St. Joseph’s Prep dominates Central York to win 3rd straight 6A State Championship

Photo Credit: The Inquirer

HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA— The St. Joseph’s Prep Hawks were not surprised that they would end their season in Hershey. The surprising part is how they got there. St. Joseph’s Prep played only 5 games before playing in the state championship, after many Philadelphia Catholic League teams cancelled their season, and St. Joseph’s Prep had a double bye in the 6A state playoffs. After beating Souderton 51-43 last week in their only state playoff game, they found themselves in the state championship. They were set to play Central York, who came into the game 10-0, and is led by junior quarterback, and Penn State commit, Beau Pribula. The historic St. Joseph’s Prep senior class led by an Ohio State commit duo, quarterback, Kyle McCord and wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. But before they could go down in history, and win their 3rd straight state championship, they had to pass their next test against Central York.

St. Joseph’s Prep started executing right from their first possession, as McCord found wide receiver, Sahmir Hagans to bring them to the Central York 25. McCord then found Malik Cooper for a touchdown, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty. As a result, the Hawks were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

Central York then started executing on their first possession. Beau Pribula found Taylor Wright-Rawls on 3rd down for a 35-yard deep pass to bring them to their own 47-yard line. The Panthers couldn’t find much room after that, and were forced to punt. St. Joseph’s Prep picked up right where they left off, as McCord found Sahmir Hagans for a deep pass to bring the Hawks to the Central York 39-yard line. McCord then found Marvin Harrison Jr. to bring them to the Central York 13-yard line. They went to the run game next, as Noble House ran 3 yards into the end zone to give themselves a 10-0 lead to end the first quarter (PAT good).

After both teams were forced to punt to start the second quarter, Noble House beat defenders to bring St. Joseph’s Prep to the Central York 7-yard line. On the next play, Kyle McCord found Marvin Harrison Jr. in the back of the end zone to give the Hawks a 17-0 lead (PAT good). Central York then found an offensive rhythm, as Beau Pribula led the Panthers all the way to the St. Joseph’s Prep 30-yard line. However, Pribula’s next pass was intercepted by Zavier Atkins, and returned it to their own 40-yard line.

The Hawks took advantage, as Kyle McCord found Marvin Harrison Jr. for a deep 45-yard pass and a touchdown (PAT good). But Pribula wouldn’t stop there, as he completed two more passes to bring the Panthers to the St. Joseph’s Prep 48-yard line. However, Central York found themselves on 4th and 1, and they couldn’t convert, as Nick Yagodich came up with a sack for the Hawks to force a turnover on downs.

The Panthers defense then came up big, as St. Joseph’s Prep fumbled the ball, and Central York recovered at their own 34-yard line. Pribula led the Panthers to the St. Joseph’s Prep 20-yard line, and capped off the drive with a screen pass to Jahmar Simpson for 20 yards and a touchdown (PAT good).

St. Joseph’s Prep answered on their next possession, as Kyle McCord found Malik Cooper for a deep 78 yard pass for a touchdown (PAT good). After a Central York turnover on downs, the Hawks made noise again, as Malik Cooper found Sahmir Hagans off a reverse pass for a 55-yard touchdown (PAT good). St. Joseph’s Prep went into halftime with a 38-7 lead.

The Hawks kept their foot on the gas to start the second half. After Central York was forced to punt, Malik Cooper took the punt return back for a touchdown (PAT good). The Hawks’ defense then forced another Central York punt. Kyle McCord found Malik Cooper to bring the Hawks to the Central York 30-yard line. However, St. Joseph’s Prep couldn’t get in the end zone, and were forced to settle for a 47-yard field goal to make the score 48-7.

The St. Joseph’s Prep defense then made an impact once again, as Brenden Leneghan intercepted a shovel pass from Beau Pribula and returned it to the Central York 39-yard line. The offense then did their part, as Kyle McCord found Cade Rooney for a 13-yard touchdown, his 4th passing touchdown of the game (PAT good). By the time the third quarter ended, St. Joseph’s Prep had a 55-7 lead.

St. Joseph’s Prep still kept their foot on the gas, as Noble House ran in the end zone for a touchdown, making the score 62-7 (PAT good). Central York wouldn’t give up after their starters left the field, as Trenton Dunnick ran into the end zone, but fumbled at the goal line. However, Jakob Terpak was there to recover the ball in the end zone for a touchdown, to make the score 62-13 (2-point conversion no good). The St. Joseph’s Prep starters then came off the field, ran the clock out, and came away with their 3rd straight 6A state championship with a 62-13 win.

St. Joseph’s Prep ended their season 6-0, a strange season that ended in a familiar way. The Hawks have now won 3 straight state championships, and 4 state championships in the past 5 years. The Central York Panthers end their historic season at 10-1.