Preview: Central Valley faces familiar foe Wyomissing for PIAA Class 3A Football Championship
Just two teams remain standing in PIAA Class 3A after an eventful high school football season. On Saturday, Dec. 11 familiar foes Central Valley and Wyomissing will face off for the state title, in a rematch of the 2020 PIAA Class 3A championship game. Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know for the noon matchup at Hersheypark Stadium:
CENTRAL VALLEY
Head coach: Mark Lyons (12th season, 124-29)
Record: 14-0
PIAA titles: 1 (2020)
Record in PIAA title games: 1-2
Scouting the Warriors' offense: Led by the program's all-time leading rusher in senior running back Landon Alexander and big-play junior receiver Jayvin Thompson, the Warriors can strike from anywhere on the field. Alexander broke the previous rushing record held by current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jordan Whitehead in the WPIAL Class 3A title game win over North Catholic at Heinz Field, and then ripped off a 98-yard touchdown run late against Central in the PIAA semifinals to send the Warriors to a third straight PIAA title game. While Alexander (2,166 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns) steals the headlines, Thompson quietly is a game-breaker himself, hauling in 28 passes for 750 yards and nine touchdowns, including a 73-yarder against Central to break the game open in the PIAA semifinals. Sophomore quarterback Antwon Johnson has emerged as a steady presence under center after senior captain Matt Merritt went down with an early-season ankle injury. Johnson stepped right in and has thrown for 19 touchdowns on the year, giving the Warriors some balance offensively under Lyons. Senior tight end Jack Bible has quietly come on in recent weeks as a receiving threat, taking advantage of some relaxed coverage over the middle for the Warriors.
Scouting the Warriors' defense: The driving force behind the Warriors' impressive 26-game winning streak is by far the vaunted Central Valley defense. A front seven led by seniors Sean FitzSimmons (114 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 21.0 sacks), Merritt (69 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks), Jordan Karczewski (69 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks) and junior Jackson Tonya (109 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks) consistently causes problems for opponents in the trenches, wrecking plays right from the snap. Bible is a tackling machine at middle linebacker for the Warriors (99 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks), while Thompson roams all over the field in the secondary, taking the football away at a prolific pace, recording 11 interceptions on the season, including an absurd four in the WPIAL Class 3A title game win over North Catholic. Seniors Donovan Jones and Bryce Wilson, and junior Rylan Jeter pair with Thompson to help take the air out of the football defensively.
Keep an eye on: Bryce Wilson. Wilson is the exact type of no-nonsense, glue-guy, senior leader that the Warriors quietly rely on. Though he isn't a household name in the Beaver Valley like some of his teammates, Wilson (66 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions) is the beating heart of the Warriors, especially defensively, where he sets the physical tone for Central Valley.
Road to Hershey
WYOMISSING
Head coach: Bob Wolfrum (34th season, 337-85-1)
Record: 15-0
PIAA titles: 1 (2012)
Record in PIAA title games: 1-1
Scouting the Spartans' offense: Football purists will sure love watching the Spartans' vaunted wing-T offense under long-time head coach Bob Wolfrum. Wyomissing has three running backs with more than 850 yards rushing on the ground this season, led by senior Thomas Grabowski (1,362 yards, 26 touchdowns). Along with Grabowski in the wing-T, junior Drew Eisenhower (853 yards, eight touchdowns) and senior Amory Thompson (885 yards, 14 touchdowns) give the Spartans a three-headed monster in the ground game. On the year, Wyomissing rushed for 4,851 yards while throwing for just 859 yards in total. This is an old-school, ground-and-pound offense that will test the Warriors' stout front seven throughout the game. A big reason Wyomissing has been so dominant on the ground is thanks to the play of four-star offensive line recruit Jven Williams. When the Spartans are forced to throw, junior quarterback Ben Zechman (791 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, two interceptions) will often turn to senior tight end Aiden Mack (10 catches, 248 yards, two touchdowns).
Scouting the Spartans' defense: One of the stoutest defenses in the state will have a tall task in front of them Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium. On the year, Wyomissing allows just 135.6 yards per game, including just 88.6 yards per game on the ground under Wolfrum. Led by senior middle linebacker Jack Miller (72 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks), the Spartans play physical, assignment-sound football downhill, matching their offensive style. Grabowski (69 tackles) and sophomore linebacker Ryker Jones (64 tackles) are second and third on the Spartans in tackles as Wyomissing muddies it up near the line of scrimmage.
Keep an eye on: Amory Thompson. Out of the three key cogs in the Spartans' offense, Thompson has the fewest touches but seems to come up with the biggest plays of the game. He's a home run threat whenever he touches the football, whether that's on the ground or through the air. A second team All-State defensive back in 2020, he can change the game defensively as well.
Road to Hershey
Defeated Middletown Area 14-0 in District 3 semifinal
Defeated Boiling Springs 55-14 in District 3 final
Defeated Scranton Prep 35-14 in PIAA quarterfinal
Defeated Neumann-Goretti 48-6 in PIAA semifinal
Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Preview: Central Valley faces familiar foe Wyomissing for PIAA Class 3A Football Championship
