Ticket to Hershey on the line
Written by: Joe Stokes on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008. Follow Joe Stokes on Twitter.
By Joe Stokes
There are just sixteen teams left as we enter the fifteenth week of this long season. All the hard work and effort will entitle this week’s victors to an all expense paid trip to Chocolate Town and a shot at the PIAA Championship for 2008. The squads that continue to play this late in the season have had to fight through the regular season and three weeks of hard fought playoff games to get this opportunity.
The last few weeks of every season are always tough to predict but this year every team still in the running could easily be seen as a champion. Over the last two seasons this writer has compiles a 105-36 prediction record. While 2008 results show a 47-23 best guess prognostication level.
Let’s start this week’s preview with the AAAA Eastern State final between North Penn and Liberty. A late scheduling change has this contest at Coatesville High School at 1 PM Saturday afternoon. This will one great game to watch as quarterback Anthony Gonzalez leads Liberty as a two way run and pass threat against the North Penn running tandem of Ronnie Akins and Tyler Smith. This contest will be tough on both defenses as the high powered offenses have been running at will throughout this season. Bet on Gonzalez to find away to get his team over the top.
Prediction: Liberty 31 North Penn 27
The AA Eastern final should be another offensive shootout. The West Catholic Burrs were impressive in their 48-21 win over District Two Champion Dunmore last Friday. The Burrs return to the friendly confines of Northeast High School hoping to make their first playoff year a big splash. Quarterback Curtis Drake and running back Rob Hollomon are a threat to break any play wide open. Lancaster Catholic will be no pushover but this West Catholic squad just has too many weapons in its offensive arsenal.
Prediction: West Catholic 42 Lancaster Catholic 31
Here is the rest of the fearless forecast:
Prediction: Archbishop Wood 38 Selinsgrove 20
Prediction: Schuylkill Haven 23 Steel-High 21
Prediction: Bethel Park 27 Wilson West Lawn 7
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December 9th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Liberty is the power house of the east 3 trips to hershey in for years and running thu north penn with ease number 4 couldn’t do it all year
December 9th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
yo liberty guy! yea 3 out of 4 years without a WIN!! and try doing it undefeated!
December 8th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE LIBERTY WIN . THEY BEEN THERE PLENTY OF TIMES. GOOD LUCK’
December 6th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
What happen to the unstopable North Penn team! Bethel Park is next… 3 times in four years we’ve been to Hershey! Third time is a charm!
December 6th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
yay go team!
December 6th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Got to the game last night at Northeast High School. Nice field and plenty of good seating.
It was cold !!!
West Catholic offense is so talented it is almost impossible to stop them. The only hope is a turnover or penalties.
I have seen them the last two weeks and they just gain yards at will and have the potential to score on any play.
The only possible way a team could beat them is to score on just about every possession and get the ball one more time in the game than West Catholic.
Their defense is not impressive at all but they do make the other teams work their way down the field, this increases the chance of turnovers and mistakes. Both Dunmore and Lancaster Catholic fell into this trap with turnovers at key moments. That is all the Burrs defense needs to do with their offense scoring at will.
December 6th, 2008 at 12:25 am
there is no way NORTH PENN can lose we are unstopable
December 4th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I don;t like the Selinsgrove game prediction at all. It will not be a blow out like the score is showing. I expect that game to be a defensive battle. Selinsgrove prevails 21-20, to set up the rematch vs. Thomas Jefferson next Friday Night
December 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
add another 7 to the haven vs. steel high game, thats my prediction
December 4th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
That’s understandable Joe. Thank you for the response.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Joe and Football Fan,
I was discussing this same issue with the Rustin fans last week. As you stated Rustin had a statistically great defense like Selinsgrove and probably played an overall more difficult schedule coming out of District 1. WOOD poured through them like hot butter, both in the air and ground. I am sure Selinsgrove is very good, but WOOD is playing lights out right now!
December 4th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Thanks for your comments football fan.
No doubt Sellinsgrove has a great defensive record this season.
Similar to last week Wood faced WC Rustin, the Rustin defense had not allowed more than 14 points to any team in 2008.
Archbishop Wood’s offense however has exploded in the playoffs. They put up 37 points last week which was down from their two previous playoff games.
So the pick is more a reflection on how well Wood’s offense has been playing than a cut to the fine play of the Sellinsgrove defense.
December 4th, 2008 at 2:19 am
No way Selinsgrove gives up that many points. They haven’t given up more than 18 points in one game all season. Their 3 biggest opponents(Berwick, Southern Columbia, and Montoursville) were held to 3, 7, and 7 points respectively.