The one searing goal for this Roman team was to get back—and win—the state 5A title this season.
The last step is now here, after the Cahillites (11-3) defeated a very good Springfield (Delco) team, 48-20, on Saturday at Marple Newtown High School in the Eastern Finals of the PIAA Class 5A state playoffs.
Roman will now get its wish—a rematch with defending state champion Bishop McDevitt, 31-28 winners over Peters Township in the other semifinal, next Friday night at 7 p.m. at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field in the PIAA Class 5A state championship.
Roman quarterback Semaj Beals was his usual self, throwing for five touchdowns and 273 yards—in the first half. Beals admits a lot of success comes from the protection he gets up front from his offensive line: senior tight end Giovanni DeSimmone, senior right tackle Gustavo Gomez, junior right guard Malik Cochran, senior center Khalif McNear, senior left guard Dom Ramos, and junior left tackle Sebastian Waddell.
“Those guys make my job a lot easier, because they do their job,” Beals said. “I don’t have to worry about a pass rush. I have time to throw. We’re not going to the state championship with our o-line. I trust those guys. They’re a big reason why we are going back to states.
“We felt we should have won the state title last year. We will face McDevitt again. I like how we’re playing.”
The Cahillites have almost been victims of their own success. The last time Beals played an entire game was a month ago, when Roman lost to St. Joseph’s Prep in double-overtime, 40-39. Since then, Roman has won seven-straight games, and is averaging an astounding 52.6 points a game throughout the PIAA state playoffs.
What drives them is the memory of walking off the Cumberland Valley field last December after losing the state championship.
McNear and Ramos certainly remember.
“I know what it’s like walking off that field after that game,” McNear said. “We practice every week and we want to show why we should be state champions. I feel this year we have older guys and we’ve been really disciplined. We are on a mission. It was really hard watching the seniors walk off the field last year after we lost. We’re really doing this for them.”
Ramos is a two-year starter who has been with the program during its rise.
“We want to get back to the state title game and doing it for last year’s seniors,” Ramos said. “Playing o-line is lot easier when you have someone like Semaj back there. We have someone everyone trusts. We’re able to move with him, especially when we go tempo and move fast. We went through for the first time last year. We know what to expect this year. Our goal is simple: Dominate.”
It’s what Roman has done in its drive toward the first PIAA state football championship in school history.
It’s why Roman coach Rick Prete kept it short, and sweet after winning the state semifinal game.
“This is a goal-oriented group, and the kids know what they have to get done, the coaches know what they have to get done, and we have an opportunity to do it,” said Prete, who has grown the Roman program to heights it has never attained before. “We were blessed and fortunate enough to hire Mike Mulherrin from Father Judge to be our offensive line coach, and we brought in coach Theron Ghee, they were game changers for us.
“Our offensive line is the backbone of our team. They don’t get a lot of press, but they get a lot of results. They give Semaj a lot of time.”
Prete called Springfield “extremely annoying to prepare for, because they are a very good team and the things that they do, they do very, very well. They have really tough kids, and I tip my hat to them for a great year.”
Prete kept the semifinal victory postgame speech to a minimum. He addressed his team, congratulated them and reminded them winning a state championship is what they worked for—and now it is here.
As for Springfield (14-1), the Cougars finished an historic season. The program won its first District 1 championship this season and went deeper in the state playoffs than any other team in the history of the program, reaching the PIAA Class 5A state semifinals—something not many thought they could do.
Luke Valerio ended a memorable career for the Cougars, leading the team with 132 yards rushing on 24 carries against a very good Roman defense. The Penn State-bound lacrosse player scored twice for Springfield, which had to dig out of an early 21-0 hole in the first quarter.
“Coming into this year, a lot of people didn’t think anything of us,” Valerio said. “We played a lot of teams that underestimated us and we punched them in the face. Going undefeated and reaching the state semifinals, it is unheard of, and I’m so proud of this team. We definitely left a mark in Springfield football history.”
Valerio said his one regret is not being around next season for the Cougars, who are losing only eight seniors.
With Roman Catholic moving up to 6A next season, and the core group back for Springfield, the Cougars will enter next season as PIAA Class 5A state contenders.
Springfield coach Chris Britton has done an amazing job making the small public school on Leamy Avenue very relevant in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The Cougars broke open a new threshold to be state semifinalists this year.
Britton may have faced possibly the best team in the state—regardless of classification—on Saturday.
“Roman is a great team, very well coached, they have a lot of great athletes, they spread the field, and they give you problems everywhere,” Britton said. “They are a nightmare to play against. Hats off to them. I wish them the best of luck next week in the state championship. Our guys fought to the whistle. I have no problem how this game went down.
“We were undefeated, until today. It is easy to be a bully when you are winning games, but our guys repeatedly kept coming back in epic moments. We could have packed it today and we didn’t. We kept fighting. These guys have a lot to be proud of, and we have eight seniors. These seniors have set the bar and we could be very good again—and it’s because of the seniors.
“They built this.”
Scoring Summary
Springfield (14-1) 7 0 7 6 – 20
Roman Catholic (11-3) 21 14 7 6 – 48
1st Quarter
RC – Eyan Stead Jr. 7 pass from Semaj Beals (Eli Pollack kick), 9:11
RC – Ash Roberts 48 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 7:18
RC – Roberts 42 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 4:13
2nd Quarter
Spr. – Luke Valerio 27 run (Zarel Saurez kick), 11:52
RC – Maajid Williams 26 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 6:53
RC – Hanif Sheed 20 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 1:02
3rd Quarter
Spr. – Valerio 1 run (Saurez kick), 5:12
RC – Stead Jr. 7 10 run (Eli Pollack kick), 3:48
RC – Justus Gaskin 41 INT return (kick missed), 3:30
4th Quarter
Spr. – Mike Neville 17 pass from T.J. Valetti (pass failed), :14
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. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.