STEELTON, Pa. — Steelton-Highspire's quest for a second straight state title continues Friday night with a PIAA Class 1A semifinal showdown with District 4 champ South Williamsport.
The game will be played Friday at 7 p.m. at Kemp Memorial Stadium in Shamokin, Northumberland County. (Click here for directions.)
Friday's winner advances to the championship game, where they will face either District 7 champion Fort Cherry (14-0), or District 9 champ Redbank Valley (12-1) on Thursday, Dec. 7 at Cumberland Valley High School's Chapman Field.
The Rollers have won two of the last three state titles, and their senior class is among the most decorated in the program's proud history.
Here's a preview of Friday night's matchup.
Steel-High (14-0) vs. South Williamsport (11-2)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Kemp Memorial Stadium, Shamokin
ABOUT SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT: The Mountaineers defeated Cambria Heights 33-0 in the state quarterfinals last Saturday, taking advantage of four Highlander turnovers to post their second shutout of the season. South Williamsport held Cambria Heights to 184 total yards.
Running back Kaiser Kistner provided the offensive spark for the Mountaineers, racking up 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries. Ryan Casella added 87 yards and a TD on the ground for South Williamsport, while quarterback Tadd Lusk added a four-yard TD run and completed five of his eight pass attempts for 67 yards and another score.
It was the sixth straight win for South Williamsport.
During their postseason run, the Mountaineers have avenged both of their regular-season losses. They defeated Canton 24-18 in the District 4 semifinals, avenging a 27-21 loss to the Warriors in Week 5. One week later, South Williamsport routed two-time defending champ Muncy 57-20 in the District 4 title game, avenging their 29-28 overtime loss to the Indians in Week 7.
This is South Williamsport's deepest playoff run since 2014 when the Mountaineers went 11-2 and captured the District 4 championship before falling to eventual state champ Bishop Guilfoyle in the state semifinals.
South Williamsport has never won a state title.
ABOUT STEEL-HIGH: The Rollers advanced to the semifinals with a 43-25 victory over Lackawanna Trail, shredding the Lions' vaunted defense for 511 yards. Steel-High built a 29-6 lead at halftime and was never seriously threatened in the battle of unbeaten.
Navy-bound quarterback Alex Erby completed 21 of 26 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns and added another score on the ground, while Ronald Burnette rushed for 101 yards and scored on a 57-yard sprint for the Rollers, who have won 26 straight games dating back to last season.
Erby, the state's all-time career leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, has 3,939 yards and 53 touchdowns on 202 of 261 passing this season for the Rollers. That's four TD throws away from tying the single-season record of 57 set by Jeff Hoenstine (Central) in 2021.
Burnette has 1,145 yards and 12 TDs on the ground to lead the Roller rushing attack.
Durrell Ceasar Jr., who caught eight passes for 121 yards and two scores against Lackawanna Trail last week, is Steel-High's all-time leading receiver. He has 89 catches for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, while Jaeion Perry, who had six catches for 154 yards and two TDs against the Lions, is a dangerous threat on the flanks as well, with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 17 scores.
The Rollers have won four state titles since 2007.