In early December, six high school teams across Pennsylvania were crowned state champions in their respective classes.
Three of them from the Philadelphia region will be celebrated at Sunday's regular-season finale against the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. And all three of them have unique ties to the Eagles.
Bishop McDevitt: LeSean McCoy's high school coach delivers another state title
He's had a few weeks come down from the euphoria, but Bishop McDevitt Head Coach Jeff Weachter will never forget the drama surrounding his team's second state title in three years.
McDevitt, located in Harrisburg, led 21-3 and appeared early on as it was going to coast to the championship, but Philadelphia's own Roman Catholic had other plans. Roman Catholic rallied, using a fake punt score and a pick-six to take a 31-28 lead in the fourth quarter.
After the interception return, McDevitt senior quarterback Stone Saunders rallied the team and said they were going to win the game. They tied it on a field goal in regulation and tacked on another in overtime to win 34-31.
"I think it's big for them, just not in football, but for the rest of their lives," Weachter said of overcoming adversity late in the game. "They can take that into no matter what situation they face in life. You just keep on battling and things tend to work out for you."
In his 27 years as the head coach at McDevitt, Weachter has seen around 200 of his players go on to play at the college level. One of them is Eagles Hall of Fame running back LeSean McCoy.
The two still keep in close contact. When McCoy first earned Pro Bowl honors in the 2011 season, he flew Weachter and his wife out to Hawaii to celebrate. This past season, McCoy spoke to the team at halftime of the school's rivalry matchup with Harrisburg.
"He's matured so much. He's a great father to his son. I'm proud of him for that as much as I am what he's done on the football field," Weachter said.
Monsignor Bonner: The title that almost didn't happen
Jack Muldoon was the perfect coach to deliver Monsignor Bonner's first state title in December.
He grew up attending Bonner football games as he and his three brothers all graduated from the school located in Drexel Hill. Muldoon played on the football team and returned to oversee alumni relations and fundraising after the school merged with the all-girls school, Archbishop Prendergast, where his three sisters graduated from, in 2012 after the schools were nearly closed due to funding.
"We were not going to let them close the school," Muldoon said. "And we didn't."
After coaching at St. Joseph's Prep for 10 years, Muldoon oversaw the freshman team at Bonner upon his return and became the head coach of the varsity team in 2016.
It was early on this year that Muldoon thought that this Bonner team could be special. Bonner beat the same Roman Catholic team that lost its state title game in overtime at the end of September, passing a critical litmus test. Once in the state playoffs, Muldoon's Bonner team steamrolled Pope John Paul II in the quarterfinals, 35-7. At that point, it was all systems go, as Bonner scored 95 points in the final two games, claiming the crown with a 40-14 rout of Lampeter-Strasburg.
"For me being a Bonner guy, this was huge," Muldoon said. "It was a lot of fun. It was a huge thing for us to do this and be the first team to do it. It means a lot to my friends and classmates and teammates."
Muldoon loved how all of Delco rallied around the team, hosting watch parties in support of the run to the title.
In the week leading up to the championship, the motto was finish.
"We're playing for 70 years of Bonner football history here," Muldoon said. "Let's finish this the right way. We talked a lot about finishing everything. Finishing every drill. Finishing every rep. Every time we ran hills, finish! Do it right."
Bonner's home field was funded through a grant provided by the Eagles and the NFL Grassroots Program. Muldoon enjoys telling his players that they've "got a little bit of Pattison Ave. in them" because the Eagles helped make their field a reality.
St. Joseph's Prep: Pennsylvania powerhouse's presence felt in Eagles locker room
Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. will welcome some of his high school coaches from St. Joseph's Prep on Sunday as his alma mater will be among the teams celebrated at Lincoln Financial Field.
Trotter won back-to-back state titles during his time on campus as he was the No. 1-ranked high school linebacker in the country. Since the PIAA, the governing body for Pennsylvania high school sports, expanded the state championship classifications to six in 2016, The Prep has been in every state championship game, winning all but two of them.
The Prep won its third straight state title in December, clubbing Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 35-6. The Prep concluded its season as MaxPreps' top-ranked football team in the state.
"It feels really good seeing them win and succeed because I still know coaches who are still there coaching," Trotter Jr. said. "There are players that are there who played with my brother, the younger guys. But it talks about the program as well, just the type of players that we have in PA, the type of guys that they bring in through there, and just the type of culture that they have, as far as developing players, and continuing that winning mindset.
"I thought they were definitely a really good intro of showing me how to carry myself like a pro. I know it wasn't that level, but it was more of, having our responsibilities of school, hard schooling, and then going to practice, getting back home late, doing more studying, doing more film work, as far as watching practice, watching the opponent. So, I feel like it really helped me prepare for that next level of college and being a nice introduction into it."
Trotter Jr. won't be the only son of an Eagles Hall of Famer from The Prep on the field Sunday. New York Giants guard Jon Runyan Jr. will be on the other sideline. – Additional reporting done by Liam Wichser
