How did the high school football season go overall?
“We had a great competitive season, with a 9-1 record, and I can’t wait for next year to try to go undefeated.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I throw the shot put in both winter and spring track, and work out every day after practice.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“Although we are losing many crucial seniors, we have a lot of very experienced guys coming back and some younger guys I can’t wait to play with. I feel like we are going to have a great team.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I’d have to say our rival, The Haverford School. Every single time we play them the game comes down to the wire and I can't wait for my last game against them.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Not sure, The Inter-Ac is full of really good talent all around. Every team has a playmaker that you have to look out for.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to play football in college if I can. It's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I would love to continue playing.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have been invited to several camps by Ivy, Newmac, and Nescac schools and I can't wait to be there.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Not really sure if there is one, but I’m excited to talk to more coaches this summer.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve gone up to New England and the Northwest to visit some schools.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I will be visiting many schools this summer for camps.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Not really.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The HS season went good overall. It was a rough start as a team but we made adjustments and ended up winning states.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans now with sports are lifting more and agility training to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think my team will be dominant this year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“N/A.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“N/A.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I want to play D1 college football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“WVU and Virginia Tech have been recruiting me.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“West Virginia University has been recruiting me the hardest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“The only college trip I have made so far has been WVU.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My fav college growing up has always been Ohio State University.”

Find out what colleges are recruiting Niko Andrews, Conor Gaul, David Graef, Amare Gee, and Brandon Evans now!


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

Q&A with Pine-Richland wide receiver Niko Andrews​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I want to play D1 college football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“WVU and Virginia Tech have been recruiting me.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“West Virginia University has been recruiting me the hardest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“The only college trip I have made so far has been WVU.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My fav college growing up has always been Ohio State University.”


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

Q&A with Episcopal Academy offensive lineman Conor Gaul​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to play football in college if I can. It's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I would love to continue playing.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have been invited to several camps by Ivy, Newmac, and Nescac schools and I can't wait to be there.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Not really sure if there is one, but I’m excited to talk to more coaches this summer.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve gone up to New England and the Northwest to visit some schools.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I will be visiting many schools this summer for camps.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Not really.”


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Q&A with Butler athlete David Graef​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I always wanted to play football in college, but I wouldn’t mind doing track either. Whichever one gets me schooling is the one.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“A couple schools have been recruiting me, Waynesburg, Saint Vincent, Westminster, etc.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“None have hardcore recruited me yet, most of the coaches I just started getting into contact with.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I went on a game day visit to Edinboro in November, so far that has been my only visit.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I have a full list of trips in April and May just started filling up too, so I have a lot of plans.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Notre Dame or Florida State were my two favorites.”


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

Q&A with University Prep defensive back Amare Gee​

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Miami Ohio, Kent State [and a] couple big D2s and D3s.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Miami Ohio.”

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

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

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


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Q&A with Pocono Mountain West defensive back Brandon Evans​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to play football at the college level, any level of that fact.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Most colleges are just sending out camp information as well as invitations so I wouldn’t say “recruiting "is too heavy.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I wouldn’t say any school has been recruiting the hardest other than Muhlenberg and the connection with Coach Moe (@22CoachMoe).”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Yes, a junior day at Muhlenberg on the 30th of April, followed by a number of camps.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve never really had a favorite college growing up, however it would always be the team who put on the best performance.”


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Find out what some of the top players in the state are saying about football now!


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


Q&A with Pine-Richland wide receiver Niko Andrews
How did the high school football season go overall?
“The HS season went good overall. It was a rough start as a team but we made adjustments and ended up winning states.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans now with sports are lifting more and agility training to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think my team will be dominant this year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“N/A.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“N/A.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Episcopal Academy offensive lineman Conor Gaul
How did the high school football season go overall?
“We had a great competitive season, with a 9-1 record, and I can’t wait for next year to try to go undefeated.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I throw the shot put in both winter and spring track, and work out every day after practice.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“Although we are losing many crucial seniors, we have a lot of very experienced guys coming back and some younger guys I can’t wait to play with. I feel like we are going to have a great team.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I’d have to say our rival, The Haverford School. Every single time we play them the game comes down to the wire and I can't wait for my last game against them.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Not sure, The Inter-Ac is full of really good talent all around. Every team has a playmaker that you have to look out for.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Butler athlete David Graef
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I feel like the season was pretty good overall, it had its ups and downs but we really stuck together until the end.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Right now I am doing track and just lifting to get bigger and stronger. Overall I am just trying to better my body.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I have high hopes for next season, our team has a lot of talent and experience so I feel like we can go far.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Cathedral Prep.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Cooper Cousins from McDowell.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with University Prep defensive back Amare Gee
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It went well, got one more season to go all or nothing with it, and went fast.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans now are to work hard and win in the off season.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“This year's team we have quite a great number of seniors that have been around since freshman year to execute.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Westinghouse.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“N/A not sure yet.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Pocono Mountain West defensive back Brandon Evans
How did the high school football season go overall?
“The previous 22-23 season went by too soon, personally only being able to play 4 games and ended up breaking my arm week 5, so to support my team into making the first round playoffs was great.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Plans now are to finish the track season strong and enter spring ball already full throttle, that goes for summer workouts, weight room workouts, and overall team chemistry.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel very strong about my team’s success in the near future. Our game lineup isn’t as brutal as it usually is in the start of the season so that should be used to our advantage.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I feel Parkland High School week 1 and Allentown Central Catholic week 9 will be our toughest battles.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The toughest individual player I’d have to go with is Trey Tremba, Parklands running back.”

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

With the holidays and some time off coming up (plus the threat of more extended quarantine that needs time to get filled) I am getting started on a new project. Like I've done the Big School State champs series (which, for those loyal readers finishing 2011-2019 is still in the hopper, Central Dauphin 2011 and North Allegheny 2012 are written and ready to release after this years state finals and SJP 2013 is in the works) - one thing that fascinates me is the concept of mythical state champs in the pre-playoff era. One thing Ohio does nicely is right on their state website, they have all of the historical polls and state champs before they started their tournament in the 1970s. Right now, all of that history is just lost in Pennsylvania. Even without a lot of true champs, I think it's worth going back and documenting. I've looked at things like the Saylor Ratings lists, but I think they're worth expanding on. I love college football, and part of the fun in it's history is arguing over "claimed" national titles and deconstructing that era before the BCS/national championship games/the playoff. The same things exists in PA history. In the long run, I'd like to shop the project to outlets like PA Football News or PA Football History, but I've had good discourse on this board for a better part of the decade and wanted to crowd source some aspects of the project.

I've got a preliminary list of teams, but with some holes. Part of what I want to do is present cases for teams in years where multiple schools have a claim, so I don't need to just pick one at this point from any year. But here's my list - are there schools and teams that people on this board think are missing or should be included. This is mostly a run of the Saylor Rating, AP stories that used to run at the culmination of the high school season with all of the conference champs and undefeated teams throughout the state, polls that the Philadephia Inquirer, PIttsburgh Post Gazette, Harrisburg Patriot News, and the UPI and AP used to run (haphazardly it seems, through the era). But I'm sure there are holes (and years where I'm particularly flummoxed will have an additional question mark by them). Anyway, here's what I'm thinking - have at it gentlemen:

1950: Butler/Lower Merion/Bellwood-Antis
1951: Farrell/???
1952: Old Forge/Aliquippa/Upper Darby/Allentown/DuBois
1953: Har-Brack/Bellwood-Antis
1954: Bellwood-Antis/Brownsville/Williamsport/Clairton/??
1955: Aliquippa
1956: Jeannette
1957: Wilkinsburg
1958: Easton/Central Dauphin
1959: JP McCaskey/Charleroi/Easton
1960: Beaver Falls
1961: Monessen/Beaver Falls
1962: John Harris/Wilkes-Barre Meyers
1963: Neshaminy/Washington/Blakely/West Mifflin North
1964: Pittsburgh Central Catholic/Neshaminy/???
1965: John Harris/Uniontown
1966: John Harris
1967: John Harris/New Castle
1968: Easton/Latrobe
1969: Mount Carmel/John Harris
1970: Mount Lebanon
1971: Neshaminy/Kiski Area
1972: Gateway/Upper Merion
1973: State College
1974: Pennsbury
1975: New Castle/Upper St. Clair/???
1976: Penn Hills/Whitehall
1977: Penn Hills
1978: Penn Hills/CB West
1979: Penn Hills/Dieruff
1980: CB West
1981: Mount Lebanon
1982: North Allegheny/Cumberland Valley/Ridley/Erie Cathedral Prep
1983: Berwick
1984: CB West
1985: CB West/North Hills
1986: Gateway
1987: North Hills/CB West

Aside from the usuals, they are playing Bishop McDevitt and Calvary Hall. Neshaminy and North Penn to start with and then the PCL schedule. Malvern Prep and Haverford are in there too.

Could this be the year.......? Meh.

Does current QB Samaj Jones have a chance at breaking Kyle Mccords records

From the distant, dank and moldy files. Not dated but back when 'blitz'-krieg was on the board.

1937 Midland 9-1: Small school at Class A who opted to play at AA level. Their only loss was to highly regarded New Brighton, 7-1-1. Proper name of school is Lincoln High although it has been called Midland for many years, like William Penn in York who is referred to as York High. This is the Midland school that had what many consider the best scholastic hoops team in the history of Pennsylvania in 1965 when they went 28-0 with great players like Simmy Hill and Norm Van Lier. I think some of the guys from Carlisle’s incredible run of four straight titles in 85, 86, 87, 88 would argue with that, guys like Jeff Lebo (UNC), Hoops H/C at Auburn; Lee Woodall, 6-2-230 LB’d at San Fran and Billy Owens, 6-9 215 Syracuse Power Forward. Billy was awesome, averaging 35 points a game for The Thundering Herd his senior year. Probably get some arguments from West Philly, Gratz, Overbrook, Farrell, Chester and others as well. Sorry blitz, we love our hoops back in D3.

1929 Rochester 9-0: The modest Ram offense only scored 129 points but didn’t need much with a defense shutting out every opponent on the schedule. Rochester joined the WPIAL in 1920, going 8-0, but did not secure a playoff spot with established powers Washington and Pittsburgh 5th Avenue (center city) getting the nod. Washington won 14-7. The Rams were a force the following year winning all ten of their regular season games and getting a shot at city power Westinghouse who they fought to a 0-0 tie in the WPIAL district championship game. Today the Rams have dropped to the smallest school classification in the state where they continue as one of the premier Single-A teams. They won WPIAL championships in 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. In 1998, 2000 and 2001 they won the state title so the Ram beat goes on.

Get well soon Josiah!

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Even though we didn’t reach our ultimate goal which was to win a district title, I felt we had a great season overall. People doubted us after losing so many seniors, and I felt like we didn’t miss a beat and played great all season. I am proud of our overall team effort and some of the individual milestones I was able to achieve with the help of my teammates and coaches. Stats and record aside, the bonds and connections I made with my teammates over the course of the year is something I’ll never forget.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“A couple of us have already started throwing and running routes just to ensure that our chemistry and connection just keeps improving. After basketball season is over, I’m definitely going to officially join the team in our off season lifts and field workouts.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel we definitely have a good shot at that this year. We have a lot of returning starters, which means plenty of experience and skill.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I don’t know if I can choose the toughest team we’re going to play. We’re treating every game on our schedule like it’s going to be the toughest one yet. North Schuylkill is always tough and we play them on the road this year. Northern Lehigh beat us last year, and we have two tough games on the road against Jim Thorpe and Palmerton. Every team seems to play their hardest against us, so we have to be ready for everyone. Our opener, Saucon Valley, is what we have circled right now.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Again, like the last question, I don’t know if I can pick any one player in the entire league. Of course there are a ton of star players, like Joey Flail, from North Schuylkill and Matt Machalik, from Palmerton, and we’ll just have to prepare extra hard for those guys. Our league is very deep and there are a ton of new stars that emerge every year.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“As of right now, multiple colleges have been in touch with me, but I’m definitely keeping my options open.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I wouldn’t say any one school is recruiting me harder than another, but primarily FCS schools in the northeast have been in contact with me.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, as of right now I haven’t made any college trips.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I’m hoping to attend a lot of different camps and college tours as soon as my schedule clears up.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Notre Dame was always the main college I rooted for. My dad and uncle went there so I just grew up rooting for them.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“My high school season went pretty good, I did make a couple mistakes, but immediately learned from them. As a team we could have been better and performed to a higher level.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“For my off season I’ve been working with a defensive back coach as well as doing indoor track and field, speed training and lifting.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like as a team, we will do better than we did this year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I feel like Central Catholic will be our toughest opponent for the upcoming season.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The toughest individual player our team will have to play is probably Payton Wehner from Central Catholic.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would like to play football as well as triple and long jump for a track and field team in college.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’m currently not being recruited as of yet.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“N/A.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“N/A.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My favorite colleges growing up are Pitt and Texas Tech.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“I feel like our season went pretty well, started off rough, [we] should’ve beat Mars and should’ve beat SF but we had some mistakes that cost us as a team, but we finished the year strong and saw lots of improvement.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans are to just work hard on my game and also make sure I’m a leader and have the team keep working as well.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like we will have a great year, I feel like everyone’s hopes are high and everyone is motivated after having a pretty good ending last year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Aliquippa will definitely be our hardest game.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Tikey Hayes and probably Brandon Banks, [they are] both big-time playmakers.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’d love to get an opportunity to play D1 at any school that will give me an opportunity.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Not many schools have been recruiting me to my knowledge, I leave a lot of that up to my coach and him letting me know if anyone is and just making sure I keep my head straight.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Again, not many to my knowledge, would have to talk with my coach.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“No, I don't really have any plans to visit besides football camps this summer.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, my favorite college growing up would have to be Notre Dame or TCU.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“It was an ok year for me, I didn't play the way I expected myself to but I’m learning from my mistakes.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’ll be running track for the rest of winter and spring. Also, I want to start doing football training early, like in march.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like we’ll do great, we have a lot of grit and passionate players on this team.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“The schedule hasn’t been released yet but if I take a guess it would probably be Haverford.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“N/A.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“None so far.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“None so far.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Villanova.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“No, just track meets.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, LSU was and still is my dream college.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“I’d say we did pretty well this past season. Our team was pretty young, full of starting sophomores including myself. Even though a record of 4-7 doesn’t sound pretty, it’s still an improvement from last year of 1-7.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Right now I’m finishing up the wrestling season. Track season begins soon so I’ll be getting work outs with that team. Also, we have a weekly QB workout in the morning along lifts three days a week.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think our team will do well next year. Yes we have some seniors that started, but I think we have the depth that can fill those spots.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I’d say it’s hard to tell right now who would be our toughest opponent next year, but from the past year, I’d say possibly Fort Leboeuf or Oil City.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I’m not quite sure who the toughest individual player will be, I guess whoever puts in the most work in the postseason.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’d love to pursue my athletic career in college football. I think it would be very cool to play at the next level.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I haven’t had any offers yet.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I haven’t had a school try to recruit me yet.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any college trips yet.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I’d love to visit colleges, and get to meet the coaches.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve been and am a big fan of Penn State.”

Find out what colleges are recruiting Nolan Carey, Christopher Purnell Jr., Kaleb Platz, Jayden Price, and Daniel Darno now!


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

Q&A with Corry Area quarterback Nolan Carey​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’d love to pursue my athletic career in college football. I think it would be very cool to play at the next level.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I haven’t had any offers yet.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I haven’t had a school try to recruit me yet.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any college trips yet.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I’d love to visit colleges, and get to meet the coaches.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve been and am a big fan of Penn State.”


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

Q&A with Episcopal Academy running back Christopher Purnell Jr.​

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“None so far.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“None so far.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Villanova.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“No, just track meets.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, LSU was and still is my dream college.”


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

Q&A with Montour linebacker Kaleb Platz​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’d love to get an opportunity to play D1 at any school that will give me an opportunity.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Not many schools have been recruiting me to my knowledge, I leave a lot of that up to my coach and him letting me know if anyone is and just making sure I keep my head straight.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Again, not many to my knowledge, would have to talk with my coach.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“No, I don't really have any plans to visit besides football camps this summer.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, my favorite college growing up would have to be Notre Dame or TCU.”


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

Q&A with Seneca Valley defensive back Jayden Price​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would like to play football as well as triple and long jump for a track and field team in college.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’m currently not being recruited as of yet.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“N/A.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“N/A.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My favorite colleges growing up are Pitt and Texas Tech.”


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

Q&A with Notre Dame Green Pond quarterback Daniel Darno​

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“As of right now, multiple colleges have been in touch with me, but I’m definitely keeping my options open.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I wouldn’t say any one school is recruiting me harder than another, but primarily FCS schools in the northeast have been in contact with me.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No, as of right now I haven’t made any college trips.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I’m hoping to attend a lot of different camps and college tours as soon as my schedule clears up.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Notre Dame was always the main college I rooted for. My dad and uncle went there so I just grew up rooting for them.”


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

Find out what some of the top players in the state are saying about football now!


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


Q&A with Corry Area quarterback Nolan Carey
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I’d say we did pretty well this past season. Our team was pretty young, full of starting sophomores including myself. Even though a record of 4-7 doesn’t sound pretty, it’s still an improvement from last year of 1-7.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Right now I’m finishing up the wrestling season. Track season begins soon so I’ll be getting work outs with that team. Also, we have a weekly QB workout in the morning along lifts three days a week.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think our team will do well next year. Yes we have some seniors that started, but I think we have the depth that can fill those spots.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I’d say it’s hard to tell right now who would be our toughest opponent next year, but from the past year, I’d say possibly Fort Leboeuf or Oil City.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I’m not quite sure who the toughest individual player will be, I guess whoever puts in the most work in the postseason.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Episcopal Academy running back Christopher Purnell Jr.
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It was an ok year for me, I didn't play the way I expected myself to but I’m learning from my mistakes.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’ll be running track for the rest of winter and spring. Also, I want to start doing football training early, like in march.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like we’ll do great, we have a lot of grit and passionate players on this team.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“The schedule hasn’t been released yet but if I take a guess it would probably be Haverford.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“N/A.”

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Q&A with Montour linebacker Kaleb Platz
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I feel like our season went pretty well, started off rough, [we] should’ve beat Mars and should’ve beat SF but we had some mistakes that cost us as a team, but we finished the year strong and saw lots of improvement.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans are to just work hard on my game and also make sure I’m a leader and have the team keep working as well.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like we will have a great year, I feel like everyone’s hopes are high and everyone is motivated after having a pretty good ending last year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Aliquippa will definitely be our hardest game.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Tikey Hayes and probably Brandon Banks, [they are] both big-time playmakers.”

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Q&A with Seneca Valley defensive back Jayden Price
How did the high school football season go overall?
“My high school season went pretty good, I did make a couple mistakes, but immediately learned from them. As a team we could have been better and performed to a higher level.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“For my off season I’ve been working with a defensive back coach as well as doing indoor track and field, speed training and lifting.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like as a team, we will do better than we did this year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I feel like Central Catholic will be our toughest opponent for the upcoming season.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The toughest individual player our team will have to play is probably Payton Wehner from Central Catholic.”

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Q&A with Notre Dame Green Pond quarterback Daniel Darno
How did the high school football season go overall?
“Even though we didn’t reach our ultimate goal which was to win a district title, I felt we had a great season overall. People doubted us after losing so many seniors, and I felt like we didn’t miss a beat and played great all season. I am proud of our overall team effort and some of the individual milestones I was able to achieve with the help of my teammates and coaches. Stats and record aside, the bonds and connections I made with my teammates over the course of the year is something I’ll never forget.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“A couple of us have already started throwing and running routes just to ensure that our chemistry and connection just keeps improving. After basketball season is over, I’m definitely going to officially join the team in our off season lifts and field workouts.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel we definitely have a good shot at that this year. We have a lot of returning starters, which means plenty of experience and skill.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I don’t know if I can choose the toughest team we’re going to play. We’re treating every game on our schedule like it’s going to be the toughest one yet. North Schuylkill is always tough and we play them on the road this year. Northern Lehigh beat us last year, and we have two tough games on the road against Jim Thorpe and Palmerton. Every team seems to play their hardest against us, so we have to be ready for everyone. Our opener, Saucon Valley, is what we have circled right now.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Again, like the last question, I don’t know if I can pick any one player in the entire league. Of course there are a ton of star players, like Joey Flail, from North Schuylkill and Matt Machalik, from Palmerton, and we’ll just have to prepare extra hard for those guys. Our league is very deep and there are a ton of new stars that emerge every year.”

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