MECHANICSBURG — It was the same round of the PIAA playoffs, same location, the same team and the same result for the second year in a row for Hollidaysburg.

Against a team filled with Division I talent seemingly everywhere, Hollidaysburg was outmatched against Roman Catholic out of Philadelphia. The Tigers trailed 48-0 at halftime, allowing two punt returns for touchdowns in the first quarter alone in a 55-20 loss to the Cahillites in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals at John H. Frederick Field.

Hollidaysburg lost to Roman Catholic, 48-14, last season at the same venue. Roman Catholic went on to reach the state final where it fell to Bishop McDevitt, 34-31, in overtime.

“I think they’re a better football team than last year,” Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. “They’re the total package. They can run the football, the offensive line is great, their defense is extremely fast. They’re a great football team and I wish them the best of luck.”

Roman Catholic quarterback and Akron commit Semaj Beals only played in the first half along with the rest of the starters. But Beals did plenty of damage in just those 24 minutes of football, going 6-for-7 passing for 201 yards and four touchdowns.

“He makes it run, but their athleticism on the perimeter and ability to run the football helps any quarterback be successful,” DeLattre said. “He’s a great player.”

Beals set up the offense lightning-fast throughout the night, only needing a couple minutes of game-time to complete drives.

The Cahillites’ were also superb on special teams with two different punt returners taking back kicks for touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Chris Cook took one for 66 yards to the house, while Justus Gaskin took the other for 87 yards.

Despite not getting going until the game was well out of hand, the Tigers’ Carter Muth finished his season in a big way with 26 carries for 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Plays of the game: Both punt return touchdowns were enough evidence that Roman Catholic’s speed was too much for Hollidaysburg.

Player of the game: Beals looked to be every bit of the Division I product that he is in limited action. He finished with 201 yards passing and four touchdown passes, and only needed seven attempts to do it.

Unsung heroes: Beals is far from the only Cahillite that you will find playing major college football in the future. All of his receivers may be joining him at the next level. Also give a nod to Roman Catholic defensive backs that made it close to impossible for Hollidaysburg to throw it down the field.

Hidden statistic: Despite being down 48-0 at halftime, the Tigers ran more than twice as many plays than Roman Catholic did in the first half. Hollidaysburg had 44 plays, while Roman Catholic had just 18 plays. Credit the punt return TDs for the surprise stat.

Most vital statistic: Roman Catholic had 299 yards of total offense on those 18 plays in the first half.

Roman Catholic coach Rick Prete: “I think (Beals) is the best quarterback in Pennsylvania. I think he shows it time and time again. As coaches, we don’t get a chance to enjoy it because we’re just coaching the errors we see. But we’re definitely fortunate to have him.”

DeLattre: “This game will not define our season. I told them that at halftime. I told them that just now. I’m super proud to be their coach. That was the most fun I’ve had coaching in 29 years, and it’s because of their attitude and effort, and the way they came to practice every day. They’re going to be great people.”

Muth: “They are really good. They’re offensively and defensively sound. They’re a good ball team, and we just didn’t play to our full potential tonight.”

Notable: The game was paused for about 15 minutes in the first quarter after a member of the chain gang was involved in a collision on the sidelines. The official was taken off the field on a stretcher, but raised his hands as he was being wheeled off. … Hollidaysburg’s Kayden McCrystal picked off Beals in his only pass attempt that wasn’t completed. … Tiger quarterback Cole DeLattre got a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter in his final game in a Hollidaysburg uniform.

Records: Roman Catholic (10-3); Hollidaysburg (13-1).

Next week: Roman Catholic will face Springfield-Delco in the semifinals next week. Springfield-Delco beat Chester in the District 1 championship, 34-12, on Friday.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Roman Catholic 27 21 7 0 — 55

Hollidaysburg 0 0 14 6 — 20

First Quarter

RC–Montgomery 41 run (Pollack kick), 8:18.

RC–Roberts 16 pass from Beals (Pollack kick), 3:38.

RC–Cook 66 punt return (kick failed), 1:57.

RC–Gaskin 87 punt return (Levine kick), :0.0.

Second Quarter

RC–Stead 85 pass from Beals (Levine kick), 7:44.

RC–Roberts 26 pass from Beals (Levine kick), 6:36.

RC–Cook 16 pass from Beals (Levine kick), 1:00.

Third Quarter

H–Muth 20 run (Walters kick), 5:34.

RC–Ali-Ward 50 pass from Hawkins (Beasley kick), 2:04.

H–Muth 51 run (Peters kick), :47.8.

Fourth Quarter

H–DeLattre 13 run (kick failed), 7:34.

TEAM STATISTICS RC H

First downs 15 12

Total yards 401 286

Rushes-yards 26-139 51-263

Yards passing 262 23

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 9-12-1 2-11-1

Punts-avg. 2-21.5 4-43.3

Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-2

Penalties-yards 6-50 3-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Roman Catholic, Montgomery 8-84, Hawkins 6-24, Sheed 5-20, Gianeruso 5-12, Garner 1-5, Ali-Ward 1-(-6). Hollidaysburg, Muth 26-194, DeLattre 17-33, Snyder 4-22, Vent 2-10, Garlick 2-4.

PASSING–Roman Catholic, Beals 6-7-201-4-1; Hawkins 3-5-61-1. Hollidaysburg, DeLattre 2-11-23-0-1.

RECEIVING–Roman Catholic, Stead 1-85, Roberts 3-65, Ali-Ward 2-56, Montgomery 1-35, Cook 1-16, Bass 1-5. Hollidaysburg, Banks 1-26, Stultz 1-(-3).