Harrisburg looks to complete revenge tour against St. Joes Prep in 6A State Championship

Tagged under: Centre County Report, District 6, News, Playoffs

Brendan Ricciardi | December 9, 2022

(Harrisburg star DE Terrell Reynolds late in the fourth quarter against State College)

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Revenge has become a bit of a theme for this Harrisburg Cougars team so far during their 2022 postseason run.

In Week 2, Harrisburg lost their first game of the season against Manheim Township by a score of 24-20 before they got them back in the State Quarterfinals with a 44-6 victory.

In Week 7, Harrisburg lost their second game of the season against State College by a score of 20-6 before they avenged that loss as well by a score of 27-7 in the State Semi-Finals on Saturday.

In 2018, Harrisburg made it all the way to the State Championship before falling 40-20 to St. Joes Prep.

Four years later, they have a chance to make things right.

Harrisburg will take on St. Joes Prep in the last of the six PIAA State Championship games that are now being played at Cumberland Valley High School in nearby Mechanicsburg. This is the first time since 1997 that the State Championships will not be held in Hershey after the PIAA agreed to a four-year deal at Chapman Field.

Harrisburg is led by head coach Cal Everett, who has been in charge of the program since the 2011 season. The signal caller for the Cougars is Shawn Lee, who is just a sophomore. Lee has thrown for 1,591 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season for the Cougars.

Offensively, the Cougars saw a spark in the second half against State College from Temple commit Kyle Williams Jr. Williams Jr., who also operates as a receiver, racked up 263 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

All four touchdowns came in the second half after Harrisburg was shutout in the first half. Williams Jr., who got the bulk of the carries with Mahkai Hopkins banged up, excelled as the workhorse back and helped the Cougars advance to the title game.

Williams Jr. has run for 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns this season for Harrisburg. His 1,100 yards are second only to Hopkins, who has racked up 1,312 and 16 touchdowns himself. Having a healthy Hopkins would be massive for this Cougar team.

Williams Jr. also leads the team in receiving yards with 567 and has seven receiving touchdowns as well. Elias Coke and Ameer Grandberry are Lee’s other two main targets. Coke, just a freshman, has 368 yards and six touchdowns this season. As for Grandberry, he’s got 373 and one touchdown.

Defensively, Terrell Reynolds has been on another level this season.

To put into perspective, let’s look at the total numbers of sacks for the Cougars:

Terrell Reynolds: 22.5

The rest of the team: 18.5

That of course is not meant to disrespect the rest of the Harrisburg defense, but more to show just how truly dominant Reynolds has been. He also leads the team in tackles with 110, 27 more than Amir Jones in second with 83.

Speaking of Amir Jones, he had a huge interception of State College’s Finn Furmanek to metaphorically ice the game on Saturday, and he is tied with Raytel Bryant for the team lead with four. Zakii Lewis is also a big part of this defense, with 77 tackles and 3 interceptions. Add in Demone Maxwell Jr. and Ryan Epps among others, this Cougars defense has a chance to make life difficult for St. Joes Preps.

Switching over to the Hawks, they are currently riding an 11-game winning streak that dates all the way back to Week 2. St. Joes Prep sits at 11-1 on the season, with their only loss coming in a game that was played on ESPN against a national powerhouse in Florida’s Thomas Aquinas.

Head Coach Tim Roken’s team began their playoff run with a very close 21-13 win against La Salle before steamrolling their next three games. They first took down Northeast by a score of 49-6, next up was Parkland who they beat 52-21, and they topped it off with a 48-7 win over Garnet Valley where they were up 48-0 in the second quarter.

Safe to say they are peaking at the right time and playing with a high level of confidence as they reach their eighth straight state championship, having won four of those and six total.

St. Joes Prep is led offensively by Samaj Jones, a junior quarterback who is a four-star recruit and currently holds college offers from Penn State, Tennessee, and Louisville among others. Jones has thrown for 2,263 and 28 touchdowns this season, including three last week against Garnet Valley. Jones is a dual threat quarterback and has also run for 641 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground as well.

Jones’ top target is David Washington Jr., who has caught 42 passes for 576 yards and seven touchdowns. Washington Jr. is another one of Prep’s many elite prospects, as he holds offers from Penn State, Maryland, and Pitt among others. Washington Jr. and Brandon Rehmann form an elite WR duo, as Rehmann has caught 23 passes for 466 yards and six touchdowns. Rehmann as well is an elite recruit, holding offers from Michigan State, Maryland, and Kentucky among others.

Leading the way on the ground for the Hawks is Khaseim Philips, who has run for 757 yards and 9 touchdowns, while also adding two receptions touchdowns as well. Erik Sanchez gets in on the action on the ground too, with 279 yards rushing and eight scores.

The Hawks have an excellent LB core that creates headaches for opposing coaches, led by Cole Nilles and West Virginia commit Josiah Trotter. If that second name sounds familiar, it’s because Josiah’s father, Jeremiah, was a Pro Bowl linebacker in the NFL for Philadelphia, Washington, and Tampa Bay.

Behind them is Anthony Sacca, son of former Penn State quarterback Tony Sacca, a safety who currently has offers from some of the nation’s best in Georgia and Michigan alongside Penn State.

Running the football isn’t going to be easy for Harrisburg, and they’ll have to bring their A game if they want to win the first PIAA State Championship in program history.

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