6A Eastern Final Saint Joseph Prep battles Downingtown West
Tagged under: District 1, District 12, News, pfn, Playoffs
Marcus Sic | November 29, 2024
Since dropping a 35-34 heartbreaker to rivals LaSalle back on October 5 the Hawks of St Joseph Prep have rolled to 6 consecutive victories including enacting revenge on LaSalle in the Philadelphia Catholic League 6A Championship game on November 9. The following week the Hawks steamed rolled Public League Champion Imhotep Charter in the District 12 championship game. Last weekend the Hawks easily dispatched District 11 champion Parkland. Now, only one more opponent stands in the Hawks’s way of reaching their 9th consecutive State Championship game, the District 1 Champion Downingtown West. Last week the Whippets defended their home turf knocking off North Penn 35-16 in the District 1 Championship. The Whippets are riding a 6 game winning streak since dropping a heartbreaking 28-22 last-second defeat to Bishop Shanahan. Will the Hawks punch their 9th consecutive trip to the State Championship game or is this the year that District 1 finally knocks off District 12? We’re finding out Friday Night. For updates on the game follow fellow reporters Anthony Franklin (@afrankl3) and Willie McGonigle (@williepafn).
Meet the SJP Hawks
Head Coach: Tim Roken: 65-9 with a 4-1 record in PIAA state championship games
Mascot: Hawks
Key Offensive Weapons:
Jr. RB Khyan Billups: 843 yards rushing, 11 Touchdowns
Sr. RB Isaiah West (Ohio State): 389 rushing yards & 8 overall touchdowns *Injured*
So. QB Charlie Foulke: 2139 passing yards & 26 touchdown passes with 2 rushing touchdowns
Fr. WR Jett Harrison: 731 yards & 8 receiving touchdowns.
Sr. WR Alijah Turner: 405 yards & 4 receiving touchdowns.
Sr. WR Ramier Hardy (Temple): 446 yards & 7 touchdown receptions.
Sr. WR Jamir Rowe: 234 receiving yards & 7 total touchdowns.
Key Defensive Weapons:
Sr. LB Anthony Sacca (Notre Dame): 65 tackles, 1 interception returned for touchdown, 1 forced fumble, 4.5 sacks & 15 TFL.
Sr. LB Cam Smith (Duke): 58 tackles, 7 sacks, 17 TFL
Jr. LB Alex Haskell: 28 tackles, 4.5 sacks
So. CB Masiia Acrey: 4 interceptions including 1 returned for a touchdown
Sr. DB Roman Colaberdino: 41 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 sack & 11 passes defended.
Special Teams:
K Leo Ricci: 51/53 PATs, 5-6 FGs with a long of 42 yards
Outlook: Despite being a young team, the Hawks have hit their stride in all 3 phases of the game at the perfect time during what looks to be another lengthy postseason run. Led by So. QB Foulke the Hawks have scored at least 35 points in 5 of their last 6 games this season. They are averaging 36.5 points per game this season while defensively only giving up 17 points per game. They can beat you in many ways having rushed for almost 1500 yards while passing for 2300 yards. Defensively they’ve forced 13 turnovers via interceptions & fumbles.
Meet the Downingtown West Whippets
Head Coach: Tom Kline 1st season 13-1 Record
About the Whippets: In his first season at the helm of Downingtown West Head Coach Tom Kline led the Whippets to the semi-finals having won their second District 1 6A title in six seasons. Since dropping a 28-22 decision to Bishop Shanahan back on October 10 the Whippets have won 6 consecutive games. Offensively the Whippets are averaging 28.5 points per game and possess a powerful run game that’s averaging over 200 yards per game and features an efficient passing game under the direction of first-year starting QB Cole Bricker. JD Weller is the top target for Bricker. The rushing attack is led by a trio of players Spencer Dunn, Tommy Miller, and Mike Taraschi.
Defensively under the direction of first-year Defensive Coordinator Phil Plank, the Whippets have given up an average of 13.2 points per game. The Whippets Defense in stingy in the run gun game two weeks ago in the District 1 Semi-Final the Whippets held the powerful CB West run game to just 17 yards rushing.
Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews
You must be logged in to post a comment.