NP 35 vs Coatesville 13 4

PV 27 vs GV 44 FINAL


Springfield 21 vs Henderson 0 FINAL

Acd Pk 26 vs Maple 7 4



BECA 51 vs Pottsgrove 20 4

Freedom 14 vs Parkland 24 4

Good luck to Knights and was glad to see Cville battle to the end. I think most who attended were frustrated on the number of penalties called on both sides. Great catching up Relayer. Been a few years. WNPV/Kyle you guys are homers!

Leads Hollidaysburg 76-29 in the 3rd in 5A

#5 Freedom (8-4)
Passing: Joe Young: 123-228, 1,575 yards, 14 TDs, 5 INTs
Rushing: Cyrus Thompson: 86 carries, 644 yards, 12 TDs
Receiving: Alec Huertas: 45 catches, 621 yards, 8 TDs
Tackles: Brady Hornbaker: 57 tackles
Sacks: Evan Callahan: 5.5 sacks
Interceptions: Jamal Williamson: 5 INTs
All Conference: Joe Young (QB – 1st), Tijir Bleam (OL – 1st), DeShawn Polk (DL – 1st), Brady Hornbaker (LB – 1st, TE – 2nd), Alec Huertas (DB – 1st, WR – 2nd), Aaron Bowden (OL – 2nd), Jake Petro (DB – 2nd), Steven Rold (P – 2nd)
District Championships: 0
District Finals: 1 (2008)

#3 Parkland (9-3)
Passing: Michael Ruisch: 84-167, 1,147 yards, 9 TDs, 5 INTs
Rushing: Nick Suriel: 1,052 yards, 9 TDs
Receiving: Zach Bross: 28 catches, 373 yards, 2 TDs
Tackles: Jahan Worth – 136 tackles
Sacks: DJ Hohman – 12.5 sacks
Interceptions: Zach Bross: 3 interceptions
Conference Awards: Jahan Worth (Defensive Player of the Year)
All Conference: Jahan Worth (FB/LB – 1st), Patrick Ferry (OL – 1st), DJ Hohman (DL – 1st)
District Championships: 8 (1996, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
District Finals: 11 (1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)

Last Meeting
Parkland shut out Freedom, 17-0, in a September 23rd win. The Trojans held Freedom to 7 rushing yards on 20 carries, forced 5 turnovers, recorded 5 sacks, and yielded just 3.3 yards per play. Freedom only ran four plays in the first quarter, an incompletion, and interception, and two negative rushes, and Parkland led 10-0 through the first stanza. Freedom drove inside the five early in the second half, but Alec Huertas fumbled in the end zone, and Parkland drove the length of the field to put the game out of reach at 17-0.

Parkland scored on Nick Suriel ran for 103 yards, Michael Ruisch threw for 118 and a TD and completed passes to 8 different receivers. For Freedom, Joe Young finished 19-32 for 169 yards and 2 INTs, and rushed for -20 yards, while 1,000 yard rusher DeShaun Peterson was held to 10 yards on 10 carries.

Freedom Offense
The Patriot offense has been clicking on all cylinders in the playoffs, despite the suspension of EPC leading rusher DeShaun Peterson. Peterson ran for 1,052 yards through the first nine games of the season, but due to disciplinary issues, is no longer with the Freedom football team as of the regular season finale. In his place, Cyrus Thompson has run wild. The 5’8 senior has rushed for 148, 156, and 196 yards in his three starts, and scored 10 TDs in three games. Freedom’s offensive line is much improved in the back half of the season, led by all conference center Tijir Bleam. They have size in Bleam (6’4 260) and tackles Aaron Bowden (6’3 285) and Jaquan Swint (6’3 250) and smaller mobile guard (Hakeem Strickland at 5’8 195 is the smallest starting lineman in the conference, then Joseph Figueroa is 5’10 220). They’ve jelled recently, opening holes for Thompson and keeping quarterback Joe Young upright. Young is the most talented passer in the Lehigh Valley and this could be a showcase. He’s 6’4 205, plus athlete who throws a great ball. He’s being recruited by Patriot League and Ivy League schools (his brother is a wide receiver at Columbia). He’s got a solid receiving corps, led by Alec Huertas, a second team all league pick who is a tremendous athlete and all around receiver. They’re run first, but like to attack over the top when defenses get aggressive. They also will run tons of bubble screens to Huertas, with 6’4 Jamal Williamson stretching the field in case teams start to jump the buble throw.

Parkland Defense
The Trojans have the best defense in the Lehigh Valley. Only Bethlehem Catholic and Emmaus have scored more than 14 points against the Parkland this season, and they have pitched four shutouts and held playoff opponents to 14 points in two games. They’re led by EPC Defensive Player of the Year Jahan Worth, a terror at middle linebacker who already has 136 tackles on the season. He’s 6’1 225, runs a 4.6, and won a state title in powerlifting. He’s an FBS caliber linebacker who is absolutely everywhere (PCL fans may remember his two-sack performance as a defensive tackle last season against LaSalle. He also led Parkland in tackles during the state title game as a sophomore). The other key cogs are defensive ends DJ Hohman and Palmer Kerch, who have combined for 18 sacks. Hohman led the conference in sacks and was the runner up in DPOY voting to his teammate Worth. They’re both slightly undersized (205 and 215) but fly off the ball and have a tendency to run circles around bigger offensive tackles. The whole unit really flies to the football, reminiscient of Tim Moncman’s best defenses at Liberty in the mid-2000s (monster middle linebacker surrounded by really good role players who do their job and swarm to the ball).

Parkland Offense
The Trojans have been more adept at passing the ball in recent weeks with the health and maturation of junior quarterback Michael Ruisch. He threw for a career high 183 yards and 3 touchdowns last week against Easton. But this is a run first unit led by a nasty offensive line. Left tackle Patrick Ferry is a 6’3 315 pound three year starter who can bury guys in run-blocking. They’re not as big in the middle (215-220-240) then have Kobe Thomas at 6’4 275 at right tackle. It’s been an injury riddled line, with Ferry and Thomas missing time during the year, but they’re healthy and firing on all cylinders right now. They block for a pair of excellent backs in Worth and Nick Suriel. Suriel is a 1,000 yard rusher, who is averaging 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in playoff games. Worth was the first team all conference fullback, and while he is used more sparingly on offense to save his energy for his linebacker duties, he averages 7 yards per carry and averages 142 yards per game when he gets at least ten carries. I’d expect his role to increase as the playoffs go on.

Freedom Defense
Jason Roeder gets a lot of credit for switching to a 3-3-5 that has fueled their revival as a program. The defense is designed to stop spreads, by putting an extra defensive back on the field and allowing more fast athletes to cover in space. Where they’ve had trouble is physical run teams (Easton has had their number, for instance) and Parkland certainly is that. They’re led defensively by middle linebacker Brady Hornbaker, who was the EPC Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and leds Freedom in tackles again. He’s a run stopper, and his collisions with Worth will be old school, violent football. On the line, DeShawn Polk and Bleam give them big bodies in the trenches to take on the Parkland line, then pass rusher Evan Callahan (a Harvard wrestling recruit) leads the team in sacks from his weakside end spot. The secondary is solid, with Huertas being the best defensive back in the conference.

Prediction
Before the season started, I thought Freedom was the favorite. They returned the best quarterback and a ton of experience from teams that made the playoffs in back-to-back years. After a rough start, they’ve rounded into form. Parkland has been the most consistent team in the Valley, and probably has the best player in Worth. Their experience is really hard to bet against, and they have such a culture and expectation of winning. However, I think this is going to be Joe Young’s night to shine. The previous two seasons have been ended early by injuries, so he’s never really shown his stuff in the playoffs. The weather is supposed to be good, and I think he puts the ball in the air early and often and shows us why he’s the best quarterback in District 11. Freedom 21-14.

If I could re-seed, it might look like this....but just messing around.

The East
1 St. Joseph’s Prep 10-0; D’Andre Swift! Looks like a straight shot to the District-1 champ with District-11 “down”, exciting but down.
2 North Penn 11-0; Home field and senior QB Udinski throwing to a pile of receivers generating a HUGE offense at 41ppg. Home sweet home!
3 Coatesville 10-1; Downingtown East and Ridley wins suggests the youth matured. Enough for a road trip to North Penn? NP can match them with skill. Speed? A lean to the Knights at home and as a higher seed.
4 Perkiomen Valley 11-0; Strong quarterbacking and underrated skill people
5 Garnet Valley 9-2; Always underrated yet one of winningest programs in the area. Option fooling teams, 3rd straight playoff road game after winning at CB South and Neshaminy. Impressive.
6 Parkland 9-3; Parkland vs Freedom looks like a 8/9 seed war! A few hiccups but usually a serious defense.
7 Freedom 8-4; Came into season as EPC-South fav/most talented and may still get there.
8 Northeast 8-2; Had their Super Bowl last week beating previously undefeated Central in Pub final

The West
1 Central Catholic 11-1; Overrated? Played two good teams, getting crushed by St. John’s College (DC) 35-14 (doesn’t reflect how dominated they were), beat defenseless Pine Richland 48-35? Awesome offensive line all going somewhere; PSU, ND, Fordham and Yale.
2 Central Dauphin 10-1; Loaded, D flies around, good team speed but throw #2, #3 and #4….maybe #5 in a bag and pull a name. Whoever comes out of the district, especially if it’s a Mid Penn Commonwealth team, will give Central Catholic more of a game than the soft teams they’ve played to date.
3 State College 10-1; Lost to Central Dauphin 13-10, beat Cumberland Valley 20-16, nice balance, huge roster, physical.
4 Cumberland Valley 8-3; Beat CD 25-24 earlier and have em again at CD Friday. Difficult scheme like Garnet Valley where you have to stay super disciplined; most don’t.
5 Wilson 10-1; Skill everywhere, great coaching, decent Q-backing, playoff veteran program. Get CD East at home. Lost to CD 24-6 early. Lightweight this year but quick.
6 Central Dauphin East 7-4; Ballsy bunch, won at Wilson last year in ot, 2nd round. Like Wilson, not as strong as last year but don’t look past them!
7 Seneca Valley 8-3; A scoring machine (35 avg) with a defense as bad as Pine Richland’s at 27ppg. WPIAL 6A-1 down this year except for Central Catholic.
8 Williamsport 11-1; Crazy offense at 50ppg leaving their defense panting!

OK, lets get the ball rolling.

I'll be at North Penn for Red Raiders-Knights. Been looking forward to this game for several weeks.

I'll be starting the pre-game festivities at the Sumney Tavern. Will be there by 5, stop by and introduce yourself!

Thought I’d put something together on 5A teams. Not too deep, just a quick hit, maybe more like a glancing blow!

5A East….The Playoffs
#1 Springfield 11-1 vs #5 Henderson 9-3 at Springfield
Springfield beat Great Valley last week 24-10, with their only loss being a 21-14 homer to Garnet Valley. And we all know what the Jags are copable of. Henderson played a difficult schedule in the Ches Mont losing to Coatesville, Shanahan and Downingtown East, so no fear here. Still, Springfield’s unyielding D (9ppg) combined with Henderson’s low octane O (21ppg) should fashion a low scoring game favoring the Cougars, giving them the edge at home….but not by much at 1.15 pts.
#3 Marple Newtown 11-1 vs #2 Academy Park 11-1 at Academy Park
Marple’s only loss was at home to Ridley 17-14 while Academy Park’s lone blemish was on the road to Interboro 29-24. Both have similar schedules quality wise with stats slightly favoring the Knights who have the home edge in Sharon Hill….by 4.65 pts. These two like to get up and run so look for a high scoring affair with both averaging over 32ppg.
District 2//11
Abington Heights 8-4 vs Whitehall 8-4 at Abington Heights
Comets have been nothing special this but here they are with a defense that has matured to 13ppg and a recent win over Wyoming Valley West. But Whitehall has the pedigree, coming from the EPC-South with wins against Liberty, Freedom and impressively last week over a solid Southern Lehigh team 35-14. Zephyrs are road warriors winning at Emmaus, Liberty, Stroudsburg and Northampton, losing at Parkland 26-14. 8.11 Whitehall. Whitehall-Wood would be fun!
District 12 Final
Archbishop Wood 7-2 vs Simon Gratz 8-4 at Northeast
This one is almost off the charts at 29.32 advantage to Wood. Vikings in a groove now winning their last 7 with games against Wayne-OH, Bergen Catholic, St. Joe’s and LaSalle having them prepped for anyone.

5A West….The Playoffs
District 3 semifinals
#1 Governor Mifflin 10-1 vs #5 Harrisburg 8-3 at Governor Mifflin
Maybe the best game on the dockett with bad ass Cougars from the Mid Penn in town. 2-pt loss to Central Dauphin, 7 to State College and 35-14 win at Cumberland Valley says they’re ready but man….it’s hard winning in Shillington. The Mustangs haven’t lost since opening at Wilson. Harrisburg 4.11 minus home field says it’s a toss up.
#2 Manheim Central 10-1 vs #6 Cocalico 8-3 at Manheim Central
Manheim Central has impressive wins against Warwick 38-17 and Cedar Cliff 38-29 last week while Cocalico has a competitive loss to Governor Mifflin, 17-13. Guess who was the only team to beat the Barons this year? Right, Cocalico. Adding fuel to the fire, it was at Manheim, 28-24. Saw it and it could have been worse. But not this time with Man Cent winning it by 10.33.
District 7 Final
#1 West Allegheny 11-0 vs #3 McKeesport at Heinz
West Allegheny looks like they’re in a league of their own, pounding Upper St Clair 33-7 and Woodland Hills twice, 52-13 and 35-7. Only allowed 81 points all year giving them one of the best defenses in any classification. McKeesport is allowing way too many points at 19ppg but will test Indian’s defense with their vaunted option attack. Penn Trafford and Armstrong found a way and so should Coach Bob Palko. West A by 9.33.
District 6/8/10 teams
Hollidaysburg 6-4 vs Meadville 10-2 at Slippery Rock University
Meadville lost their first two then is was lights out for everyone else, winning their next 10 and averaging 53ppg! Hollidaysburg is lumbering along at 27ppg allowing 21, with losses to State College 45-10, McDowell 32-9 and Martinsburg Central 35-7, while Meadville has been storming teams, decent teams on the road; Farrell 47-16 and Grove City twice, 48-14 and 67-27. No holiday here with the Bulldogs taking a big hunk out of the Golden Tigers by 26.03 points.

The West:

District 2/4/10 finalist vs District 6/8/10 finalist
#1 Williamsport 11-1 vs State College at Selinsgrove HS

Williamsport smashed 2nd seeded Delaware Valley 55-21 last week in a rematch to avenge their only loss of the season. Their huge offence averaging 51ppg (!) racked up 544 total yards of offense. It was a balanced attack as well with quarterback Isaiah Hankins completing 9 of 13 passes for 190 of those yards. Williamsport had lost at Delaware Valley on Oct 8th 49-42, making this an especially satisfying win. Last week saw Mid Penn co-champ State College beat a familiar foe in McDowell of Erie, dispatching the District-10 power 35-14. It was a typical SC-McDowell slugfest, with the Lions battling for 242 yards of offense and the Trojans with 287. I believe everyone came out healthy in a game that is often a head banger. That’s the one thing Williamsport won’t be used to, the physicality SC brings to this game. There is no doubt the Millionaires have a fine and fast team. But most of the wins came against smaller classification teams that were experiencing down seasons like Berwick, Wyoming Valley West and Abington Heights. Weaker schedule or not, they’ve put together quite an offense with a super quick back in Treyson Potts with 1892 yards rushing. State High has no issues with their schedule showing a powerful slate of opponents every year, defeating teams like Cumberland Valley, Harrisburg, CD East and now McDowell (9-2) whose only loss coming in was to their rival Cathedral Prep 31-15. If Williamsport can keep their wits about them at the beginning, it’s a game….but it could get out of control like State’s game with the quick Cougars of Harrisburg where the Lions won 35-28. State High by 1.79!?


District 7 Final
#1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic 11-1 vs #6 Seneca Valley 8-3 at Heinz Field

In yet another district of nothing but rematches, Central Catholic routed 5th seeded Pine Richland 63-34 to open the 2016-2017 basketball season in the WPIAL. They beat the Rams earlier in the year 48-35, taking the total points scored against Pine Richland’s defense, if it can be called that, to 111. Talking about big points, Central Catholic is scoring at a torrid pace, 47 a game and allowing a meager 14 so good luck figuring a way to slow this freight train down. For those unfamiliar with some of the Vikings personnel, check out their offensive line as a sampling and reason why they are crushing the opposition; LT CJ Thorpe 6-5 310-PSU; LG, Jake Trautman 6-4 270-Fordham; C Donovan Slater 6-3 285-Yale; RG Jacob Hinish 6-3 280…also Yale and RT “cuz” Hurt Hinish 6-3 290, going to Notre Dame. Their opponent in the district final, Seneca Valley comes in off a significant upset, beating the 2 seed North Allegheny 28-27 on a blocked extra point. Once again, special teams reared its head to decide a game. Looking at Seneca Valley is something like seeing a mirror image of Pine Richland, all offense and no defense, scoring 35ppg while allowing 27 on average. Their problem has been against quality teams, losing to North Allegheny 49-14, Pine Richland 51-20 and Central Catholic 42-14. Prior to beating NA last week, they escaped Mount Lebanon, winning 49-43. That’s a total of 185 points in 4 games and that’s way too much against these guys. Vikes by 25.57.


District 3 Semi Finals
#1 Central Dauphin 10-1 vs #4 Cumberland Valley 8-3 at CD

Central Dauphin beat 8th seeded Manheim Township 34-14 in the quarterfinal while Cumberland Valley beat star struck and 5th seeded Warwick out of the Lancaster-Lebanon Section-1, 35-7. The Rams were expected to beat Manheim, another LL Section-1 team, having defeated them in the opener 31-9. But you never know with the Streaks and their “balls to the wall” offense fueled by transfer quarterback Luke Emge (13/24/176). Of note for Central Dauphin this year is the development of their passing game with AJ Millar completing 60% of his passes. It isn’t Pine Richland but they at least show a threat at 1168 yards passing, an element sorely missed last year. At 32ppg, it’s modest with the D taking up some of the slack at 12ppg.
Across the field is their old nemesis and Mid Penn Commonwealth fellow member Cumberland Valley, fresh off another pounding of an area conference team. The Eagles have owned the Rams of late, winning the last 4 games including last year’s 7-overtime win and this year’s 25-24 win. Of issue is their last 6 games where they’ve gone 3-3 with no consecutive wins. Interestingly, all this started after the CD win and included a 15-10 loss to Lower Dauphin (5-5) and a pounding by Harrisburg 35-14. Beating Warwick last week was strong tonic. But for a team that hasn’t put back-to-back wins together since September, they could be in for a difficult time on the road at Landis against the Rams who the math says will win it by 7.72 points.


# 2 Wilson 10-1 vs #6 Central Dauphin East 7-4 at Wilson High

At the risk of irritating the home crowd, I’d like to see Wilson get the hardware so the rest of the state will know what an excellent program they are. Many of the enthusiasts on this board know that but like Central Dauphin in 2011 (15-1, beat North Penn 14-7), until you bring home the gold, you are just another good football team. So here’s Wilson again, having gone 127-19 since Coach Doug Dahms took over in 2006, gunning for a 3rd consecutive district title after downing 7th seeded Central York last week 55-23. This is pretty much a typical Bulldog team although they are somewhat younger in spots than other years, featuring juniors at running back and quarterback. Here they have solid quarterbacking in Connor Uhrig (64%, 1335 yds) with great skill (RB Ignacion Reynoso, 1335 yards) and a lighter but quick team, scoring 38ppg. The defense at 16ppg is their worst since 2009’s allowed the same and only the second time a Coach Dahms team allowed more than 12 ppg (year-end average). It’s good stuff but wait til next year!

Their opponent Central Dauphin East beat previously undefeated 3rd seeded Red Lion 13-7. That was a nice win for the East High Panthers but LL-Section-1 powerhouse Wilson will bring a lot more to the table than the York-Adams rep. Plus, East has been vulnerable relying on their defense to support a youthful offense, often breaking down late in the game. That showed up against the heavy weights, losing to Harrisburg 28-10, State College 33-14, Cumberland Valley 19-12 and Central Dauphin 34-18. This one could get a little ugly with CD East ending Wilson’s postseason drive last year, upsetting the Bulldogs at West Lawn in overtime, 20-14. The math says Wilson by 9.22 points but the feeling here is the Bulldogs will be one pissed off puppy, taking it to the East High guys in a big way to avenge last year’s painful ending.

The East:

District-1
#1 North Penn 12-0 vs #3 Coatesville 11-1 at North Penn

Hey, North Penn finally got what the doctor ordered, a competitive game! But the home crowd might feel a lot better if that score was the margin they beat Coatesville by, not Spring Ford, with so many expecting a total blowout. The strong positive the 8th seeded Rams can take from this one is their comeback from a 21-0 1st quarter deficit. Make no mistake they knocked North Penn back on their heels with a 19-7 comeback over the final 3 quarters, something Coach Matt Ortega of Coatesville will take a good look at. The stats were all North Penn, 475 to 244 in total O with Reece Udinski throwing for 332 yards. Their opponent this week is Coatesville, who also jumped their opponent early, racing out to a 21-0 1st quarter lead against Ridley. Like North Penn-Spring Ford, the lead proved too much to overcome, though the 5th seed battled hard over the last 3 quarters before going down 41-21. Coatesville’s tag team tandem of running back Aaron Young and quarterback Ricky Ortega (to name a few!) ran roughshod over Ridley’s defense, totaling 248 and 124 yards respectively. Ortega passed for another 136 yards. All totaled, the Red Raiders out-yardaged the Green Raiders 514 to 218. That just doesn’t happen. Ok, the math (chuckle-chuckle) has North Penn winning by .35 points in a very high scoring affair. Defense is defense and they say it wins games but no high school team can stop a quality passing attack. How many quality CBs can you have at the high school level? That’s why this one with two superior passing attacks could see tremendous scoring with each team unable to stop the other.

#3 Perkiomen Valley 12-0 vs #10 Garnet Valley 10-2 at Perkiomen Valley

Perkiomen Valley had little trouble defeating 6th seeded Downingtown East 44-21 while Garnet Valley shocked the pundits waffling Neshaminy 42-14, at Neshaminy! Maybe the Central League should now get at least a modicum of respect, especially with Springfield tearing things up at the 5A classification. Back to G-Val, the yardage total of the Jaguars rushing for 314 yards shows total line domination. And if you viewed this one, plain and simple that’s what it was. But the less heralded story is how dominate the Jags were on defense, holding the Skins to 54 yards rushing (54!) and 264 total yards. Meanwhile in Collegeville, Downingtown East was overwhelmed by the aerial antics of the Vikings with quarterback Stephen Sturm passing for 368 yards in their 44-21 victory. Thought East might defend the pass a little better. For the stat freaks, Downingtown out-yardaged PV 414 to 364 yards, nicely balanced at 228 rushing and 186 passing….but still lost by 23 points. Four of PV’s scores came through the air, plus a 42 yard pick-6 and a 48 yard field goal. For Garnet Valley and Perkiomen Valley, this one is about contrasting styles, with G-Val attempting to pound the Vikings into submission with their grinding option ground attack while Perk Val will go with their vaunted aerial assault that is a thing of beauty. The math has it 3.28 for the Vikings.


District 11 Final
#3 Parkland 9-3 vs #5 Freedom 8-4 at. J. Birney Crum Stadium

Parkland beat 7th seeded Easton 42-7 with more ease than some expected knowing the Rovers came into the game on something of a roll, winning 4 of the last 5 after a 2-4 start. But Parkland really dominated them this year even with a replacement QB in the regular season game (Ethan Imler for injured Michael Ruisch) won at Easton 28-0 where the Trojan D held them to 92 total yards. It was more of the same in the postseason at Orefield where Parkland again dominated all phases of the game with QB Ruisch having a stellar outing completing 10 of 12 for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns. Easton was again shutdown to 158 yards of offense to Parkland’s 458. Still, that was some kind of outburst by the Trojans coming into the game averaging 29ppg. No one ever undervalues Parkland but on the other hand, few were calling for another district title either.
In the other game in something of a stunner, Freedom trounced top seeded Emmaus 42-12. The loss of injured senior quarterback Derek Sheaffer (Blake Reed filling in) didn’t help with Freedom rolling out 457 yards while holding the Hornets to 256. That sets up yet another rematch of a game played way back on September 23rd won by Parkland, 17-0. For a team otherwise averaging 34ppg, it’s hard imagining Freedom being shutout. But when Parkland’s defense is on, and it’s been on for most of the year (34-7 Beca breakdown) they are a difficult team to beat and the best defense in the Lehigh Valley. As the 4 time defending District -11 champion, the postseason is what Parkland is all about against the upstart from Bethlehem.


District 12 Final
St. Joseph’s Prep vs Northeast 8-2 at Northeast

St. Joseph’s Prep beat LaSalle College 35-14 last week to secure the PCL crown and move into the district final against the PPL champ Northeast who pulled one of the postseason shockers by routing Philadelphia Central 31-8. It was all over at the close of the first half when they jumped out to a 24-8 lead. What a confidence builder that was after losing to Imhotep 44-8 two weeks earlier. Northeast typically has some players, with last year’s 11-1 team beating Abington and Father Judge. The 2013 team lost to a good CR North team (8-3)15-13 and they’ve just about owned Central over the years. About the Hawks; they were a machine last week against the Explorers, unleashing the powerful combo of running back D’Andre Swift for 179 yards (18 carries) and quarterback Marquez McCray for 220 total yards; 68 rushing and 162 passing. That could well be an unstoppable duo if quarterback McCray maintains that level of play. They are already averaging 41ppg and game as Northeast might be, the Hawks yield a miserly 14ppg against a robust schedule. Both games were emotional highs for the winners with the playoff veteran Hawks more likely to recover and focus than Northeast who may be a little star struck. The math calls for a big win here by St. Joe’s by 19.40 points.

after 30 years as coach, he stepped down. Guy was a PA Legend and put many guys in big time college and beyond.

Thoughts on this marquee matchup gents. Saw Ridley/ coatesville last week and Ridley shot themselves in the foot. Turnovers, single coverage, no spy on Qb, Ortega killed them. Whenever coatesville behind the chains, it's empty backfield qb draw. They certainly have some athletes but appear undisciplined and school yardish at times, but it works. Think np can matchup with their athletes, think np has coaching edge from prior matchup and maybe the biggest is home field ie the poor grass/ swamp which could neutralize any speed edge coatesville may have. I like np in a mini shootout 35-27.

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Team USA lost a world cup qualifier to Costa Rica 4-0. For 40 years or more soccer people have talked up the sport and yet they can't beat a small country. It will never be a prime sport, why? because it never gets the quality athletes who still gravitate to football, basketball,. baseball, track.
When has a hs soccer player ever won the the a state title in the 100M?

Can the three stooges or any other board liberal, or is it bored or boring liberal, tell us what progress has been made over the past eight years? Don't include obamacare, as we know that is failing right in front of us. And don't include "saving the economy" as the economy had started to recover even before Incapabama took office.

Just your own words, no links to some liberal website either. Just your own words. Step up and show some support for your guy; I mean, he is desperate for some sort of legacy. I am betting this is another shutout and that you will be incapable of articulating a reply. Chuvalo, 20% Paycut, gingy, you guys are on the clock.

Ok.. let's have some fun here... I can see as teams start to get knocked off.. we have some new trolls appear to pick the carcass clean.. we have all taken our shots at each other..but for lack of a better word I think we have all earned the right to do so as we are faithful all season long... but I love when new posters come out of the blue when one of the "favorites" season comes to an end.. and they seem to have all the inside info.. so list your over and under if your team goes down..

IF PV loses - not sure anyone will reply...
IF Coatesville loses maybe two new trolls but Ridely will start an occupy c'ville movement
If NP loses - 25 new trolls and rumors will start that key "recruits" are opting out of their Sr. year and go to Lasalle
If Prep loses - the board as we know it would self destruct and a movement will start to replay the game

Regardless of which team you cheer for or against.. Rick O'Brian tweeted that D'Andre Swift is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Football Club's national player of the year award... I wish him the best of luck

Huck-

Any insight into this match up, quick search, SH looks like a decent program?

Was at the Ridley game last night and what the hell do you need All those coaches for, wait I know a second round loss and really a Ridley team that should have been a 13 seed. Just a terrible showing by the wood and green show,the little man complex was in full force last night. Just a suggestion from the outside fire all those bums standing around doing nothing but stroking the Wood's little man complex. Cut us all a break here the offense was horrible because of green thinks he is the god of the option offense and that idea of running a college style program does not work here in high school. The only positive was the defense played solid and they had a nice game plan against the real raiders.

after last night it is time to come together as a country. The Republicans have control of the House, Senate and Presidential office so there should be a lack of gridlock in DC which is good. Looks like Obamacare will be repealed and IF replaced by something better than great. Also if things get better than we all win and if not the 2018 midterms will change any possible unhappiness and 2020 other changes. But I am willing to give it a chance see what happens and be hopeful. I am not hoping for a failed Trump Presidential term, that would be bad for the country and possibly the globe. So this is Democracy at work here I accept the results, looks like the election was not rigged so lets move on.

First half was pretty closely contested until the last 2 minutes before half when PV showed why the offense is so good. Strum and Jaworski is a terrific passing combo. They are a quick strike o and will be a tough out. Good luck against Garnet Valley.

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This is very funny and points the finger right at Chuvalo. People don't like to be talked down to and called names. You'd think you would have learned that when you complain about Trump. Learn to have a discussion. NJ always brings up the point that Chuv doesn't come back with any facts and he's right. Just name calling.

Also nice how Trump came out and told that group of supporters to knock it off with the vandalism. Wish Obama and Clinton would come out and tell the people to knock it off with the protests. Nothing is going to change just because they're marching.

Having seen a lot of teams in the Philly area and following state scores can anyone really challenge these teams for championships?Western part of state challengers?

6A St. Joe's Prep: Their offensive line and the skill they have lead by Swift makes them to talented to be stopped. Challengers: winner of Coatesville vs North Penn. Both have talented teams with speed.

5A Archbishop Wood: With Webb and Blackshear they have two explosive players who can score anytime they have the ball. Add in Pitts and Thompson and the QB improving weekly they are the clear favorite. Challengers: Whitehall and maybe Academy Park out of District 1.

4A Imhotep: Maybe the only team with the athleticism and coaching to beat Prep in the state. Now that's a game I would love to see. Challengers: Becahi and Berwick don't have the speed.

2A Southern Columbia: they are rolling teams again this year. Challengers: Dunmore

Joe_Kane - 31
Footballdeadfish - 29
Fletchster - 27
16th&Georgetown - 27
ChesmontLeague1 - 27
newman107 - 26
IronMarshal - 26
not_a_fan - 26
Relayer - 26
Burrs5 - 26
ChesMont2 - 24
the_real_FballFan56 - 24
the trap - 23

The West
District 2 - District 4 Final
Williamsport 10-1 vs Delaware Valley 9-2 (.74 Williamsport)
Delaware Valley beat Williamsport 5 weeks ago on DV’s field 49-42. This time they have to travel to Williamsport to see if they can do it again. That’s the Warriors signature win, beating the Millionaires, with the losses coming at North Pocono (AAAA, 8-3) 27-20 and at Downingtown East 23-6. Williamsport’s signature win is 35-22 at Wyoming Valley West (8-2). Both are substantial offenses with DV averaging 36 a game and Williamsport 50, suggesting an actual repeat of the first game where the team with the ball last wins it. Defense will probably take a back seat in this one making it one of the more entertaining games of the weekend.
District 6/8/10 Final
State College 9-1 vs McDowell 9-1 (1.80 State College )
State College comes into this one off their first loss of the season, losing to Central Dauphin last week 13-10, dropping them into a tie with the Rams for conference honors. The loss may light a fire McDowell can’t put out against one of the most balanced offenses in the state. But McDowell is no slouch, coming in from talent rich Erie on a seven game winning streak since their 31-15 loss to city rival Cathedral Prep. For the Imhotep fans should they meet, Cathedral just defeated New York’s top team Canisius, 28-24. Back to McDowell who has decent wins against Fort LeBeouf, Austintown Fitch-OH and General McLane but nothing to stack up against SC’s wins against Cumberland Valley, Central Dauphin East and Harrisburg. State High!
District 7
Pittsburgh Central Catholic 10-1 vs Pine Richland 7-4 (10.71 Central Catholic)
Central Catholic defeated all 3 of the remaining teams in the WPIAL tournament, including Pine Richland 48-35 when QB Phil Jurkovec was healthy (out for the year), North Allegheny 55-14 and Seneca Valley 42-14. How exciting is that? So it appears the challenge….if it comes at all will be from State College if they get past McDowell or the District-3 representative that looks to be Central Dauphin, Cumberland Valley or Wilson. If State gets past McDowell, they stand a good chance of having another rematch with Mid Penn Commonwealth rivals Central Dauphin or Cumberland Valley.
North Allegheny 9-2 vs Seneca Valley 7-3 (5.02 North Allegheny)
Here’s another rematch to spice things up. With NA winning the regular season game 49-14, it needs spiced up and probably will be with Seneca Valley probably stoked after a loss of such magnitude. SenVal always scores points, averaging 53 a game their last three while North Allegheny comes in red hot, on a 8 game winning streak.
District 3 (Saved the best for last….LOL)
Central Dauphin 9-1 vs Manheim Township 6-4 (12.27 Central Dauphin)
Central Dauphin won the first game with Manheim 31-9 in the opener and should take this one against the hard luck Blue Streaks who have tight losses to Governor Mifflin 28-20, Warwick 31-28 and Wilson 17-10. Across the field, Central Dauphin’s 25-24 loss to Cumberland Valley, their fourth straight to the Eagles, evidently lit a fire as they won their next 5 games against CD East, Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Red Land and State College, showing there are no ill side effects following Micah Parson’s transfer to Harrisburg High a few weeks ago. CD’s special teams, a given with Coach McNamee teams have not been up to par this year but this is still a loaded team that should get past the Streaks at Landis.
Cumberland Valley 7-3 vs Warwick 8-2 (5.18 Cumberland Valley)
This one could get interesting since Warwick has the talent to stay with CV. After opening with a 38-17 loss to powerhouse Manheim Central, they morphed into another team, losing a close one to Wilson 14-10 then winning out in their last 6 games of the year. What they don’t have is playoff experience meaning the big stage and bright lights might be just a little too bright the first time around, especially at CV’s Chapman Field. It’s a veteran bunch with 19 back from last year but catching the Eagles at Chapman after a loss is a bad deal for Warwick. They’ll be in War Eagle mode for this one.
Wilson 9-1 vs Central York 7-3 (18.71 Wilson)
In any other year with a typical Central York team, they might have snuck up on the Bulldogs who look mortal after consecutive district titles. But this is not one of the stronger Panther editions (allowed 100 points last 4 games) and life is usually real hard come playoff time on Wilson’s turf in a playoff game at night. For some linkage with other quality teams, Central lost at home to Cumberland Valley in the 2nd week, 35-7 and 3 weeks ago also at home to Red Lion 28-18.
Red Lion 10-0 vs Central Dauphin East 6-4 (6.70 Red Lion)
Red Lion is situated a mile southeast of York in the burbs playing in the York-Adams league with teams like Dallastown, Central York, South Western and York High where Coach Ortega coached before coming to Coatesville. They’ve often been competitive but this is their best team in years, perhaps ever, not having had an undefeated season since 1974. You may recall quarterback Chad Kelly currently at Ole Miss, played here briefly before being dismissed from the team in 2009. Thereon he went to St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute where he set the New York state single season rushing record of 2000 yards and 1588 yards passing. About the team, they replaced all their skill people this year but are veteran along the lines, being especially strong at DL where Nick Argento (6-3, 305, 87 tackles, sr) has dominated. He’s joined by Stephen Tierney (6-4, 260, 33 stops, sr), Alex Vega (6-1, 225, 19 tackles, sr) and C/DT Ben Frey (6-2, 210, 22, stops, sr). The offense is built around speed with quarterback Scot Emig (6-1, 175, sr) throwing for 851 yards and passing for 875. He has a 77% completion rate. Water bug running back Dylan Gurreri at 5-6, 170 pounds zigged and zagged for 1248 yards rushing with FB/LB Pat Daugherty (6-0, 205, sr) getting 320. He’s a headhunter on defense with 88 stops.
Whether they can beat Central Dauphin East is a whole other question considering the Panther’s Mid Penn pedigree. 6-4 isn’t scaring anyone but in a league facing Harrisburg, Central Dauphin, State College, Cumberland Valley and Bishop McDevitt, you have to be careful judging a team on its won-loss record. They are coming off a 19-12 loss to Cumberland Valley 2 weeks ago and a 27-13 win against Bishop McDevitt last week, and will bring more speed to the field than Red Lion faced all season. But with a proud bunch of seniors on a historic run playing at home, it should be a real war. Lions and Panthers!

Did not see this coming

...and Parkland 42 Easton 7. Looks like Parkland might be taking a ride down to the Northeast in a couple weeks.