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High School Football: Lampeter-Strasburg faces Bishop McDevitt in District 3 Class 4A title game

The Pioneers are chasing their third straight district title, but they'll face a huge challenge against the top-seeded Crusaders, who host the game Friday night.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Note: The video is from Nov. 19.

They've been on a collision course since the playoffs began -- and, let's face it: probably for most of the regular season.

Friday night, two-time defending District 3 Class 4A champion Lampeter-Strasburg will take on top-seeded perennial title contender Bishop McDevitt for the district crown. 

It's the first time in 10 years that these storied programs have met in the district finals. McDevitt defeated L-S 28-14 in the 2011 Class 3A final during a run of six straight titles for the Crusaders.

L-S has won back-to-back district titles and is seeking its fourth championship overall. The Crusaders are chasing the 15th title in program history, and their first since 2018.

Let's take a closer look at Friday's matchup.

Lampeter-Strasburg (11-1) at Bishop McDevitt (10-1)

Friday, 7 p.m. at Rocco Ortenzio Stadium

ABOUT L-S: The Pioneers booked their third straight visit to the title game with a 31-0 rout of Kennard-Dale in last Friday's semifinal. It was the 11th straight victory for L-S, whose only loss was a 45-22 setback at Warwick in the season opener. 

Against K-D, the Pioneers got an efficient performance from quarterback Berkeley Wagner, who threw for a pair of touchdowns and 80 yards on four-of-nine passing and added 45 yards and another score on the ground. 

That was more than enough for the L-S defense, which held K-D to 98 total yards -- including just 76 on the ground -- and forced a pair of turnovers. 

The Pioneers forced a shutout for the fifth time this season. Only Warwick and Garden Spot have managed to find the end zone more than twice against L-S this year.

L-S loves to share the ball with multiple players on offense, but Wagner is the guy that makes everything go. The senior QB has completed 79 of 144 passes for 1,435 yards and 18 touchdowns, and leads the team in rushing with 799 yards and 15 scores on 130 carries.

The Pioneers have six players that have logged at least 20 carries, and three that have caught at least 10 passes. Giovannia Malatesta, Jonathan Mellinger, and Payton Cunningham have combined for 1,426 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground, while Beau Heyser and Malatesta are Wagner's top receiving options, with 36 combined catches, 741 total receiving yards, and 10 TDs between them.

L-S averages 381 yards of offense per game, while its defense allows 182 yards per game. The Pioneers have outscored their opponents 519-115 this season, and have scored at least 30 points in eight straight games.

Last year, the Pioneers won their second straight district title and advanced to the state semifinals, where they bowed out with a 39-35 loss to Jersey Shore. 

In 2019, L-S defeated McDevitt 30-27 in the district semifinals, knocked off Berks Catholic 35-21 in the district title game, and lost to eventual champ Thomas Jefferson in the state semifinals.

The Pioneers have won three district championships overall. 

ABOUT MCDEVITT: The Crusaders have won 10 in a row since dropping a 21-0 decision to La Salle College in their season opener, including last week's 35-7 rout of Berks Catholic in the District 3 semifinals. 

The 28-point victory was actually McDevitt's tightest margin during its current run; the Crusaders' average margin of victory during its 10-game winning streak stands at 53.8 points.

Last week, the Crusaders held Berks Catholic's vaunted Wing-T attack to just 126 yards, and the Saints put up a goose egg in the passing game. Meanwhile, McDevitt's offense churned out 453 total yards, including 304 through the air.

QB Stone Saunders completed 18 of 30 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns for the Crusaders, while Marquese Williams racked up 104 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Two of Saunders' TD passes went to Mario Easterly, who finished with 121 yards and eight receptions. Kamil Foster (8-117) and Rico Scott (2-66) also found the end zone for McDevitt.

Saunders, a freshman, has completed 123 of 180 pass attempts for 2,670 yards and 42 touchdowns in his first 11 starts. Williams, a junior, has 1,424 rushing yards and 23 TDs on 115 attempts. Easterly and Foster, both seniors, have combined for 79 catches, 1,683 yards and 26 touchdowns -- divided almost evenly between them.

BC is the first team since La Salle to hold McDevitt to under 49 points this season. (La Salle's excellent 2021 campaign recently ended with a 35-7 loss to defending Class 6A state champ St. Joseph's Prep in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs.)

McDevitt is chasing the 15th district title in program history. The Crusaders' last championship came in 2018.

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