I've been negligent so far this football season in getting out your weekly reports from D11 country. It's going to be a weird year up here, with just about everybody rebuilding. Freedom was my presumed favorite coming into the year, as they returned the best quarterback and most of their offensive line and defensive front 7 from a team that shared a piece of the EPC South title with state finalist Parkland in 2015. Easton's upset win at BASD over the Patriots has me throwing my hands up, as the Valley is wide open. Liberty and Emmaus are the current 3-0 teams, and you could have won a lot of money in Vegas betting on that this summer. Emmaus is particularly interesting, though they haven't taken on one of the blue blood programs yet. Liberty has, and posted wins over Easton and Parkland in back-to-back weeks, no easy task no matter how many new starters each program has. Liberty looks like the real deal and is the favorite going forward. On to my rankings.
1. Liberty
Last Week: Liberty used a smothering red zone defense and timely plays from its offense to knock of 4x defending D11 champion Parkland. This was the second season in a row that the Hurricanes beat the Trojans. Liberty held Parkland to under 4.5 yards per play and forced three Trojan turnovers. Defensive end Jaohne Duggan was the star of the show, making 13 tackles, including four behind the line of scrimmage, a sack, and forcing a fumble. Liberty stuffed Parkland on fourth down four times in the second half. Although Liberty gained just 217 yards, they opened the game with the only touchdown drive of the evening, then added a second TD on a short field after a muffed punt inside the 15.
Thoughts Through Three Weeks: Liberty has the most high end talent of any team in the Valley. Duggan, a 6’3 280 pound Rutgers commit, has been the best defender in the league by far and is priority #1 for any offense playing the Hurricanes. Darian Street, though he made just 1 catch against Parkland, has been fabulous, particularly in a 4 catch, 196 yard, 3 TD performance against Easton. Street is committed to Pitt and is the younger brother of New England Patriots receiver Devin Street. Running backs Nasir Legree and Gunner Anglovich combined for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns last year, and both are improved, particularly Legree, who is having a breakout sophomore year. As sophomore quarterback Todd Erney improves, they could be the team to beat, particularly if the offensive line holds up.
Next Week: Liberty hosts a reeling Whitehall team, who is unexpectedly 1-2 after starting the season in the top 10 in some state polls in 5A. Whitehall has the best athlete in the Valley, wide receiver/cornerback/return specialist Dez Boykin, so how Liberty schemes for his big play ability will be crucial. Of course, with Duggan and company’s ability to dominate in the trenches, they may blow plays up from the point of attack. A match up between Boykin and Darian Street on both sides of the ball will be worth the price of admission. Meanwhile, offensively, it will be another opportunity for Todd Erney to show his growth at the quarterback position. If he continues his week to week improvement, Liberty is going to be tough to beat.
2. Emmaus
Last Week: The revitalized Green Hornets beat class 4A favorites Bethlehem Catholic 34-25 on Saturday night, firmly planting themselves in the EPC South race. Emmaus came up with 8 sacks on defense, four by outside linebacker Blake Reed. Becahi gained 169 yards on three passing touchdowns, but otherwise gained 90 yards on 67 plays. Reed and defensive end Kyle Carraher are budding stars in a great Emmaus front 7. Offensively, Josh Artis caught his second touchdown of the night which proved to be the game winner with 7 minutes to go. The 6’4 200 pound junior finished with 6 catches for 58 yards and a pair of TDs.
Thoughts Through Three Weeks: Emmaus looks dangerous. The Harold Fairclough takeover is a rousing success through three weeks, as the former state championship winning coach at Allentown Central Catholic has completely changed the look and feel of the Green Hornets. Quarterback Derek Shaeffer is in the top ten in the state in passing yards through three games, and the monsterous Artis looks like one of the best weapons in the Valley. They’ve been inconsistent running the ball against good competition, but the passing offense should continue to open that up. And the defense has looked like a Harold Fairclough defense, creating a ton of pressure. They also have a decided special teams advantage will an All State candidate at kicker and punter, Carson Landis. Landis, who has a number of Patriot League and Ivy League offers, drilled field goals of 47 and 48 last week against Becahi.
Next Week: Emmaus gets breather, hosting Pocono Mountain West in their final cross division game of the season. The Green Hornets should roll this week and next, a trip to Northampton, before setting up another test with Freedom the last weekend in September.
3. Easton (2-1)
Last Week: One week after losing at BASD to Liberty, Easton came right back and split with the Bethlehem public schools, getting a tough 27-20 win over Freedom. The Easton defense, after getting torched with big plays last week, held Freedom to under 4 yards per play, and sacked quarterback Joe Young six times. And just like everybody saw coming, Easton torched Freedom…through the air? Running a two quarterback system, with primary passer Scott Poulson threw for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns while option QB/athlete Ben Nimeh threw for 27 yards and added 53 yards and a touchdown rushing on 7 carries (he also caught a pass for 8 yards while lining up at receiver and recorded a sack on defense). Receivers Trey Bailey (5 catches for 96 yards and a TD) and Jake Herres (4 catches for 117 yards and a TD) looked like the match up problems expected in the beginning of the year, particularly the 6’4 Herres, who had the breakout game Easton has been waiting for from the junior.
Thoughts Through Week Three: It’s a young Easton team that has played like it so far, flying around like their hair is on fire, but inconsistent snap to snap. Only six of their 22 starters are seniors, and sophomores Albert Gayle (C/DT 6’0 240), Harold Reynolds (RB 5’8 170), Danny Hynes (FS 5’11 180), and Elek Ferency (OL/DL 6’3 250) y are already playing big roles. Reynolds was bottled up by Freedom, but had been the offensive star the first two weeks, opening his varsity career with back-to-back 100 yard games and five touchdowns in two games. They’ve got some talent and size at receiver, with Bailey, Herres, Luke Nimeh (6’2 180), Eddie Olsen (6’2 170), and when he returns from injury Mike Dunlap (6’3 170 sophomore). The offensive line has some size, particularly on the right side with Ayyub Dail (6’1 265) and Mike Pugilese (6’0 245). Defensively, they’re very small at linebacker, but can fly around and have a deep defensive line that rotates as many as 7 guys. Defensive end Trevor Storm (6’7 210) and inside linebacker Austin Bina (5’10 185) have been the stars of the show on that side of the ball so far. How the secondary continues to improve will be the story of the season.
Next Week: Easton takes on Parkland. The Trojans struggled to find the end zone in their only real challenge on the schedule so far. Easton’s defense will need to key on Zach Bross in the passing game and continue to stop the run like they have through three weeks. Offensively, Easton may look to continue the passing game, as Parkland is devastating against the run. Easton will need to pass protect a viscous front from Parkland, and left tackle Trevor Storm vs. defensive end DJ Hohman battle on the left side will tell the story of the game. Storm is incredibly long, and if he can get his hands on Hohman and under his pad level before he turns the corner, he’ll have an okay night.
4. Freedom (2-1)
Last Week: Freedom dropped a 27-20 contest to Easton at home on Friday night. After a long TD pass on a great play action fake from Joe Young to Brady Hornbaker, the Freedom offense struggled for much of the evening. A major problem was Freedom’s inability to block Easton’s front seven, as they gained just 70 yards on 35 carries and were sacked six times. Defensively, Freedom struggled stopping the pass, particularly four verts when Easton spread the field and with Easton’s hybrid receiver/tight end types going over the middle. The good news was, they completely shut down a good Easton running game.
Thoughts Through Three Weeks: I thought Freedom was the clear favorite in D11 this season. They have the best and most experienced quarterback, they have a trio of dangerous receivers, a slasher at running back who ran for almost 700 yards last year in New Jersey, and a fast and dangerous defense. Not to mention an offensive line that averages over 260 across. All that beef on the o-line doesn’t matter if you can’t block, and by and large they were unable to block against Easton. Alec Huertas has been a star at receiver so far, and the Huertas to Young connection will be one to watch all season, particularly as Jamal Williamson improves as a deep threat to stretch the field. I was not expecting Freedom to lose in the regular season, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.
Next Week: Freedom takes on Northampton, who has not won a division game since the formation of the new conference. Northampton looks particularly vulnerable this year, and it’ll be a good week for Freedom to get back on track.
1. Liberty
Last Week: Liberty used a smothering red zone defense and timely plays from its offense to knock of 4x defending D11 champion Parkland. This was the second season in a row that the Hurricanes beat the Trojans. Liberty held Parkland to under 4.5 yards per play and forced three Trojan turnovers. Defensive end Jaohne Duggan was the star of the show, making 13 tackles, including four behind the line of scrimmage, a sack, and forcing a fumble. Liberty stuffed Parkland on fourth down four times in the second half. Although Liberty gained just 217 yards, they opened the game with the only touchdown drive of the evening, then added a second TD on a short field after a muffed punt inside the 15.
Thoughts Through Three Weeks: Liberty has the most high end talent of any team in the Valley. Duggan, a 6’3 280 pound Rutgers commit, has been the best defender in the league by far and is priority #1 for any offense playing the Hurricanes. Darian Street, though he made just 1 catch against Parkland, has been fabulous, particularly in a 4 catch, 196 yard, 3 TD performance against Easton. Street is committed to Pitt and is the younger brother of New England Patriots receiver Devin Street. Running backs Nasir Legree and Gunner Anglovich combined for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns last year, and both are improved, particularly Legree, who is having a breakout sophomore year. As sophomore quarterback Todd Erney improves, they could be the team to beat, particularly if the offensive line holds up.
Next Week: Liberty hosts a reeling Whitehall team, who is unexpectedly 1-2 after starting the season in the top 10 in some state polls in 5A. Whitehall has the best athlete in the Valley, wide receiver/cornerback/return specialist Dez Boykin, so how Liberty schemes for his big play ability will be crucial. Of course, with Duggan and company’s ability to dominate in the trenches, they may blow plays up from the point of attack. A match up between Boykin and Darian Street on both sides of the ball will be worth the price of admission. Meanwhile, offensively, it will be another opportunity for Todd Erney to show his growth at the quarterback position. If he continues his week to week improvement, Liberty is going to be tough to beat.
2. Emmaus
Last Week: The revitalized Green Hornets beat class 4A favorites Bethlehem Catholic 34-25 on Saturday night, firmly planting themselves in the EPC South race. Emmaus came up with 8 sacks on defense, four by outside linebacker Blake Reed. Becahi gained 169 yards on three passing touchdowns, but otherwise gained 90 yards on 67 plays. Reed and defensive end Kyle Carraher are budding stars in a great Emmaus front 7. Offensively, Josh Artis caught his second touchdown of the night which proved to be the game winner with 7 minutes to go. The 6’4 200 pound junior finished with 6 catches for 58 yards and a pair of TDs.
Thoughts Through Three Weeks: Emmaus looks dangerous. The Harold Fairclough takeover is a rousing success through three weeks, as the former state championship winning coach at Allentown Central Catholic has completely changed the look and feel of the Green Hornets. Quarterback Derek Shaeffer is in the top ten in the state in passing yards through three games, and the monsterous Artis looks like one of the best weapons in the Valley. They’ve been inconsistent running the ball against good competition, but the passing offense should continue to open that up. And the defense has looked like a Harold Fairclough defense, creating a ton of pressure. They also have a decided special teams advantage will an All State candidate at kicker and punter, Carson Landis. Landis, who has a number of Patriot League and Ivy League offers, drilled field goals of 47 and 48 last week against Becahi.
Next Week: Emmaus gets breather, hosting Pocono Mountain West in their final cross division game of the season. The Green Hornets should roll this week and next, a trip to Northampton, before setting up another test with Freedom the last weekend in September.
3. Easton (2-1)
Last Week: One week after losing at BASD to Liberty, Easton came right back and split with the Bethlehem public schools, getting a tough 27-20 win over Freedom. The Easton defense, after getting torched with big plays last week, held Freedom to under 4 yards per play, and sacked quarterback Joe Young six times. And just like everybody saw coming, Easton torched Freedom…through the air? Running a two quarterback system, with primary passer Scott Poulson threw for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns while option QB/athlete Ben Nimeh threw for 27 yards and added 53 yards and a touchdown rushing on 7 carries (he also caught a pass for 8 yards while lining up at receiver and recorded a sack on defense). Receivers Trey Bailey (5 catches for 96 yards and a TD) and Jake Herres (4 catches for 117 yards and a TD) looked like the match up problems expected in the beginning of the year, particularly the 6’4 Herres, who had the breakout game Easton has been waiting for from the junior.
Thoughts Through Week Three: It’s a young Easton team that has played like it so far, flying around like their hair is on fire, but inconsistent snap to snap. Only six of their 22 starters are seniors, and sophomores Albert Gayle (C/DT 6’0 240), Harold Reynolds (RB 5’8 170), Danny Hynes (FS 5’11 180), and Elek Ferency (OL/DL 6’3 250) y are already playing big roles. Reynolds was bottled up by Freedom, but had been the offensive star the first two weeks, opening his varsity career with back-to-back 100 yard games and five touchdowns in two games. They’ve got some talent and size at receiver, with Bailey, Herres, Luke Nimeh (6’2 180), Eddie Olsen (6’2 170), and when he returns from injury Mike Dunlap (6’3 170 sophomore). The offensive line has some size, particularly on the right side with Ayyub Dail (6’1 265) and Mike Pugilese (6’0 245). Defensively, they’re very small at linebacker, but can fly around and have a deep defensive line that rotates as many as 7 guys. Defensive end Trevor Storm (6’7 210) and inside linebacker Austin Bina (5’10 185) have been the stars of the show on that side of the ball so far. How the secondary continues to improve will be the story of the season.
Next Week: Easton takes on Parkland. The Trojans struggled to find the end zone in their only real challenge on the schedule so far. Easton’s defense will need to key on Zach Bross in the passing game and continue to stop the run like they have through three weeks. Offensively, Easton may look to continue the passing game, as Parkland is devastating against the run. Easton will need to pass protect a viscous front from Parkland, and left tackle Trevor Storm vs. defensive end DJ Hohman battle on the left side will tell the story of the game. Storm is incredibly long, and if he can get his hands on Hohman and under his pad level before he turns the corner, he’ll have an okay night.
4. Freedom (2-1)
Last Week: Freedom dropped a 27-20 contest to Easton at home on Friday night. After a long TD pass on a great play action fake from Joe Young to Brady Hornbaker, the Freedom offense struggled for much of the evening. A major problem was Freedom’s inability to block Easton’s front seven, as they gained just 70 yards on 35 carries and were sacked six times. Defensively, Freedom struggled stopping the pass, particularly four verts when Easton spread the field and with Easton’s hybrid receiver/tight end types going over the middle. The good news was, they completely shut down a good Easton running game.
Thoughts Through Three Weeks: I thought Freedom was the clear favorite in D11 this season. They have the best and most experienced quarterback, they have a trio of dangerous receivers, a slasher at running back who ran for almost 700 yards last year in New Jersey, and a fast and dangerous defense. Not to mention an offensive line that averages over 260 across. All that beef on the o-line doesn’t matter if you can’t block, and by and large they were unable to block against Easton. Alec Huertas has been a star at receiver so far, and the Huertas to Young connection will be one to watch all season, particularly as Jamal Williamson improves as a deep threat to stretch the field. I was not expecting Freedom to lose in the regular season, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.
Next Week: Freedom takes on Northampton, who has not won a division game since the formation of the new conference. Northampton looks particularly vulnerable this year, and it’ll be a good week for Freedom to get back on track.
