Notre Dame QB Commit Phil Jurkovec Wins State Title
The top player in Notre Dame’s 2018 recruiting class ended his high school career in impressive fashion tonight, as four-star quarterback Phil Jurkovec led his Pine Richland High School team to the Pennsylvania 6A state championship.
Jurkovec and the Rams beat Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Prep by a score of 41-21. St. Joseph’s Prep came into the game riding a 27-game winning streak and was the two-time defending state champs. The Hawks were also the No. 8 team in the entire country according to Max Preps.
It was a tight contest going into halftime, as Pine Richland held a 14-7 lead thanks to a pair of Jurkovec touchdown runs.
The field conditions were not ideal, and the pass game for both offenses stalled out in the first half. Pine Richland took a 14-7 lead into the half, as the starting quarterbacks for both teams combined for just 106 passing yards.
Jurkovec was 9-of-17 for 72 yards, and a red zone pass was tipped and intercepted with the Rams driving for a potential score. He added 36 rushing yards on 11 attempts, but he did score both of Pine Richland’s first half touchdowns.
In the second half, Jurkovec and the Pine Richland offense settled and took over the game.
With the pass game not in sync early, Jurkovec went back to the ground. The senior signal caller would not be stopped, evidenced by this impressive touchdown run:
This 13-yard touchdown run put Pine Richland up 21-7 early in the third quarter.
Jurkovec was far from done, but with the ground game finally going he found more room to get the ball downfield. This 46-yard bomb set up his fourth and final touchdown run of the game.
Jurkovec scored from six yards out on a score that put Pine Richland up 28-7. H went back to the air for his final score, a 25-yard touchdown pass that put the game away. You can see that pass at the bottom of the story.
Jurkovec finished the game 15 of 27 passing for 200 yards, throwing one touchdown and an interception. He rushed for another 88 yards on 20 carries, reaching the end zone four teams.
Pine Richland earned its first ever state championship with the win, ending the season with a 16-0 record. Jurkovec finished his career with a 30-4 record as the Rams starting quarterback.
Jurkovec completed 72.7 percent of his passes during his final season while passing for 3,969 yards and 39 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He added 1,224 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground, averaging 9.1 yards per rush.
For his career, Jurkovec passed for 8,202 yards and 71 touchdowns, throwing just 12 interceptions in his 34 starts. On the ground he added 2,955 yards and 43 touchdowns. Jurkovec finished his career with 114 career touchdowns despite playing just six games as a junior due to a season-ending hand injury.
Jurkovec wasn't the only Notre Dame commit to lead his team to a state championship this week. Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep linebacker Bo Bauer led his squad to a 14-0 record and a 4A state championship, beating Philadelphia Imhotep Charter 38-28 on Thursday, Dec. 7.
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