District 12 Playoff Preview Week #12
Tagged under: District 12, News, pfn, Playoffs
Anthony Franklin | November 8, 2024
District 12 Playoffs Preview
6A Public League Finals
#2 Abraham Lincoln @ #1 Imhotep (Northeast Supersite): Saturday 1pm
Imhotep is entering this game on a 5-game winning streak. The Panthers are 9-1 on the season with their lone loss to East St. Louis HS early in the season. In last week’s semifinal game against George Washington, Imhotep Sr. RB Jabree Coleman-Wallace (Penn State) had a season best 187 rushing yards & 4 TDs in the win. So. QB Joey Mcleish threw for 134 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Junior WR Zah Pollard caught 4 passes for 85 yards. On the season Joey Mcleish has thrown for over 1700 yards & 22 touchdowns. Jabree is closing in on yet another 1000+ rushing yard season as he has 872 yards this season in just 7 games. Leading the Panthers receiving corps are Senior WR Isaiah Prater (29 receptions, 483 yards & 8 touchdowns), Sophomore Kareem Haqq (22 receptions, 440 yards & 3 touchdowns) and Junior WR Zah Pollard (28 receptions, 440 yards & 4 touchdowns). Defensively Jr. Charles Belser leads the team in tackles with 54. Junior LD Joseph Sondah has 48 tackles on the season to go with a team leading 5 sacks. Leading the secondary is Junior Willie Norris who has a team leading 5 interceptions while Jr. CB’s Dylan Abram & Sr. Samir Locks both have 2 interceptions.
Lincoln offense has been on a roll since Jordan Mahir has taken the reigns as QB1 for the Railsplitters. Last week against his former school Northeast Jordan broke the school record for touchdown passes in a playoff game with 6 as he went 17/21 for 267 yards in the win over Northeast. Sr. WR Joseph Gonzalez caught 4 passes for 145 yards & 2 touchdowns in the win. Sr. WR/Ziyyon Bredell also chipped in with the scoring catching a spectacular touchdown pass.
Outlook: Both teams matched up earlier in the regular season in a divisional matchup with Imhotep running away with a 35-6 victory. With Lincoln finding more offensive success in the second half of the season look for the Railsplitters to defend their 6A Public League title with confidence. Both teams are starting young players at key positions however neither team is a stranger to playing on the big stage. This will be Tep’s first appearance in the 6A Championship game, but they seem to be the better team and should walk away with the victory. Imhotep 35-14
6A Catholic League Finals
#1 La Salle College v #2 St. Joes Prep (Saturday 1pm @Wissahickon HS)
The top 2 teams in Pennsylvania will battle once again this season with a berth in the District 12 playoffs on the line. This game serves as the CL 6A final and the last time La Salle has won the CL title was in 2015 when they upset Prep. La Salle led by star Jr. QB Gavin Sidwar (2487 passing yards & 29 TDS) has an offense that puts points up in a hurry. The running attack is paced by Jr. RB Desmond Ortiz (403 yards & 7 total TDS) and So. RB Joshua Simmons (290 yards & 7 total TDs). Jr. WR Joey O’Brien (Notre Dame commit) leads the team in receptions (62), yards (903) & TDs (10). Defensively the Explorers are led by Sr. LB Dylan Clair who leads the team in tackles (59) and sacks (4.5). Also pacing the defense is Sr. LB Jack Leuthe who leads the team in interceptions with 2.
Prep enters the contest looking for it’s 9th consecutive CL championship and are led offensively by So. Charlie Foulke who has passed for 1573 yards & 19 touchdowns. His main target is Freshman phenom WR Jett Harrison who has 29 receptions for 572 yards & 6 touchdowns. Sr. WR Alijah Turner (28/321/3) and Sr. WR Jamir Rowe (16/187/6). Sr. RB Khyan Billups leads the rushing attack (84/457/5) & Sr. RB Will Vokolos (25/230/4). Defensively Sr. LB Cam Smith (Penn State) leads the team in tackles with 43 tackles, 5 sacks & 13 tackles for losses. Sr. LB Anthony Sacca (Notre Dame) has 41 tackles 1 forced fumble, 3.5 sacks & 5 passes defended.
Outlook: This game will be standing room only capacity and be another classic Catholic League battle between both powerhouses. Prep will be without their star RB Isaiah West (Ohio State) who is out with injury and possibly stud DL Maxwell Roy (Ohio State) who is also injured. La Salle will probably be without stud WR Jullian McFadden (Syracuse) who is also injured. Prep in the first game this season against La Salle was able to move the ball putting up over 300 yards of total offense and outgained La Salle in total yardage. Both teams have played tough out of league competition and are more than battle tested. The slight edge in this game goes to the more experienced Explorers who are hungry to end the Prep run at the top. La Salle 30 SJ Prep 27
5A District 12 Finals
Roman Catholic v Frankford (Saturday 12pm @Germantown Supersite)
Frankford is fresh off it’s first Public League Championship since 2013 as they dispatched Mastery Charter North 28-8 last weekend in the 5A Public league title game. Senior WR Jaron Whitehead caught 2 touchdown passes and also caught an 2 point conversion in the win. Senior WR Rahzir Seals was also a factor catching a 35-yard touchdown pass in the victory. The leader on offense for the Pioneers is So. QB DJ Archer while Senior DL Anthony Cruz leads the defense with 6 sacks & 2 forced fumbles.
Roman won their 3rd straight Catholic League 5A championship by rolling past Father Judge last weekend by a score of 56-7. Junior QB Semaj Beals threw for 257 yards & 3 touchdowns in the victory. Roman was also successful on the ground as Jeremiah Tabb ran for 77 yards, Hanif Sheed ran for 90 yards & Jojo Delecce rushed for 42 yards. Senior WR Rayshawn Scott caught 7 passes for 92 yards & a touchdown while Jojo Deleece caught 2 touchdown passes in the victory. Senior DB Christian Palmer (Monmouth) caught his team leading 5th interception.
Outlook: Frankford at 10-1 on the season has had a great unexpected season while Roman is hitting their stride after a tough schedule. Roman has the depth that Frankford lacks however Frankford will be a formidable opponent for Roman. The Pioneers will need to find a way to sustain a solid running game as Roman is very deep and talented in the secondary. Roman has dropped its last 2 District 12 5A championship game appearances to Imhotep in 2022 and 2023. They have the talent and experience to get over the hump and earn their ticket into the PIAA playoffs. Roman 34-6.
4A Public League Championship
#2 West Philadelphia v #1 Martin Luther King (Friday 3pm @Germantown Supersite)
West Philadelphia the Liberty Division champions will look to capture their first Public League championship in quite some time when they play rival Martin Luther King. West Philly will look to end a 2 game skid against King as they lost both games last season including a close playoff loss to King in the 5A semi-final last year. West Philadelphia is led by Sr. RB Zahfir Cleveland who has rushed for 1009 yards & 6 touchdowns this season. He’s also recorded 49 receiving yards and returned a kick for a touchdown. In the semifinal win over Boys Latin last week Zahfir rushed for the game winning touchdown in overtime while compiling 164 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 14 tackles on defense with a pass deflected & forced fumble.
MLK enters looking for their first public league championship since 2015. The Cougars earned their championship game berth with a hard fought 28-12 win over Ben Franklin. MLK is led by Division 1 recruit LB Khalid Bueno who averages 13 tackles per game. The Cougars are a team that likes to run the ball and utilize an athletic offensive line to get out in space. They’ve played a vigorous schedule that includes having battled Lincoln, Northeast, Gratz & Imhotep. They played in the 5A championship game last season and gave Imhotep a game for the first half. With many of those players having graduated & moved on this team struggled finding an offensive groove but put together a solid game against Ben Franklin to advance to the title game with an efficient running game.
Outlook: West Philly is on a 4-game winning streak after falling narrowly to Central High. They are looking for revenge as MLK defeated them last season two times including a narrow semifinal win. West has had more production offensively this season, but MLK has a strong strength of schedule. West Philadelphia has an advantage with experience as many of their key starters were contributors last season during their playoff run. West Philly 28-16.
4A Catholic League Semi-Finals
#1 Bonner-Prendie v #2 Cardinal O’Hara (Friday 5pm)
Bonner enters the game at 8-2 with their big win last weekend over Wood. In that game Sr. RB Mick Johnson ran for 55 yards and a touchdown while Jr. RB Saleem Frink ran for 54 yards & 2 touchdowns. Jr. QB Noel Campbell was efficient going 14/19 for 231 yards & 4 touchdowns. Sr. WR Jalil Hall caught 4 passes for 83 yards and a score while Sr. WR Jeremiah Coleman caught 2 passes for 51 yards and a score. Through the season Bonner has improved the passing game which should help them in their bid for a state championship game.
O’Hara enters the game with a 6-5 record led by Jr. QB John Welde who leads the offense with 1741 passing yards & 13 touchdowns. Jr. RB Amahj Gowans leads the team in rushing with 419 yards & 8 touchdowns on the ground. He also has 214 receiving yards. Sr. Khalil Epps leads the Lions in receiving yards with 520 yards, 8 touchdowns and also leads the team in interceptions with 8. Against Wood last week he exploded for 142 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Outlook: Both teams met earlier this season in a Catholic League Red Divisional matchup with Bonner coming out on top 28-10. Both teams have athletes who play both ways but Bonner has the depth that may be the ultimate difference. Bonner 30 O’Hara 16
3A District 12 Finals
Simon Gratz v Conwell Egan (Saturday 12pm @South Philadelphia Supersite)
Simon Gratz won their first Public League title in almost 10 years behind a stifling defense and the superb rushing of Jr. RB Tray Parsons. Tray who has rushed for over 1000 yards broke the school record for rushing touchdowns this season. In the title game Tray ran for over 150 yards & scored 3 touchdowns. Haneef Thomas is the field general who directs the high scoring up tempo offense and defensively they’re led by DeShawn Terrell who doubles as a dynamic receiver.
Conwell Egan is a great running team led by the dynamic duo rushing attack of Seniors RB Monty Zoryea & Sincere Fairey. Monty leads the team in rushing with 815 yards & 9 scores on the ground. He also has an interception returned for a touchdown. Sincere has 399 rushing yards with 6 touchdowns. Sophomore QB Aubrey Kimbrough has thrown for 8 touchdowns with 5 of them going to WR Chris Toombs. Defensively Jaeden Thenor has been a ballhawk in the secondary with 3 interceptions while Brian Shimp leads the team in sacks with 7.
Outlook: Simon Gratz is battle tested having played the top 3 teams in the Public League losing to Northeast and Lincoln by a total of 8 points. They also played Imhotep fairly tough. They have a handful of highly skilled athletes that play multiple positions and with their up-tempo offense along with a beefy physical offensive line they wear opponents down and impose their will against them. Egan is a team that relies on it’s defense and running attack. They have shown the knack for being able to move the ball in the air when needed and that’ll be key against Gratz. Gratz seems to be more polished and balanced offensively so I’ll give them the edge 21-14.
PIAA 2A Sub-Regional
Lansdale Catholic @ Bristol (Friday @7pm)
Lansdale emerged as not only the Catholic League 2A champion but the District 12 2A champion after their rout of Kipp DuBois Charter last weekend. Led by Sr. QB Yeboa a dual threat signal caller who has thrown for 686 yards & 7 touchdowns while also rushing for 511 yards & 7 additional scores. RB Nick O’Brien leads the team in rushing with 643 yards & 5 scores. WR James Webb has 4 touchdowns on the season with 3 coming via receptions and the other via punt return. James also doubles as a DB and leads the team in interceptions.
Bristol rolls into the playoffs having won 5 consecutive games and will have home field advantage in this contest. Led by Jr. QB Brady Slate the Warriors will present challenges on defense for Lansdale as his favorite target on offense is Kylear Cottrell. The defense is led by Kyree Williams & Qayim Newsuan.
Outlook: Bristol has enjoyed a magical season however Lansdale has faced stiffer competition in the Catholic League and more talent. Lansdale 34-6.
PIAA 1A Sub-Regional
Belmont Charter @ Morrisville (Friday @7pm)
Belmont has a 4-5 record this season with 7 of those contests coming against schools in the 6A/5A/4A classifications. They earned wins over 5A programs Mastery Charter North & Olney, 4A program Boys Latin and 2A program Executive Charter Academy. Offensively they’ve averaged just under 14 points per game but their strength of schedule was brutal for most of the season.
Morrisville enters with a 9-2 record and is led by Sr. RB Raymond Holman who leads the league in rushing with 1831 yards & 9 touchdowns. The defense is paced by Junior CB Zayden Gomez who leads the team in interceptions with 3.
Outlook: This is a swing game as while Belmont is only 4-5 they’ve played very good competition in bigger programs. Morrisville is a run heavy offense and should be able to put points up on the board. This game comes down to the trenches & who makes the least amount of mistakes. Morrisville has the stronger offense so I’ll pick them in a tight affair 18-16.
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