The Vikings celebrate the win . . .

TITLE GAME BOXSCORE . . .

SELECTED PICTURES . . .

Brandon Peoples slips away from ankle tackle en route to 30-yard TD.

Coach Steve Devlin greets Desmon Peoples after 54-yard TD.

Great support from the fans . . .

Brandon Arcidiacono, B & D Peoples.

Nate Smith and his Superman undershirt.

Coach Steve Devlin gets a hug . . .

WEBSITE REPORT . . .

DEC. 16
CLASS AAA FINAL
Wood 52, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt 0
(At HersheyPark Stadium)
  That's more like it . . . After experiencing late-season, state-playoff heartache in 2008, 2009 and 2010, Wood had noooooo trouble claiming the ultimate prize. This would take all kinds of research, of course, and who knows how much said info would even be available online, but how often do you think football teams across America have stormed to state championships while ringing up a 122-14 scoring advantage in the final two rounds? (Lest we forget, last week's score vs. Allentown Central Catholic was 70-14.) Simply amazing! Though HBM has produced Ricky Watters and Shady McCoy, it's uncertain either one of those guys, even both, would have enjoyed happy moments tonight. After all, successful running takes blocking and Wood's defense was its ever-dominant self. Knowing it would be fruitless, the Crusaders barely bothered running the ball. They did ring up a decent amount of passing yardage, but only the final completion netted more than 20 yards and jr. QB Alec Werner was picked off three times. Also, again and again he was absolutely hammered while, or just after, releasing the ball. The kid showed a lot of heart. HBM received the opening kickoff and managed one first down before the Vikings forced a punt. Just three plays were necessary for the first scoring drive. On first down, sr. RB Desmon Peoples was rocked for no gain and a gigantic roar went up from the HBM side. So much for that early feeling of hope. Desmon followed with a 17-point run, then first cousin Brandon Peoples, the sr. FB, went straight up the middle for a 30-yard score (while stepping out of an ankle tackle just inside the 25). The PAT by jr. K Nick Visco thumped high against the scoreboard. HBM then slapped together a nice drive and a defensive holding call placed the ball at the 23. A left-corner fade was attempted and we're guessing the intended receiver was NOT D. Peoples. He picked it off in the end zone (though he lost the handle on a rushing play six plays later). One three-and-out later, Desmon immediately scampered for a 54-yard score with help from a great block by Brandon. Desmon made another interception on the first play of the second quarter and a tacked-on personal foul placed the ball at HBM's 35. Perish the thought, but this scoring drive actually required seven plays before Desmon circled left end from the 1. The Vikings added two more scores before halftime on a 19-yard post from sr. QB Joey Monaghan to sr. WR Nate Smith and Visco's 41-yard field goal. With the score at 31-0, the Crusaders finally mounted a sustained drive thanks to some crisp passing. In the waning moments, an interference call moved the ball from the 22 to the 11 and it was hard not to think the hopes of posting a shutout would soon disappear. Werner threw over the middle to sr. WR Brian Lemelle and, pow!, there was a sound that was probably heard back in Harrisburg. Smith leveled Lemelle, who did hold on, and the ball was at the 4. HBM was out of timeouts, though, and a bad exchange from center prevented a spike at what would have been 0:02 or even 0:01. That ended the half. Second half? Wood actually experienced three-and-outs on its first two series and I had just had to quickly ask sr. P Kevin Sullivan, "How often has THAT happened this year, especially with the first team offense on the field?" His response: six times total, but just three times with the first-teamers, as best as he could remember. By the way, the punts covered 43 and 44 yards. Soon, jr. LB Andrew Guckin was picking off a pass and dashing for a 75-yard score and, a three-and-out later, Brandon was turning a simple dive into a 67-yard TD. As the fourth quarter began, Smith made a fair catch of a punt at HBM's 35 and Devlin opted for an offensive unit including a mixture of starters and subs. Though sr. backup Ryan McMullin got four carries and frosh Jake Cooper got one, it was Brandon who scored on a 6-yard run. Admittedly, it doesn't look good when a starter scores a TD that puts your squad over 50 points, but I sensed nothing sinister. Perhaps coach Steve Devlin was aware that Brandon entered the night with a chance to join Desmon in the 1,000-Yard Club. The 19 yards he bagged on those four, last-drive carries lifted his total to 1,013. That last TD came with 5:32 remaining and for the rest of the game, the starters happily interacted with each other as well as the fans. There were some great scenes and many were captured in the philly.com story, which hopefully will appear in Monday's paper, and/or with the somewhat trusty camera. With a sack among them, Guckin made seven tackles. Smith added four. Sr. DE Colin Thompson and sr. DL Brandon Arcidiacono recorded TFLs while B. Peoples and McMullin combined for a sack. As noted on the finalized version of the TEAM PAGE, Monaghan set a city record for highest completion percentage in one season (minimum 100 attempts), going 82-for-109 (75.2). The previous record was 63.1 by O'Hara's Colin Smith in 2001. Also, he finished his career 193-for-304 (63.5) for 3,393 yards and 42 TDs. D. Peoples (1 year at SJ Prep, 2 at Wood) rushed for 3,638 career yards and 55 TDs, and finished with 63 total TDs for 378 points (no conversions). Smith (3 years at Washington, 1 at Wood) made 73 career receptions for 1,486 yards and 24 TDs. Visco, though just a junior, broke city career records for PAT (192) and kicking points (237), and fell just short of the city season records for PAT (89) and kicking points (94), with 86 and 92. Sr. Kyle Adkins made 40 career catches for 772 yards and 11 TDs.  Wood's 699 points rank No. 2 in city history to West Catholic's 775 in 2008. Respective averages: 48.4 and 46.4. West played 16 games. The CL now owns state titles in all three of the classifications in which it competes, thanks also to La Salle's AAAA crown in '09 and West Catholic's AA success in '10. Because of this team's size, speed and depth, along with the presence of six D-I seniors and a couple more guys (Monaghan, Adkins) being eyed by I-AAs, it's impossible not to think it deserves a spot among the very best in city history. One problem: We can't even be sure it's the best among CL squads this season. La Salle was also very good, of course, even though it fell to North Penn in a AAAA state semi. Wood and La Salle had three common opponents -- West Catholic, Bonner and SJ Prep. Wood beat the Burrs, 28-0, and La Salle triumphed, 24-0. Wood played twice against Bonner, rolling by scores of 49-6 and 42-14. La Salle won, 41-22. Against the Prep, Wood cruised, 42-7, while La Salle carved out a 28-17 triumph. The comparative-score theory would indicate, what, a semi-comfortable win for Wood? But we just don't know and that's the problem. I still go back to Week Six, when Wood played Mastery Charter (a first-year program) and La Salle played Neumann-Goretti. It would have been SO easy to switch opponents, and then we would have KNOWN . . . Over time, this team's legacy will -- to some degree, just or unjust -- be shaped by how its top players fare in college ball. Finally, I had a great time covering this team and thanks to all for their time. Best of luck going forward!