Football Preview: Class 6A Championship

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No. 1 Pine-Richland Rams (12-0) vs. No. 2 Central Catholic Vikings (10-2) At Heinz Field (2 p.m.)

From the start of the season it has been championship or bust for both of these powerhouses. The Rams are having one of the more impressive seasons in Class 6A history, steamrolling through all of their opponents, including the Vikings in a 47-17 decision on Sept. 29. In that game, senior Jordan Crawford was unstoppable with seven first half touchdowns. The Rams led the Vikings 47-3 at the half. Leading the way for Pine-Richland all season long has been Army All-American and Notre Dame commit, Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec is second in the WPIAL with 3,003 passing yards. He has thrown 30 touchdowns and rushed for 13 more. The rams are seeking their first WPIAL championship since 2014.

Crawford and Jurkovec both made the Northern Seven All-Conference team. Joining them are center Mike Dorundo, offensive guard Mike Katic, offensive tackle Andrew Kristofic, wide receiver Ray Falcone, kicker Vittorio Orsini, defensive end Tommy Camino, outside linebacker Tyler King, defensive back Thomas Burns, and Eric Kasperowicz as coach of the year.

For the Vikings, Heinz Field has been like a second home. Central Catholic will be competing in its fifth straight WPIAL championship and will be seeking its second straight title. The Vikings have been on a roll since the loss to the Rams, scoring 34.6 points per game during their six game win streak. Offensively, the Vikings haven’t been as dominant as years past, but have the experience under center with senior Troy Fisher. Fisher threw for 1,346 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for eight more touchdowns. He was named to the all-conference team as a punter, with Jurkovec earning the first-team nod for quarterback.

Other Vikings joining Fisher as first-team all-conference are defensive tackle David Green, defensive end Brian Dallas, inside linebacker Liam Slattery, defensive back Khalil Weathers.

To see how both teams made it to Heinz Field, click on the link below.

Class 6A Football Playoff Bracket