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Sports

Wood Rolls into State Semifinals with Win over Pottsgrove

The 41-22 victory sets up a semifinal rematch against Allentown Central Catholic next week.

Even though the Archbishop Wood Vikings were playing in the stadium that houses the Northeast High School Vikings, Wood made themselves right at home in their PIAA Class AAA state quarterfinal game Friday night. Jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead, the Vikings cruised to a 41-22 victory over Pottsgrove High School, earning a spot in AAA state semifinal with the victory.

The Vikings will take on Allentown Central Catholic—56-14 winners over Shamokin High School Friday—next week in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal won by Allentown.

As they’ve done all season, Wood relied on their strong offensive line to open up holes for running backs Desmon and Brandon Peoples to burst through. This forced the Pottsgrove Falcons to bring their safeties up in the box, and quarterback Joe Monaghan made them pay for this strategy as he finished an efficient five of six passing with 133 yards and two touchdowns. Both of the scores went to speedy wide receiver Nate Smith, who had three grabs for 111 yards, the bulk of which came on a long 75-yard bomb from Monaghan that put Wood up 28-0.

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All told, the Vikings finished with 252 yards on the ground and 133 through the air. Desmon Peoples led the rushing attack with 107 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries.

The Wood defense wasn’t too shabby either, as they held the Falcons to just 167 total yards, most of which came after Wood removed their first-teamers. Pottsgrove had just 35 total yards at halftime. One of the Falcons’ touchdowns also came on a blocked punt recovery in the end zone.

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Both Archbishop Wood Head Coach Steve Devlin and the quarterback Monaghan immediately pointed to the offensive line’s dominance as they key element of Wood’s victory. “The biggest factor [in the win] was definitely the offensive line just completely controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing our great backs to hit the holes,” Monaghan said.

“Our line came out and I think we just dominated up front; plain and simple,” Devlin said. “[Pottsgrove] is a great team over there, but we came out with an idea and a plan and executed.”

The offensive line’s dominance was on display early and often for Wood, as Desmon Peoples quickly opened the scoring with a 52-yard touchdown romp on the game’s second offensive play.

After a Pottsgrove three and out, the Vikings offense appeared to have stalled when Monaghan got sacked on a third and nine after a Wood false start. Facing a fourth and 19 at their own 30, Devlin opted to go for it, and the play worked beautifully. The Wood line allowed three Pottsgrove rushers to come right at Monaghan, and he waited until the last second to deliver a middle screen to Smith. With his line leading the way, Smith juked and hurdled his way to the end zone for a 30-yard TD.

A botched snap on a Pottsgrove punt attempt on their next possession gave Wood the ball at the Falcons’ 38. Just like they’ve done all season, the Viking’s took advantage of an opponent’s mistake as Desmon Peoples ripped of a 17 yard run, which was followed by a Brandon Peoples 10 yard run to put the ball at the 11. Desmon Peoples took the honors from there, taking a pitch on the right side the remaining 11 yards to give Wood a 21-0 lead with a minute to go in the first quarter.

Running back Ryan McMullin padded Wood’s lead in the third quarter with a 22-yard TD scamper up the middle that put the Vikings ahead 41-0 (the extra point attempt snap was fumbled) with 7:30 remaining.

The Falcons were finally able to get on the board against Wood’s second-teamers thanks to the legs of quarterback Tory Hudgins. On a fourth and two at his own 28, Hudgins ran up the middle and cut past Wood defenders for a 57 yard gain. After a run by fullback Robby Curtin, Hudgins took the ball in the end zone from nine yards out for the Falcon’s first TD.

Hudgins’ arm provided the Falcons second score, as he threw a 49 yard bomb to receiver Johnny Folwer. Pottsgrove’s final TD came on an outstanding special teams play by tight end Steve Ambs who blocked a Wood punt and fell on the ball in the end zone for a score.

Falcons Head Coach Rick Pennypacker said he was proud of the way his team competed this game and all season, but he knew they would be in for uphill battle against a talented Wood team. “Like I told the kids, [this loss] is not going to overshadow what we’ve done this year,” he said. “[My team has] overachieved from day one this year. We ran into a juggernaut tonight. [Wood is] big, they’re fast, they’re physical, and they have great team speed,” he said.

Pennypacker went on to say his team not only exceeded outside expectations but his own as well en route to a District I Championship this season. When asked if he would consider this season successful, he responded with a resounding, “Hell yeah it’s a success. It’s a tremendous success for us.”

The Vikings, meanwhile, will get set for a matchup with the Vikings of Allentown Central Catholic next Friday night. Revenge will certainly be on the minds of Wood, as they look to stop the strong Allentown offense lead by quarterback Brendan Nosovitch, who is bound for South Carolina next year and is equally as dangerous with his arm as his legs.

Running back Desmon Peoples, who missed last year’s game against Allentown, said he is looking forward to helping his team redeem itself this year. “I think it’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “They’re a pretty good team, and we are too. We’re just ready for the challenge, and we’ve been preparing all year for it.”

Devlin said he hasn’t given the Allentown game too much thought yet in terms of preparation, but he knows his Vikings will be in for a battle based on last year’s tilt, which Allentown won 49-27. “We know what they’re going to do, and they’ve got a great team,” he said. “Their quarterback [Nosovitch] is one of the best high school players I’ve ever seen, so it’s an exciting week.”

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