Archbishop Wood Takes Fourth-Straight Catholic League Crown

Archbishop Wood coach Steve Devlin has the best football team in the area. The Vikings have rolled over almost every area team they’ve faced this season, including devouring Monsignor Bonner, 42-14, Saturday night to claim their fourth-straight Philadelphia Catholic League Class AAA Division title, at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. 

The are now 10-1 overall and will play next week for their fourth-straight District 12 championship, against Dobbins Tech on Saturday at Northeast High School.

Devlin doesn’t need to find innovative ways to challenge his team each week. It’s been the big picture ahead that continues to stir Devlin and his team. It’s garnering a state championship this season.

Beating Bonner was the first major step in the process. But it’s what happened to the Vikings last year, a PIAA Class AAA state semifinal loss to eventual state champion Allentown Central Catholic, which motivates Wood this year. The Vikings don’t want to revisit the miserable feeling of losing a big game like that again.

“That game still haunts me, maybe haunt isn’t the word, but it’s something in the back of all of our minds,” said Wood senior tight end/defensive lineman Colin Thompson, who’s headed to Florida on a football scholarship. “I think it’s why we play the way we do, at 100-percent all of the time, full speed. We don’t want to go through that feeling of losing again.”

The Bonner game was essentially over by halftime. Wood went into intermission holding a 28-0 lead, despite two Viking turnovers.

Wood still scored on four of its six drives. The Vikings had outgained Bonner by 270 to 66 total yards, and had amassed 12 first downs to Bonner’s six. Wood needed just three plays to get out to a 7-0 start, the heavy lifting coming from a 39-yard touchdown run from Brandon Peoples.

After an interception, Wood rebounded again with another scoring drive. The Vikings needed eight plays to travel 69 yards, with Desmon Peoples plowing in from a yard out, forging a 14-0 Vikings’ lead. That edge was extended to 28-0 by halftime, after quarterback Joe Monaghan took a one-yard sneak in and Monaghan later connected with a 22-yard touchdown toss to Kyle Adkins.

Wood’s defense stymied the Bonner attack all night. The Friars crossed midfield just once in their five drives when the game was still competitive, beginning one series at the Wood 40 after recovering a fumble midway into the second quarter. But Wood wouldn’t budge. And Bonner wound up turning the ball right back to Wood, when Brandon Peoples stepped in front of a pass for an interception. Brandon’s interception set up the Monaghan score.

After the first two quarters, Brandon Peoples rushed for 93 yards on eight carries, while his cousin, Desmon, had 94 yards on nine carries. With five minutes left to play on a running clock, Devlin pulled all of his starters. They’ll have more chances to play a full game in the coming weeks.

“We play every game essentially like the Super Bowl, and believe me, some of our practices this year have been tougher than some of our games, we do have a big goal in mind, but we are working to get there one game at a time,” Devlin said.