November 20- The Bishop McDevitt Crusaders advanced to the District 3/6 Class AAAA championship game tonight, holding on to beat the Central Dauphin Rams, 36-34 at Landis Field. The win sets up a rematch for the Crusaders (9-2) against Carlisle (11-1), who beat Wilson 40-14. Carlisle topped McDevitt 26-21, back on October 1. Tonight's game was full of spectacular plays and momentum changes, as McDevitt moved out to a 28-7 first half lead, and then turned back a determined Central Dauphin comeback in the second half. Area fans have come to expect outstanding performances from LeSean McCoy, the Crusader's standout Junior tailback. But Shady's performance tonight is destined to be remembered for years to come. He rushed for an incredible 387 yards on 42 carries and added 127 yards on two pass receptions, and finished the game with all 5 McDevitt touchdowns. Accounting for 514 total yards in a high school football game is amazing enough; to do it against a playoff-caliber team like Central Dauphin is nothing short of legendary. Time and again, McCoy came up with key yardage for the Crusaders, running behind the blocking of fullback Larondo Tucker and McDevitt's massive offensive line. Many of McCoy's yards were the result of his dazzling array of moves and his great speed, but Tucker and the "O" line gave Shady lots of open field to play in. The McDevitt defense, despite allowing 34 points, came up with plenty of big plays, including 5 sacks and an interception. The biggest defensive play, however, came with 2:34 remaining in the game, when cornerback Aaron Berry tipped away a 2 point conversion pass by Ram quarterback Kevin Rombach that preserved the Crusader lead. 
A tense crowd of 10,000 roared as CD's Alan Wynne returned the opening kickoff to the Ram 36. One play later Rombach was sacked by Sebastian Sullivan and Mike Berry for a 9 yard loss and, following an incompletion, the Rams punted to the McDevitt 19. The LeSean McCoy Show began with a 4 yard run, followed by a weaving 22 yard effort to the 45. McDevitt quarterback Jeremy Ricker hooked up with Aaron Berry for a 5 yard gain, but a motion penalty and an incompletion ended the drive, and Ricker punted to the CD 31. The Rams then launched a time-consuming 13 play drive, combining short passes by Rombach with tough runs by CD's outstanding back, Jordan Manning. Manning actually scored on an 18 yard misdirection run, but the play was called back on an illegal shift penalty. The McDevitt defense, thanks to a strong pass rush by Sullivan and Jason Kates, forced 3 straight incompletions, and McDevitt regained possession at its own 23. McCoy started the Crusaders off with a 9 yard sweep of right end, and then the 6'0", 208 lb. wonder fought for 26 yards and a first down into CD territory. After an incomplete pass McCoy ran the counter trey for 16 yards to the Ram 26. Another incompletion preceded an 8 yard McCoy blast, followed by a run of 6. Facing first-and-10 at the 12, the Ram defense stiffened and Mike Comasco came out to attempt a 24 yard field goal. When the ensuing snap arrived low, Vince Comasco alertly scooped up the ball and raced around right end for the key first down before being knocked out of bounds at the 1. One play later (and after the 1st quarter ended) McCoy waltzed into the end zone and, following Mike Comasco's successful PAT, McDevitt had a 7-0 lead. The inspired McDevitt defense overwhelmed the CD offensive line on the next series. First linebacker Lawrence Edward sacked Rombach for a 3 yard loss, and then Kates and safety Eric McGovern dropped the CD QB again, this time for a 1 yard loss. The Ram punt rolled dead at the McDevitt 39 and the Crusaders took over. On the first play Ricker dropped back to pass, intending to hit Aaron Berry on a hitch-and-go. CD's Eric Filler spoiled that plan by blasting up the middle and grabbing Ricker. The Junior signal-caller somehow twisted free of Filler's grasp and rolled to his right with 2 Rams in hot pursuit. Ricker spotted McCoy in the right flat and floated a short pass to him. McCoy made a fingertip catch at the 43, but stumbled forward. Somehow he managed to regain his balance and darted to the middle of the field at the 50. After circling behind 2 key blocks at the 35, McCoy sprinted down the left sideline and finished the 61 yard scoring play as the McDevitt fans went wild. Now trailing 14-0, Central Dauphin wasted little time getting back into the game. After an out-of-bounds kickoff spotted the ball on the CD 35, Manning took a handoff, bounced out of 2 weak tackle attempts and bolted 65 yards down the right sideline for the Ram's first score with 9:09 left in the half. CD tried a short kickoff to get McDevitt off-balance, but Dave Onarato recovered at the Crusader 40. After an incomplete pass, McCoy gained a first down at midfield with a 10 yard run behind center R.J. Harden's block. McCoy followed with a smooth 50 yard scoring run when he darted through a big hole off left tackle and outraced the Ram secondary at the 8:22 mark. The McDevitt defense responded again on the next series. Central Dauphin's possession started at the Ram 35 but a holding penalty pushed CD back 10 yards on first down. CD retreated 4 more yards after Kates fired through the Ram line and sacked Rombach for the 4th time in the half. After an incompletion CD punted to the McDevitt 40, where the Crusaders started a decidedly odd scoring drive. After a Tucker dive went for no gain, McCoy was dropped for a 3 yard loss but the Rams were flagged for a personal foul penalty. Ricker and Tucker then combined for a 28 yard gain on a well- designed screen pass, but McDevitt was penalized for a lineman downfield. The yellow flags flew again before the next play when the Crusaders were flagged for a mysterious unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Now back on the 32 yard line, Ricker retreated to pass with the Ram defensive line bearing down on him. Ricker quickly turned to his right and hit McCoy with a screen pass. Following his blockers expertly, Shady rolled down the right sideline, broke a tackle at the 15 and then followed Mike Goldston's block for the touchdown. After McCoy scored, the yellow flags flew once again and the referee signaled a holding call against Goldston, moving the ball back to the CD 12. After Gerard Oliver lost a yard, McDevitt was penalized for the 4th time on the drive, for delay of game. Returning from a short rest, McCoy trotted back onto the field and promptly circled left end for his 4th touchdown of the half with 4:27 left before intermission. It looked like the Crusaders would add to the lead when, on CD's next series, Comasco darted in front of Jordan Mitchell and intercepted Rombach's long pass at the McDevitt 36. The Crusader offense couldn't get anything going for one of the few times in the first half, so Ricker was forced to punt to the Ram 40. Rombach passed for 26 yards to Matt Groff and now CD was threatening. But the McDevitt defense came through once again. First a blitzing Tucker forced Rombach into an incompletion. Then, after 2 more incompletions, McGovern stopped Manning short of a first down on 4th-and-10 and McDevitt took a 28-7 lead into the locker room.
The second half began with the 2 teams trading punts before the Crusaders took over at the McDevitt 38. After an incomplete pass and a 3 yard McCoy run, Ricker fired a bullet to Brandon Brown on a slant pattern. Brown gathered it in and raced to the CD 25 for a 34 yard gain. The drive stalled when, on 4th down, Aaron Berry couldn't handle Ricker's pass on a wide receiver screen. Taking over at the CD 23, the Rams attempted 9 straight passes. Rombach connected on 7 of them, moving the ball to the McDevitt 3. When Manning finished the impressive 77 yard drive with a 3 yard scoring run, Central Dauphin had narrowed McDevitt's lead to 28-14 with 3:39 left in the 3rd quarter. Goldston then had a fine kickoff return, almost breaking it for a score before being tackled at the CD 45. The Crusaders moved to the Ram 27 on the strength of 3 nifty McCoy runs before a holding penalty pushed McDevitt back to the 36. When Goldston couldn't grab Ricker's pass at the CD 10 on 3rd down, Ricker was forced to punt and landed a beauty at the CD 7 yard line. Aided by a McDevitt facemask penalty and 2 Manning runs, the Rams moved to the 34. On the final play of the quarter, Rombach retreated to pass but moved up in the pocket to avoid the McDevitt pass rush. He was grabbed around the ankles, but managed to throw the ball downfield as he was falling to his knees. The pass found Manning all alone at the McDevitt 35 and no one touched him on the way to a 66 yard touchdown that made the score 28-21.Excitement was in the air as the memorable 4th quarter started. Goldston returned the CD kickoff to the Crusader 25. On the first play, McCoy broke off a 40 yard run, twisting and turning to the Ram 35. After losing 1 yard on his next carry, Shady totaled 11 yards on 2 tough inside carries for a first down to the 24 as the Crusaders were having success gaining yards and keeping the clock rolling. Running the ball between the tackles, McDevitt used 3 more McCoy carries to power to another first down at the 11. Oliver gave McCoy a rest by picking up 2 yards. On the next play, Ricker tried to cross up the Rams by passing to the right corner of the end zone, but the pass was intercepted. Momentum had definitely moved over to the Central Dauphin sideline as the Ram crowd roared in anticipation. CD got a quick first down on a 10 yard pass to Manning, but the Crusader defense was ready to rise up again. McGovern came flying off the corner and sacked Rombach for a 6 yard loss, then Rombach was forced into 2 incompletions. The Rams punted to the 40, and then McCoy lost a yard. On the next play McCoy started to his right, made a quick cut at the line of scrimmage and then roared into the clear. The race to the end zone was no contest and McCoy had tallied his 5th touchdown with 5:36 left in the game. What followed turned out to be an important play in the game. The snap for the extra point was high, so Vince Comasco again rolled to his right. This time he stopped and fired a pass to David Dunn, who had drifted out into the flat. Dunn tumbled into the end zone clutching the ball and the Crusaders had a successful 2 point conversion and a seemingly insurmountable 36-21 lead. But Brandon Manning had other ideas. After CD returned the kickoff to the Ram 43, Manning made an incredible, game-changing play. He took an inside
handoff on a counter play and fired through the tiring McDevitt defense. Breaking into the clear at the Crusader 35, Manning appeared hemmed in by 4 McDevitt defenders at the 20. Somehow he reversed his field and avoided 2 tackles to finish the 57 yard scoring play only 19 seconds after McCoy's touchdown. With only a 7 point lead, McDevitt expected an onside kick. Instead CD popped up a short kick and Oliver cleverly called for a fair catch at the Crusader 28. Looking to run out the clock, McDevitt turned to McCoy to finish things off. After 2 runs ended with a 3rd-and-1 at the 38, McCoy broke an off tackle play for an 8 yard game and a first down. At the end of the play, however, McCoy was stripped of the ball and the Rams recovered at the McDevitt 46. Then facing 3rd- and-7 at the 43, Rombach was pressured by Sullivan and fumbled the ball. Rombach somehow recovered the ball and threw a wobbly pass to Manning, who advanced to the McDevitt 23 as the clock moved under 3 minutes. With the entire crowd now standing, Rombach rolled to his right as Groff slipped into the left flat. Rombach connected with Groff at the 15 and Groff dived over 2 McDevitt tacklers into the end zone to make the score 36-34 with 2:43 left in regulation. The Rams decided to go for the two point conversion to tie the score, but CD called a timeout after breaking the huddle and seeing the McDevitt defensive alignment. McDevitt Defensive Coordinator Pat Berry trotted out for final instructions to his exhausted troops as the crowd squirmed in anticipation. CD broke the huddle and came out with Manning in a one back set, one receiver wide left and 2 wide right. At the snap Rombach faked a handoff to Manning and half-rolled right. He then targeted Manning, who had slipped out in the right flat, but Aaron Berry came streaking across the end zone and tipped the ball to the turf as the McDevitt crowd exploded in joy and relief. The inevitable onside kick followed, but Jon Butler pounced on it at the Ram 48. McCoy, clutching the ball with both hands, ran for 7 yards and CD called a time out. The next McCoy run also gained 7 yards and a clinching first down, and Central Dauphin called its last time out with 1:04 remaining. After Ricker ran a nervous keeper for a yard, the Rams were helpless to stop the clock. As time expired, the field was flooded with gleeful McDevitt students celebrating the Crusader's payback victory.McDevitt will play for its first District 3/6 Class AAAA championship next Saturday. The game to be played at Hersheypark Stadium is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM.
QUOTES
Head Coach Jeff Weachter
We knew Central Dauphin wouldn't quit and we talked about that at halftime. They did a nice adjustment with their defense to take away our counter trey, so we came back to the isolation, which is fine with us. A couple of times in the second half Shady was so close to popping a big one, or we'd get a holding call, or we'd drop a pass. We had Kevin twice for sacks and he'd get the ball off for big plays. It was just a great high school football game by two teams that have a lot of fight in them. After the game Jordan Manning wished me luck and said he wants us to win the District. He said, "I'm not going to lie, I'm really down." I said to him, "Hey, now you know how we felt here 2 years ago". He's a great kid. On Shady's touchdown pass, we had a hitch-and go, because they were squatting on our hitches, to Aaron. They got quick pressure up the middle, and Jeremy did a great job of coming off the tackle. He found Shady and then Shady did a great job to score. On the screen where we were called for the penalty, we saw that they were blitzing and playing man so we went with the screen and Jeremy did a great job of sucking them in and just flipped it to Shady. It's a shame that we had the penalty but we scored anyway. We have to regroup for next week; we're a little banged up. By the end of the game I was worried. If they would have gotten that 2 point conversion we would have had to throw the ball and our top 2 receivers were down with cramps. We have an extra day to get healthy. As long as we're healthy we'll be OK.
Assistant Coach Dave Weachter
It's one of those games where if it was the other way around that we wouldn't quit so we told our kids at halftime that we couldn't quit. And in the second half, well every time we'd go up by 14 points they'd end up scoring in one play. A lot of people talk about how good Shady is, obviously, but I'll tell you what: Jordan Manning is a great, great high school football player. He just makes plays out there; he's a great football player. Last time against Carlisle, they ran the ball well against us and we didn't run the ball well against them. Right now, I'm just thinking that I get to watch Carlisle on film again.
CB/WR Aaron Berry
On the 2 point conversion, CD tried to fake to Manning, and then throw to him in the flat. I saw it coming and just disrupted it. That was the smartest thing that they could do, get the ball to Manning. He was making plays all day for them. CD is a real good team. I'm sorry for them that they had to lose. And Shady? He kept us in the game. You have to block downfield when he's running. You have to do everything to get the win. I didn't get to play against Carlisle last time so I'm looking forward to it.
DE David Dunn
All game long we tried to rush Rombach, tried to keep the pressure on and keep him from getting to the outside, that's about it. On the 2 point conversion, well, it was a bad snap, Vince called "Fire", and I ran for the corner of the end zone. I saw the ball coming for me and I just prayed to God that I'd catch that ball! Next week we have to come out and play hard from the beginning. We came out and beat CD when we played them again and we can do that against Carlisle next week.
S Vince Comasco
The snap on the field goal attempt, well, it just never made it back. It was a bad snap and it just rolled back. I yelled "Fire" because that's our call and I just saw the opening on the outside and just headed for it. I thought that I was going to get in but I came up a little bit short. On the 2 point conversion, well, the second one was different because the snap wasn't low; it was high, above my head. So I called "Fire" on it and Dunn heard me call it. We'd talked about it after the previous play, the field goal attempt, and talked about what to do if it happened again. He hung on to the ball, he made a great catch. I've known Dunn since I was about 4 so I trusted him. Central Dauphin is a tough team. You have to give it to them; they never give up. But we played hard until the end, too. On CD's 2 point conversion play, that was a good play by Aaron. Aaron called it out and he just came up and made a good play. I think that if we want to win the Carlisle game that we have to stop Marshall. Last game he rolled up something like 300 yards on us so we're going to have to stop him and force them to pass.
QB Jeremy Ricker
At the end we were just trying to hold onto the lead. The plan was to just let Shady hold onto the ball and we'd run the clock out. We had a couple of letups on defense but the team came together to win the game. On the pass to Shady, we had a protection breakdown. I was just trying to get away from the guy and when I rolled out I saw that Shady was open. He was wide open so when he caught the ball, well, he did the rest. I keep looking downfield because we work on that; pocket presence. We can't wait to play Carlisle.
TB LeSean McCoy
I'm a little tired, a little sore but it all worked out for the win. I'm going to sleep well tonight! On that last drive I was thinking about it differently than on the other carries. I knew that on the series before that I had fumbled the ball. It was just a situation where I had to come out and repay my teammates and hold onto the ball. I held on tight. On the touchdown pass, I thought that he was going to get sacked so I stopped moving my feet. Then Jeremy broke out and he threw it. It just worked out. I had some good blocks downfield and I just used my vision and got the score. Carlisle? They're on the payback list. We had CD on the list and now we have Carlisle. The thing about that first game, we overlooked them, but now we have to come out and get up early against them.
T Tucker Baumbach
We came out so hard tonight because we knew that we couldn't lose to that team twice. We couldn't lose 2 times to Central Dauphin so we came out hard, we came out low and we came with our "A" game. We had a definite different mental approach tonight because we had heard that they were saying stuff about our team. Also, just seeing the way they reacted on the field when they scored, well, we couldn't go through that again. We had to beat them. I did get a little nervous near the end but I had faith and we prevailed. On that last possession I knew we could do it. I knew the line could pick it up; we knew that 2 first downs and we had it. We gave it everything we had for 2 first downs. Carlisle is going to be a hard game, a tough game. Our run defense is really going to step it up a lot. But if we stop Marshall and our offense plays the way we did tonight we'll beat them.