PIAA Class 4A State Semifinal Preview: Bonner-Prendergast vs. Southern Lehigh

Tagged under: District 11, District 12, News, pfn, Playoffs

Cody Brady | November 29, 2024

Bonner-Prendergast(10-2)

Head Coach: Jack Muldoon

Scoring 36.5ppg

Allowing 19.8ppg

Record of Opponents: 70-43

Record vs .500 or better: 7-2

2024 marks the third consecutive season that the Friars have played postseason football on Thanksgiving weekend in the state playoffs. The run ended last year in the quarterfinals when Dallas won in overtime. Two years ago, another District 2 foe in Crestwood got by them. This year certainly feels different for MBAP. Led by a star sophomore quarterback in Noel Campbell Jr., the Friars boast a well-balanced and effective offense. Campbell Jr. has thrown for 2,393 yards and 26 touchdowns to just seven interceptions and now holds the single-season passing yardage record at the school. Mikhail Johnson and Saalem Fink lead the ground attack, combining for more than 1,200 yards and eight scores. Senior WR Jeremiah Coleman is coming off a 200 yard performance against Pope John Paul II, in which he made eight catches and scored twice. The Friars are ripe with Division I talent. Standout WR Jalil Hall has offers from the likes of Pittsburgh and West Virginia, while Jalisco Hall, Dylan Abram, Josh Adams, and Josiah Adams all also have offers. The lone losses on the season come to St. Joseph’s Prep and LaSalle College HS, two of the top programs in the state. The Friars will look to dispatch Southern Lehigh and get to their first state title game in school history.

Southern Lehigh(12-2)

Head Coach: Phil Sams

Scoring 38.5ppg

Allowing 16.3ppg

Record of Opponents: 83-68

Record vs .500 or better: 7-2

The Southern Lehigh Spartans trailed Pottsville 34-13 prior to halftime in their District XI semifinal contest. From there, standout running back Sean Steckart scored four straight touchdowns in that game and has accounted for 12 of the team’s last 15 in the postseason. Southern Lehigh enters the state semifinals for the first time in school history and has only allowed three touchdowns since trailing by 21 to Pottsville. Steckart surpassed the 2,000 rushing yard mark in last week’s dominant 45-7 win over Juniata. He also leads the defense with five interceptions, and will be called upon to defend against the Bonner-Prendie air attack. Quarterback Colton Sams is on the cusp of a 3,000 yard season, completing 65% of his passes for 2,715 yards and 31 scores to just five picks. The Spartans also boast one of the best TEs in the state with Andrew Olesh, who has over 20 FBS offers. He will need 97 receiving yards to surpass 1,000 for the year, while WR Luke Kawczenski needs 135 to reach the milestone. The high octane no-huddle offense that the Spartans run will be a huge storyline if Southern Lehigh is going to upset a perennial power like the Friars.

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