KINGSTON — The more times Tamaqua tried to pass Friday night, the less time Blue Raiders quarterback Brayden Knoblauch had to throw.
Forced to the air 46 times by a mounting deficit and the inability to run against Wyoming Area, the Tamaqua passing attack was under constant pressure.
Derek Ambrosino led the pass rush, which helped create five interceptions, three by Jake Williams, as the Warriors made the first state team championship game in any sport in school history by shutting out the Blue Raiders, 21-0, in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 3A semifinal at Spartan Stadium.
Wyoming Area, which set a school record for wins in a season, will play District 7 champion Central Valley in a meeting of 13-1 teams Saturday at noon at Hersheypark Stadium for the state championship.
“These guys behind me are amazing,” Williams said after his three-interception performance. “It was just right place, right time. You can’t predict that – three interceptions. You can’t even predict one.”
The guys in front of him in the Wyoming Area defense did all right as well.
Ambrosino had the team’s only sack but also rushed the passer into five incompletions, one on fourth down, and the clinching interception by Williams at the 1 with 1:28 remaining.
“The pass rush is phenomenal,” Williams said.
Williams, who had his hands on another potential interception, made the first of his three interceptions in the end zone on a fourth-down play with a minute left in the second quarter to preserve a 14-0 halftime lead. He also broke up a fourth-down pass.
“We have one of the best secondaries out here,” Jake Williams said. “Brian Williams, Dominic DeLuca, Leo Haros and, I hate to toot my own horn, but myself, too. I think we have a great group.”
Tamaqua threatened but never took a snap from inside the 10 until the final two minutes after finally converting a fourth-down situation on their sixth try of the game. The Blue Raiders were 6-for-14 on third downs.
DeLuca had an interception at the 25 and Haros tipped a ball into the air for Brian Williams to make the other interception.
Jake Williams made the final one with Ambrosino again rushing Knoblauch after the Tamaqua quarterback had dropped the shot-gun snap on second-and-goal from the 3.
“I’m happy I got to stop them,” I’m happy it was me on the last one, but at the end of the day, it’s everybody else. It’s the linemen hurrying the quarterback to throw.”
Dillon Williams rushed Knoblauch into the Brian Williams interception.
Caleb Graham, who batted down one pass, and Sammy Solomon each were responsible for two pass rushes.
DeLuca also had eight tackles, four assists and three broken-up passes while supporting Darren Rodney in leading the offense.
Rodney, after missing the state quarterfinal with an injury, carried 23 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. He picked up 82 of the yards on 14 second-half carries.
“Seeing Darren Rodney be able to get running downhill, that was important for us and we were able to do some other things,” Warriors coach Randy Spencer said.
DeLuca ran and passed for scores. He was 3-for-6 passing for 76 yards and carried 14 times for 43 yards.
The Warriors opened the game with two impressive scoring drives.
After freshman Drew Mruk came up with a stop for a loss on third-and-one at midfield, the Warriors moved 82 yards in 10 plays. They covered 62 yards in nine plays on the second drive for a 14-0 lead with 8:24 left in the half.
DeLuca’s 41-yard pass to Brian Williams set up his own 4-yard touchdown run to open the scoring with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter.
The second drive featured eight straight runs before DeLuca found Brian Williams in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown.
“What was important for us this week was to get that push at the line of scrimmage,” Spencer said.
The second Jake Williams interception, Rodney’s 19-yard run on the next play and two penalties on Tamaqua led to the last touchdown midway through the third quarter. Rodney scored from the 1.
