Kehler On Hoops: PIAA-6A Boys’ Tournament Preview
Written by: Andy Herr on March 5, 2025
David Kehler, All-State voter and contributor to LLHoops.com, checks in to give us his preview of the upcoming 6A bracket which begins this weekend and will end with 6A’s state championship game, slated for an 8pm tip at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday, March 29th. Enjoy
PIAA State Championship Tournament Preview
This is the sixth, and last, preview on LLhoops.com of this season’s PIAA state championship tournament. Previews of the tournament’s Classes 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A brackets were posted earlier this week and can be found in the “Kehler on Hoops” section of this website.
Class 6A
The first round of Class 6A games is on Saturday. Let’s begin with who is not in the tournament. None of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Class 6A teams qualified for this season’s tourney. Philadelphia Catholic league power St. Joseph’s Prep, ranked the number one team in Pennsylvania regardless of class for most of the season by MaxPreps.com, did not qualify for the tournament. Only three Class 6A teams from District 12 (which is Philadelphia) get into the state championship tournament, and St. Joseph’s Prep was eliminated by a loss to Father Judge in a semifinal in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs. Last season’s Class 1A state champion, Imani Christian Academy, voluntarily reclassified to Class 6A this season and played a challenging national schedule, but they were eliminated in the District 7 playoff quarterfinals in a 64-61 loss to Mt. Lebanon. Imani is one of only two teams to defeat District 7 champion Upper St. Clair this season. Had St. Joseph’s Prep and/or Imani Christian gotten into the Class 6A state championship tournament, they would have been leading title contenders. That said, there are some outstanding 6A teams vying for the 6A state championship.
In the eastern bracket, Father Judge and Imhotep Charter are the favorites. Judge is the Philadelphia Catholic League champion, and Imhotep is the Philadelphia Public League champion. These teams played each other twice this season, with Judge winning the first one 53-51 on December 14, and Imhotep winning the District 12 championship game last Friday 58-54, in a come from behind victory.
Father Judge is an intense, up-tempo team with slashers, shooters, and a very good big guy. This season they defeated Roman Catholic twice, St. Joseph’s Prep twice, and traditional New Jersey power Camden. They have the size, skill, and quickness to compete with any team in the tournament.
Ten-time state champion Imhotep was reclassified by the PIAA during the offseason from Class 5A to Class 6A. Imhotep was the Class 5A state champion last season, their third consecutive state title. Imhotep is 23-6 this season. They play a national schedule in addition to competing in the Philadelphia Public League. One of their losses this season was to famed Oak Hill Academy. They also lost to Wheeler (Marietta, GA), currently ranked 9th in the country by MaxPreps.com. Imhotep coach Andre Noble is topnotch. The team is led by 5’ 9” junior RJ Smith, who is quick, shifty, a terrific passer, and a prolific scorer. Imhotep plays great defense.
Central Dauphin is in the eastern bracket. A team with slashers and shooters, Central Dauphin played defending Class 6A state champion Central York even for three quarters in the District 3 title game before falling 72-58. Central Dauphin has played four other teams this season that are in the 6A tournament field. They are 1-2 vs. Cumberland Valley, beating that rival in a District 3 playoff semifinal. They have two wins over Chambersburg Area and a win on a neutral court over District 11 champion Parkland. Central Dauphin lost 59-53 at Wilson West Lawn in January. Their top scorer and rebounder is 6’ 4” senior Wayne Fletcher II, an All-State selection last season.
Defending Class 6A state champion Central York is in the western bracket. The champions of the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association and of District 3, they are skilled, talented and deep. Two Central York players were All-State selections last season: 6’ 8” senior Ben Rill and 6’ 3” senior Ben Natal. Central York played an outstanding non-conference schedule this season, with wins over six teams that are in the Class 6A state tourney: Central Dauphin, District 12 champion Imhotep Charter, District 11 champion Parkland, Coatesville Area, Chambersburg Area, and York William Penn, whom they defeated four times. They also defeated Philadelphia Catholic League power Neumann-Goretti early in December on a neutral court. One of their two losses was by two points at District 7 champion Upper St. Clair. Central York averages 79 points per game, while holding opponents to an average of 59 points per game. Central York has a deep bench and can blitz opponents.
Perennial power Roman Catholic is also in the western bracket. Roman advanced to the championship game of the Philadelphia Catholic league playoffs where they were defeated by Father Judge. Roman has height, with three starters 6’ 5” or taller; a superb sophomore guard in Tyler Sutton, who has a slew of college offers; great coaching; and a relentless defense.
Upper St. Clair is in the western bracket. The District 7 champions are 23-2 this season and are big and skilled. USC has six guys on their roster who are 6’ 4” or taller. Starters Kaamil Jackson is a 6’ 6” senior and Tyler Robbins is a 6’ 10” senior. Robbins was an All-State selection last season. In their convincing 64-49 win over New Castle in the District 12 championship game at the U. Of Pittsburgh, all five Upper St. Clair starters scored from beyond the arc. This season, USC is averaging 61 points per game, while holding opponents to an average of 39 points per contest. USC defeated four teams this season that are in the Class 6A state championship tournament: Mt. Lebanon, Central York, New Castle, and Pittsburgh Central Catholic.
Unlike the NCAA’s March Madness, the PIAA doesn’t use performance-based seeding procedures or power rankings to arrange the field for the state championships. As such, key matchups can occur in the early rounds of the PIAA tournament. For example, assuming that these teams win their first-round games, Father Judge and Central Dauphin would play each other in the second round, and Central York and Roman Catholic would play each other in the second round, too. The view from here is that the best Class 6A first round game is Roman Catholic at Lower Merion at 1 pm on Saturday.
Top teams: Father Judge, Imhotep Charter, Central York, Roman Catholic, and Upper St. Clair.
Dark horse: Central Dauphin
Projected final four: Father Judge, Imhotep Charter, Roman Catholic, and Upper St. Clair
Projected championship game: Roman Catholic over Father Judge.
On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler
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