6A: North Allegheny. Not a great team this year but then again no one in 6A is great either. Lost a close game against central but I think they’ll get their revenge like last year

5A: Peters Township. USC definitely proved they were the best team in the south hills, but all games were close. I think Peters will win in a hypothetical rematch. It’s hard to beat a team twice. Pine-Richland seems to have a injury to the QB which can sink a team

4A: Aliquippa. It hurts to say this because I want a new team like Montour winning, but Aliquippa has a special aura in the playoffs

3A: Central Valley.

2A: South Park

1A: Fort Cherry

Thursday morning will be the 117th iteration of Easton-Phillipsburg, played in front of 15,000 fans at Lafayette’s Fisher Stadium on College Hill. The game pits 10-2 Easton, the EPC Champions, against 12-1 Phillipsburg, winners of the Big Central Conference, sectional champions, and New Jersey Group 4 state finalists. Easton’s season is finished after a loss in the District 11 semifinals, while Phillipsburg will have one game after the Rovers – a date next Wednesday against Winslow Township at Rutgers for the New Jersey state championship. Both teams come into the game with double-digit wins for the first time since 2014, where P’burg won a 19-15 classic thanks to a 70 punt return touchdown by Stephen Friedman with six minutes left on a rare Saturday Easton-P’burg after snow forced postponement of the game. Phillipsburg went on to win a Sectional Championship in New Jersey that season. This season is Phillipsburg’s first shot at a true state championship in New Jersey after the NJSIAA expanded to a true state football tournament in 2022.

Easton’s Season
Coming off of back-to-back 3-8 seasons, Easton was picked fifth in their own division this year. After a season opening loss to CB West, the Red Rovers ripped off ten consecutive wins, going undefeated in East Penn Conference play and earning their first conference championship in ten years and entered D11 play as the top seed. They dropped a heartbreaker in D11 semifinals to Emmaus, losing 20-19 after going for 2 and missing in the final seconds after what was nearly a game winning touchdown.

Phillipsburg’s Season
The Stateliners have cruised since a week 3 loss to Ridge (28-21), winning by an average margin of 20 points. They own a regular season win over Non-Public Group A quarterfinalist St, Joe’s (Metuchen), 49-14, and won a thriller in the Sectional championship over Northern Highlands with a last second field goal, then blitzed Ramapo last week in the North Jersey championship, running for 306 yards, with quarterback Jett Genovese running for 149 yards and four touchdowns. Phillipsubrg has won sectiona championships in 1977, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2018, but this is their first chance to win the entire state after New Jersey consolidated the four sections into a true state tournament in 2022. The Stateliners are going for their third straight win over Easton, something they have not done since winning four straight from 1987 to 1990.

Last Time They Met: Phillipsburg 47 Easton 12
Last season, Phillipsburg throttled Easton is the second largest blowout by the Stateliners in rivalry history. It was the most points Easton has ever given up in an Easton-P’burg game. P’burg took advantage of early Easton miscused to set up short field touchdowns and take a 20-6 halftime lead. They scored coming out of the break and poured it on in the second half, with Easton unable to stop the Stateliner rushing attack. Fullbakc John Wargo ran for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 13 carries on his way to game MVP, with tailback Sammy Dech pitching in 139 yards and two more touchdowns. Easton imploded, committing ten penalties for 110 yards, including Jasir Frutchey getting ejected and suspended for the CB West season opener this year. After the game, Easton coach Matt Senneca issued a public apology to the community, and noted that “everything about our program needs to change.” It was the first time Phillipsburg beat Easton in back-to-back years since 2002 and 2003.

Phillipsburg Lineup
QB: Jett Genovese (Sr. 5’11 205): 93-141, 1,720 yards, 16 TDs, 3 INTs/87 carries, 652 yards, 10 TDs
RB: Sam Dech (Jr. 5’8 175): 78 carries, 712 yards, 8 TDs
RB: Ziyahn McGurn (Jr. 5’10 195) 39 carries, 306 yards, TD
RB/WR: Felix Matos (Sr. 5’11 190: 76 carries, 570 yards, 10 TDs/34 catches, 626 yards, 5 TDs
WR: Matt Scerbo Jr. . (Sr. 6’4 195): 46 catches, 1,058 yards, 11 TDs
TE: Luke Hywel (Sr. 5’10 200): 4 catches, 22 yards, TD
TE/H-Back: Jah’quil Dooley (Jr. 6’1 200): 22 carries, 240 yards, TD/2 catches 34 yards, TD
LT: Ryan Mulvaney (Jr. 6’2 220)
LG: Louis Manochio (Sr. 6’0 260)
C: Ben Coury (Sr. 6’0 225)
RG: Ky Stocker (Jr. 5’10 240)
RT: Zach Pherson (Jr. 6’4 245)
It’s old school football on offense, with the Liners running tons of misdirection, gap scheme blocking, and try to punish you up front. They’re not big, but it’s a kamikaze roster, and just about everybody can block and get in your grill. Genovese is really good in the option game, he’s fast and physical for a quarterback, and makes really good decisions to give or keep. He’s got a pair of home-run hitters in the backfield with him in Matos and Dech, who are both really fast. But the highlight player is Scerbo, who is fielding Divsision I offers as a basketball player (where he’s already a 1,000 point scorer and can make a run at the P’burg career record this winter) and FCS offers in football (the whole Patriot League, for example). He’s the first 1,000 yard receiver in P’burg history and with his size and massive improvement in route running is a real match-up problem. He should be All State in New Jersey when teams come out, and is one of the most impactful players in the state. He gives P’burg a dimension they haven’t had in the past on the perimeter. Pherson is their best recruit on the offensive line, who is similarly getting FCS looks from teams that think he can put on more weight on the 6’4 frame.

DE: Khalil Lewis (Sr. 5’9 195): 32 tackles, 6 TFL, 6 sacks
DT: Luke Hywel (Sr. 5’10 200): 18 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 sacks
DT: Aedan Hywel (Jr. 5’11 185): 56 tackles, 9 TFL, 5 sacks
DE: Ben Coury (Sr. 6’0 225): 19 tackles, 2 TFL
DE: Jah’lil Dooley (Sr. 6’3 220): 20 tackles, 5 TFL, 5 sacks
LB: Jayden Lucas (Sr. 5’10 215): 104 tackles, 10 TFL, sack
LB: Charles Maina (Sr. 5’8 215): 43 tackles, INT
LB: Jett Genovese (Sr. 5’11 205): 46 tackles, 2 TFL, sack, INT
LB: Sam Dech (Jr. 5’8 175): 32 tackles, 2 TFL, sack, INT
LB: Jah’quil Dooley (Jr. 6’1 200): 23 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
DB: Jaysen Blacknell (Jr. 5’11 175): 36 tackles
DB: Felix Matos (Sr. 5’11 190): 46 tackles, 2 INTs
DB: Matt Scerbo Jr. (Sr. 6’4 195): 36 tackles, TFL, 3 INTs, RET TD

Like the offense, P’burg plays with real edge, which you saw in how they physically manhandled Ramapo last week in the state semifinal. They’re not big on defense at all, but they fly to the football and gang-tackle, they’re in great shape, and they’ve got some thumpers in the back seven who are really well coached and can fill gaps in the run game. Lucas is the headliner, he’s an All State linebacker who is having a tremendously productive year. Scerbo is the main cover guy, with Matos also a corner who is getting college looks on defense. They’ve been a defense first team all year, and particularly with the conditions Thursday, will lean on this side of the ball to take over.

Easton Lineup
QB: Cole Ordway (Jr. 5’11 170): 108-185, 1,773 yards, 15 TDs, 4 INTs/79 carries, 506 yards, 6 TDs
RB: Dorian Thomas (Sr. 5’9 170): 208 carries, 1,1375 yards, 19 TDs/4 catches 12 yards
RB: Will Day (Sr. 5’10 185): 165 carries, 1,081 yards, 21 TDs/7 catches, 81 yards, TD
WR: Jasir Frutchey (Sr. 6’4 215): 29 catches, 491 yards, 7 TDs
WR: JC Wilson III (Sr. 6’3 205): 23 catches, 489 yards, TD
WR: Andrew Biddle (Jr. 5’10 165): 25 catches, 431 yards, 3 TDs
TE: Kurtis Crossman (Jr. 6’3 225): 6 catches, 124 yards
TE: Justin Cosover (So. 6’1 190): 3 catches, 22 yards, TD
LT: Algee Macon (Jr. 6’2 205)
LG: Marquis Labossiere (Sr. 5’10 255)
C: Gavin Crosson (Jr. 6’1 290)
RG: Jackson Fuhrer (Sr. 6’3 240)
RT: Elijah Grovesnor (Jr. 6’4 250)
Even in a losing effort to end their season, Easton racked up over 400 yards of total offense against an excellent Emmaus defense. They’ve got a two headed rushing attack, with 1,000 yard backs Dorian Thomas and Will Day, that has become a three-headed monster as junior QB Cole Ordway has improved in the read option game. He ran for over 100 against Emmaus, a week after throwing for over 300 against Stroudsburg. The Express-Times preview noted he might be the most improved player in the EPC throughout the year, and he lets Easton make in-game adjustments to counter punch good defenses. They’ll have to do that here. Easton is huge on the perimeter with Wilson and Frutchey, one of whom will probably be blanketed by Scerbo at all times. The other will have to make hay with their size advantage, though they’ve really gotten Biddle involved in the passing game late in the year on little bubbles and chances to get him in space to use his speed. They HAVE TO cut down on holding penalties and issues in the red zone, where Ordway needs to be more accurate when they get in the 10-20 range where drives have stalled. Thomas also needs to hang onto the football after fumble issues helped doom their championship run.

DE: Algee Macon (Jr. 6’2 205): 37 tackles, 13 TFL, 7 sacks, INT
DT: Marquis Labossiere (Sr. 5’10 255): 30 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks
DT: Omar Mahmoud (Sr. 5’11 255): 17 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks
DE: Kurtis Crossman (Jr. 6’3 225): 34 tackles, 5 TFL, 4 sacks
DE: Anthony Diaz (Jr. 6’3 215): 13 tackles, 3 TFL
LB: Mekhi Grant (Sr. 5’10 215): 56 tackles, 12 TFL, 5 sacks, 2 INTs
LB: Mason Fleming (Sr. 5’11 195): 59 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, INT
LB: Jasir Frutchey (Sr. 6’4 215): 42 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INTs
DB: Cael DiSora (Sr. 6’3 195): 53 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 INTS, FF
DB: Andrew Biddle (Jr. 5’10 165): 32 tackles, 2 TFL, 5 INTs
DB: Will Day (Sr. 5’10 185): 57 tackles, 2 TFL, sack, 3 INTs, FF
DB: Sean McPeek (So. 6’ 4195): 28 tackles, 2 INTs
DB: JC Wilson (Sr. 6’3 205): 15 tackles
A really improved Easton defense, they’ve gotten a ton out of their defensive line where Crossman and Macon have had breakout years and will be one of the bettere defensive end combos in eastern Pennsylvania next year with both back. Grant was the Northampton County defensive player of the year and is a really smart and physical linebacker. They’ll line Frutchey up everywhere to take advantage of the size and speed mismatches he can create depending on the situation. Day is a similarly versatile defender. They’re also uniquely suited to match up with Scerbo as Frutchey, Wilson, DiSora, and McPeek are all huge defensive backs. McPeek, the sophomore, has really stepped his game up late in the year and is a building block for the future. They’ve been suspecitible to big plays, getting done-in by a 98 yard TD run against Emmaus. Phillipsburg absolutely has the athletes to capitalize on that.

Keys to the Game
When P’Burg Has the Ball – Who Controls the Line of Scrimmage
Easton has largely been good in stopping the run and creating big plays on defense. Phillipsburg has thrived on hammering away at opponents and wearing them down late, plus having a big play option on the perimeter when teams devote too many resources to the box and leave Scerbo one-on-one. If P’Burg can break the 200 yard barrier running the football, they win, if Easton can keep them under, they probably win.

When Easton Has the Ball – Can They Throw It?
Easton has been able to counterpunch good defenses with their passing game in a way they haven’t in years. They want to establish the run with their two dynamic backs, but P’burg is the best run defense they’ll see all year, and hammering away 40 times is not going to cut it. Easton has been able to get great match-ups on the edge all year, but hasn’t consistently hit balls over the top to keep defenses honest. Can they get the ball to Wilson and Frutchey to take pressure off their running game in a way that opens up options. Also look for Ordway to keep a lot early to give them a numbers advantage in the run game.

The Pick:
This is probably the best Phillipsburg team since the 2003 unit that won a Sectional title and beat an Easton team that went to the PIAA Eastern Final. That game was a 26-23 classic, and came down to an game sealing interception in the red zone with less than a minute to play. Expect something similar.

Phillipsburg has a lot to play for. Yes, they have a state championship game to prepare for in addition to the Rovers, but I think all eyes and attention are on caputinrg that three game winning streak. Scerbo is the best player on the field and probably the best Liner since Pitt recruit Brandon Mason in the early 2000s. It’s going to take Easton’s full effort and best game of the season to win here. But Matt Senneca has pushed almost all of the right buttons since getting embarrassed last Thanksgiving, and I think with the playoff loss Easton has had three weeks to make this their Super Bowl after falling short of their other big goals. It’s going to be a classic, and I’m picking with my heart rather than my head, but the good guys will find a way. Easton 21-17

WPIAL Blitz has predicted the order of finish for each of the 3 WPIAL 5A conferences:

Allegheny Six
1. Peters Township
2. Bethel Park
3. Upper St. Clair
4. Moon
5. South Fayette
6. Baldwin

Big East
1. Woodland Hills
2. Penn-Trafford
3. Gateway
4. Franklin Regional
5. Latrobe
6. Armstrong
7. Kiski

Northeast
1. Pine-Richland
2. Penn Hills
3. Plum
4. North Hills
5. Shaler
6. Fox Chapel


No overall ranking. Any thoughts? I think Upper St. Clair will be second at worst and give Peters Township a run for first place. Otherwise looks good to me.

Many seem to think Latrobe is poised for a big season, 5th place seems a bit pessimistic. Not sold on Gateway having a good year, Bryant was very shaky when starting in place of Birch last year.

Northeast looks accurate although maybe I would flip Plum/North Hills.

This should be an interesting match-up in no small part due to the unknowns. Admittedly, I have not had the opportunity to watch ‘Tep play this year. I do know that they have a history of fielding teams with several notable D1 prospects. In the past, a lack of discipline, resulting in killer penalties, has been their biggest self-imposed obstacle. I haven’t read about those same issues this year, though. If their strength is their run game, then I’d have to think that Prep’s stout D-line and overall speed on the defense should help limit damage from big plays. If they have speed and talent at all skill positions, then this may pose significant problems. Moreover, if ‘Tep can get pressure and limit time for a young QB, then we’re going to have a ball game. I’m curious to hear from others about this match-up and what you expect to see.

Let’s talk about actual football

This is Parkland’s tenth state playoff appearance. Of course, they were state champs in 2002. They made runs to state finals in 2007 and 2015, with the 2015 quarterfinal against LaSalle being D11’s only win over a PCL school in states and the second over D12 since the PCL joined in 2008 - Liberty beat the George Washington team that knocked out LaSalle in ‘08. The Trojans won their quarter and msde Eastern Finals twice in the 90s, in 96 and 98, when they were establishing themselves as a football program to reckon with.

Parkland started the year 1-1, with a blowout loss to Freedom, but ran through and admittedly soft schedule until a season concluding 27-0 shut out loss to Emmaus. They avenged both losses in the playoffs, with a 17-3 win last week over Emmaus being a huge three week turnaround.

Parkland is coached by Tim Moncman, who went to three state finals and won the ‘08 state title at Liberty. He was Parkland’s defensive coordinator from 2012-15 before taking over following the retirement of legendary Jim Morgans (two state titles with ACC, two finals with Parkland). Moncman runs the defense, while former William Allen head coach Chris Kinane is the offensive play caller.

Parkland is big up front with a very talented sophomore running back in TJ Lawrence. They don’t throw a ton, but Osmany Guzman is completing nearly 70% of his passes on the season and has a 13-3 TD/INT ratio. He’s used his legs more lately, with a career high in rushing in the championship game against Emmaus. They’re young, with four sophomores who contribute on offense, including both running backs.

Defensively, they’ve been lights out in the playoffs. Lawrence at middle linebacker is the guy - if he grows a couple inches he is a four star linebacker, he’s limited to running back at his current height, but he’s still 15. They’ll show a lot of variety in their fronts, lots of smart kids on defense. Dom Martrich at defensive end/stand up linebacker is a menace.

If you look at the Born Index, it power rates Parkland as the fourth best team in D11 and a 24 point underdog in this one (seeing Easton sitting there at #6 and almost ten points better than Parkland is frustrating). They will need to slow the game down and play perfect football to win a 17-14 kind of game tonight. If they get down by two scores, it’s not a good scene.

I’m out of my depth talking small school football, but Northwestern Lehigh kicked the hell out of Scranton Prep tonight and will go to state semifinals next week. Southern Lehigh in 4A also made semis win a with last night over Juniata. I don’t know what their actual chances are as they move on (I think NWL can maybe win the whole thing), but Josh Snyder and Phil Sams are both good guys who have those programs in good spots.

Couple regular season notes before we head into the playoffs.

Dorian Thomas finished the regular season with 1,201 yards, which places him 7th on the single regular season season rushing list. The top ten:
1. Nysir Minney-Gratz, 2015: 1,715
2. Nahjee Adams, 2019: 1,651
3. Shane Simpson, 2014: 1,535
4. Eric Thompson, 1993: 1,407
5. Juan Gaddy, 1992: 1,384
6. Juan Gaddy, 1991: 1,376
7. Dorian Thomas, 2024: 1,201
8. Brad Piperata, 2003: 1,152
9. Frank Lane, 1986: 1,150
10. Jeff Staton, 1988: 1,148

He's the 16th 1,000 yard regular season for the Rovers. From what I can find, Will Day's 962 yards puts him 19th in single regular season rushing yards. As a duo, I think Thomas and Day have the second highest combined total of 2,163 yards - only Shane Simpson and Dalvyn Reynolds in 2014 have more, with a pretty eye popping 2,450 (1,535 and 915). In terms of total season, Simpson and Reynolds ran for 3,279 yards and Ovid Goulbourne and Brad Piperata in 2003 are next on the list with 2,820 (Ovid missed three regular season games, then had playoff totals of 195, 89, 140, and 157 yards go over 1,000 for the year). Juan Gaddy/Larry Gibson in 1991, and Shane Simpson/Kyle Bambary in 2013 are the other duos to crack 2,000 yards combined.

Easton's current nine game winning streak is the 18th in program history of at least nine games. The school record is 19 straight wins stretching from week 3 in 1986 to the D11 championship game in 1987. Their longest of the state playoff era is a 13 game winning streak, done in 2004 and 1991, where they started 13-0 before falling in the Eastern Final, and stretching from P'burg in 2013 to the D11 championship game in 2014. A D11 title and a win over Philipsburg would match the 13 game streak for this crew. A state championship would put them at 16, tying the stretch from 1916 to 1918 for the second longest win streak in program history. Here's hoping.

For the record, the longest unbeaten streak in school history is 41 straight from 1921 to 1926. The more modern (post WWII) record is a 24 game unbeaten streak starting in 1966 and ending in week 2 of 1969. Obviously modern overtime rules negate further unbeaten streak records.

I said Friday that Thomas's 315 yards (revised) record was second in Cottingham history behind Nysir Minney-Gratz going for 469 against Nazareth in week 10 of the 2015 season. It's the third 300 yard game in school history, joining Minney-Gratz and Juan Gaddy's 314 yard effort agaist P'burg in 1991. Easton's total of 623 yards of total offense didnt' quite catch the 699 they posted in the 2014 Simpson/Barkley shootout, but I think it is only the second time over 600 yards of offense in a game for the Rovers, though they did break the record for single game rushing with 567 yards, topping the 530 from that 2014 game.

For about a month WFMZ 69 TV station has ranked Rustin in their top 10 in the area. Congrats to them. Good luck to Rustin next week against Roman.

Congrats to Springfield for a fine season. Central League teams were definitely down this year.

It looks official at this point:

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https://www.piaad1.org/sports/fall-sports/football/scores-and-rankings/

Good luck to all (and good luck to the 'Skins after slipping back in the playoffs after multiple years of being absent -- even after letting that game on Friday night get away from them to our cross-town rivals).

Downingtown West 28 - CB West 23

Hard to win a district semifinal game against an 11-1 team with two turnovers and giving up a punt return TD. A couple of blown coverages and some great plays by Downingtown West finally sank the Bucks. CBW ended up outgaining DTW by around 80 yards, but the big plays through the air and the punt return couldn't be overcome. After running for 380 the previous week against OJR, CBW held DTW to 9 yards rushing (or 16 depending on which stats you use), giving up 240 through the air. CBW had a couple of shots at interceptions that they couldn't hold onto, one of them coming the play before a DTW TD pass. DTW fumbled once but the QB was able to get back onto it. DTW has a big o-line and some huge players in the "big-skill" category. Lots of 6'2" to 6'4" athletes running around. They did a good job getting off blocks and limiting the CBW running attack. Without McGowan to hurt them on the outside, they played a very tight box and it was tough going on the ground. Miller was able to hit some big pass plays, to Clemens for a TD and to Morelli inside the 5 to set up a FG right before the half. Going into the game I would have said that 4 scoring drives by CBW would have been enough, but the 4-5 big passing plays couldn't be overcome. A few blown coverages, a defender in man falling down injured on another play... just not the Bucks' night. A 10-3 season in another year with disastrous injuries (at least 8 starters not dressed for the game) is a great job by Coach Rowan and staff and a tribute to the upperclassmen who helped hold it all together along with the young guys and program players who stepped up to fill in.

Both teams deserved better from the officials. These all-star crews for playoff games can be wildly inconsistent, and they were... Drew Markol was openly critical of the crew on 1210 after the game, something I don't think I've ever heard from him. It was much more than just taking a down away from CBW on the final drive of the game. That said, DTW made more big plays than CBW and that was the difference.

North Penn 21 - CB South 19

Some similarities here, with South turning the ball over 4 times (consecutively) in the second half, and North Penn hitting the big plays they needed to edge South. South outgained NP by around 140 yards but just couldn't hold onto the football. Pinkerton fumbled twice in a row followed by Wade and Harmon, and all of a sudden South was down 21-13 and needed a long late 4th quarter drive to tie things up. They moved the ball right down the field to get it within 21-19, but their gadget play on the two point conversion fell incomplete. Special teams hurt South as the XP on their first TD was blocked, with NP players running right through gaps in the South line with almost no resistance, forcing the two point attempt late. NP had a great recovery of the onsides kick, but South got the ball back with one more chance that they couldn't convert. South finishes 12-1 while an 11-2 NP moves on to DTW for the final. When was the last time a 3rd place team in a conference played for the D1 title??

North Penn @ DTW

Keys: I expect DTW to have more success running the ball against NP then they had against CBW. But North Penn also has a better passing attack than CBW so DTW will have to be much more balanced defensively. North Penn has a stud kicker / punter in Bocklet who could be a difference maker in a close game. Bucksar is a very good QB with a strong arm who can make plays with his legs also. Ewes, Pownall and Johns-Wallace lead their skill guys. I look at this as a 21-20, 28-27 type of game. They're very similar teams in that they both have the ability to hurt you through the air if the run game isn't there, or vice versa. Should be an interesting chess match. The biggest difference is that NP will get under center with 2-2 or 3-2 personnel and pound it at you if you show any weakness up front. They forced South out of a 3 man front at one-point last week in that way. Can the DTW QB keep up his hot streak from last week? I expect him to have more time to throw this week than he did against CBW so NP will need to cover down on the back end. Let's hope it's a great game.

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Playoff History
2007: Parkland 17-0 (Quarterfinals)
2021: Emmaus 21-14 (Semifinals)
2023: Parkland 21-14 (Semifinals)

All Time Series: Parkland Leads 43-21-2. Emmaus won the first six times the schools played, and six of their remaining 15 wins have come since Harold Fairclough took over in 2016.

Last Time They Met: Emmaus crushed Parkland, 27-0, on the last week of the regular season to clinch the Lehigh County Division championship. It was the third conference championship for Emmaus in the Harold Fairclough era, after not winning a league crown since their 1972 Lehigh Valley League championship. Reilly Betchtel ran for 92 yards and a score, and Emmaus held Parkland to 26 rushing yards on 25 carries in the shutout.


#4 Emmaus Green Hornets (10-2)
Head Coach: Harold Fairclough (Career Record: 72-30 at Emmaus; 121-57 overall, 2010 State Champion at Allentown Central Catholic)
District 11 Championships: none
District 11 Finals: 2018, 2021
All State Candidates: Robert Edwards (DL), Reilly Bechtel (RB/LB), Brody McHugh (OT)
Offense
QB: Jerek Cooper (Jr. 6’2 190): 74-141, 963 yards, 10 TDs, 6 INTs/101 carries, 668 yards, 8 TDs
RB: Reilly Bechtel (Sr. 5’10 195): 149 carries, 1,288 yards, 19 TDs
RB: Jay Santos (So. 5’8 175): 52 carries, 413 yards, 5 TDs
WR: Kai Jefferson-Rushing (Jr. 5’11 170): 23 catches, 270 yards, 4 TDs
WR: Daniel Duggan (Sr. 5’7 160): 10 catches, 214 yards, 2 TDs
WR: Jah’Khi Daves (Sr. 6’1 170): 8 catches, 94 yards
TE: Samuel Stephen (Sr. 6’0 230): 9 catches, 101 yard, 2 TDs
LT: Brady McHugh (Jr. 6’2 280)
LG: Connor Soos (Sr. 6’2 190)
C: Joey Glover (Jr. 6’1 250)
RG: Mason Weber (So. 6’1 255)
RT: Robert Edwards (Jr. 6’2 290)

Defense
DE: Robert Edwards (Jr. 6’2 290): 87 tackles, 21 TFL, 6 sacks, INT, TD
DT: Brody McHugh (Jr. 6’2 280): 34 tackles, 7 TFL
DE: Ben Dennis (Sr. 6’7 235): 49 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks
LB: Reilly Bechtel (Sr. 5’10 195): 51 tackles, 12 TFL, 3 sacks
LB: Sam Stephen (Sr. 6’0 230): 27 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks
LB: Neo Michel (Sr. 5’10 190): 59 tackles, 4 TFL
LB: Chase Whitesell (Sr. 6’1 200): 42 tackles, 9 TFL, 3 sacks
DB: Daniel Duggan (Sr. 5’7 160): 32 tackles, 4 TFL
DB: Zack Stephens (Sr. 5’7 150): 54 tackles, INT
DB: Jah’Khi Daves (Sr. 6’1 170): 23 tackles, 2 INTs
DB: Cole Moreau (Jr. 6’2 190): 39 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INTs
K/P: Will Buck (Sr. 6’4 210; Cornell)

Parkland
Head Coach: Tim Moncman (Career Record: 84-24 at Parkland; 184-70 overall; 2008 State Champions at Liberty)
District 11 Championships: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022
District 11 Finals: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023
All State Candidates: TJ Lawrence (LB), Evan Saylor (OT), Dom Martrich (DL)
Offense
QB: Osmany Guzman (Sr. 6’0 180): 115-172, 1,621 yards, 13 TDs, 3 INTs/48 carries, 201 yards, 3 TDs
RB: TJ Lawrence (So. 5’11 200): 183 carries, 1,057 yards, 11 TDs/20 catches, 292 yards, 2 TDs
RB: Naquon Thomason (So. 5’6 175): 70 carries, 379 yards, 4 TDs
FB/TE: Reid Andrush (Sr. 5’11 190): 17 carries, 57 yards, 9 TDs/6 catches, 48 yards, TD
WR: Nassim Adams (Jr. 5’7 145): 28 catches, 342 yards, TD
WR: Leo Dauberman (Sr. 5’11 185): 32 catches, 492 yards, 6 TDs
WR: Preston Mertz (Sr. 6’0 160): 15 catches, 270 yards, 2 TDs
LT: Evan Saylor (Sr. 6’3 305)
LG: Austin Shook (Sr. 6’3 205)
C: Mason Marcks (Sr. 5’10 280)
RG: Matthew Dorsey (Jr. 5’11 260)
RT: James Tyler (Jr. 6’3 280)

Defense
DL: Matthew Dorsey (Jr. 5’11 260): 25 tackles, TFL
DL: Julian Diaz (Jr. 5’11 225): 22 tackle, 3 TFL, sack, FF
DL: Domenic Martrich (Jr.): 41 tackles, 11 TFL, 6 sacks
DL: Reid Andrush (Sr. 5’11 190): 42 tackles, 4 TFL, sack
LB: Marcel Burden (Sr. 5’10 175): 29 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
LB: TJ Lawrence (So. 5’11 200): 69 tackles, 6 TFL, sack
DB: Preston Mertz (Sr. 6’0 160): 27 tackles, 7 INTs
DB: Leo Dauberman (Sr. 5’11 185): 31 tackles, 3 TFL, FF, INT
DB: Nassim Adams (Jr. 5’7 145): 17 tackles, 2 INTs
DB: Parker Kusko (Sr. 6’0 160): 37 tackles, 3 TFL, INT
DB: Liam Spang (Jr.): 51 tackles, 6 TFL, sack
DB: Jaren Sanchez (So. 6’0 170): 41 tackles, TFL


Emmaus: The Green Hornets are going for their first District 11 championship in program history. Emmaus has long been considered a sleeping giant in football – it’s a great all around athletic program in a well-resourced school with tons of kids. Harold Fairclough has unlocked a lot of Emmaus’s potential, and has imprinted his hard nosed attitude and physical toughness on a school that often has lacked those characterisitcs. This is not a flashy group, but it’s a great defense that has only given up double-digit points to Easton since week 2. Robert Edwards is one of the best defensive players in the state and creates all sorts of problems for opposing running games. Offensively, they’re going to hammer away at you until you break. Bechtel’s 98 yard touchdown run last week vaulted Emmaus into the finals. This is a solid, physical team.

Parkland: They’re back!!! Tim Moncman’s Parkland Trojans are a seemingly unkillable program. Last week, the Freedom coaches said “if we get up by two scores, it’s over.” Well, they never could do that, and Parkland’s big offensive line and TJ Lawrence salted away a tough Parkland win. That’s how they’re going to try and do it here. Lawrence, only a sophomore, is a workhorse and just scratching the surface of how good he’ll be. For Parkland to win, he’s probably going to have to carry it another 30 times. Evan Saylor, Mason Marcks, and Matt Dorsey all were named All Conference linemen, and James Tyler is an FCS recruit at tackle. Emmaus is a tough group to lean on, but the Parkland offensive line is going to have to get something going after getting totally dominated in the regular season.

The Pick: I just don’t see how Parkland does it. The last time I said that, was the 2022 game where I predicted Freedom to kill Parkland, and the Trojans went out and won 35-10. I don’t see that happening Friday. Parkland is too limited, and Emmaus is essentially a better version of them with better playmakers. I said years ago, keep giving Fairclough bites at the apple, and he’s finally going to win Emmaus their first championship. For all intent and purposes, last week’s nail biter against Easton was the final, and I think this game is a coronation for one of the area’s best coaches getting it done at another school. Emmaus 31-7

Close the book on 2023.

Going forward, I think that Mars could be similarly good next year, but I can't see them topping the Quips or McKeesport next year from what I saw. But I guess you never know.

DTW 14 CBW 0

punt return for TD and 70 yard pass on broken play TD. Tough start for CB West but it’s still early.

This season marks the 40th anniversary of the District 11 championship football game. D11 joined District 7 and District 3 as the only places holding a football postseason, which helped usher in the state playoffs four years later. Initially, D11 threw just a championship game, with the two highest rated teams by the Saylor Ratings matching up in the week following the regular season. Conference championships were not totally sewn up then, as many teams played Thanksgiving games that counted towards their league standings, but the match up largely pitted the champion (or at least leader) of the East Penn Conference against the champion of the Centennial League.

The tournament really gets split into four distinct eras. First is the championship game era, which ran from 1984 to 1993, where just the top two teams met for a title. Twice that was an All East Penn affair, five times it was the EPC and Centennial champ, and twice it was the EPC and twice it was EPC and the Eastern Conference. When the state tournament expanded beyond a four-team field in 1994, the D11 tournament followed suit and expanded to the top four teams qualifying for the postseason. This format ran from 1994 to 2005. The 2006 season saw the expansion of the field to eight teams as part of absorbing District 4 and District 2 into a subregional following the addition of District 12 to the state playoffs (which started in 2005 with two teams from D11 and two teams from D2 making the tournament). The original eight team bracket ran from 2006 to 2015 as a D2/4/11 subregional. The current era of the playoff is in the expanded six classification system, where eight teams, all from District 11, are in the initial field.

Here's the history of the championship game (split into those sections). I've also added the state rankings from the Harrisburg-Patriot News at the time of the championship game.

1984: Liberty 24 Lehighton 6
In the first ever D11 championship game, East Penn Conference champ Liberty took on Centennial League champ Lehighton and the Hurricanes capped their best year in over a decade with the inaugural D11 crown. Danny Warren ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the championship, hosted at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Bob Hepler took over at Liberty during fall camp and led them to a 10-2 record.

1985: Bethlehem Catholic 49 Stroudsburg 7
East Penn Conference champ Bethlehem Catholic obliterated Centennial Leauge champ Stroudsburg to cap a brilliant 11-1 year for the Golden Hawks. Joe Shunk (Lehigh) threw for 302 yards and 4 touchdowns, with Jon Pinckney (Stanford) and Stef Kern (Bloomsburg) both going over 100 yards receiving, while Rich Guman (West Chester) ran for 110 yards in the win. Bob Stem afterwards said it was his best team.

1986: Whitehall 20 Stroudsburg 14
East Penn champ Whitehall had a pair of goal line stands in the final minute to hold on against Centennial League champ Stroudsburg. Whitehall raced out to a 20-0 lead with two long touchdown passes from Mark Beidleman to Mark Buskirk and Andy Lisicky, then held on for the title. Whitehall finished 10-3 and shared the East Penn title with Easton after falling on Thanksgiving Day to Emmaus.

1987: Lehighton 12 Easton 0
On a frigid night, Lehighton scored one of the biggest upsets in D11 history, snapping Easton’s 19 game winning streak and knocking off the nation’s #14 team (according to the USA Today). Head coach Dave Parsons was quoted after the game saying “I didn’t think we had a snowball’s chance in hell. Until the first two series.” Skimmer Andrews ran for 138 yards on 23 carries and Lehighton smothered Easton’s rushing attack in the win.

1988: HM Pocono Mountain 20 HM Easton 17 (OT)
The first ever overtime game in D11 history, Pocono Mountain pulled the second straight Centennial League shocker in Cottingham Stadium. With seven minutes to go, Easton was driving with a 17-14 lead to ice the game, when Alan Brugger intercepted a pitch on an option play and returned it into Easton territory. Dave Smith tied the game with a field goal in the final minutes of regulation. In overtime, after Easton missed a field goal, Smith lined up on first down and knocked it through to set off a celebration in the Poconos. Pocono Mountain’s Sherman Chiles and Easton’s Jeff Staton (Temple) both went over 150 yards in a dual of all state running backs. The win by Pocono Mountain knocked Easton out of the inaugural state playoffs, as the berth went to District 3 Cedar Cliff for the inaugural state playoff berth from D11/D3, who outpointed the Cardinals on strength of schedule.

1989: HM Whitehall 8 Northampton 6
One of the great East Penn defenses of the modern era finished the year with a smothering performance over Northampton in the title game. Whitehall allowed only 52 points in a 10-1-1 season, only losing in the opener to defending 3A state champ Bethlehem Catholic. This was the first championship game rematch, after Whitehall smoked Northampton 33-0 during the regular season, harassing future first round NFL draft pick Jim Drukenmiller (Virginia Tech/49ers) into three interceptions. In the rematch, a power surge knocked out the scoreboard and half the lights in the stadium, and seemingly took the offenses with it. On fourth and one from the 34, Jesse Wright exploded through the line and went the distance from a touchdown, and then quarterback Mike Buskirk (King's) scrambled in on the two point conversion. Northampton pulled Drukenmiller for dual threat AJ Jordan, who led the Konkerete Kids on a last minute fourth quarter touchdown drive, but Andy Simock (Penn State - baseball) dropped the two point conversion to set off a Whitehall celebration. The Zephyrs did not have enough power points to overtake state finalist Wilson West Lawn from District 3 for the state playoff spot.

1990: Easton 42 Stroudsburg 10
Easton used their impressive team speed to hammer Stroudsburg and recover from a 1-2 start to emphatically win their first D11 title. The Rovers exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, with a 55-yard Juan Gaddy (Temple) touchdown run, a 66 yard Mark Libiano (East Carolina/Bengals) touchdown catch, a second Gaddy touchdown, and a short Dean Jones (Temple) run after an interception return inside the 20. Bob Apgar (Rhode Island) turned the opening kickoff of the second half to open up a 42-3 lead in the romp. The Rovers finished 10-2, and beat eventual 3A state champ Bethlehem Catholic, but did not have the power points to overtake Wilson West Lawn for a state playoff spot.

1991: #2 Easton 25 Pottsville 15
Easton finally clinched a first state playoff spot for District 11 in 4A with a 25-15 win over Pottsville in the pouring rain. Contrary to the conditions and expectations, Easton came out throwing, with Steve Billman going 10-15 for 186 yards, with 110 of them going to all state tight end Mark Libiano. Juan Gaddy scored a pair of touchdowns, and Billman threw the clinching TD to Libiano early in the fourth quarter. Easton moved onto the four-team 4A field, where it lost to eventual state champ CB West.

1992: HM William Allen 14 #10 Dieruff 7
Allen and Dieruff met in the regular season finale in one of the greatset moments in Allentown football history, where Dieruff won their first EPC championship since Andre Reed walked the halls with a 32-27 win at a sold out J. Birney Crum stadium. Nine days later, played in the rain, William Allen returned the favor with a pair of first quarter touchdowns, highlighted by future Super Bowl winner Nate Hobgood-Chittek’s 40 yard catch and run, and Hobgood-Chittek (North Carolina/Rams) single handedly stopped Dieruff inside the five just before halftime. William Allen, led by Dieruff alum Rich Snisack, finished 9-2 and won their only D11 champ, three years after a 1-9 season. They did not have the power points for a state playoff spot, which went to eventual champion Cumberland Valley.

1993: #4 Easton 26 #6 Pottsville 14
The Rovers made it a second trip to the state playoffs in the final year of the four-team format with a 26-14 win over Pottsville. The Rovers were the surprise team all season, and used 116 yards and a school record 30th touchdown from all state running back Eric Thompson (NC State - wrestling) in a win over the Randy Homa (Ohio State) led Crimson Tide. Darren Smith (East Stroudsburg) also played hero when he blew up a Pottsville screen pass in the red zone, tipping the ball to himself for an interception he returned all the way to Easton territory in a ten point swing. Easton earned the D11/3 state playoff spot, where it once again lost to the state runner-up CB West Bucks, 6-3, in the final four-team state playoff format.

Thoughts on this one? Any chance that Prep has a few surprises in store (perhaps an early return of Maxwell Roy)? While I may be a little biased, I still think that all roads to championship glory lead through the Prep. While La Salle has closed the gap tremendously, I think the Prep D is stronger and they still have more depth at the skill positions. Obviously, the X factor is the QB experience differential, which was on full display in Round 1. Has Foulke matured enough to limit panic/mistakes? Do Sidwar and O’Brien tip the scales back to La Salle and exploit Prep’s vulnerability to the pass? No matter the outcome, hats off to Gordon for the incredible turnaround from last year. Let’s hope for an equally exciting heavyweight bout in round 2.

Admittedly, I haven’t been able to watch Imhotep play this year, so I am at a loss for who this match-up is going to unfold. I know that they have a significant amount of D1 athletes. If their stength is the run game, then I suspect that the Prep’s d-line and overall speed may limit some threats. If they are balanced, then it could pose some problems. Would love to hear thoughts of others on how you expect this to play out.

It's now the top 3 teams in the league remaining in the District 1 quarterfinals. I was a bit surprised by the Neshaminy score last week, but when you throw that many picks, that's what you get. North Penn handled Ridley without too much trouble, they got some bounces go their way and Ridley didn't get their scores until late in the game. South was the most predictable outcome, and West's defense put up their best effort of the year to blank Pennsbury.

CB South vs Plymouth Whitemarsh - This one seems to be on a lot of people's upset watchlist. Coach Chang is a bit of a mad genius and I'm sure he'll have some wrinkles offensively that give South issues. They are pretty big upfront, have some nice athletes and played a tough schedule. South hasn't been putting up a lot of points against good teams, and if the PW defense can keep this one close... who knows?

North Penn vs Haverford - To me, this is a nightmare matchup for North Penn. They've had a history as of late of giving up some huge rushing numbers in the playoffs, being knocked out in 2021 and 2022 with 330+ yard games from the opposing running back. Liam Taylor is already over 2000 yards (actually almost 2500) and they'll have a steady diet of him right up the middle. First rule of defending an option attack is to stop the dive back. Quakertown seemed to forget about that last week... can North Penn not make the same mistake?

CB West vs Downingtown East - Not sure of the last time these two met, but it's been a long time and should be a very good matchup. West is without their second leading tackler and top LB, Gavin Todd, who was declared ineligible after transferring last January. He's been fantastic defensively and gave them a spark on offense at times too. There were a couple of other injuries last week that looked serious, so we'll see who is suiting up for West at game time. I think at this point the injuries to the OL are all season ending, so they'll roll with the 4 backups that have played together for the past 4-5 weeks. Credit to the OL coaches for still racking up big rushing numbers. A healthy West team would be a big favorite in this one, but I expect it to be tight under the current circumstances. You'd expect all eyes on Clemens as usual, so West will need a big game from the QB Miller and Vance Morelli at the other RB spot. Devin McGowan has given them a spark with his return to the slot receiver spot, but he's been week to week all year with a shoulder injury. D East is a good enough team that West won't squeak by with a poor effort. They can mix it up offensively and have been stellar defensively as of late.

Looks like we've got a perfect night for football!