PIAA Class 5A Semifinal Game Preview: D1- Upper Dublin Cardinals (14-0) vs D12-Imhotep Charter Panthers (9-2)
Tagged under: District 1, District 12, News, Playoffs
Michael Pietrangelo | November 29, 2022
NOAH STOMSKY also contributed to this article
The Game:
District 12 (1) Imhotep Charter Panthers @ District 1 (1) Upper Dublin Cardinals
Friday, December 2, 2022
Kickoff: 7pm
Wissahickon High School
521 Houston Rd, Ambler, Pa 19002
We’ve reached the “final four” in the 5A classification. On the Eastern side of the bracket the only undefeated team, Upper Dublin out of District 1 faces off against the Champion from the District 11/12 game, The Imhotep Charter Panthers, for a chance to play in the State Championship game. On the Western side of the state, we have The District 3 Champion, the Cocalico Eagles facing off against the district 7 champ, the Pine-Richland Rams.
The Details:
1st seed-District 1
Head Coach: Bret Stover
League: Suburban One League-Continental Conference (5A)
This Season: (14-0) overall (6-0) Conference
Last Week: Beat West Chester Rustin 21-7
Cardinals Notables: Upper Dublin enters the game as the only undefeated team in the state at 14-0 in the 5A classification. The Flying Cards are PFN’s #1 ranked team in the statewide rankings as well. The Cards boast an impressive offense which averages 34.1 points per game while their defense is yielding an average of only 7.1 points per. During the first four matchups the Cards are outscoring their opponents 121-7. They cruised to a 35-0 win over (16) Academy Park in round one, followed that up in round two with a 35-0 thumping over (8) Great Valley, beat (4) Plymouth Whitemarsh (30-0) in the district semifinal, & then beat (3) West Chester Rustin (21-7) to capture the District One-5A Championship. Offensively the balanced attack revolves around the arm of Senior Colin O’Sullivan who currently holds offers from Boston College and Cornell. Colin has completed 67% of his passes for 2,717 yards & 34 touchdowns & only 3 INTs. The running game features senior running back Nyfise McIntyre who has compiled 1,473 yards on the ground & 16 scores of his own. Sophomore RB Dominick Paone has rushed for 0ver 350 yards & 5 TDs. The receiving corps is a nightmare for opposing secondaries as they have compiled over 1,956 yards & 22 TDS between seniors Griffin Pensabene (654-7), DJ Ceresier (535-7), Starling Reaves (399-4), & junior Kris Kohlbrenner (368-4). On the Defensive side of the ball, look for any number of players to make an impact. Senior DT Kyree Butler, Senior DE Riley Hackett, Junior Shyne Roberts, & Dominick Paone to patrol the 1st and 2nd levels with attentiveness, aggression, & discipline. Kyree has 90 total tackles & 5 sacks. Riley leads the team with 8.5 sacks to go along with 74 total tackles. Junior Shyne Roberts is second on the team in total tackles with 71 and sacks with 7.5. In the secondary look for the ball hawking junior Chris Kohlbrenner & senior playmakers Starling Reaves & DJ Cerisier to impact the QBs decision making a lot.
1st seed-District 12
Head Coach: Devon Johnson
League: Philadelphia Public League- Independence Conference (5A)
This Season: (9-2) overall (3-0) Conference
Last Week: Beat Whitehall 55-7
Panthers Notables: After a 55-7 win over Whitehall, Imhotep moves back to the Semi-Finals hoping to continue their 8-game win streak to the championship. Last year winning 36-0 in the Semi-Finals against Strath Haven put them into the championship a season ago. Imhotep enters their second Semi-Final in a row with a physical offense and a scary defense. The Offense averages 306.5 yards a game with 157.5 coming from the rush. Standout running back Georgia commit Jabree Wallace-Coleman leads the rushing group with 979 yards on 164 carries and 11 touchdowns. Averaging 6 yards a carry really can break a defense. After rushing for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns with an extra 60-yard receiving touchdown Jabree enters Friday as a real threat. He has over double the all-purpose yards than anyone else on the team, Jabree has 1185 total all-purpose yards with the second most coming from Imhotep’s leading Wide-Out Corey Wright-Downing with 549. For Imhotep’s passing game, they average 149 yards per game but they can well exceed that. Two-Way Quarterback Mikal Davis Jr completed 73.7% of his passes throwing for 14/19 and 276 yards last game while averaging 19.7 yards per pass with an additional 3 touchdowns. While passing for 276 yards Davis racked up 81 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 7 carries. On the season Davis has 1,630 yards while completing over half of his passes with a 58.7 completion percentage and 18 touchdowns with a 108.5 QB rate and his rushing game is also deadly. Averaging 5 yards a carry with 5 touchdowns, Davis has rushed for 265 yards in total on 53 carries. Out of a scary offense, the defense is scarier. In 11 games, Imhotep has only allowed 74 points which means they allow only 6.72 points a game meaning most teams only can get a touchdown. In their 8-game win streak, they have only allowed 23 points which means they average less than 3 points allowed In those 8 games. The defense is led by linemen Jahsear Whittington, linebacker Raheem Reid, and safety Rahmir Stewart. Whittington left Saturday with 4 (assisted) total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 Qb sacks. On the year he has 28 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks in 7 games, Whittington has been nothing less than a monster on the line. Linebacker Reid left Saturday with 1 tackle, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and the only takeaway in the entire game with an interception. He enters Friday with the third most tackles on his team with 24 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and one pick. In the secondary, Rahmir Stewart commands it all. Making calls before the snap, adjusting the coverage, and getting there. While he only has 14 total tackles and 2 picks, his impact is greater than on the stat sheet.
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