Find out what colleges are recruiting Naquil Betrand, Carson Heckathorn, Aaron Crumrine, Kory Ansell, and Connor Lenz now!


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

West Catholic defensive end Naquil Betrand

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Kent State, North Carolina A&T, James Madison, App State, Colgate, Eastern Kentucky, Mississippi Valley State, Tennessee State, Georgia State, Tulsa, Coastal Carolina, Rutgers, Minnesota, UMASS, North Carolina Central, Morgan State, Layfette, UCONN, Yale, Rice, ODU, Delaware, Penn State, Albany, South Carolina, and Central Michigan.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Tulsa, Central Michigan, UCONN, Kent State, Coastal Carolina, and ODU.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes, so far only to Rutgers.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Yeah, I got a couple plans for visits.”

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


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

Blackhawk safety Carson Heckathorn

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“There have been a couple that are interested.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“The interest is equal all around.”

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

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Pitt.”


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

Pine Grove tight end Aaron Crumrine

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Not many. I have some on Twitter mainly, but I am going to wait until after the season to get around.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Not yet with school and the way Covid is.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Most likely over the summer is when I will go on some visits.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Notre Dame was always one of my favorite schools growing up.”


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

Southmoreland offensive lineman Kory Ansell

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I definitely want to further my athletics in football and academic career at the next level.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“There has been no formal recruitment yet, but I have been communicating with some schools such as Robert Morris, Clarion, and St. Thomas just to name a few.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Not yet with the COVID situation, but hopefully it opens up this summer.”:

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“West Virginia University has been my favorite college since I can remember. That’s my dream school of course, but I am open to all opportunities.”


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

Pine Richland defensive end Connor Lenz

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve had a couple FCS coaches reach out, but nothing very significant.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“We usually do team trips up to colleges, but I’m not sure where we’re going this year. I hope to go on some by myself.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Not really, but my cousins went to Navy. It’s pretty nice up there.”


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

The West Super Regional is absolutely unbalanced in the 3A classification. The strength of the districts is: D7, D11, D3, D6, D1, D10, D2, D4, D12. So, this region pits #1, 3, 4 all together, plus some real high end stars from District 10. The result is a very unbalanced regional set up, where a lot of very good wrestlers are going to be left home from this region while the East will have some kids sneak in. PennLive ran an article that 70% of the wrestlers ranked in the top ten in the state come from the Western Super Region. This tournament will be better than most state tournaments, with the survitors in very good position to be high finishers next week. All rankings from PaPower Wrestling.

106
#5 Carl Nasdeo, Williamsport (So – NW1)
#10 Andrew Binni, Canon-McMIllan (Fr. – SW3)
#4 Dominic Flatt, Solanco (Sr. – SC2)
#9 Antonio Walker, Plum (Fr. – SW2)
-
#3 Kaedyn Williams, Manheim Township (Fr. – SC1)
#14 Logan Sallot, Erie McDowell (So. – NW2)
#15 Rocco Fratelli, Northern York (Fr. – SC3)
#2 Tyler Chappell, Seneca Valley (So. – SW1)

The Favorite: Tyler Chappell, Seneca Valley
Chappell is #2 ranked wrestler in the state and just barely missed Hershey in 2020. He’s a little bigger and a little better this year and certainly has the advantage of a really good Seneca Valley room. He won the WPIAL title comfortably last weekend.

The Challenger: Kaedyn Williams, Manheim Township
If you go by national rankings, Williams is the favorite here and at the state level as polls have him as high as #11 in the country. He’s an uber talented freshman – tall and lanky and not afraid to mix things up upper body and can really punish from top. It’s a great skillset and one that will be fun to see tested in the next two weeks.

Best First Round Match: Dominic Flatt vs. Antonio Walker
A pair of top ten kids in the state and regional runner ups lock horns right away. The loser of this match has an absolutely brutal path to Hershey, so getting by here is of utmost importance.

Semifinals: Andrew Binni vs. Dominic Flatt and Kaedyn Williams vs. Tyler Chappell
I’m a big Andrwe Binni fan, and like him with a little bit of an upset against Nasdeo in the first round. But Flatt is the rare senior at 106, and that experience advantage will kick in against the freshman. On the other side, Williams and Chappell is a possible state final and one of the best semis we’re going to get. Although Chappell seems to be the favorite on paper, I’ve been so impressed with the Williams brothers, and I think Kaedyn gets the momentum started early here.

Blood Round: Andrew Binni vs. Rocco Fratelli and Tyler Chappell vs. Antonio Walker
Binni drops to a very winnable consy match if he can get the upset of Nasdeo. Chappell would drop to Walker, who would need to go through some combination of Flatt, Nasdeo, and Chappell in this situation to make Hershey – not an easy feat and means that first round match is probably the difference between a state berth and not.

Finals: Kaedyn Williams vs. Dominic Flatt
All three of Flatt’s loses this year are to Williams, though they’ve gotten progressively closer, with a 4-3 outcome last week in the Distrct 3 finals. He absolutely could pull the upset, but going with Williams for a fourth time.

State Qualifier Prediction
1. Kaedyn Williams, Manheim Township
2. Dominic Flatt, Solanco
3. Tyler Chappell, Seneca Valley
4. Andrwe Binni, Canon McMillan


113
#1 Vinny Kilkeary, Greater Latrobe (So. – SW1)
#4 Aiden Lewis, Cedar Cliff (Sr. – SC3; Bucknell)
#11 Noah Clawson, Carlisle (Sr. – SC2)
#5 Nic Allison, Mifflin County (Jr. – NW2)
-
#3 Kamdyn Williams, Manheim Township (Fr. – SC1)
#6 Troy Hohman, Penn-Trafford (Jr. – SW2)
#10 Joe Simon, Waynesburg (Fr. – SW3)
#2 Jacob Van Dee, Erie Cathedral Prep (Jr. – NW1)

The Favorite: Vinny Kilkeary, Greater Latrobe
Kilkeary was somewhat of a surprise state champ in 2020 – he was the District 7 runner up, then went through Dominic Flatt, Keanu Manuel, Tyler Kasak, and Jacob Van Dee for a state title. He was electric on Saturday – erasing an 8-3 deficit to Kasak with a pair of five point throws to win 14-10, then he threw a headlock and pinned Van Dee in overtime to win the state title. He had a monster summer and established himself nationally and now is ranked #3 in the country and is a clear favorite to win the weight. He’s super strong, loves big moves, and is a fan favorite.

The Challenger: Jacob Van Dee, Erei Cathedral Prep
Van Dee is a returning finalist and should make his third Hershey trip. He’s more measured and cautious than Kilkeary, but is really tough to score on and can shorten a match with his mat wrestling.

Best First Round Match: Vinny Kilkeary vs. Aiden Lewis
Kilkeary’s win in the District 7 finals gets him returning state finalist and two-time medalist Aiden Lewis. Lewis lost a match of the year candidate to Kamdyn Williams last week, 11-9 , in the District 3 semis and fought back to take third. Lewis was a finalist at 113 last year and was a solid pick as Kilkeary’s top challenger in the weight. The winner here is a very good bet to win the weight this weekend.

Semifinals: Vinny Kilkeary vs. Nic Allison and Kamdyn Williams vs. Jacob Van Dee
I think Kilkeary gets by Lewis and Nic Allison is a solid favorite over Clawson. Kilkeary and Allison is fun, both are built like fire hydrants and like upper body throws. Kilkeary is a little smoother and should win, but backpoints are likely somewhere. Down below, Kamdyn Williams is a budding star, like his twin brother, and had all of his skills on display in his win over Aiden Lewis last week, where he put the state finalist on his back twice. He’s tall and lean, but also isn’t afraid of big risks. He has more offense than Van dee, and I think he knocks out a state silver medalist for the second straight week.

Blood Round: Nic Allison vs. Troy Hohman and Jacob Van Dee vs. Aiden Lewis
Hohman is kind of a forgotten man here, but he’s a returning qualifier and a top talent in the state. Allison gets dropped in here and I’ve always been a big fan of his style, so I’ll take him to advance. Van Dee and Lewis is a battle between returning state finalists just to qualify for Hershey! I’ve been the high man on Lewis for a long time – I thought he was the best guy at 113 last year and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won it this time around, despite the brutal competition. I think he has more tools to score points than Van Dee, who has to be cautious to beat top guys.

Finals: Vinny Kilkeary vs. Kamdyn Williams
Entertainment value – off the charts. This could be a bomb fest, with both guys very happy to take risks and constantly on the lookout for five point moves from neutral. It’s a body styles contrast too, with the short and muscular Kilkeary taking on the tall and lanky Williams. Kilkeary is on a roll since last March and I think he wins it, but don’t be surprised if Williams really pushes him or wins outright.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Vinny Kilkeary, Greater Latrobe
2. Kamdyn Williams, Manheim Township
3. Aiden Lewis, Cedar Cliff
4. Nic Allison, Mifflin County


120
#4 Lane Aikey, Bellefonte (Sr. – NW1)
#10 Chad Ozias, Connellsville (Jr. – SW3)
#6 Mason Leiphart, Dover (Jr. SC2)
#3 Mac Church, Waynesburg (So. – SW2)
-
#5 Karl Shindledecker, Chambersburg (Jr. – SC1)
Caleb Fasick, Altoona (So. - NW2)
#9 Joshua Hillard, Manheim Township (Jr. – SC3)
#2 Dylan Coy, North Allegheny (Jr. – SW1)

The Favorite: Mac Church (Waynesburg)
Even though he lost last week, I’m still considering Mac Church the favorite in this weight. The Waynesburg sophomore took third last season after a controversial overtime loss in state quarterfinals (he was called for a third caution in overtime to lose). He’s got fantastic short offense and really good misdirection stuff from his feet in space. And I bet he’s chomping at the bit for a rematch with Dylan Coy.

The Contender: Dylan Coy, North Allegheny
Well, Coy got the best of Church last week with a 4-3 win in the District 7 finals. Coy is also a state mealist but doesn’t have the reputation or pediegree of Church. Can he prove that last weekend was not a fluke?

Best First Round Match: Mason Leiphart vs. Mac Church
Church gets penalized harshly for his finals loss last week, getting dropped into a much tougher half of the bracket. He’ll start with Mason Leipart, a now three-time District 3 runner up who has lost in the blood round at states in back-to-back years.

Semifinals: Lane Aikey vs. Mac Church and Karl Shindledecker vs. Dylan Coy
Aikey took seventh at states last year, including a win over Coy on the back side. Bellefonte hasn’t wrestled much this year, but he’s a favorite against Ozias in round one. Church is another story – Aikey is going to have to bring his best to get to finals, but I think Church is too polished. On the bottom half, Shindledecker was third in the state as a freshman, then didn’t make it back to Hershey last year. He’s back in form this year, and beat Leiphart for the District 3 title last weekend. Coy is a bit of an enigma to me. He’s always been a step behind the top tier guys – not getting blown out, but consistently losing to the Mac Church’s and Dylan Chappell’s of the world. But getting by Church last week kind of changes my mental calculus because now he has taken down one of the big dogs. But does that mean he’s putting together a big run? Not sure, and I think Shindledecker is more of a sure thing to get to finals.

Blood Round: Lane Aikey vs. Joshua Hilliard and Dylan Coy vs. Mason Leiphart
Aikey should drop to be a solid favorite on the challenger from the top half. On the other side, Coy and Leiphart poses to be a war – Leipart owns a career win over Aiden Lewis and certainly can scrap and Coy obviously is the WPIAL champ. This deciding a state berth is ruthless.

Finals: Mac Church vs. Karl Shindledecker
In case it is not apparent, I think very highly of Mac Church as a wrestler. I think he rights the ship after the upset last week. Sindledecker is still kind of an unknown on the state level despite the bronze medal, and I think Church is too consistent.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Mac Church, Waynesburg
2. Karl Shindledecker, Chambersburg
3. Mason Leiphart, Dover
4. Lane Aikey, Bellefonte


126
#1 Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional (Sr. – SW1; Arizona State)
#7 Stephen Spitko, Daniel Boone (Sr. – SC3)
#14 Owen Woolcott, State College (Sr. – NW2)
#5 Aliazer Alicea, Manheim Township (Jr. – SC2)
-
#10 Luke Simcox, Central Mountain (Fr. – NW1)
#2 Ethan Berginc, Hempfield Area (Sr. – SW2; Army)
#11 Nicholas Gorman, North Allegheny (So. – SW3)
#4 Matt Repos, Central Dauphin (So. – SC1)

The Favorite: Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional
Dibert won a state title as a sophomore, flipping a WPIAL finals loss against Dylan Chappell and turning him in the state finals to blow open a close match. He got upset last year in state quarters by Dante Frinzi, but battled back for third place. Dibert is as good at the cross wrist tilt series as anybody in the state, and racks up tons of back points. He handled returning state champ Ethan Berginc (who won 113 last year after Dibert was knocked out on the other side) and established himself as the guy to beat here.

The Challenger: Matt Repos, Central Dauphin
Repos won a very controversial quarterfinal last year with Mac Church to make state semis at 106. On the back side, he beat Tyler Kasak to get to the 3rd/4th match – that is a huge pair of wins on his resume. He’s a Central Dauphin kid, so cross wrist tilt and great mat wrestling are part of the package, and he’s really bulked up to be a more physical lightweight this season. The District 7 guys get the attention in this weight because they’re both state champs, but Repos is right there with both of them (and Tyler Kasak form the east).

Best First Round Match: Luke Simcox vs. Ethan Berginc
Berginc is a returning state champion after having the weekend of his life in Hershey last week. He’s a grinder, nothing particularly flashy in his offense, but is solid defensively and can counter wrestle with the best of them. He’ll have to ward off a very talented freshman in Luke Simcox, who has the skills of a future state champ, but is a little green here.

Semifinals: Carter Dibert vs. Aliazer Alicea and Ethan Berginc vs. Matt Repos
Dibert and Alicea should get to semis relatively easily, with Dibert a solid favorite to make the finals. He’s too good all the way around. The bottom half is an awesome match, with Berginc and Repos – this is a state semifinal a weekend early. Coin toss match, but I think Repos is on the way up and Berginc as a state champion has a big target on his back.

Blood Round: Aliazer Alicea vs. Luke Simcox and Ethan Berginc vs. Stephen Spitko
I mentioned that Simcox is probably out of his depth with Berginc. I do think he gets to states. He’d need an upset over Alicea, but on pure skillset, Simcox has that kind of talent. In the other blood round match, Berginc is a solid favorite to move on.

Finals: Carter Dibert vs. Matt Repos
This match is good enough to be a state final (and very well might be next weekend). Both kids are fantastic on top – high percentage that SOMEBODY gets a turn in this one. Senior versus sophomore probably makes the difference in my mind, and Dibert will be the “top seed” in Hershey next week.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional
2. Matt Repos, Central Dauphin
3. Ethan Berginc, Hempfield Area
4. Luke Simcox, Central Mountain


132
#1 Dylan Chappell, Seneca Valley (Sr. – SW1; Bucknell)
#17 Garrett Gehr, Garden Spot (Jr. – SC3)
#13 Kyle Miller, Cumberland Valley (Sr. – SC2)
#5 Braden Bower, Williamsport (Jr. – NW2; Bucknell)
-
#11 Griffin Gonzalez, Lebanon (So. – SC1)
#7 Briar Priest, Hempfield Area (Jr. – SW2)
#8 Colton Stoneking, Waynesburg (Jr. – SW3)
#3 Jude Swisher, Bellefonte (Jr. – NW1)

The Favorite: Dylan Chappell
Chappell is a two-time state finalist with both bouts going to the wire – at 106 as a sophomore and 120 last season. He’s grown into 132 and is a solid favorite both this weekend and in Hershey. He’s well rounded, not flashy, but is a pretty good match up with everybody else in the weight class.

The Challenger: Jude Swisher
Swisher was a state medalist as a sophomore and has really jumped levels to a national caliber guy. He had the toughest path to get here – he lost in the District 6 finals to freshman phenom Pierson Manville, then knocked Manville off in the Northwest Regional final last week (and Manville lost a true second match to Braden Bower to end his season). Swisher is super polished and technical, and is making a star turn.

Best First Round Match: Colton Stoneking vs. Jude Swisher
Swisher will have to prove it early though, with Colton Stoneking as his first match out of the gate. Stoneking is part of a fantastic room in Waynesburg and has the best practice partners in the field, which goes a long way in a weird, COVID shortened season. I think Swisher should beat him, but he’s going to have to work to do it.

Semifinals: Dylan Chappell vs. Braden Bower and Griffin Gonzalez vs. Jude Swisher
Awesome semifinal on the top with Chappell and Bower. Bower is the lighter of the twins from Williamsport, who have been knocking on the door of making a big state impact for their whole careers. This year they seem to have made the leap, and Bower’s win over Manville is possibly the best anybody has in the postseason so far. But, I don’t think he gets by Chappell. On the bottom, Swisher is a solid favorite against whoever comes out of the other pod in his semi.

Blood Round: Braden Bower vs. Brian Priest and Griffin Gonzalez vs. Kyle Miller
Bower and Priest is a really tough blood round match – both are certainly worthy state medalists, but I think Bower finally gets his. On the other side, District 3 is a little behind in thisw weight, but Gonzalez should get by to Hershey.

Finals; Jude Swisher vs. Dylan Chapell
Here’s a mild upset pick. Both are nationally ranked in about the same ballpark, but Chappell has more credentials at the state level. I think Swisher has a few more ways to score in neutral, and a match will a little pace favors the State College junior. Mark this down as one of the most fun finals from a clash of styles perspective.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Jude Swisher, State College
2. Dylan Chappell, Franklin Regional
3. Braden Bower, Williamsport
4. Griffin Gonzalez, Lebanon


138
#2 Cole Homet, Waynesburg (Jr. – SW1)
#11 Dominic Frontino, Shippensburg (So. – SC3)
#7 Chandler Ho, DuBois (Sr. – NW2; Clarion)
#10 Caden Dobbins, Dallastown (Jr. – SC2)
-
#6 Matt Sarbo, Altoona (Sr. – NW1; Lock Haven)
#3 Finn Solomon, Franklin Regional (Jr. – SW2; NC State)
#5 Dylan Evans, Chartiers Valley (So. – SW3)
#4 Josh Miller, Central Dauphin (Sr. – SC1; Air Force)

The Favorite: Cole Homet, Waynesburg
Cole Homet backed up the good things I said about him by beating Finn Solomon in the District 7 finalst last week. Homet is a two-time medalist, but is the underrated elite guy in an excellent lineup. Homet is tall and wiry strong, likes to scramble, and has lots of experience on big stages.

The Challenger: The entire bottom half of the bracket
The bottom quad here has four of the top six wrestlers in the state – it’s nuts. Sarbo is a medalist and three time qualifier, Solomon is a state finalist, and Evans and Miller are both returning medalists. Whoever comes out of this meat grinder is absolutely capable of beating Homet, and any of the fourth would be a reasonable pick.

Best First Round Match: Josh Miller vs. Dylan Evans
Miller beat Evans 4-1 in state quarterfinals on his way to a fifth place finish, while Evans wrestled back for seventh. It should be tight again – both guys have had excellent seasons and got 20+ matches in, so they’re more seasoned than a lot of wrestlers. Either match in the bottom of this bracket could hold this distinction.

Semifinals: Cole Homet vs. Caden Dobbins and Matt Sarbo vs. Dylan Evans
Homet is a safe bet in his first match, while Ho and Dobbins will be a really good first round match. Dobbins is my pick in a coin flip. But in semis, Homet is a clear favorite over whoever wins. IN the bottom half, I’m taking Evans over Miller, again, coin flip, and Matt Sarbo over Finn Solomon. I’ve long been a big Matt Sarbo fan, and I think he gets underrated statewide. If he can get off of bottom against Solomon, I think he’s better from his feet and wins the match. Similarly, I like Sarbo to get past the Miller-Evans winner and make a finals trip.

Blood Round: Caden Dobbins vs. Finn Solomon and Dylan Evans vs. Chandler Ho
The Solomon-Miller (or Evans) winner should be in a really good position to wrestle back for a states spot. I have Evand dropping to Chandler Ho, which would be a tough but very winnable match.

Finals: Cole Homet vs. Matt Sarbo
This was a wild first round of states match last year, where the entire third period was a scramble, ultimately won by Homet to take a 6-5 match. I would expect this to be high scoring and fun again, but I think Homet is just a little bit better of a scrambler.
State Qualifier Predictions
1. Cole Homet, Waynesburg
2. Matt Sarbo, Altoona
3. Dylan Evans, Chartiers Valley
4. Finn Solomon, Franklin Regional


145
#1 Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg (Sr. – SW1; Iowa)
#13 Michael Trainor, Octorara (Jr. – SC3)
#11 Ryan Garvick, Central Dauphin (Fr. – SC2)
#15 Kyler Everly, Mifflin County (Jr. – NW2)
-
#10 Reagan LeFevre, Hempfield (Jr. – SC1)
#2 John Altieri, Norwin (Sr. – SW2; Clarion)
#3 Ty Linsenbigler, Hempfield Area (Sr. – SW3; Lock Haven)
#7 Riley Bower, Williamsport (Jr. – NW1; Bucknell)

The Favorite: Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg
Henson is the returning state champ after winning a title in Missouri as a sophomore (he placed in PA as a freshman before moving for his dad’s coaching career then coming back). Henson is violent on his feet – just brutal in short offense and can score in bunches. He’s ranked #3 nationally and is clearly the best guy in the weight.

The Challenger: John Altieri, Norwin
Altieri owns a pair of wins over Ty Linsenbigler which has really separated him as the #2 guy in this weight. The Clarion commit was fourth in the state last year at 138 and was a PowerAde medalist.

Best First Round Match: Ty Linsenbigler vs. Riley Bower
Linsenbigler’s loss to Altieri in semis last week came with dire consequences. Linsenbigler dropped down from 152 to avoid the insanity of that weight class, but has not been the autofinalist I anticipated. He’ll meet Riley Bower, a state qualifier from 2020 who is 54-6 over the last two seasons.

Semifinals: Wyatt Henson vs. Ryan Garvick and JohN Altieri vs. Ty Linsenbigler
Henson should roll in his first match and meet freshman Ryan Garvick. Garvick has all the makings of a future state champion and seems like the next big star out of Central Dauphin. He’s out of his depth a little here with Henson, but this is going to be a really good match developmentally for the 9th grader. On the other half, Altieri and LInsenbigler will lock horns for the third straight week. Altieri seems to have the better of these future PSAC rivals (Clarion vs. Lock Haven) and I like him to move on again.

Blood Round: Ryan Garvick vs. Riley Bower and Ty Linsenbigler vs. Michael Trainor
Garvick and Bower is one of the best blood round matches that you’ll find this weekend. Bower has been knocking on the door of a state medal for the past two seasons, while Garvick is one of the most hyped freshmen this year. Very much worth the price of admission, I’ll go out on a limb and take the pup in Garvick. On the other half, Linsenbigler does himself favors by winning his opening round match as he drops into an easier blood round even with a third loss to Altieri.

Finals: Wyatt Henson vs. John Altieri
Henson beat Altieri 8-3 last week in the District 7 final, scoring all of the offensive points. There is no indication that this week will be any different, and he may even stretch that lead heading into the state tournament. Little bull all the way.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg
2. John Altieri,Norwin
3. Ty Linsenbigler, Hempfield Area
4. Ryan Garvick, Central Dauphin

152
#1 Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Seneca Valley (Sr. – SW1; Oklahoma)
#11 Kevin Olavarria, Manheim Township (Fr. – SC3)
#10 Gabriel Belga, Cumberland Valley (So. – SC2)
#19 Roman Morrone, Wiliamsport (Jr. – NW2)
-
#8 Bryce Buckman, Central Dauphin (Sr. – Sc1)
#2 Rocco Welsh, Waynesburg (So. – SC2)
#4 Jared Keslar, Connellsville (Jr. – SC3)
#3 Paniro Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep (Sr. – NW1; Iowa State)

The Favorite: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Seneca Valley
Herrera-Rondon, or AHR for short, won state championships as a freshman and sophomore thanks to brilliant leg defense and punishing work from top. Last season, he lost a semifinal match in ultimate tiebreaker to Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg – now Virginia) to end his quest for four state titles. He’s still really good, and is favored to be a three-time state champ. He’s grown and filled out a ton since he was a 106 pound state champ, and has rolled through his schedule this year. Still, he’s one of four nationally ranked wrestlers at the weight, so he’ll have to win a great field.

The Challenger: Paniro Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep, Jared Keslar, Connellsville, Rocco Welsh, Waynesburg
The three wrestlers on the bottom half are all state champion caliber and will make for an absolute blood bath. Johnson is a three-time state medalist, going 8-5-3, and might be the strongest wrestler in the gym. Welsh was a state finalist as a freshman last year, nearly pulling an upset at 126, and is considered one of the best sophomores in the country, regardless of weight class. Keslar is wide open, probably the most fun guy in the class, and took 4th at 145 as a sophomore (losing to Johnson in the 3rd/4th match).

Best First Round Match: Jared Keslar vs. Paniro Johnson
This would be a state final in a lot of places. Instead, we’re getting it in the ostensible state round of 16. Johnson scored a pair of takedowns on Keslar last year in their match at states, and from a power and speed standpoint, he’s got an advantage. But Keslar can really funk, and if Johnson doesn’t get him with the freight train double in his arsenal, Keslar can create wild scoring opportunities for himself. This should be really fun.

Semifinals: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon vs. Gabriel Belga and Rocco Welsh vs. Paniro Johnson
AHR is a solid favorite on top, the advantage of winning District 7 last week was massive, and he’s got a nice path to the finals this weekend. Welsh has to get through state qualifier Bryce Buckman before he can see the Johnson-Keslar winner, which I think will be Johnson. This match is another barnburner. Welsh is super physical, in your face, and wrestles just plain mean. Johnson is a tough guy to intimdate though, and is one of the few guys in the country that Welsh can’t out-horse. Johnson seems to be slept on by the state media, and I think he reminds people how good he is this weekend.

Blood Round: Gabriel Belga vs. Jared Keslar and Rocco Welsh vs. Kevin Olavarria
A relative breather for our top four here. I have Keslar getting by Buckman then beating Belga rather handily, while Welsh also should punch his ticket with a win over Olavarria.

Finals: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon vs. Paniro Johnson
I’m going off the board and taking Johnson. Granted, I’m known as an AHR hater, but I think that he’s really, really good, but is vulnerable against top guys because he doesn’t quite have that go-to attack from his feet. Johnson is capable of finishing on AHR because his best offense is that explosive double that doesn’t require him to scramble to finish. If he can get off bottom, I think he’s got the best chance at scoring points from his feet.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Paniro Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep
2. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Seneca Valley
3. Rocco Welsh, Waynesburg
4. Jared Keslar, Connellsville


160
#2 Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland (Sr. – SW1; Penn)
#20 Jacob Cherry, Gettysburg (Jr. – Sc3)
#15 Ryan fry, Red Lion (Sr – Sc2)
#5 Coy Bastian, Selinsgrove (Sr. – NW2; Bucknell)
-
#13 Sean Smith, Carlisle (Sr. – SC1)
#7 Chase Kranitz, Norwin (Jr. – SW2)
#8 Collin McCorkle, North Allegheny (Sr. – SW3)
#4 Ethan Richner, Bellefonte (Sr. – NW1)

The Favorite: Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland
The 5A football player of the year is also an elite wrestler and is the class of the weight class here. He’s obviously a great athlete, but is a more polished wrestler than he gets credit for – he’s a two-time medalist and is going to wrestle at Penn.

The Challenger: Ethan Richner, Bellefonte
Richner was a state medalist as a sophomore and has qualified the last two years. He won his third regional title in overwhelming fashion last week and is going to give Spencer a solid run if he makes the final.

Best First Round Match: Collin McCorkle vs. Ethan Richner
He’ll have to get by Collin McCorkle, who surprised his way to a third place finish last week and is wrestling like his hair is on fire, beating nationally ranked Enzo Morlacci (Kiski Area) last week to punch a ticket into this weekend and end Morlacci’s season.

Semifinals: Cole Spencer vs. Coy Bastian and Chase Kranitz vs. Ethan Richner
Spencer and Bastian are solid favorites in their first round match. Bastian has been owned by Richner the last two years, but is on track to be a four-time state qualifier, but is seeking his first medal. He’s a classic District 4 kid – a grinder on his feet, a legger on top, but I think he’s a little limited athletically compared to Spencer (who isn’t) and Spencer gets to finals. Kranitz was a state qualifier last year and should scoot into semis. He made news last week when he beat Enzo Morlacci in semis. He’ll be in a really good match up with Richner, but I like the Bellefonte senior.

Blood Round: Coy Bastian vs. Collin McCorkle and Chase Kranitz vs. Ryan Fry
Bastian will need to get by a very god McCorkle to get to his fourth state tournament. Kranitz should be the favorite to advance in the other blood round match.

Finals: Cole Spencer vs. Ethan Richner
Spencer and Richner is a sneaky good final between guys who feel like they’re just under the radar statewide. Spencer will have to deal with Richner’s physicality, but has a few more leg attacks to get it done. This win also would place Spencer on the other half of the bracket from Jagger Condomitti, which helps set up that as a state final.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland
2. Ethan Richner, Bellefonte
3. Coy Bastian, Selinsgrove
4. Chase Kranitz, Norwin


172
#1 Trey Kibe, Mifflin County (Sr. – NW1; Virginia Tech)
#9 Brian Finnerty, Thomas Jefferson (Jr. – SW3)
#7 Tucker Hogan, Daniel Boone (Fr. – SC2)
#4 Sammy Starr, Kiski Area (Sr. – SW2)
-
#6 Tate Nichter, Chambersburg (Sr. – SC1; Drexel)
#5 Lance Urbas, State College (Sr. – NW2; Penn)
#8 Tommy Dressler, Spring Grove (Sr. – SC3; Lock Haven)
#2 Luca Augustine, Waynesburg (Sr. – SW1; Pittsburgh)

The Favorite: Trey Kibe, Mifflin County
Kibe was a state champion as a sophomore, beating Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin – now Virginia Tech) in an awesome state final. He was part of the “bracket of death” at 170 last year, and fell in semifinals to Mac Stout (Mount Lebanon) in an ultimate tiebreaker to deny him a second state title. Kibe ended up taking fourth after a loss to Dylan Reinert (Gettysburg – now NC State). Kibe has some of the best leg defense in the country – he’s incredible at sitting the corner and scoring off of head outside attempts – and is excellent on the mat. He was originally a Penn State commit, but decommitted in the summer and will wrestle at Virginia Tech.

The Challenger: Luca Augustine, Waynesburg
Augustine burst onto the scene last year with an Ironman medal in December that put him into the national rankings and finished the season with a fourth place finish in Hershey. Augustine is a grinder, great handfighter, and dictates pace on his feet well. He’ll wrestle at Pitt next year and is the last of the Waynesburg state champ contenders.

Best First Round Match: Tommy Dressler vs. Luca Augustine
Augustine opens with Tommy Dressler, a two-time state qualifier who got chewed up in the bracket of death last year at 170 (losing to Angel Garcia – now at Rider, and Nick Delp – now at Bucknell) and was a match away of placing as a sophomore. He’s really good, but but probably not quite on Augustine’s level. Nichter and Urbas is another really good one.

Semifinals: Trey Kibe vs. Sammy Starr and Tate Nichter vs. Luca Augustine
Kibe should beat Brian Finnerty in the first round, while Starr has a tough match with junior high state champ Tucker Hogan, who is another one for your “probably going to win a state title at some point” list. Starr has found himself in national rankings after busting out this summer on the club circuit. Kibe should beat him, but will have his hands full. On the other side, Nichter was a state medalist as a sophomore, but missed states last year after getting knocked out in regionals. His older brother Luke was a two-time finalist and state champ who qualified for NCAAs at Drexel this season. He has to sneak by Lance Urbas, another Division I commit, who beat him 11-10 earlier in the season. I think Nichter flips it. But his reward is Augustine, who is kind of a style nightmare for Nichter.

Blood Round: Sammy Starr vs. Tommy Dressler and Tate Nichter vs. Tucker Hogan
Both of these matches are must-see TV. Both could go either way and two really good wrestlers are going to get left home. I like Dressler and Nichter, but can’t say I’m confident in either pick.

Finals: Trey Kibe vs. Luca Augustine
This is a possible state final. Kibe and Augustine are a contrast in styles, with Augustine being a little more in your face and Kibe sitting back and being an amazing counter wrestler. I think that Kibe’s best skills match up really well with what Augustine does well, and he gets by him in this round.

State Qualifier Predictions
1. Trey Kibe, Mifflin County
2. Luca Augustine, Waynesburg
3. Tommy Dressler, Spring Grove
4. Tate Nichter, Chambersburg

The toughest region in the state - once again the WPIAL is loaded. Normally, top four here would be qualifying for Hershey, but this year it is the top 3 advancing to a Super Regional bloodbath with the top 3 from District 3 (South Central Region) and the top 2 from District 4/6/8/9/10 (Northwest Region). This will be the week that tons of state qualify kids get left home with the restricted postseason.

106
The favorite here is #2 Tyler Chappell (Seneca Valley), who won 25 matches and a sectional title as a freshman, but missed states after a brutal 106 class in the WPIAL. He’s back, finds himself in the back of the national rankings, and is on the shortlist of state title contenders in the lightest class. He finds himself in a tough quartile, and likely will see freshman #13 Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan) in semis with a Super Regional berth on the line. Binni took third at jJunior High states as a 7th grader and is going to be heard from, but might be e year away from beating Chappell. The bottom half features #10 Antonio Walker (Plum), #12 Kyle Szewczyk (Waynesburg), and #23 Gio Schipani (North Hills), all freshmen to watch.

Predictions
1. Tyler Chappell, Seneca Valley (So.)
2. Ky Szewczyk, Waynesburg Central (Fr.)
3. Andrew Binni, Canon-McMillan (Fr.)

113
Returning state champion #1 Vinny Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe) is the favorite here by a mile. Kilkeary, ranked #3 nationally, is all excitement all the time – he loves to go upper body, scores a ton of points, and is amongst the strongest pound for pound wrestlers in the state. He should cruise through on the top half. On the tobbtom, #5 Troy Hohman (Penn-Trafford) and #10 Joe Simon (Waynesburg). Hohman was a state qualifier as a freshman, stealing that last spot at 106 out of the WPIAL. Simon has really strengthened the bottom of the Waynesburg lineup, and cements them as favorites to win the team state title. Best bet to to challenge for the third spot is #14 Anthony Ferraro (Pine-Richland), the fourth sectional champ.
1. Vinny Kilkeary, Greater Latrobe (So.)
2. Troy Hohman, Penn-Trafford (Jr.)
3. Joe Simon, Waynesburg (Fr.)

120
#1 Mac Church (Waynesburg) is the clear favorite here both in the region and state. Church took 3rd at 106 as a freshman, losing a controversial quarterfinal match up that denied him a chance to become Waynesburg’s first freshman champion since Jim Conklin won his first of four titles in 1940. His toughest competitors are both in the bottom half of the bracket in #7 Dylan Coy (North Allegheny) and #11 Jacob Houpt (Canon-McMillan). Coy was a state qualifier in 2020 and lost in the blood round, while Houpt missed Hershey by one match. Both should move on, with Coy a slight favorite in that semi. #21 Chad Ozias (Connellsville) and #18 Ethan Lebin (Hempfield Area) have a dogfight in the first round, with the winner in the best spot to get a crack at Houpt for a state bid after losing to Church in semis.

Predictions
1. Mac Church, Waynesburg (So.)
2. Dylan Coy, North Allegheny (Jr.)
3. Jacob Houpt, Canon-McMillan (Jr.)


126
This is where things get crazy. Three different state champs, three of the top five in the state, five of the top 11, and only three Super Regional spots to go around. Your top ranked wrestler is #1 Carter Dibert (Franklin Regional) an Arizona State commit and state champ in 2019 at 106. Dibert took third last year at 113, getting upset by Dante Frinzi (Bethlehem Catholic) in quarters before wrestling back for a bronze medal. Dibert uses the tightwaist tilt series as well as anybody in the state and racks up huge points on top. The state champ at 113 last year was #2 Ethan Berginc (Hempfield Area). Berginc was third at the WPIAL tournament, but caught fire in Hershey, knocking off three regional champions, sealed with a late takedown of Aiden Lewis (Cedar Cliff) to win it all. He’s a grinder, but certainly has a postseason track record. Berginc opens with Vincent Citrano (Plum) who he knocked out in the regional blood round last year. The toughest first round match is #5 Mason Prinkey (Conellsville) and #11 Blake Reihner (Trinity) – Prinkey was a state medalist at 106 in 2019, while Reihner is a highly regarded freshman who has won 25 matches already in his career. On the top half, Dibert will likely see #10 Zander Phaturos (Waynesburg) in semis. Phaturos won a state title in Arizona last year before moving to southwestern PA. Two of those wrestlers will go home - with Prinkey-Phaturos likely being the match for all the marbles.

Predictions
1. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional (Sr. – Arizona State)
2. Ethan Berginc, Hempfield Area (Sr. – Army)
3. Mason Prinkey, Connellsville (Sr.)

132
A fourth straight state #1 but a heavy favorite here in Dylan Chappell (Seneca Valley). Chappell is a two-time state finalist, losing to Carter Dibert at 106 in 2019 and Will Betancourt (Manheim Township – now at Lock Haven) on a late takedown last year at 126. Chappell is loaded for bear this season and is the favorite in a pretty open weight class. #6 Colton Stoneking (Waynesburg) should come out of the bottom of the bracket and he has really jumped a level since being a dependable but unspectacular starter as a sophomore. He’s got a fun semi with #7 Briar Priest (Hempfield Area), though both should safely advance to Super Regionals. #10 Nate Roth (Greater Latrobe) is the fourth top ten wrestler in the weight, he’ll get a crack at Chappell in semis. #15 Costa Moore (Canon-McMillan) is a former state qualifier, but opens with Chappell, then gets the Stoneking-Priest loser in a consolation match – he’ll need an upset to extend his season.

Predictions
1. Dylan Chappell, Seneca Valley (Sr.)
2. Colton Stoneking, Waynesburg (Jr.)
3. Briar Priest, Hempfield Area (Jr.)


138
Another ho-hum bracket with three of the top five wrestlers in the state. #2 Finn Solomon (Franklin Regional) was a state finalist as a freshman, but got pinned in wrestlebacks at regionals, ending his season before Hershey. He’s another hammer on top from Franklin Regional and is a match up problem in this weight class. #4 Cole Homet (Waynesburg) is a two-time state medalist whose onl postseason losses last year came to state champs Kenny Hermann (Bethlehem Catholic – now Harvard) and Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley – see 152). Homet is the better wrestler from neutral should those two hit in finals. Also in the state top five is #5 Dylan Evans (Chartiers Valley), who Homet beat last weekend for a sectional crown. drops Evans into a semi with Solomon which gives some fireworks on that half of the bracket. Evans took 8th last year at 126 and like Homet is on track to be a four-time state medalist. The best bet to crash the part is #14 Lucas Kapusta (Hempfield Area), a sophomore who won the Section II championship last weekend.

Predictions
1. Cole Homet, Waynesburg (Jr.)
2. Finn Solomon, Franklin Regional (Jr.)
3. Dylan Evans, Chartiers Valley (So.)


145
Any time Iowa comes in and gets a kid from Pennsylvania, you know he’s a big deal. Returning state champion #1 Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg) is ranked #4 nationally and is one of the best college prospects in PA. The genes are great – his father is Sammy “The Bull” Henson, a Olympic silver medalist and two-time NCAA champion. Wyatt wrestlers like his dad – super physical, great in tie ups and in short offense. He beat two-time state champ Sammy Hillegas (North Hills – now at Virginia Tech) to win his title last year, and doesn’t have anybody of that caliber to push him on his way to a second. The top three guys at this weight stateweide are all in the WPIAL. #2 John Alteri (Norwin) was fourth in Hershey last year at 138, and pulled a mild upset last week with a sectional finals win over #3 Ty Linsenbigler (Hempfield Area). Linsenbigler dropped down from 152 to avoid the deepest weight in Pennsylvania, and is a two-time state medalist, fifth last year at 145 and fourth as a sophomore at 138. Those two will hit in semis on the bottom half, though Alteieri has a first round match up with Junior High state champion #25 Bodie Morgan (Trinity) and while I don’t think the freshman will win, he’ll push Altieri. Henson should see #9 Kelin Laffey (Pine-Richland) in his semi, who in a normal year would feel pretty good about going to Hershey, but he's got a tall order beating one of the top three guys in the state to get there.

Predictions
1. Wyatt Henson, Wyanesburg (Sr. – Iowa)
2. Ty Linsenbigler, Hempfield Area (Sr. – Lock Haven)
3. John Altieri, Norwin (Sr. – Bucknell)

152
This is the best weight in Pennsylvania, with four nationally ranked wrestlers at the top, six Division I commits, six returning state medalists, and ten returning state qualifiers. Three of those nationally ranked kids are in the WPIAL, including #1 Alejandro Herrara-Rondon (Seneca Valley). AHR was a state champion as a freshman and sophomore, but took fourth last year, dropping his semifinal in ultimate tiebreakerHe owns wins over #2 Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg) this season, but the precocious sophomore certainly could knock him off in the next three weeks. Welsh was the state r runner up at 126 last year and is as physical as they come. #4 Jared Keslar (Connellsivlle) was another state semifinalist last year, who knocked out two regional champions on his way to a fourth lace finish at 145. Keslar is the most wide open wrestler in the weight class, who can really score from his feet and make people uncomfortable in scrambles. Keslar and Welsh in semis may be the best match of the weekend. AHR is ranked #3 nationally, Welsh #5 and Keslar #6. I’m going to go a little off the board here with Keslar winning, but this will be nuts all the way through, particularly when #3 Paniro Johnson (Erie Cathedral Prep) gets added to this mix next weekend at Super Regionals.

Predictions
1. Jared Keslar, Connellsville (Jr.)
2. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Senca Valley (Sr. – Oklahoma)
3. Rocco Welsh, Waynesburg (So.)

160
Football fans are quite familiar with the favorite here, #2 Cole Spencer (Pine-Richland). The 5A football player of the year and two-time state medalist is a solid favorite both to win the WPIAL and to make a state finals run. His biggest challenge this weekend comes from #6 Enzo Morlacci (Kiski Area) who finds himself in the back half of some national rankings and has come into his own as a junior. That should be the regional final. #8 Chase Kranitz (NOrwin) should give MOrlacci a push in semis and the returning state qualifier certainly has a shot to be Spencer’s finals opponent. #12 Nate Stephenson (Waynesburg) is in the top half with Spencer, and would be the fourth guy and has the best shot ot challenge Kranitz for the last spot.

Predictions
1. Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland (Sr. – Penn)
2. Enzo Morlacci, Kiski Area (Jr.)
3. Chase Kranitz, Norwin (Jr.)


172
Anther solid favorite here in #2 Luca Augustine (Waynesburg). Augustine tok 6th last year at 160 after spending a lot of the year in the national rankings after a red hot Ironman to start the season. Augustine is a bruiser who really embodies the physical style at Waynesburg. #5 Sammy Starr (Kiski Area) is the favorite in the bottom half of the bracket and finds himself ranked nationally in a couple publications. He’ll have to contend with #9 Brian Finnerty (Thomas Jefferson), who is looking for his first trip to states. With Augustine is rising star #10 Matthew Furman (canon-McMillan). Sophomores making a dent at 172 are usually future state champs, and Furman definitely has that label attached. I like him to knock out Finnerty for the final Super Regional spot. #21 Keith Brubach (Mars) is the other ranked wrestler at the weight, but with four of the top ten, not a lot of room here to qualify for Supers.

Predictions
1. Luca Augustine, Waynesburg (Sr. – Pittsburgh)
2. Sammy Starr, Kiski Area (Sr.)
3. Matthew Furman, Canon-McMillan (So.)

189
This weight class has taken a major hit in the WPIAL. Mac Stout (Mount Lebanon) is a returning state finalist and a clear cut #1 in the state, but suffered a serious knee injury at PowerAde last month, ending the junior’s season. Donovan McMillan (Peters Township) is another state finalist who could be at this weight class, but the four star safety is an early enrollee for football at Florida and obviously will not wrestle. With those two gone, it’s wide open. #8 Brayden Roscosky (Kiski Area) was 6th in Hershey at 195 last year and spent most of the year in the top five, but was upset by #7 Justin Hart (Hampton) in last week’s sectional final. Hart is looking to be a four time state qualifier but has yet to medal in Hershey. Both are mobile for big guys and are good picks to see each other in another final this week. #13 Cooper Baxter (Butler) is looking to play spoiler on the bottom half with Roscosky, while #19 Logan Hoffman (Belle Vernon) and #18 Liam Volk-Kloss (Seneca Valley) will get their crack at Hart up top, depending on who surives their first round match up. The loser will likely see Baxter in the consy semi, while the winner will have to beat Baxter for third to get the Super spot.

Predictions
1. Brayden Roscosky, Kiski Area (Sr.)
2. Justin Hart, Hampton (Sr.)
3. Cooper Baxter, Butler (Jr.)

215
This weight class got a shot in the arm with the addition of #7 Logan Harmon (Armstrong), who moved up from 189 to avoid the logjam there. While this weight class is less deep, it does feature #2 Cole Weightman (Belle Vernon). Weightman medaled here as a sophomore, and is one of the best upper weight athletes in Pennsylvania. He’s certainly in the mix for a state title and is both a Division I recruit as a wrestler and as a football player, where he was an All State linebacker in 4A this season. . Harmon was a state qualifier last season and should come out of the bottom bracket to see Weightman in the final. #18 Ty Banco (Trinity) is Weightman’s challenger up top, the former Junior High state champ is maybe the future of heavyweight in PA, but isn’t quite there to beat Weightman. #15 Brady Leczo (North Allegheny) is the other big favorite to make Super Regionals and should see Harmon in the semifinals. It should be a fun bout between him and Banco for the Super Regional spot - the stronger, more experienced older guy versus a green but talented sophomore.

Predictions
1. Cole Weightman, Belle Vernon (Jr.)
2. Logan Harmon, Armstrong (Sr.)
3. Ty Banco, Trinity (So.)


285
The biggest upset of last weekend was at heavyweight, where #2 Billy McChesney (Greensburg-Salem) beat #2 Isaiah Vance (Hempfield Area) to take the Section II title. Vance was a state finalist in 2020 and is ranked #8 nationally at heavyweight after winning PowerAde and beating National Prep champion Coltin Deery (Malvern Prep). He had beaten McChesney ten straight times, including in the 2020 WPIAL finals. McChesney did not come out of nowhere though – he was 7th at heavyweight as a sophomore, no small feat for an underclassman. He’s got a handful of FCS offers as an defensive tackle, though could see his wrestling stock skyrocket depending on how he navigates a really good heavyweight class. #6 Dawson Dietz (Hampton) is another returning state qualifier who will see Vance in the bottom half semis. #13Ryan Howard (Waynesburg) is the major possibility to advance, he’s bulked up after a solid season at 220 and would put an exclamation mark on a big weekend from Waynesburg if he could upst Dietz for the third spot. #21 Tyson Brophy (Trinity), and Stone Joseph (Kiski Area) are other contenders for that final spot. Joseph has battled injuries but is amongst the most talented guys in the weight

Predictions
1. Isaiah Vance, Hempfield Area (Sr. – Army)
2. Billy McChesney, Greensburg-Salem (Jr.)
3. Dawson Dietz, Hampton (Sr.)

Gym still closed? Can´t train? Losing reps? Why not bring the reps to you?
No matter if you need to get in squat reps, sprints or jumpshots we have you covered.

700lb to 2000lb max load Olympic Barbells
$59 - $249
9 color combinations available

CMR WOD Infinity Set

12KG Cut-out Weight Vest

20kg Adjustable Full Cut Weight Vest

Tank Sled

10KG Slam Ball

2 OKPRO Power Bands (you choose weight)

Wooden or Soft Landing 3 in 1 Plyo Box
$249


CMR Infinity Speed Set

1 speed chute

1 agility ladder

4 adjustable hurdles

12 disc cones

1 drawstring carrying bag

4 steel stakes

20kg Adjustable Weight Vest

Tank Sled

10KG Slam Ball

2 OKPRO Bands (you choose weight) Or Portable Power Trainer
$399

Ball Til U Fall

BASKETBALL TRYOUTS

2021 SEASON

WHEN: March 6, 2021

TIME: 12:00pm – 3:00pm

WHERE:William Hicks Anderson Community Center
501 North Madison St.
Wilmington, DE 19801

WHO:Girls grades 5th – 12th

CONTACT: Cherelle Dennis (302-562-2434), Coach Lamarr (302) 287-4096
Coach Markie D (302) 607-3179

EMAIL: deballtilufall@gmail.com

Covid-19 Guidelines

In accordance with the CDC guidelines we will follow all protocol of the CDC by adhering to all guidelines currently in place. All student athletes and coaches will have their temperature checked upon entering into the practice facility. All student athletes and coaches should wear face coverings for all practices and competitions unless specified otherwise. For further information please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov

I know some people enjoy wrestling content and I needed to flex my writing muscles, so here is what to look for this weekend at Regionals. This is a weird year (obviously) and the Pennsylvania postseason has completely changed. The five regions have been cut from 16 man brackets to 8 man brackets, meaning a much thinner crop advanced from last week's District and Sectional tournaments. In the Northeast, the biggest impact here was District 11 going from 5 regional qualifiers to 3. District 12 also received 3 bids to Regionals, with the final two going to District 2. There also is an intermediary step between Regionals and States, in an effort to keep an 8 man bracket in Hershey. Super Regionals in the East will combine the top four in the Northeast Regional and Southeast (just District 1) Regional, while the West Super Regional will combine the Southwest (just District 7), Southcentral (just District 3) and the Northwest (Districts 4, 6, 9, and 10). So, the top four here will move on - and with very little impact coming from District 12 (without Father Judge and the Logue brothers, I'm not entirely sure they're going to win a match against anybody but each other from 106-195). District 2 has a few starts, but certainly can't match the depth.

The upside for the locals is all three District 11 qualifiers for this weekend have an excellent shot at finishing in the top four and moving onto next weekend's Super Regionals. And even with just adding D1 in the mix, there could be a record number of District 11 kids punching through and earning state medals (since everybody in Hershey is in the top 8). The flip side is, District 7, 3, 6, and 10 will be a bloodbath in the other half of the state to get the four western spots. I will preview both sets of Super Regionals next week (though I can give overviews of the other four regions this weekend if there is some appetite for it).

106
It seems like a relative reprieve for the D11 crowd at 106 after six of the top 20 wrestlers in the state battled it out for three available spots last weekend at Districts. Surviving the gauntlet were #1 Carson Wagner (Northampton), #4 Josh Jasionowicz (Stroudsburg), and #8 Charlie Pavis (Bethlehem Catholic), whose consolation finals upset of then #7 CJ Horvath (Freedom) kept the Patriot star home this weekend as the highest ranked wrestler in the state eliminated from competition. Wagner handled Pavis 9-4 in the semifinal, then thumped Jasionowicz in a battle of state qualifiers, leading 10-3 before pinning the Stroudsburg senior. Wagner is the highest returning medalist at 106 after taking 6th in Hershey last year despite barely weighing in at 100 pounds. This year he’s grown into the weight and has established himself as the favorite. Jasionowicz made a surprise trip to Hershey in 2020, but like Wagner, has grown into the class and is right in the medal hunt, although the D11 final results shows a clear gap between the two. Pavis is a junior who sat the past two seasons behind Dante Frinzi and Tyler Kasak, both D11 and NE Regional finalists and state qualifiers at 106. Pavis is big and has a maturity advantage on the underclassman heavy weight class. Distirct 2 champ #18 Luke Sirianni (Abington Heights) was a match away from Hershey, but was beaten pretty soundly by younger and lighter versions of Wagner and Jasionowicz last year at regionals (Wagner winning 6-2 and Jasionowicz pinning him in the first period). Still, he should cruise as he’s the best of the bunch in D2 and there are no threats from District 12 until about 195.

Prediction
1. Carson Wagner, Northampton (So.)
2. Josh Jasionowicz, Stroudsburg (Sr.)
3. Charlie Pavis, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr.)
4. Luke Sirianni, Abington Heights (So.)

113
Maybe the most loaded weight in the tournament. The top three here all missed Hershey for a variety of bizarre reasons last year and are loaded for bear this season. District 11 champ #6 Charlie Bunting (Nazareth) was the top seed at last season’s D11 tournament and a top five wrestler at 106, but broke his hand in his first round match and ended up defaulting out of the tournament and ending his season. #9 Cael McIntyre (Bethlehem Catholic) but was also ranked in the top 10 in the state last year at 106, then lost the postseason wrestle-off to Tyler Kasak, who went on to win D11 and NE Regional titles and finish 5th in the state while McIntyre sat home (because Kasak missed most of the season with an ankle injury, he was Bunting’s first round opponent as the 16 seed when the Bunting injury occurred). Bunting and McIntyre wrestled a 2-1 match last week in the D11 final, separated by just a penalty point. District 2 champion #8 Zack Jacaruso (Delaware Valley) is also seeking his first trip to Hershey. He was slotted as high as #3 in PA at 106 last year, but was pinned by Kasak in NE Regional semis, then dropped a wild late scramble to Carson Wagner in the blood round, ending his season and sending the Konkrete Kid to states. Jacaruso owns a pair of wins over Bunting from last season. That’s a pretty clear top three, but also lurking here is freshman #19 Austin Noe (Northampton), a hammer from top who earned bonus in every match but his semifinal loss to Bunting, and pinned state qualifier Conner Werner (Liberty) to punch a Regional ticket. Noe was trailing 4-1 against Werner when he took top and got a pair of turns and a fall. Noe draws Jacaruso in the first round this weekend. District 2 runner up John Corra (Hazleton) comes in ranked #15 in the state and is making his third trip to regionals. Seven of Corra’s nine wins this season have come by fall.

Prediction
1. Charlie Bunting, Nazareth (So.)
2. Zack Jacaruso, Delaware Valley (So.)
3. Cael McIntyre, Bethlehem Catholic (So.)
4. Austin Noe, Northampton (Fr.)

120
The big news at 120 was the descent of #2 Dante Frinzi (Bethlehem Catholic). The two time state qualifier and returning 5th place finish spent the regular season up at 132, but came down two weight classes to win the 120 pound spot for the Golden Hawks and send Ashton Campbell – ranked #5 in the state at the end of the regular season – to the bench and ended the Palisades transfer’s season. Frinzi is the clear challenger to Waynesburg’s Mac Church. Unfortunately for fans, Frinzi’s archrival Braxton Appello (Easton) is done for the season after knee surgery. Appello and Frinzi met in the D11 and NE Regional finals in both 2019 and 2020 – all four tight matches won by Appello - then Frinzi beat Appello in the 5th and 6th place match in Hershey last year. Frinzi is amongst the tallest 120 pounds you will see and is a leech on top. He had to survive an overtime bout with #10 Javien DeLeon (Liberty) last week for his first D11 title. DeLeon was a state qualifier in 2020 and looked every bit a contender at Districts last week. DeLeon got there by absolutely hammering #14 Jake Doone (Nazareth), who wrestled back to qualify for regionals. Doone was a 25 match winner as a freshman last season wrestling 113, but was squeezed out of the Nazareth lineup when their starters descended in weight for the postseason. DeLeon separating from Doone and nearly beating Frinzi makes me think that #10 state ranking is light, as this weight is wide open past Church. District 2 champ #17 Austin Fashouer (West Scranton) is unbeaten on the season and is making his fourth trip to regionals. Freshman #23 Gunnar Myers (Wallenpaupack) is the lone 9th grader in the field.

Predictions
1. Dante Frinzi, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr.)
2. Javien DeLeon, Liberty (Jr.)
3. Jake Doone, Nazareth (So.)
4. Austin Fashouer, West Scranton (Sr.)

126
It was a bizarre freshman season for #3 Tyler Kasak (Bethlehem Catholic). A broken ankle during preseason wrestle-offs kept the Doylestown native out for virtually the entire season while classmate Cael McIntyre established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the state. Kasak was healthy come state duals time, and got the call against state #1 Mac Church, and beat him in a barnburner. He followed that up with a 7-1 win over eventual state finalist Jacob Vane Dee (Erie Cathedral Prep) and that vaulted the 7-0 Kasak into the #1 spot in the state. He ripped into Hershey as the favorite at 106, and held a sizeable lead in his semifinal against Vincent Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe) before getting tossed to his back for 5 points twice and dropping a wild 14-10 match. Church avenged his earlier loss to Kasak on the backside after suffering an upset of his own, and the state favorite had to settle for 5th. This year, he’s a clear favorite to get back. Kasak is an absolute tank at 126, a bruiser on his feet and one of the best and most physical mat wrestlers in the state. He’s a heavy favorite here and next weekend before what looks like a brutal bracket in Hershey that one of the deepest in the state. It is anybody’s guess behind Kasak here. #18 Parrish McFarland (Pottsville) had his freshman coming out party last week, advancing all the way to the D11 final before getting teched by Kasak. #20 Patrick Snoke (Northampton) grabbed the third spot for D11, besting Tyler Cunningham (Whitehall) who had one of the upsets of the tourney in consolation semis where he defeated previous #9 Andreo Ferraina (Nazareth) and denied him a third straight state tournament bid. Snoke has been lurking in the Northampton lineup for years, and has really blossomed in his first year as a starter, particularly as a mat wrestler. Beck Hutchinson (Hazleton) and Julian Everitt (Pittston) have been in and out of the state rankings, so it should be a five way contest for the four spots

Prediction
1. Tyler Kasak, Bethlehem Catholic (So.)
2. Patrick Snoke, Northampton (Jr.)
3. Parrish McFarland, Pottsville (Fr.)
4. Beck Hutchinson, Hazleton (Sr.)

132
As part of the Bethlehem Catholic descent, #5 Matt Mayer came down from 138 to 132 where he immediately slots in as one of the best kids in an open weight class. Mayer earned fourth place medals as a freshman and a sophomore, but had a rocky state tournament in 2020 and lost the chance to become a four-time medalist. He’s funky and one of the best scramblers in the field. He’ll be a solid favorite after blitzing the field last week. Sophomore #19 Dominic Wheatley (Nazareth) made his first district final and while there is clear separation between him and Mayer, he looked great otherwise with a pair of falls and a shutout win over returning regional 5th and #23 Dawson Miller (East Stroudsburg South) . #22 Nick Velde (Emmaus) knocked out Miller to clinch the final regional bid. There are no ranked wrestlers in the field from either D2 or D12, but District 2 Champ Austin Smith (Abington Heights) seems like the best bet for the fourth Super Regional spot.

Predictions
1. Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic (Sr. - Duke)
2. Dominic Wheatley, Nazareth (So.)
3. Nick Velde, Emmaus (Jr.)
4. Austin Smith, Abington Heights (Fr.)

138

The last of the Bethlehem Catholic descents was #10 Andrew Harmon, who made the drop from 145. Harmon was a state qualifier in 2020 after bouncing around the lineup, finally settling in at 126. This year, he’s at his real weight and is showing what made him only of the most highly regarded incoming freshmen last season. He rolled through the D11 tournament last weekend, and I think should have a similar performance this weekend. #17 CJ Fritz (Northampton) is making the most of his first year in the lineup. #18 Vinny Hebel (Nazareth) was a regional qualifier in 2020 and gives the Blue Eagles real depth. The only other ranked guys from the region were both D11 kids knocked out last week (#23 Connor Bevan of Freedom and #24 Matt Ross of Pottsville), so expect the top three to cruise here. Sam Stevens (Abington Heights) is the regional champ out of D2.

Predictions
1. Andrew Harmon, Bethlehem Catholic (So.)
2. CJ Fritz, Northampton (Jr.)
3. Vinny Hebel, Nazareth (Jr.)
4. Sam Stevens, Abington Heights (So.)

145
Sophomore #5 Dagen Condomitti (Northampton) won his first D11 title last weekend with a dominant four match performance. Condomitti won a regional title as a freshman and is a heavy favorite to repeat here. Like his older brother (see 160) he’s a risk taker with great feel from his feet. His primary challenger is #16 Preston Machado (Delaware Valley), who was one match away from the state tournament in 2020. D11 finalist #22 Xavier Arner (Whitehall) is looking to be the Zephyrs first state qualifier in years. Trey Miletics (Bethlehem Catholic) has been bounced around as a depth guy for years, and slotted in here at 145 when the Hawks dropped their lineup for the postseason. His patience was rewarded with a third place finish last weekend.

Predictions
1. Dagen Condomitti, Northampton (So.)
2. Preston Machado, Delaware Valley (Sr.)
3. Xavier Arner, Whitehall (Sr.)
4. Trey Miletics, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr.)

152
District 11 champ #5 Evan Gleason (Bethlehem Catholic) is looking for his third trip to the state tournament – he qualified as a freshman for Easton, then sat out as a transfer in 2019 before a fifth place finish at states in 2020 for the Golden Hawks. He’s punishing on top and has the length to give a lot of guys problems at 152. He teched and pinned his way through Districts last weekend and did not get pushed into the third period. The runner up was sophomore #21 Noah Okamoto (Nazareth). Okamoto is part of a deep 10th grade class for the Blue Eagles getting their first shot in the lineup after the graduation of nine starters from last season. Okamoto made his varsity debut with a pair of falls, including pinning the #3 seed at Districts, then grinding out a 3-2 win in semis over #22 Kordell Waiters (Emmaus) before getting stuck by Gleason in the final. Waiters has been around the block and is a solid senior looking for his first Hershey trip and has to be looking forward at another crack at Okamoto. Nobody is ranked out of District 2 or District 12, with D2 champ Sal Shiavone (Abington Heights) the best bet at securing the fourth spot.

Predictions
1. Evan Gleason, Bethlehem Catholic (Sr. - Harvard)
2. Kordell Waiters, Emmaus (Sr.)
3. Noah Okamoto, Nazareth (So.)
4. Sal Shiavone, Abington Heights (Jr.)

160
#1 Jagger Condomitti (Northampton) celebrated his announcement that he will spend 2021-22 at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs by scoring 76 points in four matches, with three pins and a tech to win his second D11 title. Condomitti is ranked as high as #4 nationally at 160 and is head and shoulders above the field. He was the state runner up in 2020 and a fourth place finisher in 2019 (in a season that included a win over national #1 and state champ Ryan Anderson). Barring catastrophe, he should secure a state championship this year. Former teammate #17 Landon Muth (Bethlehem Catholic) was his victim in the final. Muth is a really promising sophomore for the Golden Hawks, but is probably a year away from being a serious state contender. #20 Ryan Fairchild (Nazareth) is another Blue Eagle first year starter that has a lot of good wrestling in front of him. Once again, no ranked wrestlers in District 2 or District 12 means a wide open fourth spot in super regionals, with D2 champion James Spindler (Pittston) the early favorite.

Predictions
1. Jagger Condomitti, Northampton (Sr. – Nebraska)
2. Landon Muth, Bethlehem Catholic (So.)
3. Ryan Fairchild, Nazareth (Jr.)
4. James Spindler, Pittston (So.)

172
Unfortunately, returning state champion and national #1 Lenny Pinto (Stroudsburg) will not be here to defend his championship – won in the deepest bracket in recent memory – due to a knee injury suffered at FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 Event in Austin, Texas back in October. Pinto will join Jagger Condomitti at the US Olympic Training Center in the summer before heading to Nebraska. But there is still a state title contender, #3 Dominic Falcone (Easton). Falcone is a two-time state medalist, pushed Pinto to a 3-2 decision last year in the D11 finals, and took 7th in the aforementioned toughest bracket I’ve seen in Pennsylvania (which had six nationally ranked wrestlers and nine Division I commits). The West Point bound senior is short and powerful and one of the best athletes in the field. He grinded out a 5-2 win in the D11 finals over #11 Sonny Sasso (Nazareth). Sasso was the D11 champion all the way up at 195 pounds last year, but was knocked out of regionals early. He’s at his proper weight this time around, and his 6’4 frame can give a lot of people problems. He’s the younger brother of NCAA title favorite Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) and has some of the same funk on his feet shown by his two-time state champion older brother. #15 Wayne McIntyre (East Stroudsburg North) was a match away from states last season and is a tough out – he was in a tied match with Sasso before getting caught in a cradle and pinned last week, then eliminated #17 Justus Bozzi (Bethlehem Catholic) in the go-to-regionals match. #20 Thaddeus Meade (Dallas) is the Distirct 2 champ and the favorite for the #4 spot to Super Regionals.

Predictions
1. Dominic Falcone, Easton (Sr. – Army)
2. Sonny Sasso, Nazareth (So.)
3. Wayne McIntyre, East Stroudsburg North (Jr.)
4. Thaddeus Mead, Dallas (Sr.)

189
Round four of the #1 Drew Clearie (Nazareth) -#4 Isaiah Reinert (Easton) rivalry went to Clearie, who pinned Reinert in a scramble in the second period to win his second D11 title over the Red Rover. Reinert flipped the script last year at Regionals, and I would not be shocked to see a similar outcome here. Despite the NE Regional loss in 2020, Clearie ended up higher on the podium with a third place finish in Hershey compared to Reinert’s seventh. Clearie, who was sixth in the state at 138 as a sophomore before growing four inches and gaining fifty pounds, is a Brown commit and a slight state favorite over #2 Joey Milano (Spring-Ford), who will join the fun next weekend at Super Regionals - Clearie-Milano-Reinert is rock-paper-scissors, with Clearie is a bad match up for Milano, Milano is a terrible match up for Reinert, and Reinert seems to be the toughest match for Clearie. Clearie is solid on his feet, tough to score on, and has excellent short offense. Reinert in a contrast in style – long, lanky, likes to scramble and funk and is a hammer on top. Clearie has pinned him in both of his wins where Reinert gets loose and takes too many risks, but Reinert has won the two matches where there have been lots of scoring exchanges. He’s risk/reward, but is talented enough to win the bracket. Also lurking is #10 Bryce Molinaro (Hazleton) – a state qualifier at 160 last year and one of the top wrestlers in District 2. Nobody has gone the distance with Molinaro so far – he has a full slate of techs and pins on the abbreviated season. He’s probably considered a step behind Clearie and Reinert, but has the horsepower to go with both and beat at least one. The wildcard is #24 AJ DeRosa (Bethlehem Catholic). DeRosa was a state qualifier in New Jersey as a sophomore before sitting out last postseason as a transfer to Bethlehem Catholic. He’s underrated at the state level, but pushed Clearie in a 3-2 loss last weekend in semis. He’ll be on Reinert’s side and his strength could pose the Red Rover problems.

Predictions
1. Isaiah Reinert, Easton (Sr. – Bucknell)
2. Drew Clearie, Nazareth (Sr. – Brown)
3. Bryce Molinaro, Hazleton (Jr.)
4. AJ DeRosa, Bethlehem Catholic (Sr.)

215

The first and only weight where there is not a D11 favorite. #4 Jason Henderson (Delaware Valley) is a two-time All State middle linebacker who will play at Old Dominion in the fall. He’s hardnosed, a great athlete, and explosive on his feet. He’s in the mix to win a state championship, which would be the first for Delaware Valley since Lehigh All American Joe Kennedy won 189 back in 2008. Henderson took fifth last season, narrowly dropping a match to current state #1 Ryan Catka (Sun Valley) on the backside, who he should see next weekend. He also qualified for states as a sophomore. His big rival is #6 Sam Hunsinger (Hazleton) who he handled 7-2 last week in the D2 finals. Hunsinger was a state qualifier and regional finalist last year at 195 after finishing a match away from states as a sophomore. He teched Sonny Sasso on his way to that state birth, then went 1-2 in Hershey. The D11 champ is #14 Chase Levey (Nazareth). Levey was a regional qualifier as a freshman at 195, but missed all of his sophomore season with an elbow injury suffered during football (he’s an outside linebacker for the Blue Eagles). Fully healthy this year, he ripped through the 215 bracket in D11, going Fall, 9-3, 10-4, Fall. He’s a step behind the top two here, but should solidly finish third and qualify for Super Regionals. Behind that, this is as wide open as a weight gets. Ajay Hiller (East Stroudsburg South) was the two seed at D11’s, but got picked apart by Levey in their semifinal. Manny Rodriguez (William Allen) was a Cinderalla and made William Allen’s first D11 final since Zeke Lane won 160 in 2003, but he do that two weekends in a row? Without state qualifier Logan Holland (Blue Mountain) here – he was upset in the first round of Districts then knocked out on the back side – there is no clear fourth guy. Out of D12, Dante Burns (LaSalle) is a really promising freshman who won a weight normally dominated by upperclassmen. He had all first period falls in the D12 tournament, though his lone out of D12 match is getting pinned in the first minute by #5 Josh Harkless (Wilson West Lawn).

Predictions
1. Jason Henderson, Delaware Valley (Sr. - Old Dominion - football)
2. Seth Hunsinger, Hazleton (Jr.)
3. Chase Levey, Nazareth (Jr.)
4. Dante Burns, LaSalle (Fr.)

285
The talk of the District 11 tournament was freshman #8 Sean Kinney (Nazareth), who knocked off previous #5 Matthew Cruise (Easton – now #9) in a 2-0 win in semifinals, then brought the house down with a pin of #16 Sebastian Khamis (Stroudsburg) in the finals to win the team title for Nazareth by one point. Kinney, who started at left tackle for the Blue Eagles’ D11 championship football team, is big, athletic, and a monster on top. He rode Cruise for nearly 4 minutes in his semifinal win, and used a reversal as the only offensive points in the match. He was one of the most hyped freshmen in the state (ranked #12 overall by PaPower Wrestling in the incoming class going to PIAA schools), but might be a medal contender even sooner than anticipated. #9 Cruise is no slouch himself – he was a state qualifier at 220 as a sophomore and was a match away from medaling, and owned a win over 2A state finalist Kolby Flank. Cruise is also an excellent mat wrestler – though a rushed attempt to cradle and turn Kinney turned into the winning reversal – but the biggest thing to see this postseason is how his offense on his feet improves. He and Kinney were even in neutral for two minutes, but Kinney had a clear advantage on the mat. Heavyweight also has the added depth of #12 Cameron Butka (West Scranton) who is on the opposite side of the bracket from both Cruise and Kinney (who should meet for the second straight week in a semi, not a final). Butka was a match away from states last year and pinned his way through the District 2 tournament, and should be waiting in the finals for whoever emerges from the D11 crew. Khamis, whose older brother was a regional champ, is a safe bet to grab the fourth spot.

Predictions
1. Matthew Cruise, Easton (Jr.)
2. Cameron Butka, West Scranton (Sr.)
3. Sean Kinney, Nazareth (Fr.)
4. Sebastian Khamis, Stroudsburg (Sr.)

How did the high school football season go overall?
“I felt as if this season went very smoothly. Our team took the precautions and stayed safe so we could have our whole season and not have to forfeit any games.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans now are to continue to work out six days a week within school, football workouts, and personal training. I often go to other coaches to do position specific drills as well.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel our team will do very well next season as everyone has bought in due to recent success and we’re becoming a true football program.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I don’t think I can pinpoint one team that is specifically going to be hard to play. If we want to win, we have to play our hardest and prepare for every team the same.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I don’t think I can pick one player as we will face many good athletes throughout the season.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I plan on playing in college and play at the highest level of my capabilities.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been talking to a few schools at the Division 1 level and they have shown some interest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any college trips yet, but I hope to when the opportunity comes.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I don’t have any planned trips coming up.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I didn’t have one favorite college growing up, but I loved watching classic teams such as Penn State and Notre Dame.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The season this year was great. I was incredibly thankful to be able to play and I can’t thank the parents, coaches, and administrators for the sacrifices they made.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I plan on running track in the spring and lifting whenever I can with teammates.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I have high hopes and it’s a group of guys who work hard and have big goals. We need to prepare and work as hard as possible and the results we want will come. Hopefully we can go 4/4.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We know we will have a ton of competition on our schedule and we look forward to having to work in the offseason to prepare for everyone.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“There is a ton of great talent in the central league and like the teams we will play we have to give all these guys attention because there are some special athletes in our league.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would definitely like to play football in college and it’s always been a goal of mine.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have been in contact with a few coaches, but I hope to reach out to more.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Not as of right now, but I definitely have contacted coaches and may have some over the spring and the summer.”

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

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Due to Covid, our season was pushed back.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans are to stay motivated, and to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel as though our team will do great. We have a lot of talent on this team.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We never take any game for granted, so we focus on each team any given Friday.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“There’s a lot of tough players, but there’s no I in team.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“So far, I received interest from UMass and Morgan State.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Not at this time.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, the Florida Gators.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“I would say last year’s season was kind of disappointing. Although we made the playoffs, we did not reach all of our team goals.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“It’s been challenging with the pandemic, but I’ve been trying to work out with my team as much as possible and we hope to start getting practices going soon.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We are going to be a very young team next year, but if we can come together as a team and stay working out, we should be able to compete in the Heritage Conference.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I don’t think that there is going to any easy games. The Heritage Conference is always a tough schedule and every team we play will be a challenge.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“We have never played Cambria Heights before, but since they are coming into our conference next year, we will be playing them. I heard their fullback, Ryan Haluska, is hard to take down.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“None yet.”

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

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“No.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The high school season was fair. I was only able to play 2 games and 1 scrimmage due to coaching chemistry.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“It’s winter, but I work out at home roughly three times a week and go to the weight room at least five times a month. I’ve also gained weight and lean muscle.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“Next season, I think that my team will be able to do pretty well. We may be short with players, but overall, I think we’ll be able to change the culture here at E Stroudsburg HS North.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“The schedule hasn’t been released yet, but most likely Freedom High School.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The best players in my conference that I know of have already graduated this year.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I would love to play football at a collegiate level and hopefully at the University of Maryland or Penn State University.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I currently have no colleges recruiting me

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Due to Covid-19, I haven’t done any, but I plan to visit some in state schools this summer.”

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

Find out what colleges are recruiting David Awuah, Isaac Wagner, Maurice Beverly, Will Wrzesniewski, and Carter Glassmyer now!


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

East Stroudsburg North wide receiver David Awuah

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I would love to play football at a collegiate level and hopefully at the University of Maryland or Penn State University.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I currently have no colleges recruiting me

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Due to Covid-19, I haven’t done any, but I plan to visit some in state schools this summer.”

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


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

Northern Cambria offensive guard Isaac Wagner

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“None yet.”

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

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“No.”


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

Imhotep Charter linebacker Maurice Beverly

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“So far, I received interest from UMass and Morgan State.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Not at this time.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Yes, the Florida Gators.”


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

Garnet Valley linebacker Will Wrzesniewski

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would definitely like to play football in college and it’s always been a goal of mine.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have been in contact with a few coaches, but I hope to reach out to more.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Not as of right now, but I definitely have contacted coaches and may have some over the spring and the summer.”

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


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

Central York running back Carter Glassmyer

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I plan on playing in college and play at the highest level of my capabilities.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been talking to a few schools at the Division 1 level and they have shown some interest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any college trips yet, but I hope to when the opportunity comes.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I don’t have any planned trips coming up.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I didn’t have one favorite college growing up, but I loved watching classic teams such as Penn State and Notre Dame.”


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

District 1: Review 2020, Preview 2021.

Here’s the District-1 section of a state review I do annually attempting to keep up with teams across the Commonwealth. So it’s a fast review, sometimes a preview varying from team to team including some historical/archival info the SE PA crowd might enjoy. Classes shown, jr, sr, etc are for the 2020 season.

Pioneer Athletic Conference
Liberty Conference
Spring Ford 6-1 6A
The Rams won back-to-back conference titles with another large and balanced offense averaging 32ppg (35ppg avg since 2010) supported by a record setting defense that allowed 10ppg; their lowest yield since at least 1999. Coach Chad Brubaker took over in 2010 by way of Wilson of West Lawn to immediately turn the Rams into a consistent winner, reversing a 10 year losing cycle (38-85) to one of the district’s top programs with a record of 95-30. No one is calling them Coatesville or North Penn but they have upgraded the schedule to play D3 notables Wilson and Exeter almost yearly, and others like Whitehall, State College, Unionville, Central Bucks South, Truman and Wayne Valley-NJ since Brubaker’s arrival. Now, if they can get over the hump of first round district playoff losses, losing the last four to Souderton 27-24 this year, Haverford in 2019, Downingtown East in 2018 and Neshaminy in 2017, they’ll have taken the next step. Although they have big losses on defense, many saw the field. Top tackler Ryan Horvath (5-9, 175, 36 stops) is back with at least 7 other starters/co-starters. The offense should be fine with quarterback Ryan Freed and running back Harry Adieyefeh returning with linemen Ian Harvie 6-0 250 and John Kaputa 6-2 280 to reload the offense. But WR/S Nicholas Teets (5-9, 185, 28/414py, 24/123ry, 27 tackles, Monmouth, lacrosse) will be missed.
Perkiomen Valley 6-2 6A
Too bad the Vikings had to open with Spring Ford, especially at their place with a young team (4 starters total returned) that had nine new starters on both sides. Spring Ford’s defense was just too strong, holding them to 163 total yards (96 rushing) in a 27-13 loss. The other loss was at home to PJP-II 34-22, where they again had no ground game, “rushing” for minus 4 yards. The strength of PV’s team in 2020 was a solid passing game fueled by Ethan Kohler (6-2, 195, jr, Mercury 1st team), who, if I did the math right from online articles completed 100 of 156 passes (64%) for 1537 yards with a 17 to 1 Td-Pick ratio. As a reminder, his 2019 stats were 2259 yards, 59%, 21/7 Td-Pick ratio. Impressive stuff. For 2021, they lose a few linebackers of note, Nico Holder and Aiden Qwens, but return big numbers/experience to both sides. Also took a few hits to the receiver corps including Kevin Beattie and Jason Posner, but Dawson Debebe (6-2, 190, jr) with Leo Hunsberger and Rasheem Grayson who combined caught 41 passes for 634 yards return with all the principal running backs. PV should enter 2021 as the PAC-Liberty favorite (Spg-Fd at PV) and more with Kohler set for a special year.
Owen J. Roberts 3-3 6A
OJR continued their six year streak of non-losing seasons with a young team that included only 8 seniors! Almost everyone returns for 2021 including two quarterbacks that got time, sophomores Mike Reed and Will Whitlock. Most of the line is back to allow Avery Grimm another strong season after gaining 667 yards last year. He had a four game streak gaining over 100 yards against Boyertown, Meth, Perk Val and Upper Perk. The PAC is a tough league to make a move in with Spring Ford and Perkiomen Valley dominating. Otherwise, parity rules almost exclusively excepting Pope John Paul II who is separating from the pack with a 34-22 win vs Perk Val this year, last year’s district title and 29-28 win against PCL-Blue champ Neumann Goretti in States. Otherwise, no one has had a stronger run at the alphas than OJR going 37-25 the last six years.
Methacton 4-3 6A
Methacton got their first winning season since 2014 by winning the last two games against Pottsgrove 17-6 and Council Rock South 13-0. Too bad they couldn’t muster more offense scoring 93 points, an anemic 13ppg average. The most anyone scored on them was Spring Ford in a 21-0 loss and Perk Val in a 27-14 loss. Fortunately they had a decent defense that gave up only 96 points enabling the four wins where they allowed a total of 24 points. Much of the D will graduate as well as the quarterback, leading rusher and receiver making 2021 a rebuilding year.
Boyertown 2-5 6A
Wow, what happened at Boyertown? They used to be at least representative with but four losing season from 1999 through 2015. Then the bottom fell out, going 14-34 since then. Like Upper Merion they ended the season with two wins that should provide impetus given how young they are with freshman and sophomores in the lineup. Freshman Ryder Gehris is the quarterback with most of their skill and O-Line returning. Their season ending 20-9 win against perennial power and rival Pottsgrove was huge, giving them a 20-19-1 lead in the series.
Norristown 6A……..did not play

Pioneer Athletic Conference
Frontier Conference
Pope John Paul II 3-0 4A
Pope John Paul II is the result of a merger of Kennedy Kenrick and St. Pius X for the 2010 season where they’ve been woeful the first 7 years winning 13 games before turning it around in 2017 and running off four winning seasons, going 28-10. 2020’s team was notable as a 4A beating Perkiomen Valley (6-2) 34-22, their first win against a 6A. NOTE: held PV to minus 4 yards rushing. The year before they went 10-3, beating Neumann Goretti (11-1) 28-27 in the playoffs before losing to Tamaqua. They have some skill returning for 2021 especially with soph Markese Williams (5-9, 145, so) who plays QB/RB/WR, RB/LB Josh Little (5-9, 180, jr) and RB/LB Steele DePetrillo (5-7, 195, jr). He lit up Perk Val with 4 receptions for 82 yards. Quarterback Rocco DeRico (652py, 70%, 6/2) is a big loss with those stats for 3 games. They were explosive last year at 39ppg. Too bad they didn’t play enough games to qualify for the playoffs as they looked like the best 4A in the district. There is now another quality football team in Royersford besides nearby Spring Ford High.
Pottsgrove 2-2 4A
It was a brand new day in Pottsgrove with the retirement of head coach Rick Pennypacker at the end of the 2017 season after 29 years at the helm. Longtime assistant Billy Hawthorne followed in shoes that will be hard to fill with Coach going 237-99-4 with just four losing seasons. Kind of like following Coach Bryant at Alabama or Coach Mike Pettine at CB West. Pennypacker is a PAC guy through and through graduating from Spring Ford in 1972 then to West Virginia as a lineman playing for Bobby Bowden. Back to the present; Coach Hawthorne went 12-2 his first year followed by a disappointing 2019 season going 5-6 where the losses were of the uncompetitive variety losing by an average score of 42-16. Last year’s offense struggled at 13ppg with much of it back in 2021. The D held it all together (13ppg) and should again the coming year with 7 returning including Mark White, a good looking sophomore DE at 6-2, 240.
Phoenixville 2-2 5A
The Phantoms return big numbers from a team that played a lot of underclassman to return a good core for 2021. Two freshman and three sophomores got significant time. Dual threat quarterback Tre Davis is back with the leading rusher Owen Koch who had 402 yards, 315 coming in the last two games. Roman Ciaverelli 5-9 210 jr is back on the line with Solomon Ortiz 6-3 305 jr, Andy McMahon 6-1 210 jr and Kael Gilbert 6-1 210 jr. Real shaky roster info but with QB Davis, RB Koch and soph QB/RB Ty Romance, they should be exciting. Coach Don Grinstead has been the man since 2018, succeeding Evan Breisblatt (2014-2017, 8-33) and going 4-7, 3-7 and 2-2. Before this he was HC at Pottstown (2013-2015, 10-25) and DL then DC at Great Valley (2009-2012).
Upper Merion 2-3 5A
It’s hard finding a lot to say about a program that’s had three winning seasons the last 16 years. But they did win their last two against Phoenixville 35-6 and Muhlenberg 35-7. And they haven’t done that since 2015. Actually they’ve shown a pulse the last 3 years going 6-5, 5-6 and 2-3 last year with much better statistics. Plus they return a ton of players for next year including most of their skill; QB Nolan Clayton 6-5 210 so, frosh RBs Jalen Alexander 6-0 170 fr, Nick Gerace jr and Qwynne Seals 5-6 140 soph, WR Alzere Thomas 5-9 150 soph and 8 to the defense including DE Wyatt Hart 6-2 215 and DT Tremayne Brown 6-0 285 jr. Numbers like that offer optimism on top of season ending back-to-back wins.
Upper Perkiomen 2-4 5A
Upper Perk had a tough go of it playing five of the largest schools in the PAC due the other small schools not deciding to play until after the schedule was made. UP plays in the small school Frontier Division and has the smallest roster in the PAC. Blow outs to OJR 31-14 and Boyertown 42-14 showed they had some players while losses to Perk Val 34-0 and Spring Ford 55-0 says there’s still a wide gulf as do narrow losses to Methacton 18-12 where Meth score in the last 35 seconds and Phoenixville simply out played them winning 20-12 at Upper Perk. A big loss entering 2021 will be their three year starting quarterback Hunter Flack (58%, 834), but they return running back Logan Simmon (5-9, 180, 836yds, jr). They had a nice group last year that would likely have done more with a normal Frontier Division schedule and a full season.
Pottstown 0-4 4A
The Trojans played an inordinate number of underclassman that hopefully laid a foundation for 2021. They only had 28 active players (started 2 srs) while struggling with a rebuilt line. Every other player was a sophomore; egs…. quarterback Mason Miller, running backs Joneil Oister, Malachi Neely, Jared Hewitt and wide out Rashean Bostic. Things would likely improve if they found stability at the head coaching position. Their recent coaches have been Don Grinstead (2013-2015), Gary Rhodenbaugh (2016), Mark Fischer (2017-2018) and in 2019, current coach Jeff Delaney. Be nice seeing the kids caught a break. Hopefully Delaney hangs.

Central League
Garnet Valley 6-0 6A
The Jaguars won another Central League title going undefeated in league action for the third straight year, winning by an average score of 43-17. Too bad this group couldn’t get to the playoffs. At 6-0, they were on their way to a fifth consecutive 10-plus win season, having gone 11-3, 12-2, 12-1 and 11-2 from 2016 thru 2019. At 43ppg, this was their most prolific offense ever, albeit, a stunted season. Still saying something knowing the success they’ve had since joining the Central in 2008, going 103-13 in league action (25 straight league wins) counting conference playoff games. They’ve upped their game recently by developing a passing attack which in part explains their offense the last two years averaging over 40ppg. They are a lot more than veers, traps and pitches averaging 100 yards passing per game in 2020. The last 10 years witnessed their ascendency to the top of the Central League. Next year promises the same with many returning on both sides, especially defense where at least 8 back gives them another quick-athletic front 7. The offense returns their lead rusher and receiver plus a talented quarterback in Max Busenkell (6-0, 175, jr) who went 8 for 9 for 168 yards and 2 Tds vs Marple Newtown in the final when senior Kevin McGarrey went down in the 1st quarter for the game. They have some holes on the OL but when has that ever been a problem at G-Val?
Ridley 3-3 6A
The Raiders 2-0 start was dampened by a 1-3 finish that was good enough to keep their non-losing season streak intact, not having a losing season since 1955 when they went 3-5-1 as Ridley Township. For a team that had a lot of youth spread throughout the lineup, they showed flashes and speed. Junior RB/LB Tahir Mills showed real promise and talent on both sides of the ball. He’s back with RB/DB Aubrey Daniels, wide outs Paul Jackson and junior quarterback John Heller. Many other underclassman got significant time including sophomores LB Stephen Gerace, WR/DB Steve O’Donovan, Antonio Saahir, Dean Contant, etc, etc. They have real losses at DE/LB Blaise Desmond 6-2 220, Nicholas Becker 6-3 220, NG Victor Ninson and Nathan Desmond 6-5 245. RB/LB Gavin Kingsborough is a big loss in terms of versatility and leadership. But, they have a lot of pieces with lineman B. O’Dea, H. Brown, A. Berry moving up. The D sustained them early this season but it could be a more experienced offense that leads them in 2021. 2020’s offense stumbled against the quality on their schedule losing to Haverford 33-3 (5-2), Garnet Valley (6-0) 44-0 and the heartbreaker at home to Radnor (4-2) 12-7. Lots of work to do but it’s Ridley!
Strath Haven 5-1 5A
The Panthers are once again relevant in the Central League going 5-1 this year and 9-3 the previous. Before this they went 31-46 from 2012 through 2018 with no winning seasons! Things changed in ‘19 with an exhilerating 49-13 win over Ridley, followed by sobering losses to Haverford 24-0 and G-Val 49-21 and a 20-14 ot loss to Kennett in Districts. The only loss this year was at Marple 33-27 in a fiercely contested game where Marple’s size slowly wore down Haven’s light/quick unit, allowing Charlie Box to bludgeon the Panther D for 182 yards on 22 carries. 2021 sees most of the team returning including the line in tackles Jake Millett (6-4, 250, jr) and Ben Farabaugh (6-0, 220, so), guards Ethan Barrar (6-10, 175, jr) and Nick Filos (5-10-180, jr) and center Jack Beck (6-1, 175, jr). They had a huge offense in 2021 averaging 43 a game, their best ever, with a defense at 17ppg with a young group. Nice seeing the Panthers back on the prowl.
Marple Newtown 5-1 5A
The Tiger had a veteran team last year that got off to a 5-0 start earning themselves a date in the Central League Championship game where they lost at Garnet Valley 52-30 after leading 14-0. They were fueled by an balanced offense (32ppg) led by a solid O-Line, a veteran quarterback in Joey Paoletti (802py) and an exciting junior running back in Charlie Box (5-8, 175). Dual threat Box ended the year with 575 yards rushing and a spot on Pa Football News’ 5A first team. With most of the team’s key parts graduating (OL, QB), they’ll rebuild around him. Tackle Ryan Lain (6-4, 275, PFN 1st team) and center Anthony Armento (6-1, 220) are big losses as are other senior starters Joey Goodman (6-0, 220), Johnnie Ebert (6-2, 245) and Chris Meiklejohn (6-0, 195). DT Ebert, NG Goodman and DT Lain gave them a legit front 3 that will be missed. They’ve got some skill returning and a few linebackers and DBs making the line and quarterback big concerns entering 2021. Looks like they’ll take a step back on offense from 32ppg while remaining dangerous with Charlie Box getting the ball.
Haverford 5-2 6A
It’s no secret a pile of talent has come through the school the last decade with this Ford running hot, garnering 10 straight winning seasons and an 82-33 won loss. Plus they took 6 of 10 from rival Ridley over that period and 6 of the last 8. They’ve tightened up the series with Garnet Valley losing on average 25-22 the last five games with one going to overtime. But they still lag behind in the series 8-2. For 2021 they graduate a lot of skill but return key parts in soph quarterback Tommy Wright (6-2, 180, 923py) plus returning lineman Mario Tascione (6-2, 265, jr) and Mike Powell (6-2, 285, jr). Mike McNicholas (6-1, 200, jr) and Pete Corcoran (6-3, 215, jr) also started or were in the rotation. Some of the big losses are RB/DB Jimmy Wright (913ry), TE Chris Dempsey, C Liam Collins, DL Ryan Buckton, WR/DB Casey Gilroy (26/477), DB George Moscony and LB Will Higson (6-2, 215, 68 tackles). The Fords haven’t had a losing season since 2010 (83-33 since) and will likely be exciting with their young quarterback and another group of talented players.
Springfield 4-3 5A
Springfield flew under the radar last year with a 4-3 team that suffered heartbreaking losses at home to Radnor (4-2) 13-10 on a missed FG and Marple Newtown (5-1) 24-21. They’ve gone 86-40 since their last losing season in 2009. The highpoints were 2014 (12-1), 2016 (12-2) and 2017 (13-1) where they lost to Academy Park in the district final in 2016 then lost the following year in the 5A quarterfinals 35-25 to Unionville. Look for another competitive team with a pile of starters back including sophomore QB Jake Fama (6-1, 160, 698, 69%). Also back is the entire secondary, 3 LB/DEs, and lineman Brian Layton (6-0 235), Tyler Klambara (6-4, 280) and Jalen Allen (6-2, 235). Many play corresponding position on offense. This looks like a highly competitive team for 2021.
Radnor 4-2 5A
Radnor like Strath Haven put themselves back on the map by upping their game the last 6 years with a 36-28 record. That’s a big deal when your won-loss the previous 16 years is 51-118 with one winning season. This year started with a 56-27 rout by Strath Haven and ended with a 12-7 win at Ridley. They had a sluggish offense scoring 22ppg backed by a solid, quick defense that allowed 12ppg, discounting the blow-out loss to Strath Haven in the opener. 2021 looks dicey with the graduation of All-Delco wide out Jahmir Dixon (15/415py), RB/LB Scott Belveal (860ry), WR/FS Reece Evans, QB Juan Pablo Moreland (732py), OT/DTs Daetreal Jerome (6-2, 280) and Gavin Holz. But, they got a taste of it the last 6 years to be at least competitive.
Upper Darby 2-6 6A
Upper Darby began a 3 game season-ending skid when Penncrest (2-4) stopped them on a 2 point conversion try with 28 seconds remaining, losing 27-26. Too bad. That was also their last shot at tasting .500 knowing their chances of defeating Springfield and Haverford were slim to none. Springfield won 48-0 while bitter rival Haverford prevailed 42-7. The losses drops them to 63-74 since 2009 with 4 winning seasons. Back in the day as a strong 4A, they were the measuring stick by which Strath Haven gaged their chances in the 3A postseason when Haven visited the finals 4 straight years from 1999 through 2002. Things have changed with UD fielding their worse offense and defense ever, averaging 10ppg while allowing 33. So it was a tough first year for head coach Dave Barr (Bonner). Because the Royals have big numbers walking the halls and coming out for football, maybe Coach Barr can get it going as they have always had the resources. They were too young last year starting sophomores at quarterback in Donte Shaw, WR/S Jihad Cove, RB Montez Ellis et al. Some of the key returns for 2021 are Center Shaqib Salahuddin (6-2, 225, jr), tackle Julien Laventure (6-2, 285, jr) and LB/RB Lucas Venuti (6-0, 180, jr).
Conestoga 1-4 6A
The once strong Conestoga program has fallen on hard time with their fifth straight losing season, going 9-36 (5-18 home) after a 17 year run of only one losing season. Their average points allowed over the last five years was a sieve like 30.4. Too bad the staff can’t turn things around in a talent rich area. Regardless of the record, they lost good players in LBs Patrick Nichols (6-0, 210) and Fred Mucklow (5-11, 185), DL/OL Connor Whitlow plus QB Michael Costigan. The good news is standout wide-out Pete Detwiler returns after snagging 28 passes for 570 yards along with a promising sophomore in Brody Eaton (6-3, 220). Calvin Shirley (5-11, 180, jr) should get the nod at quarterback replacing graduated Michael Costigan with three returning to the receiver corps.
Penncrest 2-4 5A
The Lions registered their seventh consecutive losing season since 2013, going 17-52 in that period with only 6 winning seasons going back to 1999! You’d think an area like Media/Middletown could put good teams out there once in a while? Since going 7-3 in 2013, their highest win total in any year is 3. They return big numbers for 2021 including quarterback Nick Chelo and much of the skill. The defense returns at least 7
Lower Merion 1-5 6A
Lower Merion completed their 22nd consecutive losing season (records to 1999) where nearly half were winless campaigns in 2019, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2003 and 2001. Their highest win total for any season was 3 games. Come on hoops....where they settle scores in a big way! But there is always hope! They return a nice back in Jay Zheng (5-8, 185, jr) and QB/S Jack Lledo (5-11, 180, jr). They'll lose C/G Ari Charmint (6-1, 225), TE/LB Phil Cook (6-1, 220) and OT/DL Elijah Philippe (6-7, 255). DE Dshawn Jemison 6-1, 215 also grads. With decent size on the lines coming up, maybe they can get some wins with the returns in the backfield.
Harriton 0-5 5A
Four miles away and evidently sipping from the same water supply is Harriton High who haven’t had a winning season since 2006, their only winning season since before 1999. They did go 5-5 in 2012 then nose-dived to 24-118 through last year. Last year’s team scored 22 points and allowed 259, fielding a super young team with only 13 seniors suggesting potential for improvement. They’ve only won 8 games the last 8 years, going 8-71.

Del-Val League
(Del-Val teams did not play football in 2020)
Interboro 5A
The Bucs long time coach Steve Lennox retired after a 38 year career where he compiled a 313-115-2 record, 229 of those wins coming at Interboro since his hiring in 1993. They won their only district title in 2012 but have since fallen on harder times, going 5-7 in 2017, 6-7 in 2018 and 2-9 in 2019. Coach Dennis Lux, a 2005 Interboro alum and former quarterback is the new head coach.
Academy Park 5A
The Knights exploded onto the scene in 2008 with quality teams that went 110-39 through the 2019 season. This followed a 6 year drought, recording an 18-47 mark. Back in 2008 (7-5), they were losing to Chester 29-14. By 2013 they were winning a district title, then back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016. But they were still losing to the Wood’s and Imhotep’s by wide margins. In 2019 they gave state runner-up Cheltenham one of their toughest games losing 43-42 showing even further development of the program. AP missed on a 2 point conversion attempt as time was expiring in that one. Time to take the Knights seriously.
Penn Wood 6A
Here’s another sleeper teams that keeps hinting at waking up with a 33-14 record the last four years. This is particularly special knowing they managed but five wins the preceding five years. With Interboro swooning (coach Lennox retired) and Glen Mills closed, the door is at least ajar for Penn Wood to join Academy Park as top dog in the Del-Val.
Glen Mills 4A
The Bulls had some monster teams over the years but really tailed off the last five going 22-32 before the court adjudicated school closed in 2019.
Chester 5A
The Clippers have been a perennial loser over the years with three winning seasons since 2000. They did a complete about face in 2019 with a 7-3 record that may have made further progress with many returning this year. Too bad. But like Lower Merion, the Clippers often settle all scores on the hardwood with powerful basketball teams that make you forget all about football. In Chester, hoops rules!
Chichester 4A
Hard as it is to believe, Chi has had two winning seasons from 1999-2019 and gone 40-118 since their last winning season in 2005.

SOL-Continental Conference
Souderton 7-1 6A
Good things are happening in Souderton with back-to-back winning seasons landing playoff slots, bringing a halt to six years of mediocrity where they went 23-38 from 2013 to 2018 with one winning season. 2019 got your attention with a 6-0 start before cooling off to 8-3. This year’s team was even more with a 7-0 start that included a conference title, district championship (first ever) and state semifinal appearance. Impressive stuff! Averaging 35ppg, they fielded their highest scoring offense ever, with a D at 19ppg that was their best in seven years. Districts saw them beat 2nd seeded Spring Ford (6-1) 27-24 and top seeded Pennridge (7-1) 31-17, both on the road as the 3rd seed before losing to St. Joseph’s Prep 51-43 in the semifinal. Abbreviated-pandemic season or not, how many of us projected Souderton to the state semifinal? For 2021 they graduate an under rated Qb in Evan Kutzler (6-3, 170) who had solid stats with a 6/1 ratio, 718 pass yards and a 62% completion rate. A good core returns to the D that allowed 13ppg before St. Joe’s and the O with Braylen Porter (5-10, 180, 612ry, jr) back, Sean McGoldrick and the receiver corps. The D returns a good core of 6 starters.
Upper Dublin 6-2 5A (Had a forfeit W and L)
Upper Dublin had another strong season, their 11th straight since 2009’s 4-6 team. The only loss this year was to Souderton 28-7 where they played them even in the second half after falling behind 21-7. They allowed 13ppg by season’s end with a forfeit loss to Cathedral Prep (7-3, D10) in the state semifinals. Too bad, as they had enough to compete against a less than special Rambler group. Upper Dublin in the final would have been a trip! The D started 8 underclassmen with 5 of their front 7 back next season including sophomore DLs Riley Hackett 6-4 220, freshman LB Nafis Blythe 5-11 190, sophomore Kyree Butler 6-2 295 and junior LBs Tristan Cairns 6-2 195 and Nicholas Rodriguez 5-9 195. Connor Dewitt (6-6, 310, jr) is also back with most of the linebackers and secondary. Sophomore QB Colin Sullivan (6-0, 180, 561, 55%, 4/3 ratio) returns plus a slew of backs and receivers to a group that scored 27ppg. Looks like another good group for 2021 to make another run.
Quakertown 5-3 6A
Unless you gave the Panthers a second look at 5-3, you wouldn’t know they fielded one of their best teams in years, missing the playoffs as the 7th seed in a field of four. They scored 35ppg, their best in over 22 years and allowed 15, their best since averaging 14ppg in 2014 and 2015 where they went 11-2 and 10-3 respectively. Their losses were competitive, losing to Souderton (7-1) in the opener 28-23 (Q leading 17-12 at ½), Perk Val (6-2) 35-28, PV scoring 21 unanswered pts, and the 91st Thanksgiving Day annual “pick-em” with Pennridge (7-1) 21-14 where the Rams scored 14 4th quarter pts for the win. Like Upper Dublin, Qtown was a young group in many positions but return a lot of skill including quarterback Will Steich (5-11, 160, jr, 56%, 1135, 16/2!, 1st Team Continental), most of the receiver corps and running backs and good stuff upfront in Fred Retter (6-2, 235, jr) and Anthony Schiller (6-2, 260, jr). Retter on the DL, Kaden Ruesener (5-11, 195, jr) and CB Tyler Woodman (5-9, 175, jr) are key returns to the defense.
Council Rock North 2-2 6A
After bottoming out with 5 wins the past 4 seasons going 1-8, 1-9, 1-9 and 2-8, the 2020 season represented something of a success going 2-2 that included a competitive 21-6 loss at Upper Dublin where they outrushed the Cardinals 184 to 122. Statistically, their 19ppg average on offense and 16 on defense were also their best numbers since 2015. All this should have them entering 2021 on a positive note if they can manage the loss of QB Mike Sylvester, OL/DL Luke Molden (6-4, 235, 1st Team), TE Connor Atkinson (6-0, 190) and wide out Ryan McCaffrey. They graduated a lot of skill but played underclassman including sophomores Gavin Papp, Dylon Herbert and junior Will Scibona.
Council Rock South 2-5 6A
For a team that’s been in a funk the last nine years, going 31-55, 2020 was another disappointing season, winning two games while averaging a paltry 11ppg! 2020 and 2019 were their worst offenses (year ending average) over the last 22 years, going back to 1999. It’s been a hard row to hoe since 2011’s top seeded 12-2 Hawks scaled the rugged D1 ladder to the final before losing to a very good North Penn (13-3) team 34-14. The convoluted seeding system of District-1 had the Knights as the 11th seed....11th! All they did was get to the state final losing in a toss-up game to Central Dauphin 14-6. For 2021 there are positives with quarterback Matt Striffolino back and three from the 2nd Team All-Conference in RB Brady Beres (6-0, 190, jr), TE Alec Checchia (6-5, 235. jr) and OL Mason Shores (6-1, 295, jr). Last year’s D hung in there allowing a respectable 21ppg knowing the offense was no support averaging 11ppg. Went down swinging! So it’s a big deal losing a hitter like LB Aiden Geist (5-9, 200, 1st Team) and DL David Nolter (5-10, 250, HM). But the offense should improve. And if the D brings 2020’s attitude into 2021, they’ll be notably improved.
Bensalem 0-5 6A
The Fighting Owls have not had a winning season since 2004. This year’s group was not in any way competitive, losing by an average score of 46-10, allowing 40, 42, 52, 55 and 40 points. It’s ashamed the administration can’t find a staff capable of winning. And with a won-loss of 64-154 since 1999 with two winning seasons, that clearly has not been the priority. They won four games the last three years.
Hatboro Horsham 0-5 5A
Like Bensalem, the Hatters programs has also been in a death spiral for over a decade, going 51-89 with 3 winning seasons since 2007. Their offense this year reached record depths, scoring 31 total points; 6 points per game. You can score 6 points accidentally against today’s defenses!....making this the first year they’ve gone winless in over 22 years.
Truman 6A……..did not play.

SOL-National Conference
North Penn 4-1 6A
The Knights missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012 largely as a result of being handled in the opener at Neshaminy 35-19, ending with the 6th seed. Once again, defense was their Achilles Heel allowing 22ppg. Too bad as the offense was their best ever at 44ppg! But they finished strong (4-0) with Coach Beck getting his 200th career win playing CB East. They’ll enter 2021 with a boatload of skill beginning with quarterback Ryan Zeltt (6-3, 185, so) who has played since game two of 2019 when senior Kolby Barrow went down. He and running back Khalani Eaton (5-11, 210, jr, 1038ry, 14 Tds) with receivers Jalen Edwards, Levi Carroll and a solid kicker in Grace Macnamara are back with three gone from the line, rebuilding around tackle Darren Miller (6-1, 300, jr, 1st Team). With so many National teams rebuilding, the Knights will be favored to win the conference and challenge for district honors and more….if….they show just modest improvement on defense, knowing the offense should again be explosive, perhaps unstoppable.
Neshaminy 5-1 6A
The Skins emerged from a two year funk where they had nothing but bad luck in 2018 (8-4), losing to North Penn 34-33, Truman 27-26 and NP again in the postseason 13-6. 2019 (5-5) saw their defense take the year off losing to North Penn, Downingtown West, Truman, Abington and Pennsbury by an average score of 45-18. Unimaginable yields for Neshaminy. This year saw a real turnaround, opening with a 35-19 win against North Penn that got everyone’s attention. But it was followed by a 30-0 shellacking from eventual conference champ Pennridge the following week that would knock them out of the playoffs with the 5th seed. Stellar running back Craig James (5-7, 165!) who got everyone’s attention as a sophomore in 2018 with 1364 rushing yards was held to 38 yards vs the Rams. He finished with 1002 (15 Tds) after rushing for 852 yards in 2019. So that’s the mission; replacing 3 year starter James, seeing how Nunzio Zydzik handles full time status replacing graduating quarterback Aiden Schlupp and replacing 3 solid lineman in Nate McGlone (6-0. 270), Kenny Monaco (5-11, 265) and Nik Soska (6-4, 245). The D also suffered serious losses at DL, DE and 3 LBs leaving a lot of question marks for the Skins entering 2021.
Pennridge 7-1 6A
Talk about exploding onto the scene after a two year hiatus! The Rams roared back into the limelight following consecutive losing seasons in 2018 (5-6) and 2019 (3-8) by winning the SOL-National after going winless in the SOL-Continental in 2019 and gaining the top seed in Districts. Heck of a rebound! The losing seasons were well out of character given their 151-83 record with one losing season since 1999. Looks like they’re up and running again but face a serious rebuild for 2021 with five 1st teamers from the All-League defense graduating. Also lost 2 from the OL including Jake Tarburton (6-1, 240) and Eli Kantor (6-0, 265) plus RB Shane Hartzell (6-0, 220). Hartzell and Tarburton also made 1st team defense. Like Neshaminy, they’ll enter 2021 with some very substantial holes to fill.
Abington 3-2 6A
The Ghosts have been inconsistent the last six years with three losing seasons and a record of 27-32, peaking in 2019 at 8-3. Ten years before they were a consistent player at 84-38! Kevin Conlin came aboard as head coach in 2016 replacing Tim Sorber who went 104-86 in 16 season. This year’s group was very close to emulating last year’s success until a 4th quarter Pennridge drive eliminated them from conference contention and the playoffs with a 21-15 loss. The problem was a porous defense, allowing 26ppg! 2021 is questionable with big losses on both sides losing running back Oreck Frazier, WRs Caleb Baker and Khaliq Henry, OL/DLs DeAndre Townes-Blue (6-5, 325) and William Everett (6-4, 315), DE Dan Jeffreyas (6-2, 220), LBs Blaise Zuccaro and Beau Pearson and at least two from the secondary. Quarterback Johnny Dzielawa returns.
Pennsbury 0-5 6A
Dan McShane took over the Pennsbury head coaching position in 2016 following the retirement of Galen Snyder. His record since then is 26-24, with a standout season in 2017 where the Falcons went 10-3. Otherwise it’s been dismal with a 16-21 slate. That’s quite a drop off from a few years ago under the guidance of Coach Snyder when the Falcons went 116-48 in his 16 seasons at the helm. After losing their opener to CB East 28-21, the Falcons nose-dived, going 0-4, losing by an average score of 41-17 for their first winless season since? Unfortunately, they got jerked around early on not knowing if they were going to have a season or not. Too bad. Remember when Pennsbury played defense? Not anymore, allowing 19, 20, 28, 23 and 38ppg year-end average from 2016 through 2020.
Central Bucks West 2-4 6A
Since the Bucks last powerful team in ‘04 that was good enough to compete for “States”, going 9-2, it’s been all downhill with only four winning seasons (1 tie) and a won-loss of 70-97. This counts the 2019 team that went 10-2 and lost to Coatesville (10-3) 41-24 in the 2nd round. But last year ended on a positive note with back-to-back wins against CB East 40-20 and CB South 31-24. That’s the second straight year they’ve swept the series. Hopefully they get that Wing-T humming in ’21 with so many starters returning including quarterback Ganz Cooper, most of the skill and a pile of lineman. Eli Boehm (5-10, 155!) was a surprise as a sophomore at running back, gaining 134 against Abington and 109 vs North Penn. And the schedule starting with Pennridge, Abington, North Penn and Neshaminy was a brutal opening 4 game slate with no give up as evidenced by emotional, physical encounter wins vs CB East and CB South at the end. The Bucks should be a factor in 2021!
Central Bucks South 2-5 6A
Since the Titans last special team in 2012 that went 10-2, they’ve been a .500 team at 43-39, compiling a 90-78 record since opening in 2004. Like North Penn, they’ve found their success typically with a big offense that was rarely supported by a good defense. The years they’ve had decent defense, 2016, 2017 and 2018, allowing 15, 17 and 19ppg, they’ve had weak offenses averaging 21, 19 and 18ppg in corresponding years. For 2021 it looks like a big rebuild with quarterback Carter Hallgren (1675, 61%, 13/2) graduating plus their #1 rusher Jason Christensen, #1 receiver TE Ryan Schaub, 38/550, (Hallgren, Schaub 1st teamers) and lineman Aaron Collachi (6-4, 275) and Tommy Wood (6-0, 255). The D losses quality from front to rear in LB Owen Petrich (6-2, 220), DLs Collachi and Preston Jones (5-9, 215) and Chris Moore from the secondary. A bright spot is the return of diminutive Tommy Donnelley (5-7, 170), a sophomore who caught 25 passes for 362 yards and 5 scores.
Central Bucks East 1-5 6A
Like CB West and South, CB East had one of their worst seasons in many years. The defense that allowed 37ppg was their worst year ending average in over 22 years. This was a theme with the three Central Bucks teams. South allowed an all-time high of 39ppg while West allowed 30ppg, their worst since 2008’s 3-7 team that allowed 31. East’s season fell apart after beating Pennsbury in the opener when they lost 1st Team all SOL Continental “Honors” quarterback Anthony Giordano with a shoulder against CB South game-2 while playing safety. Sophomore Patrick Keller (6-4, 180) stepped in, completing 49% for 441 yards. Good luck starting sophomore quarterbacks in power conferences like the National, Mid Penn-Commonwealth and others. Other sophomores made their mark in the backfield in Ethan Shine (80/320), Tommy Day (19/142) and D.P. Kelly (17/69). The D returns 5. But you’ve got to wonder about a team that returned 8 starters to offense and 7 to defense in 2020 and went 1-5, allowing a record 37ppg!

SOL-American Conference
Upper Moreland 5-2 4A
The Golden Bears bounced back from two losing campaigns with a 5-2 outing, an American Conference title and a first round 35-0 4A playoff win over Archbishop Ryan. Unfortunately they lost a tough one the following week in Hollidaysburg to then undefeated Oil City (10-1, D-10 champ) 28-27 when the Oilers scored with four minutes left in the game. 2021 should see them as competitive again returning dual threat quarterback Byron Hopkins (21/33/312py, 35-133ry) and lead back Cameryn Jackson (35/385). With Jahaire Johnson and Jon Knight gone, Hopkins will be looking for new targets. Johnson was a special talent making 1st Team American at WR and DB. They’ll also miss 1st Teamer OL/DL Ryan Schernecke (6-7, 280) plus LB Jon Knight (6-0, 195), DB Jahaire Johnson (6-1, 165) and DL Nasir Thomas (-10, 210). Looks like they’ll have another competitive team despite some significant losses.
Wissahickon 3-4 5A (Had a forfeit loss)
Two overtime wins lifted the Trojans to .500 for the first time since 2013 (discounting forfeit) when they finished 6-2. They had to finish 4-0 that year telling you nothing comes easy for Wissy recently. In between, they went 10-50! But this year saw some gains getting to the postseason as the 3rd seed where they were trounced by Rustin 48-13. For 2021 they return quarterback Aiden Defeo (1166, 43%, 10/9), Lead back Kyle Lehman (80/462, 14-146py) and Jeremiah Clark (5-10, 185, 18-55py) who led the team in tackles with 56 as backer. They graduated a number of starters from the defense but return many experienced players on that side at DL, LB and DE.
Tennant 3-4 6A
Here’s another program stuck in the mud recording their 14th consecutive losing season! If it wouldn’t be for bad luck they’d have no luck losing by 8, 5 and by 7 in overtime. Saw them on CIT-28 Christmas Eve vs Whitemarsh (I lead a dull life) where they looked better than 3-4. And they were, losing tight ones mentioned above to Springfield 14-6, Upper Moreland 14-9 and Wissahickon 20-13 in overtime. 2021 will be about replacing quarterback Matt Miller, running back Ferando Delgado, OL/DL Mike Costello (5-11, 270) and key D players in LB Derrick Cosenza (6-4, 220) and DB Eric DeJesus (5-9, 165). Ryan Marinucci at LB and Matt Miller at DB are also holes to fill on a defense allowing 20ppg that was their best since 2006’s 6-4 squad that allowed 17.
Springfield 4-2 4A (One was a forfeit win)
Springfield is on a roll having completed their third straight winning season! This is heady stuff in Erdenheim. Four years ago they were forfeiting seven games in a 0-8 season because of player shortages, with the season being cancelled after a 47-20 opening day loss to Octorara. The SOL granted an exemption allowing an independent schedule against smaller schools that saw them get the #1 seed vs Upper Moreland in 2019 at 8-2! They rejoined the league in 2020. Nice story.
Next year?....maybe not so nice graduating Qb Gabe Fraczyk who threw for 1008 yards and rushed for 230 more after passing for 1828 yards and rushing for 895 yards the year before. Ditto senior Cam Dennis who had 1004 yards in receptions last year and 455 this year on 34 catches. Played a lot of youth in 2021 so the numbers are decent there at DE Colby Sabin (5-10, 170), LBs Ryan Marcino (5-11, 165) and Will Shapley (6-0, 210). Ben Cooney (6-3, 185, jr) is back with DL Owen Hussie (5-10, 175. jr). They graduated some good lineman as well in Luke Gozzard (5-9, 185), Dan Dallea (5-9, 245) and Gavin DeLarso (5-10, 190). Looks challenging but you’ve got to like their trajectory.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-3 5A
The Colonials dropped below .500 this year after fielding one of their better teams a year ago that went 9-2. Garnet Valley (11-2) beat them in the 6A D-1 quarterfinal. But PW gave Cheltenham (14-2) one of their better game in the regular season losing 28-24. Chelty went on to lose to Archbishop Wood (11-3) in the Class 5A state final 19-15. PW was very young this season so look for a rebound in 2021. Before the 9-2 season they were struggling big time with back-to-back 1-8 seasons. Here’s their 2020 game with 3A Wyomissing (9-1, D3) who lost in the final to Central Valley after beating PW 44-0 in the regular season. They looked terrible against Wyomissing but they were young and Wyo is one of the top programs in the state. Good announcers.
Wyomissing Football vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh - YouTube
New Hope-Solebury 3-4 3A
Here’s another team like many that just missed a few more wins losing in overtime to Wissahickon by 3 and to Carroll by 7. The Lions recently concluded an impressive three year run going 12-2 in 2015, then back-to-back 9-2 seasons in 2016 and 2017 and 9-3 in 2018. They’re playing decent football in New Hope! 2019’s team went 5-5, but finished strong at 5-2 to set up 2020 for better things that almost occurred but for those narrow losses. Dual threat Phillip Weinseimer (6-3, 215, 928py, 50%, 4/6, 541ry) is a loss to graduation plus running back Joey Capriotti’s 686 yards. Tough losses but they have a solid line backing corps returning in MLB Jude Hutkin (6-0, 205, jr), Greg Fudula (5-10, 165, jr), Ryan Sullivan (6-0, 185, jr), Ben Garritano (6-1, 190, jr) plus Sean Cooney (6-1, 175, jr) at SS and Dylan Hilderbrandt (5-10, 155, jr) at corner.
Cheltenham 5A…..denied the opportunity to defend their state runner up Silver Medal when administrators opted out of playing for the 2020 season….while most other schools across the state and country enjoyed the season.

Ches Mont-National Division
Coatesville 4-1 6A
Coatesville’s four year run of 13-2, 14-1, 10-3 and 4-1 seasons saw them pass North Penn who went 9-3, 13-1, 8-4 and 4-1 as the winningest team in District-1 since 2010 at 111-24 to NP’s 108-30. How about these two. And how about getting a state championship Coatesville and another for North Penn. Dumb me thinking they should have had one (two?) since 2003’s title team. Back in the day I bragged up coach Matt Ortega, he being a District-3 guy and after reviving a declining program like York High. The Bearcats were forever down until he lifted them to 37-18 (04-08) before arriving at Coatesville, going 10-2, 10-2 his final two years at York. And he’s done the same thing at Coatesville and more, going 116-29 since his arrival in 2009. Many felt they’d take a step back in 2020 but they didn’t, despite starting a mixed but largely young team. They survived a brief but rigorous schedule (both Dtown teams) with a pile of sophomores, juniors and a few freshman who took veteran Pennridge to the brink. They managed the schedule in part because both Downingtown teams were also young at quarterback. With quarterbacks Harrison Susi and Boulder Eubanks returning along with receivers Tommy Ortega, Dewayne Molina, running back Ashton Worley and others plus good numbers to the defense (lineman will have to step up), they’ll enter 2021 and into 2022 in good shape with all that talented youth. Like Steelton Highspire, they should have a strong two year run with the amount of talented youth in the program.
Downingtown East 2-3 6A
East had some good looking parts but not enough to get past the better teams on their schedule losing to LaSalle 27-7, Coatesville 20-14 and Rustin 32-13, dipping below .500 for the first time in seven years. Some key returnees are soph quarterback Jamy Jenkins, top receiver Mike Giordano, running backs Josh Asante, Brayden McClain and Bo Horvat, TE/DE George Bousum (6-3, 220, jr), OL Kyle Kacmar (6-6, 280, jr) and others for a good nucleus. RB Stanley Bryant will be missed, perhaps more on defense where he was a fierce hitter! Since the split in 2003, East has gone 147-57 (72%) with three losing seasons while Downingtown West has gone 130-68 (65.6%) with five losing seasons.
Bishop Shanahan 4-0 4A
Shanahan had a good year with their best defense ever, albeit, against a less than challenging schedule of Archbishop Carroll (2-3) 14-7, Wilson Area (3-5, D11) 28-7, Pottstown (0-4) 35-0 and Lansdale Catholic (0-4) 35-0, But 4-0 is 4-0 with more to come in 2021 with most of the team returning, especially in the backfield with running backs and quarterback Cooper Jordan. RB/LB Brandon Choi (6-2, 215, jr) and WR/CB Gus Ross (6-0, 180, jr) are standouts. The Ches Mont showed a lot of youth in 2020 that should pay dividends in 2021.
Downingtown West 2-2 6A
The Whippets ended the year at .500 despite losing to conference rivals Coatesville 22-14 in the opener and D-town East in the finale 21-7. Like many others in the conference, they’ll return a boatload from both sides of the line for 2021 (10 starters, co-starters), an experienced quarterback in Evan Wickersham and most of the backfield. Hopefully they can develop more depth as they were hindered in 2020 with a lot of 2-way players. They look to be particular strong at linebacker returning Josh Barron (5-9, 190, jr), Nahsir Harris (6-0, 180, jr), Ryan Waters (6-1, 205, jr), Will Mahmud (6-1, 210, jr), Constantino Villari (6-2, 205, jr), and DTs Heath Williams (5-10, 245, jr), Drew Shelton (6-5, 280, jr) and Cooper Young (6-5, 280, so!). DBs Jake Rivera (5-9, 160, fr), Jake Kucera (5-9, 160, fr), and Elijah Ford (6-3, 175, jr) are also back.
Avon Grove 1-4 6A
Avon Grove had another one win season following 2019’s 1-9 campaign that marks their 11th non-winning season in a row. They went 5-5 in 2017 and 18 and haven’t had a winning season since 2009’s 11-2 team, their only winning team since they started playing football in 2002, compiling a 66-123 record. Like everyone else in the National, they return their quarterback, Connor Walsh. They’ll have little trouble replacing graduated lineman with the group they have coming up to join senior returning tackle Nate Fish (6-2, 275) and a standout sophomore linebacker in Evan Schultz (5-9, 185, jr). First year coach Joe Coffey has them playing hard as evidenced by defeating previously undefeated Unionville (3-1) 42-21 following losses to Coatesville, D-Town East and West by an average score of 45-3. No give up!

Ches Mont-American Division
Rustin 4-3 5A
Bayard Rustin High was established in 2006 where after an initial 3-8 season they became a perennial winner in the Ches Mont with a 124-48 record (72%) under the guidance of coach Mike St. Clair who has been their only head coach. 2020’s team came close, losing narrowly to Unionville 35-27, then winning four straight including a 32-13 rout of Downingtown East in the regular season final. Then they routed Wissahickon 48-13 in the playoffs before bowing to Upper Dublin 29-8. Along the way they discovered running back Dayshawn Jacobs (5-9, 180, jr) who rushed for 258 yards vs Wissahickon with 5 tds, ending with 677ry and 857 total. He’ll join FB/MLB Anthony Meadows (6-1, 220, jr) in the backfield with Travis Riley and Tucker Flynn graduating. Qb Kolbe Freney (6-2, 180, jr) got time and will likely replace John Crispino who graduates. CJ Fisher (6-1, 220, jr) was a standout on the line. They were a young team with only 12 seniors so look for marked improvement.
Unionville 3-1 5A
Unionville is one of those teams that sneaks up on you with a notable upset and at least 8 wins (9 of last 16 years) then drops off the screen with an early exit from the postseason or surprising loss. Last year saw them open with an impressive 35-27 win at Rustin, then end the year with a 42-21 loss at previously winless Avon Grove. Bottom line, they win a decent amount of games with one losing season since 2004, going 126-50 since then. They were “pretty young” as coach Pat Clark put it, giving them good numbers returning for 2021 especially along the lines with Jack Tuel 6-5 270, Conrad Muhly 6-1 250, Jack Muhly 6-1 245 and TE Nate Holt 6-5 230 back. Qb Matt McCloskey returns with running back Ethan Bennick.
Henderson 2-3 5A
The once powerful program (105-62, 2001-2014) that was Henderson High has fallen to unimaginable depths in four short years, winning but six games since losing to Springfield in 2016’s district semifinal. At 9-4, that was also their last winning season. Thereon the decline was rapid, followed by 1-9, 0-10, 3-8 and 2-3 seasons….and three new head coaches. But, after a 0-3 start this season, coach John Lunardi has them on the same page, winning their last two games against Octorara (6-2) 24-6 who came in from the Lancaster Lebanon for Homecoming at 5-1 (big win!) and Great Valley (2-3) 23-7. Junior Qb Eddie Smink (6-0, 200) returns with experienced receivers and backs. With almost every quarterback returning to the National and American conferences, 2021 should be exciting, paving the way for a highly competitive season in the Ches Mont.
West Chester East 3-2 5A
East broke in a new line and a impressive sophomore running back with a veteran quarterback in senior Ryan Duell that got them above .500 for only the third time in fourteen years. Graduating 25 seniors, 4 lineman and a quarterback says 2020 was the year to make a move, making 2021 a rebuild. They also graduated almost all of the defense making it a full rebuild. But they’ll have sophomore Mitch Ragni (6-0, 210. 793ry) who had 174 yards in the opener vs Oxford and 232 vs Henderson. And the line will rebuild around monster lineman Max Bowman (6-7, 290, jr). The quarterback position is up for grabs with Ryan McIntire (6-4, 205, jr) having the inside track. Note; Many Ches Mont games are available on You Tube.
Great Valley 2-3 5A
Great Valley struggled the last three years going 3-7, 2-8 and 2-3. The last two years have seen their offense dip to new lows, averaging 10ppg in 2019 and 9ppg last year. Part of the problem is an undersized line featuring Nick Mort 6-1 170 jr, Gavin Greco 6-0 210 so, Jose Caballero 5-10 180 so, Sean McNamara 5-11, 180 jr, and senior Duffy Cotter 5-10 220. Quarterback Andy Talone 6-0 175, jr returns with a team that should be more competitive with a veteran line. Young team last year.
Kennett 2-3 5A (Had a forfeit loss)
Kennett resumed the football program in 2005 after an 89 year hiatus with little success, having three winning teams since then. But they are making real progress under head coach Lance Frazier (3rd HC in 3 yrs!) who arrived in 2018 to make major improvements not seen at a glance (3-7 to 4-7), but in all statistical categories. From 2017 to 2018 they were statistically one of the most improved teams in the district on offense and defense, with competitive losses to Unionville 10-7 and Quakertown 15-13, teams that would typically blow them off the field. 2019’s team went 10-2, defeating Rustin, U-ville, St, Mark’s (Wilmington) and Strath Haven in the playoffs before losing to Cheltenham 42-20 in the district semifinal. Coach Frazier who played in the NFL for Dallas, Seattle and Baltimore was recently name by the National Federation of High Schools as its Pennsylvania Football Coach of the Year for 2019-2020. He has upgraded the program to the point where you can safely say they are no longer a pushover.
Oxford 1-3 5A
The Hornets struggled through another losing season, their 20th in the last 22 years! But they showed real progress defensively giving up 22ppg with an unsupportive offense scoring 15ppg. 2019’s defense allowed 33 ppg. In fact, they haven’t had a better defense in terms of points allowed since 2007’s 3-7 team allowed 20 a game. There were only 15 seniors on the roster last year so they’ll return good numbers while looking to replace a few key people; quarterback Seth Yoder (6-1, 220), OT Caleb O’Connor (6-3, 290), OG Nolan Reilly (5-9, 185), TE Kelvin Figueroa (5-11, 205), RB/LB Davon Rueda, WR/FS Joey Foutrakis and OLB Nick Verderame, SS Jake Highfield. They’ll rebuild around NT Nick Richardson (6-3, 280, jr), DEs Evan Pechin (6-1, 210, jr) and Maven Brannon (6-3, 205) and C Seth Pearson (5-9, 210, jr), DBs/QB Dustin Long and Dak Jones and RB (QB?) LB Dom Pantalone. Scant info on the Hornets.
Sun Valley 0-3 5A
Sun Valley had one winning season the last fourteen years as the program continues to flounder with only five winning seasons in the last twenty two years. 2020’s team was largely veteran. A late announcement and start to the season (no in Aug, yes in Sept) seemed to impact them as it did many. So they have a lot of graduations entering 2021, namely along the line in Jacob Steinmetz (6-4, 235), Jake Crowder (6-6, 325), Cam Madison (6-2, 220) and Rob Powell (6-3, 210). Juniors Travis Powell (6-3, 270) and Ryan McKay (6-4, 225) return. Kevin Mayosis (6-0, 180, jr) who split reps with graduating Ty McLaughlin is back as is RB Andrew Kmett. Coach Greg Bernhardt will enter his fifth season in 2021 with a 9-28 record looking to turn it around. Before the Sun job he was at Bonner from 2012-2015, going 19-23.

I still haven't fully gotten used to the "second" National Signing Day, with most prospects inking with schools in December now, but there was one big piece of news in Lehigh Valley football. Easton's Nahjee Adams, an All State pick in 2019, signed with Lafayette today after de-committing from Louisiana-Monroe after their coaching staff was let go in December. Adams, a 5'11 205 pound running back, ran for 1,863 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior and put up 658 yards in four full games this year before an injury prematurely ended his season. Adams was a three star prospect and held FBS offers from Liberty, UMass, Buffalo, and Bowling Green and FCS offers from powers James Madison, Villanova, Richmond, New Hampshire, Maine, Albany, and Furman.

Lafayette has long struggled in the Lehigh Valley (Lehigh dominates recruiting locally) and this represents a big win in the Valley for the Leopards. Adams has the size, speed, and versatility to be a star in the Patriot League. Frankly, he's probably the best local recruit Lafayette has landed since Erik Marsh, who went on to set the Patriot League career rushing record, still holds pretty much every Lafayette rushing mark, was a two-time All American and two-time Player of the Year after leading Bethlehem Catholic to two state titles. He's also only the fourth Easton kid I can remember going to Lafayette (dating back to Justin Rouse in 1993) which is kind of staggering considering Lafayette is...in Easton. Weirdly, Adams is the only kid from Pennsylvania in Lafayette's recruiting class.

Lehigh also only landed one Lehigh Valley kid in the cycle - Allentown Central Catholic quarterback Matt Rauscher. Rauscher led the Vikings to a D11 title this year and a top 10 ranking in the state in 4A, and threw for 1980 yards and rushed for 400 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. The other PA products in Lehigh's class are Christian Curatolo, and offensive lineman from Malvern Prep, and Connor Levelle, a safety from Baldwin.

Anyone have info on how the prep stacks up next year. They sure lose most of their offensive firepower. Wondering also if LaSalle will pose a real threat with some of their returnees being D-1 players.

Gym still closed? Can´t train? Losing reps? Why not bring the reps to you?
No matter if you need to get in squat reps, sprints or jumpshots we have you covered. Take 20% off this week only with coupon code: VHXCPGC2

CMR WOD Infinity Set

12KG Cut-out Weight Vest

20kg Adjustable Full Cut Weight Vest

Tank Sled

10KG Slam Ball

2 OKPRO Power Bands (you choose weight)

Wooden or Soft Landing 3 in 1 Plyo Box
$249


CMR Infinity Speed Set

1 speed chute

1 agility ladder

4 adjustable hurdles

12 disc cones

1 drawstring carrying bag

4 steel stakes

20kg Adjustable Weight Vest

Tank Sled

10KG Slam Ball

2 OKPRO Bands (you choose weight) Or Portable Power Trainer
$399

I see that McDevitt players are now listed on Wood's roster on HUDL. So I guess McDevitt is definately closing. Besides Bridgeman, who should make an inpact at Wood? How good will Wood be this year? Can they challenge Prep and LaSalle?
Any thoughts???

Just announced. P-R and SJP lead way with 4 each.

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Despite having a 6-2 record, sharing the conference championship, and winning a playoff game I don’t think anyone was happy with how our season ended. We fell short of winning the WPIAL Championship and in fact did not do as well as our 2019 team that reached the WPIAL Championship game. While we had success during an incredibly challenging season, I think we all felt we had more to accomplish.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I wrestle during the winter season and play baseball in the spring. I continue to lift weights and work on my speed and agility.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We have very high expectations for next season. A lot of our starters are returning for 2021 and we have younger players who have a lot of talent. When you have players returning such as Devin Whitlock, Cole Weightman, and Quinton Martin returning, I think you have to feel good about what we can accomplish next season.”

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

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I’m not sure of only one player, but teams like Thomas Jefferson, McKeesport, and Aliquippa always have multiple athletes that are very good.”

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

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have had DMs and email conversations with the following schools: Bucknell, Case Western, University of Chicago, US Coast Guard Academy, Columbia, Ithaca, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, MIT, US Merchant Marine Academy, Oberlin, University of Rochester, Rose-Hulman, Washington University in St. Louis, W&J, and Williams College. everything is in the early stages right now.

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Again, it's still early. But I did a Virtual Junior Day with the coaching staff from Washington University. Coaches from Columbia and Rose-Hulman have also expressed interest in having me visit campus this summer.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Yes, this summer I plan on attending the New England Elite Football Clinic at Tufts University in Boston. On the way up and back, I will be stopping at schools. I’m sure that I will be making other trips throughout the summer.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Penn State.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“The season definitely wasn’t what we expected, but hopefully we learned a lot and it makes us all hungry for a great season this coming year. My teammates and I had high standards coming in and fell short of our goals, so we can’t wait to redeem ourselves.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Right now, I am playing basketball. I also workout at FSQ Sports training a couple days a week to continue to get faster, stronger, and more explosive.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think we have a lot of talent and potential for next season. If we put in the time and effort, I believe we have the ability to have a great season.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Clairton and Jeannette always have a good team with a lot of talent.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Jaydin Canady or Ryan Kimmel from Jeannette. Ryan is a tough lineman, and Jaydin is a great athlete and playmaker on both sides of the ball.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I definitely want to play football in college, and maybe long jump in track too. I won a few big invitationals in middle school and had plans for at least one national invitational this year, but the season was lost due to COVID.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“My recruiting is still wide open. I have been followed by coaches from every division, D1 FBS, FCS, D2 and D3. I hope to get in closer contact with schools going into my junior year.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“In 2019, I attended camps at Penn and Lafayette and visited Princeton with my older brother when he was invited up for their game against Yale.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I am planning on going to as many camps as I can in the spring and summer and will make sure I tour each campus I go to, but I have not decided which ones yet.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up
“I love the Big Ten in general. Wisconsin and Iowa are some of my favorite teams to watch. I also like Maryland.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“As a team, we are all happy to have won a district championship this season, but more importantly we were thankful to have a season and get in 8 games.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Right now, I’m playing basketball and I’ll be playing baseball in the spring, but I’ve still been lifting 4-5 times a week along with doing footwork and trying to get faster.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I’m very excited to see what our team can do next season. We have close to everyone back on both sides of the ball and we have some sophomores that could contribute too.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Playing in the EPC every team is good. There aren’t any weeks where you can take your foot off the gas.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The toughest player we’ll play against is probably Lavon Johnson from Central Catholic.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I do want to play sports in college and football is the sport that I want to play at the next level.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been in contact with multiple coaches, but don’t have much serious interest yet because schools are still finishing their class of 2021.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Not yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to visiting schools this spring.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve always been a Penn State fan. Happy Valley is a beautiful place and going to a game at Beaver Stadium is an awesome experience and the atmosphere is like no other.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Overall as a team, we didn’t meet our goal that we established at the beginning of the season which was to win districts. We also didn’t end on the right food losing in the playoffs and then not being able to play in our Thanksgiving rivalry game against P’Burg. We look to have a bounce back year this upcoming season. For me as a player, I think I proved and showed a lot of people what I’m capable of doing when I get on the field. It was my first year being a starter as a junior and I was able to help and make a lot of plays for my team. I have racked up a good number of accolades so far during this offseason being named first team for my conference and The Morning Call as a cornerback and a returner on special teams. I looked to do even better next season.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Right now, I’m running indoor track for Easton. For now, we are just getting good workouts in because our meets are getting canceled everywhere.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I think we are going to be a very good team. We have a lot of returning starters going to next year with even more talent from underclassmen. I believe we are going to prove a lot of doubters wrong.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I believe it will be Freedom. They gave us a hard time last year beating us two times. They have a lot of returning talent going into next year just like us, so we’ll see how it all plays out.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I think containing Deante Crawford out of Freedom will be our toughest challenge. He’s a very good running back that gave us trouble last year as well. When playing against Freedom, stopping him will play a big role in our success.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I haven’t decided whether I want to play football or run track in college. It would be a blessing to be given the opportunity for either of those sports, so I can’t go wrong with any decision that will be made.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Colby College, Navy, and Wilkes University are really the only colleges to show the most interest.”

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

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“I would hope in the near future I would get the opportunity to go on a college visit.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Rutgers University was always my favorite growing up. I have a lot of family that lives close to campus. I feel like it would be a great fit.”

How did the high school football season go overall?
“Our season was not what we expected by losing the first game in districts, but we ended up winning 6 of our 8 games.”

What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans are to just keep going to football workouts that our coaches hold for us and I also put extra work in on the side.”

How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“In my opinion, I feel like our team next season can be very dominant. We just have to keep working toward that goal each week.”

What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“In my opinion, there’s no team tougher than us if you have the mindset you can beat any team. My team and I just have to work each week.”

Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I don’t know.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“My goal is to play college football. I am very dedicated and work every day to improve my game to compete with the best.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve been in contact with some, but nothing serious. I’m just going to be humble and keep doing what I’m doing.”

Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“Yes, I am hoping to go visit a couple of colleges once this virus settles down.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My favorite college growing up is Penn State.”