Archbishop Wood 31, Archbishop Carroll 6

Belmont Charter School 65, Girard College 0

Bethlehem Catholic 42, North Schuylkill 7

Blue Mountain 51, Bangor 6

Cardinal O’Hara 7, Bonner-Prendie 0

Chester 40, Marple-Newtown 6

Clearfield Area 34, University Prep 6

Council Rock South 28, Downingtown West 7

Harrisburg 42, William Penn (3) 6

Imhotep Charter School 35, West Philadelphia 0

Iroquois 27, Girard 24

John Bartram 20, Universal Audenried Charter 12

Lawrenceville School (NJ) 49, The Hill School 6

Lehighton 28, Pottsville Area 14

Malvern Prep 42, William Penn Charter 13

Maplewood 15, Cambridge Springs 9

Northeast 20, Abraham Lincoln 8

Radnor 51, Lower Merion 25

Saegertown 53, Lakeview 20

Sharpsville 53, Seneca 48

Simon Gratz 41, Boys Latin Charter School 14

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 28, The Haverford School 21

Wyoming Seminary 28, Linsly Institute (WV) 14

Quarterback Michael Staub led the Fighting Irish with three rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion pass, while Sean Melhorn powered the ground attack with 158 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

York Catholic’s rushing attack proved to be the difference, as the Fighting Irish piled up 276 yards on 45 carries and finished with 380 yards of total offense.

Newport started quickly, scoring two touchdowns in the opening quarter to build an early 11-point advantage.

Quarterback Logan Bates connected with Johnny Mayeresky on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 8:05 remaining in the first quarter. Bates added the extra point to give Newport a 7-0 lead.

York Catholic answered when Steve Kury connected on a 34-yard field goal with 3:12 remaining, cutting Newport’s lead to 7-3.

However, Newport responded immediately with one of the biggest plays of the game.

Myles Devlin returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown with 2:57 remaining. Bates converted the extra point, extending Newport’s advantage to 14-3.

The 94-yard kickoff return gave Newport momentum heading into the second quarter, but York Catholic’s defense and rushing attack began to take control.

Staub scored the Fighting Irish’s first touchdown on a one-yard run with 6:56 remaining in the second quarter. Kury converted the extra point, cutting Newport’s lead to 14-10.

York Catholic continued to move the football on the ground, and Staub struck again late in the first half.

With just 14 seconds remaining before halftime, Staub scored on a seven-yard touchdown run. Kury added the extra point, giving the Fighting Irish their first lead of the game, 17-14.

After trailing by 11 points in the opening quarter, York Catholic carried a three-point advantage into the locker room.

The Fighting Irish wasted little time extending their lead in the second half.

Melhorn broke through Newport’s defense for an eight-yard touchdown run just 14 seconds into the third quarter. The extra-point attempt failed following a bad snap, but York Catholic increased its lead to 23-14.

The Fighting Irish continued to rely on their rushing attack as the third quarter progressed.

Staub scored his third rushing touchdown of the game on a six-yard run with 1:46 remaining. He then connected with Gavin Sentz for the two-point conversion, extending York Catholic’s advantage to 31-14.

York Catholic’s defense continued to keep Newport off the scoreboard, preventing the Buffaloes from mounting a comeback.

The Fighting Irish put the finishing touches on their victory early in the fourth quarter.

Guetchine Aristilde scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 11:56 remaining. Kury added the extra point, giving York Catholic a commanding 38-14 lead.

Neither team scored again as the Fighting Irish completed their comeback victory.

Staub was a major factor in York Catholic’s offensive success, carrying nine times for 27 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 6 of 11 passes for 104 yards and threw one interception.

Melhorn led the Fighting Irish’s rushing attack with 158 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt.

Aristilde added 91 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, giving York Catholic a powerful combination in the backfield.

The Fighting Irish finished with 276 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns from Staub, Melhorn and Aristilde, with Staub accounting for three of those scores.

Through the air, Alex Kipple led York Catholic with four receptions for 49 yards. Blake Yingling added one catch for 28 yards, while Aristilde contributed a 27-yard reception.

Newport’s offense was led by Bates, who completed 9 of 19 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice.

Mayeresky was Newport’s leading receiver, catching four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Nolan Smith added two receptions for 26 yards, while Devlin caught two passes for six yards.

On the ground, Jameson Cummins led Newport with 57 yards on 11 carries. Bates added 14 yards on six attempts, while Devlin and Landon Cigic each contributed five rushing yards.

Newport finished with 167 yards of total offense, including 79 rushing yards and 88 passing yards.

Defensively, York Catholic came up with several key plays to help turn the game around.

Maddox Gans and Staub each recorded interceptions, while Reid Sinclair registered 1.5 sacks and Camden Fitze added half a sack.

The Fighting Irish held Newport scoreless over the final three quarters after surrendering 14 points in the opening period.

Newport’s defense also produced a takeaway, with Khriztofer Granados intercepting a Staub pass.

However, York Catholic’s ability to control the line of scrimmage and establish its rushing attack proved too much for the Buffaloes.

The Fighting Irish held an 18-13 advantage in first downs and outgained Newport 380-167 in total offense.

York Catholic also dominated on the ground, rushing for 276 yards compared with Newport’s 79.

The Fighting Irish’s defense limited Newport to just one third-down conversion in seven attempts and stopped the Buffaloes on all three fourth-down opportunities.

After Newport jumped out to a 14-3 lead behind Mayeresky’s touchdown reception and Devlin’s 94-yard kickoff return, York Catholic responded with five consecutive touchdowns.

The Fighting Irish scored 14 points in the second quarter, 14 in the third and seven more in the fourth to complete the comeback.

For York Catholic, the victory highlighted a physical rushing attack and a defense that made adjustments after a difficult opening quarter.

Staub’s three rushing touchdowns, Melhorn’s 158-yard performance and Aristilde’s contributions helped the Fighting Irish take control.

In the end, York Catholic’s 35 unanswered points powered the Fighting Irish to a 38-14 victory over Newport.

Scoring Summary

Final: York Catholic 38, Newport 14

First Quarter

• N – Johnny Mayeresky 26-yard pass from Logan Bates (Bates kick), 8:05

• YC – Steve Kury 34-yard field goal, 3:12

• N – Myles Devlin 94-yard kickoff return (Bates kick), 2:57

Second Quarter

• YC – Michael Staub 1-yard run (Kury kick), 6:56

• YC – Michael Staub 7-yard run (Kury kick), 0:14

Third Quarter

• YC – Sean Melhorn 8-yard run (run failed following bad snap), 11:46

• YC – Michael Staub 6-yard run (Gavin Sentz pass from Staub), 1:46

Fourth Quarter

– YC – Guetchine Aristilde 1-yard run (Kury kick), 11:56

Team Statistics

Individual Player Statistics

Rushing

Newport

• Jameson Cummins – 11 carries, 57 yards

• Logan Bates – 6 carries, 14 yards

• Myles Devlin – 1 carry, 5 yards

• Landon Cigic – 3 carries, 5 yards

• Johnny Mayeresky – 2 carries, -2 yards

York Catholic

• Sean Melhorn – 18 carries, 158 yards, 1 TD

• Guetchine Aristilde – 18 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD

• Michael Staub – 9 carries, 27 yards, 3 TDs

Passing

Newport

– Logan Bates – 9-of-19, 88 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

York Catholic

– Michael Staub – 6-of-11, 104 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT

Receiving

Newport

• Johnny Mayeresky – 4 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

• Nolan Smith – 2 receptions, 26 yards

• Myles Devlin – 2 receptions, 6 yards

• Landon Cigic – 1 reception, 2 yards

York Catholic

• Alex Kipple – 4 receptions, 49 yards

• Blake Yingling – 1 reception, 28 yards

• Guetchine Aristilde – 1 reception, 27 yards

Defensive Highlights

Newport

– Khriztofer Granados – 1 interception

York Catholic

• Maddox Gans – 1 interception

• Michael Staub – 1 interception

• Reid Sinclair – 1.5 sacks

• Camden Fitze – 0.5 sack

Special Teams

Newport

• Myles Devlin – 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown

• Logan Bates – 2 extra points

York Catholic

• Steve Kury – 34-yard field goal, 3 extra points

Stats provided by Luke Roman

Shenandoah Valley players and coaches gather around following their 42-23 defeat against Northern Lehigh on Friday night in the District 11 Class 2A Semifinals

(photo by Robbie McGrath)

SHENANDOAH — If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Northern Lehigh had little reason to stray from its ground game Friday night.

Chris Frame and Garrett Smoyer powered the rushing attack, while a pair of costly Shenandoah Valley turnovers helped the Bulldogs pull away for a 42-23 victory in a District 11 Class AA semifinal at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Northern Lehigh (6-5) advances to Friday night’s district championship against top-seeded Schuylkill Haven at North Schuylkill’s Spartan Stadium.

Frame led the way with 200 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, while Smoyer added 98 yards and two scores on seven attempts.

The Bulldogs attempted only three passes all night.

They didn’t need many more.

Smoyer opened the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown run, and Frame added the two-point conversion to give Northern Lehigh an 8-0 lead.

Shenandoah Valley answered immediately.

On the Blue Devils’ first offensive play, quarterback Ethan Bench found Gene Sinkus for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 8-7.

Northern Lehigh went right back to the ground.

Smoyer broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown with 6:46 remaining in the opening quarter before Frame provided another explosive play later in the period.

Facing fourth-and-1, Frame found a crease and raced 60 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 22-7 advantage.

Shenandoah Valley (7-4) refused to go away.

Mikey Elchisak scored from seven yards out in the second quarter to pull the Blue Devils within 22-14, and Shenandoah Valley appeared to have regained some momentum.

Then the game changed in a matter of seconds.

Northern Lehigh’s Chase Gall intercepted Bench and returned it for a touchdown. The extra point was missed, but the Bulldogs followed by recovering the ensuing onside kick.

One play later, Frame broke free for a 48-yard touchdown.

In a span of just 15 seconds, Northern Lehigh turned an eight-point game into a 35-14 advantage.

“Those couple mistakes at the end of the half kind of took the momentum, flattened us a little bit,” Shenandoah Valley coach Dave Bench said.

Connor Whalen added another interception before halftime, sending Northern Lehigh into the locker room firmly in control.

Shenandoah Valley didn’t fold.

The Blue Devils took more than five minutes off the clock on their opening possession of the second half before eventually punting.
Their defense then produced points.

Joel Nunez brought down Smoyer in the end zone for a safety, trimming the deficit to 35-16 midway through the third quarter.

Northern Lehigh’s defense, however, prevented Shenandoah Valley from getting much closer.

The Bulldogs stopped Nunez short of the sticks on fourth down early in the fourth quarter, and Frame eventually capped the ensuing possession with a 12-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 42-16 with 6:58 remaining.

Shenandoah Valley continued battling until the end.

After Northern Lehigh’s Kaiden Smith lost a fumble, Bench connected with Todd Seiger on a 36-yard touchdown pass for the final score of the night.

The Blue Devils actually outgained Northern Lehigh 390-353 despite the 19-point final margin.

But the Bulldogs did their damage almost entirely on the ground, rushing 30 times for 350 yards — an average of nearly 12 yards per carry.

Frame and Smoyer combined for 298 of those yards and all five of Northern Lehigh’s offensive touchdowns.

Shenandoah Valley countered with a balanced attack.

Elchisak rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Nunez added 64 yards on 15 attempts.

Bench completed 15-of-23 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Sinkus was his primary target, catching six passes for 139 yards and a score.

Bench’s 249-yard performance also pushed the junior quarterback into the Shenandoah Valley record book, setting the program’s single-season passing-yardage mark.

His coach credited the players around him for helping make the record possible.

While Northern Lehigh moves on, Friday night closed the book on a remarkable turnaround season for Shenandoah Valley.

The Blue Devils entered 2026 coming off consecutive 0-10 seasons.

They finished it 7-4.

Along the way, Shenandoah Valley snapped a 26-game losing streak, put together its first winning season in years and earned the opportunity to host a district playoff game for the first time in 14 seasons.

And the turnaround came with an underclassmen-heavy roster.

Bench will return at quarterback, while several of the skill players who helped fuel this season’s resurgence are also slated to return.

Northern Lehigh, meanwhile, will turn its attention toward Schuylkill Haven. The Hurricanes advanced with a 42-14 semifinal victory over Catasauqua at Rotary Field.

Schuylkill Haven and Northern Lehigh will face off Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at North Schuylkill.

For Shenandoah Valley, the season ends one victory short of the district championship game.

But after two consecutive winless seasons, a 7-4 finish made one thing clear.

The Blue Devils took a major step forward in 2026.

Game Summary
District 11 Class AA Semifinal
Northern Lehigh 42, Shenandoah Valley 23

NL — Smoyer 23 run (2-point conversion good)
SV — Sinkus 10 pass from Bench (Mentusky kick)
NL — Smoyer 66 run (Hanna kick)
NL — Frame 60 run (Hanna kick)
SV — Elchisak 7 run (Mentusky kick)
NL — Chase Gall interception return (kick failed)
NL — Frame 48 run (Hanna kick)
SV — Nunez 9 safety, QB tackled in end zone
NL — Frame 12 run (Hanna kick)
SV — Seiger 36 pass from Bench (Mentusky kick)

Team Statistics
NL-SV
Rushes-Yards — 30-350 32-141
Passes —- 1-3-0 15-23-2
Passing Yards —- 3 249
Total Yards —- 353 390

Individual Statistics
RUSHING:
Northern Lehigh — Frame 11-200, Smoyer 7-98, Rothrock 4-35, Smith 6-10, Porobenski 1-5, Zambo 1-2.
Shenandoah Valley — Elchisak 11-79, Nunez 15-64, Burrous 1-2, Bench 5-(-4).

PASSING:
Northern Lehigh — Smoyer 1-3-0, 3
Shenandoah Valley — Bench 15-23-2, 249.

RECEIVING:
Northern Lehigh — Frame 1-3.
Shenandoah Valley — Sinkus 6-139, Seiger 1-36, Nunez 2-27, Elchisak 4-26, Burrous 2-21.

INTERCEPTIONS: Northern Lehigh — C. Gall, Whalen.

AMBLER — Ethan McCune knows his days on a football field are numbered.

With no plans to play at the next level, the Unionville senior entered the District 1 Class 5A playoffs looking to extend those days as long as possible.

The Longhorns defense was on its heels Friday night against Wissahickon, hoping to hold off a Trojans comeback drive when McCune sprung out of the fog to pick off a pass and earn himself and his classmates at least one more game.

The interception sealed No. 11 Unionville’s  21-14 comeback win over No. 6 Wissahickon in Friday night’s District 1 Class 5A first round game, a rematch of last year’s district opener that the Longhorns also won.

Unionville will face No. 3 Great Valley, a 42-35 winner over West Chester Rustin, next Friday in the quarterfinals.

“I didn’t want to go home because I’m a senior and this could have been my last game,” McCune said. “ I’m so hype we get another round. With this team, this is the best group ever. This is the best group we’ve had in the past four years.”

Wissahickon (8-3) took control early when it marched 65 yards in seven plays on its opening drive. Senior running back Quasir Sampson (15 rushes, 107 yards) did most of the heavy lifting before senior Ryan Kim scored an eight-yard touchdown with 8:30 left in the first to make it 7-0 Trojans.

The Longhorns (8-3) went three-and-out on their opening drive before answering back on their second drive. Unionville capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive when junior Darren Hovington punched in a one-yard score with 11:11 left in the second quarter. He finished with 32 rushes for 180 yards.

“Our physicality is unmatched,” McCune said. “When we want to run the ball, we run the ball, and we get it down their throat.”

Wissahickon marched right down to answer Hovington’s score with an eight-play 65-yard drive. This time junior Evan Dixon ran in a seven-yard touchdown to make it 14-7 with 8:04 left in the second.

A fumble and a missed field goal prevented Unionville from cutting into the deficit before halftime, but 11 combined runs from Hovington and junior quarterback Chase Johnson took the Longhorns 80 yards on the opening drive of the second half. Johnson punched in a one-yard keeper to cap the nearly eight-minute drive and tie the score 14-14 with 6:11 left in the third.

“We were just shooting ourselves in the foot the whole game, so as soon as we started locking in, getting a rhythm going, started playing our brand of football, we were pretty good,” Johnson said.

Unionville’s defense slowed down Wissahickon’s rushing attack in the second half, holding the Trojans to 46 yards on the ground after the break compared to 114 in the first half — in part because the Longhorns did such a good job of controlling the ball themselves.

The game still stood deadlocked when Unionville got the ball on its own 42-yard line with just under seven minutes to play. The Longhorns again went to the ground attack to push the ball down the field, though a 13-yard, third-down completion from Johnson to senior Dean Stang was a big play on the drive.

Then with 1:11 left on Wissahickon’s seven-yard line, Johnson made another key third-down toss, throwing the go-ahead touchdown to Liam Guidotti.

“When you’ve got a running back that good, they tend to look for the run, and that opens up the passing game as well,” Johnson said.

“I saw pre-snap I was looking there and the flag at the back of the end zone, but my guy’s gotta make the catch and get in the end zone.”

Dixon and the Trojans pushed the ball down the field quickly as they tried to even the score. A toss to Kim and three to senior Avery Godoy got Wissahickon down to the Unionville 24-yard line with 37.7 seconds left.

That’s when McCune found a way to make a play, jumping a slant route to secure a pick before going down and eventually making his way to the Longhorns sideline for a celebration. He said it was similar to an interception he made in last year’s district playoff win over the Trojans, though this one came at a much bigger moment.

“Same thing last year I got a pick off that as well,” McCune said. “When I saw him hit the slant, I jumped the ball and I got it.”

Unionville lost heartbreaker, 21-20, to Strath Haven in last year’s second round after taking down Wissahickon. The Longhorns opened their season this year with another one, a 35-28 overtime loss to their next opponent Great Valley.

They’ll hope to ride the momentum of Friday’s second half into a revenge win over the Patriots that gives McCune and his fellow teammates even more football.

“Keep working, keep doing the same thing we’re doing, our brand of football,” Johnson said. “Stop shooting ourselves in the foot and we’ll be good.”

“I’m not playing anywhere next year, so I’m definitely savoring this one,” McCune said.

Unionville 0 7 7 7-21
Wissahickon 7 7 0 0-14

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
W:Ryan Kim 8 run (Ben Hinchcliffe kick), 8:30

Second Quarter
U:Darren Hovington 1-yard TD run (Ethan McCune kick), 11:11
W: Evan Dixon 7-yard TD run (Ben Hinchcliffe kick), 8:04

Third Quarter
U: Chase Johnson 1-yard TD run (Ethan McCune kick), 6:11

Fourth Quarter
U: Liam Guidotti 7 pass from Chase Johnson (Ethan McCune kick), 1:11

Team Statistics
……………………U………………..W
1st downs………..23…………………16
rush-yds……….49-239……………28-160
comp-att-int….5-12-0…………..10-17-1
pass yds……….62………………92
total yds…………301……………….252
fumb-lost……..2-1………………0-0
pen-yds…………2-15…………..8-59

Individual Statistics
Rushing:
Unionville: 32-180, TD; 12-52, TD; Ethan McCune 4-7.
Wissahickon: Quasir Sampson 15-107; Christian Norcum 2-16; Ryan Kim 3-16, TD; Evan Dixon 8-21, TD.

Passing:
Unionville: Chase Johnson 5-12, 62 yards, TD.
Wissahickon: Evan Dixon 10-17, 92 yards, INT.

Receiving:
Unionville: Liam Guidotti 2-27, TD; Dean Stang 1-13; Brady Nelson 1-12; Ethan McCune 1-10.
Wissahickon: Avery Godoy 4-33; Ryan Kim 3-30; Quasir Sampson 1-21; Brody Micenec 1-8; La’Rod Potter 1-0.

Interceptions: Unionville: Ethan McCune.

Sacks:
Unionville: Nick Rassias, Ryan Quinland
Wissahickon: La’Rod Potter.

CANTON – Almost exactly three years ago to the day – three years and three days to be exact – Northwest made the long trek all the way to Farwell and came away with an upset win over Bucktail in the quarterfinal of the District 4 Class A playoffs.

That was the last time the Rangers both played in and won a postseason game, but it appeared they might be on their way to the first playoff win since 2023 after the first half at Canton on Friday – yet another long trek for Northwest for a playoff game – as they held a 10-point lead after turning a pair of Warrior turnovers into touchdowns and also taking advantage of 90 penalty yards by Canton.

But Canton flipped the script in the second half. Down to potentially its last half of football for 2026, the Warriors stopped shooting themselves in the foot with penalties and instead rode the back of senior running back Bailey Gardner to next week as it took advantage of five second half turnovers by Northwest, which committed six turnovers overall.

Canton committed just four second half penalties for only 22 yards while Gardner ran for 263 yards on 18 carries – nearly 15 yards a carry – and six touchdowns, including four in the second half, and Canton rallied back in the second half with 33 unanswered points before a late Northwest touchdown and the Warriors advanced to next week’s District 4 Class A semifinal at Montgomery with a 45-29 win over Northwest.

“We were our own worst enemy in the first half and it really hurt us, and we had too many personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties, so I said ‘anyone that opens their mouth in the second half, I’m bringing them out,’” said Canton coach Tyler Sechrist, whose Warriors scored 27 points off Northwest turnovers. “We really challenged them and they came out ready to play.

“Bailey ran the ball unbelievably tonight. He’s played hard for us for four years and I think he wanted another game. He knew this was it if we lost so we ran like a man possessed.”

Northwest ends its season at 4-7, dropping its last seven after winning its first four. Still, its four wins are the most for the program since 2022, when it posted five victories.

“Canton is a good football team and you can’t win a game with six turnovers,” said Northwest coach Greg Mullins. “You can go all the way back to when we played Central and we coughed the ball up a lot but got lucky and came out of it with a win in spite of that, but you’re not going to be able to do that against Canton.

“The only reason we had the success at the beginning of the season was because we had a group of kids that bought into what we were trying to do immediately. I think everyone here has gotten a taste of that and they know what it’s going to take to get past that, and they’re on their way.”

While it was Northwest’s turnovers that were its undoing in the second half, it was the Rangers that cashed in on a pair of Canton turnovers in the first half, which helped them build a 22-12 lead at the half.

A Loegan Diltz interception return of 48 yards gave Northwest the ball at the Canton 36 at the 6:35 mark of the first half. The Rangers then chewed up a good remaining portion of the first quarter with a nine-play drive capped by Diltz’s one-yard touchdown run to go up 7-0 with 1:37 left in the quarter.

Canton answered almost immediately as Gardner got loose down the right sideline and outran all remaining Northwest defenders for an 80-yard touchdown run, but he was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the score.

Northwest used that penalty and a 46-yard return by Noah Arnett on the ensuing kickoff to start its drive at the Canton 11. The Warriors kept the Rangers out of the end zone, and Northwest settled for a 22-yard Wyatt Orlowski field goal to make it 10-6 early in the second quarter.

In what would be an omen of what was to come in the second half, Northwest lost a fumble at its own 28 on its next possession, giving Canton outstanding field position, which it capitalized on as Gardner capped a short five-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give Canton the lead, 12-10, with 5:06 to play in the first half.

But Northwest would answer with its longest scoring drive of the night, five plays and 73 yards, capped by Cole Cavuto’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Chris Martinez to make it 16-12.

Canton then coughed up a fumble at its own 37, and Cavuto punched it in from two-yard out three plays later, which included a 25-yard run by Caleb Ide, to give the Rangers a 10-point lead.

Yet, with 9:37 left in the third quarter, Canton took a two-point lead that it would never relinquish. The Warriors received the second half kickoff and began at their own 30 but needed just four plays, three of which were Gardner runs, to find the end zone just a minute into the quarter on a 21-yard run by Gardner to cut Northwest’s lead to 22-18.

The Rangers then lost a fumble on their second play from scrimmage on their subsequent drive, giving Canton the ball at the Northwest 25, and Gardner cashed that in two plays later with another 21-yard touchdown to put Canton up for good, 24-22.

Northwest appeared to be on the cusp of getting the lead back after a field-flipping 43-yard pickup on a Orlowski reception moved the ball from the Northwest 41 down to the Canton 16. But the Rangers lost the ball again, giving Canton the ball at its own 11.

Brooks Wesneski connected with Monte Whitehead for a 42-yard reception on a third-and-13 play, Canton got 15 more on a penalty, and then Gardner reached the end zone for the fifth time on the evening with a 35-yard touchdown run.

“We scored a lot of points in a hurry there,” said Sechrist. “The turnovers gave us good field position and we were able to get Bailey in some good positions and he was running hard. We liked the wham there, that was open, and once he scored a few times on that, we got a little different formation, put him in a T in the fullback and ran a quick trap up the middle, so just moving him around and just wearing down on him. Turnovers either swing momentum your way or if you’re losing them you get your head down and get discouraged.”

The Rangers then fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, giving Canton the ball at the Northwest 35. The Warriors turned it over on downs, but so did Northwest on its ensuing drive at its own 25, and Canton would take advantage as Gardner found the end zone for the sixth time on the night from 15 yards out to make it 38-22 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The ensuing kickoff was again fumbled away by Northwest, giving Canton the ball at the Northwest 40, and two plays later, Wesneski found Rylan Wesneski down the right sideline for a 38-yard touchdown pass to make it 45-22.

“I told them not to give up. It’s up to you guys if you want it, we’ve been down a few times this year. We were down by nine in our first game going into the fourth quarter and we scored three unanswered touchdowns to win, so I just challenged them, said ‘we’re not done yet’ and they played hard,” said Sechrist.

Northwest managed one final touchdown for its season with under a minute to play as Ben Bonham hit Orlowski for a one-yard score.

“I’m very proud of this group of kids and I wish I had more time with them,” said Mullins. “We just have to learn how to win. There’s been a culture of not knowing how to for so long and our kids are finally understanding what it takes and to be held accountable, what that looks like. It’s a full commitment, and the guys did a great job of understanding that, and that’s how you take the next step – just constant commitment and belief in them.”

“We were blessed to be playing this week at home in a game we could compete in but wanted to play another week,” said Sechrist. “We’re going to be motivated to work hard and play Montgomery tough. It’s another opportunity for us to play and we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Canton 45, Northwest 29
Northwest (4-7) 7 15 0 7 – 29
Canton (5-6) 6 6 20 13 – 45

First quarter
1:37 – (N) Loegan Diltz 1-yard run (Orlowski kick), 9-36, 4:58
1:23 – (C) Bailey Gardner 80-yard run (kick failed), 1-80, :14

Second quarter
11:16 – (N) Wyatt Orlowski 22-yard field goal, 4-6, 2:07
5:06 – (C) Bailey Gardner 2-yard run (pass failed), 5-28, 2:30
2:59 – (N) Chris Martinez 38-yard pass from Cole Cavuto (run failed), 5-73, 2:07
:53 – (N) Cole Cavuto 2-yard run (run failed), 3-37, 1:03

Third quarter
11:00 – (C) Bailey Gardner 21-yard run (run failed), 4-70, 1:00
9:37 – (C) Bailey Gardner 21-yard run (pass failed), 2-25, :38
6:29 – (C) Bailey Gardner 35-yard run (Gardner run), 4-89, 1:38

Fourth quarter
11:54 – (C) Bailey Gardner 15-yard run (run failed), 4-25, 2:04
11:06 – (C) Rylan Wesneski 38-yard pass from Brooks Wesneski (Dowling kick), 2-40, :44
:42 – (N) Wyatt Orlowski 1-yard pass from Ben Bonham (Orlowski kick), 5-66, 1:52

Statistics
N C
First downs 17 21
Rushes-net yards 38-143 45-323
Passing yardage 198 124
Passing 8-13-2-1 6-12-1-1
Fumbles-lost 8-5 3-2
Penalties-yards 16-136 12-112

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Northwest: Noah Arnett (13-44), Cole Cavuto (7-28-1), Caleb Ide (4-29), Robby Voyton (4-26), Loegan Diltz (4-14-1), Ben Bonham (4-0), Mason Bilbly (1-3), Team (1-(-1)); Canton: Bailey Gardner (18-263-6), Brooks Wesneski (10-33), Brayden Tucker (8-20), Jaiden Ortiz (5-15), Owen Moore (3-(-7)), Team (1-(-1))

PASSING: Northwest: Cole Cavuto (7-12-197-1-1), Ben Bonham (1-1-1-1-0); Canton: Brooks Wesneski (4-8-95-1-0), Owen Moore (2-4-29-0-1)

RECEIVING: Northwest: Chris Martinez (3-90-1), Ben Bonham (3-64), Wyatt Orlowski (2-44-1); Canton: Brayden Tucker (2-27), Bailey Gardner (2-17), Monte Whitehead (1-42), Rylan Wesneski (1-38-1)

Springfield’s Zion Culbreth

SPRINGFIELD, PA — Zion Culbreth is built like a human speed bump. The Springfield (Delco) stubby 5-foot-8, 250-pound three-year starting defensive tackle has arms the size of most people’s legs. He can bench press an astounding 450 pounds.

He does the kind of selfless, nasty job few like to do on a football field. It comes with no bravado, hardly any stats, and unless you have a trained football eye, he is barely noticeable, until you notice the moving pile, which often finds Culbreth underneath.

He’s “Captain Congestion.” His job is to disrupt and make obstacle piles on the field.

Springfield has one of the best defenses in the state—possibly the country. The Cougars have not been scored on since September 3—over two months ago. Springfield has pitched a school-record eight-straight shutouts, which spans 34-straight quarters, after the Cougars’ 35-0 victory over Kennett in the opening round of the PIAA District 1 Class 5A playoffs on Friday night.

Springfield, the No. 2 seed, is 10-0, while No. 15 seed Kennett fell to 5-6.

The defending District 1 5A champion Cougars will now host No. 7 seed Upper Perkiomen next week.

A big reason why Springfield is in this position is the play of Culbreth, who often takes on two or three blockers to free up the linebackers and defensive backs behind him to make tackles.

It is a thankless job, but the senior has done it now for three years. He was so eager to get started playing football at Springfield that he urged Cougars’ head coach Chris Britton if he could start working out with the team when he moved up from eighth grade.

“Zion is not in any of the papers, no highlight films, he plays the kind of role where the only people who love you is your mom, and us, all of us,” Britton said. “When we play him in our shade-odd look, he takes on double teams every play. Thank God he can bench a house. Zion is a rock in water, you’re going to have to detour, because he is not going to move. He keeps our linebackers protected, they love him.

“But that is our deal, we have a lot of players on this team that are ‘wes’ not ‘Is.’ Zion is a ‘we guy.’ No one on this team has 100 tackles, they do their jobs. Zion does the nasty work and he been doing it on both sides for three years. Any college would love to have Zion. For me, he makes my life easier. It all starts from him and what he does in the middle of the field. Zion is usually the strongest kid on the field, and he works at it. He came here the summer of eighth wanting to lift early with the team.”

Britton does not bring up the shutout streak. In fact, Britton makes the point that he would not have had his second and third team defense on the field—as he has done in the majority of the games this season—if the Cougars were that self-conscious about keeping the shutout streak alive.

Culbreth himself could care less. His only priority is to repeat as district champions. He is the starting right tackle on offense and starting defensive tackle, and nose tackle on defense.

What he does is demanding.

“I’ll put ice bags on my legs for about 30, 40 minutes after a game, because I’m running into someone every game, stuffing the run, trying to control each gap and trying to make sure teams bounce things outside for the linebackers,” Culbreth said. “Stats do not mean anything. Winning does. Everyone on this team sacrifices something. It’s why we won (the district championship last year). I wanted to work on my speed in the offseason, and technique, and make sure I knew every play on offense.”

Springfield was a state semifinalists last season. The Cougars lost to eventual state 5A champion Roman Catholic, now a 6A team.

“The attitude coming into this season was to make sure our focus was on the next game in front of us,” Culbreth said.

Springfield senior linebacker TJ Valletti, who scored twice, is certainly appreciative of Culbreth.

Culbreth makes his life easier.

“Zion definitely does, he takes on two or three blocks every time, and makes those big plays, like he did tonight for a fourth-down tackle for loss, and teams see that,” Valletti said. “People see his height and on film you see what he does, which is huge. He is really good at his job. He’s 100-percent one of the unsung heroes on this team.”

The Cougars made it look easy Friday night. They scored on their first five possessions, as 14 different players touched the ball.

Scoring Summary

Kennett (5-6) 0 0 0 0-0
Springfield (Delco) (10-0) 14 14 7 0-35

1st Quarter

Spr. – TJ Valletti 13 run (Zarel Suarez kick), 6:19

Spr. – Valletti 5 run (Suarez kick), 2:04

2nd Quarter

Spr. – John Hopkins 16 run (Suarez kick), 6:47

Spr. – Mason Becker 20 pass from Hopkins (Suarez kick), :17

3rd Quarter

Spr. – Jackson Sheffield 12 run (Suarez kick), 7:29

Joseph Santoliquito is an 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.

MOUNT CARMEL – In 134 years of Mount Carmel football, the Red Tornadoes had never faced Wellsboro until Friday night. Based on the result, Wellsboro wouldn’t mind waiting another 134 years to see Mount Carmel again. The passing game was given center stage for the first time all season, and the Red Tornadoes certainly made good use of it. Jaylen Delaney threw for 126 yards and three touchdowns, as Mount Carmel had its way with an overmatched Wellsboro team in a 49-0 win. No 1. seed Mount Carmel (11-0) will face No. 4 seed Montoursville (7-4) in the District 4 Class 3A semifinals next week.

“That’s definitely something we wanted to work on coming into this week,” Mount Carmel coach John Darrah said. “In some previous games, we saw some opportunities where we could have taken advantage of that a little bit. We just wanted our guys to get a little bit more used to it and to gain some confidence in it. I think we achieved that objective tonight.”

Mount Carmel continues to put up huge numbers in what could be a record-breaking year offensively. The Red Tornadoes were averaging 43.7 points a game through the regular season, which would be a good enough for a school record. That average improved a little bit thanks to a performance which saw Mount Carmel move the ball at will and pile up 366 yards of offense in the first half. On his team’s second offensive snap, Delaney laid out a nice ball that Aidan Brokenshire hauled in and went the distance for a 58-yard touchdown reception. Delaney also connected with Brokenshire on a 32-yard completion before Delaney, a first-year quarterback, scored on a 1-yard run to give Mount Carmel a 14-0 lead with 5:37 left in the opening quarter.

“He’s in a little different position where he’s the leader of the offense,” Darrah said. “He’s always been a great leader. But he’s thrust in a role now where he’s in charge of a lot of guys. I think every game he gets more comfortable in doing that. Obviously, tonight he made some big strides in the pass game, but I always think he could throw. The pass game is a lot of things, it’s protection. It’s the spacing on the routes. It’s knowing where to go with the ball, and obviously catching the ball. So that’s something we just wanted to work on as a team.”

The Red Tornadoes made it three touchdowns in as many drives when Cooper Karycki sprinted past the defense on a 62-yard run to paydirt, capping off a short, two-play march. Delaney threw his second touchdown pass to Jason Klokis. The senior fullback caught a ball in the right flat and rumbled across the goal line from 25 yards out, increasing the lead to 28-0 on the first play of the second quarter. Mount Carmel showed no signs of any hangover following the big win over Shamokin last week.

“The Coal Bucket is always an emotional game,” Darrah said. “It’s always a great environment and atmosphere here to play at home. We always want to come out here and never waste an opportunity to get better. We had a couple of things we wanted to work on tonight, and I think we achieved those objectives, and I do think we got better tonight, so that was a plus.”

Delaney completed 5-of-6 passes on the night, and his final attempt went to Karycki on a rollout to the right side, resulting in a 2-yard TD pass. In addition, Delaney went over the 1,200-yard mark in rushing yards. He put an exclamation point on his huge night by scoring on a 34-yard run with 5:05 left in the first half. The first half was almost perfect Mount Carmel, but it did end with a slight blemish. Josh Miller was sent out to attempt a 44-yard field on the final play of the first half, but a bad snap caused the play to go haywire, even though Miller did gain 12 yards on an impromptu run as time expired.

“If anyone says they’re good, they don’t need to work on anything, they’re nuts,” Darrah said. “There’s definitely things, I’m sure we’ll watch the film and see a couple more things. But yeah, we’ve always got to grow every week.”

Defensively, Mount Carmel did a fine job. Wellsboro was held to only 53 yards in the first half. Surprisingly, Wellsboro requested to play eight-minute quarters in the second half. The final two quarters went very quickly with a running clock, and took on the feel of a preseason scrimmage with plenty of reserves in for the Red Tornadoes. In the last two weeks, opponents have only scored seven points against a defense that continues to take steps forward.

“I think overall, the biggest improvement in our team from week one until now is definitely our defense,” Darrah said. “I think the last few weeks, kind of the vision for what we wanted our defense to look like, having all the speed on the field, and being pretty unpredictable. It’s all started to come to fruition, so credit to our guys, they’re playing well. Hopefully we keep that rolling here throughout the playoffs.”

Wellsboro 0 0 0 0-0
Mount Carmel 21 21 0 7-49

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
MC-Aidan Brokenshire 58 pass from Jaylen Delaney (Josh Miller kick) 9:21
MC-Delaney 1 run (Miller kick) 5:37
MC-Cooper Karycki 62 run (Miller kick) 3:49

Second Quarter
MC-Jason Klokis 25 pass from Delaney (Miller kick) 11:52
MC-Karycki 2 pass from Delaney (Miller kick) 9:24
MC-Delaney 34 run (Miller kick) 5:05

Fourth Quarter
MC-Austin Ventilli 1 run (Miller kick) 2:49

Team Statistics
…………………….W..………………MC
1st downs…….7………………….16
rush-yds………22-29……………..33-341
comp-att-int…7-21-2……………..5-7-0
pass yds…………62………………..126
total yds…………91………………..467
fumb-lost………..1-0………………2-1
pen-yds………..7-35……………..6-50

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Wellsboro: Kody Enck 3-21; Griffan Morral 10-14; Max Mascho 4-3; Reed Richardson 4-2; Team 1-(-11). Mount Carmel: Cooper Karycki 4-95, TD; Jaylen Delaney 4-49, 2 TDs; Jaxon Boblick 4-41; Austin Ventilli 5-38, TD; Jason Klokis 2-32; Max Karycki 1-23; Gabe Higgins 3-12; Josh Miller 1-12; Mikey Higgins 2-11; James Spears 1-10; Logan Shuder 3-9; Preston Pultynovich 2-9; Jayden Rotolo 1-0.

Passing-Wellsboro: Morral 7-21-2, 62 yds. Mount Carmel: Delaney 5-6-0, 126 yds., 3 TDs; Spears 0-1-0.

Receiving-Wellsboro: Mascho 5-43; R. Richardson 1-12; Jeremy Richardson 1-7. Mount Carmel: Aidan Brokenshire 2-90, TD; Klokis 1-25, TD; M. Karycki 1-9; C. Karycki 1-2, TD.

Wil Rittenhouse caught three touchdown passes Friday night in Perkasie as #14 North Penn defeated #3 Pennridge (9-2) 38-21 in the opening round of District One 6A playoffs. Knight quarterback London Evans completed 9 of 12 passes for 250 yards.

North Penn “had their two linemen back and they played really physically,” commended Pennridge coach Kyle Beller. “I thought they did a really nice job controlling the game there and credit to them. And we had trouble on the deep ball.”

North Penn drove to the Ram-12 on the opening series but Marquan Walker forced a fumble that the Knights recovered for a four-yard loss. North Penn had to settle for a 33-yard field goal.

After Pennridge punted came one of the wildest sequences of the year. Evans threw a 54-yard bomb to Duke Horgan, who was tackled at the Ram one. Jamison Dulin stuffed Sal Colella for a two-yard loss, but Colella’s halfback option pass to Rittenhouse extended the lead to 10-0.

Michael Ferguson then returned the kickoff 93 yards to put Pennridge on the board 10-7. On the ensuing kickoff, Chuck Long recovered a North Penn fumble and the Rams were in business at the Knight-25. North Penn ultimately blocked Austin Keller’s 51-yard field goal attempt.

The Knights entered halftime up 17-7 after Rittenhouse caught an eight-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.

A previously sluggish Ram offense came alive in their opening second half drive, moving to the North Penn-20 before turning it over on downs. Evans hit Horgan on a 62-yard bomb to extend North Penn’s lead to 24-7.

Pennridge countered, moving 70 yards on seven plays and ending with Trevor Picciotti’s 19-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. The failed conversion made the score 24-13.

“We came out with a couple of new formations and went back to playing our style of football,” Beller commented. “We moved the ball well and got some scores there. We just couldn’t get a stop.”

Rittenhouse responded with a 42-yard touchdown catch, but with 4:03 remaining, the Rams sliced the lead to 10. Aiden Tetkowski connected with Bradley Dornon on a 15-yard touchdown to end a drive where Picciotti had two touches for 39 yards. Colby O’Connor’s conversion made it 31-21.

The Rams nearly recovered the onside kick, but Colella’s 52-yard insurance touchdown with 2:11 left sealed the game.

Pennridge went to Lansdale on week seven and came home with a 20-8 win. The Rams held the Knights to 218 total yards and forced three turnovers, with Walker’s pick-six being the most impactful.

Picciotti had 138 yards on 17 touches against the Knights. In week 10 against CB South, Picciotti went over 1,000 yards rushing while Tetkowski exceeded 1,000 yards passing.

North Penn faces Saturday evening’s winner of #11 Council Rock South at #6 Downingtown West.

Pennridge, the SOL National co-champs, still can get a double digit win season. They play Quakertown for the 97th time on Thanksgiving morning.

“We want to play to the standard of physical football. We had a couple of hiccups at the end of the season,” Beller said. “But that doesn’t take away from the season and what these guys did. We just have to re-group and go from here.”

Aliquippa 52, Waynesburg Central 14

Allentown Central Catholic 24, Saucon Valley 0

Armstrong 42, Woodland Hills 28

Athens 49, Loyalsock Township 30

Avonworth 41, Deer Lakes 7

Beaver Falls 28, McGuffey 7

Belle Vernon Area 35, Shady Side Academy 8

Bellwood-Antis 34, Bald Eagle Area 10

Berks Catholic 49, Hamburg 20

Bethlehem Freedom 19, Easton Area 17

Bethlehem-Center 34, Burgettstown 8

Bishop Guilfoyle Academy 53, Northern Cambria 16

Bishop McCort 35, Glendale 6

Bristol 33, Renaissance Academy Charter 0

Brockway 62, Union-AC Valley 14

California 16, Northgate 7

Cambria Heights 28, Central Cambria 14

Canton Area 45, Northwest Area 29

Cathedral Prep 37, Oil City 0

Cedar Crest 56, Hempfield (3) 49

Central (6) 27, Philipsburg-Osceola 18

Central Bucks East 28, Ridley 7

Central Bucks West 56, Perkiomen Valley 42

Clairton 34, Union Area 0

Coatesville 35, Central Bucks South 26

Cocalico 34, Dover Area 14

Conestoga Valley 38, Northeastern 17

Conrad Weiser 20, ELCO 6

Cumberland Valley 40, Penn Manor 17

Dallas 48, Hanover Area 14

Delaware County Christian School 47, Morrisville 13

Downingtown East 42, Harry S. Truman 12

Dunmore 69, Holy Redeemer 14

Elizabeth-Forward 54, Highlands 38

Ephrata 16, Lower Dauphin 14

Episcopal Academy 22, Germantown Academy 14

Exeter Township 40, Hershey 19

Fleetwood 38, Daniel Boone 0

Fort Cherry 50, Avella Area 6

Fort LeBoeuf 35, Corry Area 27

Garnet Valley 48, West Chester East 21

General McLane 55, Harbor Creek 14

Great Valley 42, West Chester Rustin 35

Grove City 42, North East 6

Hollidaysburg 42, DuBois Area 22

Homer-Center 49, West Branch 15

Hopewell 62, Mount Pleasant Area 7

Interboro 20, Strath Haven 6

Jersey Shore 26, Shamokin 6

Karns City 28, Central Clarion 7

Lakeland 36, Riverside (2) 13

Laurel 33, Greensburg Central Catholic 0

Ligonier Valley 35, Riverside (7) 21

Mahanoy Area 37, Old Forge 7

Marion Center 25, River Valley 24

Martin Luther King 48, Samuel S. Fels 8

Mastery North Charter 24, South Philadelphia 8

McDowell 47, Altoona Area 41 2OT

McKeesport Area 48, Blackhawk 16

Mechanicsburg 19, Dallastown 3

Meyersdale Area 21, Windber 14

Mifflinburg 43, Danville 14

Monessen 6, Jeannette 0

Montour 49, Shaler Area 17

Montoursville 14, Lewisburg 0

Moshannon Valley 29, Juniata Valley 28

Mount Carmel Area 49, Wellsboro 0

Mount Union Area 42, Penns Valley 20

Nazareth Area 45, Emmaus 20

Neshannock 28, South Allegheny 12

New Castle 51, Chartiers Valley 34

North Catholic 21, Beaver Area 0

North Penn 38, Pennridge 21

North Pocono 42, Carbondale Area 7

North Star 52, Everett 7

Northern Bedford 34, Conemaugh Township 21

Northern Lebanon 28, Susquehannock 3

Northern Lehigh 42, Shenandoah Valley 23

Parkland 48, Northampton 27

Plymouth-Whitemarsh 59, Owen J. Roberts 31

Pope John Paul II 34, Chichester 31

Port Allegany 63, Smethport Area 12

Pottsgrove 48, Bishop Shanahan 21

Propel Braddock Hills 66, Burrell 19

Richland 44, Southern Huntingdon 8

Ridgway/Johnsonburg 29, Redbank Valley 0

Roman Catholic 63, Father Judge 0

Schuylkill Haven 42, Catasauqua 14

Scranton Prep 51, Lake-Lehman 12

Shenango 55, Serra Catholic 6

Shikellamy 20, Selinsgrove 17

South Fayette 42, Kiski Area 7

South Williamsport 49, Warrior Run 7

Southern Columbia 62, Towanda 28

Spring-Ford 42, Quakertown Community 28

Springfield-Delco 35, Kennett 0

State College Area 55, Erie High 0

Steel Valley 47, Freedom 8

Thomas Jefferson 42, Moon Area 0

Tri-Valley 37, Marian Catholic 7

Trinity (7) 21, Greater Latrobe 0

Troy Area 35, Hughesville 13

Unionville 21, Wissahickon 14

Upper Dauphin 49, Columbia 6

Upper Perkiomen 45, Academy Park 30

Valley View 42, Honesdale 21

Wallenpaupack 31, Berwick Area 14

Washington 58, Frazier 8

West Allegheny 28, Gateway 21

West Chester Henderson 34, Upper Moreland 14

West Mifflin 34, Freeport 31 OT

Western Beaver 44, Chartiers-Houston 22

Whitehall 45, Stroudsburg 28

Williams Valley 49, Lackawanna Trail 24

Williamsport 38, West Scranton 13

Wyoming Area 55, Mid Valley 11

Wyoming Valley West 35, Hazleton Area 7

York Catholic 38, Newport 14

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