Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Central Catholic's Eugene Jarvis gets around Gateway's Justin Colbaugh in last night's WPIAL Class AAAA championship game at Heinz Field. Click photo for larger image. Related Coverage Cautious approach gave Central Catholic's Jarvis fresh hop

Gateway has a King, but Central Catholic is still sitting on the WPIAL Class AAAA throne.

Central Catholic won the WPIAL championship for the second year in a row with a 28-0 victory against Gateway last night at Heinz Field.

Central Catholic used a terrific defensive effort and a record-breaking performance from star halfback Eugene Jarvis to become the fifth school to win back-to-back Class AAAA titles since the classification was formed in 1980. The others are Mt. Lebanon, Gateway (including a tie), Upper St. Clair and Woodland Hills.

Central Catholic (13-0) will play in the PIAA quarterfinals Friday night at North Allegheny against Erie McDowell, the District 10 champion.

Gateway finished with an 11-2 record, and both of its losses this season were to Central Catholic. The Vikings also defeated Gateway, 28-20, in the season opener. In that game, cramps did in Gateway star running back Justin King. He had 152 yards rushing in the first half as Gateway held a 20-14 lead. But he played only one series in the second half, and Gateway did not score again.

In the rematch, it was simply Central Catholic's defense that cramped King's style. King, who came into the game with 1,796 yards, was held to 105 on 25 attempts. It was the first shutout in a Class AAAA title game since North Allegheny defeated Butler, 9-0, in 1990.

"Frankly, I think our guys were sick of hearing about how we had no answer for Justin King the first time and we would've lost if he played the second half," Central Catholic coach Art Walker said. "All season long, everything always kept coming back to Gateway and that first game. People kept saying, 'Well, Central is doing well but, if they see Gateway, they won't have an answer.' Well, I know [Central Catholic defensive coordinator] Terry Totten and our staff found an answer this week. I don't know what kind of yardage King had, but we kept him out of the end zone."

The game was billed as a battle of the backs, and Jarvis definitely won the battle. A senior halfback, he rushed for a WPIAL Class AAAA championship game record 221 yards on 29 attempts and scored two touchdowns on runs of 76 and 17 yards. Jarvis broke the record of 219 yards, set by Woodland Hills quarterback Steve Breaston in 2001.

King made a highly publicized verbal commitment to Penn State last Monday.

"I think Eugene got a little tired of hearing about Justin all this week," Walker said. "I think he got tired of seeing Justin on TV."

Jarvis now has 1,676 yards for the season.

"All the talk this week was about Justin, and he is an exceptional player," Jarvis said. "But I kind of felt like some people started doubting me."

Heinz Field seems to bring out the best in Jarvis. Last year, he rushed for 101 yards against Upper St. Clair and scored five touchdowns.

On the field after the game, Central Catholic assistant coach Art Walker Sr. raised Jarvis' hand and yelled, "Still the king."

"Everyone said this was the battle of the backs, but it wasn't Eugene Jarvis versus us," Gateway coach Terry Smith said. "Central Catholic beat us, not Eugene Jarvis."

Central Catholic took control of the game in the second half after leading by only 7-0 at halftime. Gateway thwarted a couple Central Catholic scoring opportunities in the first half. Late in the first quarter, Central Catholic started at the Gateway 48 and moved to the 9 in six plays. The Vikings converted a fourth-and-6 when quarterback Shane Murray hit tight end John Pelusi for a 16-yard gain. But a procedure penalty and an offensive pass interference moved the Vikings back to the 23, where a third-down pass fell incomplete. Matt Wilson's 40-yard field goal was partially blocked and the game remained scoreless.

Later in the half, Central Catholic started at its own 46 and moved to the 30, where it faced a fourth-and-1. Central Catholic again converted as Jarvis gained 4 yards. But the drive fizzled and Central Catholic turned the ball over on downs.

A defensive player came up with the biggest play of the first half for Central Catholic. Linebacker Julius Hopson intercepted an Aaron Smith pass at the Gateway 40-yard line, and returned it to the 26 with 1:36 left in the second quarter. Three plays later, Shane Murray hit Charlie Totten in front of King for a 19-yard gain to the 6. Murray spiked the ball on first down to stop the clock. On second down, he hit Tony Colaizzi in the corner of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left in the half. Wilson kicked the extra point to give Central Catholic a 7-0 halftime advantage.

With the way Central Catholic's defense played, that was all the scoring the Vikings needed. Gateway had only two first downs in the first half.

Central Catholic again moved deep into Gateway territory in the third quarter, but came away without any points when Jarvis fumbled the ball away at the Gateway 6.

But Jarvis made up for the fumble on Central Catholic's next possession, as he raced 76 yards for a touchdown.

"My fumble was devastating," Jarvis said. "Gateway could've come back and made it 7-7. But everyone told me to keep my head up, and I was able to come back."

Gateway moved to the Central Catholic 31 after Jarvis' touchdown, but King was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1. Jarvis added a 17-yard touchdown run with 6:01 left in the game to make it 21-0. An interception by Central Catholic's Tony Colaizzi set up the Vikings' final score. He returned it to the 15-yard line and Nino San Doval scored the touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Murray with 3:33 left.