UPPER PROVIDENCE — The Bishop Shanahan football team had taken its lumps against Pope John Paul II the last few years, including three one-sided losses and one earlier this season when the Eagles managed to stay in the game until the end despite four turnovers.
But the tables were turned in Friday night’s District 1-4A championship contest as visiting Shanahan forced a fumble and intercepted four passes and its running game was nearly unstoppable in a 42-21 win.
As a result, the Eagles (8-4) are district champions for the first time since 2021 and will head to the PIAA Class 4A Tournament and a first-round game against undefeated North Pocono, a 38-6 winner over Dallas in the District 2 final.
Senior quarterback Anthony Aquila ran for 282 yards and three touchdowns, Nate Bracken rushed for 111 yards and a score and Aiden Civitella gained 83 yards on the ground and scored twice as No. 2 seed Shanahan racked up 481 rushing yards on 51 attempts.
Taurus Dozier passed for 134 yards for PJP (10-2), which had won the district title the past two years.
“It means a lot,” said Aquila, who ran through big holes opened up by the offensive lines and squirmed through smaller ones, while carrying the ball 26 times and scoring on runs of 8, 81 and 67 yards. “We all knew we deserved it this year. We have 25 seniors, a bunch of hungry kids. We all knew we had to come out and play smart football, take control of the ball.”
“Tonight we knew we just had to be ourselves,” said Bracken, who fought for every yard he could get on his 18 rushing attempts. “Everyone did their job. It was a team effort.”
The Eagle defense knocked the ball away from Brandon DeAngelo (50 yards rushing, TD; 4 receptions, 64 yards) after an early 41-yard gain. Civitella intercepted a pass and returned it to the PJP 10 yard line midway through the quarter and Aquila opened the scoring on an 8-yard run two plays later.
The No. 1 seed Golden Panthers closed the gap to 14-7 late in the quarter when DeAngelo took a pitch on a reverse and sped 50 yards into the end zone. But that was the last score for PJP until two late touchdowns after the Eagles had run out to a 42-7 advantage and started the running clock with nine minutes left in the contest.
“They had our number until tonight,” said Bishop Shanahan coach Paul Meyers, whose team had lost to PJP 28-21 in Week 4 this year and 46-0 in last year’s district final. “We were fortunate to beat a team that’s very good.”
An 8-yard run by Civitella late in the half and Aquila’s 81-yard burst early in the third quarter made it 28-7. Then the Panthers controlled the ball for nearly five minutes and gained 52 yards on 12 plays to the Shanahan 16, but four straight incomplete passes ended the threat.
Then the Eagles controlled the ball for five minutes, marching 84 yards, with Bracken running in from the two just 20 seconds into the fourth quarter for a 35-7 margin.
Aquila followed with his 67-yard TD run less than three minutes later to start the running clock. A 69-yard return of the ensuing kickoff by Kassidy Jackson (PJP’s leading rusher with 67 yards) and a 1-yard pass from Dozier to Dylan Skarbek wrapped up the scoring with a half a minute to go.
Daniel Keenan, Aquila and Bracken also intercepted passes to help disrupt the PJP offense, which had 165 rushing yards to go with the 134 though the air.
The Eagles averaged 9.4 yards per carry.
“That was our game plan coming into it,” said Aquila. “Our linemen stepped up big-time today. All credit to them. We live and die with the offensive line. The second half, we came out firing.”
“It wouldn’t be anything without them,” said Bracken, who refused to be taken down while averaging over six yards per try. “You just have to keep the legs pumping.”
“Bracken doesn’t go down on the first hit,” added Meyers. “He and Aquila are a 1-2 punch.”
Now the Eagles will try to match or better the 2021 team, which advanced to the state semifinals.
“They’ve been living in the shadow of the 2021 team,” said Meyers. “They wanted it.
“It means a lot,” Aquila said concerning the district title. “It gives us momentum going into states.”
Bracken said the team will go back to work on Saturday.
“We’re going to enjoy this for tonight,” he said. “Get back to work tomorrow and focus on whoever we’re going to play.”
Meanwhile, the young PJP squad will take what it learned into next season.
“Our offensive line had all first year starters except one and we had a freshman quarterback,” said Golden Panther coach Darrell Scott. “You get a lot of lessons when you lose. You can’t turn the ball over five times in a playoff game. (Shanahan) got its running game going. Kudos to them. They showed their experience tonight.
“We had eight seniors on the team. I’m proud of those kids and how they competed this year. They fought all year long. I can’t be upset with the kids.”
Bishop Shanahan 42, Pope John Paul II 21
Bishop Shanahan 14 7 7 14 – 42
Pope John Paul II 7 0 0 14 – 21
BS-Aquila 8 run (DeBellis kick)
BS-Civitella 70 run (DeBellis kick)
PJP-DeAngelo 50 run (Jordan kick)
BS-Civitella 8 run (DeBellis kick)
BS-Aquila 81 run (DeBellis kick)
BS-Bracken 2 run (DeBellis kick)
BS-Aquila 67 run (DeBellis kick)
PJP-Jackson 69 kickoff return (Jordan kick)
PJP-Skarbek 1 pass from Dozier (Jordan kick)
Team Stats
BS PJP
First Downs 16 13
Yards Rushing 481 165
Yards Passing 15 134
Total Yards 496 299
Passes C-A-I 2-7-0 12-24-4
Fumbles 1-1 2-0
Penalties-Yds 8-70 6-31
Punts-Avg 4-32.0 3-22.7
Individual Stats
Rushing: BS- Aquila 26-282, 3 TD; Bracken 18-111, TD; Civitella 6-83, 2 TD; Keenan 1-5; Totals 51-481, 6 TD; PJP- Jackson 10-67; DeAngelo 2-50, TD; Dozier 11-48; Skarbek 2-0; Totals 25-165, TD
Passing: BS- Aquila 2-7-15; PJP- Dozier 12-24-134, TD, 4 INT
Receiving: BS- Civitella 1-10; Keenan 1-5; Totals 2-15; PJP- DeAngelo 4-64; Edwards-Boone 4-32; Skarbek 3-29, TD; DiGiacomo 1-9; Totals 12-134, TD
Interceptions: BS- Civitella, Keenan, Aquila, Bracken
Source: Berkshire mont