D11 6A Finals: #9 Nazareth (11-1) vs. #2 Parkland (12-0)

[RoverNation05]

Parkland
Record: 12-0; EPC South Champion
Head Coach: Tim Moncman (74-21 at Parkland; 174-66 overall; 6 D11 titles, 3 state finals, 1 state championship)
District 11 Championships: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022
District 11 Runner-Up: 1997, 2003, 2009, 2019,
Eastern Final: 1996, 1998
State Runner-Up: 2007, 2015
State Champion: 2002

Nazareth
Record: 11-1
Head Coach: Tom Falzone (71-40 at Nazareth, 112-57 overall; 3 D11 titles)
District 11 Championships: 1988 (3A), 1989 (3A), 2011, 2019, 2020

Regular Season Match Up
Parkland defeated Nazareth 31-24 back in week 4, throwing a 39 yard touchdown pass to Trey Tremba with 1:22 remaining. Tremba ran for 266 yards and three touchdowns, had over 300 yards rushing/receiving, plus caught the game winning score, as Parkland's offense racked up 486 yards of total offense. Parkland had three different double-digit leads, but a Peyton Falzone pass to Caleb Newsome tied the game at 24 with 11 minutes remaining. Nazareth tried to put together a game winning drive in the final minute, but Mason Kuehner was stopped one yard short on fourth down near midfield to solidify the win for the Trojans. Falzone threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort.

Parkland's Starters (bold - all conference)
QB: Luke Spang (Sr. 6’1 175): 122-183, 1,853 yards, 23 TDs, 8 INTs/49 carries, 298 yards, 7 TDs
QB: Blake Nassry (Fr. 6'4 190): 19-27, 155 yards, INT
RB: Trey Tremba (Sr. 5’11 205; Army): 197 carries, 1,736 yards, 24 TDs/29 catches, 351 yards, 4 TDs - EPC Offensive Player of the Year
WR: Connor Johns (Sr. 6’3 190; Penn): 35 catches, 638 yards, 10 TDs
WR: Leo Dauberman (Jr. 5’10 175): 14 catches, 232 yards, TD
WR: Jendel Sanchez (Sr. 6’3): 23 catches, 384 yards, 4 TDs
TE: Robbie Ruisch (Sr. 6’4 220): 10 catches, 157 yards, 3 TDs
LT: Ali Wezza (Sr. 6’2 245)
LG: Russell Clark (Sr. 6’1 255)
C: Kale Kumernitsky (Sr. 6’3 265)
RG: James Tyler (So. 6’3 255)
RT: Owen Broadhead (Sr. 6’2 250)

DE: Robbie Ruisch (Sr. 6’4 220)
DT: Russell Clark (Sr. 6’1 255)
DT: Matthew Dorsey (So.)
DE: Jake Beidleman (Sr. 6’1 210): 9 sacks
LB: TJ Lawrence (Fr. 5’10 190): 63 tackles
LB: Trey Tremba (Sr. 5’11 205; Army): 3 INTs
LB: Joseph Trestail (Sr. 5’8 175)
DB: Nolan Coen (Sr. 5’11 170): 2 INTs
DB: Jendel Sanchez (Sr. 6’3 175): 2 INTs
DB: Connor Johns (Sr. 6’3 190; Penn)
DB: Leo Dauberman (Jr. 5’10 175)
DB: Aidan Gallagher (Sr.)

Nazareth Starters (bold - all conference)
QB: Peyton Falzone (So. 6’5 200): 144-233, 2,191 yards, 17 TDs, 2 INTs/52 carries, 312 yards, 8 TDs
RB: Jed Bendekovits (Sr. 5’10 175): 144 carries, 917 yards, 14 TDs
RB: Marquez Wimberly (So. 5’10 185): 106 carries, 660 yards, 10 TDs/9 catches, 138 yards
WR: Mason Kuehner (Sr. 5’11 175): 63 catches, 979 yards, 5 TDs/31 carries, 208 yards
WR: Logan Hilarczyk (Sr. 5’11 180): 27 catches, 352 yards, 2 TDs
WR: Caleb Newsome (Jr. 5’11 165): 29 catches, 564 yards, 5 TDs
WR: Frankie Mroz (Sr. 6’1 195): 18 catches, 238 yards, 1 TD
LT: Jake Englehart (Sr. 6’3 255)
LG: Brady Pidgeon (Sr. 6’1 205)
C: Tony Pilla (Sr. 6’0 230)
RG: Lincoln Heimbach
RT: Sean Kinney (Sr. 6’3 290)

DE: Andrew Long (Sr. 5’8 205)
DL: Sean Kinney (Sr. 6’3 290): 70 tackles, 6 sacks
DL: Tony Pilla (Sr. 6’0 230)
DE: Owen Banghart (Sr. 6’3 220): 64 tackles, 9 sacks
LB: Tyler Marsteller (Sr. 5’10 180): 5 sacks
LB: Dominic Pilla (Sr. 5’11 200): 96 tackles
LB: Frankie Mroz (Sr. 6’1 195)
LB: Lance Zuercher (Fr.)
LB: Jed Bendekovits (Sr. 5’10 175): 7 sacks
DB: Marquez Wimberly (So. 5’10 185)
DB: Mason Kuehner (Sr. 5’11 175)
DB: Caleb Newsome (Jr. 5’11 165)
DB: Logan Hilarczyk (Sr. 5’11 180): 5 INTs

 

[RoverNation05]

Parkland's Offense
It's the Trey Tremba show, with some nice pieces around him. Tremba currently sits ninth in single season rushing at Parkland, and needs 120 yards to catch Sean Bleiler's 1999 season, but is just 183 yards out of 5th place and could conceivably have Parkland's third 2,000 yard rushing season (he's not getting the additional 2,120 yards he needs to catch Austin Scott's 2002). Tremba is a versatile runner, one of the more complete backs we've had up here - Erik Marsh from the '88 and '90 Becahi state championship teams is not a bad comparison. He's fast enough, incredibly tough and balanced between the tackles, and is a threat in the passing game as well. With Luke Spang injured last week, Tremba took on the entire offensive load, carrying 33 times for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns to put the Trojans in the finals. The offensive line is very good - Wezza, Clark, and Kumernitsky all are multi-year starters, and Tyler has a shot at being a big time recruit in two years. But most importantly, they really get after you. Tim Moncman teams are usually mean (the Liberty groups were brutal) but I think this is the first time he's reached this level of violence with a Parkland squad.

The big question is obviously quarterback. Luke Spang, simply put, got rocked last week. I know there were concussion and broken rib concerns, but I don't have a medical update. Spang is 147 yards from his second 2,000 yard season (he would join DeVante Cross as the only Parkland quarterbacks to do that), so they're not a one dimensional offense, and wideout Connor Johns is a particularly good target, though he's slowed in recent weeks. If Spang can go, he's not going to be 100%, but he at least gives them a ton of senior leadership. HIs backup is highly regarded but incredibly green Blake Nassry, a freshman with serious measruables and serious hoops chops, but has only thrown 27 passes in blowouts this year. He's likely getting a week of reps with the ones, so he'll be more ready that he was last week against Emmaus, but it's a tall task if he's the starter. Look for TONS of Tremba if that's the case.

Nazareth Offense
This might be the best iteration of Tom Falzone's spread. They don't have a Jahan Dotson level star, but it's just a bevy of great skill players - Kuehner is looking at Temple and MAC schools, Wimberly has a West Virginia offer as a sophomore, Hilarczyk and Bendekovits are a PSAC player, Newsome is a Patroit League/Ivy League guy, it's weapons galore. Kuehner is their most complete player in terms of route running and physicality, while Wimberly and Newsome are track level fast guys that can kill you in space. Running the show is Falzone's son, Peyton, who is the best quarterback prospect we've had here since Brendan Nosovitch. Big, accurate, great arm, athletic enough to move around - he's not a finished product yet, but his sophomore year has been really impressive and I think there are huge things for him going forward. The offensive line is a classic Scott Byrd unit, big, physical tackles, a really good center, and undersized guards that he likes to pull all over the place and create havoc with their agility and conditioning. Sean Kinney is obviously the headliner of the unit - he was All State in 2022 and holds scholarship offers from James Madison, Buffalo, and Kent State as a football player and Penn State, Missouri, Oklahoma, and North Carolina as a wrestler. They run it better than a lot of recent Nazareth teams - Bendekovits (grandson of the legendary former Whitehall coach) is the between the tackles, bruiser type, while Wimberly is an all purpose guy. Parkland kept them down for stretches in the first half last time, but started to wear down as the game went on. Look for them to put a lot of pressure on the Trojans through the air.

 

[RoverNation05]

Parkland's Defense
It's a solid Tim Moncman defensive unit - they play fast and together and are probably better than the sum of their parts. They don't have a star - TJ Lawrence is going to be there, but it's hard for a 9th grader to be a game-changer. Still, he's their leading tackler and seems to be every bit the athlete he's been hyped. A future with Lawrence and Nassry is going to be tough for the rest of the conference to deal with. But beyond that it's solid guys - Tremba is a good defensive player, Russell Clark is super disruptive at nose tackle, Jake Beidleman has been very good in the stand-up rush end spot Moncman likes to use, and the back of the defense is a lot of smart, solid players. They don't have burners in the secondary, but everybody can hit and they play well as a unit. They're not going to shut Nazareth down, but they'll make them earn it.

Nazareth's Defense
Kinney is a star. He's a good offensive lineman, he's a GREAT defensive tackle. Crazy high motor, great hands, violent player, he's just all sorts of disruptive. They moved him around in the regular season match up and really limited Parkland's running game in the second half by putting him right over the center. He does so much not only to get himself going, but frees up blockers for OWen Banghart on the end - who leads the conference in sacks, largely because of the attention Kinney gets. The linebackers are fine - Pilla is their best guy as like the 45th Pilla brother to play linebacker at Nazareth. But the standout unit is the secondary. Wimberly, Newsome, Kuehner, and Hilarczyk can do it all. Wimberly and Newsome are burners at corner that can play a lot of man while they bring pressure, and the two safeties are sideline-to-sideline guys. Hilarcyzk has a bunch of interceptions just playing center field and being in the right place at the right time. Now, of course, they aren't going to need all of that pass defense against Parkland, but if the Trojans are limited at quarterback, they can make throwing it really precarious. But it's how the front seven holds up against the offensive line that is going to be the difference.

 

[RoverNation05]

Keys to the Game

Sean Kinney vs. The Parkland Offensive Line
How disruptive can Kinney be in slowing down the rushing attack? Nazareth is very average up front, save for Kinney, who can single handedly wreck a game - Riley Robell from McDevitt isn't a bad comparison for Kinney if those of us state-wide are looking for a visual. If Parkland can control him with scheme like they did in teh first half last time, they'll be able to move the football. If it looks more like the second half, Parkland is going to have trouble.

Can Nazareth Give Falzone Time
Parkland was able to disrupt the Nazareth passing game by sending extra guys and making Falzone unsure of himself in the pocket. They had a couple of sacks to get him behind schedule - Beidleman is their best pass rusher and he has really good get-off from the edge. They'll move him around and get him either really wide, or stick him right in the A-gap and flex Clark or Kumernitsky out. They're not going to get a lot on Kinney's side, but will try to give the Nazareth protections a lot of different looks. Falzone can scoot a little bit, but he's way less accurate on the run.

Mason Kuehner
Nazareth spreads the ball around on offense, but Kuehner is their best player and they ahve to get him the ball. He was quiet in the first match up - they'll get looks to Newsome over the top or Wimberly if they can get him on a linebacker, but those take time to develop. Kuehner working the middle of the field and on short to intermediate routes is where they'll be able to stem the Parkland pass rush if they are struggling to block.

Is Trey Tremba Going to Be Superman
We've seen massive individual efforts by running backs in a D11 final before - Kareem Williams (313 yards and 4 TDs in 2013), Jalen Stewart (180 and 4 TDs in 2019), Eddie Scipio (171 yards and 4 TDs in 2000), James Mungro (313 yards and 5 TDs in 1995), Sean Bleiler (259 yards and 4 TDs in 1998), and Jarel Elder (233 yards and 4 TDs in 2012). Is Trey Tremba going to put Parkland on his back and have a night like that? Given their limitations at quarterback, that seems like Parkland's best bet.

Young Quarterbacks
Blake Nassry vs. Peyton Falzone is likely going to be a D11 defining rivalry for the next two years as the high ceiling youngsters develop into big time quarterbacks. Falzone is a year older and obviously a year ahead in his development with a 2,000 yard passing season under his belt as a first year starter. If Nassry starts, he's not going to match that. But he's going to have to show enough that we're talking about this game in a few years as the start of something special in the Lehigh Valley.

 

[RoverNation05]

My Pick

I've been in the Nazareth corner all season. Parkland has played exceptionally well and is a really tough, well coached, hard nosed high school football team with one really excellent skill player. A lot of years, that's enough. But I think Nazareth has more gamebreakers. Parkland was able to keep a lot of them in check for big chunks of the first game, and got a super human effort from Tremba, but it still took a semi-miraculous third and long touchdown pass to win the game. And when two very evenly teams are matched up, the smart money is usually a reversal from the first outcome. Give me Nazareth 38-31.

 

[DripDrop]

Rover heard parkland is pretty banged up and heard their quarterback is out. Any truth to that?

 

[RoverNation05]

Rover heard parkland is pretty banged up and heard their quarterback is out. Any truth to that?

I’m assuming their quarterback won’t play. I didn’t see the game, but the description I’ve heard is “hardest clean hit I’ve ever seen”. I think he broke a couple ribs and has a concussion.

Kumernitsky and Broadhead have missed a lot of the year, but I think are back and as healthy as they’re going to be.

 

[bucksftball]

Outside of moving Kinney to nose, I wonder if we will see more schematic changes from Nazareth? Most of the big runs resulted from being either out-schemed or maybe mis-aligned at times. Hard to tell, because HS kids make mistakes and so it can be hard to tell unless you know a team well. The long run by the QB in the first quarter... Nazareth was in man and Parkland motioned their X across the formation, pulling the corner with him. With no other passing threat to that side, the safety bumped inside. Literally no force player. They ran Q counter and there was literally no one to block. Both pullers came around the corner clean and there wasn't anyone there waiting for them. That happened on multiple runs by Tremba also. The only force player was 5-6 yards off the ball, the DE was in a tite front so he couldn't squeeze or spill. It was more of a defense you'd see against a spread team that throws it 75% of the time. With a freshman (or banged up) QB, I wonder if Nazareth plays more zone to be sound against the run game. I'm assuming this will be the Tremba show (as it should be) and he'll get 30+ carries.

 

[RoverNation05]

Update that I forgot about - Nazareth will be without wideout/cornerback Caleb Newsome for the remainder of their season. Newsome, a junior, transferred to Nazareth after two years at Peddie, and is ineligible for the playoffs as an upperclassman transfer.

 

[RoverNation05]

Nazareth 24 Parkland 17.

Blue Eagles scored and got a two point conversion with just over a minute left to go up 18-17. Parkland drives into Nazareth territory, gets to the 10 on their last play, but Marquez Wimberly strips the receiver and takes it back 90 yards for a TD

 

[tulla]

Nazareth 24 Parkland 17.

Blue Eagles scored and got a two point conversion with just over a minute left to go up 18-17. Parkland drives into Nazareth territory, gets to the 10 on their last play,

Marquez Wimberly strips the receiver and takes it back 90 yards for a TD

Nazareth 24 Parkland 17.

Blue Eagles scored and got a two point conversion with just over a minute left to go up 18-17. Parkland drives into Nazareth territory, gets to the 10 on their last play, but Marquez Wimberly strips the receiver and takes it back 90 yards for a TD

Did the Parkland QB play? Was Nazareth better than in the first game the two played?

 

[RoverNation05]

Yes, Parkland quarterback played. Started and played the whole game.

The first game was about as evenly matched as you get. Parkland took a big first half lead, Nazareth made a big second half run, then Parkland made a huge play in the final minutes to win. Coin flip kind of result.

Tonight, Nazareth outgained Parkland 263-59 in the first half, but got stopped inside the 10 twice on downs and had a field goal blocked. Scoreless at halftime. Trades field goals in the third quarter. Parkland got a little more late in the second half - went up 10-3 with a Spang to Leo Dauberman TD pass, Nazareth answered with a TD. Tremba scored with 3:30 left in what felt like thr winning score to go up 17-10. Nazareth puts together a touchdown drive, capped by a wild 25 yard scramble by Falzone with him juking Tremba and getting to the edge and scoring.Nazareth went for 2, lines up in a swinging gate with Falzone out wide, and snapped it to Mason Kuehner in a wildcat set, Kuehner bounces to the outside then throws a jump pass to the tight end for a two-pointer go to up 18-17 with 1:07 left. Parkland crosses midfield on their final drive, then hits a long completion to Dauberman, they are definitely in field goal range if he just goes down, but he gets stripped at the 10, and Wimberly picks up the fumble and runs it back for a touchdown as the clock runs out (about 8 seconds left if Dauberman goes down and Parkland can clock it, I forget if they had timeouts). Incredible football game.

I thought all year going back to preseason that Nazareth was the team to beat. More gamebreakers, even if they were a little less deep. Parkland played about a perfect game in the first meeting and needed a crazy play in the final minute to win. Tonight, Nazareth blew some opportunities, Parkland capitalized, but the three crazy plays at the end all went Nazareth’s way. That’s football.

I was discussing with a friend tonight, I think if Falzone was a senior instead of a sophomore (with the experience and polish that comes with it) that Nazareth could push SJP. Given the circumstances, I think he’s a little too green despite his talent to have Nazareth in contention next week. Prep probably wins by 20+. But I think Nazareth could beat everybody else still left in the tournament.

 

[RoverNation05]

Nazareth football upends Parkland in District 11 final after a 4th quarter for the ages

A 3-3 game turned into one of the most memorable contests in District 11 football history as Nazareth toppled Parkland.

www.lehighvalleylive.com

 

[RoverNation05]

Stat lines -

Peyton Falzone was 14-25 for 183 yards, and rushed 9 times for 87 yards and the game winning touchdown.

Mason Kuehner passed Jahan Dotson in career yards and catches at Nazareth after catching 9 passes for 137 yards, plus threw the game winning two point conversion.

Jed Bendenkovits carried 19 times for 149 yards and a touchdown.

On the Parkland side, Trey Tremba carried 20 times for 107 yards and a TD, plus caught 2 passes for 53 yards. He finished the year with 29 TDs and over 2,200 yards from scrimmage.

Luke Spang played and played well - he was inefficient, 9-22, but three for 167 yards and a touchdown. He also carried 10 times for 59 yards. The big story in the passing game is Nazareth held UPenn commit Conner Johns to 1 catch fir 13 yards. The beneficiary was Leo Dauberman, who caught 3 passes for 76 yards and a TD, but lost the fumble on the last play of the game.