Central Catholic looking to win first PIAA football championship since 2015
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Central Catholic football team is looking to win its first state championship in nearly a decade this weekend.
Only a few teams are left standing in the state and Central Catholic is preparing for battle with ice covering their practice field in Oakland.
The Vikings are preparing for action and on the other side of the field will be St. Joseph's Prep, winners of five of the last six 6A championships.
"Any time you can play for a state title at a school that's so tradition rich like Central Catholic, it's awesome for the Central community and our kids," said head coach Ryan Lehmeier.
Central Catholic enters Saturday's game with a 12-2 record with both of those losses coming in the first two weeks of the season.
"Starting out 0-2, it's tough," Lehmeier said. "Expectations are really high here and I thought you know, just the resolve and continuing to be able to have consistency. Just week in and week out, just coming to work."
With 12 straight wins, the team is getting ready to compete for a state title for the first time since 2015 when the Vikings defeated Parkland in the 4A title game, the final season before the PIAA switched from four classifications to six.
Lehmeier says he thinks this season, his second as head coach, has been a collective effort all around.
"You know, Central Catholic's really important," Lehmeier said. "Playing football here is really important. You see it not just in the games, but every day in practice."
St. Joseph's Prep has only lost two games this season, as well.
"Coach Roken does a great job and their reputation speaks for itself," Lehmeier said. "We're really looking for the opportunity to play them on Saturday night.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Cumberland Valley High School's Chapman Field, located just outside Mechanicsburg.
