6A Final Team Preview: St. Joseph’s Prep
Tagged under: District 12, District 3, News, Playoffs
Willie McGonigle | December 9, 2022
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – While the location may have changed to Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field, one constant remain: the St. Joseph Prep Hawks are in the 6A State Championship. This season marks the eighth consecutive season that the Hawks have made an appearance in the big game. If you include the Hawks’s rival LaSalle it makes 11th straight season that Philadelphia Catholic League has been represented in the biggest class championship.
Last season the Hawks fell to Mt. Lebanon 35-17.
Last week the Hawks steamed rolled the District 1 Champion Garnet Valley jumping out a 48-0 halftime lead on their way to a 48-7 victory. The victory was the 11th in a row since they dropped their season opener to St. Thomas Aquinas 48-37.
Offensively Jr. QB Samaj Jones has thrown for 2263 yards and 28 touchdowns. Jones is a dual threat QB having rushed for another 641 yards which is second best on the team, Jones also has 13 rushing touchdowns on the year. David Washington 42 catches for 576 yards and 6 touchdowns along with Brandon Rehmann (23-466-6) are Jones top targets. Elijah Jones has turned 5 of his 12 receptions this season into touchdowns. Kasheem Phillips is the team’s leading rusher with 757 yards on 102 carries and 9 touchdowns.
Defensively the Hawks enter Saturday night’s contest holding three of their last five opponents to 7 or fewer points. Joshiah Trotter, son of former Philadelphia Eagle great Jeremiah, is a wrecking ball on the defensive side, racking up 54 tackles, including 10 being for a loss. Another Linebacker Cole Nilles leads the team with 74 tackles including 54 solo and 3 sacks. Andrew Bachman leads the team with 2 interceptions while Anthony Sacca also leads the secondary with 47 tackles.
Should the game be close the Hawks can count on their kicker Skyler Sholder. Sholder has nailed 54 of his 57 PAT attempts and is 4-5 of field goals including a 48-yarder.
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