By John Hartsock

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The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy football team has been atop the various PIAA Class 1A standings throughout the season, but Marauders coach Justin Wheeler and his players aren’t paying much attention to the rankings.

“I think every week, we’re going to get the best shot of the opposing team,” Wheeler said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 — I think everyone wants to beat us and that’s been the case for a while. But it also helps us prepare.

“None of those polls matter to us,” Wheeler said. “The only thing that matters is where you are at the end of the season and hopefully we can continue to do our job.”

The Marauders raced to an 11-1 record and won their first two Class 1A District 6 playoff games 49-0 two weeks ago and 49-7 last week. BG will face an 11-1 Northern Cambria team in the District 6 Class 1A championship game Saturday at Mansion Park. Kickoff is set for 19.00

Northern Cambria — which suffered its only loss of the season, 21-14 to undefeated District 6 Class 2A finalist Cambria Heights in October — advanced to the District 6 Class 1A title game by virtue of a 27-7 semifinal victory over the Penns Manor last week. .

“I think they’re a very dynamic team,” Wheeler said of the Colts, who are making their second appearance in the District 6 Class 1A championship game in three seasons and have won the district title in 2022. “I think if they were in Laurel Highlands ( Athletic Conference), were going to be one of the top teams in the conversation.

“They’re pretty good and they’re balanced offensively,” Wheeler added. “They’ve got some skilled kids, it’s a program that’s used to winning, and they’ve got some kids that think they can win. The only game they have lost is to an undefeated Cambria Heights team that is in the 2A title game. That shows how good Northern Cambria is. I think this will be a good game for sure.”

The Colts have a standout quarterback in senior Ty Dumm, who is a four-year starter on both sides of the ball. Dumm was an offensive starter in his first two varsity seasons at wideout, earning all-state recognition there. He is also a four-year starter on the other side of the ball at safety and also earned all-state recognition at that spot.

Dumm’s combined passing and rushing numbers this season are telling. He completed 104 of 182 passes for 1,813 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 1,218 yards on 118 carries and 17 scores.

“He’s an incredible, talented athlete,” Wheeler said of Dumm. “He’s been a four-year starter and they’ve had some good years since he’s been on the team, so he’s going to be a challenge (to defend). You probably can’t stop a kid like him, but you have to try to limit the big plays he makes every week.”

Dumm’s favorite receiving targets are Caleb Dolney, who has 34 catches for 728 yards and six touchdowns, Daniel Farrell (23 receptions for 359 yards and six touchdowns) and Malik Fox (17 catches, 381 yards , four touchdowns).

Complementing Dumm in the Colts’ rushing attack is senior running back Nate Fry, who rushed for 343 yards on 60 carries and four touchdowns while also catching a pair of TD passes. Junior quarterback Gage Shonsky rushed for 209 yards on 37 carries and two scores.

BG, who is averaging over 40 points per game, brings plenty of offensive firepower and a variety of potent offensive weapons to the table.

“They are very impressive,” Northern Cambria coach Sam Shutty said of the Marauders. “There are not many weaknesses in their team in any aspect of the game. They pretty much dominated throughout the (Class A district) playoffs, and rightfully so. They are well trained, make adjustments on the spot, and their children are exceptionally athletic and intelligent.

“You can tell that just by seeing how hard they play and how they make changes on the field almost seamlessly in all aspects of the game,” Shutty added.

Senior quarterback BG Chase Kissell, like Dumm, is a dual offensive threat. Kissell threw for 2,707 yards and 33 touchdowns on 171 completions on 239 pass attempts while rushing for 377 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries.

Senior standout Hamilton Gates is a versatile force for BG as both a receiver and running back. Gates has 72 receptions for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 590 yards and 15 touchdowns on 82 carries.

Braden Reilly had 48 catches for 706 yards and nine touchdowns for BG, while junior running back Taurean Consiglio rushed for 940 yards on 105 carries and 10 scores and also caught 18 passes, including two for touchdowns.

Kissell’s younger brother Jake, a junior, has 20 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns for a big-play BG offense that has scored at least 40 points in eight of its 12 games this season and that creates matchup challenges for every defense they faced.

“They do so many things so well and I think the key to the game for us is going to be trying to stop their big plays,” Shutty said of the Marauders. “All of their plays can potentially be big plays and they’ve made so many of them, so stopping them is going to be a tough task. But I think we have to make them run the field against us as opposed to making a big play which they’ve been used to doing quite a bit.”

After competing at the Class 2A level the past two seasons — and winning the District 6 championship at that level two years ago — the Marauders returned to the Class 1A level this season. They have dominated Class 1A over the past decade, winning four state championships and making five state title game appearances at that level between 2014 and 2021.

The Marauders’ tough regular season schedule against a Laurel Highlands Conference slate that is loaded with Class 2A and Class 3A teams has prepared BG for playoff contention each season.

“Our offense is really clicking right now both running and throwing,” Wheeler said. “When you play bigger schools all year, you get into some tough battles, and I think it was good for both the coaches and our kids.

“Every week we’re up against a team in our conference that’s pretty good, so we’ve had to get better every week,” Wheeler added. “We’ve been fortunate to stay healthy and our schedule during the season really helps us come playoff time.”

District 6 Class 1A championship game

Teams: Northern Cambria (11-1), Bishop Guilfoyle (11-1).

Where: Mansion Park Stadium.

When: Saturday, 7 p.m

Coaches/career records: Northern Cambria’s Sam Shutty, 61-48; Justin Wheeler of Bishop Guilfoyle, 144-39.

Last week: Northern Cambria defeated Penns Manor, 27-7, in the semifinal round, while Bishop Guilfoyle defeated Claysburg-Kimmel, 49-7.

Who they get: The winner plays the winner of Friday’s state playoff game between Windber and Westinghouse in a PIAA quarterfinal round game next weekend.