By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
Sonny & Cher (1967)
Cheltenham will compete for a PIAA Class 5A state championship this Friday (12/7/19) for the first time in school history at HersheyPark Stadium.
The Panthers will play Archbishop Wood – a private school champion from District 12 and the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Big deal – who cares?
A lot of people – a whole lot of people.
How about every single individual player on that Blue & Gold roster – just ask a Hunter Adonis, a Jamir Barnes, a TJ Harris, or a Nate Edwards – they all care with a passion.
And how about Cheltenham head coach Ryan Nase and his dedicated coaching staff – it’s a big deal to them.
How about the 46 players on the Panther roster who have invested blood, sweat and tears since last February in the weight room and until the first week of December now competing on a frozen football field in Hershey.
Or the 14 seniors on the team who will be creating a lasting memory playing their final scholastic football game? It’s a very big deal to them.
How about the families of those Blue & Gold players and coaching staff? All the mothers and fathers – sisters and brothers – aunts and uncles – and cousins.
How about the 1362 students that attend Cheltenham High School? Or the 4619 students in the school district?
Or the numerous teachers and administrators in the school district? Or the security guards, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and everyone else that work every day in the school.
Or the approximately 37,000 people who live in Cheltenham Township?
How about the countless thousands of Panther alumni that is spread out across the state, the country, and the world? Alumni that includes Hall of Fame baseball player Reggie Jackson (1964 graduate) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (1967 graduate).
How about the 21 football teams that compete in the Suburban One League? Those teams are now part of ‘Panther Nation’ as Cheltenham is the lone team left in the state playoffs to represent the SOL.
How about the 72 football teams that compete in District One? Those teams now have some ‘Panther Pride’ as Cheltenham is the lone team left in the state playoffs to represent District One.
How about the 500 public school districts in the state of Pennsylvania – or the 3,287 public schools in the state? Cheltenham is the lone public school left in the 5A championship hunt.
Big deal - who cares?
A lot of people – a whole lot of people!!!
Cheltenham/Archbishop Wood Trivia?
This is the first appearance ever for Cheltenham in the PIAA championship game.
How many times will Archbishop Wood have now appeared in a PIAA state title game – all since 2008? (a) 3 (b) 4 (c) 6 or (d) 8.
Bonus question – how many state championships have the Vikings earned? (a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 or (d) 5.
‘Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again’
-Grantland Rice (sportswriter – NY Tribune - 1924)
Cheltenham raced to an unreal 56-49 victory over Cocalico (District 3 champion) in a semifinal 5A game held at HersheyPark Stadium.
A fearless foursome of gifted Panther seniors – reminiscent of those legendary players of Notre Dame lore - registered some eye-popping numbers in the victory.
Senior quarterback Adonis Hunter completed 10 of 16 passes for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Senior Jamir Barnes rushed for 123 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown and also caught 3 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Senior TJ Harris caught 5 passes for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Senior Nate Edwards rushed just 6 times for 101 yards and scored 3 touchdowns.
And included in those stats were some highlight reel touchdown plays.
Harris scored on a sensational 80-yard kickoff return and latched on to a gorgeous 60-yard TD strike from Hunter.
Barnes scored on a terrific 69-yard pass from Hunter and also scored on a dazzling 50-yard run.
And Edwards scored on an electric 50-yard touchdown run.
Vikings sail into finals:
Archbishop Wood needed some late game heroics in a 24-21 victory over Gateway in its PIAA 5A semifinal game in Altoona.
Placekicker Robert Meyer booted a 25-yard game-winning field goal with just 3 seconds left in the game to send the Vikings to Hershey.
Archbishop Wood had a terrific game on the defensive side of the football with 7 sacks.
The leader for the Vikings on offense was running back Kaelin Costello who rushed for a game-high 237 yards on 28 carries. Costello scored on two long distance touchdowns with scoring runs of 95 and 73 yards.
Cheltenham (14-1) Scouting Report:
The Panthers have recorded some impressive offensive numbers this season on its way to a District 1 championship and a berth in the 5A title game.
Quarterback Adonis Hunter has completed 111 passes for 2129 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Jamir Barnes has rushed 198 times for 1236 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Hunter has scored 14 rushing touchdowns.
TJ Harris has caught 39 passes for 714 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Nate Edwards has caught 24 passes for 561 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Cheltenham has scored an average of 37.6 points per game and has allowed 18.8 points per game.
The Blue & Gold won the District 1 title with wins over Springfield-Delco (41-7), Unionville (35-21), Kennett (42-20) & Academy Park (43-42).
The only loss of the season for the Panthers came in a 19-7 loss to neighborhood rival (6A) Abington.
Archbishop Wood (11-3) scouting report:
The Vikings have also registered some impressive offensive numbers this season on their way to a District 12 championship and a berth in the 5A championship game.
Quarterback Max Keller has completed 88 passes for 1214 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Wood rushing attack features Cardel Pigford who has rushed 123 times for 792 yards and 9 touchdowns, while Kaelin Costello has rushed 87 times for 792 yards and 9 touchdowns.
The Wood receiving corps is led by Ryan Woertz who has caught 19 passes for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Andrew McHugh has caught 21 passes for 303 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Archbishop Wood has scored on average of 34.4 points per game and has allowed 16.5 points per game.
Wood had a bye in the first round of the District 12 playoffs. The Vikings ran off D-12 victories over Archbishop Ryan (44-15), Martin Luther King (51-14) and Southern Lehigh (41-0) to win the D-12 title.
The Vikings have lost games this season to Peddie School (38-9), Roman Catholic (20-6), and St. Joseph Prep (42-21).
Answer to Archbishop Wood Trivia.
Answer to question (d) – 8. This will be the Vikings eighth appearance in the state title game. Wood has advanced to the title game in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.
Answer to bonus question (d) – 5. Wood has won titles in ’11, ’13, ’14, ’16, and ’17.
Turkey Day Leftovers
Pennridge and Hatboro-Horsham may not be crowned state champions, but both the Rams and the Hatters salvaged difficult seasons to overcame first-half deficits and defeat traditional Thanksgiving Day rivals to win their final games of the season.
Pennridge (3-8) rallied from a 10-0 first half deficit to outscore Quakertown (3-8) 19-3 in the second half to secure a 19-13 victory.
Taj Utsey scored a pair of touchdowns for the Rams to highlight the scoring in that second half. Utsey – who rushed for 102 yards – scored on runs of 3 and 8 yards.
Pennridge junior quarterback Bobby Croyle scored on a 1-yard run.
Quakertown placekicker Gavin Croissette booted 2 field goals. Croissette kicked a 30-yard field goal in the first half and a 33-yard field goal in the second half.
Hatboro-Horsham (2-8) rallied from a 13-0 first half deficit to outscore Upper Moreland (6-7) 20-6 in the second half to secure a 20-19 victory.
Upper Moreland’s Byron Hopkins fired a touchdown pass to Jahaire Johnson late in the game, but the Hatter defense stuffed a 2-point conversion to earn the win.
Hatboro-Horsham running back Jordan Collazo rushed for a game-high 176 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.
The victories by both Pennridge and Hatboro-Horsham will be a cherished memory for the seniors to end their scholastic careers.
And the beat goes on…
FOOTBALL FORECAST
FINAL EDITION
PIAA 5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
FRIDAY – DECEMBER 6, 2019 @ 7 PM
HERSHEYPARK STADIUM
Cheltenham Panthers (14-1) 35 – Archbishop Wood Vikings (10-3) 31
PIAA 6A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
SATURDAY – DECEMBER 7, 2019 @ 6 PM
HERSHEYPARK STADIUM
St. Joseph Prep Hawks (11-2) 45 – Central Dauphin Rams (12-2) 31
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