YORK, Pa. — It's taken a lot of late-game drama, but Steelton-Highspire is back in the PIAA Class 1A championship game.
The Rollers, who are seeking their second title in the last three seasons, will take on District 7 champ Union Area Thursday afternoon at Cumberland Valley High School.
The game, which kicks off at 1 p.m. from Chapman Field, will be televised on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
Union (13-2) is chasing its first-ever state title. The Scotties are coming off a 46-36 shootout victory over Port Allegheny in the state semifinals.
Here's a look at Thursday's matchup.
Steel-High (13-1) vs. Union Area (13-2)
Thursday, 1 p.m. at Chapman Field (Cumberland Valley HS)
ABOUT UNION: The Scotties are making their first-ever trip to the state championship game after defeating Port Allegheny in a semifinal that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.
Taking advantage of five Gator turnovers, Union built a 28-6 lead after three quarters and was comfortably ahead 46-22 in the fourth before Port Allegheny scored a pair of touchdowns in the game's final two minutes to make the final tally more respectable.
Mike Gunn rushed for 95 yards and scored a pair of TDs for Union, while Braylon Thomas threw for a pair of scores. Kaden Fisher subbed in for a banged-up Thomas and threw a 32-yard TD pass, and later returned a fumble 63 yards for a touchdown for the Scotties.
Union brings a six-game winning streak into Thursday's title game. One of those wins during the current run was a shocking 26-0 upset over top-seeded Bishop Canevin on Nov. 25, a victory that gave the Scotties their first WPIAL championship since 1959.
The Scotties got a pair of TD runs from Thomas and added a pair of defensive scores in the upset win. They are the first double-digit seed to win a WPIAL title.
Earlier in the WPIAL playoffs, Union defeated Laurel 30-28, avenging a 28-22 overtime loss in the regular season. The Scotties' other loss was a 35-8 defeat against South Side on Oct. 28.
Thomas, who missed a couple of series in the Port Allegheny game but later returned, has more than 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards passing this season. He scored on a pair of rushing touchdowns against Bishop Canevin and threw for two against Port Allegheny.
The 6-2, 180-pound junior has accounted for 27 total touchdowns this season. He's the main cog in the Scotties' run-heavy attack, but three other players have logged at least 400 rushing yards for Union this season.
Union has forced nine turnovers and scored three defensive TDs in its last two games.
ABOUT STEEL-HIGH: The Rollers advanced to the state championship game for the second time in three seasons with a 28-21 victory over Canton in the semifinals. Ronald Burnette's 10-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining in regulation proved to be the difference in the game.
It was the second come-from-behind victory in as many weeks for Steel-High, which rallied from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit to edge the Warriors.
One week earlier, Alex Erby hit Jaeion Perry on a 20-yard touchdown strike with four seconds left to lift Steel-High to a 42-35 victory over Northern Lehigh in the state quarterfinals.
In the win over Canton, Burnette rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries and scored three of the Rollers' four touchdowns. All three of his scores occurred in the second half.
Steel-High forced four Canton turnovers and held the Warriors' powerful ground game to 132 yards.
Erby completed 25 of 34 passes for 226 yards and hit Perry from 16 yards out for the Rollers' first touchdown.
Even though he's only a junior, Erby is already Steel-High's all-time leading passer and has a state title and three straight District 3 championships on his resume. He has thrown for 8,425 yards and 114 career touchdowns in his three years as a starter.
This season, Erby has 2,771 yards and 43 touchdowns through the air.
Burnette has rambled for 528 yards and nine touchdowns in his last three games. He is closing in on 1,000 yards for the season, and has scored 17 times.
Perry (54-679, 10 TDs) and Durrell Caesar Jr. (63-1,050, 15 TDs) are the Rollers' top receivers.
The Rollers are chasing their fourth PIAA Class 1A title since 1988. The Rollers rank fourth all-time among Pennsylvania programs with 794 victories, according to PA Football News.