DOWNINGTOWN – North Pocono and Bishop Shanahan traded offensive punches the entire night in their PIAA 4A State Tournament game, but it was a play on defense that defined a classic tilt between a pair of District Champions.
North Pocono’s Seamus Maguire forced a sack fumble on Bishop Shanahan quarterback Anthony Aquila with just under a minute left to deliver a historic 40-36 win for the Trojans program on Friday night at the Bishop Shanahan football stadium.
“The game comes down to players and great kids fighting,” North Pocono head coach Greg Dolhon said. “We have great players on our team and that is why we are standing where we are today. I could not be prouder of them.”
The fourth quarter delivered more twists and turns than a rollercoaster with 35 combined points and five lead changes. The Eagles (8-5) started their final drive at the Trojans 49-yard line before Maguire slammed into the versatile Aquila on the first and only play when he stepped up in the pocket to throw and forced a fumble that was recovered by Josiah Gray.
“I came off the linebacker and when I saw him (Aquila) step up I hit him,” Maguire said. “Our plan was to keep him contained as much as possible knowing how quick he is, and it was its an incredible feeling to make a play like that.”
The Trojans (13-0) started fast after two-plus hour bus ride that even included an incorrect first stop at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford, who Bishop Shanahan defeated a week before in the District 1 4A final. North Pocono scored on its first two drives behind a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs from Gray and went up 13-0 at the 4:09-mark of the first quarter. It was apparent early that the Trojans offensive line was poised to pave the way for its talented and deep backfield.
“It is amazing to run behind them because of the holes they open up,” Gray said. “I can cut wherever they can open up the wide-open lanes and they work so hard every week to get better.”
The Trojans defense also had a tough task in slowing down a red-hot Aquila after his 282-rushing yard performance a week ago against Pope John Paul II. They did just that in limiting him to 57 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown.
What North Pocono had trouble with Aquila was his arm as he began to get the Eagles offense going in the second quarter. He used a pair of completions to help get Bishop Shanahan on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run by Nate Bracken that made it 13-7 with 2:01 left in the first half. North Pocono had a chance to get a score in response before Aquila ripped the ball out of Tate Bowen’s arms at the 1-yard line for an interception.
Gray went back to work after the Trojans forced the Eagles lone punt of the night to open the second half and extended the lead to 20-7 after scoring his third touchdown of the game, this time from 18 yards out.
“Josiah has been fabulous for us this season,” Dolhon said. “He runs really hard, and he can do some damage if he can get vertical after that first cut.”
Owen McGrory gave the Eagles a spark they desperately needed by providing impact plays in all three phases of the game. It started with a 62-yard kick return to set Bishop Shanahan up at the Trojans 20-yard line. McGrory followed by snagging a 20-yard reception on third-and-18 that led to Aquila scoring from eight yards out one play later to make it 20-14. McGrory capped his stretch by deflecting a Chase Zimmerman pass right into the arms of Danny Keenan, who returned the interception for a 25-yard pick-6 to give Bishop Shanahan its first lead of the night at 21-20 with 4:04 left in the third quarter.
“I would not expect anything different from our guys, they left it all on the field,” Bishop Shanahan head coach Paul Meyers said. “They have done it all year for us, and they fought until the very end.”
Facing a deficit for the first time all game, the Trojans responded by running it 12 straight times into the Eagles defense and took the lead back at 26-21 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when Cole West scored on a 4-yard run.
The West touchdown was a mere appetizer to start the pulse-pounding fourth quarter as Bishop Shanahan struck right back when Aquila hit Aidan Civitella on a slant for a 53-yard catch-and-run touchdown to give the Eagles a 29-26 lead at the 8:29-mark of the fourth quarter.
North Pocono went right back to the ground and powered it down the field once more to go back up 33-29 following a 1-yard plunge by Zimmerman on third-and-goal with 3:39 left in regulation.
Aquila threw his finest pass of the game on the ensuing Eagles drive when he hit Civitella 1-on-1 for a 49-yard touchdown pass for the fourth lead change of the quarter to make it 36-33 with 2:14 left in regulation.
The Trojans did not change a thing even with just 2:07 left in regulation as they stayed with their ground game and drove to the Eagles 21-yard line with 56 seconds left in the 4th. West carried the ball up the middle which initially seemed he would at least have the Trojans facing a goal-to-go situation. However, West finished his run by dragging four Shanahan defenders on his back for 10 yards and landed in the end zone to give the Trojans the lead for good at 40-36.
“Coach Dolhon called that play for me, but it does not happen without the guys up front.” West said. “Right before the play happened Warren (Kramer) said ‘run right behind me’. I trust my guys and with coach having faith in me I wanted to score.”
The 44 seconds left initially felt like an eternity given how the fourth quarter went before Maguire forced the game-deciding sack fumble.
“Their size wore us down and I think that decided the game,” Meyers said. “Our kids gave it all for us but it was a little too late in the end.”
The Trojans eclipsed the benchmark set by the 1991 North Pocono team that finished 12-0 and most notably took down Berwick at the height of its power by a point in the Eastern Conference Final. Now these Trojans continue their journey in the State Tournament which is something the 1991 team could not do due to a mathematical playoff rating system.
North Pocono will face the winner of the Cardinal O’ Hara vs West Philadelphia game that will be played on Saturday in the 4A quarterfinals next week.
“It is another week with our kids and our community,” Dolhon said. “We have another week to practice and work and I cannot wait to do it. “The support we also have is unbelievable and that is why I took our team over to our fan section and saluted them.”
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| North Pocono | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 40 |
| Bishop Shanahan | 0 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 36 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | NP | Gray, 3 run (Youngblood Kick) | 8:44 |
| 1 | NP | Gray, 3 run (Rush Failed) | 4:09 |
| 2 | Shanahan | Bracken, 8 run (Debellis Kick) | 2:01 |
| 3 | NP | Gray, 18 run (Youngblood Kick) | 7:06 |
| 3 | Shanahan | Aquila, 8 run (Debellis Kick) | 4:51 |
| 3 | Shanahan | Keenan, 25 interception return (Debellis Kick) | 4:04 |
| 4 | NP | West, 4 run (Pass Failed) | 11:38 |
| 4 | Shanahan | Civitella, 53 pass from Aquila (Bracken pass from Aquila) | 8:29 |
| 4 | NP | Zimmerman, 1 run (Youngblood Kick) | 3:39 |
| 4 | Shanahan | Civitella, 49 pass from Aquila (Debellis Kick) | 2:14 |
| 4 | NP | West, 21 run (Youngblood Kick) | 0:45 |
Team statistics
| North Pocono | Bishop Shanahan | |
| First downs | 23 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 53-311 | 27-86 |
| Passing yards | 90 | 231 |
| Total yards | 401 | 317 |
| Passes COMP-ATT-INT | 6-10-2 | 13-18-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 1-28.0 | 1-30.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-15 | 3-25 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
North Pocono: Gray 24-146, West 12-85, Zimmerman 9-60, Taylor 3-12, Maguire 3-10, Briskie 1-0, TEAM 1-(-2)
Bishop Shanahan: Aquila 17-57, Bracken 8-22, Civitella 1-8, TEAM 1-(-1)
PASSING
North Pocono: Zimmerman 6-10-2–90
Bishop Shanahan: Aquila 13-18-1–231
RECEIVING
North Pocono: West 3-49, Wolff 1-19, Gray 1-12, Briskie 1-10
Bishop Shanahan: Civitella 7-168, McGrory 4-39, Keenan 2-24
INTERCEPTIONS
North Pocono: West
Bishop Shanahan: Aquila, Keenan