High school football rankings: St. Joseph's Prep finishes No. 1 in final Pennsylvania MaxPreps Top 25

By Jordan Divens Dec 14, 2022, 11:30am

Hawks win seventh state title in the last 10 years.

The high school football season in Pennsylvania came to a close over the weekend. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) was among the victors, beating No. 6 Harrisburg 42-7 in the Class 6A state championship game. That victory helped propel the Hawks to the No. 1 ranking in the final state MaxPreps Top 25.

St. Joseph's Prep (12-1) capped an impressive season with a dominant state title game performance, jumping out to a 35-0 lead at the half and scoring touchdowns on each of its first five possessions of the contest.

The Hawks produced 311 of the team's 420 total yards in the first half and scored the first 42 points of the game before conceding a touchdown with 4:28 remaining after taking out their starters. Junior quarterback Samaj Jones completed 9 of 10 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns while West Virginia-bound Josiah Trotter tallied a game-high 13 tackles in the lopsided win.

Coming in at No. 2 was Class 4A state champion Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg), which finished the season 13-1 after a win over No. 3 Aliquippa 41-18. Pennsylvania MaxPreps Player of the Year Stone Saunders completed 10 of 16 passes for 167 yards and five touchdowns while unsigned senior Tyshawn Russell hauled in four receptions for 121 yards and four touchdowns. Minnesota pledge Marquese Williams carried 24 times for 123 yards and a score.



Class 5A state champion Pine-Richland (Gibsonia) (13-3) finished the season ranked No. 7 in the state after a 28-14 state title game victory over No. 10 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia). Class 3A state champion Belle Vernon (12-2) ended the year ranked No. 18 in the state after a 9-8 victory over Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) and Class 2A state champion Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa) (13-3) is ranked No. 25 after a 37-22 win against Westinghouse (Pittsburgh).

Read on for a complete look at the final Pennsylvania MaxPreps Top 25.

2022 PIAA STATE CHAMPIONS


FINAL PENNSYLVANIA MAXPREPS TOP 25

# School Rec. Str. +/-
1SJP (Philadelphia)12-137.3--
2BMDHS (Harrisburg)13-116.0+4
3Aliquippa13-125.0-1
4HS (Haverford)10-024.5--
5EA (Newtown Square)9-120.6--
6Harrisburg11-332.2-3
7Pine-Richland (Gibsonia)13-327.7+4
8Malvern Prep (Malvern)8-230.9--
9State College13-126.4+1
10IC (Philadelphia)10-318.1-3
11GVHS (Glen Mills)13-122.1+1
12Parkland (Allentown)9-531.8+1
13North Allegheny (Wexford)11-228.9+3
14Westinghouse (Pittsburgh)14-111.3-5
15McKeesport11-221.0--
16Central Valley (Monaca)11-220.0-2
17RCHS (Philadelphia)9-325.2--
18Belle Vernon12-215.7--
19Cathedral Prep (Erie)7-325.5+3
20UDHS (Fort Washington)14-112.7-1
21Freedom (Bethlehem)10-324.8-1
22Emmaus10-221.0-1
23Nazareth Area (Nazareth)9-222.4--
24McDowell (Erie)10-322.0--
25SCAHS (Catawissa)13-310.4+17