12/05/24 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Seniors Michael Cacciotti (left) and Joseph Eckenrode (76) hoist the PIAA Class 1A State Championship trophy.

MECHANICSBURG — The seniors on this year’s Bishop Guilfoyle Academy’s football team were, for the most part, cheerleaders for the 2021 Marauders team that won the PIAA Class 1A championship in Hershey.

Thursday at Cumberland Valley High School’s Chapman Field, they carved their own piece of BG’s legacy out for themselves in a 41-22 victory over Port Allegany in the state final.

“We always talk about protecting the tradition and playing with the seniors leading the young guys,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Justin Wheeler said. “These young guys were part of a freshman group that was led like that. Now they had the chance to do it for the freshmen we have on this team.”

Did they ever.

The Marauders, led by some of the best efforts from seniors in school history, won a District 6 title, crushed last year’s PIAA Class 2A runner-up Westinghouse and then withstood a pair of 3,000-yard rushers the last two weeks to win the school’s fifth football state championship.

Seniors Chase Kissell and Hamilton Gates put up flashy big offensive and defensive numbers all year, but there was a big man behind all of it — and he was actually on the field starting in 2021 as a freshman.

“Joe (Eckenrode) is among the top few linemen I have ever coached,” Wheeler said. “As a freshman, he played and started as a tight end, because we knew how good he would be, and today he lined up against their best kid every single play. We challenged him and told him (Port Allegany’s Carson Neely) was the lineman of the year in District 9 for two years. We wanted them to be talking about (Eckenrode) when they left this game. You saw it today. He took that kid on, took double teams on and let our other kids play. He’s such a selfless player and one of the best ever. It was great to see him end his career as a state champion again.”

Thursday’s win meant more to Eckenrode.

“It’s definitely sweeter this year,” Eckenrode said. “Being there and starting as a freshman was a great experience, but this year being a senior leader of the team and being able to step up and take control and have one for me and the other seniors on the team that I played with since I was a kid is great.”

Some leaders lead by example, but Eckenrode made it a point to talk about the importance of Thursday’s game with his teammates.

“I talked to everyone before the game and really stressed domination off the line and aggressiveness,” Eckenrode said. “With this wind, it was tough to pass, so we came into the game knowing we were going to run and take the ball to the ground, and we did that. We dominated up front.”

It’s something BG has had to adapt to the last two weeks squaring off against run-first teams that lean on production from their offensive lines.

Earlier in the season, though it certainly could have won against a tough line in Penn Cambria, BG couldn’t make enough plays to close out the Panthers in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship.

The team that played Thursday was different than the one that walked off the field in Cresson with a loss.

“We became real physical,” Eckenrode said. “(Port Allegany) and Muncy last week had two really good runners, but I feel like we shut them down. We played tough on defense and swarmed to the ball and did whatever it took — even if it was all 11 of us at once.”

As much as Eckenrode and his fellow linemen improved throughout the season, another senior — wideout and defensive back Braden Reilly — also helped BG evolve.

“He’s really good,” Wheeler said. “The second half of the season, he got better every week too. Whether it was running reverses, catching balls or playing defense, he was one of the best few players in our area and across the state along with Gates. He works hard and is a great kid.”

Reilly had an interception and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Gates on a trick play Thursday.

“I was really excited,” Reilly said. “We have been running that play all year — against Penn Cambria and Westinghouse — we knew it was going to work. But the ball was in the air for a long time because of the wind. I was a little scared for a little bit. But it was awesome to come down with it and score.”

As this historic senior class graduates, the next ones to fill their roles got their feet wet.

“We have a freshman starting on the line this year who is really good in Declan Peterson,” Eckenrode said. “He’s going to be dominant by the time he’s a senior and help the next group that will come up through.”

And like Eckenrode did this year, don’t be surprised if Peterson is leading the way for the Marauders in the 2027 state championship game.

“Declan Peterson is going to be really, really good,” Wheeler said. “To start for us as a freshman, you have to be exceptional, and he has been. He’s battled some big kids, and he’s someone that’s going to work for it like Joe. He’ll be one of the guys we lean on for the next three years.”

It’s that type of continuity that’s helped Bishop Guilfoyle win five state titles since 2014 and become one of the most well-known high school football powers in the state.

Michael Boytim can be reached at mboytim@altoonamirror.com or 814-946-7521. Follow him on X @BoytimMichael.