Marquez Wimberly Transfers to Nazareth

[RoverNation05]

I've discussed him here a little bit, but rising sophomore Marquez Wimberly has transferred from Parkland to Nazareth. He was in the news this week after receiving his first FBS offer from West Virginia, and in local press it noted he's changed schools.

This is a big blow to Parkland, who was seen by some as an early favorite. Parkland does have senior running Trey Tremba, who is collecting a ton of high end FCS offers (CAA and national caliber schools), but I'd have to imagine both would have been big parts of the offense.

This is what I wrote about Wimberly earlier this offseason in one of Stalk's threads:
Marquez Wimberly, RB, Parkland - Wimberly got tons of carries as a freshman and played a very good cornerback. If he continues to physically mature (he's 5'9 180 right now as a 15 year old), he could explode next year. He had three return touchdowns, four blocked kicks, and made 60 tackles, and had a pair of interceptions as a 9th grader. I think he's got the potential to be a four-star type recruit from up here by the time he's a senior. This is the starter-kit.

Since then, he's apparently run a (hand-timed) 4.35 at some camp and while I sincerely doubt the veracity of that time (posted by some camp on Twitter), he's a burner. There's definitely a world where he's the best skill player in D11 next year and one of the best in the state in the next two.

I also think this makes Nazareth the absolute favorite in D11 6A next year. Wimberly will be the feature running back, they also have returning All State wideout Mason Kuehner (Villanova/Richmond/Delaware type offers) and All State offensive tackle Sean Kinney (low level FBS and some high level FCS offers, also a Penn State wrestling offer and 2x state champ), plus they will be quarterbacked by their head coach's son this year, sophomore Peyton Falzone, who is 6'4 195 and already has an offer from Maryland after camping with them in the spring. Lots of high end talent. They're obviously not going to beat SJP in state quarterfinals, but this could be one of the better non-SJP teams in 6A.

 

[HSFB99]

Did his family move? Will this be contested by Parkland?

 

[lilromeo]

I've discussed him here a little bit, but rising sophomore Marquez Wimberly has transferred from Parkland to Nazareth. He was in the news this week after receiving his first FBS offer from West Virginia, and in local press it noted he's changed schools.

This is a big blow to Parkland, who was seen by some as an early favorite. Parkland does have senior running Trey Tremba, who is collecting a ton of high end FCS offers (CAA and national caliber schools), but I'd have to imagine both would have been big parts of the offense.

This is what I wrote about Wimberly earlier this offseason in one of Stalk's threads:
Marquez Wimberly, RB, Parkland - Wimberly got tons of carries as a freshman and played a very good cornerback. If he continues to physically mature (he's 5'9 180 right now as a 15 year old), he could explode next year. He had three return touchdowns, four blocked kicks, and made 60 tackles, and had a pair of interceptions as a 9th grader. I think he's got the potential to be a four-star type recruit from up here by the time he's a senior. This is the starter-kit.

Since then, he's apparently run a (hand-timed) 4.35 at some camp and while I sincerely doubt the veracity of that time (posted by some camp on Twitter), he's a burner. There's definitely a world where he's the best skill player in D11 next year and one of the best in the state in the next two.

I also think this makes Nazareth the absolute favorite in D11 6A next year. Wimberly will be the feature running back, they also have returning All State wideout Mason Kuehner (Villanova/Richmond/Delaware type offers) and All State offensive tackle Sean Kinney (low level FBS and some high level FCS offers, also a Penn State wrestling offer and 2x state champ), plus they will be quarterbacked by their head coach's son this year, sophomore Peyton Falzone, who is 6'4 195 and already has an offer from Maryland after camping with them in the spring. Lots of high end talent. They're obviously not going to beat SJP in state quarterfinals, but this could be one of the better non-SJP teams I would like to see Nazareth play some either a D-1 or D-3 power to open the season. Their program seems prime to do so.

 

[lilromeo]

LOL that last sentence was from me. Excuse my super typing skills.

 

[RoverNation05]

I have no idea. I saw in a newspaper article that he is now at Nazareth. I’ll see if I can do some digging, but it’s a huge change. And people transferring into Nazareth to play football is WILD to me and anybody else who has been following Valley football for decades. Hats off to Tom Falzone for what he’s done with that program.

He’s only a rising sophomore, so he has assumed eligibility unless Parkland challenges, no idea if they will.

The other Valley underclassman news is I saw Jermaine Smith Jr. will definitely be at Freedom. Incoming freshman receiver, 6’4 210 already, probably ends up a tight end/defensive end, but kid is as high upside an incoming freshman as I can remember in the Valley. It’s also crazy, again as a longtime follower of Valley football that he’s at Freedom - for generations he’s automatically a Bethlehem Catholic kid, or for a stretch would have found his way into Liberty.

 

[HSFB99]

It is surprising to me that a young promising player would leave a Moncman-led program.

 

[RoverNation05]

It is surprising to me that a young promising player would leave a Moncman-led program.

He may have legitimately moved. Falzone is also very good and has taken Nazareth football from a joke (sans the couple years of Rob Melosky in the early 2010s) to a consistent winner and one of the most innovative offensive teams in the area. They were the favorites to win last year before their all state caliber quarterback broke his hand in the last game of the regular season.

There also could be discontent if he thinks Tremba could take a vast majority of the carries.

 

[lilromeo]

He may have legitimately moved. Falzone is also very good and has taken Nazareth football from a joke (sans the couple years of Rob Melosky in the early 2010s) to a consistent winner and one of the most innovative offensive teams in the area. They were the favorites to win last year before their all state caliber quarterback broke his hand in the last game of the regular season.

There also could be discontent if he thinks Tremba could take a vast majority of the carries.

I would like to see some of the high level D-11 teams open against either a D-1 or D-3 team of the same calibre.

 

[RoverNation05]

I would like to see some of the high level D-11 teams open against either a D-1 or D-3 team of the same calibre.

I would too! I’ve said for the last couple years, I think our best have matched up the last couple years, but we just play SJP in the first round of states and never get to test ourselves against anybody but the top program in the state.

Blame the merger. Since the Lehigh Valley Conference merged with the Mountain Valley in 2014, the football schedule is you play the other 8 teams in your “division” (old conference) then have a mandatory two crossover games. It rewards lazy ADs because all scheduling is automatic. Ir sucks in all sports (there are mandatory crossover matches in wrestling where whole duals finish in under 20 minutes if mat time for 14 matches…) but is especially acute in football because it takes up all non-league games.

The old MVC is mostly full of bad football schools, and the crossovers are just a blood bath. It wastes everybody’s time to put Parkland on a bus for two hours to go beat East Stroudsburg North 66-0. And it eliminated the good non-conference, out of area games Parkland, Easton, Moncman era Liberty, etc used to schedule. I loved the Easton-Pennsbury series, for instance, or when the Tom Savage Cardinal O’Hara team came up, getting to do a home-and-home with Altoona, etc. Parkland has played SJP, Harrisburg, Glen Mills. I think if you lifted the mandatory crossover games (which certainly Brad Wilson in the local media is always advocating for) I think you’d see the best Lehigh Valley teams start scheduling them again.

 

[Stalker]

Parkland gets Naz at home. What a reunion that will be for MW! And maybe again in the playoffs.

 

[bucksftball]

I would too! I’ve said for the last couple years, I think our best have matched up the last couple years, but we just play SJP in the first round of states and never get to test ourselves against anybody but the top program in the state.

Blame the merger. Since the Lehigh Valley Conference merged with the Mountain Valley in 2014, the football schedule is you play the other 8 teams in your “division” (old conference) then have a mandatory two crossover games. It rewards lazy ADs because all scheduling is automatic. Ir sucks in all sports (there are mandatory crossover matches in wrestling where whole duals finish in under 20 minutes if mat time for 14 matches…) but is especially acute in football because it takes up all non-league games.

The old MVC is mostly full of bad football schools, and the crossovers are just a blood bath. It wastes everybody’s time to put Parkland on a bus for two hours to go beat East Stroudsburg North 66-0. And it eliminated the good non-conference, out of area games Parkland, Easton, Moncman era Liberty, etc used to schedule. I loved the Easton-Pennsbury series, for instance, or when the Tom Savage Cardinal O’Hara team came up, getting to do a home-and-home with Altoona, etc. Parkland has played SJP, Harrisburg, Glen Mills. I think if you lifted the mandatory crossover games (which certainly Brad Wilson in the local media is always advocating for) I think you’d see the best Lehigh Valley teams start scheduling t

I would too! I’ve said for the last couple years, I think our best have matched up the last couple years, but we just play SJP in the first round of states and never get to test ourselves against anybody but the top program in the state.

Blame the merger. Since the Lehigh Valley Conference merged with the Mountain Valley in 2014, the football schedule is you play the other 8 teams in your “division” (old conference) then have a mandatory two crossover games. It rewards lazy ADs because all scheduling is automatic. Ir sucks in all sports (there are mandatory crossover matches in wrestling where whole duals finish in under 20 minutes if mat time for 14 matches…) but is especially acute in football because it takes up all non-league games.

The old MVC is mostly full of bad football schools, and the crossovers are just a blood bath. It wastes everybody’s time to put Parkland on a bus for two hours to go beat East Stroudsburg North 66-0. And it eliminated the good non-conference, out of area games Parkland, Easton, Moncman era Liberty, etc used to schedule. I loved the Easton-Pennsbury series, for instance, or when the Tom Savage Cardinal O’Hara team came up, getting to do a home-and-home with Altoona, etc. Parkland has played SJP, Harrisburg, Glen Mills. I think if you lifted the mandatory crossover games (which certainly Brad Wilson in the local media is always advocating for) I think you’d see the best Lehigh Valley teams start scheduling them again.

SOL and Lehigh Valley should be natural week 0 matchups as the geography makes for easy trips, in most cases before school has even started so you can travel at any point during the day. Would be great to see the historically strong programs playing each other... would create a lot of buzz and there are some potentially very good matchups.

 

[Stalker]

SOL and Lehigh Valley should be natural week 0 matchups as the geography makes for easy trips, in most cases before school has even started so you can travel at any point during the day. Would be great to see the historically strong programs playing each other... would create a lot of buzz and there are some potentially very good matchups.

It's unfortunate the EPC powers choose to keep their teams cloistered as tho they don't want that level of competition, preferring instead to play the weak comp of the EPC-N.
That's especially disappointing as the SOL, Mid Penn and WPIAL have demonstrated their willingness, in fact, their desire to step out of their leagues and play legitimate competition as opposed to automatic blowouts Rover alluded to.
I don't know of another conference that does that. The Lancaster Lebanon League travels anywhere. Even the York-Adams gets out of town playing top Mid Penn comp, et al. (York vs Woodland Hills, Central York vs Cumberland Valley). Cathedral Prep has traveled for years playing high end teams.

 

[RoverNation05]

Got a little more insight into this transfer -

Apparently in addition to Tremba, Parkland has an incoming freshman running back they are VERY excited about. TJ Lawrence is the name to watch. He’ll wear #1 and play running back and linebacker the fall. There are clips of him squatting 425, dunking a basketball, and flashing a 39 inch vertical. Wimberly kind of sandwiched between him and Tremba.