Direct quote from the rumbler, bumbler, stumbler (a.k.a obama, President Incapable, 98 lb. weakling) today during a Q&A in Turkey at the world economic summit:

"What I am not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever other slogans they come up with....."

No, both American leadership and America winning are two things that we definitely don't want to see. Both events would be very bad for this country.

25th amendment please! Even the moderately sane liberals are jumping off the ship.

He declares ISIL contained on Thursday and they claim responsibility for the death of 129 people in France the very next day. This statement pales in comparison to Bush's statement to the FEMA guy (Brown) that he was doing a heckuva job in New Orleans. It won't get the same attention from the media because of their bias, but, clearly there is no comparison. President Incapable's reputation grows even more.

Three road games, three dominant performances. Makes my point even stronger that 7-3 Pennridge should have been in the field of 16.

They started out 7-0 and went 2-3 in the league? What happened?

Falcons take the kickoff and drive the length of the field. Kottmeyer Stadium is empty tonight. Never good to play HS football on Saturday night.

Is the stadium at the school?

thing may all be a fraud

Pittsburgh central catholic takes on woodland hills. Between both teams there will be at least 16 d1 athletes.

21. Quakertown 8-2, #12.The Panthers fell completely out of the Top 20 after losing two consecutive home games to conference rivals CR North 41-31 two weeks ago and Central Bucks East last week 24-23. As mentioned above, a bit of irony finds them in a rematch with 5th seeded Central Bucks East where they’ll find the Patriots just as difficult to defeat as they were last week. This is a nice team but a two game losing streak is not the way you want to enter the postseason against a team on a five game winning streak playing at home.
22. Upper Darby 9-1, #6.Seven straight wins by a combined score of 248-99 (35-14 average) with two shutouts and two others held to seven points will take you a long way. In this case to the top of the Central League where they share the lead with Haverford. They will definitely have their hands full Friday evening against surging Council Rock North, the 11th seed. But so will the Indians trying to contain one of the better kept secrets in southeastern PA in Isaiah Bruce, their 5-8, 185 pound senior tailback. He’s hard to see, quick and tough as evidenced by his 1758 yards rushing and 230 carries. It will be interesting seeing how Upper Darby holds up to playoff pressure, in this, their second winning season in seven years.
23. Haverford 9-1, # 7. Like the Royals, the Fords are also on a run, winning nine straight since the season opening 41-3 drubbing by Downingtown West. Hard getting that one out of your mind! But with a retooled offense that essentially replaced everyone save the quarterback, the Fords are a great story this year. It starts with senior quarterback Jack Donaghy who rewrote the record books, breaking Steve Joachim’s single season passing records, throwing for over 2000 yards this year and over 4600 yards in his career. As fine a year as he’s having, it’s the defense that for the most part has shined, allowing 11.5ppg discounting the opener. The O is impressive at 29ppg, but it’s still the D that in so many games decides the issue.
24. Stoudsburg 8-2, #5. The Mounties responded to heavy grad losses by putting together an eight win season and landing the 5th seed in the D2/4/11 sub-regional. Not bad! But against the higher eschelon of the EPC, they faltered, losing at home in the opener to Nazareth 49-47 and Bethlehem Catholic a few weeks ago, 49-14, also at home. That doesn’t bode well here on the road against Liberty, stinging from the 35-21 loss to Freedom.
25. Garnet Valley 7-3, #14.G-Val recovered from the season opening 37-13 loss at Unionville and the narrow road losses at Haverford 29-21 and Upper Darby 41-34 to land the 14th seed. This places them on a long road trip against undefeated and 3rd seeded Upper Dublin where they will encounter a team unlike any seen in the Central League. Flipping that, the Jags will be the best team the Cardinals have played all season.
26. Council Rock South 6-4. #19. The Hawks faced a brutal schedule that impacted their playoff hopes this year with narrow losses to Pennsbury and Neshaminy and a double overtime win against Central Bucks East which showed their competitive potential. But big losses to Quakertown 35-14 followed by what was essentially a play-in loss to Council Rock North last week sealed their fate leaving them with the 19th seed after the 35-14 loss.
27. Nazareth 5-5, #8. The Blue Eagles soared early, racing out to a 4-1 record that included a 49-47 win at Stroudsburg, a 31-27 loss to Freedom and a 37-35 win over Liberty before the bottom fell out with a 1-4 finish. Still, they made the playoffs by edging out Pleasant Valley (6-4), winning the right to play top seeded Wyoming Valley West. Regardless of the outcome there, and that’s a tough road trip for them, year two of the Tom Falzone era showed great improvement over last year’s 2-8 team, highlighted by the games mentioned at the top. Things are looking up at Naz.
28. Emmaus 5-5, #11.The Green Hornets are not without talent with some impressive lineman and a great back In Kyle Boney who finished the regular season with 1910 yards rushing. Kind of scary thinking 5-5 is the best you could get with a back like that. Despite playing with one arm tied behind their back with a ground a pound philosophy, they had their moments, beating Allentown Central Catholic and losing narrowly to Liberty. They move on to the Eastern Conference playoffs were a 7-5 finish would be great tonic for next year..
29. Rustin 7-3, #21. When you’re a program of Rustin’s stature opening with a loss to Truman (4-6), you’ve got to think you’re in for a long season. They recovered going 7-2 but it wasn’t enough losing to Unionville 28-21 at Rustin and to powerful Coatesville 31-7. That’s quite a drop for the Knights who were 10-2 last year with the 3rd seed, defeating Conestoga 47-13 in the first round before losing to Upper Dublin in the second, 41-23.
30. Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-2, #16. The Colonials lost to the only winning teams on their schedule, Upper Moreland and Upper Dublin by a combined score of 77-14 but still made the postseason with the 16th seed. Compounding things, one of their losses was to a AAA team while one of their wins was against AA Springfield. Friday night will provide a monster shocker for them taking on top seeded Downingtown East in Downingtown. The closest thing they’ve seen to them is Upper Dublin who beat them 42-0 with Ryan Stover throwing five touchdowns.

Others:
PPL Semifinal
Philadelphia Northeast 10-0, home Frankford
Simon Gratz 8-2, home Central

Neshaminy at Quakertown Friday night. Is it possible we could see a Neshaminy-North Penn district final for the 5th time in 12 years?

I'll happily eat crow here, Saucon completely out physical-ing Becahi in the first half. Big kickoff return after the BC touchdown and a TD pass with 6 seconds left gives them an 8 point lead at the break. Only have attempted two passes, both long completions. And in a stunning turn of events, a Matt Evancho defense looks great against a dangerous offense.

Plymouth Whitemarsh is leading 21-7 at the half. I'm watching on 3ctvlive.com

Rams won toss and deferred. 'Skins picked up a first and then stalled. After nice punt by Jack Spingler Spring-Ford starts at their nine with nine minutes on first qtr clock.

Rams put up three and out and set up to punt from their sixteen. Rolled out at mid-field as Neshaminy on offense.

'Skins pick up first down on ground. Seems Joe Pirrone in at halfback as Dogba had his helmet pulled off. Going to third and ten pass close to first and go for it on fourth. Will Dogba back in takes it close to Rams' thirty with five minutes on clock.

Pass interference on Rams keeps drive going. Joe Pirrone doing the heavy lifting to the five for a first and goal. Kyle Smith also in and getting handoffs . Dogba still out.

Fumble on handoff at three as Rams recover to kill that effort. One minute on clock.

Week 10 Stats
Played - 7
Eliminated - 2
Survived - 5


Picks
North Penn - 3
Oxford - 3
WC East - 3
Haverford - 2
Pennridge - 2
Plymouth-Whitemarsh - 2
Upper Dublin - 2
Harry S. Truman - 1
Norristown - 1
Pennsbury - 1
Souderton - 1


Eliminated
Fletchster1
not_a_fan


Survivors/Teams Used
16th&Georgetown
Joe_Kane
newman107
Patton2Moscow
Relayer


Into the playoffs we go with 5 survivors, the format will be switched up a little bit as the regular season ends. As you can see, the pool of "Teams Used" has been wiped clean for all remaining participants. The Survivor Pool: Playoff Edition will operate as follows:

• You must pick one (1) winner each week
• The pool of eligible teams is the entire AAAA Eastern bracket (found here: http://www.easternpafootball.com/2015brackets/2015.AAAA.pdf)
• Once you have picked a team, they may not be used again

And that's pretty much it. Keep in mind you will need to plan ahead a little bit. If the Eastern Final is Downingtwon East vs. Parkland, and you've used both teams already then you are S.O.L.

Use this thread to make your pick for Week 11. I will take Wyoming Valley West.

#6 Easton (7-3) at #3 Freedom (9-1)

Easton
Record: 7-3 (t-3rd Place, EPC South)
District/Subregional Championships: 7 (1990, 1991, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010)
All Time Playoff Record: 24-13
All State Candidates: Nysir Minney-Gratz, David Simmons
All Conference Selections: Ryan Greene (C/DT), Nysir Minney-Gratz (RB), Corey Deemer (LB), Craig Stahlecker (OT/DT), David Simmons (DE)

The Red Rovers are in the subregional playoffs for the sixteenth time in seventeen years, and it is their 21st D11 postseason appearance since 1988. This is lowest Easton has ever been seeded in the subregional tournament, joining the 2007 squad who was also the 6 seed (and lost a 36-29 thriller to Hazleton in overtime). Easton is 5-8 all time on the road in district/subregional playoff games (as compared to19-5 at home) and barring bracket chaos, they will be away from Cottingham the rest of the way.

Easton is averaging 38.7 points per game, almost entirely driven by their rushing attack. The Red Rovers are on pace to attempt their fewest passes since 2005, and they’ve thrown the most interceptions as a program since as least 1999 (the farthest back I can find INTs). They also will be trotting out backup quarterback Ben Nimeh for the third week in a row, as senior captain and starter Trey Durrah appears to be out for the year with a knee injury suffered against Liberty.

The running game has been an obvious strength. Running back Nysir Minney-Gratz is fifth in the state with 1,710 rushing yards, 469 effort yards in the regular season finale against Nazareth. Minney-Gratz broke the Easton single game record (set in 1991 by Juan Gaddy) by 155 yards and the D11 record (set in 1998 by Whitehall’s Nick Kurtz) by 43 yards. With that effort, he moved from 11th to 5th on the Easton single season rushing list, and is one of five backs in school history with a 1,700+ yard season (Shane Simpson, Juan Gaddy, Brad Piperata, and Eric Thompson). Three of the four backs ahead of him set their marks aided by trips to the Eastern Finals and Minney-Gratz has the most yards in school history through ten games.

But that big effort came at a cost. It was reported Tuesday that Minney-Gratz is questionable for Friday night with a leg injury. This would be the fourth time in the last five years that Easton would be without their leading rusher in the playoffs. This is particularly crippling, because for the first time since 1997, Easton does not have multiple running backs with at least 600 yards. Heck, going back to the 1950s with Pete Americus and Bill Houston, Easton usually splits carries among two backs with varied skill sets (the old Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside idea) This year, Minney-Gratz has 204 carries, nobody else has more than 35.

To make matters worse, second on the depth chart is Katrell Thompson, who has missed the last two weeks with a concussion and isn’t expected back. That leaves Easton with senior fullback Isaiah Walker and freshman tailback Gernard Finney as your likely backfield against Freedom. Finney ran for 76 yards and a touchdown against Whitehall, has been covering kicks on special teams and is just one of five freshmen to play varsity football for Steve Shiffert. He is very highly regarded, but at 5’6 160 pounds and 14 years old, just doesn’t have the physical maturity yet to handle being an every down back.

Whoever gets the carries on Friday, they’ll be running behind an undersized but athletic offensive line. Though they average just 211 pounds across, and the biggest guy is ten pounds lighter than the smallest lineman at Wyoming Valley West, they’ve paved the way for 2,680 yards by Easton ballcarriers this year. They take advantage of their quickness and mobility advantage by running lots of sweeps to get everybody in motion and the group is extremely well coached and technically sound.

Defensively, Easton gives up 16.2 points per game, a number that shot way up in last week’s 56-41 shoot out with Nazareth. Part of that was just the sheer volume of possessions, but Easton also had atypical lapses. Easton doesn’t have stars on defense, but is solid play-to-play and doesn’t allow long scoring drives. They’ve also done a remarkable job against some of the wide open passing attacks in D11. Easton faced five of the top 25 passing offenses in the 4A this year, and none threw for more than 146 yards, though they did get picked apart for 196 yards by 3A ACC. All four starting defensive linemen have at least five sacks on the year, and they take a major speed and athleticism advantage into almost every match up. The loss of Thompson hurts, as he’s the best pure cover corner in the league. While the secondary has been generally good, they have given up big touchdowns on busted plays in a number of games.

About Freedom
Record: 9-1 (EPC South co-Champions)
District/Subregional Championships: 0
All Time Playoff Record: 3-4
All State Candidates: Cordell Cotto, Brady Hornbaker
All Conference Selections: Cordell Cotto (DE/TE), Brady Hornbaker (LB), Jonah Gundrum (WR), Andres Santos (RB), John Eltringham (K), Alkhion Dunkins (DB)

The Patriots are making back-to-back district/subregional playoff appearances for the first time in program history. Freedom shared the EPC South regular season championship with Parkland, the first championship of any kind for Freedom football since the Bethlehem Township school opened its doors in 1967. Freedom has only posted playoff victories in 2008, where they advanced to the finals before losing to archrival Liberty, and last season with a first round win over Whitehall.

Freedom has been kind of a smoke and mirrors operation on offense this season. Early in the year, they looked like a power run team with Roberto Diez looking like a real force at tailback. But an season ending injury to Diez in week 3 left them without their best offensive weapon. In his absence, they’ve been getting a little from a lot. Andres Santos has taken over primary ballcarrier duties, and the diminutive junior has rushed for 669 yards and 13 TDs on the year.

In the passing game, Joe Young has not been quite as productive as his breakout sophomore season, but he also has nowhere near the receiving corps of last season. Young has completed 54% of his passes for 1,059 yards and 9 TDs in nine games. No Freedom receiver has more than 17 catches, and Brennan Reinart’s 322 yards receiving leads the squad.

Where Freedom makes their money is on defense. The Patriots allow 14.7 points per game and are headlined by EPC Defensive Player of the Year Brady Hornbaker. The junior middle linebacker leads the team in tackles and is an intimidating force in the middle of their 3-3-5 stack defense. Defensive end Cordell Cotto is the best college prospect and was an all league defensive end. It’s also the best secondary in D11, led by Alec Huertas, Alkhion Dunkins, and Jonah Gundrum.

The Matchup
This is the only playoff rematch of teams that met in the regular season. In week 9, Freedom overcame a 13-0 halftime deficit to beat Easton 19-13 in overtime. Freedom forced four turnovers after the break, including a massive Alec Huertas interception and forty yard return to set up the tying touchdown in the last five minutes of regulation. They key to this game will be how both offenses adjust. Freedom won despite gaining just 193 yards of offense, 122 of which were concentrated in four plays (gaining 71 yards on the other 52 snaps). They struggled with Easton pressure, giving up five sacks, rushing for just 68 yards on 40 carries, and throwing a pick six while rushing a throw to avoid a blitz. Easton meanwhile, gained just 60 yards after halftime and turned the ball over four times, including a stretch of getting three consecutive pass attempts intercepted by Huertas. Freedom was particularly effective in shutting down Minney-Gratz, who had 128 all purpose yards on 20 touches in the first half, and 18 in the second half on 12 touches.

Freedom is not a fun team to attack for a quarterback with limited experience. The nickel base is a different look, and they can really generate a pass rush with Cotto and DeShawn Polk. If the Patriots can get an early lead and/or continue to stuff the Easton running game, it’s not going to matter what their offense does as long as it gets them on the board.

The Pick
Freedom 17-0

Friday November 13, 2015 7 PM

Garnet Valley @ Upper Dublin (Playoff)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfuK0AggSUI&feature=youtu.be


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Friday November 13, 2015 7 PM

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs Downington East (Playoff)

Watch Live http://3ctvlive.com/ ( pay per view $3.50)


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Friday November 13, 2015 7 PM

Council Rock North @ Upper Darby (Playoff)

http://livestream.com/accounts/1274087

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Friday November 13, 2015 7 PM

Neshaminy @ Spring-Ford (Playoff)

http://rctv.seniorhigh.spring-ford.net/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?&gid=2359192&sessionid=42eb1a6149b165cc3c05c67a12ec9b1c&t=&_ga=GA1.2.2063837963.1438264927&CKFinder_Path=Images:/YourVoiceSurvey/:1&_gat=1


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Friday November 13. 2015 7 PM

Springfield @ Academy Park (Playoff)

http://www.ssdcougars.org/Resources.cfm?subpage=47365

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Saturday November 14, 2015 7 PM

Pennsbury @ Downingtown West ( Playoff )

http://livestream.com/accounts/1274087

Skinner Man, Iron Man, Fletsch Man and the general Tribal Nation. Here’s some info on Coach Brubaker and his Rams. At extreme bottom below (**) is a portion of the 2015 Preview posted July 30th to get you up to speed on Coach Brubaker, with a small piece on his career at Wilson and review of accomplishments since taking over in 2010.

Springfield 2015

Offense (Tempo offense, zone)
Quarterback Ricky Venuto (5-11, 195{not 185 as listed}, sr) was solid in his first start in opener against State College that set tone for the season.
-Has football intelligence as the son of a coach. After the pre snap checks he’ll opt to run-pass reading linebacker; if attacks line will pull up and throw..hitch (screen), or hand off if he drops back. Point being, he doesn’t panic, is cool out there especially for a first year starter.
-Often have two QBs in backfield, Stone Scarcelle (6-2, 185, jr), last year’s back up, trying for the edge a lot.
-Coach’s Wilson background with offense plus his starting a football youth organization is paying off at a few levels. The team is in great shape, lifting year round. This combined with their depth has them fresh, always.

Back to the opener, the Rams defense and offense made a statement going up against one of the state’s top backs in Jordan Mischer, holding him to 148yards. They were down 19-7 entering the 4th where Venuto led a 21 point comeback throwing 3-4th quarter scores, completing 14 of 24 for 188 and 4 scores in the 28-25 win. State College was much bigger but I think that’s where Spring Ford’s great conditioning came in play, that and a tough preseason schedule of District-3 teams Exeter Twp (10-0, 3rd seed) and Wilson (9-1, 2nd seeded). It helped that SC was a zone team, not a downhill group (largely) like Pottsgrove. This win was a big deal for Spring Ford, bigger than the Whitehall win in ’12. State came in ranked, big and bad with Mid Penn credentials and in some corners a Top 10 team. As comparison or for linkage thoughts, since the 0-2 start they beat Upper Darby (9-1, 6th seed) 28-0, CD East (6-4, 10th seed) 35-7, Carlisle (5-5, 16th seed) 40-21 and Cumberland Valley (8-2, 6th seed) 21-7, the only team to beat Central Dauphin (9-1, top seed). Tot yds SC 378(158-rush), SF 302(114-rush). Nice adjustment and shutdown in 3rd quarter. SC going 16.43 yards for a point, SF 12.04ypp.
-The offense like the defense is deceptively fast.
-Good athletes well coached so you see good down field blocking. Hard not seeing a play either way, downfield offensively, gang tackling, etc where you don’t see a helmet with horns on it.
-Receivers are shifty with good hands, all at least 6-0 except Trey Jarmon at (5-10, 160, sr) 20/370, who may have the best hands and speed of the group; QB/WR/DB Stone Scarcelle (6-2, 190, jr) 27/396, TE Quinn McKenna (6-2, 205, jr) 27/397, WR/CB Ted Dylinski (6-0, 180, sr….more CB recently but in rotation).
-The Running backs feature Matt Gibson (5-9, 160, jr, fast) 96-810, Selwyn Simpson (6-2, 210, sr) 82-598 and Jason Wilson (5-10, 180, sr) 40-372. Shifty backs. Depth.
-Will play people both ways but not full time.
-Go for 2 a lot
Offensive Line
(C) Sean Tatum 6-0, 255, sr
Alex Nagy 6-1, 230, sr
Nick Salomone 6-1, 205, jr
Matt Rice 6-2, 250, sr
Noah Silva 6-2, 240, so
(TE) Quinn McKenna 6-2, 205, jr


Defense (even front)
-Surprisingly quick
-Good depth, especially DL
-Kicker can reach end zone for touchback
Defensive Line (good depth)….
Dan Kelchner 6-0, 210, sr (out last year)
Jeremiah Najali 6-0, 225, sr
Toby Poet 6-1, 250, jr
Tanner Romano 5-11,190, jr
-Rotate a lot of people (Joe Campbell 6-0, 220, sr, Rudderow sometimes)
LB/DE
Tim Rudderow 6-1, 235, sr
Steven Rice 6-0, 190, sr
Lee Albert 6-0, 190, jr
Ryan Yanulevich 6-0, 185, jr
DB (good depth)
Adam Sharkey 5-11, 165, jr..SS
Bob Walsh 6-0, 185, sr…S
Dan Cassidy 6-0, 180, jr
Ted Dylinski 6-0, 180, sr
Trey Jarmon 5-10, 170, sr
Stone Scarcelle 6-2, 185. jr


(**) Spring Ford had a record setting offense last year scoring 41ppg while having another successful season with a 7-3 record, Coach Chad Brubaker’s fifth straight winning season since taking over in 2010. This comes as no surprise knowing his pedigree is Wilson High in West Lawn where he was Wide Receivers/Special Teams coach from 1998 to 2005 before becoming the O/C and Wide Receivers coach from 2006 to 2009. He coached with one of the winningest coaches in the state in Jim Cantafio (Conestoga Valley, Wyoming Valley West, Cedar Cliff) and present coach Doug Dahms. His won-loss through five seasons with the Rams is 41-11 (78%), not quite as good as the 85% winning percentage while OC at Wilson but not bad. Although last year brought them considerable success, finishing second in the PAC at 7-2 with Methacton and Pottsgrove (two behind Perk Val), they failed to make Districts after a four year run in the postseason where they impressed. In Coach’s second year in 2011, they got to the first round where they were handled by Coatesville’s Matt Ortega, also from District-3, 60-28. The Rams were wildly improved but got a good lesson about speed. Subsequent seasons and results show this was addressed in many areas. The following season suggested real progress with a 31-20 win against Whitehall (8-3, 8-1) who went on to share the LVC (now EPC-South) with Parkland and Easton. In 2012, a PAC team beating an LVC team was heady stuff! For those paying attention, the game against Whitehall hinted at a new day in southeastern PA, borne out in the playoffs that year when they beat Ridley 28-26, and Pennridge 35-24 before losing again to Coatesville in the district final 59-28. The following year saw them beat Downingtown West 43-21 in the first round before losing to Neshaminy 56-27. So, in the span of Coach’s first four years, they were playing with and beating Whitehall, Ridley, Pennridge and Downingtown West. Woe to anyone taking the PAC lightly with coaches like Chad Brubaker, Scott Reed at Perkiomen Valley and Rick Pennypacker at Pottsgrove.

#8 Nazareth (5-5) at #1 Wyoming Valley West (10-0)

Nazareth
Record: 5-5 (t-5th Place, EPC South)
District/Subregional Titles: 1 (2011)
All Time District/Subregional Playoff Record: 4-5
All State Candidates: Jahan Dotson, Travis Stefanik
All Conference Selections: Jahan Dotson, Julian Liaci

Nazareth is making their first trip back to subregional playoffs after their run to a title in 2011 on the backs of one of the most explosive offenses ever seen in D11. That year, Dan Harding threw for 970 yards and 9 touchdowns in three playoff games, including a D11 playoff record 380 yards against Parkland in semis.

This year’s squad doesn’t have the overwhelming number of offensive options the ’11 team did, but they have scored points in bunches, averaging 31.7 points per game. They’re led by quarterback Travis Stefanik, a Division I wrestling prospect who is completing 63% of his passes for 2,108 yards and 24 TDs, and has rushed for 998 yards and eight TDs. Two more rushing yards will make Stefanik only the second QB in D11 history to post a 2,000/1,000 season in the largest classification (Dan Persa being the other). Stefanik’s favorite target is sophomore Jahan Doston, who is already Nazareth’s career leader in catches, yards, and touchdowns. Dotson, with 60 catches for 1,007 yards and 12 TDs, is one of two players in the state with 1,000 receiving yards during the regular season and finished in the top four in the state in catches, yards, and touchdowns. He’s joined at receiver and defensive back by Julian Liaci, a state finalist in the 100 meter dash and one of the fastest players in Pennsylvania. He has 53 catches for 660 yards and seven TDs. Nazareth is the only team in 4A with two players in the top 10 in receptions.

Stefanik is most of the Nazareth running game. He’s the only Nazareth ballcarrier to break 100 yards in a game this year, and he has rushed for over 700 yards more than their second leading rusher. Nicholas Schepis receives a bulk of the carries from the running back position.

Defensively, Nazareth has a great offense. They’re giving up 33.8 points per game, largely due to an undersized and injury riddled defensive front and the inability to stop the run. Nazareth gives up 309 rushing yards per game, eleven different players have rushed for at least 100 yards, four different plays have rushed for at least 200 yards, and Nysir Minney-Gratz shattered the D11 record last week with 469 yards against the Blue Eagles, including a staggering 325 in the second half. The pass defense is stronger, largely because Dotson and Liaci are superior athletes and can match up with anybody in the secondary. And importantly, they can run down ballcarriers who have broken loose (Minney-Gratz had three runs last week of over 60 yards that did not result in touchdowns).


Wyoming Valley West
Record: 10-0 (Wyoming Valley Conference Champions)
District/Subregional Championships: 1997 (D2)
All Time District/Subregional Playoff Record: 1-8
All State Candidates: Sean Judge, LJ Wesneski, Chris Bleich, Billy Davidson
All Conference Selections:

The Spartans are making their ninth trip to the subregional since D2/4 merged with D11 in 2004 upon the inclusion of the Philly Public League. Their only state playoff appearance came in 1997, when after an undefeated regular season they drew CB West in the first round of the state tournament. They’ve been snake-bit in the subregionals, as they’ve qualified more than any other D2 team, but only have made it out of the first round one time, when they beat Delaware Valley in 2007. They are 0-7 against Lehigh Valley schools in the playoffs.

WVW returned 14 starters from last year’s group that went 8-3 and lost in the first round of the subregional and have been a force in the northeast all year. The Spartans average 44.4 points per game, thanks in large part to a running game that churns out 285 yards every Friday. Four different players have rushed for at least 300 yards on the year, led by all state candidate Sean Judge with 1,114. The junior, who converted from wide receiver to running back this fall, has scored 22 touchdowns (14 rushing, 4 defensive, 3 receiving, 1 punt return) and averages over 12 yards per carry in the running game. Judge and Chris Melovitz are both smaller, scat-back type runners, and WVW runs them out of spread sets. The Spartans are huge up front, and despite their spread/no-huddle scheme, they play physical football. They average 266 pounds across the line, led by 6’6 330 FBS prospect Chris Bleich at left tackle (the runt of the group is 6’1 230 Brydon Rukstalis). The Spartans also feature a pair of 230 pound tight ends in LJ Wesneski and Chris Reese, and a 220 pound fullback in Bill Davidson, if you’re in to that sort of thing.

What make the Spartans dangerous is their offensive balance. Junior quarterback Aaron Austin is completing 66% of his passes for 1,446 yards and 21 touchdowns. Wesneski is one of the better pass catching tight ends in Pennsylvania, and has 31 catches for 417 yards and 7 touchdowns. Devon Weidman is a deep threat, with 578 yards and 9 touchdowns on his 32 catches. Judge also averages 20 yards per catch out of the backfield.

Defensively, the Spartans give up 7.8 points per game thanks to a vicious pass rush. They’ve recorded 37 sacks, with Wesneski and Reese each totaling seven from their defensive end spots. Davidson is the feature guy in the back seven, a 220 pound assembly line middle linebacker with 92 tackles (11.5 for loss) and five sacks in only nine games. Leading tackler Zach Davies has 113 stops on the year. Judge leads the team in interceptions with five, and Weidman has picked off four passes. They’re plus 12 in turnover margin, with 14 picks and 10 fumble recoveries, compared to 9 picks and 3 fumbles lost on offense.

The Match Up
Wyoming Valley West has to be licking their chops looking at the Nazareth rush defense. For a team that likes to impose their will with the ground game, this is exactly what they want to see as the top seed in their first round playoff match up. Dotson and Julian Liaci certainly can cause sleepless nights for a DC, but Nazareth only has so much firepower, particularly against a defense as big and physical as WVW, and the Spartans should be heavy favorites.


The Pick
Wyoming Valley West 56-14

#7 Delaware Valley (7-3) at #2 Parkland (9-1)

Delaware Valley
Record: 7-3 (2nd Place, Lackawanna Conference 1)
District/Subregional Championships: 0
All Time Playoff Record: 3-8
All State Candidates: (none)
All Conference Selections:

The Warriors are back in the subregional again and get an opening round rematch of last year’s subregional semifinals and the 2012 subregional final. Del Val is one of three D2 teams to make a subregional finals, and the 2012 group lost a classic to Parkland, a 49-42 barnburner in Milford.

After getting outscored 72-13 in back-to-back losses to Upper Dublin and Wyoming Valley West to open the season, Del Val has won seven of eight (including a forfeit by West Scranton due to the teacher’s strike). The big difference (besides quality of competition) has been the return of running back Austin Cernak. Since returning in week 3 against Hazleton, Cernak has rushed for 920 yards and 9 touchdowns in seven games. Cernak is a bigger back (5’11 190) but has an extra gear when he breaks into the open field. He runs behind a good sized offensive averaging 241 headlined by all conference tackle Nick Kepple. The passing game is limited, Matt Cavellaro has thrown for a shade over 1,000 yards on the year and no receiver has more than 12 catches.

Defensively, they’ve given up 14.1 points per game in the seven games since the opening week disasters. Defensive end Lorenzo Curto has 8.5 sacks and 59 tackles on the year, both of which lead the team by wide margins. Sophomore corner Dylan Kelly is one of the better d-backs in the area. When they’ve struggled, it’s been in stopping the run, as they were gashed by WVW, Upper Dublin, and even in a win against Scranton by teams that had the personnel to commit to the ground game.

Parkland
Record: 9-1 (EPC South co-Champions)
District/Subregional Titles: 7 (1996, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014)
All Time Playoff Record: 23-9
All State Candidates: Devante Cross, Noel Brouse, Erik DiGiralomo
All Conference Selections: Kenny Yeboah, Devante Cross, Patrick Ferry, Noel Brouse, Erik DiGiralomo, Alex Vanwoert, Billy Danko, Mario Dellis

The Trojans are attempting to be the first D11 4A program to win four consecutive district/subregional championships. Bethlehem Catholic won three straight from 1999-2001, but had their try for four thwarted in the finals by…Parkland, who snapped Becahi’s 31 game D11 winning streak and went on to win the 2002 state championship. Interestingly, this will be the highest seed Parkland has entering the tournament in this run. They won as the 5 seed in 2012, the 3 seed in 2013, and the 7 seed last season.

Offensively, the Trojans are a high-tempo, spread team led by senior quarterback Devante Cross. Cross is looking to become the second quarterback to start three straight championship games (Dan Persa from 2004-2006 being the other) and the first QB to win three titles. He’s thrown for 1,832 yards and 17 TDs while completing 63% of his passes this year. Cross also has rushed for 833 yards and 14 TDs, and could join Persa (and potentially Nazareth’s Travis Stefanik) as the members of the 2,000/1,000 club. He also has an outside shot at throwing and running for 20 TDs, a feat only accomplished locally by Brendan Nosovitch.

The Trojans are big everywhere on offense, from the line (Noel Brouse is 6’6 270, Patrick Ferry is 6’2 315, Steven Feher is 6’5 270 and Andrew Perry is 6’0 230) to receiver (6’6 220 Kenny Yeboah, 6’4 205 Zach Bross, and 6’2 200 Nolan Ridgway). Yeboah, a Temple commit, has 47 catches for 652 yards and eight TDs, and needs nine more catches for 100 in his career. Ridgway and Bross have 28 and 27 catches, respectively. The line is massive, and pass protects very well.

The running game has improved in recent weeks, with Erik DiGiralomo emerging as the go to guy in the running game. He set a school record with a 98 yard touchdown run last week against Emmaus, where he ran through no less than four tackles, including getting fully spun around at the Parkland 45. He’s run for 764 yards and 14 TDs on the year, and is on a streak of 492 yards and seven TDs in the last four games. He’s a straight ahead, thrives on contact runner, while Cross is the home run threat in the backfield.

Defensively, Parkland is the best unit in the Lehigh Valley. They’re giving up 14.5 points per game, but have yielded just 29 points in the four games since their perplexing 41-34 loss to Liberty. They have the best front seven in D11, their defensive line shuts down the run as well as anybody, and DiGiralomo is having a fantastic year at linebacker. The one spot they are vulnerable is in the secondary, where they don’t have tremendous speed. They do have big d-backs, led by the massive Yeboah, so lazy throws get intercepted due to their tremendous range and physicality. But when Parkland struggles, it’s because receivers are running past them. Of course, their best defensive back is Cross, who they use sparingly in the secondary to keep him fresh at quarterback. But he’s been recruited to Boston College to play defense, and I bet we see more Devante Cross the cornerback as the stakes get higher.

The Matchup
Delaware Valley is not set up to beat Parkland. They’re a smash mouth team that isn’t quite big or talented enough to smash the mouths of the Parkland defensive front. And they don’t have the weapons or the scheme to exploit Parkland’s secondary, the Achilles heel of the Trojan squad. Defensively, they’ll need to put pressure on Cross. Collapsing the pocket has been the one reliable way to limit the Trojan offense, which they’ll have to do rushing four, because Cross handles the blitz as well as anybody, either by getting the ball out quickly or exploiting overzealous pursuit and man-to-man coverage behind it that can’t see him take off.

The Pick
Parkland 42-7

Rushing Yards
1. Kyle Boney, Emmaus: 1,991
2. Nyfese Nasir, Plymouth-Whitemarsh: 1,824
3. Jayden Demmy, Cedar Cliff: 1,786
4. Isaiah Bruce, Upper Darby: 1,739
5. Nysir Minney-Gratz, Easton: 1,710
6. Jamaal Brome, Stroudsburg: 1,609
7. Answered Gleyplay, John Bartram: 1,573
8. Rob Burns, Quakertown: 1,537
9. Thomas Vissman, Upper St. Clair: 1,364
10. Nate Jones, Avon Grove: 1,356
11. Bryan Milligan, Canon-McMillan: 1,343***
12. Tayvon Ruley, Penn Wood: 1,331
13. Brandon McIlwain, Council Rock North: 1,324
14. Will Blair, Hempfield (3): 1,308
15. Jordan Misher, State College: 1,289
16. Kyle Sult, General McLane: 1,285
17. Tyrone Pringle, West Chester Rustin: 1,272
18. Devonte Robinson, Dieruff: 1,243
19. Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills: 1,238
20. Amir Paulk, Northeast: 1,236

Rushing Touchdowns
1. Kyle Boney, Emmaus: 29
2. Jayden Demmy, Cedar Cliff: 26
2. Rob Burns, Quakertown: 26
2. Brandon McIlwain, Council Rock North: 26
5. Nysir Minney-Gratz, Easton: 25
6. Nyfese Nasir, Plymouth-Whitemarsh: 24
6. Jamaal Brome, Stroudsburg: 24
6. Isaiah Bruce, Upper Darby: 24
9. Jordan Misher, State College: 20
10. Tyrone Pringle, West Chester Rustin: 19
10. Will Blair, Hempfield (3): 19
10. Jo-El Shaw, Woodland Hills: 19
13. Thomas Vissman, Upper St. Clair: 17
13. Kyle Sult, General McLane: 17
13. Khaleke Hudson, McKeesport: 17
13. Jimmy Graf, Pine-Richland: 17
13. Kalif Lee, Upper Dublin: 17
18. George Hatalowich, Lower Dauphin: 16
18. Will Dogba, Neshaminy: 16
18. David Williams, Perkiomen Valley: 16
18. Jai Whitlock, Reading: 16
18. Gunner Anglovech, Liberty: 16
18. Amir Lewis, Simon Gratz: 16

Carries
1. Kyle Boney, Emmaus: 247
2. Will Dogba, Neshaminy: 238
3. Jayden Demmy, Cedar Cliff: 228
3. Isaiah Bruce, Upper Darby: 228
5. Justice Belleman, Cedar Crest: 218
6. Thomas Vissman, Upper St. Clair: 217
7. Bryan Milligan, Canon-McMillan: 214
8. Answered Gleyplay, John Bartram: 206
9. Brandon McIlwain, Council Rock North: 205
10. Nyfese Nasir, Plymouth-Whitemarsh: 204
10. Nysir Minney-Gratz, Easton: 204

Yards Per Carry (minimum 10 carries/game)
1. Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills: 12.90
2. Khaleke Hudson, McKeesport: 10.53
3. Ron Jones, Pittsbugh Central Catholic: 9.88
4. Phil Jurkovec, Pine-Richland: 9.63
5. Jo-El Shaw, Wodland Hills: 9.42
6. Jonah Lisbon, Penn-Trafford: 9.03
7. Nyfese Nasir, Plymouth-Whitemarsh: 8.94
8. Terron Murphy, Bethel Park: 8.76
9. Nysir Minney-Gratz, Easton: 8.64
10. Jamaal Brome, Stroudsburg: 8.51

Quarterback Rushing Yards
1. Brandon McIlwain, Council Rock North: 1,324
2. Kyle Sult, General McLane: 1,285
3. Phil Jurkovec, Pine-Richland: 1,088
4. Travis Stefanik, Nazareth: 998
5. Sam Kramer, Hempfield: 973
6. Keith Moore, Northeast: 963
7. Mike Alley, Pennsbury: 868
8. Devante Cross, Parkland: 883
9. Gianni Sinatore, Whitehall: 785
10. Nick Amendola, Norwin: 745

1,000/1,000 Yard Teammates
Woodland Hills: Miles Sanders (1,238) and Jo-El Shaw (1,140)

(Watch List)
Hempfield (3): Will Blair (1,308) and Sam Kramer (973)
Northeast: Amir Paulk (1,236) and Keith Moore (963)
Pine-Richland: Phil Jurkovec (1,088) and Jimmy Graf (829)
Pittsburgh Central Catholic: Ron Jones (1,087) and Vinny Emmanuele (705)
Pennsbury: Chris Rupprecht (902), Mike Alley (868) and Dalton Hose (762)
Parkland: Devante Cross (833) and Erik DiGiralomo (764)

Passing Yards
1. Matt Miller, DuBois: 3,552
2. Eric Harris, Carlisle: 3,344
3. Stephen Sturm, Perkiomen Valley: 2,494
4. Phil Jurkovec, Pine-Richland: 2,266
5. Jon Jon Roberts, West Chester East: 2,133***
6. Eric Benjamin, Manheim Township: 2,110
7. Travis Stefanik, Nazareth: 2,108
8. Grant Stolzfus, Conestoga Valley: 2,065***
9. Jack Donaghy, Haverford: 2,026
10. Jake Cirillo, East Stroudsburg South: 1,998***
11. Grant Breneman, Cedar Cliff: 1,993
12. Gianni Sinatore, Whitehall: 1,848***
13. Devante Cross, Parkland: 1,832
14. Reece Udinski, North Penn: 1,1811
15. Brett Laffoon, Penn-Trafford: 1,801
16. Jayvaugh Lindsey-Terrell, Penn Wood: 1,775
17. Eddie Jenkins, Mount Lebanon: 1,726
18. Tom Mattioni, Downingtown West: 1,726
19. Levi Becker, Erie McDowell: 1,711
20. Jordan Young, Coatesville: 1,694***

Passing Yards Per Game
1. Matt Miller, DuBois: 394.6
2. Eric Harris, Carlisle: 334.4
3. Stephen Sturm, Perkiomen Valley: 249.4
4. Phil Jurkovec, Pine-Richland: 226.6
5. Jon Jon Roberts, West Chester East: 213.3
6. Erik Benjamin, Manheim Township: 211.0
7. Travis Stefanik, Nazareth: 210.8
8. Grant Stolzfus, Conestoga Valley: 206.5
9. Jack Donaghy, Haverford: 202.6
10. Jake Cirillo, East Stroudsburg South: 199.8
11. Grant Breneman, Cedar Cliff: 199.3
12. Gianni Sinatore, Whitehall: 184.4
13. Devante Cross, Parkland: 183.2
14. Reece Udinski, North Penn: 181.1
15. Brett Laffooon, Penn-Trafford: 180.1
16. Jayvaughn Lindsey-Terrell, Penn Wood: 177.5
17. Eddie Jenkins, Mount Lebanon: 172.6
18. Tom Mattioni, Downingtown West: 172.6
19. Levi Becker, Erie McDowell: 171.1
20. Isaiah Hankins, Williamsport: 170.9

Touchdown Passes
1. Matt Miller, DuBois: 32
2. Eric Harris, Carlisle: 31
3. Stephen Sturm, Perkiomen Valley: 27
3. Erik Benjamin, Manheim Township: 27
5. Brett Laffoon, Penn-Trafford: 25
6. Travis Stefanik, Nazareth: 24
6. Jack Donagy, Haverford: 24
6. Grant Breneman, Cedar Cliff: 24
9. Ricky Venuto, Spring-Ford: 23
10. Jake Jakobson, Stroudsburg: 22
11. Jon Jon Roberts, West Chester East: 21
11. Devin Darden, Benjamin Franklin: 21
11. Aaron Austin, Wyoming valley West: 21
14. Doug Erney, Liberty: 20
14. Ryan Stover, Upper Dublin: 20
16. Tom Mattioni, Downingtown West: 19
16. Jahad Neibauer, CD East: 19
16. Yahmir Wilkerson, Harrisburg: 19
19. Grant Stoltzfus, Conestoga Valley: 18
19. Eddie Jenkins, Mount Lebanon: 18
19. Tommy Klock, Lower Dauphin: 18
19. Levin Metheny, Bethel Park: 18
19. Brock Geiman, South Western: 18

Completions
1. Eric Harris, Carlisle: 245
2. Matt Miller, DuBois: 193
3. Stephen Sturm, Perkiomne Valley: 174
3. Grant Stoltzfus, Conestoga Valley: 174
5. Jon Jon Roberts, West Chester East: 159
6. Phil Jurkovec, Pine-Richland: 158
7. Travis Stefanik, Nazareth: 149
8. Grant Breneman, Cedar Cliff: 148
9. Cody Kissinger, Lebanon: 147
10. Dan Green, Oxford: 144

Completion Percentage (min 10 attempts/game)
1. Brett Laffoon, Penn-Trafford: 71.8%
2. Grant Breneman, Cedar Cliff: 71.5%
3. Ryan Stover, Upper Dublin: 70.4%
4. Stephen Sturm, Perkiomen Valley: 68.0%
5. Eric Harris, Carlisle: 67.5%
6. Jack Donaghy, Haverford: 67.1%
7. Phil Jurkovec, Pine-Richland: 66.7%
8. Ricky Venuto, Spring-Ford: 66.1%
9. Grant Stoltzfus, Conestoga Valley: 63.7%
10. Collin Powers, Wilson West Lawn: 63.4%

Yards Per Attempt (min 10 attempts/game)
1. Brett Laffoon, Penn-Trafford: 13.8
2. Tom Mattioni, Downingtown West: 12.8
3. Jake Jakobson, Storudsburg: 11.8
4. Eddie Jenkins, Mount Lebanon; 11.8
5. Matt Miller, DuBois: 11.6
6. Ryan Stover, Upper Dublin: 11.5
7. Christoff Minnot, Upper Darby: 11.5
8. Devin Darden, Benjamin Franklin: 10.9
9. Erik Benjamin, Manheim Township: 10.3
10. Ricky Venuto, Spring-Ford: 10.0

TD to INT Ratio
1. Ricky Venuto, Spring-Ford: 23 to 1
2. Troy Fisher, Pittsburgh Central Catholic: 14 to 1
3. Erik Benjamin, Manheim Township: 27 to 2
4. Brett Laffoon, Penn-Trafford: 25 to 2
5. Jake Jakobson, Stroudsburg: 11 to 1
6. Stephen Sturm, Perkiomen Valley: 9 to 1
7. Dalton Grove, Red Lion: 17 to 2
8. Collin Powers, Wilson West Lawn: 17 to 2
9. Grant Breneman, Cedar Cliff: 8 to 1
10. Jack Cook, Seneca Valley:: 7 to 1

WHY I LIKE HILLARY

HRC has a long and distinguished history of loyalty, service to and accomplishments within the Democratic Party. She helped build the Democratic party at the state and local level over the last 35 years, held many positions and offices within and for the party and, in every role, she served with distinction and honor.

HRC has paid her dues to the Democratic Party and she deserves the support of the Democratic Party in 2016. She has been involved in leadership positions in the Democratic Party since the 1973 Watergate investigation of Richard Nixon. She played a central role in the health care reform push of 1993 which laid the groundwork for the creation of ObamaCare in 2010. In 1997 and 1999, she played a leading role in advocating the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act. She was the first and only First Lady to run for, and obtain, public office while still First Lady. Kenneth W. Starr drug her into the Whitewater Investigation where her marriage, professional life and political career were scrutinized under a microscope. She has long scared Republicans, not unlike her husband and the current president, in a way that is paranoid and irrational. At 22 years of age she was also the first ever student commencement speaker at prestigious Wellesley College where her commencement speech made the cover of Time magazine. It was a unique honor; HRC’s own classmates at Wellesley asked the school administration for Hillary to address them on their graduation day.

Hillary is a distinguished graduate of Yale Law School, former Director of the Arkansas Legal Aid Clinic, former civil litigation attorney and former Law Professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law. She is the former First Lady of Arkansas and the former First Lady of the United States, and the first FLOTUS in U.S. history to hold a postgraduate degree. She is the first ex-FLOTUS in U.S. history to be elected to the United States Senate. She was elected by the State of New York to serve two terms in the United States Senate. She is a former U.S. Secretary of State, only the third female ever to serve in that position. The first female ever appointed to that office, Madeline Albright, was appointed by Hillary’s husband upon her advice, recommendation and “urging,” according to former President Bill Clinton. Clinton won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 1997 for “It Takes a Village.” She is a published author. She is a self proclaimed Pantsuit Aficionado. She married a man named Bill, who plays the saxophone. She was her husband’s most senior and instrumental advisor without portfolio while he served as the nation's 42nd president. She took on many of the most difficult assignments of his administration. She is the most qualified candidate for the presidency in the last 150 years.

The list of her accomplishments is so prohibitively long it will not fit within the limited confines of this article. But by all means go see “Hillary Clinton’s Awards and Accomplishments” in Wikipedia.

Hillary has something no other presidential candidate possesses: she will have the support and advice of the two most successful, prolific and iconic, former Democratic presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, since FDR and the “New Deal.” As successful as Barack Obama has been with liberals particularly in his second term, Bill Clinton left office, (1) with the highest approval rating of any president in modern time, (2) as the only president to completely eliminate the deficit and leave his successor a surplus in modern times, and (3) the only president to create a net 23 million new jobs in 8 years in American history. Hillary has the support of the former president and the current president. That is a big plus in my book.
I am proud of her and her accomplishments. Secretary of State, Senator from New York, First Lady (she made the latter into a substantive, not merely a figurehead, role).

Throughout her lifetime no one has done more to champion the cause of women’s rights around the world than Hillary Clinton. She has personally delivered important speeches on the subject all over the world but her three best known were delivered to the United Nations General Assembly meeting on the issue of human rights, in New York City; in Beijing, China, to the Chinese people; and, before the International Commission on Human Rights. One of my all-time favorite Hillary Clinton lectures on women’s reproductive rights was in an exchange before a Republican congressional committee member while she was testifying as Secretary of State. It's on YouTube and it's simply wonderful; she made the Republican questioner wish he had never asked the question that triggered her brilliant, in your face, tongue lashing. I was proud for her and I was proud for the cause she was championing.

It's not necessary to be against anybody to be FOR Hillary Clinton. In every position in which Hillary has served this country, or the Democratic Party, she has done so with honor and distinction. Who else can you say that about?

Yet everyone else in eastern PA plays a 10 game regular season.

Is everyone in D12 proud that a winless Roman team (0-9) actually qualifies for the playoffs, that's beyond embarrassing. There might be 7-3 teams in District 1 that won't qualify. The entire regular season is meaningless in the PCL.

#5 Stroudsburg (8-2) at #4 Liberty (7-3)

Stroudsburg
Record: 8-2 (2nd Place, EPC North)
District/Subregional Championships: 0
All Time District/Subregional Playoff Record: 1-6
All State Candidates: Jamaal Brome, Marcello Riccardi
All Conference Selections: Marcello Riccardi, Kevin Hughes, Jack Williamson, Jason Vitacco, Jake Jakobson, Jamaal Brome, Daniel Savoia

The Mounties are making their fourth consecutive trip to the subregional playoffs and after three straight years of being eliminated by Parkland in the first round, I’m sure they’re glad to see another team on the opposite sideline. They’ve never won a D11 title, losing in both of their championship game appearances, a 34-13 loss to East Stroudsburg in 1995 and a 41-10 loss to Easton in 1990. The only playoff win in school history was a 14-0 defeated of Easton in 1995.

The Mounties are an unknown, dropping the only two competitive games on their schedule, a 49-47 shoot out loss to Nazareth in week 1 and a 49-14 thrashing by Becahi in week 8. Beyond that, they’ve comfortably taken care of everybody on their schedule. Offensively, they’re led by a Big 3 of Jamaal Brome, Jake Jakobson, and Marcello Riccardi. Brome is sixth in the state in rushing yards with 1,609 yards and 24 TDs, despite being severely limited against Becahi and Northampton due to an ankle injury. He appeared fully recovered last week, gaining 263 yards on 32 carries in their playoff clinching effort against Pleasant Valley. Brome is just 5’6 165, and can get lost in the massive Stroudsburg offensive line. The Mounties average 252 across, led by Jack Williamson and Kevin Hughes on the left side.

Jakobson is the all time leading passer in school history, and this year has thrown for 1,515 yards and 22 TDs with just two interceptions. He makes great decisions. For his career, Jakobson has a 39-5 TD to INT ratio. Riccardi also will graduate with his name all over the Stroudsburg record books, as he set the single season and carer receiving TD records this year (13 and 19, respectively). Riccardi has 38 grabs for 801 yards and 13 TDs, on the year and is tied for second in the state in touchdown catches.

Defensively, Stroudsburg is led by Riccardi at safety and Hughes at defensive end. They’re yielding 21.7 points per game, which splits to 14.9 points in their eight wins, but 49 per game in their two losses. Riccardi is the best player in the bunch, the EPC North Defensive Player of the Year after another big year at safety. He’s physical enough to come up in run support, but obviously has great ball skills as well. They have real beef on the defensive line, with Hughes (6’0 240), Williamson (6’4 270), Daniel Savoia (6’3 320), and Nathan Higgins (6’2 230) built to swallow opposing run games. Hughes is a two time all EPC North selection at defensive end, and has the power to bull rush through most offensive tackles.

Liberty
Record: 7-3 (t-3rd Place, EPC South)
District/Subregional Titles: 4 (2008, 2006, 2005, 1994)
All Time Playoff Record: 12-3
All State Candidates: Doug Erney, Jaohne Duggans
All Conference Selections: Doug Erney, Jaohne Duggan, Victor Santiago, Darian Street, Devon Lindeman, Justin Haynes, Mike Lehman

Liberty is back in the subregional playoffs for the first time since 2009, when Anthony Gonzalez was in his last year at the helm of the Liberty offense (and Tim Moncman was the head coach). Liberty won three district/subregional titles and made four championship game appearances from 2004-2008 (and was a stopped 2 point conversion from going to a fifth in 2007). Liberty also won the first D11 football tournament in 1994, where as a 5-3-1 Cinderella, they shocked top seeded Stroudsburg in the semifinal of the four team bracket, then rolled over Pleasant Valley in finals (D11 only had a championship game from 1985-1993). It was D11’s first automatic bid to the expanded, three round state playoff system that is still essentially in use today.

Liberty’s strength lies in having one of the rarest things in high school football, a four year starter at quarterback. Doug Erney is on a lot of player of the year shortlists in the area, as he has put up the best season of his career and has been the driving force behind Liberty’s playoff run. He’s undersized at 5’10 175, but has enough arm strength to run their spread and makes great decisions in the read option. He throws to a plethora of receivers, five players have at least 13 catches on the year. Darian Street is the best college prospect on the offense a 6’4 185 pound receiver with tremendous hands and body control. Slot receiver Victor Santiago has been their most productive offensive weapon, with 29 catches for 540 yards and nine TDs.

In the running game, they’re read option heavy and before injuries, split carries between junior Gunner Anglovich and freshman Nasir Legree. Legree was leading the team in rushing with 508 yards through week 6, but suffered an injury against Northampton and has not returned to the lineup. Anglovich, has exploded since becoming the full time feature back, rushing for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns in the past four games. On the year, Anglovich has 1,084 yards and 16 TDs. Erney also has run for 668 yards. They’re running behind another big offensive line, averaging 250 across. Liberty tends to get very left handed, running behind 6’3 280 tackle Brian Bicknese and 6’1 270 guard Devon Lindeman, plus they like to use tight end Jaohne Duggan (6’3 250) as an extra run blocker.

Defensively, Liberty gives up over 30 points per game despite their 7-3 record. They’re big up front on defense, led Duggan at defensive end. I don’t have numbers on Liberty, but Duggan had a pair of sacks in their upset with over Parkland and is an athletic, disruptive force coming off of the edge who has started every game since his freshman year. The defensive line as a whole is a strength, with Duggan, Lindeman, Matt Richline, and Livan Diaz. However, all four play both ways, and part of Liberty’s tendency to fade in second halves can be attributed to the sheer amount of snaps these kids play.

The Match Up

Stroudsburg has struggled mightily stopping teams with speed, which Liberty has in spades. Similarly, Liberty has given up huge rushing yards and Stroudsburg has a talented back, big offensive line, and a straight ahead, smashmouth style. This has all the makings of a shoot out, which Liberty is better equipped for.



The Pick

Liberty 42-35