December 3- The Bishop McDevitt Crusaders’ quest for the 2005 PIAA Class AAAA Championship came to a sudden halt today at Altoona ’s Mansion Park , courtesy of the tough and disciplined McKeesport Tigers. The District 7 champs controlled the football and kept McDevitt’s high-powered offense off the field for most of the game, despite the gallant effort of the Crusader defense. In the end, the Tigers held on for a 14-13 victory in the AAAA Western Championship game and a trip to next week’s State Championship game against Bethlehem Liberty. McDevitt’s season ends with a sparkling 13-1 record and a second consecutive District3/6 Class AAAA crown, but there was a definite air of disappointment after the game among players, coaches and fans. After surviving a wild opening against State College before a statewide television audience; the loss of two key starters (Matt Dietz and Teron Strawbridge) and one living legend (LeSean McCoy) to injuries early in the season; the letdown of having a nationally-televised game against Berwick rained out; and after playing through a tough schedule, ridiculously high expectations and blistering criticism throughout the year there was a feeling that the team, which Coach Jeff Weachter had navigated to an undefeated season, deserved a better ending. But, unlike the ludicrous BCS system, championships are earned on the field in Pennsylvania high school football. McKeesport made the plays when it counted and they, not the Crusaders, will travel to Hershey next Saturday night, bringing along a powerful option offense and a rugged, stingy defense.

The McDevitt defense, led by defensive end Sebastian Sullivan, tackles Jason Kates and David Dunn, and linebackers Leon Black, Pat Berry and Keith Davis, managed to limit the Tigers to 14 points, about 25 points below their average. But McKeesport enjoyed a whopping advantage in rushing yardage (326-26), time of possession (33:54-14:06) and total plays (71-39). On one first-half possession alone the Tigers ran 17 plays! While they didn’t score on that drive, it wore down the McDevitt defense and kept the Crusader offense on the sidelines. When McDevitt was able to gain possession the passing attack met with some success, especially in the first half. Quarterback Jeremy Ricker (12-26, 179 yards, 2 TD’s, 2 int.) found Aaron Berry (7 catches, 146 yards, 2 TD’s) for 2 long scores and McDevitt actually enjoyed a 13-7 lead for most of the game. But the Crusader rushing attack was totally ineffective (26 yards) and was quickly abandoned. In the second half McDevitt had 4 possessions and ran only 26 plays as the defense struggled to control the McKeesport option.

McDevitt’s Mike Jones took the opening kickoff and gave the Crusaders good field position with a 36 yard return to the McD 42. After 3 plays, however, McDevitt was punting from the 39 and an uneasy feeling swept the visitor’s bleachers. That feeling was compounded 2 plays later when Tiger quarterback Dan Kopolovich took a midline option 76 yards for the game’s first score and a 7-0 McKeesport lead with just 1:54 played. McDevitt had been wiped out by Pittsburgh Central Catholic in last year’s AAAA Western Championship, 44-0, and that game had started with a similar Crusader collapse. But this year’s edition was not going to let that happen. After Matt Vargo returned the ensuing kickoff 13 yards to the McD 39, the offense went to work. Jones ran for 1 and then Ricker hit sophomore Julian Harrell with a 9 yarder, good for the initial Crusader first down. Jones followed with a 5 yard burst up the middle into Tiger territory and then Ricker and Berry hooked up for a 10 yard gain, to the McK 36. Even though the drive stalled and ended with a Ricker punt to the McK 17, McDevitt had shown the ability to move the ball and had brought McKeesport ’s defensive backs up in close coverage to stop the short throws. The Tigers then launched an 11 play, 54 yard drive that used up most of the quarter, mixing keepers by Kopolovich with the hard running of tailback Travis McBride and fullback Anthony Leonard. Kopolovich was stopped by Sullivan for no gain on 3^rd-and 2 at the McD 30 and McKeesport Coach George Smith decided to go for the first down. But Leonard could only manage a yard on the fullback keeper, smacking into Black and Kates, and the Crusaders took over on the 29. On the first play Ricker launched a pass down the right sideline to Berry , who blew past the cornerback’s tight man-to-man coverage. Berry gathered in the accurate missile at midfield and then danced between two Tiger defenders, causing them to collide. The speedy senior finished off the 71 yard touchdown play and, after Mike Comasco’s PAT, the score was tied with 18 ticks left on the first quarter clock. The aroused McDevitt defense then held the Tigers to a 3-and-out and the Crusaders were back in business at the McD 40 following a punt. Dave Onorato was held to no gain before Ricker found Berry for a 14 yard pass play. After a roughing-the-passer penalty was tacked on McDevitt had advanced to the McK 31. Ricker then dropped back and lofted a perfect spiral down the right sideline. Berry had beaten his coverage by 3 yards and gathered in Ricker’s toss to complete the 31 yard scoring play. On the extra point, however, Mike Comasco’s attempt went wide right, leaving the Crusaders with a 13-7 advantage with 10:30 left in the half. A block-in-the-back penalty against McKeesport on the following kickoff pinned the Tigers on the McK 11, and the McDevitt defense had them back on the 10 three plays later. When a short punt only traveled to the McK 39 it looked like the Crusaders were poised to cushion their lead. But every football game has moments that, in retrospect, are crucial to the ultimate outcome, and one of those moments had arrived. On the first play after the punt Ricker threw a long fade to Brandon Brown, who appeared to be open down the left sideline near the end zone. But the pass was an unusually (for Ricker) wobbly one and seemed to hang up in the brisk December air. The pass was eventually intercepted in the end zone and returned to the McD 13 and McKeesport had dodged a bullet and regained momentum. From there the Tigers began their 17 play, 72 yard campaign that established the dominance of the McKeesport offense. After reaching the McD 19 on 10 running plays, Kopolovich was dropped for a yard loss by the charging Davis . The Tigers tried a rare pass on the next play but it fell incomplete. Then, following a McKeesport motion penalty, Kopolovich was sacked by Brian Weisser and Chris Henderson for a 4 yard loss, back to the 29. The slippery Tiger QB did manage a 15 yard gain on 4^th down, but it wasn’t enough to move the chains so the Crusaders took over at the McD 14. McDevitt couldn’t move the ball and McKeesport called time out in anticipation of good field possession, but Ricker foiled that plan with a booming 52 yard punt, to the McK 32. The half ended 2 plays later.

The Tigers began the second half with a fine kick return to the McD 45 and used 3 Kopolovich runs to net 12 yards and a first down. Then the McDevitt defense stiffened, forcing an incompletion and registering another sack, this time by Black and Davis. McKeesport punted to the McD 11 and the Crusaders took over. On the first play Jones followed fullback Dave Seiple for 13 yards on a counter (the kind of play that Shady…oh, never mind) and a first down at the 24. It was McDevitt’s longest run of the game. The drive fizzled and Ricker punted to the McK 31. The Tigers then fired up another clock-munching possession, plowing 34 yards in 10 plays and converting two crucial 3^rd down plays. Eventually the Tigers faced a 4^th and 3 at the McD 37. McBride tried to sweep right end but Davis and Vargo were waiting for him and limited the gain to two yards. Now it was time for another one of those game-changing moments. On the first play following the changeover, Ricker fired a deep pass down the middle of the field. Berry had again beaten his coverage and raced to catch up to the ball as the crowd rose in anticipation. The ball arrived over Berry ’s head at the McK 35 and he reached to make the catch, but the pigskin trickled past Berry ’s outstretched fingertips and tumbled to the turf. The relieved McKeesport defense soon forced another Crusader punt and the Tigers began what would be the game-winning drive at the McK 37. McBride ran for 10 yards and a facemask penalty tacked on another 5. Leonard plunged for 9 and then 5 more, with another 5 yard facemask penalty spotting the ball on the McD 30 as the quarter ended.         

McBride started the fourth quarter with a sweep that lost 3 yards due to a fine play by Eric McGovern. Leonard fought for 4 yards before Kopolovich kept for 6. Now facing a fourth-and-3 at the McD 23, Kopolovich dropped to pass and looked to his right, then turned to his left and fired the ball into the end zone for McBride, who was tightly covered by Vargo. McBride managed to “separate” from Vargo and made a fine catch to tie the score, with (:50 remaining in the game. Tyler Dillinger then shot a bullet through the uprights that pushed the Tigers to a 14-13 lead. McKeesport ’s squib kick was recovered at the McD 29 and Ricker began by targeting Harrell for a 14 yard gain. Two plays later, facing a 3^rd-and-6 at the McD 47, Ricker was sacked by the blitzing Leonard and the Crusader’s chances began to fade. Ricker’s punt to the McK 16 was returned to the 30, but this time the Tigers could only manage one first down before inspired line play by Sullivan and Weisser forced the last McKeesport punt. The Tigers punted to the McD 17 and McDevitt began the year’s last drive. It started with an incompletion, followed by a 3 yard Ricker-to-Harrell hookup. Ricker then converted the vital third down by finding Berry for a 16 yard gain, to the McD 36. Jones fought for 6 tough yards, and then McDevitt gained another first down, this time on a 5 yard completion to Harrell. With the clock wasting away and the hopeful McDevitt crowd on its feet, the next three plays resulted in incompletions as the McKeesport defense strengthened their pass rush. Finally, on 4^th and 10 from the McD 47, Ricker dropped to pass but was soon rolling to his left to avoid the rush. He spotted Berry alone at the McK 40 but had to rush his throw. The ball sailed well over Berry ’s head into the waiting arms of McBride, who returned it to the line of scrimmage. McDevitt burned its last two time outs as Kopolovich scampered around Mansion Park Stadium on four successive runs, gaining 3 first downs in the process. Finally, Kopolovich took a knee at the McD 11 and the Crusaders’ season was over.

It may be noted that scant mention was made of Mike Comasco’s missed extra point. Indeed, McDevitt did lose by a single point, but the Crusaders enjoyed opportunities to cover that mistake. So, should the blame be laid at the feet of Ricker’s interceptions, then, or Aaron Berry’s near-miss?  The whole defense? Of course not! Sure, an inch here or an inch there and McDevitt would have been able to score again and maybe win the game, but McKeesport had plays that would have changed the game, too, but for a couple of inches. When the game was on the line the Tigers came up with the big run, the big catch, the big sack, the big interception. To blame the loss on one play disrespects the tenacity of a worthy opponent and certainly misrepresents the efforts of a team that gave thousands of fans hours of pure enjoyment and years of lasting memories. McDevitt would not have been in Altoona if not for the clutch kicking (not to mention the pass receptions, defense, kick returns, blocking, etc..) of Mike Comasco, a kid who’s first field goal will always be remembered in Berwick. And who could forget the leadership of Ricker after the McCoy injury in those dark moments against Harrisburg , not to mention the 30 touchdown passes? And, of course Berry was uncoverable all year (2^nd in the state in reception yardage) and no one threw to his side, EVER. The defense came together with huge efforts after the Harrisburg game to give the offense time to adjust to life after Shady. And how many goal line stands DID they have? No, despite the ever-present critics of McDevitt football, this was not a game to look for blame. It was a disappointing loss against a team that did what it had to do to win. And it was the last game in a magical 2005 season for a splendid group of players and coaches. Thank you, guys, for a great ride.

QUOTES

Head Coach Jeff Weachter

Our defense gave a great effort but give McKeesport credit; they made the plays when they had to. We just couldn’t get into rhythm on offense, especially in the second half. Losing Kates in the third quarter hurt us. We had some protection schemes that didn’t work and we couldn’t get Jeremy time to throw. We had our opportunities but they turned into near-misses. When they ball control like that it’s tough on the sidelines. We did it to a lot of other teams this year and they did it to us. Give them credit, though. That’s a tough offense to stop. They did a good job against our run game by keeping their linebackers free, but we did do some things in the passing game. We thought that we’d come out in the second half and run a little better but we didn’t take advantage of some things. On the touchdown I honestly didn’t see the catch so I don’t know if there was a push-off (responding to a reporter’s question), but we can’t use that as an excuse for losing. It’s a difficult loss because they’re great kids and we’ve come a long way with this group, especially after losing Shady and so many people saying that we’d crumble. And the kids just kept coming back. I’m so proud of them that it’s going to be tough to say goodbye to them.

Assistant Coach Dave Weachter

We had a lot of chances, a lot of near-misses. When you have that stuff, like the one to Aaron or the one to Brandon , well, that’s the way it works out sometimes. What makes it tough about their offense is our practice squad. It’s tough for them to mimic what McKeesport does. Believe it or not, I don’t know how many yards they gave up but I think our defense played well. I’m sure their offense didn’t expect to be held to 14 points. In the first half we were thinking, “One more touchdown will do it.” And it would have. When we got the ball at the 37 and Brandon was open I think the ball just got held up in the air, and that’s the frustrating thing. It’s so tough because of what these kids have gone through this year, with Shady and Matt Dietz and Teron Strawbridge, and they pulled through so well. I remember Rod Frisco’s preview, where he said that if we lost McCoy it would be “catastrophic”. Well, I don’t think the Western Finals is catastrophic.

S Eric McGovern

It was a great game by both teams. They just made one more play than us. That’s about all I can say about it. We knew what they were going to run and we stopped some of it for the most part, so it was a great effort and it’s a shame that it has to end this way. I’m not upset. I’m proud of the way we played and the only way we can go out is with our head up high. Our class will always be remembered for this.

LB Pat Berry

It was a good game but things just didn’t turn out our way. That’s the way the ball bounces, I guess. I can’t figure it out. We stopped them a lot but they still got a lot of first downs. You don’t really expect it to come down to one point. I love all of these guys. I can’t believe this season is over and I can’t wait until next year. We have to keep our heads up and wait for the next big game.

OT Tucker Baumbach

It’s hard to say what happened today. We tried our best but, you know, it’s weird because it seems that our best was just not good enough today. We gave it everything we had but it’s hard, especially because it was only one point. All I can say is I know every guy on the team gave it everything they had. That’s all we had.

WR/DB Aaron Berry

Well we sure played hard. They came out on us early but we got our composure and fought back hard. We just came up one point short. Sure I got open but their pressure on Jeremy hurt us a lot. If he’s getting that kind of pressure he can’t get me the ball. I can’t explain my feeling for these guys, the way they play and practice hard every day. It’s just unbelievable.  

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