ERIE, Pa. – Cathedral Prep is looking to win its second state championship in three seasons, and is one win away from making another trip to Hershey.
Standing in their way are the Exeter Township Eagles, the District 3 champions who have had quite the run to get to this point, in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal at Altoona High School at 5:30 p.m.
Exeter (26-6) had had quite the run to get to this point, beating Fox Chapel, 62-57, followed by a 66-49 win over Mechanicsburg and a 75-72 overtime win over WPIAL runner-up Peters Township in the quarterfinals.
Peters Township lost to Penn Hills, 70-65 in the WPIAL title game, the same Penn Hills team that Cathedral Prep beat in the quarterfinals, 68-54.
The Ramblers opened the PIAA tournament with a 47-45 win over South Fayette and followed that up with a 66-54 second-round win over Mars.
Both teams have won 16 of their last 17 games.
“I think they’re super hungry,” said Cathedral Prep coach Steve Piotrowicz of his team.
Prep had its best offensive performance of the PIAA tournament in the win over Penn Hills, as Semontae Lofton had 23 points, Tavion Spencer 19 and Jake Sambuchino 17.
That trio has helped lead the Ramblers to a 24-3 mark, with 6-7 Zion Barksdale serving as a defensive eraser in the middle.
The Ramblers’ length, which includes Mohammad Rohama and Amaree Pickens, has allowed them to be an excellent defensive team. The Ramblers are allowing just 40.4 points per game on the season.
And it’s a team that is excited to be one of the final four in the state.
“You can see it even when they come into practice with their energy level,” Piotrowicz said. “We’re appreciative of the opportunity to be one of the four teams left.”
Zyion Paschall had 20 points for Exeter in the comeback win over Peters Township in the quarterfinals.
The Eagles have a dominant defender and rebounder of their own in 6-8 Anthony Caccese, who had 14 points and 17 rebounds in the win over Peters Township.
Junior guard Kevin Saenz had 19 points in the win as well, including the final six in overtime.
This is the deepest run Exeter has made in the state playoffs since advancing to the Class B final in 1974.
This run is similar to the run the Ramblers made in 2021, despite the smaller field due to COVID. That season, the Ramblers also beat the WPIAL champion (New Castle) in the quarterfinals. They beat the District 3 champion (Lower Dauphin) in the semifinal that year as well.
The winner will meet the winner of the Archbishop Ryan/Imhotep Charter game in the title game on Friday at 8 p.m. at the GIANT Center.
“I know the guys in our locker room really want to try and go out and do something special,” Piotrowicz said.
