Steve Devlin Steve's All-City Players: FIRST TEAM     Joe Makoid OL 2007 Bob DeLucas LB 2007 Adam Citko OL 2008 Sean Cunningham LB 2008 Sean McCartney DB 2008 Jerry Rahill MP 2009 Scott Adkins DB 2009 Frank Taylor OL 2010 Desmon Peoples RB 2010 Brandon Arcidiacono OL 2011 Frank Taylor OL 2011 Desmon Peoples RB 2011 Colin Thompson DL 2011 Nate Smith DB 2011 Fran Walsh OL 2012 Andrew Guckin RB 2012 Nick Visco K 2012 Nick Arcidiacono DL 2012 Ryan Bates OL 2013 Jarrett McClenton RB 2013 Jake Cooper LB 2013 Ryan Bates OL 2014 Jarrett McClenton RB 2014 Jake Cooper LB 2014 Justin Rubin LB 2014 Anthony Russo QB 2015 Raheem Blackshear RB 2015 Anthony Diodato OL 2016 Mark Webb Rec. 2016 Rasheem Blackshear MP 2016 Tom Walsh OL 2017 Kyle Pitts Rec. 2017 Nasir Peoples RB 2017 SECOND TEAM     Sean McCartney P 2007 Nick Visco K 2010 Colin Thompson DL 2010 Joey Monaghan QB 2011 Brandon Peoples RB 2011 Kyle Adkins LB 2011 George Griffin OL 2012 Deion Oliver OL 2013 Dan McDonald K 2013 Devon Cobb DL 2013 Kendall Singleton DB 2013 Ryan Neher OL 2014 Alex Arcangeli RB 2014 Dan McDonald K 2014 Devon Cobb DL 2014 Mark Webb Rec. 2015 Dan Zanine K 2015 Sebastian Silva LB 2015 Shawn Thompson RB 2016 Dan Zanine K 2016 THIRD TEAM     Scott Kajmo DL 2008 Chris Knott OL 2009 Michael Downs P 2010 Rory Clark DL 2010 Sam McCain LB 2010 Nick Arcidiacono OL 2011 Tyler Smith DL 2012 Josh Messina LB 2012 Ryan Neher OL 2013 Chris Gary DL 2013 Josh Messina LB 2013 Tom Cardozo OL 2014 Christian Lohin DL 2014 Kurt Stengel OL 2015 Omar Peterkin DL 2015 Gianni Cruel DB 2015 Kyle Pitts Rec. 2016 Jack Colyar QB 2016 Matt Palmer LB 2016 Nasir Peoples DB 2016 Connor Bishop OL 2017 Ryan Loughlin Rec. 2017 Tyler Smith LB 2017

Steve Devlin Celebration Page   On Dec. 16, 2011, by a score of 52-0, Wood beat Harrisburg McDevitt to win the first of coach Steve Devlin's five state championships. That team finished 14-1, outscored its opponents by 699-124 and produced five first team Daily News All-City players, tops in the Devlin era. Below is the story written after that game. -- By Ted Silary, Philadelphia Daily News   The Peoples' choice turned out to be tremendous.   Not only did Desmon and Brandon, the first-cousin rushing stars, find a school where they could make friends for life, they combined to take a stroll into history.   Desmon's name is listed first because it was his ultrabright idea to transfer to Archbishop Wood High from St. Joseph's Prep during the summer of 2010. Then he decided to twist Brandon's arm, with the idea of having company, and he quickly came to realize that such exertion was not even necessary.   When Brandon was asked Friday night how much thought he'd needed to give to ditching Abington in favor of Wood, he smiled and said, "None at all, really."   The best things in life can sometimes be so simple.   Desmon, the tailback, and Brandon, the fullback, are now seniors and they'll play their college football at Rutgers and Temple, respectively. At each school they'll tell stories that will have their new teammates doing major Google searches, just to make sure everything is true.   It is.   Before a huge crowd at ch-chilly HersheyPark Stadium, thrilling not only students and parents but also recent players who'd reached the semis or more in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and turned out in large numbers, Wood demolished Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 52-0, to seize the PIAA Class AAA state championship.   You read that right. The Vikings won a state final by 52 points . . . 1 week after storming to a 56-point win (70-14) in a semifinal vs. Allentown Central Catholic.   The demolition derby finalized their record at 14-1, with the one loss, to Pittsburgh Central Catholic, having come in the season opener.   All the Peoples cousins did was combine for five rushing touchdowns and 323 yards. Brandon led in TDs, 3-2, and yardage, 172-151, while Desmon had a shade more carries, 18-16. From his defensive back spot, Desmon added a pair of interceptions.   Again and again over the last 5 1/2 minutes, and then 50 more times in the postgame celebration, Desmon and Brandon shared unbridled emotion. Rumor has it they left the stadium with injured faces . . . from smiling for so many pictures.   "I'm glad I accomplished this with Brandon," Desmon said. "This is one moment we will always remember for the rest of our lives."   Said Brandon: "To get to play with my cousin for 2 years and win a championship like this, there's nothing more I could ask for."   When Brandon steamed for a 30-yard touchdown on Wood's third play, after the defense had held McDevitt to a one-first-down series, the atmosphere along the sideline improved significantly. Not to say it was negative or apprehensive beforehand, but until the game actually gets rolling, how can you know for sure what might happen?   By halftime the score was 31-0, thanks to runs of 54 yards and 1 yard by Desmon, a 19-yard pass from Joey Monaghan to Nate Smith and Nick Visco's 41-yard field goal.   Opening portion of the third quarter? Oh, my goodness! Kevin Sullivan actually had to punt on two consecutives series.   "Pretty sure," he said, "that's only the sixth time all year I had to do that. Only the third time with the first-team offense on the field."   Sullivan's foot then was mothballed. Wood scored on its last two possessions - runs of 67 and 6 yards by Brandon - after Andrew Guckin repped for the defense with a TD on a 75-yard interception return.   All season, observers had speculated on which unit truly fueled the Vikings.   continued below . . .

SEASON BY SEASON Catholic League 2007, Blue: 6-1 2008, 3A: 4-0 2009, 3A: 4-0 2010, 3A: 3-0 2011, 3A: 3-0 2012, 3A; 3-0 2013, 3A: 3-0 2014, 3A: 4-0 2015, 3A: 4-0 2016, Red: 5-1 2017, Red: 5-1 Total: 44-3 --- Overall 2007: 9-3 2008: 12-3 2009: 11-3 2010: 13-1 2011: 14-1 2012: 12-3 2013: 13-2 2014: 14-1 2015: 11-1 2016: 11-2-1 2017: 12-2 Total: 132-22-1 -- CATHOLIC LEAGUE TITLES 2008: 3A 2008: 3A 2010: 3A 2011: 3A 2012: 3A 2013: 3A 2014: 3A 2015: 3A CITY TITLES 2008: 3A 2008: 3A 2010: 3A 2011: 3A 2012: 3A 2013: 3A 2014: 3A 2016: 5A 2017: 5A STATE TITLES 2011: 3A 2013: 3A 2014: 3A 2016: 5A 2017: 5A -- TOP RUSHERS Yards Year Jarrett McClenton 2,191 2014 Andrew Guckin 1,995 2012 Nasir Peoples 1,838 2017 Sean Cunningham 1,783 2008 Jarrett McClenton 1,705 2013 Desmon Peoples 1,349 2010 Shawn Thompson 1,310 2016 Raheem Blackshear 1,257 2016 Desmon Peoples 1,239 2011 Brandon Peoples 1,113 2010 Bob DeLucas 1,088 2007 Brandon Peoples 1,013 2011 Alex Arcangeli 1,004 2014 TOP PASSERS  Yards Year Anthony Russo 2,452 2015 Jack Colyar 1,900 2016 Joey Monaghan 1,611 2011 Anthony Russo 1,551 2014 Joey Monaghan 1,534 2010 Jerry Rahill 1,521 2009 Sean McCartney 1,382 2008 Tom Garlick 1,329 2013 Jack Colyar 1,169 2017 Mike Cattolico 1,111 2007 Tom Garlick 1,016 2012 TOP RECEIVERS  Yards  Year  Mark Webb 703 2016 Nate Smith 619 2011 Ryan Loughlin 572 2017 Raheem Blackshear 564 2015 Mark Webb 559 2015 Sam McCain 504 2009 Mike Maxwell 501 2008

  "Hard to say," coach Steve Devlin commented. "They complement each other so much. We get a big turnover and then,
boom!, we hit you with offense."
  Expanding on the latter part of that comment, he added, "McDevitt had nine starters back on defense from a team that lost in
last year's state championship game by one point. You never would have convinced me we'd put up 52 points."
  The grunts were center Brandon Arcidiacono (Rutgers), guards Nick Arcidiacono (his brother) and George Griffin, tackles
Frank Taylor and Fran Walsh and honorary member Colin Thompson (Florida), the tight end. Occasionally, depending on play
calls, Nick Arch and Walsh switched places.
  Over the latter part of the fourth quarter, snapshot moments were everywhere.
  One of the most poignant involved Jon Vicari, a two-way, 3-year contributor. Even with the game going on, he spent a long
time crying uncontrollably along the sideline. For a while, he dipped down into a crouch.
  "It was all just hitting me," he said later. "The fact that we finally did it, and that this is going to be my last football game. I've
been playing with such great guys."
  In Vicari's left hand was a giant-sized Hershey bar.
  "I stole this from somebody out here," he said, laughing. "And they're not getting it back. I'm keeping this forever."
  Before the game, a handful of recent players interacted with these Vikings during their journey up the steps from the locker
room toward the field. Later, those guys, at least 50 strong, with some wearing only their old jerseys and the others decked out
in football-themed jackets, occupied a section of the stands. Among those viewers was Scott Adkins (class of 2010), older
brother of Kyle, a senior linebacker and receiver.
  "I know he's feeling great," Kyle said. "They all have to be."
  When Kyle was asked what had made this wildly successful season possible, he looked around the stadium, repeated the
question to himself in a whisper and then said, "The coaches. They're awesome. They created such an environment of
competitiveness at practice. We had to practice hard every day."
  Aside from his pick six, Guckin notched a sack among six solo tackles. Smith recorded four solos and the Vikings broke up
11 passes.
  McDevitt's best chance at a score came right before halftime. On a completed pass over the middle, Smith absolutely
crushed a receiver at the 4 and an attempt at a spike went awry due to a faulty snap as the clock ran out.
  In the Vikings' postgame meeting, held on the field prior to the trophy presentation, Devlin spoke glowingly of his players'
talent and camaraderie, and then reached an emotional wall.
  "I've never seen anything like this," he said. The next sentence did not follow in rapid fashion . . . "And it's chokin' me up."
  Later, Devlin was being asked whether the 2011 Vikings, due to all the size and speed and depth, and the fact that six players
have already made Division I commitments, should be under consideration for Best Team in City History honors.
  "I think it's gotta be close, right?" he said.
  Maybe 20 feet away, Brandon Peoples was focused on something else.
  "At my old school," he said, "I felt like an outsider. Here, I'm part of a family. We're not just 61 players. We're a team. With
Wood football, there's an expectation of winning championships and everyone works toward that goal. The whole Wood
community cares about us and that's what makes this place great.
  "It's so cool, what we've done. Desmon and I played together in pound ball, then later we'd always say, 'We should be doing
this in high school. ' We did it and . . . look . . . what . . . happened! We did this together as part of one great Wood family."

  Below are the players who earned first or second team Coaches' All-Catholic honors during Steve
Devlin's 11 seasons as the coach at Archbishop Wood.
 

FIRST TEAM		FIRST TEAM		SECOND TEAM
ALL-CATHOLIC		ALL-CATHOLIC		ALL-CATHOLIC
2007	Pos.	2012	Pos.	2007	Pos.
Joe Makoid	C	(continued)		Joe Makoid	DL
Adam Citko	OL	Andrew Guckin	RB	Mike Maxwell	E/OLB
Bob DeLucas	RB	Josh Messina	FB	Shane Miller	DB
Nick Devine	FB	Nick Visco	K	2008
James McFadden	K	Tyler Smith	DL	Not selected
Sean McCartney	P	Andrew Guckin	LB	2009	Pos.
Bob DeLucas	ILB	Anthony Roakes	DB	Dan Grimes	C
Sean McCartney	DB	Kendall Singleton	DB	Kevin Shaw	WR
2008	Pos.	2013	Pos.	Jerry Rahill	QB
Dan Grimes	C	Ryan Neher	C	Kevin Murt	FB
Adam Citko	OL	Ryan Bates	OL	Chris Albu	DL
Anthony Narisi	TE	Deion Oliver	OL	Brian Butler	E/OLB
Sean McCartney	QB	Jarrett McClenton	RB	2010	Pos.
Sean Cunningham	RB	Josh Messina	FB	Sam McCain	WR
Nick Devine	FB	Luke Spahits	MP	Joey Monaghan	QB
Mike Maxwell	MP	Chris Gary	DL	Nick Visco	K
James McFadden	K	Devon Cobb	DL	Michael Downs	P
Scott Kajmo	DL	Jake Cooper	LB	Brian Butler	DL
Sean Cunningham	ILB	Josh Messina	LB	Frank Taylor	DL
Sean McCartney	DB	Kendall Singleton	DB	Kyle Adkins	DB
2009		Justin Rubin	DB	2011	Pos.
Chris Knott	OL	2014		Nick Arcidiacono	OL
Frank Taylor	OL	Ryan Neher	C	Nate Smith	WR
Colin Thompson	TE	Ryan Bates	OL	Kyle Adkins	WR
Scott Adkins	RB	Tom Cardozo	OL	Kevin Sullivan	P
Sam McCain	MP	Jarrett McClenton	RB	Brandon Peoples	DL
Nick Visco	K	Alex Arcangeli	FB	Desmon Peoples	DB
Matt Hoch	DL	Mark Webb	MP	Joey Monaghan	DB
Charlie McCairns	E/OLB	Dan McDonald	K	2012	Pos.
Pat Glemser	ILB	Devon Cobb	DL	Chris O'Connor	OL
Scott Adkins	DB	Christian Lohin	DL	Anthony Roakes	WR
Jerry Rahill	DB	Mack Schwartz	DL	Chris Rahill	WR
2010		Jake Cooper	LB	Nick Visco	P
Brandon Arcidiacono	C	Justin Rubin	LB	Fran Walsh	DL
Frank Taylor	OL	Gianna Cruel	DB	Nick Arcidiacono	DL
Chris Knott	OL	2015		Josh Messina	LB
Colin Thompson	TE	Kurt Stengel	OL	Jarrett McClenton	DB
Desmon Peoples	RB	Mark Webb	WR	2013	Pos.
Brandon Peoples	FB	Anthony Russo	QB	Christian Lohin	TE
Kyle Adkins	MP	Raheem Blackshear	RB	Kendall Singleton	WR
Colin Thompson	DL	Mack Schwartz	MP	Tom Garlick	QB
Rory Clark	DL	Dan Zanine	K	Dan McDonald	K
Sam McCain	LB	Omar Peterkin	DL	Nafeez Brown-Carter	DL
James Messina	LB	Sebastian Silva	LB	Tyrone Dean	DL
Michael Downs	DB	Gianni Cruel	DB	Luke Spahits	DB
2011	Pos.	2016	Pos.	Jarrett McClenton	DB
Brandon Arcidiacono	C	Anthony Diodato	OL	2014	Pos.
Frank Taylor	OL	Kyle Pitts	TE	Shawn Scroger	OL
Fran Walsh	OL	Mark Webb	WR	James Gillespie	WR
Colin Thompson	TE	Rasheem Blackshear	RB	Anthony Russo	QB
Joey Monaghan	QB	Shawn Thompson	FB	Jarrett McClenton	DB
Desmon Peoples	RB	Dan Zanine	K	Mark Webb	DB
Brandon Peoples	FB	Anthony Diodato	DL	2015	Pos.
Nick Visco	K	Matt Palmer	LB	Mike Hoelsworth	C
Frank Taylor	DL	Nasir Peoples	DB	Omar Peterkin	OL
Colin Thompson	DL	2017	Pos.	Anthony Diodato	TE
Kyle Adkins	LB	Tom Walsh	C	Mike Devlin	WR
Andrew Guckin	LB	Connor Bishop	OL	Shawn Thompson	FB
Nate Smith	DB	Kyle Pitts	TE	Mack Schwartz	DL
2012	Pos.	Ryan Loughlin	WR	Anthony Diodato	DL
Fran Walsh	C	Nasir Peoples	RB	Matt Palmer	LB
George Griffin	OL	Tyler Smith	LB	Raheem Blackshear	DB
Nick Arcidiacono	TE	Nasir Peoples	LB	2016	Pos.
				Tom Walsh	C
Assistants	1st Year	Assistants	1st Year	Connor Bishop	OL
Tom Hall	2007	Chris Felton	2012	Bill Shaeffer	DL
Jim Manion	2007	Shon Grosse	2012	Tyler Smith	LB
Mike McAfee	2007	Will Eagles	2013	Dan Freeman	DB
Frank McArdle	2007	Jason Gatusso	2013	2017	Pos.
Chip Ross	2007	Rich Kelly	2013	Albert Glasgow	OL
Tony Saltarelli	2007	Troy Wasserleben	2013	Brett Gross	OL
Kurt Stengel	2007	Tom White Sr.	2013	Adrian Lambert	FB
Tom Sutton	2007	Vernard Abrams	2014	Kyle Pitts	DL
Buddy Drumm	2009	Dennis Cliggett	2014	Bill Shaeffer	DL
Jim Gillespie	2009	Chris Lampart	2015	Matt Palmer	LB
Denny Glynn	2009	Jeff McClenton	2015
Rob Rowan	2009	Charles Peoples	2015
Kevin Bucher	2010	John Shulby	2015
Mike Carey	2010	Kyle Adkins	2016
Jim Hallman	2010	Chris Meister	2016
Bill Laphen	2010	Vic Olear	2016
Steve Mangle	2010	Dave Armstrong	2017
Jim McCann	2011	Mike Devlin	2017
Roger Wright	2011	Joe Makoid	2017
Tom White Jr.	2011	Matt Walp	2017

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Recaps of Wins in Catholic League Championship Games 2008 3A Division At Northeast Wood 44, Conwell-Egan 14   The Vikings, which had posted a school-record five consecutive shutouts, received an immediate jolt as Kerry McAnany returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a TD. Then they rolled to 44 consecutive points behind the rushing of Sean Cunningham (30-210, TD) and Nick Devine (7-58, three) and running/passing of Sean McCartney (203 combined yards). Steve Devlin became the third Wood to coach to win a title in a six-year period, joining Art Barrett in '03 and Joe Powel in '04-'05. Scott Adkins and Shane Miller posted interceptions and Adkins recovered an onside kick right before halftime; James McFadden followed with a 37-yard field goal. For C-E, Matt Della-Croce hit Ryan Golin with a 12-yard TD pass. 2009 3A Division At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wood 21, North Catholic 7   Kevin Murt ran 21 times for 60 yards and two early TDs, then packed 44 of his yards into the fourth quarter, enabling his squad to maintain and expand a 14-7 lead. The Vikings' last score was a pass from Jerry Rahill to Kevin Shaw, who also uncorked a 31-yard catch to set up Murt's first TD and a 20-yard run to help make the second one possible. For North, Eugene "U-Turn" Byrd ran 13 times for 87 yards and a TD, Julian Huggins posted an interception and David D. Williams' 10 tackles included eight solos. 2010 3A Division At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wood 24, O'Hara 7   The night ended poorly for Desmon Peoples, as he suffered a broken foot with 2:49 left. Beforehand? He owned it, witness his 29 carries for 173 yards and three TDs (long of 47). Nick Visco hit three PAT and a 35-yard field goal. Ends Colin Thompson and Brian Butler and tackles Rory Clark and Frank Taylor were dominant while turning O'Hara's running game into a rumor (20 attempts, minus-12 yards). Ryan Laughlin passed 9-for-17 for 160 yards and a 65-yard score to Drew Formica. This was Wood's third consecutive title and sixth in eight years. Two weeks earlier, in the regular season finale, the Vikings had outlasted O'Hara, 48-34. 2011 3A Division At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wood 42, Bonner 14   The Peoples cousins, Desmon and Brandon, each surpassed 100 rushing yards as the Vikings stormed to an easy win. Desmon led in TDs, 2-1, but Brandon topped him in yardage, 134-107, and picked off a pass as well.  Joey Monaghan ran for one score and hit Kyle Adkins for another. Bonner’s Jim Haley managed 117 yards of rushing/passing (TD to Paul Pfeffinger) along with an interception. 2012 3A Division At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wood 38, Bonner-Prendergast 16   After rushing for 345 and 304 yards in his previous two outings, Andrew Guckin produced 281 and four TDs on 24 carries to power the Vikings to their fifth consecutive title. They're perfect in league play (27-0, counting playoffs) during that span. Nick Visco added a field goal and five PAT while Chris Rahill posted an interception. For B-P, Jim Haley ran 15 times for 96 yards and two TDs while sharing passing duties (88 yards) with Collin DiGalbo (10-for-18, 140). Mike Roman (7-70) and Christian Summers (4-68) were the receiving leaders. 2013 3A Division At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wood 42, Bonner-Prendie 6   The Vikings frolicked to 42 first half points while earning their sixth consecutive crown and upping their division record during that time frame, including playoffs, to 32-0. Average score: 39-9. Jarrett McClenton bagged 110 yards and three TDs on 10 carries while Jake Cooper scored once on a pass from Tom Garlick and again on an interception. Kendall Singleton (70-yard fumble return) also tallied for the defense. B-P avoided a shutout on Collin DiGalbo's 3-yard keeper. 2014 3A Division At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wood 35, Ryan 14   Fullback Alex Arcangeli scored Wood's first TD on a 5-yard run, then gave way to the Jarrett cClenton Show. The senior tailback carried 12 times for 125 yards and three TDs while adding a fourth score on a majestic 67-yard punt return. McClenton finished with 3,746 career rushing yards, best in school history over the 3,671 by '06 grad Bryan McCartney. The title was Wood's seventh in succession and extended their CL winning streak to 39 games (25 regular season, 14 playoffs). For Ryan, Charles "Cha Cha" Gary caught a TD pass and recovered a fumble to set up a rushing score for Samir Bullock (16-85). 2015 3A Division At Tennent Wood 35, Ryan 7   On a play that began with three seconds left in the first half, Anthony Russo tossed a screen pass to Raheem "Speedy" Blackshear and wound up in the Catholic League record book. Blackshear posted a 45-yard TD for Russo's 34th aerial score of the season, surpassing 33 by La Salle's Brett Gordon in 1997. Earlier, Russo had hit James Gillespie for a 44-yard score. After starting the game by forcing a three-and-out, the Vikings posted a TD on their first play as receiver Jordan Johnson zoomed 59 yards on a reverse. Blackshear also had two rushing tallies and linebacker Ryan Barrett notched three early sacks. Jaye McNeil ran for Ryan's score.   In 2016 and 2017, division champs were decided by regular season results.

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Recaps of Wins in City Titles 2008 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 56, Dobbins 7: Sean Cunningham turned 15 carries into 109 yards and four TDs and dislodged Bryan McCartney, the brother of Wood QB Sean, as the school's one-season rushing leader (1,498 to 1,417). McCartney passed 5-for-6 for 129 yards and the game's first score to Anthony Narisi. For Dobbins, QB Terrell "Mouse" Barringer dashed 76 yards to create a 7-7 tie. 2009 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 42, Gratz 6: The Vikings stormed to 28 points in the second quarter, thus assuring the second half would be played with a running clock. Charlie McCairns sparked the outburst by logging three tackles behind the line and recovering a mishandled squib kickoff. Jerry Rahill passed 11-for-14 for 180 and one TD apiece to Kevin Murt and Scott Adkins and turned shotgun snaps into scores of 37 and 18 yards. Murt (10-55) also ran for two six-pointers. Gratz' score came on a 46-yard run by Jamir Anderson. 2010 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 44, Dobbins 7: With his cousin, tailback Desmon Peoples, sidelined with a foot injury, fullback Brandon Peoples switched positions and contributed 123 yards/three TDs on 14 carries. Soph Andrew Guckin posted 79 yards and two TDs (rush/catch of three yards apiece) on his first scrimmage touches of the season while Joey Monaghan passed 7-for-10 for 121 yards, mostly to Sam McCain (5-108; back from concussion). The Vikings roared to 37 points in just over one quarter, then Dobbins broke through (Aaron Walker's 27-yard run) against the second-team defense. 2011 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 49, Dobbins 0: Star rushers Desmon and Brandon Peoples combined for just one carry as the Vikings went to the air again and again while scoring 42 points in the first 19 minutes. Joey Monaghan finished 12-for-14 for 199 yards and four TDs, two to Kyle Adkins and one apiece to Nate Smith (also a punt-return score) and Colin Thompson (3-67). After TD No. 4, junior Nick Visco claimed the city record with his 171st career PAT. As the game wound down, Thompson poured ice cubes on John Shulby, a best buddy with Down syndrome and a three-year honorary captain. Dobbins’ best moment was Kareem Jefferson’s fumble recovery, at the 1, right before halftime. 2012 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 49, Bok 28: Before sitting down early in the third quarter, Josh Messina rang up 14 tackles (eight solos, four for losses) forced a fumble and picked off a pass as the Vikings captured their fifth consecutive CT.  He also ran for a TD. Jarrett McClenton zoomed to 217 yards on three consecutive touches, thanks for runs of 69 and 56 yards (TD) and a 92-yard kickoff return for another score. Bok’s Antoine Whitney generated 329 all-purpose yards – 13-87 rushing, 6-138 receiving, 6-87 kickoff returns, 1-17 interception return – and tallied two TDs. 2013 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 52, King 8: While storming to their sixth consecutive CT win, the Vikings scored on eight of their nine first-half possessions and owned a 14-0 lead before King ran a play. Jake Cooper (passes from Tom Garlick) and backup rusher Joe Dutkiewicz halved four TDs while Jarrett McClenton turned seven carries into 74 yards and the game’s first TD. Dan McDonald went 7-for-7 on PAT while adding a field goal. For King, Delane Hart made two catches for 87 yards to become the Pub’s first receiver to accumulate 1,000 yards in one season (1,073). On kickoffs, he also made three of King’s four fair catches. QB Joseph Walker ran or passed on 28 of King's 36 plays (77.8 percent), generating 117 of its 129 yards (90.7). 2014 Class 3A At Northeast   Wood 42, Imhotep 34: While winning their seventh consecutive AAA City Title, the Vikings finally experienced a challenge. A 20-0 lead notwithstanding, victory wasn't assured until the waning moments when Alex Arcangeli (20-105, TD) gained two yards on fourth-and-1. Jarrett McClenton ran 25 times for 157 yards and four TDs; his 80-yarder capped a back-and-forth, three-TD explosion in the final 34.7 seconds of the third quarter. For Imhotep, Andre Dreuit-Parks passed 16-for-26 for 299 yards and four TDs, thanks mostly to an electric performance by Denniston "DJ" Moore (7-200, TDs of 88 and 71 yards in the fourth quarter). The Panthers were without their main rusher, Tyliek Raynor (knee injury). 2016 Class 5A At Northeast   Wood 61, Gratz 18: Soph Jack Colyar broke the record for TD passes in a City Title with five . . . and did so quite impressively, thank you. He owned the mark by the end of the first quarter, having gone 7-for-7 for 291 yards. Also, the scores averaged 55 yards with a long of 71 and a short of 45. He finished 9-for-13 for 309, thanks primarily to Raheem "Speedy" Blackshear (2-116, two TDs), Shawn Thompson (2-99, two) and Mark Webb (3-74, one). Thompson paced the ground attack with seven totes for 132 yards and one score while Dan Zanine thumped seven PAT. For Gratz, Qashah Carter produced 69 yards and one TD on eight carries, caught three passes for 31 yards, returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score and even completed a pass for a 62-yard gain. 2017 Class 5A At Northeast   Wood 36, Gratz 6: The Vikings led by only 7-0 after the first quarter, so their path to a comfortable City Title win was uncommon. So was this: None of the touchdowns covered a long distance. Nasir Peoples rushed 23 times for 176 yards and four TDs and the longest were two eight-yarders. Chris Blackstone chipped in a seven-yarder. Bob Hennessey pounded three PAT and a field goal while Ryan Loughlin and Colin Murt posted picks. Desmen Murphy's fourth quarter rushing TD enabled the Bulldogs to avoid a shutout and Amir Gillis passed 6-for-16 for 84 yards. Wood's CT was its ninth in 10 years (lost to Imhotep in 2015).

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Recaps of Wins in State Finals 2011 Class 3A At Hersheypark Stadium   Wood 52, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt 0: Leaving behind late-playoffs frustration from 2008, '09 and '10, the Vikings frolicked to give the Catholic League its third state title in as many years. First cousins Desmon (18-151, two) and Brandon Peoples (16-172, three) combined for five rushing TDs. Desmon added two interceptions while Andrew Guckin turned a third pick into a 75-yard TD and Joey Monaghan passed to Nate Smith for a score. Nick Visco added seven PAT and a 41-yard field goal. The Vikings (14-1) finished with 699 points, the No. 2 total in city history. 2013 Class 3A At Hersheypark Stadium   Wood 22, Harrisburg McDevitt 10: Jarrett McClenton set AAA title-game records for carries (40) and yards (238), and totaled two TDs, as the Vikings overcame a sleepy first half (3-0 deficit, just one play for more than 10 yards) to capture their second state crown in three years. Wood's final points, increasing its lead to 22-3, were scored when holder Cody Fitzpatrick controlled an errant snap and floated a conversion pass to Christian Lohin. Chris Gary (two sacks), Jake Cooper and Luke Spahits recorded six tackles apiece. 2014 Class 3A At Hersheypark Stadium   Wood 33, Central Valley 14: Jarrett McClenton scampered for 233 yards and four TDs on 26 carries as the Vikings seized their second straight title and third in four years. The win was No. 98 for coach Steve Devlin (in just 115 games). McClenton claimed the city record for rushing TDs in a season (37) and tied the overall mark (42) while finalizing his career rushing numbers at 4,539/73. Overall, he accumulated 506 points. In Wood's six postseason games in 2014, he scored four TDs in five and three in the other while racking up 140 points. Alex Arcangeli added 131 yards on 16 rushes and a 7-yard TD on his final carry lifted his season total to 1,004. Devon Cobb paced the defense with 1.5 sacks, two other TFL and a fumble recovery. 2016 Class 5A 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. 2017 Class 5A At Hersheypark Stadium   Wood 49, Gateway 14: Championship games are supposed to provide non-stop challenges. Someone forgot to tell the Vikings. While claiming their third state title in four seasons and fifth in seven, Wood barged into the end zone on its first six possessions and needed to run more four plays on just two of those drives. The far-and-away headliner was Nasir Peoples, who bulled/scooted for 267 yards and four TDs on 25 carries. His longest score was a 68-yarder. Adrian Lambert added 98 yards and two scores on 10 rushes while Kyle Pitts added a six-yard TD catch to two interceptions and as many TFL. Matt Palmer made five tackles and Bill Shaeffer hustled for two sacks. For Gateway, which surrendered the game's first 49 points, Brady Walker passed 12-for-27 for 257 yards and scores of 69 and 80 yards to Travis Thompson (5-172).