Souderton vs SJP
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And yet ... there are probably at least four teams in North Jersey, at least four in the DC area, and at least a couple in Ohio who would be roughly comparable to SJP--nowhere near four TD underdogs.
Also, as a Prep guy I can't help but recall a few times when the Prep was a heavy favorite and lost or nearly lost: the 2006 PCL championship, the 2013 city championship, and the 2015 PCL championship. Being a perennially high-profile program makes you a particular target. Other teams might be looser because they have nothing to lose. In the first decade of the century, the Prep sometimes seemed to get uptight in big games--not so much in recent years.
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The '15 Prep team was a mystery. They had Swift, Walls, Dumond, etc. but they were very inconsistent all year--looking great against SJR and St. Ignatius and poor against Bosco and Malvern. The starting QB got hurt, but there seemed to be some other problem too.
Tulla-not to beat a dead horse and without being lumped into the "haters" group, the common thread for those North Jersey, DC, and Ohio schools is that they are all private schools. Other than Lasalle, PCC & Cathedral Prep, there is no school in Pennsylvania that can attract the kind of talent to compete with Prep,
You're absolutely right. Lots of reasons for the very disproportionate number of private--almost all Catholic--schools among the top programs.
Tulla, how much better are Hawks this year compared to last year. Not the best of questions I know. Any estimates/guestimates? Had something of a handle on them ly until Central Dauphin.
Short answer: it's impossible to know. We'd have a good idea if they had been able to play the games in Texas and against St. John's and Bosco. Last year there were five games where they were behind and, as we all know, you learn a lot about a team when they're behind, especially late in games. This year, they've been way ahead in all four games they've played, so we really don't know how they'd do if they were to fall behind as they did last year against Northeast, PCC, etc. Yes, many are the same players, but they also lost quite a bit to graduation.
People focus on the three high profile seniors: McCord, Trotter, and Harrison. But Hagans and Cooper are also big talents and big-game players, as they showed last year. I don't expect there will be a "fivesome" like them anytime soon at the Prep or anywhere else in the state.
I don't think so. But I expect the Indians to give it their all and be real tough. They got a couple of big lineman that appear to be able to hang with anyone.
There's only 1 reason, please stop it and insulting everyone and let it lie.
The Division I final in Ohio last week was St. Xavier beating Pickerington Central 44-3, taking a 30 point lead in the first quarter. Going to be similar here in Pennsylvania.
I haven't seen them and with a limited sample size of decent but not outstanding teams on their schedule, it's hard to get a fix. I was keying off last year's team/results....transposing that to this year (returning players), factoring in (guessing) their degree of maturity to arrive at a number (power point) to reflect their strength. Thanks tulla.
You must be focused on one reason alone--which I assume is the fact that private schools don't have boundaries. Of course that is an advantage, but there are lots of places in the country (including the cities of Philadelphia and New York) where public schools don't have narrow boundaries either. I've never denied not having boundaries is a big advantage, but there are other reasons. Many public schools, for instance, face particular restrictions on who can be coaches. And I would argue that the overall steady decline in the number of boys playing football has meant that boys who are especially keen on football are looking more at schools that offer the best chances of good coaching, good competition, exposure etc. Simply put, if you're good at football and really want to play, you probably don't want to go to a school where the coaches are so-so, there are only a couple of other kids near your level, and there seems little likelihood you'll ever play on a good team. (My impression is that among the public schools, there are more blow-outs than there used to be.)
It's also true that the demographic profile of kids who play football at all levels has changed. Look at a picture of the Eagles championship team of 1960 or the Notre Dame or Penn State teams of the mid-60's--not to mention the Alabama and LSU teams of the same era--and compare those photos to photos of those teams today. When I started at the Prep in the late 60s every student in the school was from a Catholic family and 98% of us were white. Things are, of course, very different today--not mainly for any reason having to do with sports. But the change has meant that students who might not felt at home there decades ago now feel quite at home. It's also the case that some African-American families, while they are not Catholic, are quite attracted to schools that are Christian. Many families, regardless of race, also are concerned that a boy who's very focused on sports may not pay enough attention to academics. They are therefore drawn to a school where--it is at least their perception--their sons will be kept on the academic straight and narrow. while also pursuing their athletic interests and goals.
I can already hear objections to what I've written, e.g. "What about all the blowouts the Prep has had?" (The answer is that that is one reason the Prep plays the non-league schedule it does.) I could add some nuance, But my main point is that whether it's Ohio, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania there are several factors at work that help explain why things are as they are.
I'm going to indulge myself with a few further thoughts.
It seems to me that many who target the Prep and what's happened in Jersey, the DC area, Ohio, and some other areas are mistaking a symptom for a cause. If we can get some perspective we can see that the world has changed in the last fifty years since I graduated from the Prep. No one then could have imagined that Dougherty (largest Catholic high school in the world, if I'm not mistaken) and North Catholic would be closed (for low enrolment!!!) in our lifetimes. We would have had an equally hard time imagining that big-time college programs would be making offers to kids 3-5 years away from entering college. No players had tapes to send to coaches/colleges. College freshman, no matter how good they were, never played varsity football and NFL draft eligibility came only after four years. When I played any lineman over 200 lbs was considered "big" and the idea of having even informal football practices before the middle of August would have seemed unnatural. Most of us had "regular" summer jobs; I, for instance, had my own small landscaping business. Never heard of "7on7". The school had no weight room. And maybe more to the point, I can't remember us winning or losing a game by more than three touchdowns.
Much of that world still appeals to me. I can remember visiting an older brother in Scranton when I was a kid and seeing the great Blakely Bears. But all that is irrecoverable; the Blakely Bears haven't existed since, I think, about 1970. I'm kind of appalled at the very idea of IMG and I recognize the danger in Prep going even some way in that direction. I especially don't want the football team to be a separate group within the school community and have some problem with the team going off on a separate service trip each year, usually to a location near a big-time college football program. On the other hand, I could list several really good things the very successful football program has done for the school and, most important, for the students who've been part of the teams.
I think Kev is way off, but I guess you never know.
papreplive.com
Souderton gets ready for its first ever state semifinal, taking on St. Joseph’s Prep
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papreplive.com
SJP could be winning most of their in-state games by 50-60 points if they kept their starters. That’s with keeping the mercy rule in place (running clock). If it wasn’t for that, it would probably be 70-80 point wins on a weekly basis.
Yep. So great for high school football. Like I said, pa football would be fine without the prep. It would be interesting and up for grabs every year like it used to be.
We'll never know, but my guess as well. Souderton caught Pennridge and most likely a full playoff and Souderton gets knocked off by North Penn, Neshaminy, or Coatesville. I think Neshaminy got caught by Pennridge as well as North Penn and Neshaminy. Coatesville had more speed than Pennridge; Pennridge was able to pass on them when the lines were loaded. Pennridge couldn't do this against Souderton. One and done is not a good indicator of the best team in District 1 as there were a few others that looked like they were starting to peak.
Agree 100%. Souderton no match for North Penn 2016 or Coatesville 2017-2018. I wonder if some teams, looking back, will wish the season hadn't gone ahead.
And I realize the final score was 51-43. But SJP was up 51-7 with 12 mins left in the third when they pulled their entire starting line up. Souderton scored on their JV. Keep in mind McCord threw a rare INT in the end zone in the first half.
Tulla, the final score is very deceiving. I am not begrudging SJP for being great. I am just being realistic in my opinion.
Tulla, the final score is very deceiving. I am not begrudging SJP for being great. I am just being realistic in my opinion.
I understand that. Three of the the four previous state semifinals the Prep has played (NP in 2016, Coatesville in 2017, and PCC in 2019) were very close games that could easily have gone the other way.
Very true Tulla. All of those were great games. I am a public school guy, but I do appreciate SJP’s greatness. Good luck to the Hawks next week!
True that Souderton played the second half againts the SJP JV. Souderton scored a TD cutting the lead even more, but it was called back due to a penalty. I was wondering if the SJP coach was going to put his starters back in.
With all the flak privates are catching that's a pretty good hustle, making it look like a tight game until a closer look....that most don't do....finds otherwise. How can you explain a coach allowing any game to get this close.
