D11/2 Subregional Finals: Parkland 63 Wyoming Valkey West 21

[RoverNation05]

#2 Parkland (11-1) at #1 Wyoming Valley West (12-0)

Starters
Parkland
QB: Devante Cross (Sr. 6’2 185): 149-240, 2,153, 20-7 / 180-1,055-15
RB: Erik DiGiralomo (Sr. 5’9 185) 139-938-19
WR: Kenny Yeboah (Sr. 6’6 220): 54-857-11
WR: Nolan Ridgway (Sr. 6’2 185): 31-508-4
WR: Zack Bross (Jr. 6’4 195): 30-294-1
WR: Carrick Panella (Jr. 5’7 165): 21-277-1
LT: Noel Brouse (Sr. 6’6 270)
LG: Patrick Ferry (Jr. 6’3 315)
C: Alex Van Woert (Jr. 5’11 210)
RG: Andrew Parry (Jr. 6’0 230)
RT: Steven Feher (Sr. 6’5 265)

DE: DJ Hohman (Jr. 5’11 195): 46 tackles, 10.5 sacks
DT: Noel Brouse (Sr. 6’5 270): 43 tackles, 7 TFL, 5 sacks
DT: Jahan Worth (So. 5’11 220): 44 tackles, 11 TFL
DE: Palmer Kerch (Jr. 6'0 200): 57 tackles, 14 TFL, 6 sacks
WLB: Erik DiGiralomo (Sr. 5’9 185): 70 tackles, 5 sacks
MLB: Mario Dellis (Sr. 5’10 200): 107 tackles, 5 sacks
SLB: Frank Guida (Jr. 5’9 175): 53 tackles,
CB: Devante Cross (Sr. 6’2 185)
CB: Nolan Ridgway (Sr. 6’2 185)
S: Kenny Yeboah (Sr. 6’6 220): 4 INTs
S: Zack Bross (Jr. 6’4 195)

Wyoming Valley West
QB: Aaron Austin (Jr. 6’0 170): 119-184, 1,927, 27-11 / 116-656-6
RB: Sean Judge (Jr. 5’9 165): 127-1,349-18 / 22-379-4
FB: Bill Davidson (Sr. 6’1 215): 58-432-8 / 11-137-3
WR: Devon Weidman (Sr. 6’1 180): 40-696-10 / 20-360-5
WR: Jake Shermo (Jr. 6’0 170): (Jr. 6’0 170): 3-58-0
TE: LJ Wesneski (Sr. 6’4 235): 37-498-9
TE: Chris Reese (Sr. 6’3 230): 6-59-0
LT: Chris Bleich (So. 6’6 310)
LG: Brydon Rukstalis (Jr. 6’1 230)
C: Keith Wolfe (Sr. 6’1 240)
RG: Brian Hoffman (Sr. 6’0 260)
RT: Jason Wall (Sr. 6’0 270)

DE: LJ Wesneski (Sr. 6’4 235): 69 tackles, 14 TFL, 7 sacks
DT: Brydon Rukstalis (Jr. 6’1 230): 75 tackles, 3 TFL, 5 sacks
DT: Keith Wolfe (Sr. 6’1 240): 65 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks
DE: Chris Reese (Sr. 6'3 230): 67 tackles, 6 TFL, 9 sacks
LB: Bill Davidson (Sr. 6’1 215): 117 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT
LB: Zack Davies (So. 5’9 180): 134 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks
LB: Nick Mooney (Jr. 5’8 160): 76 tackles, 5 TFL, 6 sacks
LB: James Sokoloski (Sr. 5’10 200): 91 tackles,
DB: Deovn Weidman (Sr. 6’1 180): 45 tackles, 4 INT
DB: Sean Judge (Jr. 5’9 165): 55 tackles, 5 INT
DB: Jake Shermo (Jr. 6’0 170): 76 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 INT

The Last Time They Met
This is the first meeting between the two schools. This is Parkland’s 11th appearance in the district/subregional finals and they are the first team since Bethlehem Catholic form 1999-2002 to make four straight finals. Parkland is 7-3 in championship games, and riding a three game winning finals winning streak. They are 2-0 against D2 teams in subregional championship games, in a pair of classics. In 2012, Parkland beat Delaware Valley in Milford 49-41 behind 226 yards and 3 TDs by Jarel Elder, and in 2007, Parkland blocked a 27 yard field goal as time expired to beat Hazleton 16-14, despite a 188 yard effort from Nate Eachus. This is Wyoming Valley West’s first subregional final since the D2/11/4 merger in 2004. Previously, their last District championship came in 1997.

Parkland Last Week
The Trojans looked like three time defending subregional champions, throttling Easton 37-0 in Orefield. After a scoreless first quarter, Devante Cross and Kenny Yeboah connected on a 67 yard touchdown pass, where Yeboah out jumped a defender, then raced 30 yards into the end zone. After forcing a three and out, Cross took a QB power 45 yards to the house to start the rout. Cross and Yeboah would hook up 5 times for 163 yards and TDs of 67, 17, and 64 yards. Cross ran for 118 yards and threw for 202, making him the fourth quarterback in Lehigh Valley history to throw for 2,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in a single season. He also added an acrobatic interception to set up their third TD drive. Defensively, Parkland was lights out. They gave up a 54 yards on the opening drive of the game, but bulled their neck at their own 21 and forced a stop. From there on, they yielded just 52 yards the rest of the game, led by defensive tackle Noel Brouse, who was in the backfield on every play, and finished with two sacks and four tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Easton tailback Nysir Minney-Gratz could only muster 47 yards on 15 carries and was held out of the end zone for only the second time all year, both by Parkland.

Wyoming Valley West Last Week
The Spartans got in a shoot out with Liberty and advanced 55-35. After giving up just 8 points per game during the regular season, WVW has given up 69 points in two playoff games. But their offense has been up to the task. Sean Judge was brilliant once again, rushing for 116 yards and three TDs on 23 carries, catching five passes for 123 yards and a TD, and adding an interception on defense. Their defense harassed Doug Erney into four interceptions and six turnovers overall. But it was not all pretty, as Gunner Anglovech gashed their rush defense for 293 yards and three TDs and Liberty totaled 518 yards of offense in the loss.

When Parkland Has the Ball
The Parkand offensive line and the Wyoming Valley West defensive line should be one of the best match ups of the seasons. The Trojans are huge up front and pass block as well as any team I can remember. The Spartans also have a ton of size on the line, and two of the best pass rushers in the subregional in Chris Reese and LJ Wesneski. Their battles with Brouse and Feher on the outside will be worth the price of admission if you’re in to line play. Beyond that, Parkland will want to put the ball in the air. Kenny Yeboah had his biggest game of the year last week, torching Easton on jump balls and deep routes. WVW is small in the secondary, and they need to figure out a way to cover Yeboah. But Parkland has been running a lot of four verts with him, so that you can’t just bracket him with a safety because two other receivers are streaking down the middle of the field. WVW also likes to play a 4-4, which they cannot do against Parkland's spread sets, they'll need to take a linebacker off of the field, or use one of their linebackers as a hybrid safety. In the run game, Parkland has found their groove with designed quarterback runs, using tailback/bowling ball Erik DiGiralomo as a lead blocker and pounding the ball over Brouse and Patrick Ferry on the left side of the line. When Ferry stays low and gets his hands inside, he’s a devastating run blocker, and his consistency has played a big role in their improved running game over the last few weeks. DiGiralomo also has come into his own, and he’s a body blow back that they’ll need to salt away games if they’re going to go far. There's not a lot of wiggle, but he relishes contact and hits holes quickly. Cross is shiftier, and has big time straight line speed, so if he gets into the secondary, not many people can catch him. And for as big as the Spartans defensive line is, only Bill Davidson has elite size in the back seven.

When Wyoming Valley West Has the Ball
Since a bizarre 41-34 loss to Liberty, the Trojans are giving up 6.5 points per game. They’re giving up under 100 rushing yards per game in that stretch, and no back has gained more than 87 yards (state leading rusher Kyle Boney, in his only sub 100 yard game of the season). So the Spartans have their work cut out for them. Like Liberty, they have size on the offensive line that can match the brute strength of the Parkland front four. They also are the most balanced team Parkland has seen since the Hurricanes, which gave the Trojans fits. WVW will move Sean Judge around and get him the ball in a variety of ways, be it option runs, pistol hand offs, pop passes, jet sweeps, screens, etc. Play action and option plays will be plentiful, and critical. The Spartans also have physicality at the wideout position with Wesneski and Devon Weidman. I’d imagine Yeboah will be tasked with stopping Wesneski, and he’s perfect to stop big, athletic tight ends, because he’s the best athlete at his size in eastern Pennsylvania. The interior of the WVW line will need to play well, because Brouse and Jahan Worth have been playing on another level at defensive tackle. Moving Worth from inside linebacker to DT has been a great move (unfortunately forced by injury), and the 220 pound sophomore has a speed and athleticism advantage over most guards, and like any elite wrestler, really can use his hands in battles in the trenches. And both Parkland defensive end are classic Parkland, undersized high motor ends who benefit from the attention their tackles get on the inside. If those two can blow up the WVW spread from the inside, Parkland will be in business.

The Pick
All year I’ve been touting that this Wyoming Valley West team is for real. They’re one of the best teams in D2 since the subregional started, they’re the most balanced team in the subregional, and they’ve got the size and strength on the line to contend with the Lehigh Valley schools. But Parkland has flipped a switch since lackluster midseason performances against Whitehall and Liberty. The defense has shown itself to be a real strength, and offensively they have a better sense of identity. And, at the end of the day, they are snapping the ball to the best player on the field. Devante Cross has been fabulous for the last three year, but he’s playing better now than he has at any point in his career. And on Friday, he’ll become the first D11 4A quarterback to lead his team to three straight state playoff appearances.

Parkland 35-17

 

[RoverNation05]

Parkland up 42-14 with 2 minutes left in the first half. WVW returned an interception 100 yards for a TD, this game could easily be 49-7. Devante Cross has thrown two TDs and run for two. Noel Brouse has a fat guy touchdown with a pick 6 on a screen, yeboah and ridgeway have caught TDs and DiGiralomo ran for one. Parkland has 350 yards of offense and 17 first downs in the first half.

 

[RoverNation05]

Parkland up 49-14 at halftime, hook and lateral for a TD on the last play of the half.

 

[Relayer]

I hope Simon Gratz is taking notes

 

[RoverNation05]

Trojans up 56-14. Ten minutes left third quarter. All starters out, mercy rule in effect. Could not be more dominant.

 

[RoverNation05]

Trojans third string tailback scored a TD in the fourth quater and Devon Weidman had a long TD run in the final five minutes for WVW to account for the final, 63-22. Devante Cross ran for 170 yards and two TDs in the first half, and threw for 150 yards and two more scores.

Trojans went on a 49-0 run after Sean Judge returned an int 100 yards for a TD to tie the game at 14 with 8 minutes left in the second quarter. Big turnovers, and a recovered squib kick allowed Parklsnd to pile up touchdowns in a hurry.

 

[00shoe]

WOW!, still will not beat Lasalle

 

[RoverNation05]

LaSalle is the favorite until proven otherwise.

Parkland's offensive line has to play well enough to let Cross make plays. They can win if he's the best player on the field.

And defensively, they can't get blown off the ball by the LaSalle linemen. They're massive, and only Brouse is in their weight class on Parkland's starting front four. They may have to rotate guys more than normal to get more bulk on the field. Moncman needs to have his best week at Parkland getting them ready.

 

[StefenD001]

Big school football in district 2 has been lacking for years. It continues today with this butt whooping and the beating Scranton Prep just took from Saucon Valley. District 2 football is all about AA and A football with Dunmore and Old Forge. Even then they're the only ones at those levels. Dunmore took Lake-Lehman apart the week before. Its sad. It used to be a big football area up there.

 

[kitwor]

LaSalle (as long as they get by Gratz) will absolutely have to contain Cross.They also have two receivers who are at least 6'3 and two of their TD's were just thrown up and pulled down in the end zone by them. Overall, they looked pretty impressive to me but I'm not sure if that was the result of their match up with WVW. Parkland revamped their OLine but overall they played in sinc and dominated both LOS.

It was the first time I saw a game in Kingston and I was very impressed with the stadium. Had a ton of seating on the home side and the stadium is about 5 miles from the school in another town. Stadium sits on a residential street.

 

[EPC FAN]

LaSalle (as long as they get by Gratz) will absolutely have to contain Cross.They also have two receivers who are at least 6'3 and two of their TD's were just thrown up and pulled down in the end zone by them. Overall, they looked pretty impressive to me but I'm not sure if that was the result of their match up with WVW. Parkland revamped their OLine but overall they played in sinc and dominated both LOS.

It was the first time I saw a game in Kingston and I was very impressed with the stadium. Had a ton of seating on the home side and the stadium is about 5 miles from the school in another town. Stadium sits on a residential street.

That was the football stadium of Kingston High School. The visiting side stands used to goal line to goal line. When they renovated that side, they cut down the size of the stands. The school being built in Plymouth was a political decision.
On Cross. He has been really coached up the last two seasons. His coach in his Junior year, Jim Terwilliger won the Harlan Hill Trophy, the small college Heisman Trophy, at ESU. He broke most of Coach James Franklin's passing records.
He moved on and Parkland hired Bret Comp, who also played quarterback at ESU. He won a state title as the head coach at Wilson Area. His team beat Terrelle Pryor's Jeannette. He is an excellent quarterback coach.
Cross has passed for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards this season His receivers are big, fast kids. Yeboah is 6-5, Ridgeway is 6-3 and Bross is 6-4.

 

[RoverNation05]

He's obviously gone to a big rival within the conference, and I've rooted hard against him, but I will really miss watching Devante Cross play football when he graduates. Great athlete, great competitor, and by all accounts a good kid. And he fits right in with the Bednarik, Persa, Gonzalez, and Nosovitch as great Lehigh Valley quarterbacks this century.

You're right a EPC, he's developed really well under two excellent QB coaches/OC's, and he's matched his impressive arm strength/mobility with an acumen for the game. They made an aggressive, but correct, call to bench a senior starter after week 2 in 2013 and go with Cross as a sophomore. His transformation from then to now has been pretty impressive.

 

[EPC FAN]

He's obviously gone to a big rival within the conference, and I've rooted hard against him, but I will really miss watching Devante Cross play football when he graduates. Great athlete, great competitor, and by all accounts a good kid. And he fits right in with the Bednarik, Persa, Gonzalez, and Nosovitch as great Lehigh Valley quarterbacks this century.

You're right a EPC, he's developed really well under two excellent QB coaches/OC's, and he's matched his impressive arm strength/mobility with an acumen for the game. They made an aggressive, but correct, call to bench a senior starter after week 2 in 2013 and go with Cross as a sophomore. His transformation from then to now has been pretty impressive.

Yes it has. Guys I was with were former coaches in the Wyoming Valley. When he hit Ridgeway with that long one, one of the guys said 'our kid would have chucked it on a line and missed him by ten yards.'
You missed one of the great Lehigh Valley quarterbacks. He starts at Lehigh. Kid named Nick Shafnisky.

 

[RoverNation05]

The throw to Ridgway was beautiful. That's where you can really see Terwillger's influence, the touch on the deep ball has come a long way.

I always liked Shafnisky, as a partisan of the other Patriot League school in the Lehigh Valley, I was very unhappy with him going to Lehigh (fears legitimized by his performance last weekend). If I was making a comprehensive list, it'd have to include Shafnisky, Borda, Muschko, Laub, Harding, Pacchioli, Atiyeh, and probably a handful of others.

But Cross is really climbing any list in my opinion. We got into that conversation on Thanksgiving, and I think the consensus was he's playing at a higher level now than Anthony Gonzalez was during Liberty's title run in 2008. Gonzo did it for six straight weeks, which Cross obviously hasn't done yet (nor has anybody since '08), but he's going to give them a puncher's chance in however many games they have left.

And I think BC is crazy not to give him a shot under center next year. I watched both Easton-Parkland games with a friend who played football at BC who was pretty adamant Cross is further along than any quarterback on their roster right now.

 

[RoverNation05]

LaSalle looking every bit as good if not better than Parkland did last night. Going to take a great effort next week to get the monkey off of our collective backs.

 

[EPC FAN]

LaSalle looking every bit as good if not better than Parkland did last night. Going to take a great effort next week to get the monkey off of our collective backs.

Is that game on SECTV?

 

[RoverNation05]

Guy from the Philly Inquierer is showing it on Periscope, have it on an iPad.