Sometimes odd things come out of the blue to me when I'm on YouTube. Tonight it was the 2000 PCL Championship game between SJP and O'Hara, the game Kevin Jones won pretty much on his own for O"Hara (e.g.the Hail Mary catch at the end of the first half), though O'Hara also played well as a team.

What's striking is the size of the crowd on the O'Hara side.You can't see the Prep stands but from the noise you'd think their side had at least as many. There were similar crowds at the 2003 and 2004 championships. Lots has changed since.

Here's a link to the video for anyone interested: Login to view embedded media

Here are the final PRs of 18’s better teams from the Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton area and District 2; those making the playoffs and others having a year that made the ratings, crunching numbers for 147 teams across the state. Used year ending points for/against, home/away, classification values, wins, etc. Pretty basic stuff to arrive at an estimate. Added some thoughts, comments and will try to do a Mid-State and Western review/preview. Flawed for sure but if nothing else it’ll give some stats and grad/return info for ’18 and ’19. As always, feel free to jump in or on.

1 Freedom 173.45, D11, 6A, 12-2
Freedom jumped out the gate on fire, winning their first nine games before losing to arch rival Liberty 29-10 the last game of the regular season, then evened the score a week later in districts winning 14-7. Thereon they crushed Parkland and Emmaus in dangerous rematch games. Proving the adage third time’s a charm, they finally found success in the district final after consecutive losses in 2016 and 2017 by defeating Emmaus 49-17 for their first district title in school history. The week before they beat Parkland 35-21 to end their six year string of district titles. That was a huge win for Freedom being a rematch of a regular season 21-20 win that ended the Trojans dominance over Freedom and the district as the Pats hadn’t defeated them since 2009. 2009 was quite a win, beating then 34-14 at 5-5 over the Trojans at 10-3. Maybe all the expended emotion mentioned above was too much for the young Patriots who were a no-show the following week against St. Joseph’s Prep, getting mercy-ruled 42-14 in the quarterfinals. This was the 5th time in 6 years SJP eliminated the D-11 champ and 9th time in the last 10 years the PCL eliminated the D-11 rep. So while they weren’t ready for prime time or maybe just overwhelmed by the Hawks, they are getting there with a cast of young talent that will be a year older and wiser with valuable game experience from their final five games. They return Qb Jared Jenkins (6-1, 190, 2205, 29/4), Rb Jalen Stewart (6-1, 220, 949), Matty Russin (5-8, 135, 934), a few receivers and almost all their lineman, Kaden Moore 6-3 300, Jacob Schwind 6-2 250, Eloge Kalubi 6-6 245 et al on both sides putting them in a position to defend their EPC-South title and district crown. Last year’s team ramped up the offense by 12 points, averaging 36 a game and will likely be as potent in 2019 with so many returning starters. Be nice to tighten the D up some from 19ppg allowed, although the loss of LB Tristen Wheeler (Richmond) doesn’t help there. Still, they could be significantly improved in 2019 with a larger offense. But Freedom is one of those teams where what’s on paper doesn’t always materialize on the field….and vice versa (!), reminding you of the scene in Forest Gump. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C89u535IMbk.
2 Emmaus 170.78, D11, 6A, 11-2
Emmaus had a memorable year bouncing back from a 6-5 season to go 11-2 and reach the District-11 final. That was their highest win total ever. It was also a record setting offense averaging 42ppg! No one held them below 31 until Freedom beat them in the district championship game. What a year it was tearing through the EPC-South defeating everyone except their recent nemesis Freedom, who beat them in the regular season 32-31 in ot and districts where they were drubbed 49-17 in the final. The year before they also lost twice to the Patriots. Otherwise, the Hornets have fared well with third year coach Harold Fairclough going 10-2, 6-5 and 11-2 to bring his career total to 76-36. Along the way he won a state title at Allentown Central Catholic (16-0) in 2010 beating Bishop McDevitt 28-27 in an epic comeback, scoring with just over two minutes left in the game. Last year’s success was impressive knowing they were replacing both lines while plugging in Whitehall transfer Qb Ethan Parvel, making them something of a North Penn clone knowing they also returned good skill people. They further mirrored North Penn by winning the close ones, beating Nazareth 43-42, Easton 30-28, Bethlehem Catholic 50-49 Parkland 35-31 and Easton again in districts 31-24. Offensively, while they were explosive at 42ppg they allowed 26ppg. Hence the number of shoot outs above including the one that got away from them in the regular season losing to Freedom 32-31 in ot. Few played defense in the EPC-South last year! The big question entering 2019 is who is going to replace Qb Ethan Parvel, who threw for 1818 yards and rushed for 582. And while they lost mainstays in the backfield in Sone Ntoh (662) and Lubens Myers (1082), they return last year’s exciting sophomore Brandon Camire. Not big at 5-10, 165 but he’s a hitter, gaining 639 yards on 71 attempts while also playing linebacker. The lines look to return a few starters with both sides replacing considerable skill people.
3 Bethlehem Catholic 169.98, D11, 4A, 11-4
Since Head Coach Joe Henrich’s arrival in 2012, the Hawks evolved to an explosive, winning machine, going 64-29. Take away the breaking in years of 1-9 and 8-5 and you’re looking at 55-15 from 2014 through last year, a 78.5% winning percentage. From 2014 through 2018, they ended the season with a 42ppg, 40, 33, 40 and 41ppg average, making them one of the more consistently explosive offenses in the East. But last season saw them with a particular problem….winning at home, losing to Freedom, Nazareth and Emmaus, while allowing East Stroudsburg South to almost steal one, rebounded from a 35-0 half time deficit (mercy rule) to lose 41-28? A review of that game and others shows difficulty finishing. Bottom line, they lost to the top two teams in the EPC-South, Freedom and Emmaus. But they breezed through unchallenging 4A playoff competition defeating Blue Mountain (3-8) 45-13, Pottsville (7-5) 40-28, Saucon Valley (10-3) 73-14 and Pottsgrove (12-2) 58-20 by an average score of 54-19 before being crushed by Imhotep Charter School (11-3) 41-6. This is the same Imhotep who beat them 34-14 in 2017 and 24-13 in 2016. Saucon Valley saved them the embarrassment in 2015 beating BECA 14-6 before themselves being annihilated by ICS 72-27. Back to Saucon Valley-2018 for a moment; BECA’s win over the Panthers secured their third consecutive district title where they rolled up a 529 to 133 total yard advantage with 28 fourth quarter points. Evidently the 45-14 3rd quarter lead wasn’t enough but wow Coach, talk about emptying the entire mag! For 2019, they’ll look to replace transfer Zamar Brake (2219) possibly with Brian Taylor. But they return quality backs in Tavion Banks (2850) and Malik Thomas, plus good numbers on the O-Line that will open things up for the new Qb, diminishing the loss of Zaheer Seabrooks’s 1493 rush yards. The D looks like a partial rebuild. Allowing 23ppg even in a “Spread” world says it needs to be rebuilt at a school like Bethlehem Catholic.
4 Easton 167.71, D11, 6A, 9-4
The problem with Easton over the last few years is their inability to beat teams in the upper echelon of the EPC-South. That’s quite a statement when talking about Easton! But that’s how it shakes out looking at their won/loss against EPC-South teams only during the regular season who ended conference play at .500 or better. Their record is a startling 4-13 the last four year. Conversely, their won/loss against teams finishing below.500 was 13-2. This explains their lackluster records going 9-4, 7-6, 8-5 and 9-4 from 2015 through last year. Lackluster by Easton standards. It also coincides with their six year (2009-2014) double digit winning season streak coming to an end when it did. The nine wins came against three teams with winning records and a collective won loss of 47-53. So there it is. When you’re struggling with wins against Allentown Central Catholic (3-8) 31-24, Liberty (5-6) 28-21 and Nazareth (5-6) 34-31, while destroying Parkland (7-5), 41-14, something is off. And that was with an experienced quarterback in senior Nate Nimeh having a strong year throwing for 1944 yards at 59% with a Td/Pick ratio of 22/6. Not bad! Add in senior Rbs Harold Reynolds at 1064 yards and Makhi DeSilva at 632 plus senior receivers Michael Dunlap catching 39 for 804 yards and Damion Smith at 390 on 22 receptions to see the offense was there, averaging 33ppg. All of those players will graduate this year. Unfortunately the defense did not match the offensive output, allowing 22ppg, their worst year ending points allowed average in over 20 years. For 2019, it looks like a pretty serious rebuild on both sides particularly the secondary that graduates five with 219 tackles; Makhi DeSilva, Chris Williams, Michael Dunlap, Danny Hynes and Damion Smith. They were breaking in some sophomores with a few standing out; MLB Tamir Jackson (5-9, 185) with 108 tackles, OLB Dominic Falcone (5-6, 165) with 49 tackles, CB Nahjee Adams (5-10, 170) at 46, and DT Derek Frinzi (6-3, 230) with 25, sophomores all. That was Coach Jeff Braido’s second year at the helm, going 8-5 his first. Not bad, but it does mask their shortcomings verses quality competition.
5 Parkland 162.81, D11, 6A, 7-5
It was a difficult season for Parkland essentially rebuilding the entire team (17 starters grad) while breaking in two new quarterbacks. Senior Andrew Lee and junior Tanner Lewis (6-1, 190) vied for the position as co-starters until Sept 21st when Lewis took over. The season began with routs of Northampton 41-0 and Allentown Central Catholic 52-0 that had to be a tremendous boost to the team. What followed was two revealing yet heartbreaking losses to Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic. They lost to Freedom 21-20 after blowing a 14 point lead and allowing 21 straight points! The following week saw another collapse against Bethlehem Catholic, losing 24-16 by blowing a nine point lead and again, allowing 17 unanswered points. As the season unfolded, both would become the EPC-South’s best teams along with Emmaus. And Parkland missed their chance after leading both games. The following four weeks saw them win easily, defeating Liberty, Nazareth, Whitehall and Stroudsburg by a combined score of 137-59. At 6-2, things were looking up, but then came Easton. The Rovers had lost seven straight to the Trojans counting playoff games going back to 2014. And they were coming in off bad losses to Freedom 35-7 and Bethlehem Catholic 28-7 to set the stage. They came in with a real bad attitude looking to get some as we used to say. And did they ever, scoring on five of their first six possessions to score 31 unanswered points in the first half! How about winning the coin toss, electing to receive (in your face!) then driving it down for a score on your first possession. Four turnovers and 11 penalties for over 100 yards speaks to Parkland’s frustration at so thorough a pounding, losing 41-14. The following week saw them fumble on Emmaus’s 18 yards line while driving for the winning score in a 35-31 loss to end the regular season.
As the 5th seed, they pummeled Stroudsburg 35-0 before top seeded Freedom ended their six year consecutive district title run winning 35-21, owning the stat sheet, 468 to 272 in total yards. So it was a tough year for them, with an unfair share of injuries piling up even through the final game. For 2019 they return Qb Lewis (6-1, 190) who completed 64% for 921 yards with a 6/3 Td/Pick ratio and 414 rushing yards. The top 3 backs, Dominic Nelson, Joey Guida and Colten Peischi graduate, taking 1129 yards. But they return Angel Santos (5-10, 210, 39/181, fun tackling!) and Isiah Rico (5-8, 180, 25/151) with three of their top four receivers giving them a good skills core. And the D returns a pile, at least 263 tackles, looking strong at both linebacking and the secondary. I believe the DL returns two, Zion Johnson (6-0, 270) and Jalon Perkins (6-2, 225), probably at DE. Bottom line, it’s Parkland. So you know they’re going to bounce back, especially with Freedom, Emmaus and Nazareth coming to them this year.

6 Valley View 160.21, D2, 4A, 13-1
Valley View cruised through the regular season largely unchallenged in District-2’s Lackawanna FB Conference, Div-2. Then they took apart Abington Heights, West Scranton and Dallas in the postseason by a combined score of 134-39 before encountering Imhotep. These were the same three teams they beat in the regular season 101-7. Not much challenge there! A schedule read shows they played one 6A team, one 5A, six 4As and two 3A teams in the regular season. The 6A was Scranton (1-10) who they defeated 42-7. The 5A was Wallenpaupack (9-4) who they beat 27-14. Imhotep, who at times is criticized for playing a weak schedule was playing five 6As, two 5A teams and a 4A. This included DeMatha (8-3), St. Joseph’s Regional (10-2) who were counted as 6A teams, LaSalle (5-6) and Northeast 8-4. All were non-conference games except Northeast. For Valley View, instead of being “shocked” every year as we so often read about another team’s speed they and others could upgrade to area teams like Wyoming Valley West, Delaware Valley, or an hour south to Stroudsburg, et al. They go to Berwick now and only play five division games. Maybe a little farther to Mount Carmel, Southern Columbia and Williamsport. Sooner or later you have to face a McDevitt, Cathedral, Thomas Jefferson, Bethlehem Catholic and others so why not ramp it up, playing Williamsport and a well-coached team like Delaware Valley. The season ended when they were (shocked) crushed by Imhotep 37-9 in the quarterfinals. For 2019, they have to replace a senior line (averaged 6 1-1/2, 264) but return others in the rotation including Noah Voglino (6-1, 285) and Pat Murphy (6-2, 265). Qb Janassah Boone (6-0, 180, sr) who in his first year completed 60% for 1220 yards while rushing for 826 yards is also back. FB/LB Zack Manchak (5-11, 200, 48/496) is back with TJ Noto (32/157, 5-11, 200, RB/LB), LB Ryan Turlip (5-11, 200) and DE Logan Burns (5-11, 205) and DT Johnny Snipes (6-3, 265), QB/S Jordan Conserette (6-0, 180) and a pile of receivers. They are loaded again to take on powerful Scranton Prep (83-19, last 8) for league honors and make a deep run in the playoffs.
7 Nazareth 155.39, D11, 6A, 5-6
This was a young team last year trying to replace their best player ever in Jahan Dotson (PSU) as well as Zak Keifer who were outstanding receivers with Dotson at 889 yards on 62 receptions and Keifer at 550 yards on 59. Never easy replacing hands like that! But they managed to mimic last year’s production of 32ppg and were a better team than 2017’s unit despite that not showing up in the win column. The upset to Allentown Central Catholic (3-8) 23-13 was the culprit, revealing something of their growing pains. This is the same team that lost to Emmaus the week before by a point and would go on to beat Bethlehem Catholic four weeks later at their place 31-21. Excepting Quarterback Anthony Harris’s penchant for throwing too many interceptions, three against the Golden Hawks, they did a number on BECA, scoring 24 2nd half points with Harris throwing for 339 yards. The Hawks had no answer for Nathan Stefanik either as he caught 11 receptions for 176 yards. Both Harris and Stefanik are back for 2019. Harris threw for 2696 yards at 60% with a 27 to 15 Td/Pick ratio, while Stefanik pulled in 63 receptions for 801 yards. Harris also rushed for 405 yards. He had decent outings against the best team played, Emmaus, Freedom, BECA, Parkland, Easton and Emmaus again in districts, throwing for 1318 yards at 57% (131 of 229, 14/9 ratio). With Harris, Stefanik, most if not all of the O-Line returning plus a slew of receivers, look for significant improvement from the Blue Eagles. And keep an eye on last year’s sophomore kicker Matt Bugbee who has quite a leg, egs….splitting the uprights from 21, 28, 34 and 41 against Liberty, then booming a 45 yarder to help bring BECA down. They should improve a few pegs from last year’s 7th seed, enough to get to the 7 win level IF they negotiate a tough schedule that sees them on the road for Emmaus, Freedom and Parkland. Since going 12-2 in 2011 under Coach Rob Melosky (08 to 11, 30-17), they’ve gone 35-43 with one winning season. But they should be a mild surprise in 2019 if they can manage that tough road schedule. Easton and Bethlehem Catholic are home.
8 Liberty 148.39, D11, 6A, 5-6
What happened to the team that wowed us from 2004 to 2008 with three 4A state finals appearances and a state title in 2008?....stringing together five double digit winning seasons for a 62-9 won-loss. The 2005 team (13-2) got rocked by McKeesport 49-10 while the 2006 team (14-2) was thumped by Upper St. Clair 47-13. But it all came together in 2008 (15-1) when they beat Bethel Park (15-1) in overtime 28-21, 10 years ago! I guess you’d have to say it started unraveling after the 2009 season when their outstanding head coach Tim Moncman retired following an 11 year run where he compiled an 88-36 record. From there the reins passed to Dave Brown for three years then John Truby from 2013 to the present. About Coach Moncman; he decided to devote time to his family before returning to the profession at Wilson (Easton) for two years and Parkland as DC for 4 years. He remained on the staff as DC until Jim Morgans retired after the 2015 season with a 112-33 in 11 seasons and an overall career record of 262-137-1. About Liberty; like Easton they’ve had great difficulty beating the better teams on their schedule, going 5-16 against winning teams the last three years; 2-5 in 2016, 2-6 in 2017, 1-5 last year. Presently they are in the midst of three consecutive losing seasons. The highlight of last year was giving arch rival Bethlehem Freedom their first loss of the season, beating them in the regular season final 29-10 for the second year in a row. The Patriots then defeated them in districts, barely, winning 14-7. A glance at lineups says they have big losses almost across the board, especially at their key positions with Qb Todd Erney graduating along with running back Nasir Legree and receiver Javonte Haynes. Legree is their All-Time leading rusher with 4121 yards.
9 North Schuylkill 146.78, D11, 3A, 11-2
Solid programs here that fell surprisingly short verses Conwell Egan (13-1) in the PIAA first round, losing 28-14 after trouncing Notre Dame (10-2) in the district final 36-0. The Spartans are one of the coal region’s bad asses, along with Mount Carmel and others. Talk about a program and area on fire; NS is located in Ashland, 2 miles from Centralia. They’ve played great football for years, going 94-26 the last ten years. Last year’s team was one of their better editions making the loss to CEC all the more puzzling. They had a lot of depth with four of their linemen going one-way in their two back system and are known for their physical style of play. Their lines averaged 6-2, 255; egs….Jack Kemsey 6-5 280, Danny Tomishen 6-1 260, John Harhigh 6-4 260 et al. DL egs NG Jason Lipshaw 6-0 255, DE Jesse White 6-1 220, DT Jack Green 6-0 280. But CEC had their number that day, shutting them down to seven first downs. You might remember North Schuylkill (13-1) battled West Catholic’s great 2009 team (12-3) tooth and nail, losing 19-14. Both were two of the best teams in the state with West Catholic losing to LaSalle (14-1) 16-14 and Archbishop Wood (9-3) 28-21 in the regular season, then losing in the semifinal to Lancaster Catholic (15-1) 23-21 who won the title. LaSalle’s only loss was to St. Joseph’s Prep (9-3) 24-17. But they went on to dominate State College (12-3) in the 4A final, winning 24-7. Back to the future, NS returns a lot of bodies for 2019, including OT John Harhigh 6-4 250, OT/DT Jack Green 6-1 270, NG Jason Lipshaw 6-0 255, DE Jesse White 6-1 220, RB/LB Zack Chowansky 5-11 210, FB/LB Tyler Eldson 6-3 210 and quarterback Jaden Leiby 6-0 175. With a senior Qb and all the experience returning from last year’s run, they’ll put another strong team on the field, as they’ve done for years. They played a lot of juniors as well. Coach Hall has been there six years with a 51-20 record.
10 Delaware Valley 146.29, D2, 6A, 9-4
Considering the Warriors graduated their best team in 2017 that went 12-1, last year’s 9-4 outing wasn’t all that bad. But it wasn’t 2017! That group tore through their first 12 games unchallenged except for the opener at Disney World playing Fort Pierce Central-FL, winning 19-14. Then onto the playoffs winning districts before losing to State College 21-14 in the 2/4/6 sub-regional. The offense was rolling at 37ppg, their best since another outstanding team in 2012 that went 11-2 scoring 41ppg. But the D was unmatched at 13ppg, their best in over 20 years. The 2018 edition fell in all the major categories, notably the offense that dropped to 28ppg and the defense that allowed 21. Still, they won 9 games, finishing with a flurry, winning 7 of their last 8 until running into State High in the sub-regional. Although they survived a substantial rebuild, they still had issues as shown in scoring and in particular, winning on the road. They lost the road games to Pennridge, Wallenpaupack, North Pocono and State College by an average score of 40-17. Road games won came against struggling teams such as 1-10 Scranton who they beat 26-0, Williamsport 41-0 at 5-6 and Abington Heights 31-0 who finished 2-9. A few years back from 2008 thru 2013 Abington Heights was a power, going 56-16. But now? In fact, great swaths of the area are depressed with West Scranton having their first winning season in 8 years, Scranton going 16-27 the last 4, Abington Height 20-35 the last 5 years including 1-10 and 2-9 campaigns the last 2 years, Hazelton 33-63 the last 9 years, Wyoming Valley West with back to back .500 seasons, Williamsport acting disinterested this year and listless the previous ten with only five winning seasons to name a few of the major teams. Skill wise, DV returns nearly all their people; Qb Zack Scillia (1397, 53%, 16/15 Td/Pick ratio, sr), running backs John Balcarcel with 1248 rush yards and Jason Henderson at 404 yards plus receivers Jawon Foushee, Hunter Klein and Mark Callanan. NG Shane Boone (5-10, 245) is back with both DEs, Jason Henderson (6-0, 210….140 tackles!) and Hunter Klein (6-0, 190, 42 stops), and most of the secondary including hard hitting Preston Machado (5-6, 160, 80 tackles) and Joe Casella (5-6, 210! 43 stops). Next year could be their year especially with State College (D6) rebuilding key areas.

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The season went great.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I am getting ready for track season, playing 7v7 football, and doing workouts every day.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I am trying to improve my grades, get stronger, and get faster.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We should be fine. We got some new pieces to our team. We are working to get better every day.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“We haven’t seen our new schedule yet. We respect all, but fear none.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I’ll play for which ever college wants me.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’m staying in touch with a couple, but no serious inquiries yet.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Ohio State.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Very promising. I started the year off at OLB, but before the first game, I got news that my coaches had talked about moving me to defensive end. Obviously being a smaller guy on the football team I was skeptical, but I believed my coaches in what they thought was the best fit for the team. It ended up being one of my best football decisions yet and I earned the honor of All Chestmont and all area DE with an HM vote on All Eastern PA DE.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“When I am not playing football, I am almost always in the wrestling room. Wrestling is very important to me and I dedicate a lot of my time to it.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I want to improve my speed off the ball, and I also want to use my hand better.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“Last year, I feel as if we opened a lot of eyes and surprised a lot of people with our season and our playoff run. We won’t have as much talent as we did last year, but I see good things happening.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“Since I can remember, Downingtown West has always had a stacked schedule. I do not think that this year will be an exception. We will have to grind out every game and respect every opponent the same.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I do plan on playing a sport in college, but I have not decided which one. It is between football and wrestling, and I am open to each.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I haven’t been recruited by any colleges for football and it is too early to say which ones for wrestling.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, I plan on taking some spring of my junior year to fall of my senior.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Our team’s season didn’t go as planned. We went 3-5 in our section.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I now lift with my dad every day. Then I go to lifting Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with the football team.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I need to really work on my speed and footwork for this upcoming season.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think we have a chance to do great things next season.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“Aliquippa will definitely be our hardest team that we will face this upcoming season.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I want to play football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Not really any colleges so far.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, I am planning on going to a couple visits soon.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, I always like Pitt growing up.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The high school football season overall went great. I was a part of a WPIAL championship team for the second year in a row.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I plan to pick up track this off-season and continue with our mandatory and non-mandatory lifts as well as lifting outside of that.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“This year, I am going to improve on my hands, stamina, and football knowledge.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I cannot say for sure, but I know my teammates. We all have expectations that will be meet one way or another.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“Just like any other year, Central or NA. They always got great coaches and athletes that come to play.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to have an opportunity to play football in college. I’ve dreamed about it and would love for that to come true.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“A couple of Division 3 schools at the moment with Amherst College and WPI. Both schools are located in Massachusetts.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, I have not made any college trips yet.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, I plan to go on many college trips over the next months and years.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, my favorite college growing up was LSU because of their colors and jerseys.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Our season went great. We finished 11-1 and our only loss was in the semifinals of the playoffs.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’ll be playing lacrosse and I’ll be throwing the javelin for track and field. I work out five days a week at 5am and then three of the days I work out again at 4pm after school.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I’m mainly trying to improve my speed this off-season.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“This upcoming season, I think we will be just as good or better because we are returning all of our skilled kids and replacing three linemen with some great sophomores.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“I think Lake Lehman will be tough again. They are always are a physical team and want to play.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I want to play football at college, but if that doesn’t work out, I would play lacrosse.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Army, Penn State, West Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College, Villanova, and Rutgers.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes, I attended the Army vs. Air Force game and the West Virginia vs. Oklahoma game. I was also supposed to attend the Boston College vs. Clemson game and the Villanova vs. William and Mary game, but I had my games moved from Friday to Saturday due to rain.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“I plan on going to Boston College for a spring practice and Syracuse for a spring practice.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, my favorite college growing up was Penn State.”

Find out what colleges are recruiting Dominic DeLuca, Chance Boyd, Reno Ustazewski, Max Hale, and Abdul MacFoy now!

......................................................................................................

Wyoming Area quarterback Dominic DeLuca
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I want to play football at college, but if that doesn’t work out, I would play lacrosse.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Army, Penn State, West Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College, Villanova, and Rutgers.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes, I attended the Army vs. Air Force game and the West Virginia vs. Oklahoma game. I was also supposed to attend the Boston College vs. Clemson game and the Villanova vs. William and Mary game, but I had my games moved from Friday to Saturday due to rain.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“I plan on going to Boston College for a spring practice and Syracuse for a spring practice.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, my favorite college growing up was Penn State.”

......................................................................................................

Pine-Richland safety Chance Boyd
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to have an opportunity to play football in college. I’ve dreamed about it and would love for that to come true.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“A couple of Division 3 schools at the moment with Amherst College and WPI. Both schools are located in Massachusetts.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, I have not made any college trips yet.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, I plan to go on many college trips over the next months and years.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, my favorite college growing up was LSU because of their colors and jerseys.”

......................................................................................................

Yough running back Reno Ustazewski
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I want to play football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Not really any colleges so far.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, I am planning on going to a couple visits soon.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, I always like Pitt growing up.”

......................................................................................................

Downingtown West athlete Max Hale
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I do plan on playing a sport in college, but I have not decided which one. It is between football and wrestling, and I am open to each.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I haven’t been recruited by any colleges for football and it is too early to say which ones for wrestling.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, I plan on taking some spring of my junior year to fall of my senior.”

......................................................................................................

Berks Catholic running back Abdul MacFoy
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I’ll play for which ever college wants me.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’m staying in touch with a couple, but no serious inquiries yet.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Ohio State.”

......................................................................................................

The new eight team, spring football league kicks off tonight - Sat., Feb. 9 (CBS features the San Diego Fleet lining up against the San Antonio Commanders out here at 6:00 pm PT).

I love the set up -- eight teams with a schedule that concludes with a championship game in mid-April -- to be played in Vegas which is the soon to be home of the "Raid-Daaahs" -- just before this year's NFL draft.

This will give a nice shot at the "bigs" for players on the cusp or off the radar for the draft (they have some other rules and regs that look like fun too - where the players come from as to the teams and changes to some basics -- no kickoffs, how OT is handled, etc.).

Luke Carrezola (Neshaminy 2014 and UConn 2018) is on Salt Lake City's roster at DE/LB.

Any information on other local players who are participating?

Twitter has not had a post in over a month, no articles. He does a great job. Hope he is ok.

Just saw some of the Truman Staff stepped down. Accomplished a great deal in only 2 years. Any ideas of possible candidates?

Any you guys going to watch the fake Super Bowl? No horse in the race but hard seeing how a call couldn’t be more obvious. There is no way you can miss that call, is there? I’m going to the range testing out M&P Shield vs Glock-43 vs XDs for carry conceal. Should be fun! As always I’m the wuss with military some ex-military friends and two troopers bringing shotguns and ARs.

Here’s a replay of the blown call plus wuss ass Goodell explaining things.
The Play:
Login to view embedded media The Wuss:
https://www.today.com/video/roger-g...-no-call-in-saints-rams-playoff-1435149891649

How did the high school football season go overall?
“It was going okay. My senior year is coming up.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“To reach the college level and continue working out.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“My DB skills.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We will be great. We just have to compete at the same level every game.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“Prep.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, West Virginia.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Toledo.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, very soon.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“West Virginia.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Not as well as I would have liked it to have. There were some setbacks and issues that held me back from my potential.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Sticking to my lifting regimen and trying to make state for shotput this spring.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“Attitude and effort. That’s more important to me than any of the natural ability I’ve been gifted.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“Better than last year. After some chemistry work, we should do quite a bit better.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“Most likely Wilmington. They are a big school, they have good prospects, and they are an all-around tough well coached program.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Most definitely. It is either track or football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been looked at and spoken to by the University of Buffalo. Other than that, there is nothing more than emails and interest letters here and there.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve visited colleges for reasons outside of sports, but no recruiting visits as of yet.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always been a fan of teams with good O-Line and D-Lines. I loved watching the Notre Dame O-Line play, but I think my favorite team would have to be Clemson.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The ultimate goal was to win a 3rd consecutive district championship; for lost teammate Joey Dubics. The dream was for a time period tainted with his loss to be filled with the pride of victory for Joe. A ring with his name on it was the goal. However, the season ended up teaching many lessons and hardened a lot of the players on this team. So overall, this season, although not ending as planned, taught many lessons only real life, and football can teach. Getting through life’s lowest lows with this team was and is worth more than any ring.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I began to play basketball and work my way into rotation, but quickly realized my heart was elsewhere. Since the end of the football season, even while playing basketball, I would lift four days a week, and am now lifting five days a week. I attend Rusnock’s Sports Performance & Fitness in Greensburg PA with Trainer Christian Rusnock on Tuesdays. On Sundays since January 13th I have been attending a QB Camp with Holidaysburg Coach DeLatre. I am also beginning to attend ERA Sports in Latrobe PA with Mike Finley in order to prepare for the upcoming baseball season. Goals for me this offseason are to record a 40 yard dash under 4.65, my shuttle under a 4.2, my vertical above 35”, my broad jump over 9’6”, to get my weight slightly over 200lbs, to get my bench over 300lbs, my squat over 450lbs, and my power clean over 230lbs. Previous Max Weights/Times: 4.70 40, 4.28 shuttle, 32.5” vert, 9’1” broad jump, 275lbs bench, 415lbs squat, 205lbs power clean.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“As a player, I am looking to improve the most on leading myself. I am a great team leader and naturally control our team’s outcomes and put it on myself to “weather the storm” that comes our way. However, I need to drive and reach more to push myself personally to perform to my greatest ability as opposed to perform to the standards of the ability needed by my team at the moment. I have been blessed to be on a great team in past years with great teammates but, like in the D6 Title game this year, I should have put it more upon my individual self, to go and make things happen for my team at all moments in the game , rather than only in the moments that the team is in need of a spark. I have regrets this season, not that I did not give enough effort, but that I should have aspired more to make great individual plays rather than settle for good team plays. Because in bigger games, although you need your team, your team might need you just as much.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel that our next football season could be one of our programs best ever. We are not quite as deep as in past years, but maybe just as “star-studded”. We are returning an outstanding RB in Kyrie Miller, a stout offensive and defensive line with standouts Michael Petrof and Christian Jablonski, and a previously young, but now experienced and hardened line backing core. Our biggest hit is in the DB/WR position, but we have young players coming up as well as kids interested in playing football we are very excited about. I expect a “redemption season” type of mentality from a large senior class ready to get back into mansion park and keep that chip on our shoulder we got from losing there last year as the #2 seed. I expect, to reach the state title this year if our team can stay healthy and stay focused.

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“For us to be able to meet our goal of Hershey Park, Southern Columbia is obviously a great program with great players that stands in our way. We must get through Richland or whomever this year in order to meet this goal so these two teams to me stand out as our competition.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“In college, I would like to play football at any level. I am personally aspiring to play at the Division 1 level in football or even in baseball if I cannot get the amount of recruiting attention and opportunities that I wish for in football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“As of now, I have not had any recruitment at all. I have had some contact with Coach New from Judson University, and I have been reaching out to several schools at many different levels. I am extremely interested in playing Ivy League Football as I am a member of my school’s gifted program and enjoy academic opportunities/challenges in some ways just as much as I enjoy football. I am also very interested in NAU, Cal Poly, Montana State, Northern Alabama and other schools with strong engineering programs as well as great football programs.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have yet to make any college trips as I was waiting for interest following this football season. I am currently planning some spring trips to possibly Brown University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Troy University, and California State University, NAU, and maybe Old Dominion.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up, my favorite school was Miami University. The energy that they played with really lured me into the game of football as a child. And growing up, watching them play and watching the documentaries about their team’s history, I dreamed about playing for the U.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“I felt that the season went well as my team finished with a 10-2 overall record. We won the section for the second year straight but did not win the district championship. We fell one game short of the district championship game, so our team was not satisfied with the season’s ending. As an individual, the season went very well for me.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans for my workouts are to be in the weight room twice a day as soon as basketball season is over. I lift before school with my team, and after at the gym.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I am trying to improve my strength and speed the most. I am working hard to put on more muscle on my frame, while increasing my speed and agility.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel that my team will excel next year as we are returning many players. Ten of eleven players of our defense are coming back, and the majority of our offense is returning too. Our team is already working together ok 7v7s in January and is in the weight room together every morning. We should have a very good season.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“I feel that the toughest teams on our schedule will be Wilson and Central Dauphin because they always are good, but I am not counting any teams out.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I am interested in playing college football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have just begun the college recruiting process and have been receiving unofficial inquiries from college coaches.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, I have not made any college trips yet. Once the basketball season is over, I will pursue these.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, I do.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“No, but I have always been a fan of watching good college football.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Our football team did outstanding this past year. We played many good teams, and even made a trip to St. Augustine, NJ for a game. Obviously, I am disappointed on not winning the state title, but I was very proud of my team and their accomplishments this past year.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I wrestled my first two years of high school in the winter, but this year, I’m focused on gaining muscle weight and hitting the gym four days a week this winter. I have been doing track the past two years in the spring, and I am going to continue to do that this year as well.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I want to improve my leadership skills to become a captain next season. I also want to improve my flexibility through stretching in the off-season and that will greatly improve my speed in the game.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel my team can win a state title next year. We have all the talent. We just need to put in the work to fit all the puzzle pieces together.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“Harrisburg. They were state runner up last year, and I still have that bitter taste of coming off their field last season with our first loss.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would like to play football in college.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have received letters from Malone University and Harvard University.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Not yet.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always loved Penn State because I’ve grown up here.”

Find out what colleges are recruiting Kyle Domico, Jon Engel, Sam Sheeder, Kail Rounds, Darius Wall now!

......................................................................................................

State College linebacker Kyle Domico
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would like to play football in college.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have received letters from Malone University and Harvard University.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Not yet.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always loved Penn State because I’ve grown up here.”

......................................................................................................

Manheim Township safety Jon Engel
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I am interested in playing college football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have just begun the college recruiting process and have been receiving unofficial inquiries from college coaches.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, I have not made any college trips yet. Once the basketball season is over, I will pursue these.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, I do.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“No, but I have always been a fan of watching good college football.”

......................................................................................................

Ligonier Valley running back Sam Sheeder
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“In college, I would like to play football at any level. I am personally aspiring to play at the Division 1 level in football or even in baseball if I cannot get the amount of recruiting attention and opportunities that I wish for in football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“As of now, I have not had any recruitment at all. I have had some contact with Coach New from Judson University, and I have been reaching out to several schools at many different levels. I am extremely interested in playing Ivy League Football as I am a member of my school’s gifted program and enjoy academic opportunities/challenges in some ways just as much as I enjoy football. I am also very interested in NAU, Cal Poly, Montana State, Northern Alabama and other schools with strong engineering programs as well as great football programs.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have yet to make any college trips as I was waiting for interest following this football season. I am currently planning some spring trips to possibly Brown University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Troy University, and California State University, NAU, and maybe Old Dominion.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up, my favorite school was Miami University. The energy that they played with really lured me into the game of football as a child. And growing up, watching them play and watching the documentaries about their team’s history, I dreamed about playing for the U.”

......................................................................................................

Iroquois offensive lineman Kail Rounds
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Most definitely. It is either track or football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been looked at and spoken to by the University of Buffalo. Other than that, there is nothing more than emails and interest letters here and there.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve visited colleges for reasons outside of sports, but no recruiting visits as of yet.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always been a fan of teams with good O-Line and D-Lines. I loved watching the Notre Dame O-Line play, but I think my favorite team would have to be Clemson.”

......................................................................................................

Erie defensive back Darius Wall
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, West Virginia.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Toledo.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“Yes, very soon.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“West Virginia.”

......................................................................................................

You need to add Michael Rowan , Germantown Academy. 6’3” and 220. Explosive off the ball, violent striker, uses length well to shed blockers, great speed with relentless motor and nose for the football. Watch his highlights on hudl.

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/l...bring/67-4922cf10-6fdc-416e-9492-829fc6ba3bec

To bad no one had a weapon to defend themselves. Tragic and surprising to me with relatives throughout that part of state where so many have carry licenses, and in fact carry.

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Our team did really good this year. We beat top teams in the state and won a D10 title. Also, we were one game away for states.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans for sports and workouts are to get better. I also want to get my teammates involved too.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I want to improve on a lot of things with footwork and all of the abilities of a wide receiver.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I believe my team would do good next season. We lost a lot of good players, but we still have a lot of good guys coming up.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’m looking into playing football in college. I love the game.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I haven’t received any offers yet, but I have gotten a couple letters. Right now, I don’t let that get to me. I still work hard every day. It’s all going to come.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Overall, the season was pretty disappointing given the expectations. Following a good off-season, our preseason into about mid-season was a struggle with no football field to practice on as a new one was being put in. The team had to make do with what we could get.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“As of now, the plan is to work out at least four times a week, and to build muscle flexibility. Once the spring comes around, I plan on being out on the field practicing once a week on kicking and punting, as well as helping train other key special team players.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“The thing I need to work on the most for this season is leadership skills. Given that I’m going to be a senior, I will need to be able to help encourage and challenging the team during adversity.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think the team will do well this next season as all the returning players have been putting in work to become stronger and better for the season, while encouraging new players to join to expand the roster depth.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“I believe Wyoming Area will be the toughest competition the team faces this year. They are a talented team that are well coached and well disciplined.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“in college, I like to kick and or punt if given the opportunity.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Recently, I have not received any football-based recruitment from colleges.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any individual college visits yet, only team trips. During the past season, the team went to Penn State and spoke with coaches about academic importance in football.”

Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“This spring, I plan on doing research on schools and planning visits for the summer.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up, my favorite college team was USC. This was because of their high academics and being a big football school.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“I feel my high school football season went good. My team made the playoffs after being underdogs in our conference. Unfortunately, we lost in the first round and didn’t perform well in the playoff game.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I plan to play basketball and run track along with doing school workouts and going to FSQ training for additional training. I will always be playing 7 on 7 for team 412 elite.”

What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“I am trying to improve my top speed and overall explosiveness.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel my team will be very successful next year with being a young team last year. The team has a chance to do great things.”

Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season?
“The toughness competition next year will most likely be Jeannette and Steel Valley due to the fact we play them early in the season and are always producing great athletes.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would like to play college football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I am currently being recruited by Pitt, Miami Ohio, Ball State, and Bowling Green to name a few.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I don’t feel any school is recruiting me the hardest. They are all recruiting me equally.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve made trips to Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, Michigan State, and Miami Ohio.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Pitt was my favorite college growing up.”