PIAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Southern Columbia wins first state title

Hopewell ground out a 21-10 win over Strath Haven for the Class AAA title.
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) -- This is how Southern Columbia always thought it should end.
Matt Murdock caught an interception and a 49-yard touchdown pass from Mark Wojtowicz in the second quarter as the Tigers beat Rochester 31-6 in the PIAA Class A championship game Friday.
"I had an opening coming off the line on a post pattern, and Mark threw it right on the money," Murdock said of his touchdown catch. "Our game plan from the beginning was to mix up the pass and the run, and we stayed with that plan and it worked."
Southern Columbia (13-2) had reached the championship game in eight of the last nine seasons, missing out only in 1997. But this was the Tigers' first title since 1994, when they beat Western Beaver 49-6.
"To finally get it like this, against Rochester, this is the most enjoyable way to do it," Southern Columbia coach Jim Roth said.
Changing fortunes
Rochester (12-3) is the team that denied Southern Columbia in three of the last four years.
The Rams, who beat Southern Columbia in the 1998, 2000 and 2001 title games, could have been just the third team to win three consecutive state championships.
Chad Sober had the first interception for the Tigers, picking off Jeff Peternel-Gitts on the first play of the second quarter. But the Tigers couldn't convert.
Minutes later, Murdock had his 16th career interception, giving the Tigers the ball on the Rochester 32-yard line.
A 10-yard pass to Brandon Traugh and a penalty helped to get Southern Columbia into scoring position, and Ryan Slater punched it in from the 1 for a 7-0 lead with 6:19 left in the half.
After forcing a punt, Southern Columbia got the ball back on its own 23. Mark Wojtowicz ran a quarterback keeper on a daring fourth-and-1 play, getting a first down on the Rochester 49.
On the next play he threw over the defense to Murdock on a post pattern, and Murdock ran untouched into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
"He's been a great offensive player for us all year," said Roth, who moved Murdock from wide receiver to halfback midway through the season. "When we moved him to the backfield, he has caught as many passes there as he did as a wide receiver, but it's much harder for other teams to defend him."
Wojtowicz completed passes to Slater and Ryan Hall before throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Kale Roth for a 21-0 halftime lead.
Hopewell 21, Strath Haven 10
Hopewell didn't reach the PIAA Class AAA championship game by passing the ball. Once they got there, they weren't about to start.
With zero passing yards, Mike Bruce rushed for two touchdowns and Paul Posulszny ran for a third for its first state championship.
"We believe in what we do here, and that's not passing the ball," Hopewell coach David Vestal said. "Our offensive line came off the ball, and it was unbelievable. They couldn't stop us."
Hopewell (14-1) led 7-3 in the third quarter when Bruce burst through the line of scrimmage, then sprinted 44 yards to give the Vikings a first-and-10 on the Strath Haven 13-yard line.
Two plays later, Bruce went through the middle again, muscling his way 6 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 10:56 left in the third quarter.
It was Hopewell's first time playing in the state championship game. Strath Haven (14-1) was runner-up last year and won the AAA title in 1999 and 2000.
Lenny Carter ran 10 yards on a sweep around the left side to bring the Panthers within 14-10 midway through the third quarter.
But Bruce answered with another strong push through the middle, scoring on a 4-yard run to make it 21-10 with 2:15 left in the third.