Defense dominant as Archbishop Wood rolls past Hollidaysburg in PIAA 5A quarterfinals

HERSHEY >> Archbishop Wood defensive lineman Luke Stengel and the rest of the defense went into halftime Friday very happy with how they were playing.

The Vikings defensive unit had every right to be happy, seeing as it had just held Hollidaysburg to five total yards of offense in the first half. After the game, the defense was a little upset it had allowed the Golden Tigers to score but if it was any solace, that had come long after Wood had made its point.

A crushing defensive effort led the Vikings to a 38-7 win over Hollidaysburg in their PIAA 5A quarterfinal game Friday at Milton Hershey School.

“We knew they had a strong run game, but we have a strong run defense so we thought it would be a good matchup,” Wood defensive end Bill Cook said. “Every game, we’re going out there trying to keep a zero on the board. We haven’t done it yet, but we’re always looking to shut everyone out and give our offense that opportunity.”

Things couldn’t have started better for Wood. Hollidaysburg opted to defer to the second half and kicked off to start the game, only for Wood safety Ryan DiVergilis return the kick 54 yards. On the first snap of the game, Tom Sanitago ran 40 yards for a touchdown and Wood led 7-0.

“There was a wide open hole, great job by the kick return team, so I made a move and went out to the sideline with it,” DiVergilis said.

That was as close as Hollidaysburg would get the rest of the game. After allowing a nine-yard run on the Tigers’ first play, the Vikings forced a punt to get the ball back then scored on a four-yard run by Cardel Pigford.

Wood’s defense then imposed its will on the game. On the following Hollidaysburg drive, Stengel stuffed a first down run for no gain, then dropped a runner three yards behind the line on second down. The Tigers tried a screen pass on third down, which was completed but the runner dropped immediately for George Mazzacano for no gain.

“We were a lot faster than them up front, so we kept beating them off the ball,” Stengel said. “Since the (St. Joe’s) Prep game, we didn’t play very well that day so we looked at everything we messed up and having been working to improve ever since.”

Hollidaysburg, helped by a couple penalties against Wood, held on the next drive but even that worked out in the Vikings’ favor when Ryan Woertz downed the punt at the Tigers’ one-yard line. The defense took the field thinking safety but got maybe the next best thing.

A host of players including Dylan Urbanowski swarmed to the ball on a run, jarring it loose with Kevin Otto recovered at the Hollidaysburg four-yard line.

“That was huge, it just boosted the whole team,” Cook said. “This was the best week of practice we’ve had so far and we can just keep getting better.”

Wood got a 25-yard Bob Hennessey field goal off the turnover, then forced another punt with Colin Murt picking up a third down sack for a six-yard loss. A good return allowed Santiago to carry twice, scoring on a three-yard run, to increase the Vikings lead.

Stengel added to the sack total with a third down stop for a five-yard loss to end the next Hollidaysburg drive, forcing yet another punt. The Vikings turned that stop into another scoring drive, capping it off with a six-yard drive by Leroy Pendleton.

Aside from causing havoc defensively, Stengel is on Wood’s offensive line and helped clear paths for the runners all game. The Vikings lost standout left tackle Connor Bishop to an ankle injury in the first quarter, but although he sat the rest of the game, it didn’t slow Wood’s rushing attack.

“We have a very versatile group, we can play anywhere on the line,” Stengel said. “I feel like Tom and Chris (Blackstone) played really well, they saw a little hole and just took it. They made a lot happen down the field.”

The Vikings went into the half up 31-0 and had a 232-5 advantage in total yards of offense. Of course, the defense wasn’t done.

Hollidaysburg got the opening kick of the second half and had managed to move the ball for the first time all game, getting across midfield and then to Wood’s 17. Urbanowski dropped quarterback Brody Walters for a two-yard loss on second down, then DiVergilis, an outfielder on Wood’s baseball team, tracked down a fly ball for an interception.

“I saw his shoulders turned and just went for it, honestly,” DiVergilis said. “We played good, solid defense all around. Our goal was to get a shutout, we didn’t get that but we still played outstanding on defense.

“We’re communicating more and playing as more of a unit on defense.”

Jack Colyar connected to Jake Ross for a 51-yard touchdown three plays later and Wood had itself a running clock the rest of the day.

Santiago finished with 103 rushing yards, Chris Blackstone had 91 on the ground and Pigford chipped in 25 to pace Wood’s ground attack. Colyar didn’t have huge numbers but completed 5-of-7 passes for 74 yards and a score.

Wood will face West Allegheny or Penn Hills in the semifinals with the two District 7 schools meeting Friday night.

“We’re always trying to beat down our opponent, we don’t want them to score,” Stengel said. “Today they did, but we still feel really good about how we played and in getting a win.”