Perennial power stands in way of Gateway capturing its title
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gateway enters the PIAA Class 5A championship in a role it’s unaccustomed to — a slight underdog. At least, that’s what the teams’ recent history would suggest.
The Gators face Archbishop Wood, which has won three of the past four PIAA championships, at 7 p.m. Friday at Hersheypark Stadium. The Vikings’ resume includes a 37-10 shellacking of Harrisburg in the final last year. Gateway is making its first appearance in a PIAA championship game since they began in 1988.
But Gateway coach Don Holl, in his second year at the helm, isn’t worried about who’s favored on paper.
“I guess, if we’re really looking at them being ranked first all year and being defending champs and as successful as they’ve been over the past few years, I’m not sure how you pick against them, until somebody beats them in 5A,” Holl said. “They’ve got to be the favorite. With that being said, we’re excited for the challenge. We’re excited for the opportunity to play. When you get to this point, if you want to be the best in Pennsylvania, you’ve got to beat the best in Pennsylvania.”
Archbishop Wood has outscored teams, 126-48, throughout the playoffs. Its rushing attack is led by senior running back Nasir Peoples (6-1, 190), who has tallied 1,571 yards and 26 touchdowns on 207 carries. Junior quarterback Jack Colyar (6-2, 200) has thrown for 1,152 yards and five touchdowns, adding 10 rushing touchdowns.
The Vikings offense is on a roll, scoring 35 points or more in each of their past four wins.
Led by defensive linemen senior Canaan Cleveland (6-0, 200) and junior Tomi Woodson (6-3, 240), Gateway will try to slow Archbishop Wood down.
“I think our defense is always important and probably does a little more than people notice, to be quite honest,” Holl said, noting middle linebacker Jordan Stancovich’s disruptiveness and Jeremiah Josephs’ leadership in the secondary. “We’ve had some really great defensive efforts in some critical games, holding teams like McKeesport, Penn-Trafford and even Manheim Central well below what they normally score.”
On the other side of the ball, it’s hard to imagine Gateway as an underdog when the No. 3 leading passer in WPIAL history is under center.
Brady Walker (6-1, 170) has passed for 4,396 yards and 43 touchdowns this season.
Walker’s not afraid to run, either, tallying 745 yards on the ground and averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Those 4,396 yards broke a WPIAL record for single-season passing yards, previously held by Ben DiNucci.
His main target, junior receiver Courtney Jackson (5-11, 160), has 1,903 receiving yards and averages 20.2 yards per catch.
As evidenced by their dominating stat lines, a Walker-to-Jackson pass has become the Gators’ bread and butter. How could it not?
Holl will look to the reliable duo, who combined for two touchdown strikes of 60-plus yards in Gateway’s 31-28 win against Manheim Central in the semifinals, to carry their rhythm into the championship.
“Really, our best approach is always going to be to do what we do as well as we can do it.
“And that doesn’t mean that we overlook the way the other team lines up or talented players on their team, or adjustments we might have to make, or whatever. But what we do have to do is execute the things that we do as well as we can do them,” Holl said. “And that’s our best chance to win.”