District 12 Philadelphia Public League Preview
Tagged under: Conference Previews, District 12, News, pfn
Anthony Franklin | October 26, 2023
District 12 Philadelphia Public League Playoff Preview:
The Philadelphia Public League Playoffs begin this weekend with 3 classification titles up for grabs as the 6A, 5A and 4A titles are all on the table. The league used divisional standings to assign seeding to teams who qualified for the playoffs. In both 6A & 5A there were 8 teams that qualified for the playoffs however Roxborough opted to forfeit their opening round game against Imhotep so the Panthers will receive a bye in the quarter finals. In 4A there were 4 teams that qualified for the playoffs and thus they’ll play their semi-finals games this weekend.
6A Classification Playoffs:
Lincoln’s QB Gabe Smalley will face his former team in the opening round of the playoffs
Lincoln: By virtue of their win over Northeast in the regular season (37-0) the Railsplitters head into the playoffs as the favorite. QB Gabe Smalley has thrown for over 1200 yards this season targeting Nathaniel Rivera & Rolling Davis for the majority of his yards. The running game hasn’t been as strong as it’s traditionally been, but they’ve moved the ball effectively in all of their games. Defensively Ziyyon Bredell leads the team in interceptions. Battle tested with a highly competitive out of conference schedule the Railsplitters are looking to capture their first Pub title since 1979. Their opening round opponent is Academy of Palumbo which is the former school of current Lincoln star QB Gabe Smiley.
Sr. LB George Truitt Jr. is one of the few Vikings who has playoff experience & will be looked upon to lead them back to the top of the 6A classification this post season.
Northeast: The defending champions are currently on a 3 games slide (Olney was forfeited) and sit at 5-4 heading into their opening playoff game. Their two on field losses they were shut out and outscored by a combined 72-0. When they are at their best is when the running game is effective, and they can work play action successfully to get the ball downfield in the air to their receivers and tight ends. Both Tep & Lincoln did a great job shutting down star RB David Akpuru which resulted in their offense stalling. Northeast the defending champs won’t go away easily and look forward to the challenge. They’ll open the playoffs hosting South Philadelphia whom they beat earlier in the season 33-0.
Junior WR Jaheim Bennett with 17 total touchdowns has a chance to lead the Eagles back to the top of the Public League.
George Washington: The Eagles finished the regular season champions of the National Division going undefeated against Public & Catholic League competition. Their lone loss (7-1) was to ANC. The Eagles are led by Freshman QB Logan Jerry who has thrown for 821 yards & 12 touchdowns. His favorite target is Jr. Ath Jaheim Bennett who has 316 yards receiving to go with 7 touchdowns. Jahiem is also the leading rusher with 441 yards & 11 TDs on the ground as well. Defensively Sr. LB Quadir Carr leads the team with 50 tackles. The Eagles open the post season on the road at Central High.
Olney v South Philly: The Trojans earned homefield despite having just 1 win (forfeit win over Northeast) due to being in the top division (Independence) over South Philadelphia which has 3 wins this season thus far. Both teams are young and inexperienced, which should lead to a very competitive close game.
5A Classification:
The Panthers are undefeated heading into the postseason & battle tested looking to capture their 2nd state championship in school history.
Imhotep is the odds-on favorite to win the Pub 5A after running through the first 9 games of the season with fairly ease. They’ve got 5 shutouts this season which shows how strong their defense has been this year. Offensively they’re potent led by Sr. QB Mikel Davis (Army) who has thrown for almost 1100 yards & 9 touchdowns. He’s also been a threat on the ground rushing for 275 yards & 5 touchdowns. The leading rusher is Jr. RB Jabree Wallace-Coleman (Georgia) who is closing in on 1000 yards (990) with 17 scores on the ground. He’s also a reliable receiver out the backfield as he has 144 yards & 1 TD. The leading receivers are Tyseer Denmark (Penn State) who has 273 yards & 3 TDs & Nile Brown who has 252 yards & 1 TD. The strength of the defense is the front 4 and secondary led by Sr. DL Jahsear Whittington (Pittsburgh) & Jr. Zaire Mathis upfront. The secondary is stacked as well with Sr. Ken Woseley Jr. (Penn State) and So. Willie Norris (5 interceptions). Ken Woseley Jr also serves as their kicker and even has a 35-yard kick made this season which could prove to be a difference maker in the playoffs.
King Sr. Sahfi Reed has been a leader on and off the field and wants to go out with a bang.
Martin Luther King is currently 7-1 heading into the playoffs with their lone loss coming on the road at Pottstown HS in the season opener in a game where they were in it until the last minute. The Cougars are having a fantastic season in which they captured the Liberty Division via their win at West Philadelphia last week. Leading them offensively is a trio of athletes in Sr. QB Isaiah Robinson, Sr. RB Shamir Norton & Jr. WR Makhai Robinson. The offensive line is led by Sr. Danny Pajuste, So. Zion Valente-lowe, Sr. Demetrius Jones, Sr. Devin Caufield & Sr. Keith Jenkins. Defensively they’re strong and aggressive led by Jr. LB/DL Khalid Bueno, Sr. Amir Muhammad, Sr. Kasir Wimber, Sr. Sahfi Reed, Sr. Savion Terry & Jr. Sameer Keith.
With size upfront the Speedboys hope to dominate at the line of scrimmage and make noise this post season.
West Philadelphia: The Speedboys finished the regular season at 6-3 and in 2nd place within the division behind MLK. They had much of their offensive success via running the ball behind their mammoth offensive line. Leading them offensively was Sr. athlete Zamir Poteat who leads the team in rushing (912 yards & 12 TDs). Sr QB Nyeem Shubert leads the team passing with 406 yards & 2 TDs. The top target in the passing game is Sr. WR Dontay Armstrong (282 yards 2 TDs). As previously stated, the offensive line is the strength of his team led by Jr. Khalil Matthews, Sr. Jabril Holmes, Jr. Maron Amos & Jr. Jaquan Holmes. Defensively the Panthers are led by Sr. LB Zafir Cleveland (49 tackles), Jr. Sa’iyd Harper-Haines (7 sacks), Jr. Amir Winston (44 tackles, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles & 5 sacks).
Mastery Charter North: The Pumas enter the playoffs at 3-5 but enter the playoffs with confidence as they almost pulled off an upset over Boys Latin Charter last week. Sr. QB Mahumd Gee & Sr. RB Amir Northern are the offensive catalysts that lead the team. Sr. Punter/Kicker Miguel Gomez leads the special team units. The offense relies heavily on the running game while the defense upfront is very active.
4A Classification
Jack of all trades Sr. Jahmi Hargrove looks to help John Bartram capture that elusive 4A City Championship
John Bartram: The Braves have a 5-3 overall record after playing in the Independence Division. Led by Sr. Athlete Jah-mi Hargrove, Jr. QB Samad Robinson & Sr. WR/CB Haleem Butler the offense in their victories has been highly effective. Defensively they’ve shined in their victories pitching 3 shutouts. They have won the last 3 4A titles and look to continue that trend despite the classification being stronger than in previous years.
Uwaimir Dorsey leads the Public League in pancakes this season.
Boys Latin: The runner-up the last 2 seasons the Warriors look to finally get over the hump with HC Marcus Fulton leading the program. The Warriors enter the post season with a 7-2 record led by Jr. RB Semaj Carmichael Jr. who has 1151 rushing yards to go with 13 touchdowns. He also has 2 receiving scores. Sophomore QB Jeremiah Roach has steadily improved this season and has 978 yards passing to go with his 12 touchdown passes while adding 2 TDs on the ground. The leading receiver for Boys Latin is Sr. Michael Stewart who has 272 yards & 4 TDs, while Sr. Damour Berry-Martinez is close behind with 184 yards & 3 TDs. Defensively Jr. Malachi Williams leads the team in sacks with 4 while Sr. Hasan Taylor leads the team in tackles (79). Senior Niles Davis patrols the secondary and is the leader with 3 interceptions. This Warriors team is equally good running and passing the ball behind a strong offensive line unit which should help them in this post season.
HS of the Future: The wildcard team in this classification they’ve played a schedule that isn’t as tough as the other schools, but they’ve won the majority of their games. They narrowly lost to 6A George Washington in a division title game so it wouldn’t be a total surprise if the Firebirds were to pull an upset off and win this classification. They’re not as deep as Bartram or as skilled as Boys Latin but this team has heart and plays with tons of passion.
Schedule:
Thursday 10/26
6A Kensington @ Northeast 4pm
Friday 10/27
6A George Washington @ Central 3pm
6A Academy at Palumbo @ Abraham Lincoln 3pm
5A Mastery Charter North @ West Philadelphia 3pm
5A Frankford @ Martin Luther King (Germantown Supersite) 7pm
4A High School of the Future @ Boys Latin (South Philly Supersite) 3pm
Saturday 10/28
6A South Philadelphia @ Olney Charter (Northeast Supersite) 12pm
5A Benjamin Franklin @ Simon Gratz 12pm
4A Overbrook @ John Bartram 1pm
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