PIAA Football: Previewing Camp Hill's 2A quarterfinal against Dunmore

Crunch time hasn’t fazed the Camp Hill football team.

In the last two weeks — the District 3 Class 2A championship and the first round of the PIAA playoffs — the Lions set in motion a pair of go-ahead drives in the final three minutes of each game.

Those drives have launched Camp Hill into the state quarterfinals where the Lions will travel to face District 2 champion Dunmore at 7 p.m. Friday.

Here’s a preview of Friday’s game.

Camp Hill (8-5) at Dunmore (11-2)

Up next: Friday’s winner advances to the semifinal round opposite District 4 champion Southern Columbia or District 6 king Bald Eagle Area.

How they got here: The aforementioned go-ahead possessions came against Trinity and West Catholic. The Lions shocked the Shamrocks 20-13 in the District 3 Class 2A title game and escaped the Burrs 32-26 in a state opener, scoring with 23.5 seconds left. Dunmore edged Riverside 13-7 for the District 2 crown and ousted Williams Valley 41-21 in a PIAA first-round showdown.

Players to watch: The connection between Drew Branstetter and Kobe Moore has been the difference for the Lions. The quarterback and running back tandem have linked for both game-winning scores, as Branstetter found Moore for a 5-yard touchdown pass in the District 3 final. The pair connected on a similar out route in the state opener, punching in a 3-yard reception.

Senior Dan Pigga Jr. powered the Bucks’ first-round rout of Williams Valley. Pigga collected five touchdowns and did so behind 234 rushing yards. Dunmore finished with 330 yards on the ground in the win.

Notes: Camp Hill’s victory over West Catholic was its first PIAA win since 2004 and its fourth all time. The Lions last reached the semifinals in 2004 when they dropped a 42-30 decision to Southern Columbia. Meanwhile, Dunmore’s win against Williams Valley was its first in the state tournament since 2017. The Bucks advanced to the semifinals that year, losing to Southern Columbia 56-19.

The Lions average 30.5 points per game across their last four contests. In that stretch, Branstetter eclipsed the 3,000-yard passing threshold — his season total 3,151 ranks third in Pennsylvania, according to MaxPreps — and threw 13 of his 35 touchdowns. Dunmore is also on a heater, winning its last eight while averaging 39.1 points. The Bucks posted 40-plus points in six of their last eight affairs.

Photos: Camp Hill defeats Trinity for District 3 Class 2A football title

District III Class 2A Football Championships - Camp Hill vs. Trinity

Christian Eby is a sports reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com . You can contact him at and follow him on Twitter at:

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