Preview: 6A Quarterfinal Nazareth v St. Joes Prep
Tagged under: District 11, District 12, Gameday Hub, News, pfn
Anthony Franklin | November 24, 2023
The Nazareth Blue Eagles will travel south down the Northeast Extension Turnpike to take on the St. Joes Prep Hawks in a PIAA 6A quarterfinal matchup. Both teams won their district titles last weekend in opposite fashions.
Nazareth: The Blue Eagles have won 9 straight games and enter the contest with a 12-1 record this season. Last week they were tied with Parkland 3-3 after 3 quarters before their offense found rhythm and scored 21 points in the 4th quarter which was needed as they came back with less than 3 minutes remaining to take the lead and advance. Offensively they are a high potent unit that has scored 461 points this season. The unit is led by Sophomore QB Peyton Falzone who has thrown for 2374 yards & 17 touchdown tosses. He has also rushed for 9 TDs. His leading receivers are Sr. WR Mason Kuehner who has 1116 receiving yards & 5 TDs. So. WR Caleb Newsome has 564 yards & 5 TDs. Sr. RB Jed Bendekovits leads the team in rushing with 1066 yards & 15 TDs.
St. Joes Prep: The Hawks enter the contest with a 10-1 record. They advanced to the quarterfinals with a 35-0 victory over Abraham Lincoln in the District 12 finals. The Hawks are led by Cincinnati commit Sr. QB Samaj Jones who has 1293 yards & 12 passing scores. He’s a dual threat as he also has 314 rushing yards & 9 rushing scores. The backfield is led by a trio of rushers in Sr. RB Erik Sanchez (453 yards & 5 TDs), Towson commit Sr. RB Kahsiem Phillips (398 yards & 2 TDs) and Jr. RB Isaiah West (551 yards & 7 TDs). They also have a trio of FBS receivers who are capable at anytime to take over a game in West Virginia commit Sr. Brandon Rehmann (330 yards & 4 TDs), Cincinnati commit Sr. Elijah Jones (225 yards & 4 TDs) & Kentucky commit Sr. David Washington Jr. (376 yards & 3 TDs). Defensively they are led by Wisconsin commit Sr. CB Omillio Agard (2 interceptions), Sr. DL Sean McNulty (50 tackles & 9 sacks), & Sr. Nick McGlynn (39 tackles & 2 defensive TDs).
Outlook: Nazareth averages 36 points per game while only giving up roughly 11 points per game. The Hawks average roughly 39 points per game and defensively are giving up just under 8 points per game. Nazareth has played a tough schedule this year and their lone loss in the regular season they were able to avenge it last week to Parkland. St Joes Prep had one loss this season which was to nationally ranked #4 IMG Academy by 3 points. Defensively they’ve shut out 3 opponents and held 5 opponents to under 10 points. Both teams have a balanced offense and this game should be a high scoring affair.
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