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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy football team has been at or near the top of the various PIAA Class 1A rankings all season long, but Marauders coach Justin Wheeler and his players don't pay too much attention to the rankings.
"I think that every week, we're going to get the opposing team's best attempt,'' Wheeler said. "It doesn't matter whether we're ranked 1, 2 or 3 -- I think that everybody just wants to beat us, and that's been going on for a while. But that also helps us to prepare.
"None of those polls matter to us,'' Wheeler said. "The only thing that matters is where you are at the end of the season, and hopefully, we can keep doing our thing.''
The Marauders have rolled to an 11-1 record and have won their first two District 6 Class 1A playoff games quite handily, 49-0 two weeks ago and 49-7 last week. BG will square off against an 11-1 Northern Cambria team in the District 6 Class 1A championship game Saturday at Mansion Park Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Northern Cambria -- which suffered its only loss of the season, 21-14 to unbeaten District 6 Class 2A finalist Cambria Heights in October -- advanced to the District 6 Class 1A title game by virtue of a 27-7 semifinal win over Penns Manor last week.
"I think they're a very dynamic team,'' Wheeler said of the Colts, who are making their second appearance in the District 6 Class 1A championship game in three seasons, and won the district title back in 2022. "I think that if they were in the Laurel Highlands (Athletic Conference), they would be one of the top teams in the conversation.
"They're pretty good, and they're balanced offensively,'' Wheeler added. "They've got good skill kids, it's a program that is used to winning, and they've got some kids who believe that they can win. The only game that they lost to is an undefeated Cambria Heights team, which is in the 2A title game. That shows how good that Northern Cambria is. I think that this is going to be a good game for sure.''
The Colts have an outstanding quarterback in senior Ty Dumm, who is a four-year starter on both sides of the ball. Dumm was an offensive starter in his first two varsity seasons at wideout, earning all-state recognition there. He is also a four-year starter on the other side of the ball at safety, and also earned all-state recognition at that spot.
Dumm's combined passing and rushing numbers this season are eye-opening. He has completed 104 of 182 passes for 1,813 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,218 yards on 118 carries and 17 scores.
"He's a gifted, incredible athlete,'' Wheeler said of Dumm. "He's a four-year starter and they've had some good years since he's been on the team, so he's going to be a challenge (to defend). You probably can't stop a kid like him, but you've got to kind of try to limit his big plays, which he makes every week.''
Dumm's favorite receiving targets are senior tight end Caleb Dolney, who has a team-high 34 catches for 728 yards and six touchdowns, sophomore wideout Daniel Farrell (23 receptions for 359 yards and six touchdowns), and junior wideout Malik Fox (17 catches, 381 yards, four touchdowns).
Complementing Dumm in the Colts' rushing attack is senior back Nate Fry, who has run for 343 yards on 60 carries and four touchdowns, while also catching a pair of TD passes. Junior back Gage Shonsky has rushed for 209 yards on 37 carries and two scores.
BG, which has a scoring average of over 40 points a game, brings a ton of offensive firepower and a variety of potent offensive weapons to the table.
"They're very impressive,'' Northern Cambria coach Sam Shutty said of the Marauders. "There are not many weaknesses on their squad in any aspect of the game. They've been pretty much dominating throughout the (Class A district) playoffs, and rightfully so. They're well-coached, they make adjustments on the spot, and their kids are exceptionally athletic and intelligent.
"You can tell that just by seeing how hard they play, and the way that they make changes on the field almost seamlessly in all aspects of the game,'' Shutty added.
BG senior quarterback Chase Kissell, like Dumm, is a dual offensive threat. Kissell has thrown for a very impressive 2,707 yards and 33 touchdowns on 171 completions in 239 passing attempts, while also rushing for 377 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries.
Senior standout Hamilton Gates is a versatile force for BG both as a receiver and a running back. Gates has 72 receptions for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 590 yards and 15 touchdowns on 82 carries.
Senior wideout Braden Reilly has made 48 catches for 706 yards and nine touchdowns for BG, while junior running back Taurean Consiglio has rushed for 940 yards on 105 carries and 10 scores, and has also caught 18 passes, including two for touchdowns.
Kissell's younger brother Jake, a junior wideout, has 20 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns for a big-play BG offense that has scored at least 40 points in eight of its 12 games this season, and which creates matchup challenges for every defense that it faces.
"They do so many things so well and I think that the key to the game for us will lie in trying to stop their big plays,'' Shutty said of the Marauders. "All of their plays can potentially be big plays, and they've made so many of them, so stopping them will be a tall task. But I think that we need to make them drive the field against us as opposed to making the one big play that they have been used to making quite a bit.''
After competing at the Class 2A level for the past two seasons - and winning the District 6 championship at that level two years ago - the Marauders are back at the Class 1A level this season. They've dominated in Class 1A over the past decade, winning four state championships and making five appearances in the state title game at that level between 2014 and 2021.
The Marauders' rugged regular-season schedule against a Laurel Highlands Conference slate that is loaded with Class 2A and Class 3A teams has prepared BG for playoff competition every season.
"Our offense is really clicking now both running and throwing,'' Wheeler said. "When you're playing bigger schools all year, you get into some real tough battles, and I think it has been good for both our coaches and our kids.
"Every week, we're facing a team in our conference that is pretty good, so we've had to get better every week,'' Wheeler added. "We've been fortunate to stay healthy, and our schedule during the season really helps us when playoff time rolls around.''
District 6 Class 1A championship game
Teams: Northern Cambria (11-1), Bishop Guilfoyle (11-1).
Where: Mansion Park Stadium.
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Coaches/career records: Northern Cambria's Sam Shutty, 61-48; Bishop Guilfoyle's Justin Wheeler, 144-39.
Last week: Northern Cambria defeated Penns Manor, 27-7 in the semifinal round, while Bishop Guilfoyle defeated Claysburg-Kimmel, 49-7.
Who they get: The winner plays the winner of Friday's state playoff game between Windber and Westinghouse in a PIAA quarterfinal-round matchup next weekend.