EPC Power Rankings - Week 3

[RoverNation05]

1. Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks (3-0)
State Rankings (4A): 2nd (MaxPreps), 5th (PA Football News), 5th (PennLive)

Last Week: The Golden Hawks used big plays and timely defensive stops to knock off preseason favorite Emmaus and plant themselves firmly in the EPC South driver’s seat. After falling beind 14-0 through the first two possessions of the game, Becahi rallied back, breaking a 21-21 tie on a Zaheer Seabrooks touchdown run from 46 yards out with 6:09 to play. Offensively, the Hawks used big plays to get themselves back, answering those opening Emmaus scores with a 78 yard TD pass from Javon Clements to Daizhun Rhodes on a play action pitch play, a 58 yard pick-6 by Shamus Williams, and a big punt return that set up a Tavion Banks TD run. Banks was the star of the show, rushing 33 times for 147 yards and the TD. Rhodes caught 9 passes for 148 yards and the long score. Javon Clements struggled with his efficiency (12-22), but racked up 191 yards through the air. Defensively, the Golden Hawks harassed Blake Reed into a 6-20 performance for 98 yards, with 58 coming on a long TD in on Emmaus’s second possession.

Contender or Pretender?: The Golden Hawks walked through the first two weeks before being pushed by a good Emmaus team on Friday. But this looks every bit like a group that is going to challenge for big things in the Class 4A playoffs across the state. Rhodes and Banks look like one of the best receiver/running back combos in the state, with Rhodes averaging 19 yards per catch and Banks rushing for 427 yards in the first three weeks. I’ve said in this space before, Banks is a superstar in the making if he isn’t already. The defense has also been vicious, and really showed a lot of heart buckling down Friday after a disastrous opening. The difference between them being good and them being great will be if Javon Clements really takes the next step. He wasn’t asked to do a lot the first two weeks, and was solid but not spectacular on Friday. Being more accurate and spreading the ball around (9 of his 12 completions were to Rhodes on Friday) will help their running game become even more lethal.

Next Week: Becahi hosts Nazareth, who has piled up a ton of points in their first two weeks. Becahi is the decided favorite, but has to contend with Tom Falzone’s dangerous offense that has been clicking on all cylinders early in the season.


2. Parkland Trojans (3-0)
State Ranking (6A): 3rd (PA Football News), 3rd (PennLive), 6th (MaxPreps)

Last Week: Parkland put together a full crock-potting of Liberty, scoring in each quarter and completely suffocating the Hurricanes defensively to come away with a 24-7 win. The Trojans limited Liberty to 159 yards and forced 4 turnovers. Liberty’s offense stayed out of the end zone all night, their only points coming on a blocked punt for a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the game. Parkland gave up some yards on the ground to QB Todd Erney (11 carries for 75 yards), but otherwise squelched the Liberty offense. A relentless Parkland pass rush did not allow a completion of more than 5 yards and star Liberty running back Nasir Legree was limited to 35 yards. Offensively, Parkland only threw for 36 yards, but controlled the clock with 110 yards and 2 TDs from Jahan Worth and 205 total yards on the ground.

Contender or Pretender?: Once again, the Parkland defense is excellent, and they’ve allowed just 13 points in the first three weeks of the season. They’re a little smaller than normal up front, but play really strong assignment football and have a pair of star linebackers in Worth and Mason Malozzi. Offensively, Worth has rushed for 303 yards and 7 touchdowns in the first three weeks. The passing game really opened up against Nazareth, but took a step back on Friday. The Trojans are getting a lot of love in state polls (ranked as high as 3rd in 6A) and still have yet to play a truly complete football game.

This Week: Parkland takes on Easton in our EPC Game of the Week.


3. Easton Red Rovers (3-0)
State Rankings (6A): 6th (PennLive), 7th (MaxPreps), Team to Watch (PA Football News)

Last Week: Easton won a gut-check game, grinding out a 13-10 win without an offensive touchdown over an good, young Freedom team. Easton, playing without starting QB Scott Poulson, trailed 10-3 at halftime, but used a 72 yard punt return TD by Jake Herres and a long drive that culminated in a field goal with 4 minutes left to sneak past Freedom. Easton’s defense came up big, holding Freedom to 151 total yards (just 52 on the ground) and harassing sophomore QB Jared Jenkins into a 9-20 evening for 99 yards. Jenkins came into the night averaging 270 yards per game through the air. Offensively, the Red Rovers running game got on track for the first time all year, with senior Izzy Selassie running for 153 yards on 21 carries and wearing down the Freedom defense late. With Poulson out of school the last three days with the flu, backup QB Nate Nimeh turned in a crisp 11-15 for 113 yards and completed passes to 6 different receivers. Most of his completions were on screens and hitch routes, but he made the throws he was asked to and kept the offense moving. Herres was bottled up on offense, catching just 2 passes for 18 yards after last week’s 7-132-2 effort, but he had an interception on defense and returned the punt for Easton’s only TD.

Contender or Pretender?: Friday night will tell us a lot. The Easton defense looks like one of the best eastern Pennsylvania has to offer, particularly in stopping the run where they are yielding 1.7 yards per carry. None of Easton’s first three opponents have gained more than 152 yards of total offense. The passing game also looks like it can be a weapon and it was good to see it working even without their regular quarterback. Assuming Poulson is good to go, the offense can move it through the air. Where Easton really needs to prove themselves is in the running game. Friday was the first time they really moved the ball effectively on the ground, mostly running behind center Patrick Shupp (6’4 295) and left guard Albert Gayle (6’1 255). Shupp in particular looks great, and the sophomore should be on college radars very soon. I’m not ready to say they’re in the tier with Becahi and Parkland just yet, but they can prove me wrong Friday night.

Next Week: Easton travels to Parkland to take on their EPC nemesis in our EPC Game of the Week.


4. Whitehall Zephyrs (3-0)
State Rankings (5A): 4th (PennLive), 4th (MaxPreps), Team to Watch (PA Football News)

Last Week: Holy shoot out! Whitehall and Nazareth combined to put up 100 points and 1,046 yards of total offense in Whitehall’s 51-49 win. Whitehall quarterback Ethan Parvel continued his spectacular debut season with 338 yards of total offense (223 passing and 115 rushing) and six total touchdowns (3 pass/3 rush). Running back Braxton Marrero was held under 100 yards for the first time all season (21 carries for 75 yards), but Dez Boykin ran for 113 yards on just 4 carries in the jet sweep portion of the Whitehall read option. Boykin also caught 7 passes for 40 yards and Joe Herman had a breakout game, catching 3 passes, all for TDs, for 119 yards from Parvel. Defensively, Whitehall gave up a ton of yards, getting torched through the air by sophomore Anthony Harris, who threw for 319 yards and 5 TDs. Still, the Whitehall offense was too explosive and withstood the Nazareth onslaught.

Contender or Pretender?: This one is difficult in terms of the conference. Whitehall is averaging 49 points per game and is giving up 32. That’s a hard way to win a lot of football games in a good league. Still, the offense has been lethal. Parvel gives them a new dimension, as he’s as big a threat rushing as he is throwing. Whitehall has been long at the vanguard of the spread zone-read scheme, and Parvel runs it really well. From his Hudl, it looks like Whitehall has incorporated a lot of RPO with the read option and a slant read to Boykin, which they exploited for huge yards. He’s a great decision maker and has the wheels to be dangerous. Whitehall also has an experienced offensive line and a dangerous set of skill guys. It’s the best offense in the Lehigh Valley. The question then becomes, can their defense make enough stops for them to win games. So far the answer has been yes. And I think in the 5A postseason they’ll be a monster (until they run into Wood). But that’s a tough way to go through a season.

Next Week: Whitehall takes on a reeling Liberty team at home. A third straight loss would be close to a knockout blow for the Hurricanes and Whitehall would head into the toughest stretch of their season (Easton, Parkland, Freedom, Becahi) at 4-0.

 

[RoverNation05]

5. Freedom Patriots (2-1)

Last Week: Freedom got a great effort from their defense, holding the Easton offense without a touchdown (even though the Patriots were doubled up in yardage 301-151), but gave up a special teams TD and a late field goal to lose 13-10 and fall from the ranks of the unbeatens. Easton only punted 3 times, but Freedom’s defense held in the red zone on all 3 Easton trips, resulting in 2 field goals and a goal line stand. Freedom corner Alec Huertas did a great job containing Easton’s biggest offensive weapon, Jake Herres, who came into the game with 10 catches for 233 yards and 5 TDs, but added just 2 catches and 18 yards to those totals. Offensively, Huertas was just as frustrated, catching 2 passes for 16 yards after posting 13 grabs in the first two weeks of the season. Freedom also could get nothing going in the run game, with Kyree Mashburn running for 21 yards on a reverse leading the team in rushing. All other ballcarriers gained 31 yards on 17 carries.

Contender or Pretender?: Freedom is good – sophomore QB Jared Jenkins has been even better than advertised, though he had his struggles against a really good Easton defense Friday. It helps that he has weapons in his receiving corps, with Huertas and Mashburn off to excellent years. The defense has been even better, not allowing an offensive touchdown yet this season. I’m sure they’re chomping at the bit for a potential Easton rematch in the playoff. The major issue is Freedom needs to find its running game. Abdul Beasley scored a 61 yard TD against ACC and a 31 yard TD against William Allen. Outside of those two carries, Freedom has rushed for 74 yards on 44 carries. That’s um, not good. Easton exploited the one dimensional nature of their offense on Friday, brining pressure with no fear of the Freedom rushing attack and getting Jenkins out of sorts. This is a good football team, but they need to be more well rounded on offense if they’re going to get back to the D11 6A final.

Next Week: Freedom should get back in the win column with the Northampton Konkrete Kids coming to town.


6. Emmaus Green Hornets (1-2)

Last Week: Emmaus lost the marquee game of the weekend in the Lehigh Valley, a 28-21 heartbreaker against Bethlehem Catholic. Star running back/cornerback Lubens Myers was out after spraining his ankle in their loss to Whitehall last week and his absence hurt the Green Hornets. Myers is arguably the best cornerback in the Lehigh Valley, and without him the Emmaus defense gave up 191 yards through the air. Myers also gives them a real home run hitter in the running and return games. Sone Ntoh was fantastic as always, running for 150 yards and a TD on 22 carries. But Blake Reed came back to Earth, throwing for just 100 yards and two picks while getting harassed into a 6-20 affair. He’s dangerous with the football in his hands, but Bethlehem Catholic exploited some of his weaknesses as a passer. They also struggled to contain the big play, giving up a set of long touchdowns that spelled doom for the Green Hornets.

Contender or Pretender?: Emmaus is in the midst of a two-game losing streak and likely being written off. They’re not going to win the EPC South. But they will qualify for districts, and likely have Myers back at that point in the year, which makes them a totally different team. Sone Ntoh is amongst the state leaders in rushing yards and Blake Reed has been dangerous carrying the football. Adding Myers, who rushed for 1,300 yards and 18 TDs as a sophomore, back into the mix gives them the best running game in the Valley and one of the best in the state. Myers also can shore up their secondary, which has been leaky the past two weeks. Where I am concerned is the Emmaus front 7 on defense – which returned a lot of talent – is not doing a great job containing the run game. Tavion Banks and Braxton Marrero are both good players, but gashed the defense to a level that the coaching staff is likely taking a look at what they can do differently.

Next Week: Emmaus gets a breather with Pocono Mountain West and a chance to get healthy and get some momentum.


7. Southern Lehigh Spartans (3-0)
State Rankings: 5th (PA Football News), 6th (MaxPreps), 7th (PennLive)

Last Week: Somehow, someway, Southern Lehigh found a way to beat Notre Dame (GP) last Friday. Despite four turnovers, an instant 14-0 hole, and getting outgained by the explosive ND offense, Southern Lehigh scored with 4 minutes remaining to win 28-27 in Coopersburg. The Spartan offense pounded out 22 first downs and 237 yards rushing on 49 carries. They were able to slow the game down and keep Cole DeFranco and company off of the field. Mike Sisselberger was the hero, running for 111 yards and the game winning TD. He also had a 64 yard run that set up Logan Edmond’s 5 yard TD to bring them within one score in the 4th quarter. Luke Strauss ran for 75 yards on 11 carries and Edmond scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Edmond was limited in the air, going 7-11 for 104 yards, but was able to connect with All State receiver Eli Price for a 54 yard TD.

Contender or Pretender?: Southern Lehigh is solidly a contender and will play for a conference title on Friday. They also are the biggest threat to Whitehall in the 5A playoffs. The Zephyrs are clear favorites and have an offense that will be like nothing Southern Lehigh has seen. But the Spartans are legitimately good and will make that a fun match up.

Next Week: Southern Lehigh takes on Palisades in the de facto Colonial League championship game. They will probably take the opposite approach as they did Friday, looking to move the ball through the air and get their spread rolling, while Palisades will try to control the clock and slow the game down. Both are really good football teams and it will be one of the more fun games around the state on Friady.

 

[RoverNation05]

8. Palisades Pirates (3-0)
State Rankings (3A): 5th (MaxPreps), 5th (PA Football News), 6th (PennLive)

Last Week: Palisades destroyed Northwestern Lehigh, 46-0, taking a 39-0 lead into halftime. Jared Colletti ran for 122 yards on 6 carries and five different players scored rushing touchdowns. Not a lot to report beyond it was a shellacking.

Contender or Pretender?: Palisades picked up the biggest win of the small school season with their 28-21 win over Notre Dame (GP). They can really run the football and have an excellent defense. They held Notre Dame’s explosive offense to 17 points in the opener, and those are the only points they’ve allowed all year. Offensively, Trey Gretzinger and Jared Colletti are both averaging over 10 yards per carry and have combined for 650 yards and 8 TDs through the first three weeks of the season. This team is really good and I think is going to make some noise in the 3A playoffs.

Next Week: Palisades plays Southern Lehigh in the de facto Colonial League Championship game. Both teams have already beaten ND, so the winner here likely wins out and takes the title. It will be an excellent battle of styles, with Palisades the physical, run the ball team, and Southern Lehigh the flashy spread offense that throws it all over the place. Palisades best bet will be to keep the Spartan offense off of the field, meaning that Gretzinger and Colletti need to have big nights again. They also need their secondary to step up in order to slow down Logan Edmond and Eli Price.


9. Notre Dame (GP) Crusaders (1-2)

Last Week: Notre Dame dropped a heartbreaker to Southern Lehigh, giving up the winning score with 4:21 left on the clock and falling 28-27. ND was done in by a pair of red zone trips in the 4th quarter that ended up in field goals, not touchdowns, which left the door open for Southern Lehigh to take the game. QB Cole DeFranco had another big night, throwing for 271 yards and a TD and connecting with Gerald Grube 5 times for 11 yards. Five different receivers had at least two catches for ND. Still, once again they had problems stopping the run and dealing with a more physical opponent in the trenches.

Contender or Pretender?: Notre Dame is absolutely a contender in 3A despite their current record. They have played the two best teams in their conference in the first three weeks and lost by a combined 6 points. They won’t see Southern Lehigh again, but I assure you ND is chomping at the bit for a rematch with Palisades come playoff time. The offense is as advertise, with Cole DeFranco throwing for 1,012 yards and 7 TDs through the first three weeks of the season and four players already have double digit catches, led by Gerald Grube’s 12 for 323 yards.

Next Week: Notre Dame travels to Sladington for a match up with Northern Lehigh. Expect a lopsided affair, which is common in this series, though for years it had been NOthern Lehigh doing the beating up. The shoe is definitely on the other foot for now, with ND the solid to overwhelming favorite.


10. Nazareth Blue Eagles (1-2)

Last Week: Nazareth lost a wild one, 51-49 to Whitehall to drop to 1-2 and 0-2 in the division. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Harris was excellent, throwing for 319 yards and 5 TDs on a 19-29 night. Superstar receiver Jahan Dotson was held in check, with just 2 catches for 17 yards, but all of that attention opened up Zac Keifer for an 8 catch, 116 yards night, Nathan Stefanik turned in 6 for 91 and 2 TDs and Nick Viva caught a pair of TDs for 85 yards. But Nazareth was unable to stop the Whitehall offense, not forcing one punt on the evening and getting torched for over 500 yards of total offense.

Contender or Pretender?: Nazareth is going to make the playoffs and be a pain in the butt for a team in the first round. The offense is really good, with Harris looking like the real deal at quarterback and a series of weapons he can use. Dotson hasn’t really gotten going after a monster first week, but defenses are devoting so much attention to him that Zac Keifer is amongst the state leaders in receptions. The run game is virtually non-existant, but they make up for it with short throws and screens that almost act as long handoffs. They’re not going to win a title, but nobody really wants to play them either.

Next Week: Things don’t get any easier as Nazareth travels to Bethlehem Catholic to take on the top team in our rankings (making it their third top 5 opponent in the last three weeks). This is another explosive offense that Nazareth will need to match point-for-point. The Becahi secondary is really good, so it could be a tough Friday for the Blue Eagles.

 

[EPC FAN]

1. Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks (3-0)
State Rankings (4A): 2nd (MaxPreps), 5th (PA Football News), 5th (PennLive)

Last Week: The Golden Hawks used big plays and timely defensive stops to knock off preseason favorite Emmaus and plant themselves firmly in the EPC South driver’s seat. After falling beind 14-0 through the first two possessions of the game, Becahi rallied back, breaking a 21-21 tie on a Zaheer Seabrooks touchdown run from 46 yards out with 6:09 to play. Offensively, the Hawks used big plays to get themselves back, answering those opening Emmaus scores with a 78 yard TD pass from Javon Clements to Daizhun Rhodes on a play action pitch play, a 58 yard pick-6 by Shamus Williams, and a big punt return that set up a Tavion Banks TD run. Banks was the star of the show, rushing 33 times for 147 yards and the TD. Rhodes caught 9 passes for 148 yards and the long score. Javon Clements struggled with his efficiency (12-22), but racked up 191 yards through the air. Defensively, the Golden Hawks harassed Blake Reed into a 6-20 performance for 98 yards, with 58 coming on a long TD in on Emmaus’s second possession.

Contender or Pretender?: The Golden Hawks walked through the first two weeks before being pushed by a good Emmaus team on Friday. But this looks every bit like a group that is going to challenge for big things in the Class 4A playoffs across the state. Rhodes and Banks look like one of the best receiver/running back combos in the state, with Rhodes averaging 19 yards per catch and Banks rushing for 427 yards in the first three weeks. I’ve said in this space before, Banks is a superstar in the making if he isn’t already. The defense has also been vicious, and really showed a lot of heart buckling down Friday after a disastrous opening. The difference between them being good and them being great will be if Javon Clements really takes the next step. He wasn’t asked to do a lot the first two weeks, and was solid but not spectacular on Friday. Being more accurate and spreading the ball around (9 of his 12 completions were to Rhodes on Friday) will help their running game become even more lethal.

Next Week: Becahi hosts Nazareth, who has piled up a ton of points in their first two weeks. Becahi is the decided favorite, but has to contend with Tom Falzone’s dangerous offense that has been clicking on all cylinders early in the season.


2. Parkland Trojans (3-0)
State Ranking (6A): 3rd (PA Football News), 3rd (PennLive), 6th (MaxPreps)

Last Week: Parkland put together a full crock-potting of Liberty, scoring in each quarter and completely suffocating the Hurricanes defensively to come away with a 24-7 win. The Trojans limited Liberty to 159 yards and forced 4 turnovers. Liberty’s offense stayed out of the end zone all night, their only points coming on a blocked punt for a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the game. Parkland gave up some yards on the ground to QB Todd Erney (11 carries for 75 yards), but otherwise squelched the Liberty offense. A relentless Parkland pass rush did not allow a completion of more than 5 yards and star Liberty running back Nasir Legree was limited to 35 yards. Offensively, Parkland only threw for 36 yards, but controlled the clock with 110 yards and 2 TDs from Jahan Worth and 205 total yards on the ground.

Contender or Pretender?: Once again, the Parkland defense is excellent, and they’ve allowed just 13 points in the first three weeks of the season. They’re a little smaller than normal up front, but play really strong assignment football and have a pair of star linebackers in Worth and Mason Malozzi. Offensively, Worth has rushed for 303 yards and 7 touchdowns in the first three weeks. The passing game really opened up against Nazareth, but took a step back on Friday. The Trojans are getting a lot of love in state polls (ranked as high as 3rd in 6A) and still have yet to play a truly complete football game.

This Week: Parkland takes on Easton in our EPC Game of the Week.


3. Easton Red Rovers (3-0)
State Rankings (6A): 6th (PennLive), 7th (MaxPreps), Team to Watch (PA Football News)

Last Week: Easton won a gut-check game, grinding out a 13-10 win without an offensive touchdown over an good, young Freedom team. Easton, playing without starting QB Scott Poulson, trailed 10-3 at halftime, but used a 72 yard punt return TD by Jake Herres and a long drive that culminated in a field goal with 4 minutes left to sneak past Freedom. Easton’s defense came up big, holding Freedom to 151 total yards (just 52 on the ground) and harassing sophomore QB Jared Jenkins into a 9-20 evening for 99 yards. Jenkins came into the night averaging 270 yards per game through the air. Offensively, the Red Rovers running game got on track for the first time all year, with senior Izzy Selassie running for 153 yards on 21 carries and wearing down the Freedom defense late. With Poulson out of school the last three days with the flu, backup QB Nate Nimeh turned in a crisp 11-15 for 113 yards and completed passes to 6 different receivers. Most of his completions were on screens and hitch routes, but he made the throws he was asked to and kept the offense moving. Herres was bottled up on offense, catching just 2 passes for 18 yards after last week’s 7-132-2 effort, but he had an interception on defense and returned the punt for Easton’s only TD.

Contender or Pretender?: Friday night will tell us a lot. The Easton defense looks like one of the best eastern Pennsylvania has to offer, particularly in stopping the run where they are yielding 1.7 yards per carry. None of Easton’s first three opponents have gained more than 152 yards of total offense. The passing game also looks like it can be a weapon and it was good to see it working even without their regular quarterback. Assuming Poulson is good to go, the offense can move it through the air. Where Easton really needs to prove themselves is in the running game. Friday was the first time they really moved the ball effectively on the ground, mostly running behind center Patrick Shupp (6’4 295) and left guard Albert Gayle (6’1 255). Shupp in particular looks great, and the sophomore should be on college radars very soon. I’m not ready to say they’re in the tier with Becahi and Parkland just yet, but they can prove me wrong Friday night.

Next Week: Easton travels to Parkland to take on their EPC nemesis in our EPC Game of the Week.


4. Whitehall Zephyrs (3-0)
State Rankings (5A): 4th (PennLive), 4th (MaxPreps), Team to Watch (PA Football News)

Last Week: Holy shoot out! Whitehall and Nazareth combined to put up 100 points and 1,046 yards of total offense in Whitehall’s 51-49 win. Whitehall quarterback Ethan Parvel continued his spectacular debut season with 338 yards of total offense (223 passing and 115 rushing) and six total touchdowns (3 pass/3 rush). Running back Braxton Marrero was held under 100 yards for the first time all season (21 carries for 75 yards), but Dez Boykin ran for 113 yards on just 4 carries in the jet sweep portion of the Whitehall read option. Boykin also caught 7 passes for 40 yards and Joe Herman had a breakout game, catching 3 passes, all for TDs, for 119 yards from Parvel. Defensively, Whitehall gave up a ton of yards, getting torched through the air by sophomore Anthony Harris, who threw for 319 yards and 5 TDs. Still, the Whitehall offense was too explosive and withstood the Nazareth onslaught.

Contender or Pretender?: This one is difficult in terms of the conference. Whitehall is averaging 49 points per game and is giving up 32. That’s a hard way to win a lot of football games in a good league. Still, the offense has been lethal. Parvel gives them a new dimension, as he’s as big a threat rushing as he is throwing. Whitehall has been long at the vanguard of the spread zone-read scheme, and Parvel runs it really well. From his Hudl, it looks like Whitehall has incorporated a lot of RPO with the read option and a slant read to Boykin, which they exploited for huge yards. He’s a great decision maker and has the wheels to be dangerous. Whitehall also has an experienced offensive line and a dangerous set of skill guys. It’s the best offense in the Lehigh Valley. The question then becomes, can their defense make enough stops for them to win games. So far the answer has been yes. And I think in the 5A postseason they’ll be a monster (until they run into Wood). But that’s a tough way to go through a season.

Next Week: Whitehall takes on a reeling Liberty team at home. A third straight loss would be close to a knockout blow for the Hurricanes and Whitehall would head into the toughest stretch of their season (Easton, Parkland, Freedom, Becahi) at 4-0.

Whitehall had the absolute worst defensive game plan I've ever seen. They doubled Dotson, then played 9 on 10. Nazareth, to their credit, split him wide, then rolled and threw the ball to the other side. For stretches of plays, Dotson stood there watching.
Whitehall, and I have said this since Gilbert became head coach, is a terrible tackling team. There is absolutely no accountability for it, either. A defensive assistant actually high fived the players coming off the field after a 3 play, 70 yard TD drive.
The last two quality tacklers were Barkley and Bonshak.
This is why they will not win more than 5 league games.

 

[RoverNation05]

You think they end up 6-4? They score so damn much I think the teams that aren't sound defensively won't be able to keep up. On the whole, I think tackling has declined in the high school game. For years, that has what's given Easton a puncher's chance (almost literally) against most teams is that they are fundamentally sound in blocking and tackling, particularly bring ballcarriers to the ground. How do you see my alma mater's match up with Parkland going?

 

[EPC FAN]

You think they end up 6-4? They score so damn much I think the teams that aren't sound defensively won't be able to keep up. On the whole, I think tackling has declined in the high school game. For years, that has what's given Easton a puncher's chance (almost literally) against most teams is that they are fundamentally sound in blocking and tackling, particularly bring ballcarriers to the ground. How do you see my alma mater's match up with Parkland going?

I'm not sure. Based on their previous games, it should be a low scoring game. Both have very good defenses. Parkland is very good, in Orefield.