Wood Falls to Pittsburgh Central Catholic 20-17

Pittsburgh Central Catholic prevailed over Archbishop Wood 20-17 in a thrilling contest at Gateway High School in Monroeville Sunday afternoon.  The match-up, televised nationally on ESPN2, pitted the consensus #1 team in class AAAA team against arguably the best class AAA team in Pennsylvania.

Wood’s kicker Nick Visco missed a 40-yard field goal that would have tied the contest with just over one minute remaining.  Both Visco and his coaches believed the kick went through the uprights, but the officials ruled the ball hooked wide. 

Visco missed another attempt late in the first half that also narrowly missed, proving the adage that football is truly a game of inches.  Wood Head Coach Steve Devlin offered his opinion, saying “They both looked good, absolutely.  But I’m not in the middle of the field.” 

Prior to the kick, Wood looked poised to complete a comeback, as Benji Abercrombie caught a 57-yard pass that put his team inside the red zone.  Immediately after the catch, however, the officials detected lightning, requiring a 30 minute delay. 

This seemed to break Wood’s momentum, however, as the Central Catholic defense stopped Wood on the next three plays, including a third-down sack by Gavin Sandidge, leading to Visco’s attempt. 

Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Vikings pulled within three points on a Brandon Peoples 19-yard score, his second rushing touchdown of the game. Brandon combined with his cousin Desmon Peoples to rush for 189 yards.  

On the other sidelines, running back Damian Jones-Moore totaled 192 yards on his 17 carries, bolstered by two highlight-reel touchdowns.  With 10:45 left in the second quarter, Jones-Moore dashed 70 yards for his second score, giving Central Catholic a lead it would never surrender.

While Jones-Moore was held in check in the second half, Central Catholic’s passing attack struck, as Perry Hills found Anthony Nixon for a 33-yard touchdown.  Archbishop Wood’s passing game also proved effective, as Joe Monaghan was efficient, completing six of seven attempts for 108 yards.

While such a heartbreaking loss could crush a team’s spirit, Devlin realized the game could provide a valuable learning experience for his squad.

“We made a lot of first game mistakes,” Devlin said. “We can turn something into a positive if we learn from it. Our kids battled.”