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 -- 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. -- 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). -- 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).