Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Wood is making its third consecutive appearance in the PIAA Class AAA title game. The Vikings won it all in 2011 and fell to Erie Cathedral Prep a year ago. Here are 5 nuggets to know about skipper Steve Devlin and his Vikings.
THIS ISN’T 2011: Two years ago when Archbishop Wood won its only PIAA title, the Vikings seared the same foe it plays Friday night – Bishop McDevitt. The final was a stunning 52-0 whitewash. This certainly isn’t the same Wood squad the Crusaders ran into two years ago. This is still a powerful team, but it doesn’t have the same number of high-end weapons it had two years ago.
HOLY JUNIOR CLASS BATMAN: The Vikings start seven underclassmen on each side of the ball. Six of the seven on offense are juniors. QB Tom Garlick is the only sophomore. Four of the five interior offensive linemen that power Archbishop Wood’s running game are juniors. Seven of the 11 starters on defense are juniors. LB Jake Cooper and OT Ryan Bates have FBS offers on the table.
CAN WE TALK DEFENSE AND SPECIAL TEAMS?: Part of the key to Archbishop Wood dismantling Berwick 42-14 in the semifinal round was a pair of 75-yard kickoff returns by Luke Spahits. Those were kick returns Nos. 4 and 5 for touchdowns this season by the Vikings. They also have five fumble returns and a pair of interception returns for touchdowns. Those are some impressive bonus points numbers.
WE RUN, AND DARE YOU TO STOP US: With a physical offensive line that averages 261 pounds a man, the Vikings want to pound opponents into submission and shorten the game by running the ball. A third-and-seven is not necessarily a passing situation. Wood averages nearly 240 yards a game on the ground and RB Jarrett McClenton has rushed for 1,467 yards and 26 touchdowns on fewer than 140 carries.
BUMP IN THE ROAD: The Vikings suffered their two losses in a three-week span. Archbishop Wood fell to PIAA Class AAAA finalist St. Joseph’s Prep 31-21 in Week 6, then dropped a 22-7 decision to Archbishop Ryan two weeks later. Since that Week 8 loss Archbishop Wood has outscored its last six opponents 276-74.
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PIAA Finals Essentials:
Complete PIAA football brackets
Class AAAA: Pittsburgh C.C. vs. St. Joe's Prep | Game News | Box
Class AAA: Bishop McDevitt vs. Archbishop Wood | Game News | Box
Class AA: South Fayette vs. Imhotep Charter | Game News | Box
Class A: North Catholic vs. Old Forge | Game News | Box
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