Philadelphia High School Football, State Playoff Recaps 2016

Philadelphia High School Football
State Playoff Recaps, 2016

CLASS AAAAAA
QUARTERFINAL
At Northeast
SJ Prep 38, Parkland 17: The Hawks received four outstanding performances while rolling to victory. D'Andre Swift bagged 318 yards and two TDs on 18 carries (17.7 average), Marquez McCray passed 12-for-16 (75 percent) for 130 yards and two scores, Terrance Greene turned eight snags into 112 yards and two six-pointers, and Anthony Tigano nailed all five PAT while adding a field goal. Swift's performance, though barely short of Kyle Ambrogi's 2000 school record (322 in 2000), was the best by a District 12 rusher in a state quarter/semi/final. He eclipsed the 280-yard effort achieved the night before by Wood's Shawn Thompson in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal vs. Whitehall. The scrimmage yardage battle was rather one-sided, 505-171. Phil O'Connor paced the defense with eight tackles. He and Dejuan Dandridge made interceptions.
SEMIFINAL
At Northeast
SJ Prep 35, North Penn 25: D'Andre Swift's 21st carry of the night turned out to be quite the memory maker. A 12-yard gain enabled him to dislodge 2008 grad Jamir Livingston (3,996) from his spot atop the school's list of leading career rushers AND lift him past 4,000 yards to 4,003. In all, Swift carried 31 times for 268 yards (4,112 career) and four TDs and his fourth quarter was extra special (13-174-three). Marquez McCray passed 11-for-25 for 146 yards and Terrance Greene turned a kickoff return into an 81-yard TD. Richard Carr (two interceptions), Dejuan Dandridge (pick, fumble recovery) and Chris Lowndes (nine tackles, forced fumble) were the defensive headliners. With the Hawks nursing a 28-25 lead, a Lowndes force/Dandridge pounce combo gave them the ball at their own 24 with 2:48 remaining. In the waning moments, Swift dashed 58 yards to NP's 1 and scored on the next play. For NP, junior Kelly Macnamara, a girl, hammered a 28-yard field goal.
FINAL
At Hersheypark Stadium
SJ Prep 42, Pittsburgh Central Catholic 7: Eventually, yes, the Hawks rolled to an easy victory while claiming their third state championship in four years and becoming just the second team in Catholic League history to finish 14-0 (also La Salle in 1996). But through the first 18 minutes, the game was scoreless and the Prep owned just one gain of more than 10 yards. Following a fumble recovery by Phil O'Connor, Marquez McCray (12-for-22, 171) hit Terrance Greene for 36 yards. Two plays later, D'Andre Swift raced 34 yards to the end zone and thrust his chest forward as he crossed the goal line as if he were breaking the tape in an old-school, 100-yard dash. The next hero, right before halftime, was Darryle Simmons, who took a short pass on the sideline, broke a tackle at the 25 and zoomed downfield to complete a 35-yard score. The second half was flood-gates time and a trick play got things started as wideout Richard Carr hit Terrance Greene for a 20-yard tally. Another highlight was Greene's 93-yard TD on a kickoff return. Swift finished with 161 yards and three TDs on 27 carries while Greene (6-85) and Simmons (4-88) were the pass-catching wizards. James Johnson fueled the defense, logging two TFL among 13 tackles and forcing a fumble. Cooper Kim, Ryan Bryce and Paul Hess also made fumble recoveries.

CLASS AAAAA
QUARTERFINAL
At Northampton
Wood 56, Whitehall 13: The Vikings roared to three TDs in the first quarter and two -- 49-yard run by Shawn Thompson, 71-yard pass from Jack Colyar to Mark Webb -- were of the long variety. Overall, not much of a sweat was broken. Thompson (13-280, two) and Raheem "Speedy" Blackshear (15-137, three) combined for five rushing tallies. Thompson's effort was No. 1 by a District 12 performer in the final three rounds of state playoffs; alas, the mark was surpassed the next day by SJ Prep's D'Andre Swift (318 vs. Parkland in a AAAAAA quarterfinal). Blackshear also contributed an interception. The mercy rule took effect with a shade under six minutes remaining in the third quarter, at 42-7.
SEMIFINAL
At Plymouth-Whitemarsh
Wood 37, Academy Park 0: The Vikings rolled to a 31-0 lead in the first half and forced the mercy rule into effect just 3:22 in the third quarter. While posting the CL's second-ever shutout in the final three rounds of state playoffs -- they beat Harrisburg McDevitt, 52-0, in the 2011 AAA final -- the Vikings allowed AP to advance no closer to the end zone than their 32 yard line. And that was against the second unit. Raheem "Speedy" Blackshear ran 20 times for 178 yards and two TDs while Jack Colyar passed 7-for-13 for 111 yards and a score to Kyle Pitts (4-67; fumble recovery at DE).
FINAL
At Hersheypark Stadium
Wood 37, Harrisburg 10: For this one, Raheem "Speedy" Blackshear should have added nicknames such as "Brassy" and "Gritty" while carrying the ball 35 times -- often on rugged runs between the tackles -- for 243 yards and three touchdowns, thus giving the Vikings their third state title in four years and fourth in six. He added 74 yards on two returns and a 51-yarder off a punt placed the ball at the 10 midway through the third quarter. Blackshear promptly ran untouched up the middle for a 10-yard score, providing a 23-10 lead. Shawn Thompson also ran well, turning 19 carries into 133 yards and one TD. Kyle Pitts tallied the first TD on a 10-yard pass from Jack Colyar while Dan Zanine hit four PAT and a 26-yard field goal. Harrisburg's only TD, a 71-yard pass, came on the second play of the game. Matt Palmer made nine tackles while Nasir Peoples, Adrian Lambert and Tyler Smith thirded 24. Smith added a sack and a forced fumble/recovery combo. Star wideout Mark Webb, though held snagless, soared for an interception and recorded four pass deflections. Wood finished the season with 11 consecutive wins and coach Steve Devlin lifted his career record to 100 games above .500 -- 120-20-1.

CLASS AAA
DISTRICT 12/1 SUBREGIONALS
SEMIFINAL
At South Philly Super Site
Conwell-Egan 42, KIPP DuBois 18: After missing the Eagles' previous game due to an ejection in the one before that, Kyree Bronson exploded for six TDs -- the most by a Catholic League player in a postseason game (any variety). He scored four on rushes (13-96) and one apiece on a kickoff return (83 yards) and reception (27). C-E used three kickers to collect six PAT -- Jack Barreras (four), Luke Jackson and William Kim (one apiece).
DISTRICT 12/1 SUBREGIONALS
FINAL
At Northwest Super Site
Del-Val 26, Conwell-Egan 14: These teams were meeting for the second time in three weeks and C-E, despite having to play without two of its top backs, had won the first clash. The Eagles rolled to a 14-0 lead in this one, then skidded off the rails. Patrick Garwo rushed 20 times for 70 yards and one TD and Kyree Bronson caught a scoring pass. For D-V, Charles Britt ran for two short TDs and passed for another.

CLASS AA
DISTRICT 12/1 SUBREGIONALS
FINAL
At South Philly Super Site
West Catholic 58, Valley Forge MA 7: The Burrs frolicked to 58 points in the first 20 minutes, then showed major compassion. Shortly before halftime, they twice took knees at VFMA's 21. The Cadets failed to cover the kickoff that started the third quarter and the ball wound up at the 18. West took knees on four consecutive plays. Supreme Kemp (6-39, three) and Calil Wortham (7-141, two) combined for five of the seven rushing TDs. Amadou Barry (4-97, one) was the top receiver.
FIRST ROUND
At Northern Lehigh, in Slatington
Schuylkill Haven 41, West Catholic 12: The Burrs were never the same after allowing SH to up its lead to 14-6 on a TD with 4.7 seconds remaining in the first half. Da'Vion Kidd-Jackson (7-for-17, 133) and Anthony Mirabile passed for one score apiece. Ahmad Kent (2-98, one) and Amadou Barry (4-66, one) did the snagging.