THREE-PEAT

Prep Football captures third-straight state title with 62-13 rout over Central York

By Stephen Cain '22

As the clock wound down on Saturday, November 28 at Hersheypark Stadium on a chilly, moonlit night, an annual year end tradition of the gridiron was about to take place. The coldness of a Gatorade bath has become synonymous with the winding down of yet another successful season for St. Joe’s Prep Football.

The Hawks defeated the Central York Panthers 62-13, achieving a PIAA 6A State Championship once again, putting an exclamation point on another undefeated season overall. However, while winning a third consecutive state championship for the Hawks makes this year feel similar to all of the other state championship victories for the Prep, 2020 threw many twists and turns in the Hawks’ way.

Malik Cooper '21 (middle) contributed to three touchdowns in the Prep's PIAA Class 6A championship victory. Cooper caught a 79-yard touchdown pass from QB Kyle McCord '21, returned a punt 55 yards for a score, and threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to WR Sahmir Hagans '21. Photo: Cooper celebrates his punt return touchdown with Julian Talley '21 (left) and Omillio Agard '24 (right).

Gil McGlynn '81

The most obvious of these challenges, of course, was the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with its myriad of effects on high school athletics. 2020 was supposed to be the highly anticipated sequel to Prep football dipping its toes into the realm of playing a national schedule.

But due to the pandemic, that simply couldn’t happen.

First, a matchup in Houston against the Shadow Creek Sharks, Texas’s 2019 state champions, was cancelled due to COVID. Next, a game against nationally-ranked St. John’s, located in Washington D.C., was also scrubbed from the schedule, with the Prep having to settle for a game in Maryland against Life Christian Academy. The same fate of cancellation due to COVID also necessitated the elimination of a game against Ohio’s Bishop Sycamore.

But, irrespective of the pandemic, one would uncover even more challenges facing the Hawks’ roster before the season started. Questions about the experience of the offensive line floated around the team, as usual stalwarts, Matt McGeary ‘20, Matt Lombardi ‘20, and Casey Stephenson ‘20, all moved to the college ranks.

Hawks' O-linemen Julian Cervantes '23 (left), Alec Treadway '22 (left center), Brad Harris Jr. '22 (center), George Reinhard '23 (right center), and Cade Rooney '21 (right) celebrate their victory.

Gil McGlynn '81

Only one of the O-linemen, center Max Fisher ‘21, was part of last year’s roster. This meant that younger tyros, such as Brad Harris Jr. ‘22, Julian Cervantes ‘23, Alec Treadway ‘23, and George Reinhart ‘23, all had to follow in their predecessors’ footsteps. It’s safe to say that they all were clearly up to the challenge—over the course of 6 games, this O-line unit only allowed QB Kyle McCord ‘21 to be sacked 4 times.

“The O-line will always be successful here,” said Harris Jr. “There is a bond that turns us teammates into brothers. The upperclassmen every year constantly are helping the underclassmen improve. We realize that we need to prepare the next guys to pick up where we left off. This has been the culture at Prep since before I was even here and it will be here for many more years to come.”

Head Coach Tim Roken celebrates his second straight PIAA 6A State title.

Gil McGlynn '81

A youth movement was also underway on the other side of the trenches as well, as SJP football had to grapple with the losses of Class of 2020 grads, Blake Romano, Andrew Bailey, and Anthony Leneghan.

This meant that Nick Yagodich ‘21 had to undertake the challenge of leading a defensive unit consisting of Dan Daly ‘22, Matthew Dumond ‘23, and Noah Klick ‘22. Yagodich emerged as a leader, which was further exemplified when Coach Roken decided to bestow the honorary #10 defensive captain number on the starting senior defensive end.

Senior Defensive Captain Nick Yagodich '21 (above) brings down future Penn Stater Beau Pribula with the help of Omillio Aagard '24 (bottom right) to the ground.

Gil McGlynn '81

“It meant everything in the world for me to go out there and represent our team with that number on my back,” said the Harvard commit. “The two former players who wore that number were my biggest mentors and I am still incredibly close with them to this day. It gave me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and attempt to lead a very talented group of guys. Number 10 does not have anything to do with being the best defensive player, as I am nowhere near that on this team. It is more about the heart and soul of what Prep Football represents.”

But yet again, while this seemed to be a challenge for the then only two-time state champions, the D-line clicked on all cylinders. Over the course of their shortened six-game season due to the pandemic, they, as a collective, sacked opposing QBs 13 times, or roughly twice per game.

While the Prep did achieve an unprecedented three-peat, the games were not without drama. After a dominant 4-0 regular season, the Hawks earned a bye in the PIAA 6A State Playoffs and faced Souderton Area High School in the semifinal in what proved to be the Prep’s most significant competition of the season.

Up 51-7 in the 3rd quarter, Head Coach Tim Roken decided to pull most of his starters. Souderton furiously roared back into the game with 36 straight unanswered points against the Hawks’ second-stringers to make it a one score game. But the Hawks’ backups did, in fact, hold on for a gutsy 51-43 victory, earning them serious respect across the Prep community.

However, the Prep didn’t make it completely unscathed out of that game. Clemson commit and nationally acclaimed linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. ‘21, son of Eagles great Jeremiah Trotter, suffered an arm injury that sadly put an early end to his farewell tour in a Hawks uniform. It seemed as if history repeated itself, as Trotter Jr. also dealt with an arm injury last season.

All of a sudden, the question loomed as to who would fill the void left by the ESPN Top 300 recruit in Saturday’s Chocolatetown clash. The answer was that a variety of Hawks defenders stepped up to the challenge.

Zavier Atkins ‘21 in particular provided the intensity and coverage ability that many thought the Prep defense would lack in Trotter Jr.'s absence, as he led the team in tackling in Hershey. Yagodich also stepped up with four tackles and a crucial sack on fourth down that heavily swung the momentum in the Prep’s favor.

Zavier Atkins '21 hoists the PIAA 6A Trophy after leading the Hawks in tackles at Hershey.

Gil McGlynn '81

“What fueled me this past Saturday was it being the last game with my brothers and the last time I'd be able to put that uniform on again,” said Atkins. “The main goal for me was to win another championship with my brothers and go out with a bang!”

Due to RB Blaine Bunch ‘22 being ineligible for both of the PIAA 6A games because of his transfer from Northeast High School to the Prep this past offseason, and RB Josh Barlow ‘22 being injured, it became clear that Ohio State commit McCord would have to get it done through the air at Hershey. And that he did, with help from Malik Cooper ‘21, Sahmir Hagans ‘21, and Marvin Harrison Jr. ‘21.

The multi-faceted Cooper, in particular, was a big help for the Hawk’s passing attack in more ways than one. While he continued burning cornerbacks and making spectacular catches with 4 receptions, 92 yards, and a touchdown, he was also throwing them.

PCN Network's Player of the Game Malik Cooper '21 had a hand in three touchdowns.

Gil McGlynn '81

WR Sahmir Hagans '21 was left wide open for a 55-yard touchdown catch after wide receiver and backup quarterback Malik Cooper '21 surprised the Central York defense with a throw of his own.

Gil McGlynn '81

Right before the half in a 31-7 ball game, McCord ran a wide receiver screen and threw it to Cooper immediately after the snap. With Central York expecting a catch and run, Cooper then made arguably the play of the game by throwing a 55-yard strike into the end zone to Hagans, another star Hawks’ wide receiver, making the score in Hershey 38-7 and effectively ending the ball game altogether.

“When I threw the ball,” Cooper said, “I thought it was a bad ball but Sahmir didn’t really have to move much to catch it, and I knew he was going to catch it because we worked on that in practice since the beginning of the season. He ran that play perfectly. It couldn’t have been run any better.”

Cooper has always been a versatile player. When McCord last year went down with an injury, it was the Temple commit who fearlessly led the team to what was at the time back-to-back state titles, capping it off with a 35-13 victory against Central Dauphin High School. But when McCord returned for his senior season, and when Samaj Jones ‘24 joined the roster, it seemed like Cooper’s throwing days were numbered, up until that play.

Cooper later showcased his ability as a punt returner with a 47 yard return TD that looked like a SportsCenter Top 10 Play, as he juked out Central York’s punter and quarterback, and future Penn Stater, Beau Pribula to the point where he nearly fell to the ground. As a result of his incredible performance, the multi-talented Cooper was named player of the game on the PCN Network.

“It felt amazing,” said Cooper. “To be honest I didn't even know I was the player of the game until after the game, but I still couldn’t believe it. It sunk in when I rewatched it at home.”

This game was historic for the Prep for a number of reasons. First, it was the largest blowout in a PIAA 6A State Tournament game ever. Second, a number of individual records were also broken.

Marvin Harrison Jr. '21 broke the all-time receiving city touchdown record on a 7-yard TD pass, adding another accomplishment to the Ohio State commit's already stacked resume.

Gil McGlynn '81

Harrison Jr., son of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, had already broken the all-time SJP, PCL, and city receiving yards records coming into the state championship, along with the all-time PCL touchdown record as well. Up 17-0, after an interception thrown from Pribula, McCord and the Prep offense took advantage of the opportunistic turnover with a 45 yard touchdown throw to the Ohio State commit, which broke the all-time city touchdown record.

“It was a great accomplishment,” said Harrison Jr. “I couldn't have done it without the people around me, my teammates and coaches. I have worked hard over the course of the years so it is cool to be rewarded with those records.” McCord, a fellow nationally touted prospect, also felt like doing some record-breaking that evening.

QB Kyle McCord '21 set a new all-time city touchdown passing record against Central York with his 85th career TD pass going to fellow Ohio State commit, WR Marvin Harrison Jr. '21.

Gil McGlynn '81

Up 10-0, to conclude an offensive drive that cut open the Panthers’ defense with surgical precision, he fired a lofty 7-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Jr. in the back left corner of the end zone. This was his 85th touchdown pass, which broke the all-time city touchdown pass record, previously held by La Salle quarterback Brett Gordon. Later that evening in the second half, when the Prep continued to pile onto their already humongous lead, a simple completion to Hagans, the Duke commit, would make McCord the new all-time city passing yards leader.

“It was honestly a pretty cool feeling once I found out I broke both records,” McCord said. “I didn't know how close I was to breaking them before the game but in the 4th quarter my coach came up and told me the news. It made the night even better. I owe a lot of my success to my teammates though. They are the reason I was able to achieve that.”

Finally, kicker Antonio Chadha ‘22 also set a new record for the amount of extra points made by a single player in the history of the PIAA State Championship game. But, his already historic day wasn’t done there, as he drilled a 47-yard field goal in the second half that caused Chadha to ebulliently gallop across the field in celebration.

Antonio Chadha '22 (left) and Malik Cooper '21 (right) celebrate after Chadha's 47 yard field goal.

Gil McGlynn '81

“When I saw that I broke that record, I got a really tremendous sense of pride,” said the junior kicker. “It's not everyday that you break a record so obviously that is an incredible achievement. I am so grateful for my teammates and coaches for always supporting me. Without them, I wouldn't be the player I am today. I am humbled that Coach Roken had the trust in me to take that 47-yard field goal. I have struggled at times in practice, but it really reflects how much confidence he has in me to nail that type of a kick.”

Chadha, Cooper, and the two future Buckeyes weren’t the only ones who had a fairytale ending to their Prep football tenures, however, as the rest of the 2021 SJP football class decided to go out in style. With the score reading 62-13 in favor of the Hawks and as the clock wound down leaving time for one last play, Roken sent out as many seniors as he could out onto the field to take a final knee to close out the season, as a way to honor them for their service both on and off the field. He later reflected on the moment:

“It was a crazy year in that any practice or game could have been our last together. So grateful the finale was in Hershey! So proud of our seniors for what they accomplished in their time here at the Prep. This is a group of young men that have shown their resilience over the years but to lead us through this pandemic season and end with a third straight state championship they will remember forever.”

Because it is the definite end to these players’ high school football careers, many Prep fans can’t help but look into the future at next season. Skeptics may wonder how this team can continue succeeding without guys like McCord, Harrison Jr., Atkins, Cooper, Hagans, Fisher, Yagodich, and countless others. The answer to that question will be what it has always been—next man up.