Winning starts up front for Archbishop Wood football

Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10
1. LaSalle College (Wyndmoor) (11-1: Weeks rated: 12. Last Week: 1.)
2. Archbishop Wood (Warminster) (12-0: Weeks rated: 12. Last Week: 2.)
3. North Penn (Lansdale) (11-1: Weeks rated: 12. Last Week: 3.)
4. West Catholic (Philadelphia) (10-2: Weeks rated: 12. Last Week: 4.)
5. Council Rock South (Holland) (11-1: Weeks rated: 8. Last Week. 6.)
6. Neshaminy (Langhorne) (11-1: Weeks rated: 3. Last Week: 7.)
7. Strath Haven (Wallingford) (11-1: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 8.)
8. Pottsgrove (10-2: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 9.)
9. Bayard Rustin (West Chester) (11-1: Weeks rated: 1. Last Week: Unrated.)
10. Abington (9-3: Season over.)

There's no need to grope for reasons why Archbishop Wood could be the best team in Pennsylvania. One look up front answers all you may need to know why the Vikings won their third-straight Philadelphia Catholic League Class AAA championship, and this past weekend, squashed Dobbins Tech 44-7 to take their third-straight Philadelphia Class AAA city title.

The Vikings could have the best offensive line in the state. They're young, they're big, they're athletic, and they've become a formidable cohesive unit that's enabled Wood to go 12-0 and average 38.3 points a game this season.

The Vikings' offensive front of junior center Brandon Arcidiacono (6-5, 240), sophomore guard Nick Arcidiacono (Brandon's brother, who is 6-3, 230), and the lone senior starter up front, 6-3, 275-pound guard Chris Knott, along with junior tackles Michael Moffa (6-0, 195) and Frank Taylor (6-4, 275) have created gaping holes for runners and created time for junior quarterback Joe Monaghan.

"I thought we had the potential to be good; we had a lot of good kids back and we worked them hard in the weight room during the summer," Wood coach Steve Devlin said. "In the beginning of the year, they had to get used to the system, because we look for our guys to be athletic, be able to move and they have to play smart. We have a lot of different rules and calls we make at the line of scrimmage.

"I think with any good football team, if you don't have a good offensive line, it's hard to win. With our offensive line, we can run at you, or we can pass block. This group has really done everything we've asked them to do and they're one of our team strengths."

Perhaps no one on Wood's offensive line bore a larger responsibility entering this year than Brandon Arcidiacono, as the center calling out the line adjustments and where an opposing defense may be coming from.

"Brandon was in a battle in the beginning of the year at center and he won it, fair and square," Devlin said. "He's a very athletic kid and he's become pretty good at handling different looks. I'd be very surprised if he isn't a scholarship football player by the time he graduates.

"We didn't take it easy on Brandon. We didn't take it easy on any of them. We threw everything at Brandon right away, which is something we do with all of our guys and make them digest everything. There were some things that we had to go through, but these guys learned and picked things up very fast."

"By the fourth game, I got the hang of calling the line changes and adjustments," said Brandon Arcidiacono, who is receiving interest from Rutgers and Penn State, where his older brother, Mark, plays. "I think what makes our offensive line work so well is that we're all athletic, each of us works hard and the most important thing is each one knows what the other one next to them is doing. We challenge each other, and we are taking things one game at a time, but we do see the bigger picture and that's winning the state championship. We want it, we want it bad."

Wood has this week off. The Vikings will await and play the winner of this Friday's District 1 Class AAA championship game between defending district champion Pottsgrove and traditional powerhouse Strath Haven, which has never lost to Pottsgrove in the district playoffs.

"We're keeping it one game at a time, one game at a time," Devlin stressed. "We don't look too far ahead."

But there's a good idea that any team Wood faces in the state playoffs will know the Vikings. They'll be unavoidable from the five rather large shadows walking at them.

Click here to view MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football playoff brackets.

DESMON PEOPLES UPDATE
Archbishop Wood star tailback Desmon Peoples broke two bones in his right foot in the Vikings' 24-7 victory over Cardinal O'Hara in the Catholic League Class AAA championship game on Nov. 13 and missed the city title game against Dobbins.

Sophomore Andrew Guckin stepped in and scored one touchdown rushing and one receiving, picking up 80 yards on the ground.

Wood coach Steve Devlin said Peoples' status is questionable, but did not rule out the possibility that Peoples could return if the Vikings make a deep run in the state playoffs, which is a distinct possibility.

BAYARD RUSTIN FACES BIG TASK IN NESHAMINY
Bayard Rustin (West Chester) is new this year to Class AAAA (large schools), up from Class AAA despite the overall enrollment of the school dropping. The Golden Knights were highly successful at the Class AAA level, winning the District 1 title in 2008 and reaching the district semifinals last year.

But this year's higher classification hasn't seemed to deter Rustin coach Mike St. Clair and his staff from producing another quality season. The Golden Knights have quietly gone 11-1, and don't look now, but they've reached the District 1 Class AAAA semifinals, playing with the big boys.

Rustin will perhaps face its biggest challenge this season when the Golden Knights play Neshaminy in the District 1 Class AAAA semifinals 7 p.m. Friday night, at Neshaminy.

"We know Neshaminy is a big, strong team and my kids are really looking forward to this," St. Clair said. "We're in the playoffs, playing another playoff game on Friday night in November. There's nothing like it, and I know it's something my team really appreciates."

St. Clair has received fantastic years from senior quarterback Andrew Fithian, who's thrown 23 touchdowns and 1,450 yards passing, and major surprise Anthony Nash, a 6-5, 180-pound junior wide receiver playing football for the first time who's caught a team-high 43 passes for 1,032 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is a threat wherever he is on the field, avaerging 24 yards a catch.

Giving Fithian time to pass is 6-4, 265-pound senior right offensive tackle Chase Woods, who's receiving considerable Division I attention.

"The kids have playoff experience from past years, and I think that's what has helped us this year," St. Clair said. "Neshaminy is a very good, strong football team. They'll play smashmouth football and come right at us. We've been through it before, and Friday night, the experience we come into the game with will help."

Joseph Santoliquito can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.