Manheim Central made it a rough night for Upper Dublin
Asked if Manheim Central was the best team he and his Upper Dublin teammates faced this year, Cardinal quarterback Mike Slivka said: “Definitely. We could have beaten anyone,” he said. “I just think they got off to a good start and we just had our heads down. We didn’t get out of the hole.”
The Barons jumped out to a 14-0 lead and went on to a 34-12 victory in the PIAA-5A State Semifinal contest at Wissahickon High School Friday night.
It was a tremendous run for the Cardinals (12-2), who reached the state semis for the second time in the program’s history. They just had a rough night against one of the tougher opponents around.
Manheim Central (14-0) blocked two punts and took the ball away twice. But for a stretch of time late in the second quarter, Upper Dublin seemed to be surging back into the contest.
The Cardinals took possession at the Baron 49. Soon after, Slivka threw to Lucas Roselli for a gain of 15, and Upper Dublin was on its way.
With a strong Upper Dublin following roaring in the stands, Slivka threw to Jason Scott for 13 and then a Mike Alstott-like run by Mason Novak saw the 5-foot-9, 200-pound fullback barrel through defenders for 14, down to the Baron 12.
After being sacked on third down, Slivka reached down deep.
“Fourth and 13, and you just gotta make something happen,” he said. “I just threw it up to (Scott) and lucky enough, a defender tips it up in the air and (Scott) catches it. We just walked off the field, hoping to get a break our way.”
Upper Dublin had drawn within 14-6. But more misfortune came the Cardinals’ way.
Colby Wagner streaked down the field with the ensuing kickoff, setting up Manheim Central for a 45-yard touchdown drive just before the half, widening the gap to 21-6.
“It was just a killer. You think you have a chance and then…just killer,” Slivka said.
Things got out of reach for the Cardinals after the break but still, they battled right to the finish, scoring the final points of the night on a Slivka-to-Roselli hookup.
Manheim Central didn’t let the dynamic Roselli get going on the ground.
“We had a lot of draws set up when they spread out but we couldn’t really run anything when we were 3rd-and-Long or down by 20 points and stuff like that,” Slivka said. “So they had us jammed up and had our receivers locked up. So I couldn’t really find anyone and made a couple bad decisions.”
Slivka, a junior, completed passes to five different targets Friday night, including sophomore Micah Bootman (3-for-38). Both return next year for the Cards.
