Power Ratings 4A Semifinals
Imhotep 10-2 vs Bethlehem Catholic 11-3….4.34 Inhotep
Imhotep Charter School used its size and speed to overwhelm a good Valley View team 37-9. A 25-0 halftime lead had to be devastating to a team used to being on the other end of that score, coming in undefeated (13-0), winning games by an average score of 37 to 9. This was the second straight year ICS beat Valley View, winning 41-0 last year. The Cougars had no answer for anything ICS did, allowing 426 yards of offense with Tykee Smith rushing for 172 yards and two touchdowns while Qb Jaden Sutton-Christian was perfect, completing 6 of 6 passes for 76 yards with 3 touchdowns passes, two to D’Shaun Seals, another to Yusuf Terry. Their opponent this week is Bethlehem Catholic, a team they defeated last year 34-14. The Golden Hawks won their third straight District-11 title and fifth in the last six years with a largely veteran, definitely explosive group, averaging 44ppg, benefiting tremendously by the transfer of quarterback Zamar Brake (1837) from New Jersey. He and running backs Tavion Banks (1396) and Zaheer Seabrooks (1381) give them one of the top backfields in the state, running behind one of the best O-Lines, featuring Penn State recruit Dalton Daddona (6-4, 280) plus Jerry Lyons (6-2, 275) and Elias Marte (6-4, 295). They are big, fast and strong, which is how many characterize Imhotep. Their schedule is mostly 6A and 5A teams making their run through the 4A playoffs almost an afterthought, defeating Blue Mountain, Pottsville, Saucon Valley and Pottsgrove by a combined score of 216 to 75, a 54-19 average. Imhotep’s mimics that, blowing past Boys Latin, Bartram, O’Hara and Valley View by a 135-17 total or 34-4 average to win their fourth consecutive District-12 title. The front end showed games against quality programs including LaSalle, and powerhouses DeMatha and St. Joseph Regional, whereas BECA’s challenges were peppered throughout the season in the competitive EPC-South, but devoid of national powers ICS faced. The Panthers are on a historic run, winning the title in 2015, beating Cathedral Prep 40-3, then losing to the Ramblers the following two years in the final, 27-20 in 2016 and 38-28 last year. They’re also joined at the hip to Bethlehem Catholic, playing and defeating them the last two years. In point of fact, this is where BECA typically goes down, losing in the semifinal. Last year’s result against ICS and Freedom’s performance against St. Joe’s last week does raise a few red flags.
Bishop McDevitt 12-1 vs Cathedral Prep 11-3….2.89 Bishop McDevitt
McDevitt went on a 70 yard scoring drive, using 20 plays and 8 minutes to ice the district title game, denying Berks Catholic a fourth straight District-3 crown in a hard fought 41-31 win. They pulled out all the stops (scoring in the last 2 minutes), going for a first down on a 4th and 4 at their own 36 yard line and converting a fake punt along the way to keep the drive alive. No tomorrows in the postseason! A previous drive went 70 yards in 10 plays to end the third quarter giving the Crusaders a 34-17 lead and real momentum. Statistically, they owned this one, rushing for 299 yards. CJ Reyes-Diggs hit them low rushing for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns while Chase Diehl hit them high, completing 12 of 19 for 142 yards. Berks was held to 146 yards rushing. They advance to play Cathedral Prep who put a 42-10 hurtin on South Fayette, shutting them down in the second half with a 21-0 outburst. This was the seventh straight time Cathedral ended the season of a WPIAL title team. Their great back Billy Lucas (6-0, 205) ran for 342 yards on 39 carries, scoring 3 touchdowns. He has 1664 rush yards for the year. Cathedral plays a difficult schedule including Central Catholic (7-4) of Pittsburgh, a 24-21 loss, St. Edwards’s of Ohio (10-3) who beat them 35-3 and Clarkson-North (6-6) of Ontario who won 51-40. They have 4 solid running backs with the focus always on Billy Lucas with his 1664 yards. The receiver corps is deep with 4 playing a key role with 105 receptions for 1851 yards, led by Jack Oedekoven’s 772 yards. At 6-4, 185 pounds he wins most of the 50-50 balls. With McDevitt scoring 45 and allowing 17 compared to Cathedral’s averaging 42ppg while allowing 19, there should be a lot of scoring, Both are loaded to the gills with skill players suggesting it may be won by the team that has the ball last.
Power Ratings 3A Semifinals
Middletown 12-1 vs Scranton Prep13-1….11.36 Middletown
Middletown got past Conwell Egan 21-14 but it was a struggle. They neutralized Patrick Gawro, holding him to 3 yards but freed up Dajuan Harris in the process who gashed them for 178 of the teams 226 yards rushing, keeping them in the game. Quarterback Alex Goldsby was effective, completing 8 of 18 passes for 120 yards. They battled, getting 346 total yards that often wins a game but not this time, where Middletown made the stops they needed to. Middletown was more, but not by much. Conwell Egan dented their defense but had great difficulty converting yards to points, driving to Middletown’s 35 yards line three times on their initial possessions, coming away empty. But give them credit for battling back from a 14-0 deficit. Jose Lopez did the most damage for the Blue Raiders rushing for 232 yards. He has not been stopped the entire year. Aside from Bishop McDevitt, Conwell Egan is the best team they played. Their opponent this weekend is Scranton Prep who essentially had a scrimmage, sitting their starters for the 4th quarter after blowing out Montoursville with 478 total yards of offense in a 45-7 victory. The defense was sound, holding Montoursville to 198 total yards with 28 on the ground. Scranton Prep’s Leo O’Boyle was a force, completing 15 of 23 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s a load at 6-7, 210 and will play at Lafayette. Tucker Johnson rushed for 108 yards with Ben Jones getting 88 and 2 touchdowns. The competition out of District-2 doesn’t often compete well with District-3 teams. But the Cavs have had their highs, defeating Dunmore in the opener 31-0 and their lows, losing to Valley View 27-15. Middletown defeated the Cavaliers the last two years and are poised for another visit to the state finals, their third in a row!
Sharon 10-3 vs Aliquippa 12-1….27.00 Aliquippa
The Sharon Tigers won their second straight District-10 title then rocked Bald Eagle last week 28-7. Qb Lane Voytik (6-0, 205) was a modest 11 of 20 for 72 yards but has 2624 for the year with a 27/13 ratio at 63%. BA was held to 74 yards rushing, 219 total, with the Tigers gaining 186 yards rushing, mostly from running back Jordan Wilson’s 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s 5-10, 230 pounds with 1898 yards for the season. Fun tackling him! Their other weapon is CJ Parchman (6-4, 215) who has 1026 yards in receptions. It’s a mid-range attack by today’s standards scoring 30 a game with a defense at 20ppg, 279 total. They had collapses against Wilmington (12-1) in their season opener, losing 42-7 and Grove City (11-1) 42-9, who they avenged before defeating Bald Eagle. Prior to that they gave Mercyhurst Prep (10-1) their first loss 29-28. So they appear to have righted things, winning their last six games since Grove City. They’ll need to bring it hard this week for any hopes of defeating one of the state’s true juggernauts, Aliquippa, who is coming off a bye week. Talk about a “Program”. They defeated Derry two weeks ago 42-19 (402-202 Total O), to win their 17th WPIAL title! And how about 21 title game appearances, 11 straight. Wow! The Quips are destroying people by an average score of 48-7 with the lone loss coming against Central Valley (5-6) 14-8 on the last game of the regular season. So, they’re human, but only if you put them in a deluge with torrents of rain. They had a bye last week after beating Derry (11-2). Its hard finding a weakness, with quarterback Eli Kosanovich (6-2, 195, sr) completing 63% of passes with a 35/3 ratio for 2798 yards. William Gipson is the lead receiver with 1494 yards on 53 receptions. Deoveon Crute has 33 catches for 452 yards while MJ Devonshire has 456 yards on 19 receptions. Three year starter Avante McKenzie (5-8. 190, sr) is one of the top backs in the WPIAL with 177 carries for 1444 yards (1681 last year), giving them a well-rounded offense. Nearly half the players have offers. About the D, six shutouts with an average yield of 7ppg tells you it’s fast, with a great Front, headed by Solvauhn Moreland (6-3, 295, sr) and Elijah Mike (6-1, 305, jr). First year coach Mike Warfield is a ‘87 Aliquippa grad who staring there as a quarterback….and very evidently has the team on the same page. He is their first black coach with the retirement of Mike Zmijanic after a 21 year stint.
** Edited 11/29 to add information on Coach Zmijanac. Had a record of 237-36 (87%), 6 WPIAL titles, 1 PIAA state title and 10 consecutive appearances in the WPIAL final, a record. Also just saw he retired after a one year at Ringgold.
Imhotep 10-2 vs Bethlehem Catholic 11-3….4.34 Inhotep
Imhotep Charter School used its size and speed to overwhelm a good Valley View team 37-9. A 25-0 halftime lead had to be devastating to a team used to being on the other end of that score, coming in undefeated (13-0), winning games by an average score of 37 to 9. This was the second straight year ICS beat Valley View, winning 41-0 last year. The Cougars had no answer for anything ICS did, allowing 426 yards of offense with Tykee Smith rushing for 172 yards and two touchdowns while Qb Jaden Sutton-Christian was perfect, completing 6 of 6 passes for 76 yards with 3 touchdowns passes, two to D’Shaun Seals, another to Yusuf Terry. Their opponent this week is Bethlehem Catholic, a team they defeated last year 34-14. The Golden Hawks won their third straight District-11 title and fifth in the last six years with a largely veteran, definitely explosive group, averaging 44ppg, benefiting tremendously by the transfer of quarterback Zamar Brake (1837) from New Jersey. He and running backs Tavion Banks (1396) and Zaheer Seabrooks (1381) give them one of the top backfields in the state, running behind one of the best O-Lines, featuring Penn State recruit Dalton Daddona (6-4, 280) plus Jerry Lyons (6-2, 275) and Elias Marte (6-4, 295). They are big, fast and strong, which is how many characterize Imhotep. Their schedule is mostly 6A and 5A teams making their run through the 4A playoffs almost an afterthought, defeating Blue Mountain, Pottsville, Saucon Valley and Pottsgrove by a combined score of 216 to 75, a 54-19 average. Imhotep’s mimics that, blowing past Boys Latin, Bartram, O’Hara and Valley View by a 135-17 total or 34-4 average to win their fourth consecutive District-12 title. The front end showed games against quality programs including LaSalle, and powerhouses DeMatha and St. Joseph Regional, whereas BECA’s challenges were peppered throughout the season in the competitive EPC-South, but devoid of national powers ICS faced. The Panthers are on a historic run, winning the title in 2015, beating Cathedral Prep 40-3, then losing to the Ramblers the following two years in the final, 27-20 in 2016 and 38-28 last year. They’re also joined at the hip to Bethlehem Catholic, playing and defeating them the last two years. In point of fact, this is where BECA typically goes down, losing in the semifinal. Last year’s result against ICS and Freedom’s performance against St. Joe’s last week does raise a few red flags.
Bishop McDevitt 12-1 vs Cathedral Prep 11-3….2.89 Bishop McDevitt
McDevitt went on a 70 yard scoring drive, using 20 plays and 8 minutes to ice the district title game, denying Berks Catholic a fourth straight District-3 crown in a hard fought 41-31 win. They pulled out all the stops (scoring in the last 2 minutes), going for a first down on a 4th and 4 at their own 36 yard line and converting a fake punt along the way to keep the drive alive. No tomorrows in the postseason! A previous drive went 70 yards in 10 plays to end the third quarter giving the Crusaders a 34-17 lead and real momentum. Statistically, they owned this one, rushing for 299 yards. CJ Reyes-Diggs hit them low rushing for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns while Chase Diehl hit them high, completing 12 of 19 for 142 yards. Berks was held to 146 yards rushing. They advance to play Cathedral Prep who put a 42-10 hurtin on South Fayette, shutting them down in the second half with a 21-0 outburst. This was the seventh straight time Cathedral ended the season of a WPIAL title team. Their great back Billy Lucas (6-0, 205) ran for 342 yards on 39 carries, scoring 3 touchdowns. He has 1664 rush yards for the year. Cathedral plays a difficult schedule including Central Catholic (7-4) of Pittsburgh, a 24-21 loss, St. Edwards’s of Ohio (10-3) who beat them 35-3 and Clarkson-North (6-6) of Ontario who won 51-40. They have 4 solid running backs with the focus always on Billy Lucas with his 1664 yards. The receiver corps is deep with 4 playing a key role with 105 receptions for 1851 yards, led by Jack Oedekoven’s 772 yards. At 6-4, 185 pounds he wins most of the 50-50 balls. With McDevitt scoring 45 and allowing 17 compared to Cathedral’s averaging 42ppg while allowing 19, there should be a lot of scoring, Both are loaded to the gills with skill players suggesting it may be won by the team that has the ball last.
Power Ratings 3A Semifinals
Middletown 12-1 vs Scranton Prep13-1….11.36 Middletown
Middletown got past Conwell Egan 21-14 but it was a struggle. They neutralized Patrick Gawro, holding him to 3 yards but freed up Dajuan Harris in the process who gashed them for 178 of the teams 226 yards rushing, keeping them in the game. Quarterback Alex Goldsby was effective, completing 8 of 18 passes for 120 yards. They battled, getting 346 total yards that often wins a game but not this time, where Middletown made the stops they needed to. Middletown was more, but not by much. Conwell Egan dented their defense but had great difficulty converting yards to points, driving to Middletown’s 35 yards line three times on their initial possessions, coming away empty. But give them credit for battling back from a 14-0 deficit. Jose Lopez did the most damage for the Blue Raiders rushing for 232 yards. He has not been stopped the entire year. Aside from Bishop McDevitt, Conwell Egan is the best team they played. Their opponent this weekend is Scranton Prep who essentially had a scrimmage, sitting their starters for the 4th quarter after blowing out Montoursville with 478 total yards of offense in a 45-7 victory. The defense was sound, holding Montoursville to 198 total yards with 28 on the ground. Scranton Prep’s Leo O’Boyle was a force, completing 15 of 23 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s a load at 6-7, 210 and will play at Lafayette. Tucker Johnson rushed for 108 yards with Ben Jones getting 88 and 2 touchdowns. The competition out of District-2 doesn’t often compete well with District-3 teams. But the Cavs have had their highs, defeating Dunmore in the opener 31-0 and their lows, losing to Valley View 27-15. Middletown defeated the Cavaliers the last two years and are poised for another visit to the state finals, their third in a row!
Sharon 10-3 vs Aliquippa 12-1….27.00 Aliquippa
The Sharon Tigers won their second straight District-10 title then rocked Bald Eagle last week 28-7. Qb Lane Voytik (6-0, 205) was a modest 11 of 20 for 72 yards but has 2624 for the year with a 27/13 ratio at 63%. BA was held to 74 yards rushing, 219 total, with the Tigers gaining 186 yards rushing, mostly from running back Jordan Wilson’s 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s 5-10, 230 pounds with 1898 yards for the season. Fun tackling him! Their other weapon is CJ Parchman (6-4, 215) who has 1026 yards in receptions. It’s a mid-range attack by today’s standards scoring 30 a game with a defense at 20ppg, 279 total. They had collapses against Wilmington (12-1) in their season opener, losing 42-7 and Grove City (11-1) 42-9, who they avenged before defeating Bald Eagle. Prior to that they gave Mercyhurst Prep (10-1) their first loss 29-28. So they appear to have righted things, winning their last six games since Grove City. They’ll need to bring it hard this week for any hopes of defeating one of the state’s true juggernauts, Aliquippa, who is coming off a bye week. Talk about a “Program”. They defeated Derry two weeks ago 42-19 (402-202 Total O), to win their 17th WPIAL title! And how about 21 title game appearances, 11 straight. Wow! The Quips are destroying people by an average score of 48-7 with the lone loss coming against Central Valley (5-6) 14-8 on the last game of the regular season. So, they’re human, but only if you put them in a deluge with torrents of rain. They had a bye last week after beating Derry (11-2). Its hard finding a weakness, with quarterback Eli Kosanovich (6-2, 195, sr) completing 63% of passes with a 35/3 ratio for 2798 yards. William Gipson is the lead receiver with 1494 yards on 53 receptions. Deoveon Crute has 33 catches for 452 yards while MJ Devonshire has 456 yards on 19 receptions. Three year starter Avante McKenzie (5-8. 190, sr) is one of the top backs in the WPIAL with 177 carries for 1444 yards (1681 last year), giving them a well-rounded offense. Nearly half the players have offers. About the D, six shutouts with an average yield of 7ppg tells you it’s fast, with a great Front, headed by Solvauhn Moreland (6-3, 295, sr) and Elijah Mike (6-1, 305, jr). First year coach Mike Warfield is a ‘87 Aliquippa grad who staring there as a quarterback….and very evidently has the team on the same page. He is their first black coach with the retirement of Mike Zmijanic after a 21 year stint.
** Edited 11/29 to add information on Coach Zmijanac. Had a record of 237-36 (87%), 6 WPIAL titles, 1 PIAA state title and 10 consecutive appearances in the WPIAL final, a record. Also just saw he retired after a one year at Ringgold.
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