Protime Predictions Week 15, 2021: The Finals at Hershey
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Phil Myers | December 8, 2021
Ever since Protime was a little Protimer he wanted to win championships. Over the years he has won baseball, softball, bowling, chess, and even predicting championships but never a football championship. This weekend 6 teams will win championships and for many of the winning players it will be a dream come true. For Protime, it’s a dream come true to attempt to prognosticate the victor of each contest and then watch these contests and talk to the coaches and players afterward.
Throughout the years Protime has had his predictions used as locker room fodder. Motivational speeches by coaches have been used to inspire players, especially if Protime picked them to lose. He’s had a coach tell him he needs to get a new flipping coin, another coach told him to throw away his crystal ball and another coach wanted to know who paid him off to predict that his team was going to win. Protime sincerely wishes each team the best of luck this week in Hershey.
Last week Protime only correctly picked 7 of 12 games. And yes, he predicted the McDevitt-Shanahan score exactly as it played out, 28-21. But that is nothing new for Protime. He’s been there, done that. His record for the year is 327-76 which translates into an .812 winning percentage. Here are the final picks of the year by the Premier Pigskin Prognosticator.
6A
St. Joseph’s Prep 11-2 vs. Mt. Lebanon 14-0
St. Joes Prep comes in averaging 31.5 points a game and is on a 9-game win streak. They are led by a young QB by the name of Samaj Jones who is the Hawks’ leading rusher in addition to his normal quarterback duties. Jones has thrown for 1,109 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has scrambled for another 865 yards and 15 TDs. His main receiver is David Washington who has hauled in 41 passes for 437 yards and 4 TDs. St. Joes features a couple of very good running backs in Kahseim Phillips (643 yards) and Blaine Bunch (538 yards). One of the better kickers in the state is Anthony Chadha who has hit 52 of 53 PATs and has booted 7 FGs this year. The defense is a talented group led by Josiah Trotter who has recorded over 100 tackles to date. The Hawk ‘D’ allows 13.3 points a game.
Mt. Lebanon averages 38.9 points per game and three names pop up when talking about the Blue Devil offense. They are QB Joey Daniels, WR Eli Heidenreich, and RB Alex Tecza. Daniels has pitched the pigskin for 1,929 yards and 29 touchdowns. Heidenreich has caught 53 balls for 1,302 yards and 20 TDs. He also has scored 6 times running the agate. Tecza has accounted for 1,996 yards rushing and 23 TDs. Heidenreich also leads Mt. Lebo’s defense in tackles. The Blue Devil ‘D’ permits 11 points per contest.
St. Joes has been hard to figure this year. Meanwhile, Mt. Lebo has been rolling teams, winning all but once by 21 or more points. Milton, Ga. beat St. Joes by 7 and are in the Ga. 7A state championship game. Therefore, Protime is picking the Hawks to turn the Blue Devils blue by defeating them 28-22.
5A
Imhotep Charter 11-1 vs. Penn-Trafford 12-2
The Panthers of Imhotep have won 9 straight and average 29 points offensively. QB Mikal Davis has thrown for 533 yards, 9 touchdowns, and no interceptions. RB Tre McLeod has 844 yards rushing with 12 scores. The top Panther receiver is Rahjhii Atkinson with 21 catches for 270 yards and 6 TDs. The Panther offensive line averages 6’3” 319 lbs. Imhotep’s defense is very talented. They allow a state best 5 points a game. Only twice in 2021 have teams scored ten or more points on them. Dematha scored 10 and LaSalle score 13 to give them their only loss. Maurice Beverly and Enai White are the premier tacklers and Keon Wylie has recorded 9 sacks.
Penn-Trafford averages 33.7 points when they have the ball. The Warriors have won 10 straight. QB Carter Green and RB Cade Yacamelli lead the Warrior offense. Green’s dual threat ability has him with 1,215 yards passing and 12 TDs, while his legs have journeyed for 1,130 yards and 15 TDs. Yacamelli is the leading rusher and receiver. He has 1,766 yards and scored 23 times carrying the ball, and he has 318 yards receiving with 5 more TDs. Kicker Nathan Schlessinger is a weapon too. He has successfully converted 62 PATs and 10 FGs this year. The Warrior defense gives up 12.9 points a game.
With 14 players having at least one Division 1 offer, it is hard to pick against Imhotep. Their defense is like a stone wall. Panthers 26 Warriors 13.
4A
Bishop McDevitt 12-1 vs. Aliquippa 12-1
McDevitt is a machine offensively averaging 47.3 points which is 4th best in the state. Freshman quarterback Stone Saunders is up to 2,798 yards passing and 43 touchdowns. His favorite wide outs are Mario Easterly, Kamil Foster, and Rico Scott. Easterly has 53 grabs for 945 yards and 14 TDs. Foster has 34 catches for 846 yards and 13 scores. Scott has caught 23 passes for 522 yards and 9 TDs. The Crusaders have a couple of fine running backs too. Marquese Williams has galloped his way to 1,657 yards and 25 touchdowns so far. Cyncir Bowers has 987 yards and 8 TDs via the ground game. Kicker Michael Chiha has nailed 50 of 50 extra points. McDevitt’s defense 3rd in the state allowing just 6.4 points a game. Ryan Russo has 119 tackles and 15 TFLs. Riley Robell leads the Crusaders with 28 TFLs.
The Quips are the real deal. They average 41.3 points on offense and their line is probably second only to Imhotep in size. QB Quentin Goode has 1,800 yards throwing the football with 17 TD passes. Cyair Clark and Tajier Thornton are his go to receivers. Clark has 31 grabs for 605 yards and 5 scores, while Thornton has 25 snares for 479 yards and a half dozen TDs. Freshman running back Tiqwai Hayes has travelled the turf for 1,605 yards and 20 TDs. Jon Tracy chimes in with 608 yards and 13 TDs via the ground game. The Quips kicker, Emmanuel Gyada-Mantey has 58 PATs and a couple of field goals to his credit. Aliquippa’s defense allows 10.4 points a game.
The Quips lost to Central Valley and since have won 11 in a row. The Crusaders lost to LaSalle College in their opening game and have reeled off 12 straight victories. Protime’s crystal ball says Aliquippa wins late 35-28.
3A
Wyomissing Spartans 15-0 vs. Central Valley 14-0
Wyomissing averages 44.7 points per game which is 10th best in Pa. The Wing-T offense is their bread and butter. Tommy Grabowski has 1,362 yards rushing with 26 TDs. Amory Thompson has 885 yards on the ground with 14 scores. Drew Eisenhower has 853 yards carrying the ball and 9 TDs. QB Ben Zechman has done well when called upon to pass. He has 777 yards and 12 TD tosses. Kicker Ian Levering has booted 72 PATs and a trio of FGs. The Spartan defense gives up only 8.4 points per contest.
Central Valley comes into the game averaging 47.5 points which is good enough for 3rd in the state. RB Landon Alexander has 2,853 all-purpose yards which includes 2,166 on the ground and 28 touchdowns. Bret Fitzsimmons has 11 rushing TDs on only 440 yards rushing. QB Antwon Johnson has passed for 1,242 yards and 19 TDs. His top receiver is Jayvin Thompson with 28 snabs for 750 yards and 9 scores. Kicker Serafino Desantis is 85 for 85 in the PAT department and has nailed 7 field goals to boot. All-American Sean Fitzsimmons leads the Warrior defense along with brother Bret. Thompson is the INT leader with 7.
This contest is a rematch of last year’s final won by Central Valley. It will be déjà vu all over again as the Warriors win the battle with the Spartans 24-17.
2A
Southern Columbia 14-1 vs. Serra Catholic 14-1
This is Southern’s 20th appearance in the finals. By far more than any other team. They are going for their 5th in a row. Coach Jim Roth won his 470th career game last week. The Tigers average 45.9 points offensively, good for 6th in the state. Their only loss was to Wyomissing. Gavin Garcia leads the Southern Wing-T offense with 2,257 yards and 38 touchdowns. RB Wes Barnes has accounted for 804 yards and 13 TDs. RB Braeden Wisloski has rushed for 727 yards and 9 scores. QB Blake Wise has 10 TD tosses. WR Jake Rose has nabbed 26 passes for 541 yards and 8 TDs. The other Garcia, Garrett, leads the Tiger defense with over 200 tackles. The Tiger ‘D’ allows 12.4 points a game.
The Serra Catholic Eagles soar into Hershey looking for the upset. They average 30.7 points per contest. QB Max Rocco has thrown for 1,934 yards and 25 TDs. The Eagles have two terrific receivers in Terrell Booth and Jayvon Campbell-Holt. Booth has 44 grabs for 868 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Campbell-Holt has 38 snares for 672 yards and 8 scores. RB Machai Brooks-Duetrieulle has rambled for 1,037 yards and 8 TDs. To say the Serra defense is opportunistic would be an understatement as they have forced 54 turnovers and returned 11 of them for touchdowns. Leading the way is Ryan Brooks who has 94 tackles, 28 TFLs, and 15 QB sacks. The Serra defense gives up 10.2 points a game.
Protime envisions the Tigers winning 42-28.
1A
Bishop Guilfoyle 10-4 vs. Redbank Valley 13-1
Bishop Guilfoyle has a very electrifying quarterback who can throw and run. When he runs, he seems to be able to escape from impossible situations. Karson Kiesewetter is that young man. Although BG’s offense only averages 26.7 points, it is Kiesewetter that makes that ‘O’ go. Karson has 1,823 yards passing and 12 TD tosses. He also has 1,005 yards running with 21 goal line crossings. Cooper Rather has 2,073 all-purpose yards which includes 887 yards rushing, 615 yards receiving, and 550 yards in kick returns. He has 14 total touchdowns to his credit. Kicker Deven Wyandt is 41 for 41 on extra points and has 7 FGs too. The Marauder ‘D’ allows an average of 16.6 points a game. Dom Yanoshak and Colin Butler are the top tacklers with 125 and 119 respectively.
Redbank averages 38.5 points on offense and has won 13 in a row. Bryson Bain barks the signals for the Bulldogs. He has 2,115 yards and 28 touchdown passes. He has a trio of wide outs to throw to. Chris Marshall has caught 40 passes for 630 yards and 11 scores. Tate Minnich has hauled in 39 passes for 524 yards and 7 TDs. Marquese Gardlock has grabbed 29 passes for 474 yards and 4 scores. RB Brenden ‘Boo’ Shreckengost has been one of the heroes the past 2 weeks by scoring the winning touchdown both weeks. The Bulldog ‘D’ is led by Zeldon Fisher with 93 tackles and Joe Mansfield with 22 tackles for loss and 11 QB sacks. They allow 9.6 points a contest and have forced 39 turnovers to this point.
Redbank Valley is the first District 9 team to advance to the state finals since 1992. No D-9 team has ever won the state championship in football. Most everyone at Hersheypark Stadium and at home will probably be rooting for the Bulldogs except the Marauder faithful. Protime doesn’t do this often, but he is going with his heart and the underdog as it were. RBV 20 BG 17.
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