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Hollidaysburg accomplished something no Golden Tiger football team before it achieved Friday night with a 24-23 win over Abington Heights that hiked its record to 13-0.
Its opponent this Friday, District 12 champion Roman Catholic, has also made school history this season. The Cahillite (Roman Catholic's unique nickname which comes from its founder) just won their first PIAA playoff game.
"It's been really good as far as the process, which is what we always focus on," Roman Catholic coach Rick Prete said. "That's our deal -- every day we put the work in. This has been the culmination of something that has been going on for six years of being relentless in our practice habits and approach to the game. To see that all come together has been good. We understand we're still nowhere near where we need to be, and it only gets harder, so we haven't had time to sit back and think about accomplishments when we're still trying to get better."
Behind a lot of that success is junior quarterback Semaj Beals.
"Their quarterback has (26) offers between Penn State, Nebraska, Colorado, Ohio State, Alabama -- he's pretty good," Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "He's only a junior. It's not a secret that he's a top quarterback in the state. It's a great challenge for us, but this group of kids has played a lot of really good football teams over the years. They have played teams that played in and won state title games, so we're very familiar with the type of play we're going to see on Friday."
Prete said Beals' best quality is his intelligence.
"He's a tremendous quarterback and just a very cerebral kid," Prete said. "He gives us the opportunity and capacity to entrust him with the offense and get us to where we need to be. He, along with our offensive coordinator Marcus Hammond, do a tremendous job with our offense. Obviously, he has a really good surrounding cast that helps him shine too."
Roman Catholic is coming off a 41-13 win over East Stroudsburg South.
"They are obviously very fast and athletic in all positions," DeLattre said. "Their skill positions have numerous legitimate Division I-caliber players that are starting on both sides of the ball."
Hollidaysburg has proven itself against the best in the state before, however, and has four players with at least 29 catches and a running back in Mitchell Baronner who needs just 21 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
"They are a tough bunch that are coached up really well," Prete said. "The first thing that stands out is how good they are on special teams. They have a lot of detail to their specials, and that's a unit that we're spending a lot of time on. They are a gritty group of kids that play hard. They get into a spread look that can cause some problems and do some good things out of that which we need to get ready for this week."
DeLattre said the Golden Tigers' independent schedule has prepared them for Friday's game at John Frederick Field in Mechanicsburg.
"I think they have great confidence," DeLattre said. "Last year, we played six state quarterfinalists. Some of the teams in this year's state playoffs we were neck-and-neck with over the last couple years. We know what it takes to compete at that higher level. We played Cathedral Prep last year, which is a perennial state-championship-type team. I think that's why our kids are confident and know they can play at this level."
No matter what the final score is Friday, Hollidaysburg has built on the school's football legacy this season.
"I think, regardless of what happens on Friday, this is one of the best football teams ever to play at Hollidaysburg in over a century of playing football," DeLattre said. "No doubt they are a very good group of kids that come from great families. Their character is at a high level, and that's what makes them great football players."