League, with Ryan, Lansdale and Conwell-Egan each with one loss. Conwell-Egan defeated Lansdale Catholic earlier this season, without Laney at quarterback, while Ryan beat Conwell-Egan a few weeks ago.

Ryan and Lansdale Catholic are each 8-1, with both teams having two more games to play, while Conwell-Egan is 6-1 with five games left to play.

If the season were to end in a three-way tie, a point-differential is the first tie-breaker, and that may go to Conwell-Egan thanks to its 25-6 victory over Lansdale Catholic back on March 21.

But the Crusaders have wedged their way into the picture, thanks to interception by Lansdale Catholic U.S. national flag team player Ali Kaltenbacher’s interceptions and huge 30-yard catch that set up Lansdale Catholic’s first score, and Laney leading Lansdale Catholic to consecutive fourth-quarter touchdowns with her ability to run and pass.

“Londynn has really come through for us midway in the season,” Kaltenbacher said. “Ryan is very good, and this was huge, because we’re a young team. Our team is mostly freshmen. They have figured it out and I think we can make a big run this season. This was a big confidence booster.”

Laney has adjusted to the speed of the varsity level. A starter on Lansdale Catholic’s junior varsity basketball team, Laney has settled the Crusaders’ offense. This is her third year playing flag.

“This is a very big step for me, and I had to learn the ball better, more efficiently, and getting the ball out fast helps,” she said. “I’m really enjoying this season. Ryan is really good and going into this game, I had to put my emotions aside. I was anxious. Our coaches were telling us this is the biggest game, so far, this season.”

It turned to be an exciting game. Ryan scored its lone touchdown on a long drive that ended on a 30-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Bree Gavaghan to Kayla Morris, with big defensive stops on interceptions from Ansleigh Lapacinski and pretty nifty diving interception by Amber Rothley.

But with the game on the line, Lansdale Catholic took control, started to take control with Laney hit Kaltenbacher for a 30-yard reception, which seemed to awaken the Crusaders’ offense. Lansdale Catholic reached the Ryan three, when Laney found Balisalisa in a maze of players for the Crusaders’ tying score with 9:23 to play.

“I just turned my head, and the ball was right there,” said Balisalisa, who also missed the Conwell-Egan game. “I was running my route and saw an opening. I didn’t the ball was thrown until I turned around. Ryan is really good. This was big for us. This is a huge confidence boost. Ryan was the hardest team we saw all year.”

Reese feels sure Lansdale Catholic will see Ryan again.

“Londynn has made a difference,” Reese said. “This was our first year when we went into the season without a starting quarterback. Londynn has natural athleticism, and her ability to adapt running has been behind this team’s revival. Every game we have gotten better after the Conwell-Egan loss. And we have Ali, and we know when we need something big, we can go to Ali. She’s our driving force.”

Ryan did not go away easily.

With 3:51 to play, Gavaghan found Morris for a big gain, and with 27 seconds to play, the Raiders were sitting on the Lansdale Catholic 3. But two incompletions meant the end for Ryan.

“I think we needed this,” Raiders’ coach Sue Dutka said. “We fought again. But we let our foot off the gas in the second half. I have no doubt we will still make our run for the Catholic League championship. Kayla has a knack or big plays, and I feel really strong we’ll see LC again.”

Morris seems certain of it.

“We’ll learn from this, and it is good for us, because it is humbling and we need to lock in and stay focused for the whole game,” said Morris, a Ryan cheerleader who runs track. “Lansdale Catholic is really good. I don’t think there is much of a difference between us. It was great that we came back and made it close.”

Scoring Summary

Archbishop Ryan (8-1) 6 0 0 0-6

Lansdale Catholic (8-1) 0 0 0 13-13

1st Quarter

AR – Kayla Morris 30 pass from Bree Gavaghan (pass failed)

4th Quarter

LC – Izzy Balisalisa 3 pass from Londynn Laney (pass failed)

LC – Molly Flavel 3 pass from Laney (Jenna Kovacs pass from Laney)

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].

PHILADELPHIA, PA — None of this was supposed to happen. Not this fast. No one outside the Archbishop Ryan girls flag football team envisioned an undefeated season. No one saw the Raiders as contenders for the Catholic League championship.

After all, they lost nine seniors on a team that last year reached the Catholic League semifinals, bowing to eventual Catholic League champion Lansdale Catholic in the final seconds. This season wore the ear mark of a rebuilding year.

Someone apparently forgot to tell Raiders’ coach Sue Dutka and her team, because on Friday, Ryan made a glaring, loud statement that it is the team to beat in battling by Conwell-Egan, 13-7, in a fight between two undefeated teams.

It was a highly skilled, highly entertaining game that saw the Raiders move to 6-0, while Conwell-Egan, which owns a victory over Lansdale Catholic, fell for the first time this season, dropping to 4-1.

Ryan came back after trailing for the first time this season with a pair of touchdown passes by junior quarterback Bree Gavaghan to Kylee Martin, who made a game-high 14 flag pulls, and Amaiya Thurmond, who played a strong overall game. The turning point in the game came on an Emily McDonnell third-quarter interception that led to the game-winning score.

What makes Ryan dangerous is that it was collective effort that won this crucial contest for Catholic League superiority. It was Gavaghan, who had not played organized flag football in nine years, patiently finding open receivers. It was Amber Rothley zipping through the Conwell-Egan defense for major yards. It was tiny freshman Brooke Dasilva causing chaos by forcing Conwell-Egan passers to rush their throws with five sacks.

It was Kayla Morris coming in for one play and making a huge contribution with an interception with 7 minutes to play. It was Ansleigh Lapacinski   coming up with a big stop on fourth down that sealed the victory for Ryan. It was Thurmond making big plays both offensively and defensively in the middle of the field, and it was Martin, who is playing flag for the first time, making diving flag pulls and throwing herself everywhere she could to make a play.

“We thought last year was our year with nine seniors, and losing them, we were kind of concerned coming into this year,” said Dutka, who is assisted by Hugh Owens and Bohdan Dutka. “This was supposed to be a rebuild. We pieced some things together. We had 40 girls try out for the team. What I liked about this game is we received something from everyone. This win was a statement that we are and we are going for it all this year.

“It’s usually three or four girls you have to watch out for, but we have an entire team. This team reacted when we down. These girls can rally. We showed faith in these girls, and the girls showed faith in themselves.”

Conwell-Egan and Ryan were both creative on offense, using double reverses and sometimes triple reverses, using option passes, using laterals, and were both very deceptive.

The Eagles scored on their second possession to go ahead, 7-0, when Fran Simeone to hit

Sarah Beck for an 8-yard touchdown, and Olivia DellaVecchio connected with Brianna Jackson for the extra point.

In response, Ryan needed just five plays to tie the score when Gavaghan connected with Martin, and then followed up with hitting Rothley for the extra point.

“This is a lot of fun, and it feels awesome to win, and this means more for me because I’m a senior and it a spur of the moment thing to play flag,” said Martin, who was bleeding on her right knee and covered in dirt dust. “I watched film on Conwell-Egan and studying everything they did. My first key was the middle of the field, and I knew from film, they would run the ball and I had to cut them at the sideline I could. This gives us good confidence to continue.”

Thurmond stressed the Ryan coaches prepared them well.

“Even though we were trailing, I knew we would win this game,” she said. “We came in that prepared. This feels great. We were pretty confident coming into this game and this game made us more confident.”

Perhaps the most confident was Gavaghan, who had played lacrosse her first two years at Ryan and last played flag when she was in fifth grade.

“Playing flag I guess is like riding a bike, because I got right back into it,” she said. “Conwell-Egan is the hardest team we played so far this season. We know what’s coming if we play them again.”

Conwell-Egan’s Hailey Sarzynski was dangerous every time she touched the ball, and Jaelyn Stintsman’s third-quarter interception kept the Eagles within reach.

“We knew what to look for, because Ryan has some really good players,” Conwell-Egan coach Dan Friscia said. “They executed a little more than we did, credit to them. There were some plays when we had open receivers that we weren’t able to get the ball to. We were little too comfortable running ball and we assumed that would continue working. It’s 100-percent that we’ll them again in the playoffs.”

Scoring Summary

Conwell-Egan (4-1) 7 0 0 0-7

Archbishop Ryan (6-0) 0 7 6 0-13

1st Quarter

CC – Sarah Beck 8 pass from Fran Simeone (Brianna Jackson pass from Olivia DellaVecchio)

2nd Quarter

AR – Kylee Martin 3 pass from Bree Gavaghan (Amber Rothley pass from Gavaghan)

3rd Quarter

AR – Amaiya Thurmond 3 pass from Gavaghan (pass failed)

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].

MECHANICSBURG, PA — Gavin Sidwar chest thumped Joey O’Brien late in the fourth quarter of the PIAA Class 6A championship, playfully grabbed his Notre Dame-bound La Salle College High School teammate, and kept bellowing, “Finally, finally, finally.”

It’s because O’Brien finally grabbed an interception, something the Explorers’ two-way star had some trouble doing at times this season. In the last 3 minutes, 55 seconds, O’Brien stopped three-straight Pittsburgh Central Catholic drives with interception, topped by a 95-yard pick six that capped La Salle’s 34-20 victory in the PIAA Class 6A state championship Saturday night at Cumberland Valley High School’s Chapman Field.

It marked the first time La Salle (13-1) won the PIAA state championship since 2009, when the Explorers won the Class 4A championship in the 4A system under late Hall of Fame coach Drew Gordon.

The victory also marked a first in the 37-year history of the PIAA state football championships, making La Salle coach Brett Gordon and his father Drew as the first father-and-son coaching tandem to ever win a state championships in football.

The Explorers closed the season with one loss, and two victories each over Pittsburgh Central Catholic, which La Salle opened the season against with a 23-6 victory, and three-time state champion St. Joseph’s Prep, La Salle’s archrival.

For the second straight year, the Philadelphia Catholic League has produced two state champions, this season winning the 5A (Roman Catholic) and 6A state titles, giving District 12 the same amount of state champions as District 7, which is the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) that took home the Class 1A (Clairton) and Class 3A (Avonworth) titles.

This was not as lopsided as it seems.

La Salle was holding on to a 21-14 lead, and had just burned its last timeout with 5:36 to play. It’s when O’Brien swooped in and picked off an Owen Herrick pass, which he returned to the Central Catholic two. The following play, La Salle’s Ahzir Nelson bulled into the end zone for a 27-14 lead.

The first teammate to greet O’Brien was Sidwar, the Missouri-bound quarterback who completed 21 of 29 for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He teasingly grabbed O’Brien and kept saying, “Finally, finally, finally.”

“That’s because Joey had come so close to making interceptions this season, and there were some times he dropped a few,” Sidwar said. “It was good to see him come through like that.”

O’Brien would upstage himself by stopping the Vikings’ next drive with an interception off a deflected pass. He ended with a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown sealing the victory for the Explorers.

For the game, O’Brien threw a touchdown pass, which came on the Explorers’ opening drive of the third quarter, had three interceptions on three successive Central Catholic drives, and made a spectacular diving catch in the first quarter.

“I’m happy we finally finished this,” O’Brien said. “We what we had to do all season long, and that’s get here and win. There was never a doubt we would do it.”

La Salle sophomore receiver Owen Johnson had a career-best three touchdown receptions. Again, O’Brien was the one who made an impact, with opposing teams double- and triple-teaming O’Brien, that left Johnson one-on-one in most cases with a defensive back. O’Brien still led the Explorers with 10 catches for 98 yards, and right behind him was Johnson, who had eight catches for 48 yards, including three touchdowns.

“It’s sinking we just won,” Johnson said. “When we played them earlier in the year, we found out Pittsburgh Central is a good, strong team. I felt we were more hungry, and after losing to Prep last year, we knew we had to come back this year to show who La Salle is. I just had to get open. Right before halftime, we knew we had to get a touchdown. I go against Joey every day in practice, and it was iron sharpening iron every day. We made ourselves better.

“The goal was to get open and do what we do.”

For O’Brien, the state championship game was sweet redemption.

“I finally caught a pick, because I dropped so many, and I didn’t know what it was, so I took extra reps, and worked on catching straight on in practice, which broke into this,” O’Brien said. “All I am glad about it that I get to share this state championship with these guys. We worked so hard and were so committed to it. No one was going to stop us.”

Scoring Summary

(District 7) Pittsburgh Central Catholic (13-2) 0 7 0 13-20

(District 12) La Salle College High School (13-1) 0 14 7 13-34

2nd Quarter

L – Owen Johnson 11 pass from Gavin Sidwar (Chris Heck kick), 10:32

CC – Chrys Black 17 run (Antonio Difatta kick), 4:48

L – Johnson 5 pass from Sidwar (Heck kick), :07

3rd Quarter

L – Johnson 2 pass from Joey O’Brien (Heck kick), 3:00

4th Quarter

CC – Black 5 run (Difatta kick), 10:31

L – Ahzir Nelson 2 run (kick failed), 3:50

L – O’Brien 95 INT return (Heck kick), 1:17

CC – Black 23 pass from Owen Herrick (pass failed), :07

In a rematch of last year’s PIAA Class 3A state championship, Avonworth avenged its 2024 state title loss with a dominant 31-7 victory over District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh in winning the Antelopes’ first PIAA state football championship in three tries.

Avonworth now inherits the state’s longest winning streak, 15 games, and in the process, snapped the longest, breaking Northwestern Lehigh’s 31-game winning streak.

Northwestern Lehigh beat the Antelopes in last year’s Class 3A championship game in overtime, 36-33. Many of the Antelopes returned, including senior quarterback Carson Bellinger and senior tailback Luca Neal.

There was an underlying feeling that this season would be the Antelopes’ payback tour.

“There was some revenge there, because even if we played them during the regular season, we would play with a little chip on our shoulders,” Neal admitted. “It was cool to see (Northwestern Lehigh) in the state championship again and I’m glad we got the win. This year we were a lot balanced, able to throw it, run it, which made us a lot harder to defend. We knew we could attack them through the air and on the ground.”

Neal finished with a game-high 123 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while Bellinger completed 9 of 11 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown.

“Northwestern Lehigh played a lot of one-high safety, and we came into knowing we could take advantage of a lot of matchups,” Bellinger said.

Neal sealed it with 8-yard touchdown run 9:01 left to play, made possible by Avonworth receiver Jaden Jones. Neal’s third score gave Avonworth a commanding 31-7 lead.

Jones, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound sophomore, was amazing. He hauled in a game-high seven passes for a state championship game record 187 yards and was almost indefensible, outreaching Tiger defenders for big receptions of 53, 37 and 36 yards.

After scoring on its first four drives, Avonworth turned the ball over three-straight times. The Antelopes had their last drive of the first half end on an interception, lost the ball on an interception to start to the second half, followed by a lost fumble late in the third quarter.

But Northwestern Lehigh could not dig into a 17-point deficit, turning the ball over on downs late in the first half, an interception and on downs entering the fourth quarter.

Most of the scoring was done in the first half, when Avonworth took a 24-7 lead into intermission. The Antelopes scored on their first play of the game, a portent of things to come, when Bellinger let fly a perfect spiral that Jones ran under for a 53-yard touchdown pass. All four Avonworth scoring drives in the first half were punctuated by long bombs.

On its second drive, Bellinger found Luca Neal for a 46-yard completion on a second-and-eight from midfield. Neal set himself up for his own score, when he bounced an inside run outside for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:52 left in the first quarter.

With Northwestern Lehigh unable to put any pressure on Bellinger, he once more found Jones, who made an amazing leaping catch over a Tigers’ defender for a 36-yard grab, setting up Neal’s second TD, a nine-yard run for a 21-7 Avonworth lead with 9:41 remaining in the half.

A 30-yard Bellinger-to-Jones connection moved the Antelopes into Northwestern Lehigh territory on Avonworth’s fourth drive, and eventually led to a Calder Mahan 21-yard field goal for a 24-7 Avonworth lead with 3:09 in the half.

The Antelopes received great field position to start their fifth drive, before Northwestern received its first real break of the game, when Neal had the ball popped free by Brady Zimmerman, and was recovered by Devin Rex at the Northwestern Lehigh 24.

The turnover seemed to stir up the Tigers, who then turned the ball back to Avonworth, when Zimmerman lost a fumble at the Avonworth 29, caused by Evan Loutzenhiser, and recovered by Gavin McDowell.

McDowell picked the ball up on the run, returning it 48 yards to the Northwestern Lehigh 22.

And just it seemed Avonworth would create an insurmountable lead, a third-straight turnover occurred between the team, when the Tigers’ Shane Leh made a diving interception at the Avonworth 15, nixing that drive. The interception snapped Bellinger’s streak of eight-straight completions to start the game.

Northwestern Lehigh got on the board in response to Avonworth’s first touchdown, running off an 11-play, 87-yard drive, ending with a Braxton Lakatosh 2-yard touchdown run with 5:11 left in the first quarter. Take away that drive, and the Tigers were only able to garner 50 yards of total offense over the first 24 minutes.

In the first half, Bellinger completed eight of nine for 211 yards passing, which included a touchdown, and big completions of 53, 46 and 36 yards. It was a matter of Avonworth’s receivers high-pointed the ball over Northwestern Lehigh defenders.

This was a bittersweet ending for Tigers’ coach Josh Snyder, who has done an amazing job building the Northwestern Lehigh program up into becoming state champions in 2024 and annual state contenders. It marked the third-straight the Tigers reached the state championship, closing the door on the most successful senior class in program history.

“Ending the season with a loss is never good, it comes with such a finality, especially for these seniors,” Snyder said. “They just accomplished something that District 11 and the Lehigh Valley area never seen before, three-straight trips to a state championship. It was not the outcome that we wanted.

“Avonworth is a heck of a ballclub that had a lot to do with the mistakes that we made today. It was uncharacteristic how we execute on offense and defense. After this initial loss, I’m just so proud of these kids and this senior group.”

Scoring Summary

(District 7) Avonworth (15-0) 14 10 0 7-31

(District 11) Northwestern Lehigh (15-1) 7 0 0 0-7

1st Quarter

A – Jaden Jones 53 pass from Carson Bellinger (Calder Mahan kick), 10:17

NL – Braxton Lakatosh 2 run (Chase Sukanick kick), 5:11

A – Luca Neal 8 run (Mahan kick), 1:52

2nd Quarter

A – Neal 9 run (Mahan kick), 9:41

A – Mahan 21 FG, 3:09

4th Quarter

A – Neal 8 run (Mahan kick), 9:01

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com]. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com]

MECHANICSBURG, PA — This was in the works for a year. As soon as Roman Catholic walked off Cumberland Valley High School’s Chapman Field last December with its collective heads down after an overtime loss, the Cahillites vowed to get back to the PIAA Class 5A state championship and rectify what they missed.

On Saturday night, they did, winning the first PIAA state championship in school history, beating defending state champ Bishop McDevitt rather handily, 28-6, behind three Semaj Beals’ touchdown passes.

“This may take some time to sink in,” Roman Catholic coach Rick Prete said. “This is something we began building towards when I first got here. This is like taking a deep breath and it feels great being the first to do this. This will sink in more in the coming days. I have to show respect to (McDevitt) Coach Jeff Weachter. I learned a lot from guys like him, and what he has done in his career.

“These kids for me and my coaching staff, it is never about the athlete, it is about people and who these kids are. It is beyond football. I wanted to build a brotherhood here, and once it’s developing young people into men, and if you show up as team against the brotherhood, we were going to beat that team.”

Roman took a year of frustration out on the Crusaders scoring 28 unanswered points and causing four turnovers. McDevitt did not score until the final minutes of the game.

The Cahillites outgained McDevitt 334 to 280, with much of the Crusaders’ yards coming the final quarter with the game well decided. The biggest difference was McDevitt turned the ball over four times, losing two fumbles and on two interceptions.

“It is unbelievable what we accomplished this year,” Weachter said. “I lot of people gave us up for dead when we lost our first two games this year, we got better and better each week. We won 12-straight games and beat a lot of really good teams. We beat a good State College team last week. Last week took a little out of us, but that’s not to take anything away from (Roman).

“They came out and they wanted it, and they played like they wanted it. They played like we played in 2022.”

Roman scored on three of five drives in the first half to take a 21-0 lead. Beals completed 18 of 26 for 231 yards and first-half touchdown passes to Hanif Sheed and Ash Roberts, and third-quarter TD pass to Eyan Stead, including a touchdown run himself on Roman’s opening drive.

“We came into this game with a lot of confidence that no one could stop us,” Beals said. “We all believe in each other. We knew we would get back here again to the state championship, and we were not going to waste the chance this time. I remember what it was like walking off that field last year, seeing our seniors go out like that. We were determined not to let it happen again.”

That came right from the start, when Beals dropped back and hit Roberts with a 55-yard bomb on Roman’s first play of the game. McDevitt had problems keeping up with Roman’s speed, as did most teams the Cahillites faced this season.

The game was never in question.

Roman took its first possession 79 yards over six plays, topped off by a Beals’ seven-yard scramble for a touchdown. After Julian Enoch recovered a McDevitt fumble at the Crusaders’ 33, Roman went up 14-0 on a short flip pass to Sheed. When Roman junior linebacker Walter Hudson came up to make a stop on Crusaders’ quarterback Sebastian Williams on a fourth-and-one at the Roman 46 late in the first half, Beals looked for Roberts again, hitting him with a 40-yard touchdown pass with 1:53 left in the half.

“We knew we could them deep,” Beals said. “This was great coming back here and winning this. We can say that this team is part of Roman Catholic football history. This school has been around forever. We are the first football team to come away with a state title. Other Roman teams will come along and win state championships after we leave, but we can always say that we were the first.

“There will always be something special about that.”

Scoring Summary

(District 3) Bishop McDevitt (12-2) 0 0 0 6-6

(District 12) Roman Catholic (12-3) 7 14 7 0-28

1st Quarter

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

2nd Quarter

RC – Hanif Sheed 7 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 10:37

RC – Ash Roberts 40 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 1:53

3rd Quarter

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

4th Quarter

BM – Gage Ruth 24 pass from Sebastian Williams, 1:12