York Catholic crushes Delone to three-peat as Division III champions

Scoreless for a majority of the 1st quarter, the battle between two undefeated teams in Division III looked every bit like the competitive contest many were expecting.

Senior running back Cole Witman and the York Catholic offensive line had other ideas.

On his fifth touch of the night, Witman gashed through the Delone defense for a 58-yard touchdown, giving the Fighting Irish a lead they would never relinquish.

"I was patient with the ball and the hole opened and (I) just ran, just ran and didn't stop," Witman said.

Witman didn't stop all night, rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns against the Squires.

The Irish comprehensively defeated the Squires 35-7 to clinch a share of the Division III title for the third consecutive season. The win gives them the top spot in the District 3 power rankings in Class AA, while Delone Catholic falls to 8-1.

The Squires had given up 43 points all season coming into the encounter with the Irish.

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But the Squires had no answer for the Irish ground game, featuring Witman, senior Massimo Antolick and backup quarterback Mitchell Galentine, a sophomore who began the season as the starter. Senior Wes Burns got the start at quarterback on Friday night.

The Irish were driven by a 21-7 homecoming loss to the Squires last season as well as a feeling that they were the underdogs coming into the clash of unbeaten squads.

"We weren't talked about much," York Catholic coach Eric Depew said. "All the talk was Delone ... I think our guys kind of took that to heart a little bit."

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As soon as Witman scampered down the middle of the field for the Irish's first score, Burns felt the team was never going to give up that lead.

"It felt like was over from the start for me," Burns said. "I knew we were going to beat this team."

A Squire comeback never came. They got on the board in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Evan Brady to Logan Brown. Brady was intercepted four times on the night.

Although the Squires were near the top of PIAA categories in offense and defense, the Irish were the squad that shined in all phases on Friday.

"I tip my hat to those guys," Delone head coach Corey Zortman said. "They dominated us up front. They didn't make mistakes. We did all the things that we shouldn't do in a big game to try to win it. It just wasn't our night."

Getting pushed around up front was not something the team had experienced all season, Zortman said.

The team was without Andrew Shipley, a two-way lineman who led the team in tackles and sacks but injured his shoulder playing Fairfield last week.

"It's a good football player standing on the sidelines, and it doesn't help us," Zortman said of his absence.

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Witman, the son of Eastern York football legend Jon Witman who went on to play fullback for Penn State, was the biggest difference maker on the field. Witman missed four games this season due to a team decision.

"He's got all the pedigree in the world," Zortman said of Cole Witman. "His dad was a heckuva football player, and he showed tonight that he's a pretty darn good football player as well. He's a tall, lanky, fast, strong kid."

Depew called Witman "a man among boys out there."

Witman, who verbally committed to playing lacrosse at Johns Hopkins earlier this year, transferred from Eastern York to York Catholic in March.

"He just gives us so much energy on the offense," Burns said. "The way he runs the ball, he pounds the ball, he's fast, he's electric."

After missing part of the season, Witman relished playing with his teammates again and credited his offensive line for opening up holes time and time again.

"They're a physical group of guys, and, I mean, when they want to get the job done, they will get the job done," he said. "That's for sure. They had big holes for me to go through, and it was helpful."

The Squires will hope to regroup from this loss when they take on Hanover at home next week with their sights set on success in the postseason.

"We went from the underdog to the favorite overnight, and I think our guys were trying too hard, were pressing too hard, and those guys came out and they were ready to play," Zortman said.

It was a different feeling for the Irish, who blared music and celebrated exuberantly in their locker room after taking down a team they were determined to best. 

The victory means the Irish clinch at least a share of the Division III title as they host the winless York County Tech Trojans next week.

It's something a senior like Burns, who has experienced winning the division championship every year he has been on the team, cherishes.

"That's what I want," he said. "That's what I've always wanted. It's what I dreamed of growing up, and now to come out and do it, it's awesome."