PIAA Class 6A football championship breakdown: Mt. Lebanon vs. St. Joseph’s Prep

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, December 11, 2021 | 12:44 PM

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PIAA Class 6A football championship

Mt. Lebanon vs. St. Joseph’s Prep

6 p.m., Saturday, Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey

On the air: TV: PCN; Radio: KDKA-AM (1020), KDKA-FM (100.1), WJPA-FM (95.3); Streaming audio: tribhssn.triblive.com

PIAA titles: Mt. Lebanon 0; St. Joseph’s Prep 6 (2013, ’14, ’16, ’18, ’19, ’20)

Mt. Lebanon (14-0)

Player to watch: Eli Heidenreich

Heidenreich’s stats here in the state playoffs have been incredible. In two games, he has 13 catches for 397 yards and five touchdowns. The Navy recruit isn’t used only as a receiver. He had another 228 yards rushing and three more scores on the ground in the past two games.

How they got here: WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon defeated Central Catholic, 47-4, in the district final; District 10’s McDowell, 47-14, in a PIAA quarterfinal; and District 6’s State College, 49-28, in a PIAA semifinal.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Joey Daniels, 104-173, 1,918 yards, 29 TDs, 6 INTs

Rushing: Alex Tecza, 232-1,984 yards, 23 TDs

Receiving: Eli Heidenreich, 53-1,303 yards, 20 TDs

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Bob Palko

Offense

QB, 3, Joey Daniels, 6-1, 185, sr.

RB, 5, Alex Tecza, 6-0, 200, sr.

HB, 8, Eli Heidenreich, 6-0, 180, sr.

WR, 7, Jack Smith, 6-3, 215, sr.

WR, 13, Michael Beiersdorf, 6-2, 185, jr.

WR, 12, Brendan Anderson, 5-10, 175, sr.

TE, 32, Grayson Dee, 6-2, 225, jr.

LT, 77, Kade Capristo, 6-3, 275, jr.

LG, 68, Owen Halter, 6-1, 235, sr.

C, 50, James Kline, 6-2, 255, sr.

RG, 78, Cooper Austin, 6-3, 265, sr.

RT, 55, Joey Peters, 6-6, 225, sr.

Defense

DE, 32, Grayson Dee, 6-2, 225, jr.

NG, 75, William Harvey, 6-3, 280, sr.

DT, 68, Owen Halter, 6-1, 235, sr.

OLB, 17, Tommy Boehner, 5-9, 175, sr.

OLB, 7, Jack Smith, 6-3, 215, sr.

ILB, 34, Charlie Pellagrino, 6-0, 210, sr.

ILB, 52, Daniel King, 5-11, 210, sr.

CB, 11, Sam Ward, 5-10, 185, sr.

S, 5, Alex Tecza, 6-0, 200, sr.

S, 8, Eli Heidenreich, 6-0, 180, sr.

CB, 4, Matt Wertz, 6-0, 180, sr.

Notable: This is Mt. Lebanon’s first appearance in the state final. The team had reached the state semifinals only once before, in 2000. … The Blue Devils are trying to become only the second WPIAL team to win Class 6A joining Pine-Richland in 2017. … coach Bob Palko reached the state finals three consecutive years at West Allegheny (1999-2001) and won the Class 3A title in 2001. … Palko is in his third season at Lebo after 24 at West A. … Mt. Lebanon’s offense averages 38.9 points per game and its defense allows 11.1. … The Blue Devils offense has scored at least 47 points in its past three games. … Tecza lists a dozen Division I college offers including many from the Ivy and Patriot leagues … Lebo has rushed for 3,309 yards and passed for 2,242. That averages 236 rushing per game and 160 passing.

St. Joseph’s Prep (11-2)

Player to watch: Josiah Trotter

Trotter is the son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. The younger Trotter leads the Hawks with 105 total tackles from his inside linebacker spot. He also has two fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown. Rivals rates as a four-star prospect, and his list of college offers includes Penn State, Clemson, Ohio State and South Carolina, among others.

How they got here: District 12 champion St. Joseph’s Prep defeated Northeast, 41-6, in the district final; District 11’s Freedom, 28-14, in a PIAA quarterfinal; and District 1’s Garnet Valley, 49-13, in a PIAA semifinal.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Samaj Jones, 96-158, 1,120 yards, 12 TDs,

Rushing: Samaj Jones, 123-865 yards, 15 TDs

Receiving: David Washington, 44-487 yards, 4 TDs

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Tim Roken

QB, 2, Samaj Jones, 6-1, 200, so.

WR, 17, David Washington, 5-11, 195, so.

WR, 88, Brandon Rehmann, 5-11, 180, so.

RB, 26, Kahseim Phillips, 5-9, 180, so.

RB, 9, Josh Barlow, 5-7, 190, so.

TE, 13, Dane Picariello, 6-2, 215, sr.

LT, 70, Brad Harris, 6-4, 270, sr.

LG, 78, George Reinhard, 6-3, 255, jr.

C, 74, Julian Cervantes, 6-1, 285, jr.

G, 62, Lakeem Steele, 6-3, 290, so.

RT, 65, Alec Treadway, 6-3, 265, sr.

Defense

DL, 10, Dan Daly, 6-1, 215, sr.

DL, 35, Matt DuMond, 6-1, 200, jr.

DL, 6, James Heard, 6-4, 210, jr.

DL, 19, Noah Klick, 6-4, 220, sr.

LB, 11, Rocco Nicholl, 6-4, 205, sr.

LB, 45, Cole Nilles, 6-2, 230, jr.

LB, 40, Josiah Trotter, 6-2, 230, jr.

CB, 1, Omillio Agard, 5-11, 165, so.

CB, 10, Shamir Johnson, 5-10, 165, so

S, 4, Keenan Nelson, 6-1, 200, sr.

S, 39, Anthony Sacca, 6-3, 190, fr.

Notable: St. Joseph’s Prep has now reached the state finals eight of the past nine seasons. The team is 6-1 in Hershey … the Hawks’ only championship loss was to Pine-Richland, 41-21, in 2017 … Prep defeated Central York, 62-13, in last year’s 6A final … This is Tim Roken’s third season as head coach after working eight as offensive coordinator … the team competes in the Philadelphia Catholic League … the team has a number of Division I recruits … freshman Anthony Sacca announced offers this month from Tennessee and South Carolina … junior James Heard, who has a team-high 10½ sacks, has Penn State and Texas A&M among his offers … Prep averages 31.5 points per game. Its defense allows 13.3 … the team has 2,657 rushing yards (205 ypg) and 1,469 passing (113 ypg).

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. lebanon