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Third-quarter flurry lifts BG to fifth title

12/05/24 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Bishop Guilfoyle's Taurean Consiglio runs for a 15 yd.

By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

MECHANICBURG — Punch. Counter-punch. Punch. Knockout.

That was the sequence on a sunny but frigid and blustery Thursday afternoon in the PIAA Class 1A football state championship game at Cumberland Valley High School’s Chapman Field, as the Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Marauders took home the school’s fifth Class 1A football championship by defeating previously unbeaten District 9 champ Port Allegany, 41-22.

The Marauders scored quickly and often in the second half to break open what had been a very close game and join both Southern Columbia and Steelton-Highspire as the only Pennsylvania high school football programs to win five Class 1A state titles.

“This means everything,” said BG coach Justin Wheeler, who has directed all five BG state championship teams since the Marauders began their run in 2014. “It’s an awesome feeling for me to have coached five state championship teams, but for these kids, today is a memory that will last a lifetime, and it is a memory that will get better for them as the years go on.”

After a pair of first-half touchdown runs by junior back Taurean Consiglio –who rushed for 160 yards on 15 carries and four touchdowns on the day — helped BG to open a 14-0 lead, Port Allegany rallied back behind the equally bullish running of junior back Aiden Bliss to score a late first-half touchdown and an early second-half TD to pull into a 14-14 tie with 4:32 left in the third quarter.

BG’s dynamic and diversified offense, however, responded by scoring three touchdowns in a span of just over six minutes, giving the Marauders (15-1) a 34-14 early fourth-quarter lead and a chokehold on the victory.

Senior standout Hamilton Gates got the ball rolling for the Marauders by taking a pitch off the right side and racing down the sideline 65 yards for a touchdown with 3:29 left in the third quarter to put BG ahead to stay, 21-14.

After BG’s defense forced Port Allegany’s offense into a three-and-out, the Marauders covered 60 yards on their next possession, on three running plays by Consiglio — the last a 26-yard burst off left tackle with nine seconds remaining in the third period that put BG in front, 28-14.

Senior Braden Reilly’s interception near midfield gave BG possession at the Port Allegany 25 early in the fourth quarter, and Gates rolled right to throw a halfback option pass moments later, hitting a wide-open Reilly from 27 yards out with a touchdown toss that helped the Marauders to a 34-14 advantage with 10:10 left in the game.

Consiglio added a 15-yard touchdown burst with 4:01 left in the game to help BG — which rushed for 302 yards on a day when the strong winds precluded either team from passing effectively — add an exclamation point.

“It was a little cold today, but the adrenalin was flowing, this is a great feeling, and it’s so much fun,” Consiglio said while celebrating with his teammates on the field after the game. “We just kept on running today, and all of our players filled their (blocking) gaps well.”

Consiglio is a late bloomer on the varsity football team. He did not join the Marauders immediately before his sophomore season, electing to come out once the season had gotten underway. He has quickly made up for any lost time, though.

“He didn’t play as a freshman, joined us later as a sophomore, but he’s been great all season, and he and our offensive line were lights out today,” Wheeler said of Consiglio.

Gates, who accounted for 42 touchdowns this season — including 19 apiece both rushing and receiving — came up with the benchmark play of the game when he took a pitch from senior quarterback Chase Kissell late in the third quarter, found the right side open and sped untouched to the end zone.

“They had a heavy flow on defense the other way, and we ran a counter to the side,” Gates explained. “Taurean gave me a great lead block, Braden sealed the edge for me, and I just got loose.”

After winning its fourth and most recent PIAA Class 1A state championship in 2021, BG had moved up to Class 2A in both of the past two seasons before returning to the Class 1A level this season.

“It feels great to be back on top,” said Gates, who rushed for 101 yards on seven carries Thursday. “We have a bunch of guys on this team, who, at the beginning of the season, knew that we were going to be here again.”

Ear-to-ear grins were sported by every BG player in the aftermath of Thursday’s big game.

“This has been a lifelong dream for me,” said two-way BG sophomore lineman Rocco Cacciotti, who was involved in a team-leading 12 tackles on defense.

Bliss, a workhorse who has rushed for more than 3,300 yards this season, scored all three touchdowns for Port Allegany, while rushing for a game-high 249 yards on 47 carries.

Bliss scored on a 3-yard run late in the second quarter and a 2-yard run with 4:32 left in the third, lifting Port Allegany into a 14-14 tie at that point. He also scored a consolation touchdown on a 19-yard run with just 36 seconds left in the game and rushed for both of Port Allegany’s two-point conversions to account for the Gators’ entire 22 points himself.

“I didn’t have one of my strongest outings today, and I’m not pushing second place because we wanted to win here, but I’m proud of the efforts of all of my teammates and I’m super thankful to be a part of this team,” Bliss said.

Play of the game: Gates’ big touchdown jaunt in the third quarter swung the momentum back into BG’s hands for good.

Players of the game: Consiglio and Bliss both deserved to take a bow.

Unsung heroes: The Marauders’ coaching staff put together an effective offensive game plan to enable the team to cope with the very adverse weather conditions, and BG’s defensive performances and coaching were sound as well, largely holding down a Port Allegany team that had averaged 53 points per game entering Thursday’s game.

Most vital statistic: BG scored three touchdowns in a span of about six minutes late in the third and early in the fourth quarters.

Port Allegany coach Justin Bienkowski: “We didn’t bring our best (performance) today, and (BG) just had more than what we had.”

Notable: Kissell recovered a fumble in the first quarter on defense for BG, which played almost mistake-free football, committing no turnovers and incurring just one penalty for 5 yards.

Final season records: Bishop Guilfoyle (15-1); Port Allegany (14-1).

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Guilfoyle 7 7 14 13 — 41

Port Allegany 0 8 6 8 — 22

First Quarter

BG–Consiglio 12 run (M. Cacciotti kick), 2:07.

Second Quarter

BG–Consiglio 6 run (Carter Boland kick), 7:06.

PA–Bliss 3 run (Bliss run), 1:26.

Third Quarter

PA–Bliss 2 run (run failed), 4:32.

BG–Gates 65 run (M. Cacciotti kick), 3:29.

BG–Consiglio 26 run (Carter Boland kick), 0:09.

Fourth Quarter

BG–Reilly 27 pass from Gates (kick failed), 10:10.

BG–Consiglio 15 run (M. Cacciotti kick), 4:01.

PA–Bliss 19 run (Bliss run), 0:36.

TEAM STATISTICS BG PA

First downs 16 14

Total yards 351 261

Rushes-yards 29-302 53-261

Yards passing 49 0

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 5-7-0 0-3-1

Punts/avg. 2-20.5 2-43.5

Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 1-5 3-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Bishop Guilfoyle, Consiglio 15-160, Gates 7-101, C. Kissell 6-43. TEAM 1(-2). Port Allegany, Bliss 47-249, Veillux 4-20, Fillhart 1-(-1), Wilfong 1-(-7).

PASSING–Bishop Guilfoyle, C. Kissell 4-6-0-22, Gates 1-1-0-27. Port Allegany, Fillhart 0-2-1-0, Wilfong 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING–Bishop Guilfoyle, Consiglio 3-20, Reilly 1-27, Gates 1-2. Port Allegany, None.

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