Pius X Wins 8th in a Row to Advance to District Final

by Jeff Fisher
Pennsylvania High School Football Huddle

Tower City, PA - In Week 11 you can't call a team young anymore.  However, a team made-up of mostly underclassmen (7 seniors, 44 juniors, sophomore and freshman), can come of age with each-and-every snap.

Saturday night in the District 11 Class A playoffs, the third-seed Pius X Royals, who are part of my season-long feature at my other website High School Football America, grew-up in a hurry with a come-from-behind win over #2 seed Williams Valley in enemy territory.

Riding the arms and legs of 14-year old freshman quarterback AJ Long, the Royals outscored Williams Valley 42-35 to advance to next Saturday's district final against top-seed Schuylkill Valley, which beat Shenandoah Valley 29-14.

Long amassed 421 yards in total offense with 357 yards through the air and 64 on the ground. Long, who completed passes to seven different receivers, was 22 of 34 with four touchdowns.

Junior receiver Matt Camilletti, who caught six of Long's completions, became the Royals all-time leading receiver. Camilletti, who now has 120 career receptions, passed Wade Williams (Class of '08), who had 115 catches in three seasons. Williams was a two-time 1st Team All-Stater during his career in Roseto.

The Royals, who have now won eight straight after an 0-3 start, trailed 35-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Pius tied the game at 35 when Long connected with Josh LaBar on a 26-yard touchdown pass. They then took the lead with 5:51 to go in the game when Long tossed his four touchdown pass to George Dalessandro on a 76 yard catch-and-run.

The game was iced when linebacker Adrian Bernard sacked Viking quarterback Mason Shomper with a little over a minute to play.

To learn more about the Royals' 2010 season, go to High School Football America at www.highschoolfootballamerica.com.

Pennsylvania High School Football Scores
Saturday, November 13, 2010

Playoffs/Districts

Class AAAA
Harrisburg  75  Penn Manor  28
Northeast  13  George Washington  6
State College  35  Erie Strong Vincent  7

Class AAA
Archbishop Wood  24  Cardinal O'Hara  7
Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg)  45  Kennard-Dale  24
Dobbins-Randolph AVTS  13  Roxborough  12
Springfield (Delco)  56  Bishop Shanahan  49
West Scranton  49  Dallas  27


Class AA
Bok  46  Communications Tech  7
Brookville  14  Montineau  7
General McLane  63  Greenville  14
Hickory  40  Fairview  3
Huntingdon  42  Chestnut Ridge  20
Martinsburg Central  26  Ligonier Valley  14
Northern Lehigh  34  Jim Thorpe  19
North Schuylkill  35  Pen Argyl  23
Sharon  28  Girard  7
West Philadelphia Catholic  56  Delaware Valley Charter  8
Wilmington  14  North East  0


Class A
Bishop Carroll  28  Homer-Center  14
North Bedford  28  Conemaugh Twp.  7
Pius X 42 Williams Valley 35
Portage  43  Juniata Valley  28
Schuylkill Haven 29 Shenandoah Valley 14