Bishop Shanahan takes on McDevitt in the state semifinals

There is just one area football team left in the quest to claim a PIAA championship. The Bishop Shanahan Eagles take on 15-time District 3 champion, Bishop McDevitt, tonight at Coatesville High School at 7 p.m. The winner earns a trip to next Thursday’s PIAA Final.

Bishop Shahahan is coming off a 35-25 win over Valley View in the 4A quarterfinal round while Bishop McDevitt downed Lampeter-Strasburg 7-0 to earn this trip to the Eastern Final. Here is a look at tonight’s matchup:

Bishop McDevitt (12-1) vs Bishop Shanahan (11-3)

Bishop McDevitt is a high-powered team with skilled athletes on both sides the football. The Crusaders average 61 points per game this season and have scored over 70 points twice, over 60 points five times and over 50 points nine times.

On defense, the Crusaders have pitched five shutouts and have a very impressive front four. The only loss for the Crusaders came in the opening week the season to 6A power, LaSalle, 21-0.

Freshman quarterback Stone Saunders has completed over 65 percent of his passes and has five Division 1 college offers already including one from the University of Michigan. Saunders is 6-foot-3 and he has a big time arm that can stretch a defense with the long pass.

Running back Marquese Williams has over 1,110 yards and he rolled up 117 yards the 7-0 win over Lampeter-Strasburg last week. Fullback Cyncir Bowers is a good blocker and he can get the tough yards between the tackles.

Defensively, the Crusaders defense is very big up front, averaging 275 pounds per man. McDevitt loves to rush the quarterback and that means the Eagles dual-threat signal caller, Cooper Jordan, will have to make plays with his feet which Jordan is very capable of doing.

Jordan ran for 61 rushing yards and threw for another 130 in the 35-25 win over Valey View. Running backs Colin McGrory, Simi Whitehill and fullback Brandon Choi are going to have to find some yardage on the ground to keep the Crusaders from teeing off on Jordan. Jordan has 25 passing touchdowns this season and he can also scramble effectively to make plays out of nothing.

The Bishop Shanahan defense came up with a big goal line stop against Valley View last week and the strength of the Eagles’ defense is their front four of Charles Adams, Liam Blakely, Dylan Jones and Kenny Daniels. This is where the game will likely be decided as the Eagles are going to have to get some pressure on Saunders, and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. The Eagles’ run defense is very good and should be able to handle the Crusaders’ running game.

Bishop Shanahan 28, Bishop McDevitt 24