Upper Dublin stopped in PIAA 5A semifinals by Manheim Central

LOWER GWYNEDD >> It would prove to be Upper Dublin’s final offensive play of the night: running back Lucas Roselli gathered in a short pass from quarterback Mike Slivka, made a quick cut to evade a defender, and then darted into the end zone.

One final moment for the District One Champs…

“It was a really good run,” Roselli said of the Cardinals’ journey through the Class 5A bracket. “I wish we could still be playing.”

A remarkable season for Upper Dublin came to a close against Manheim Central Friday night, as the Barons won 34-12 to advance to the PIAA final against Penn Hills.

“We lost to a good football team tonight,” said Cardinals coach Bret Stover, who guided his team to the state semis in 2015 (4A) and again this fall. “And we didn’t play our ‘A’ game unfortunately. You always wanna play your best game in these games and we just didn’t. They forced us out of our ‘A’ game.

“They didn’t give us anything we didn’t expect, on either side of the ball. They just did it better than we saw on film.”

Manheim Central will face Penn Hills, which dethroned two-time defending state champ Archbishop Wood, 20-13.

“I’m just so happy. It means so much, to the team and the program,” said Barons two-way standout Tyler Flick of moving on.

Flick rushed for 87 yards and a score and cut an even more menacing figure on defense. The linebacker was part of a swarming Central defense that squeezed Slivka’s pocket tight all evening long.

“Mike was on the run all night,” Stover said. “They brought the house and they’re very athletic.”

Manheim Central’s defense didn’t allow a first down until midway through the second quarter. By then, the Barons had built up a 14-0 lead, courtesy of a Flick TD (four yards) and a five-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Evan Simon.

Simon threw for 180 yards and a pair of scores and also rushed for 75 and a touchdown.

Then came a scary moment.

Upper Dublin’s long snapper, Jackson Rock, was down motionless on the field following an Upper Dublin punt. Rock left the field on a stretcher, but regained consciousness and was pumping his fists, trying to fire up his teammates on the Upper Dublin sideline.

The Cardinals scored on their next possession, using an 11-play drive to navigate 49 yards, reaching the end zone on a 15-yard hookup from Slivka to Jason Scott.

Scott caught a deflected pass in the end zone, on a 4th-and-13. The Cardinals did not convert on the two-point attempt, leaving the score 14-6.

The touchdown looked to be a big boost for Upper Dublin going into the half, but the Barons got a long kickoff return by Colby Wagner, setting up Manheim Central at the Upper Dublin 45.

The Barons needed just five plays, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Simon to Ben Wagner. Manheim Central went into the half in firm control, up 21-6.

“They settled things down whereas if it’s 14-6, and we’re getting the ball coming out of the half, it’s a whole different mindset,” Stover said.

Simon stayed hot in the third quarter, hitting Will Rivers along the sideline, and then Rivers broke a pair of tackles and raced out of a crowd, pulling away to a 78-yard score that widened the gap to 28-6. Central added two field goals to put the game out of reach.

But Upper Dublin (12-2) battled late into the fourth, using a nine-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by Roselli’s nifty burst into the end zone.

Said Stover: “These kids held up. They didn’t back down from anybody.”

Rock was up and about by game’s end, returning to his team on the sideline.