Relayer, I looked into the game from the perspective of ‘Power Ratings’ (the math) that is predictive mid-season on. The semis went 9-3 while the finals counting yesterday’s Steel High, McDevitt games are 2-0.
GV-UD looked interesting once you mentioned it with them being polar opposites; GV rushing 81.7% of plays, UD 59.4. They both come out with high numbers on defense despite being a no show vs SJP for GV. UD gained vs outcome with Imhotep statistically tho a lesser foe (lesser points) than SJP and on the season having better balance. Schedule advantage to GV playing (best) CB West x 2, Ridley, Spring Ford, DtEast and SJP vs Upper Dublin’s slate of Kennett 8-4 (per beating Rustin), CB West, Ply White (handled their option), Rustin, Imhotep.
No road challengers for GV, none, entire year until SJP, and UD only playing North Penn, a disappointing 6-6 but a capable opponent.
These two come out close to even with UD up 2.63 points on neutral. It looks a lot like GV’s game with Spring Ford and UD’s with Rustin.
Historically when the PRs are in double digits, 17 and up, it suggests a rout.

Semis and Finals to date
SJP 17.20 over GVal, score 48-7
Alliquippa 21.72 over Allen CC score 31-10
McDevitt 26-15 over Crestwood, score 35-0
Wyo 16.39 over Neumann….a loss, 20-17 NG won
** Note on yesterday’s McDevitt-Aliquippa typo-ed at 2.69 supposed to be 22.69.

What strikes you about GV’s success and why it works, apart from being so efficient on the ground running 82% of time is Qb Mesaros throwing well, 61% for 1289 yards, 19 Tds and ZERO picks. You don’t expect that once lulled into stopping the run. They’re hard to stop unless you have the athletes SJP and some others have. UD and GV would have been a great game!

It appears as though the PIAA made a good decision using CV Stadium. The Philadelphia Catholic and Charter Schools have had underwhelming numbers at the games. St. Joseph Prep won’t be much better.
I’ve seen Imhotep play at Northern Lehigh, where we counted the fans on their side. 31!

Ok fellow vets (and anyone else!), this is our game and the only one that counts. Ok, that's a stretch but it is a great and special game that has a whole other feel to it.

GO ARMY GO NAVY.

Army (5-6) - Navy (4-7)
3 o'clock, CBS and Paramount

UIW has the highest scoring offense in the country in either FBS or FCS, and knocked off #2 seed Sacramento State in a game of the year candidate, winning 65-63 on a TD pass in the final minute, which was an FCS record 59th passing TD by their quarterback.

The offensive coordinator at Incarnate Word is Mack Leftwich, the former North Allegheny QB who led the Tigers to the 2012 state title and I think went 30-1 as a starter. UIW head coach Chris Kinne took the Texas State job and will leave after their playoff run. Is Leftwich going with him to coordinate and FBS offense, or is he in line as the successor at head coach? I’ve gotta think he’s becoming a hot commodity in college coaching.

Someone give me a reason to watch this game.

Prediction: SJP-49 Harrisburg-14

The Finals Playoffs, by the numbers (Power Ratings)

Exclusively the math….for better or worse! I strayed with an opinion or other info at the Note: section

6A St. Joseph’s Prep (11-1) 13.73 over Harrisburg (11-2)
St. Joe’s on top with or without St. Thomas Aquinas, Erasmus and Gonzaga stats. Other ‘quality’ opponents, St. Peters, Roman, LaSalle x 2, Northeast, Parkland and Garnet Valley still show a 2 touchdown advantage. Harrisburg’s strength on defense keeps it close. Using another model of last 4 games gives Harrisburg a 3.21 advantage.
Note: FB/MLB Mahkai Hopkins (6-1, 240, 190/1312-16 Tds) is questionable with leg. His absence would change game dramatically, almost a touchdown.

5A Imhotep Charter School (10-2) 3.35 over Pine Richland (12-3)
ICS’s schedule of McDevitt, Archbishop Spalding and Malvern Prep give ‘schedule difficulty’ edge, plus tight losses to power teams Malvern -4 and Spalding -7, and McDevitt win on neutral. Upper Dublin brought in a lot of points. Pine Richland’s numbers improved exponentially after 1-3 start and Qb Palmieri insertion to lineup, wins vs North Allegheny and Pitt CC. Strong finish against inconsistent comp (Penn Traf, Woody), USC good record vs ?? opposition.
Note: Cathedral Prep; not enough ‘locals’ for accurate read, played 7 out of state, used Clarkson North (Canada), St. Frances-NY, Solon-OH (so-so), McDowell. Hard getting a #.

4A Bishop McDevitt (12-1) 2.69 over Aliquippa (13-0)
Strong D numbers across the board vs quality, especially Aliquippa. Slight edge to McD per showing vs Imhotep and LaSalle and extreme Qb ratings off chart; 69%, 3177, 43/2 Td-Pick ratio.
Note: Beyond the stats, McD hasn’t faced a pounder/grinder since Imhotep while ICS hasn't seen a QB like Saunders including Armstrong’s Olsen G#1.

3A Belle Vernon (11-2) 1.91 over Neumann Goretti (11-3)
Neumann’s early losses to quality (Penn Charter, Bonner) plus strong finish vs Northwestern Lehigh and upset of Wyomissing were big impact plus decent D numbers. BV’s ‘near win’ to bigger schools (McKeesport, PTraf) with some of best defensive numbers in playoffs and win vs D6 (strong small schools) Central Martinsburg team.
Note: Neumann is best BV’s played since McKeesport-TJ games.

2A Westinghouse (14-0) 9.52 over Southern Columbia (12-3)
SCA lost to best on schedule (Loyalsock, Danville, Mt. Carmel) before adjustments (lineup/injuries), then off charts by 45-13avg last 4 vs Troy, MCA, Guilfoyle, Trinity (D3). Likewise Westinghouse by 41-7 vs Berlin, Central Clarion, Farrell, Steel Valley. Huge uptick beating Farrell, Steel Val.
Note: Unrelated to stats, this is new turf for Westinghouse vs a playoff warhorse.

1A Steelton Highspire (13-1) 1.04 over Union (12-3)
Offense swung it to Steelton, both with liberal D. Same team comparison (Canevin, Canton) shows similar. Rollers in high quality wins vs Northern Lehigh and Canton, Union same vs Bishop Canevin 26-0 then regression in 46-36 Port Allegany (12-2, D9) win failing to hold 28-6 and 40-14 leads, PA scoring twice in :30.
Note: Rollers have more people to keep track of but Union vs Bishop Canevin was special, the same Canevin team Steelton should have lost to except for spiking the ball on 4th down, thinking it was 3rd on Roller’s 1-yard line.

Following on Twitter. 28-0 Hawks after 1

District 3 State Playoff Teams/Games: Top 20 (12/7/22)

District 3 teams results in state semifinals.
6A Harrisburg beat State College 27-7
5A Cocalico lost to Pine Richland 34-12
4A Bishop McDevitt beat Crestwood 35-0
3A Wyomissing lost to Neumann Goretti 20-17
2A Trinity lost to Southern Columbia 42-7
1A Steelton Highspire beat Canton 28-21

Here is some information and thoughts (scores, stats, personnel, etc) on the PIAA State Finals involving District-3 teams, Harrisburg, Bishop McDevitt and Steel High, and brief write ups on the district teams that lost last week, Cocalico, Wyomissing and Trinity.

1 Bishop McDevitt 12-1 4A
McDevitt has been all about the mission this year of returning to the state final they thought they should have won last year. Consequently, they’ve played like a team possessed, especially on defense allowing 92 points all year. As big and multiple as their offense is averaging 49ppg, the defense at 7ppg may be underrated with their speed and athleticism, especially in the secondary. So while they stumbled around in the first quarter up 7-0 trying to figure it out against Crestwood (13-2), the D was brutal, allowing Crestwood nothing, ending with 2 yards rushing and 20 total yards of offense in a 35-0 semifinal win. The week before, Crestwood was impressing people with their performance against Bonner-Prendie (11-2), winning 21-7. For McDevitt, Rico Scott had a strong game catching 7 passes for 94 yards and a score, returning a kickoff 85 yards for another score, and rushing for 26 yards. Sophomore quarterback Stone Saunders completed 19 of 24 passes for 200 yards, many going to Tyshawn Russell who caught 7 for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. Marquese Williams did the heavy stuff at running back with 17 carries netting 165 yards and a touchdown. What kept the score from being a total blowout were McDevitt’s 17 penalties for 165 yards.
They move on to play Aliquippa (13-0) in the 4A title game after the Quips defeated Allentown Central Catholic (9-6) 31-10. Aliquippa beat McDevitt in last year’s final 34-27. That team averaged 41ppg and allowed 12. This year’s team scores 39 and allows 9. For McDevitt, they’re 4 points above last year’s average scoring 50ppg with a D at last year’s level allowing 8. It might take these two behemoths a quarter to get used to each other with Aliquippa’s caliber of play being something McDevitt hasn’t seen since Imhotep at the top of schedule. Few have an offensive line as they do or as talented personnel behind it in running backs Tiqwai Hayes (235/1891) and John Tracy (112/738). Receivers Donavan Walker and Brandon Banks are dependable with a quarterback in Quentin Good (1911py, 54%, 22/4) who can get it out there. Their enormous line includes Nico Eberhardt 6-2 285, Braylon Wilsox 6-0 245, Jason McBride 6-3 295, Naquan Crowder 6-3 325, Kamari Mathews 6-3 335 and TEs Jayace Williams 6-2 235 and Cameron Lindsey 6-0 210. Collectively they are at least as challenging as Imhotep and perhaps more. For the Quips, they may find it difficult adjusting to McDevitt’s inordinately balanced offense that has more weapons than they’re used to keeping track of, eg, quarterback Stone Saunders (69%, 3217, 43/3 ratio), WRs Tyshawn Russel (1184), Rico Scott (990), Jeff Penn (339) and running back Marquese Williams (1332). And don’t lose track of the freshman FB Maurice Barnes (6-2, 195, 39/296). With both teams being so good in so many categories, the score may be in the 50s with special teams or an untimely turnover deciding.
2 Harrisburg 11-2 6A
Harrisburg took care of business last week in a big way by pounding previously undefeated State College (13-1). As Mid Penn-Commonwealth rivals, this game always has an edge with both fancying themselves ‘the’ alpha of the division. That’s an argument with Cumberland Valley and Central Dauphin going 74-42 and 81-33 respectively the last 10 despite a few recent hick-ups. Harrisburg and SC locked horns early as they often do for the first half when the Lions held a 7-0 lead. But the second half belonged to Harrisburg who erupted for 20 third quarter points on the way to a thorough 27-7 win. SC won the regular season game 20-7 with Harrisburg’s quarterback sidelined by injury. This one had bruising FB/MLB Mahkai Hopkins sidelined with a leg injury. Didn’t matter as the super-fast Cougar D held State to 56 yards rushing on 23 attempts and 158 total yards of offense. Kyle Williams saw heavier duty than usual with Hopkins out, rushing for a career high 264 yards with touchdowns of 1, 33, 1 and 49 yards. Quarterback Shawn Lee had extra carries with 52 yards on 12 totes while completing 5 of 5 passes for 26 yards. All totaled, they rushed for 336 yards on 48 attempts. State’s passing game was ineffective, completing 11 of 32 passes between two quarterbacks while freshman sensation D’Antae Sheffey (1231 season) was held to 31 yards rushing on 16 carries.
Now that Harrisburg demonstrated they’re the best public school 6A team in the state, it’s on to the final for the overall championship against St. Joseph’s Prep (11-1) Saturday at Cumberland Valley High’s Chapman Field. The Hawks are fresh off an easy win against previously undefeated Garnet Valley (13-1) 48-7 where they mercy ruled the Jags with a 48-0 first half outburst (?), scoring on their first seven possessions. As athletic, fast and talented as Harrisburg is, St. Joe’s is that and more, with a real advantage in talent depth. Harrisburg’s first 22 are high end with little behind them, suiting up maybe 28 with many going both ways. For the Hawks, they beat you up with a monster line averaging 284 with numbers behind it and a dual threat quarterback. No one goes both ways. As much as Samaj Jones, Anthony Sacca, Josiah Trotter et al get much of the attention, and deservedly so, linebacker Cole Niles was very impressive in the few vids/clips seen. Point being, the team is loaded from front to rear on defense and, top to bottom on offense, meaning it will take a herculean effort for the Cougars to pull this one out. That’s not to say they don’t have weapons. Check out sophomore Qb Shawn Lee at 68%, 1591 yards and a 16/7 ratio while rushing for 556 yards on 100 carries. FB Mahkai Hopkins has 1312 yards with Rb/Receiver Kyle Williams rushing for 1101 and receiving 567 yards. They’re a ‘Mid Penn’ team and will battle so let’s see how it goes.
3 Wyomissing 13-1 3A
Wyomissing’s season came to a sudden conclusion when Neumann Goretti scored in the final 8 seconds of the game on a 44-yard touchdown pass to Qaasim Major from Mehki Wharton, winning 20-17. This followed Wyomissing’s 80-yard, 9-play scoring drive where Charlie McIntyre caught a 10-yard Td toss from Ben Zechman with 34 seconds left after trailing 14-10 with 2 minutes to go! But credit Neumann for keeping Wyo off the field with an effective ground game that netted 266 yards on 35 carries. Shawn Battle led the way with 188 yards rushing on 19 carries. Also credit Neumann for holding the Spartan attack to 258 total yards. Only 140 coming on the ground. The loss ends another outstanding season for one of the top programs in the state. Their run has been a special one, recording a 123-22 mark since 2012. That’s the year they won the state title after defeating Imhotep 35-13 in the semifinal and Aliquippa in the final 17-14. In 2020 and 21, they had back to back appearances in the finals losing to Central Valley. For next season they have holes to fill in quarterback Ben Zechman (951, 63%, 12/1) graduating and the top 3 running backs; Matt Kramer (1142, 25 Tds), Charlie McIntyre (1028, 12 Tds) and Drew Eisenhower (884, 12 Tds). Also gone are OL stalwarts Jven Williams (6-5, 310) and Pacen Ziegler (6-4, 275).
For Neumann Goretti, it was an exciting win that advances them to the 3A final at Mechanicsburg’s Chapman Field Saturday Dec 10th to play Belle Vernon (11-2). BV got hot, winning their last 10 games following a 1-2 start in games they could have won. They’re going to line up and run it with Quinton Martin (1180) and Jake Gedekoh (653) doing most of the damage. Neumann can clearly bang with Belle given the outcome against Wyomissing and a somewhat underrated defense allowing 10ppg.
4 Manheim Township 9-4 6A
5 Steelton Highspire 13-1 1A
The Steamrollers used their diverse offense to defeat what looked like the best team they encountered this year outside of undefeated 2A Westinghouse (14-0), when they beat Canton (12-2) 28-21. This one was deadlocked until the very end; tied 7-7 at the half and after three quarters at 21 all. Canton threw seven running backs at them, trying to wear them down. And they did controlled things with fresh legs to a point rushing for 232 yards on 35 carries. However, that’s all they had with quarterback Weston Bellows and Bailey Ferguson completing 3 of 4 passes for 31 yards. At the same time, Steel High’s junior quarterback Alex Erby was completing 25 of 34 passes (74%) for 226 yards. Good luck keeping track of receiver Jaeion Perry catching 10 passes for 104 yards and a score and Daquan McCraw who caught 11 for 95 yards. The air lanes are always open with a grinding back like Ronald Burnette who had 104 yards on 20 carries, and touchdowns of 24, 1 and 10-yards; the last with :34 left in the game on a 10 yard burst up the middle for the win. 11 penalties for 80 yards slowed but didn’t stop them with the defense stepping up to recover 2 fumbles. So make that 11 straight wins since losing on Sept 2nd to Westinghouse 39-18. Since then, they reeled off 577 points, or, 52ppg on average. This includes wins against Bishop Canevin of District-7, Trinity and West Perry from District-3, then playoff wins against Windber of District-5, Northern Lehigh of District-11 and Canton of District-4. Combined, they have a won-loss of 68-15.
The opponent in the Single-A final is Union (12-3) out of Lawrence County. Not exactly a football hotbed but here they are with a dangerous team that may just be peaking at the right time. They opened with a 31-18 loss to Canton who Steel High beat last week. Since then, they really turned on, winning playoff games against quality comp like Rochester (7-5), 18-16, Bishop Canevin (12-2) 26-0, another team the Rollers beat in their opener, and Port Alleghany (12-2, D9) last week in a wild one, winning 46-36. Quarterback Braylon Thomas is a dual threat that has to be managed with 650 pass yards and 572 rushing. And while Coach Kim Niedbala is in his first season heading the program, he was an assistant last year with Bob Palko and Mt. Lebanon, helping to guide them to the state title. With some of the talk that last week’s opponent Canton was the final, this is definitely the wrong team to get cocky with as they too are clearly on a roll. Should be a good one!
6 Cocalico 10-5 5A
Cocalico and Trinity at the 2A level (below) were two of the major surprises out of the district this year with both advancing to the state semifinal. The surprise was in the degree of success for Cocalico given graduations they survived. Their record has always been strong, going 86-34 from 2012 through 2021, then 10-4 this season. They run a veer which is a puzzle until figured out. Then, there’s nowhere to go without a competent passing game. Against Pine Richland in the state semifinal, they rushed for 260 yards but completed just 4 of 10 passes for 50 yards. And they had no answer for Qb Ryan Palmieri who rushed for 84 yards with a 8 yard touchdown and completed 8 of 9 passes for 180 yards with touchdowns of 61, 56 and 17 yards. Pine moves on to the state final while Cocalico returns to the drawing board with plans to field another strong group next year.
7 Manheim Central 11-2 4A
8 Central York 10-2 6A
9 Exeter Township 12-1 5A
TIE
Cumberland Valley 7-4 6A
10 Trinity 10-5 2A
Trinity’s surprise run to the Double-A state semifinal caught everyone off guard knowing it followed 9 non-winning seasons (5-5 in ‘19) where they garnered a 22-64 record. The opening schedule that included Roman Catholic (9-3), Wyomissing (13-1) and West Perry (11-2) further misled with the 1-3 start. But wow did they recover, albeit with a young team finishing on a 9-2 run. Along the way, they took Steel High to overtime before losing then routed four playoff teams by an average score of 43-15 before a far more mature and established team in Southern Columbia crushed them 42-7. Southern was simply too much, with Wes Barnes rushing for 252 yards, Braeden Wisloski at 132, and the team total at 503 rush yards. Southern Columbia moves on to the final against Westinghouse going for their fifth consecutive title while Trinity looks to next year with that young team a year older and wiser.
11 Hempfield 9-3 6A
12 Wilson 8-3 6A
T I E
York (William Penn) 6-4 6A
13 Solanco 11-1 5A
14 West Perry 11-2 3A
15 Gettysburg 8-3 5A
16 Northern York 8-5 5A
17 Lampeter Strasburg 9-3 4A
18 Shippensburg 8-4 5A
19 Carlisle 6-5 6A
20 South Western 7-4 5A
Others
Twin Valley 7-5 4A
Garden Spot 7-4 5A
Hamburg 9-3 3A
Cedar Cliff 7-4 5A
New Oxford 8-3 5A
Dover 9-3 5A

Not sure if this question was ask previously. Did the PIAA ever consider splitting district 1? I mean geographically it seems a bit much.

Jurkovec to Pitt

Here’s a conspiracy for you all to think about: St. Joes Prep purposely loses the state championship every couple of years so that they can stay in the public state bracket.

Think about it. If St. Joes prep won every year, they would definitely be under more scrutiny than they are now. People would realize the ridiculous advantages that the prep has. That’s why they intentionally lose some state championships. They do this to say “hey, a public school beat us, there’s no unfair advantages. Let us stay playing these podunk public schools in the playoffs”

Do you guys really think 2021 Mt. Lebanon and 2017 Pine-Richland had better teams than a school that gets players from 3 different states? Not a chance. They threw those games.

Sit back and watch. They’ll win this years state championship easily, and also next year. But In the 2025 season, they’ll lose to some random public school in the final to save face.

Love to hear your guys thoughts on this.

How did the high school football season go overall?
“My season went so and so, 6-5, but the future is bright. A lot of young guys stepped up and I can’t wait to see them grow, including myself.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Simply put, my only goal is to get better in some way every single day. Whether that’s watching film, lifting or working on mechanics, everyday make myself a better athlete in a minor way so come August there’s a major improvement.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“As I said a lot of young guys stepped up last year and I think if they put in the work in the off season we could be a sleeper in 4A states, we were very close this year but I think Archbishop Ryan is a team to watch next year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We haven’t [received] our schedule yet but I’m sure Neumann Goretti A and Bonner Prendi are going to be there and also be the toughest teams we line up against next year.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Jalil Hall stands 6’4 181 lbs and plays wide receiver/defensive end. He plays for Bonner Prendi and as a sophomore has the single season receiving touchdown record, he bailed them out of a lot of games this season.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Definitely plan on being a college football player.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Haven’t been recruited by anyone that hard, just invites from a few schools for camps including d1 South Carolina State.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“See above.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I plan on attending a ton of camps during the off-season.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“LSU was always my favorite team growing up.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“It went really well, our team met a lot of goals. I am really proud of what we accomplished.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I am going to continue to lift and throw this off-season, while running track as well as jumping in the spring.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We lose some key guys, but I expect us to do just as well. The seniors left behind a good legacy for us to continue.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Every game on our schedule is a fight. We take them all the same.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“For me, my cousins Cody and Christian Wenner because they are family.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to play football at the collegiate level. It has always been my dream.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been on visits to PSU, VT, UVA, Clemson, UPenn, Towson, and Villanova.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I’d say UPenn has shown the most interest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“See previous question.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“As of right now, no.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up as a little kid PSU was always my family and my favorite team.”

How has everything been going football wise as of late?
“Everything has been going well lately. We made the playoffs and have our first-round game tomorrow. I couldn’t be happier with how the team and I have performed towards the end of the season.”

Going forward, what do you feel your team can continue to improve on?
“We could definitely continue to just play as a team. When we play together, everything clicks and we are unstoppable. We have a great group of athletes and when we all do our part, we are a great football team.”

Have you been pleased with your performances?
“I have definitely been pleased with my personal performance from each game. I’m very involved in the offense and feel like I contribute a good amount to our successes on offense. 700 yards and 5 touchdowns is something that I am very proud of from this season.”

How do you feel about the play of your team?
“We’ve been playing well as a team lately. We’ve had our struggles like every team does but we got it together and pushed through it. Ever since, we’ve been playing good football as a team.”

What are your sporting goals going forward as of now?
“My goals are to make a good playoff run this season and then focus on my senior season. I hope to go play college ball and continue my football career.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“No colleges have been recruiting me so far. I just recently started sending emails to different coaches.”

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

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Me and a couple guys from the team took a visit to Lycoming.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Definitely after the season and once I get in contact with more coaches.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Penn State has always been my favorite college.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“The season is almost over as we have one more game, but it started out rough and once we found out who we were and how to play together we started to pick things up. We ended the regular season 5-5 so can’t complain about that.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I feel like I could have played better. I had a setback before the camp of the season, which was getting surgery, and I think missing camp and the first couple games set me back physically. As the season went on, I feel like I have started to pick up where I left off from last year.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I feel that for what we have had to replace, our team filled the shoes pretty well. There are obviously some rough spots but overall I am proud of the people who have stepped up and played the best they could.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Something I think we can improve on would be mentality after a mistake. A lot of us get frustrated with ourselves and we need to remember that there is always another play.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“A key for being successful is everybody staying focused on their assignments and playing as one. There have been some games during the season where it felt like there were missing pieces, but the games we won and even a couple losses, it felt that we were playing as one.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Ithaca, Kutztown and Misecordia are the top. I talked to Delaware and Holy Cross in the offseason and went on visits.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Ithaca by far.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes I’ve been to Ithaca, Delaware, UAlbany, Holy Cross, Muhlenberg, and Wagner.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Yes Ithaca and Kutztown.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Oregon has always been my dream school since I was young.”

How has everything been going football wise as of late?
“Everything has been going well for us lately, we’re firing on all cylinders and our team is gelling well at the right time for the district championship this Saturday night. We’re excited to play.”

Going forward, what do you feel your team can continue to improve on?
“A big thing for us is staying focused and being in the present. We need to continue to work hard and reach the goals we know we can achieve.”

Have you been pleased with your performances?
“I am extremely pleased with everyone’s performance, let alone the team’s performance. Everyone has gotten better and everyone is stepping up when we need them to.”

How do you feel about the play of your team?
“I love how our team plays and I love all of us working hard together to win together.”

What are your sporting goals going forward as of now?
“A big goal for me personally in all sports is a district medal, from there we’ll work hard as a team to win in states.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“It would be a pleasure to continue playing sports in college. Now which one? I couldn’t tell you. I love all my sports and picking one for college will be one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve talked to a lot of schools about playing college sports. That includes Lycoming, Penn State Harrisburg, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Susquehanna, and more.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Lycoming College has been the most persistent so far.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve visited Lycoming a couple of times.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“I went on a game day visit to Lycoming a couple Saturdays ago.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always loved Penn State since I was a little kid, they’ve always been my favorite.”

Find out what colleges are recruiting Ross Eyer, John Eatherton, Carson Swartz, Brady Heiser, and Tommy Gontz now!


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Q&A with Muncy athlete Ross Eyer​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“It would be a pleasure to continue playing sports in college. Now which one? I couldn’t tell you. I love all my sports and picking one for college will be one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve talked to a lot of schools about playing college sports. That includes Lycoming, Penn State Harrisburg, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Susquehanna, and more.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Lycoming College has been the most persistent so far.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I’ve visited Lycoming a couple of times.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“I went on a game day visit to Lycoming a couple Saturdays ago.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always loved Penn State since I was a little kid, they’ve always been my favorite.”


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Q&A with Quakertown running back John Eatherton​

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Ithaca, Kutztown and Misecordia are the top. I talked to Delaware and Holy Cross in the offseason and went on visits.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Ithaca by far.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes I’ve been to Ithaca, Delaware, UAlbany, Holy Cross, Muhlenberg, and Wagner.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Yes Ithaca and Kutztown.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Oregon has always been my dream school since I was young.”


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Q&A with Carlisle wide receiver Carson Swartz​

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“No colleges have been recruiting me so far. I just recently started sending emails to different coaches.”

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

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Me and a couple guys from the team took a visit to Lycoming.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Definitely after the season and once I get in contact with more coaches.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Penn State has always been my favorite college.”


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Q&A with Gettysburg quarterback Brady Heiser​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would love to play football at the collegiate level. It has always been my dream.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been on visits to PSU, VT, UVA, Clemson, UPenn, Towson, and Villanova.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I’d say UPenn has shown the most interest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“See previous question.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“As of right now, no.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up as a little kid PSU was always my family and my favorite team.”


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Q&A with Archbishop Ryan quarterback Tommy Gontz​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Definitely plan on being a college football player.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Haven’t been recruited by anyone that hard, just invites from a few schools for camps including d1 South Carolina State.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“See above.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I plan on attending a ton of camps during the off-season.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“LSU was always my favorite team growing up.”


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


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Q&A with Muncy athlete Ross Eyer
How has everything been going football wise as of late?
“Everything has been going well for us lately, we’re firing on all cylinders and our team is gelling well at the right time for the district championship this Saturday night. We’re excited to play.”

Going forward, what do you feel your team can continue to improve on?
“A big thing for us is staying focused and being in the present. We need to continue to work hard and reach the goals we know we can achieve.”

Have you been pleased with your performances?
“I am extremely pleased with everyone’s performance, let alone the team’s performance. Everyone has gotten better and everyone is stepping up when we need them to.”

How do you feel about the play of your team?
“I love how our team plays and I love all of us working hard together to win together.”

What are your sporting goals going forward as of now?
“A big goal for me personally in all sports is a district medal, from there we’ll work hard as a team to win in states.”

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Q&A with Quakertown running back John Eatherton
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“The season is almost over as we have one more game, but it started out rough and once we found out who we were and how to play together we started to pick things up. We ended the regular season 5-5 so can’t complain about that.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I feel like I could have played better. I had a setback before the camp of the season, which was getting surgery, and I think missing camp and the first couple games set me back physically. As the season went on, I feel like I have started to pick up where I left off from last year.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I feel that for what we have had to replace, our team filled the shoes pretty well. There are obviously some rough spots but overall I am proud of the people who have stepped up and played the best they could.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Something I think we can improve on would be mentality after a mistake. A lot of us get frustrated with ourselves and we need to remember that there is always another play.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“A key for being successful is everybody staying focused on their assignments and playing as one. There have been some games during the season where it felt like there were missing pieces, but the games we won and even a couple losses, it felt that we were playing as one.”

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Q&A with Carlisle wide receiver Carson Swartz
How has everything been going football wise as of late?
“Everything has been going well lately. We made the playoffs and have our first-round game tomorrow. I couldn’t be happier with how the team and I have performed towards the end of the season.”

Going forward, what do you feel your team can continue to improve on?
“We could definitely continue to just play as a team. When we play together, everything clicks and we are unstoppable. We have a great group of athletes and when we all do our part, we are a great football team.”

Have you been pleased with your performances?
“I have definitely been pleased with my personal performance from each game. I’m very involved in the offense and feel like I contribute a good amount to our successes on offense. 700 yards and 5 touchdowns is something that I am very proud of from this season.”

How do you feel about the play of your team?
“We’ve been playing well as a team lately. We’ve had our struggles like every team does but we got it together and pushed through it. Ever since, we’ve been playing good football as a team.”

What are your sporting goals going forward as of now?
“My goals are to make a good playoff run this season and then focus on my senior season. I hope to go play college ball and continue my football career.”

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Q&A with Gettysburg quarterback Brady Heiser
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It went really well, our team met a lot of goals. I am really proud of what we accomplished.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I am going to continue to lift and throw this off-season, while running track as well as jumping in the spring.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We lose some key guys, but I expect us to do just as well. The seniors left behind a good legacy for us to continue.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Every game on our schedule is a fight. We take them all the same.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“For me, my cousins Cody and Christian Wenner because they are family.”

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Q&A with Archbishop Ryan quarterback Tommy Gontz
How did the high school football season go overall?
“My season went so and so, 6-5, but the future is bright. A lot of young guys stepped up and I can’t wait to see them grow, including myself.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Simply put, my only goal is to get better in some way every single day. Whether that’s watching film, lifting or working on mechanics, everyday make myself a better athlete in a minor way so come August there’s a major improvement.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“As I said a lot of young guys stepped up last year and I think if they put in the work in the off season we could be a sleeper in 4A states, we were very close this year but I think Archbishop Ryan is a team to watch next year.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We haven’t [received] our schedule yet but I’m sure Neumann Goretti A and Bonner Prendi are going to be there and also be the toughest teams we line up against next year.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Jalil Hall stands 6’4 181 lbs and plays wide receiver/defensive end. He plays for Bonner Prendi and as a sophomore has the single season receiving touchdown record, he bailed them out of a lot of games this season.”

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After a short 3 years Upper Darby is looking for a head coach again.

This is gonna be brief. Also, only 5 teams.

1. PCC - they are loaded with very good HS players with a couple standouts at LB (Specca) and WR (Gonzales - out for a few more weeks.). Their OL is much improved and all the sophomores they played last year have matured. They will be better on defense this year and the offense will still be spread. Tough opener vs. St. Edwards of Ohio, who is a top 15 team nationally, but they shouldn't lose after that in the regular season.

2. SV - Return the best senior class in school history. Have a couple kids committed to Navy and another to Akron. (QB, S, LB/DE). Definitely look the part of a senior lead team. However, they got handled by ECP up front and are still looking for legitimate play makers on offense. Defense will again be solid, but they need to find a way to match explosiveness against the better teams.

3. Lebo - Definite reload. They will have strong QB play either form a senior or a nice lefty sophomore. Offense looks to have replaced playmakers, and OL is solid led by Capistro. Defense should also be good, as it seemed that they transitioned to a four down look. Need to upgrade downhill play at LB. Won scrimmage vs Pine by largely throwing the ball, which was not a surprise. However, had problems stopping the run even though P-R can't throw a lick.

4. NA - Will be solid on both O and D again (as usual). QB returns and is throwing the ball better, but needs to improve accuracy. Pass game is still a work in progress. Old Wing T stuff still gives bad teams fits. Defense led by Steeler son Alualu will be hard hitting and disciplined, but scrimmage against PH was disappointing. PH repeatedly hit wide open WR's, however, NA controlled both lines.

5. CMAC - They are improving and will be lead by Junior QB who is the coaches son. However, not enough at the other positions yet to compete to be in the top 4.

Final.

Stalk called this as a tossup (not too far off).

UD played tough. Had a chance late. Imhotep much bigger across lines.

Here's what the stats say with little else including opinion. A concoction of PF-PA, TOs when I can get them, home-away values, strength of schedule, district strengths, etc, etc. Fun breaking the teams down. Not necessarily predictive, but fun.

The Playoffs, by the numbers (Power Ratings)
6A
St. Joseph’s Prep 17.20 over Garnet Valley
BIG edge to Hawks in schedule difficulty playing Erasmus Hall, St. Peters, St. Thomas Aquinas and Roman vs G-Val’s best of CB Westx2 and DEast.
Harrisburg 6.43 over State College
SC can get sloppy allowing DEast 31, CV 31 and McDowell 50 (35 before ots) on defense plus Harrisburg routing playoff teams Wilson, Central York, Township by avg 40-8.
5A
Upper Dublin .44 over Imhotep Charter
Stat edge to Cardinals til factoring in schedule difficulty narrowing gap to toss up status.
Pine Richland 5.06 over Cocalico
Schedule difficulty and stat edge of last four games tipped it to PR vs PTraf, Woody, USC and Cathedral with Cocalico playing Elizabethtown, Gettysburg, Solanco, Exeter. Big impact with Exeter upset win narrowed gap maybe distorting.
4A
Aliquippa 21.72 over Allentown Central Catholic
Quips D stats swings it to their side significantly with ACC porous against Freedom, Naz, Whitehall, Beca and Jersey but with a strong schedule.
Bishop McDevitt 26.15 over Crestwood
Big numbers with schedule and D against that schedule (Imhotep, LaSalle, Manheim Central) despite impressive Bonner win by Crestwood with little else outside two wins vs Valley View. Strong D stats for Crest topped by McD’s vs better.
3A
Belle Vernon 10.2 over Central Martinsburg
Great D stats plus far more schedule difficulty than Central’s with no notable wins since Guilfoyle and loss to Richland at top of schedule.
Wyomissing 16.39 over Neumann Goretti
Monster D stats for Wyo vs challenging offenses of Trinity, West Perry, Danville with little to show for Neumann beyond Northwestern Lehigh win.
2A
Westinghouse 11.69 over Steel Valley
Schedule advantage to Westinghouse with big points per Steel High, Berlin and Farrell wins with impressive D stats. Tough bunch from Munhall just a little behind Westinghouse’s numbers defensively.
Southern Columbia 7.14 over Trinity
SCA adjustments per injuries/ lineup swung stats after bad start while Trinity overcame bad numbers at start with a strong finish as well against lesser comp.
1A
Canton 4.43 over Steel High
Kept double checking the math on this one! More consistent D from Canton gave them the edge here vs Rollers who can disappear defensively allowing 39 vs Westinghouse, 28 vs Trinity (minus ot pts), 35 vs Northern Lehigh.
Union 4.68 over Port Allegany
Union slipped early vs Canton 31-18 and Laurel 28-22 then rolled in playoffs notably beating Laurel 30-28, Rochester 18-16 and Bishop Canevin 26-0. Port Allegheny’s D is through the roof and the district has been more representative but still lags significantly in schedule difficulty to District-7 teams.

In the central league- which was down this year- Chester Would be 4-6 And the fools who think Chester could play with haven or garnet- no shot. Poorly coached, poor sportsmanship and they cry race on ever call that doesn’t go their way. I was disappointed sitting on their side today. The del Val is the worst league in the state.

With the wpial only have a few 6A teams it would add 3 more. Plus Erie prep is the only 5A school in district 10. They had a month off before playing pine Richland in the western semi finals (which I think cost them the game and really hurt them.) Let them go through the grind of the wpial. It benefits both district 10 and 7.