PROTIME PREDICTIONS by Phil: The Final Stretch
Tagged under: News
Phil Myers | November 29, 2018
Protime does the majority of his thinking about the next week’s prognostications in his finished basement. It’s calm, quiet, and a great place to hide from Mrs. Protime. This time of year, it starts to get cold causing Protime to shiver uncontrollably. Protime’s answer is to put his long johns on with a couple of long sleeve shirts, a ski cap, a hooded sweatshirt, and then wrap himself in a fleece blanket.
One day, Mrs. P came down to do laundry and saw him bundled up like a new born baby while he was studying stats for his predictions column. “What on earth are you dressed like that for?” she laughed. “I’m cold,” replied Protime. “I’m starting to think you’re a nutcase,” she chuckled. “No, I just need to get warmed up a bit,” Protime responded, hoping that maybe Santa Claus will bring him one of those newfangled ceramic heaters for Christmas.
Speaking of getting warm, Protime was red hot last week, picking 20 of the 21 winners. Only Richland and West Catholic did not co-operate. That pushes Protime’s 2018 record to 294-68 (.812). We are down to twelve games remaining and the Frosty Forecaster must discern who is going to make it to the finals in each of the six classes.
St. Josephs Prep 11-0 vs. Pine-Richland 11-2 – Nationally ranked St. Joes has one of the better young quarterbacks in the country in the person of Kyle McCord. The sophomore has pitched the pigskin for 2,299 yards and 30 TDs. His top two receivers are Johnny Freeman (691 yards-10 TDs) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (569 yards-8 TDs). Kolbe Burrell is the leading rusher for the Hawks with 686 yards and 9 scores. Marques Mason leads the team with 16 total touchdowns, 9 rushing. The defending state champs, who beat St. Joes in the finals last year, are led by their own sophomore signal caller, Cole Spencer. He has tossed the agate for 1,433 yards and 15 TDs. Spencer runs the ball well too, as evidenced by his 811 yards and 12 tallies. RB Luke Meckler has gone for 1,478 yards and 18 touchdowns. Tyler King and Anthony Cerminara lead the Rams in tackles, while Miguel Jackson chimes in with 11 sacks. Notre Dame recruit, Andrew Kristofic, is a load on the offensive and defensive lines. Protime gazed into his crystal ball for a long time to perceive the winner…………… St. Joes 28 Pine-Richland 24.
Coatesville 14-0 vs. Harrisburg 12-1 – The Red Raiders gave the Cougars their only loss, 37-6, in week zero. Coatesville not only scores a lot of points, but they play a pretty good defense too, led by Nikolas Thompson in the tackling department. The Red Raiders have 37 sacks of opposing quarterbacks. The offense is led by QB Ricky Ortega, who’s thrown for 2,016 yards and 34 TDs, but also has scurried for 936 yards and 13 TDs. Aaron Young, a Michigan St. recruit, leads the running backs with 1,602 yards and 27 scores. WR Dapree Bryant has grabbed 51 passes for 996 yards and 15 TDs. Placekicker Than Hylen has booted all 73 PAT attempts through the uprights. Kane Everson is Harrisburg’s do everything quarterback. He’s passed for 1,984 yards and 26 tallies, plus he’s scrambled for another 827 yards, scoring 7 times. His favorite target is Donte Kent who has caught 10 TD passes and accounted for 630 yards. RB Jahmir Plant has found the end zone 8 times. Andre White Jr. leads the Cougar ‘D’ with 117 take downs. Elijah Scott and Rynell Gantt Jr. have 6 INTs apiece. Harrisburg has 36 team sacks and an amazing 27 interceptions! Although the game will be closer this time around, Protime envisions Coatesville winning 31-21.
Penn Hills 14-0 vs. Archbishop Wood 9-3 – The Indians of Penn Hills are led by Hollis Mathis, the QB who has 2,563 yards throwing with 37 touchdowns. He will run occasionally, but Tank Smith is the main man carrying the ball with his 1,505 yards and 20 scores. Penn Hills’ wide receivers, Daequan Hardy (685 yards-10 TDs) and Dante Cephas (870 yards-9 TDs), are very dangerous. Hardy has 19 touchdowns total. Wood is led by RB Tom Santiago’s 1,661 yards and 16 goal line crossings. QB Jack Colyar missed most of the year, but is back now, throwing 6 TD passes in the past three games. RB Chris Blackstone has returned from the injury list to take pressure off of Santiago and Jake Ross has moved from QB to WR solidifying the Viking offense. A coin flip finds Wood winning 27-22.
Manheim Central 13-0 vs. Upper Dublin 12-1 – Manheim is led by quarterback Evan Simon, who has passed for 2,264 yards and 24 TDs. Simon has notched 11 scores toting the ball. RB Tyler Flick does most of the running though, and has 1,650 yards and 30 tallies to his credit. Colby Wagner has 743 yards receiving with 11 TDs and averages 32 yards per catch. Landon Moyer heads up the Baron defense with 111 tackles. Isaac Perron has pilfered 6 opponent passes. Upper Dublin’s Cardinals are led by QB Mike Slivka who has 1,704 yards passing for 18 touchdowns. He’s raced for 7 TDs on the ground. RB Lucas Roselli leads in yards rushing with 765 plus he has 14 TDs. Roselli contributes as a receiver too, accounting for a team high 472 yards and 4 more scores. RB Mason Novak has 10 TDs. PK Chris Barbera has kicked 6 FGs so far. Logan Heim is the top tackler for the Cardinals. Protime still likes Manheim, a team he saw earlier this year, by a score of 35-21.
Erie Cathedral Prep 11-3 vs. Bishop McDevitt 12-1 – Here it is, Protime’s game of the week. He has seen them play four other times with each team winning two games. Rambler QB Connor Schleicher has 1,249 yards passing with 16 TDs. He has scooted for another 672 yards and 12 scores. RB Billy Lucas has 1,660 yards with 19 end zone findings. WR Joey Scarabino has snabbed 9 TD passes, but WR Jack Oedekoven has snagged 10 TD passes and zoomed for 769 yards. Placekicker, Colin Kelly, has 7 field goals to his name. The Ramblers’ defense has 19 picks. Luke Sittinger and Jaheim Williams lead Prep in tackles. McDevitt is led by QB Chase Diehl who is the real deal. He’s thrown for 3,573 yards and 43 TDs. WR Nazir Burnett has grabbed a whopping 72 passes for 1,599 yards and 25 TDs! The other wideout, T’nyis Becker, has 50 catches for 986 yards and 9 TDs. RB CJ Reyes-Diggs has 1,519 yards and 16 TDs. The Crusader defense is led by Dray Donley and Devyn Clair. Prep is hitting its stride in the playoffs. Look for the Ramblers to neutralize the Crusader passing game enough to score the 35-31 victory.
Bethlehem Catholic 11-3 vs. Imhotep 10-2 – Beca High is led by quarterback Zamar Brake (1,361 yards passing and 12 TDs), RB Zaheer Seabrooks (1,358 yards rushing with 16 TDs), and RB Tavion Banks (1,333 yards-24 TDs). WR Matt Stianche has 5 TD receptions. Imhotep (or IHOP as Father Protime calls them) has a couple of big-time D-1 recruits in DB/RB Tykee Smith (West Virginia) and WR Yusuf Terry (Baylor). Smith has run for 760 yards, scoring 12 times. Terry has 600 yards receiving and 6 TDs. QB Jalen Sutton-Christian has 941 yards flinging the ball with 12 TDs. Defensively, Zymir Cobbs had been one of the premier tacklers until an injury. Protime is taking the Imhotep Panthers over the Beca High Golden Hawks by a score of 26-23.
Scranton Prep 13-1 vs. Middletown 12-1 – The Cavaliers have a good one in QB Leo O’Boyle (2,090 yards-30 TDs). RB Ryan Cosgrove has traversed for 1,220 yards and scored 13 touchdowns, but has not played the past two weeks. Tucker Johnson has picked up the slack and now has 964 yards rushing with 11 scores. WR Michael Greco has over 700 yards and 12 TDs. For the Middletown Blue Raiders, RB Jose Lopez hit the 2,000-yard mark and has scored 26 TDs. QB Scott Ash has 1,384 yards and 14 touchdowns passing. RB Richie Sykes chips in 1,164 yards on the ground and 14 tallies. This is a tough one to pick, but the crystal ball says Middletown squeaks out the 21-14 triumph.
Aliquippa 12-1 vs. Sharon 10-3 – The Quips are a force to be reckoned with. Eli Kosanovich barks the signals and has 2,798 yards through the air with 35 TD tosses. His main receiver is William Gipson, who has hauled in 55 passes for 1,494 yards and 18 scores. DB/WR MJ Devonshire is a very dangerous return man. Avante McKenzie has rumbled for 1,444 yards and 30 TDs to date. Aliquippa’s defense is very, very stingy so Sharon has to find a way to move the ball. The Tigers has the capability to move it with the likes of QB Lane Voytik (2,624 yards-27 TDs), WR CJ Parchman (69 grabs for 1,020 yards and 10 TDs), and RB Jordan Wilson (1,893 yards-26 TDs). Ty Eilam has caught 55 passes for 625 yards and 7 scores. On defense, the Tigers are led by Josh Torr and Luke Gaston. Aliquippa 37 Sharon 21.
Southern Columbia 14-0 vs. West Catholic 12-2 – Southern Columbia is relentless on offense. QB Stone Hollenbach, who missed a good part of the year, has still thrown for 1,526 yards and 23 TDs. WR Julian Fleming has gathered in 68 passes for 1,436 yards and 20 scores. RB brothers, Gaige and Gavin Garcia, pace the Tiger ground game. Gaige has 1,728 markers, scoring 32 touchdowns, while Gavin has 1,081 yards and 21 scores. Both average over 10 yards per carry. Max Tillett and Cal Haladay are defensive mainstays. The Burrs have two 900-yard rushers in Jacir Savoy and Zahir Booker. Savoy has 962 yards and 8 TDs (11 total), while Booker has 905 and 11. WR Seth Degree has caught passes for 679 yards and 8 touchdowns. Tre Johnson took over as quarterback the past couple weeks for the injured Zaire Hart-Hawkins who had over 1,900 yards and 20 TDs. Tre has done an admirable job, appearing to not lose a beat. Shakur Smalls has 5 interceptions for the Burr defense. Hard to pick against a team as loaded as So. Columbia. They are victorious 42-28.
Wilmington 12-1 vs. Steel Valley 12-1 – Cameron Marett headlines the Greyhound wing-T offense. He has accounted for 1,582 yards rushing with 18 TDs plus another 5 scores receiving. QB Robert Pontius has 1,198 yards and 13 TDs hurling the ball. He’s also reached the end zone 13 times running. RB Ethan Susen has sped for 844 yards and 13 touchdowns. Big #54, Colton Richards, is a beast blocking and tackling. For the Ironmen, pounding the ball on the ground is their game. Kameron Williams has amassed 1,926 yards and 22 TDs to date. His sidekick, Todd Hill, has accounted for 1,736 yards and 30 goal line crossings, averaging almost 12 yards a tote. QB Ronell Lawrence will throw as his 10 TD tosses indicate. Steel Valley has been playing better ‘D’ of late and because of that they get the nod, 27-24.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 12-1 vs. Farrell 13-0 – Tyler Bradley leads the Chargers into unchartered waters. The OLSH quarterback has pitched the pigskin for 3,212 yards and 45 TDs. His two top targets are Rico Tate (668 yards-9 TDs) and Richard Banks (684 yards-10 TDs). RB Austin Wigley has scored 10 TDs. Farrell, from what Protime hears, has some awesome talent for a single A school. Pitt linebacker recruit, Kyi Wright, is also the Steeler QB who’s thrown for 1,591 yards and 25 TDs. WR Jourdan Townsend has 64 catches for 1,180 yards and 22 scores. RB Christian Lewis went over 2,000 yards last week and has scored 26 touchdowns. RB Tymir Green has 10 scores, as does Wright. Green and Wright are the leading tacklers too. Farrell takes it to OLSH 34-22.
Juniata Valley 11-2 vs. Lackawanna Trail 13-1 – The ‘Green’ Hornets buzz into the Class A semi-finals on the arm and legs of QB Quinn Zinobile. Mr. Z has 1,429 yards through the air with 13 TD tosses and 1,147 yards scrambling with 12 TDs. RB Jaxson Rand contributes 1,245 yards and 13 tallies plus 4 more TDs receiving. WR Kyle Derugen is the top receiver for Juniata Valley. Zinobile and Grant Musser headline a miserly defense that also has 20 picks. Meanwhile, Lackawanna features Nate Rolka at QB (678 yards with 10 TDs rushing and 8 TDs passing). The Lions have three other backs with over 700 yards rushing. They are Melnikoff (1,156 yards-13 TDs), RB Cody Moyle (771 yards-16 scores), and Jeff Resto (8 TDs). Rolka has made all 30 of his point after attempts. Lackawanna has a solid ‘D’ as well. Edge goes to the LT Lions 21-13.
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