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Archbishop Wood edges Gateway and will play Cheltenham in PIAA Class 5A state championship

The Vikings will play the winner of Friday’s Cheltenham-Cocalico game in the championship next Friday at Hershey Park stadium.

The Archbishop Wood football team beat Gateway, 24-21, in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals on Friday.
The Archbishop Wood football team beat Gateway, 24-21, in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals on Friday.Read moreArchbishop Wood Athletics (custom credit)

Senior kicker Robert Meyer’s 25-yard field goal with less than 10 seconds to go in the fourth quarter helped Archbishop Wood edge Gateway, 24-21, in the PIAA Class 5A state semifinals at Altoona High on Friday. The Vikings will play Cheltenham, a 56-49 winner Friday over Cocalico, in the championship next Friday at Hershey Park stadium.

Archbishop Wood (10-3) has won six straight games since losing to St. Joseph’s Prep, 42-21, in October.

Gateway built a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter, but Archbishop Wood bounced back.

Junior quarterback Max Keller connected with junior wideout Cardel Pigford for a passing touchdown to give the Vikings a 21-14 lead at halftime.

Before that touchdown strike, the Vikings relied on Kaelin Costello to generate points. The junior running back had two rushing scores, including one run that went for more than 90 yards.

Junior linebacker and running back Shane Collier had two fumble recoveries, and junior cornerback Ryan Woertz tallied one.