PIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Snow just fine for Southern Columbia

The Class A champions beat Duquesne, 50-19.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HERSHEY, Pa. -- A cold, stiff wind had fans bundling up in jackets and blankets, flags fluttering atop Hersheypark Stadium and light, fluffy snow blowing across the stands.
Perfect weather for Southern Columbia's dominant running attack.
Henry Hynoski rushed for 271 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries and Southern Columbia's defense dominated Duquesne in the second half in the Tigers' 50-19 win on Friday to gain their fourth straight Class A state championship.
"This really complements my running style," the burly fullback said about the wintry conditions. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Hynoski has played a huge role in Southern Columbia's offense all season, and it was no different with the title on the line on a blustery afternoon.
Duquesne narrowed a 14-point deficit to 20-19 thanks in part to two Elijah Fields touchdowns in the last two minutes of the second quarter. But Southern Columbia took the opening kickoff of the second half and went to work with its rushing attack.
Hynoski barreled into the end zone for a 3-yard score on the first drive of the third quarter to help give Southern Columbia an eight-point advantage. Duquesne went three-and-out on its next possession, capped by a punt against the wind from their 30 that traveled just 22 yards.
On Southern Columbia's next drive, quarterback Kyle Connaghan gained six yards on a keeper behind a couple blockers before Hynoski ran off what might have been his best play of the day.
Hynoski took the handoff, barreled through the line of scrimmage and eluded a couple tacklers before Duquesne's Fields and Shon Taylor closed in on him near the goal line.
Hynoski tried to slip around them, then appeared to just drag them down into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown run and a 34-19 lead. Looking frustrated, Taylor took several seconds to get up and shook his head side-to-side.
"The key was the offense, and the line took matters into their hands in the second half," Tigers coach Jim Roth said. "If we score every time we run the ball, it's going to make it tough on the defense."
Fields starred on offense, scoring on a 59-yard run and catching two TD passes as the Dukes kept it close at halftime.
Roth said he told his team at halftime to be more aggressive in trying to tackle Fields. He also had Connaghan shadow him on defense.
Southern Columbia gained 509 yards on the afternoon -- all on the ground off 73 carries.
"We needed to try to get up by a couple scores to take them out of their game," Duquesne coach Patrick Monroe said. "We just couldn't stop them, that's the bottom line."
Franklin Regional 23, Pottsville 13
HERSHEY, Pa. -- Franklin Regional ran out to a big lead, then did just enough and got some lucky breaks to win the state title after their leading rusher went down.
Quarterback Lenny Gallo rushed for a score, Lee Howatneck ran for 99 yards and John Malecki had some big hits on defense as the Panthers defeated Pottsville to win the PIAA Class AAA championship.
Mike Schilling added a 15-yard touchdown run for the Panthers, who had a 20-0 halftime advantage.
But the offense stalled in the second half and after Pottsville got a couple scores, the game wasn't in hand until late in the fourth quarter with Franklin Regional's defense on the field.
With chants of "Defense! Defense!" rising from the crowd on a 2nd-and-7 from the Franklin Regional 46, Pottsville quarterback Jake Wartelia was pressured in the backfield by Malecki before David Hysong took him down for a sack and a 14-yard loss.
On Pottsville's next drive, Cory Buletza dropped a couple passes, including one in which he was wide open just shy of the goal line. And, perhaps fittingly, Malecki had a sack on the game's final play.
Glen Halperin added three field goals for Franklin Regional. Leading rusher Rob Armstrong left the game in the first quarter with what looked like a foot injury.
Armstrong had 2,224 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground coming into the contest, but Howatneck took more of the carries after his departure.
Pottsville found momentum in the second half after getting dominated before halftime. Wartelia found Steve Pilconis for a 4-yard TD reception early in the third quarter to give the Crimson Tide their first points.
Early in the fourth quarter, Andy Buziak ran into the end zone from two yards out as Pottsville cut the lead to 23-13 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
It was a change from the first half, when they were rarely in rhythm.
With Franklin Regional leading 10-0 late in the half, Malecki broke through the line and rushed Wartelia.
The quarterback tried a pass in the flat but defensive back Matt Giugliano lunged for the ball and got an interception at the Pottsville 17.
Two plays later, Schilling scored on a double reverse after sneaking in between two tacklers and then getting a push from teammate Nick Segiel into the end zone for a 17-0 lead.
Malecki ended the first half with a dominating performance. He sacked Wartelia for a big loss but that play was called back because of a face mask penalty on Franklin Regional.
On the next play, he slipped by a couple blockers then rushed up the middle to hit Wartelia for another sack. As the clock ticked down to zero, Malecki led his raised his arms in the air as he walked toward the sideline and heard cheers from the fans.