I had a tough time sorting out teams 2-5 this week. Parkland is the clear #1, but we have just enough data to misinterpret on the other four teams. Ultimately, I went Wyoming Valley West (who has the best combination of performance and expecatations), Liberty (win over Becahi is the best of any contender), Easton (dominated a presumably good Emmaus team) then Freedom (preseason favorite, but struggled mightily with Nazareth). Lots in flux and week three should bring more clarity as we get more EPC South match ups.
1. Parkland (2-0)
Last Week: Parkland ruined Northampton’s first home game in two years by crushing the Konkrete Kids 35-0 at newly renovated Al Erdosy Stadium. Parkland scored four touchdowns in the first half and called the dogs off after opening the second half with a touchdown drive to put the mercy rule in effect. After a quiet first game against Dieruff, Kenny Yeboah caught 10 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of this one. Devante Cross finished with a typically excellent line of 19-26 for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns. Cross also ran for 75 yards. Once again, it was a lot of short drops and quick hitters on slants and comeback routes. His touchdowns came on a nice sprint out back shoulder throw, a seam route on four verts, and a pair of red zone fades to Yeboah. Parkland’s defense also held the Northampton offense to 26 yards on 22 carries and just 99 yards for the game in the shutout.
Through Two Games: Parkland has crushed inferior competition. What we know is that the offense is going to be high tempo, and Cross wants to either get the ball out of his hands quickly or take off and run. Cross looks to have improved his speed in the offseason, and is really a home run threat with the ball in his hand. He threatened 1,000 yards as a sophomore and a junior, and I think he blows past it this year. What I am starting to wonder is if Parkland has a guy who can stretch the field in the passing game. They’ve been content to dink and dunk down the field against the Dieruffs and Northamptons of the world, but it remains to be seen if there is a speed guy who can get down the field and take the top off of a defense. Yeboah would be the most logical candidate, but virtually all of his catches this season have been on screens, comeback routes, or fades in the red zone. He did have one long reception against Northampton where they totally whiffed on jamming him at the line, so maybe they’re just taking what the defense gives them for the time being.
This Week: Parkland hosts Allentown Central Catholic, in the only match up of undefeated teams in the EPC this week. ACC has a Parkland transfer, Ethan Persa, starting at quarterback, so he should be very familiar with the defenses the Trojans are throwing at him. Of course, that’s a two way street. ACC will be a step up from the teams Parkland has played so far, but they remain a decided favorite and likely won’t be tested until an October 9th trip to BASD Stadium against Liberty.
2. Wyoming Valley West (2-0)
Last Week: The Spartans beat nemesis Delaware Valley 30-6 thanks to a suffocating defensive performance and a big night on the ground from Sean Judge and quarterback Aaron Austin. Judge ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and Austin added 82 yards and two scores, plus 96 through the air. But the big story was the WVW defense, which held Del Val to just 18 yards of total offense in the first half, effectively putting the game out of reach by halftime with an insurmountable 20-0 lead..
Through Two Games: WVW looks like one of the best teams to come out of District 2 since the subregional merger in 2004. They didn’t throw the ball as much Friday against Del Val, but they have real weapons at receiver and a mix of both size and speed on offense. Quarterback Aaron Austin has filled in nicely in his first two games as a starter, with a big game through the air in week one and a big game on the ground in week two. I expect the Spartans to be undefeated come playoff time.
This Week: Wyoming Valley West will be heavily favored against winless Pittston. This one is a tune up for a week four match up with Berwick.
3. Liberty (2-0)
Last Week: Liberty took care of business against William Allen in an uneventful 56-6 route. Three of Doug Erney’s six completions went for touchdowns and the Liberty starters were out by halftime. Victor Santiago has emerged as Erney’s primary target at receiver, catching four passes on Friday. The little slot receiver is great with the ball in his hands and Liberty’s spread maximizes his talents.
Through Two Games: Liberty takes the number three spot because they have the best win of anybody in this tier. Rankings are certainly fluid, but it looks like Liberty is going to have a very dangerous passing game and can get pressure with just four guys on defense. Not many expected them to beat Bethlehem Catholic, let alone had 500 yards of offense against them. Erney is clearly the guy that John Truby spoke so highly of in the preseason. He’s been a "volume" player his first few years, but looks every bit the part of a standout quarterback so far in 2015.
This Week: Liberty travels to Nazareth for the EPC Game of the Week..
4. Easton (2-0)
Last Week: Easton dominated in a 49-7 win on the road at Emmaus. Tailback Nysir Minney-Gratz was electric, scoring touchdowns of 80, 83 and 5 yards on his way to a 205 yard night on just ten carries. The 83 yarder was particularly impressive due to left tackle Craig Stahlecker running with Minney-Gratz and making a block 70 yards downfield to finish the run. Emmaus RB Kyle Boney got his yards, finishing with 151 on 27 carries (including all 76 on Emmaus’s only TD drive), but Easton held the rest of Emmaus’s team to 45 yards on 30 plays.
Through Two Games: Easton is really undersized (no starter on either side of the ball weighs more than 225 pounds) but everybody from the cornerbacks to the offensive linemen can run like hell (as evidenced by the aforementioned Stahlecker block). All that speed has led to huge scoring plays. Against Emmaus, Easton scored on runs of 83, 80, and 60 yards, a 77 yard punt return, a 45 yard fumble recovery, and a 31 yard pass. Their lone touchdown "drive" started at the Emmaus 40 after an interception and featured a 35 yard run by Minney-Gratz on the first play. Against Pleasant Valley, they scored touchdowns on 59 and 33 yard runs and a 60 yard punt return, and set their other TDs up with 50 yard free kick return after a safety, a forced fumble at the 15, and a 40 yard pass down to the 2 after an interception. This is certainly exciting as a fan. However, it’s not always going to be that easy. We’ll see how Easton can put together sustained drives when pushed. On the other side of the ball, the defense has been lights out as anticipated. They’ve forced six turnovers (plus a safety), have seven sacks and three interceptions on 31 drop backs by their opponents, and have given up just two offensive touchdowns. They’re not big, but they’re physical and swarm to the football.
Next Game: Easton hosts Northampton, who have beaten the Red Rovers five times in forty years. This is a perfect opportunity for Easton to get their passing game on track, and I’d love to see the Red Rovers put it in the air 25 times on Friday.
5. Freedom (2-0)
Last Week: Freedom was pushed to the limit by a pesky Nazareth team. The hero was Roberto Diez, who rushed for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the game winner with 1:47 left to play. More importantly, when Nazareth took a 27-24 lead with 5:52 to play, Diez returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Nazareth 34 and set up the short field for the winning touchdown. Freedom’s passing game was not sharp against the Blue Eagles, and they pounded the rock with Diez in the second half. Their defense was able to shut down Nazareth’s running game holding Nazareth to 35 yards on 22 carries, but had trouble containing Nazareth’s Jahan Dotson and Julian Liaci, who combined for 14 catches for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Through Two Weeks: The Freedom defense is getting takeaways at an alarming rate again. ESS turned the ball over 7 times in the opening week, and Freedom forced another 2 turnovers Friday, including a game winning interception with 35 seconds left. They run defense has been phenomenal as opponents are averaging just 1.9 yards per carry. The pass defense has been a mixed bag, as they’ve given up 223 yards per game through the air, but also have four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Joe Young has not been as sharp as anticipated, which could be to the layoff after the injury or the fact that he’s breaking in new receivers and has lots of production to replace with the graduation of Kylon Pretty and Jake Young. However, Diez looks like he’s really come into his own and is going to be a bell-cow for the offense.
Next Week: The aforementioned run defense will be tested by Kyle Boney and Emmaus. Freedom doesn’t quite have the team speed of Easton, but can match Emmaus with physicality on the lines, particularly with monster defensive ends Cordell Cotto and Joshua Ortiz. They’ll also be licking their chops for takeaways, as Emmaus has been loose with the football early in the season. Offensively, Diez has to look at the box score from last week and get excited, but I’d also expect they’ll want Joe Young to throw a lot early and keep the big Emmaus defense on their toes.
1. Parkland (2-0)
Last Week: Parkland ruined Northampton’s first home game in two years by crushing the Konkrete Kids 35-0 at newly renovated Al Erdosy Stadium. Parkland scored four touchdowns in the first half and called the dogs off after opening the second half with a touchdown drive to put the mercy rule in effect. After a quiet first game against Dieruff, Kenny Yeboah caught 10 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of this one. Devante Cross finished with a typically excellent line of 19-26 for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns. Cross also ran for 75 yards. Once again, it was a lot of short drops and quick hitters on slants and comeback routes. His touchdowns came on a nice sprint out back shoulder throw, a seam route on four verts, and a pair of red zone fades to Yeboah. Parkland’s defense also held the Northampton offense to 26 yards on 22 carries and just 99 yards for the game in the shutout.
Through Two Games: Parkland has crushed inferior competition. What we know is that the offense is going to be high tempo, and Cross wants to either get the ball out of his hands quickly or take off and run. Cross looks to have improved his speed in the offseason, and is really a home run threat with the ball in his hand. He threatened 1,000 yards as a sophomore and a junior, and I think he blows past it this year. What I am starting to wonder is if Parkland has a guy who can stretch the field in the passing game. They’ve been content to dink and dunk down the field against the Dieruffs and Northamptons of the world, but it remains to be seen if there is a speed guy who can get down the field and take the top off of a defense. Yeboah would be the most logical candidate, but virtually all of his catches this season have been on screens, comeback routes, or fades in the red zone. He did have one long reception against Northampton where they totally whiffed on jamming him at the line, so maybe they’re just taking what the defense gives them for the time being.
This Week: Parkland hosts Allentown Central Catholic, in the only match up of undefeated teams in the EPC this week. ACC has a Parkland transfer, Ethan Persa, starting at quarterback, so he should be very familiar with the defenses the Trojans are throwing at him. Of course, that’s a two way street. ACC will be a step up from the teams Parkland has played so far, but they remain a decided favorite and likely won’t be tested until an October 9th trip to BASD Stadium against Liberty.
2. Wyoming Valley West (2-0)
Last Week: The Spartans beat nemesis Delaware Valley 30-6 thanks to a suffocating defensive performance and a big night on the ground from Sean Judge and quarterback Aaron Austin. Judge ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and Austin added 82 yards and two scores, plus 96 through the air. But the big story was the WVW defense, which held Del Val to just 18 yards of total offense in the first half, effectively putting the game out of reach by halftime with an insurmountable 20-0 lead..
Through Two Games: WVW looks like one of the best teams to come out of District 2 since the subregional merger in 2004. They didn’t throw the ball as much Friday against Del Val, but they have real weapons at receiver and a mix of both size and speed on offense. Quarterback Aaron Austin has filled in nicely in his first two games as a starter, with a big game through the air in week one and a big game on the ground in week two. I expect the Spartans to be undefeated come playoff time.
This Week: Wyoming Valley West will be heavily favored against winless Pittston. This one is a tune up for a week four match up with Berwick.
3. Liberty (2-0)
Last Week: Liberty took care of business against William Allen in an uneventful 56-6 route. Three of Doug Erney’s six completions went for touchdowns and the Liberty starters were out by halftime. Victor Santiago has emerged as Erney’s primary target at receiver, catching four passes on Friday. The little slot receiver is great with the ball in his hands and Liberty’s spread maximizes his talents.
Through Two Games: Liberty takes the number three spot because they have the best win of anybody in this tier. Rankings are certainly fluid, but it looks like Liberty is going to have a very dangerous passing game and can get pressure with just four guys on defense. Not many expected them to beat Bethlehem Catholic, let alone had 500 yards of offense against them. Erney is clearly the guy that John Truby spoke so highly of in the preseason. He’s been a "volume" player his first few years, but looks every bit the part of a standout quarterback so far in 2015.
This Week: Liberty travels to Nazareth for the EPC Game of the Week..
4. Easton (2-0)
Last Week: Easton dominated in a 49-7 win on the road at Emmaus. Tailback Nysir Minney-Gratz was electric, scoring touchdowns of 80, 83 and 5 yards on his way to a 205 yard night on just ten carries. The 83 yarder was particularly impressive due to left tackle Craig Stahlecker running with Minney-Gratz and making a block 70 yards downfield to finish the run. Emmaus RB Kyle Boney got his yards, finishing with 151 on 27 carries (including all 76 on Emmaus’s only TD drive), but Easton held the rest of Emmaus’s team to 45 yards on 30 plays.
Through Two Games: Easton is really undersized (no starter on either side of the ball weighs more than 225 pounds) but everybody from the cornerbacks to the offensive linemen can run like hell (as evidenced by the aforementioned Stahlecker block). All that speed has led to huge scoring plays. Against Emmaus, Easton scored on runs of 83, 80, and 60 yards, a 77 yard punt return, a 45 yard fumble recovery, and a 31 yard pass. Their lone touchdown "drive" started at the Emmaus 40 after an interception and featured a 35 yard run by Minney-Gratz on the first play. Against Pleasant Valley, they scored touchdowns on 59 and 33 yard runs and a 60 yard punt return, and set their other TDs up with 50 yard free kick return after a safety, a forced fumble at the 15, and a 40 yard pass down to the 2 after an interception. This is certainly exciting as a fan. However, it’s not always going to be that easy. We’ll see how Easton can put together sustained drives when pushed. On the other side of the ball, the defense has been lights out as anticipated. They’ve forced six turnovers (plus a safety), have seven sacks and three interceptions on 31 drop backs by their opponents, and have given up just two offensive touchdowns. They’re not big, but they’re physical and swarm to the football.
Next Game: Easton hosts Northampton, who have beaten the Red Rovers five times in forty years. This is a perfect opportunity for Easton to get their passing game on track, and I’d love to see the Red Rovers put it in the air 25 times on Friday.
5. Freedom (2-0)
Last Week: Freedom was pushed to the limit by a pesky Nazareth team. The hero was Roberto Diez, who rushed for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the game winner with 1:47 left to play. More importantly, when Nazareth took a 27-24 lead with 5:52 to play, Diez returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Nazareth 34 and set up the short field for the winning touchdown. Freedom’s passing game was not sharp against the Blue Eagles, and they pounded the rock with Diez in the second half. Their defense was able to shut down Nazareth’s running game holding Nazareth to 35 yards on 22 carries, but had trouble containing Nazareth’s Jahan Dotson and Julian Liaci, who combined for 14 catches for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Through Two Weeks: The Freedom defense is getting takeaways at an alarming rate again. ESS turned the ball over 7 times in the opening week, and Freedom forced another 2 turnovers Friday, including a game winning interception with 35 seconds left. They run defense has been phenomenal as opponents are averaging just 1.9 yards per carry. The pass defense has been a mixed bag, as they’ve given up 223 yards per game through the air, but also have four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Joe Young has not been as sharp as anticipated, which could be to the layoff after the injury or the fact that he’s breaking in new receivers and has lots of production to replace with the graduation of Kylon Pretty and Jake Young. However, Diez looks like he’s really come into his own and is going to be a bell-cow for the offense.
Next Week: The aforementioned run defense will be tested by Kyle Boney and Emmaus. Freedom doesn’t quite have the team speed of Easton, but can match Emmaus with physicality on the lines, particularly with monster defensive ends Cordell Cotto and Joshua Ortiz. They’ll also be licking their chops for takeaways, as Emmaus has been loose with the football early in the season. Offensively, Diez has to look at the box score from last week and get excited, but I’d also expect they’ll want Joe Young to throw a lot early and keep the big Emmaus defense on their toes.