Central Catholic outlasted undefeated Penn-Trafford to come away with the WPIAL Class AAAA championship and advance to the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals. The 24-14 victory returns the trophy back to the Vikings for the first time since 2013 after Pine Richland won the WPIAL Class AAAA title last year.
Momentum
Ronnie Jones got the Vikings on the board early with a 4-yard touchdown run on their first possession. Central Catholic controlled the ball and the scoreboard throughout the first half possessing the ball for 14:13.
Penn-Trafford ran 19 plays on offense in the first half to the Vikings 31. Finishing with 51 total yards on offense, the Warriors could not get anything started offensively in the first 24 minutes of play.
Penn-Trafford head coach John Ruane said after the game, the Warriors did not do enough to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers.
“I wasn’t comfortable with how we called plays in the first half. We should have gotten our playmakers the ball more,” a dejected Ruane said post-game.
The Warriors got the ball to begin the second half, however, feeling pressure quarterback Brett Laffoon lobbed a ball up and Vikings defensive lineman Rashad Wheeler was there to tip the ball to himself and returned it for six points. The Jacob Rocchi extra point gave Central Catholic a 14-point lead early in the third quarter.
Penn-Trafford would begin its comeback on the next possession marching down the field 78 yards to set up a 11-yard Laffoon pass to Tim Vecchio to get the Warriors within seven.
A three-and-out by the Vikings gave Penn-Trafford the ball at its own 43. The Warriors took five plays and 57 yards to find the end zone on a Laffoon quarter back keeper from the 1-yard-line to get within one. Nick Terabrella’s good extra point tied the game at 14 and gave Penn-Trafford the momentum going into the fourth quarter.
The Ronnie Jones Show
While the Warriors had the momentum going into the fourth quarter, it was Central Catholic senior Ronnie Jones who helped turn it back in favor of the Vikings.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jones made an acrobatic leap to defend a Laffoon ball down the field on a key third-down play to stop a driving Warriors offense late in the third quarter.
“My DB’s coach told me to watch the ball wherever it is, and I just turned my head at the right time and made a play on the ball,” Jones explained after the game.
Jones was the offense for the Vikings, finding the end zone a total of four times, two of which were called back by penalties. After 3-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, Jones found the end zone on the first Central Catholic drive of the fourth quarter this time breaking tackles in the backfield en route to a 72-yard touchdown run.
Terry Totten was full of praise for his senior running back.
“He’s made plays on both sides of ball all year for us. He’s a tremendous athlete,” the Central Catholic head coach stated.
What’s Next
While Penn-Trafford’s season is over, Ruane remains upbeat about his team’s future and their effect on the Warriors community.
“It’s been a great experience for our kids, our community. Hopefully we have been able to build something where we can come back,” Ruane said.
The Vikings move on to face State College in the PIAA Class AAAA Quarterfinals. While the state championship game is down the road, Central Catholic has their sights set on the task of surviving and advancing.
“It’s all about being humble. We just have to stay humble and take every week serious,” Jones said. “If we work hard and do our jobs, it should be an easy ride.”
Photo credit: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
