Southeast Pa. Players to Watch

Abington

Darryl Davis-McNeil >> Davis-McNeil rushed for 1,875 yards and 18 touchdowns last year for the Ghosts and will once again be the feature weapon in Abington’s attack. Davis-McNeil has outstanding speed and is quick to exploit any cracks and crevices made by his blockers up front.

Jackson Taylor >> Abington’s middle linebacker is the heart of the defense. Like coach Kevin Conlin said, the defense revolves around Taylor. The Ghosts run a base 4-4 with some 5-2 sprinkled in, and Taylor’s hard hitting and speed to the ball give Abington plenty to work with.

 

Bensalem

Keith Parrish >> Parrish isn’t big at 5-8, 150, but the senior running back runs a 4.5 in the 40 and can really make things happen. “He averaged 10 yards every time he touched the ball last year,” said Cubbage. “Our priority is to get him the ball more. You should see his highlight film. The moves he makes are insane.”

Elijah Jackson >> Standing 6-3, the senior has a nose for the ball and is sort of a hybrid defensive end/linebacker. “He’s big, he’s fast and he has talent,” said Cubbage. “He’s had a great off season. He has a real high motor.”

Central Bucks East

Jake Ventresca >> Ventresca is in line to get a big workload at running back in his sophomore season. He got more involved in the offense as the season went on as a freshman and he averaged 6.6 yards per carry.

Ty Tracy >> Tracy will be the leader of East’s defense from one of the middle linebacker positions. The senior started down the stretch last season and earned the trust and respect of his teammates.

 

Central Bucks South

Jack Johns >> Johns stands out in a crowd. The 6-foot-7 senior has long arms that help him execute South’s zone-read offense. He split time as a junior and played about half the season. He has a strong arm and his coach praised his moxie.

Matt Tobey >> Tobey started every game last year as a sophomore and is moving from the “hero” position to inside linebacker. Alongside classmate Norris, Tobey promises to range from sideline-to-sideline and make life difficult for opposing offenses.

 

Central Bucks West

Josh Crecca >> Crecca thought about quitting football two years ago. Luckily for the Bucks, he decided to continue playing. He started last year as a junior and uses his detail-oriented approach to master the offense and get his teammates to follow him.

Michael Taylor >> Cathers pointed to defensive end Michael Taylor as a player to watch along with his teammate Luke Benson. The two ends started last year, had phenomenal offseasons and are expected to play key roles against both the run and the pass.

 

Cheltenham

Jordan Gyabaah >> At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Gyabaah is a sturdy, strong-armed quarterback for the Panthers. With running and throwing ability, he seems the perfect option to run what will be a diverse attack with many sets.

Jordan Green >> Nase is confident in his secondary and Green is a major reason. Nase says Green has been excelling at corner in camp and typifies the Panther defensive back group: a bit undersized, but extremely strong in the weight room, extremely fast, and a multi-sport athlete.

 

Council Rock North

Michael Welde >> Second Team All-Suburban One National League senior running back Mike Welde leads the list of returners on the offensive side of the football. Welde rushed for over 850 yards last season. A speedster who captured a PIAA District 1 silver medal in the 400-meter dash along with silver medals at SOLs in the 100, 200 and 400, Welde says last year is in the rear-view mirror.

Mark Anastasi >> “Mark really came into his own as a team leader and has done a really nice job bringing this team together in the offseason,” McHugh said. “He played both ways for us last year and we’re excited to see what he can bring his senior year.”

 

Council Rock South

John Dooley >> “Everything starts with your people up front,” said Bedesem. “John’s been starting for us on defense since his sophomore year and he hasn’t relinquished that spot. Last year, he was a two-way starter. Our offense just seems to click better with him up front.”

Shane Carter >> “Shane covers the field well and he does a great job containing the football,” said Bedesem. “A lot of teams like to hit that perimeter with jet sweeps and power sweeps and he just does a great job helping us to contain that.”

 

Harry S. Truman

Sayyid Saunders >> How fast is the senior running back? Consider he is Pennsylvania’s defending 200-meter state champion and has the speed to blow by any defense with ease. A team would have to be crazy to kick the ball anywhere near Saunders on kickoffs or punts.

David Akinwande >> In addition to being a top-notch runner who can pound it inside as a fullback, Akinwande will also be a big force on the defensive line. “David is our best player,” simply said LaPolombara.

 

Hatboro-Horsham

Chris Edwards >> Coach Kapusta called the 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior quarterback a “heck of a weapon.” Edwards is a tremendous runner and has been throwing the ball well over the summer. He’s a little faster, a little bigger this year and as a result the Hatters expect even more out of the quarterback position this fall.

Adam Suder >> A really smart player, and although the senior isn’t the prototypical inside linebacker — he’s 5-foot-9, 210 pounds — he has tremendous strength. Suder has added 15-20 pounds of muscle since last season and is a plugger coming downhill, having improved in that area since last fall. He’s good in space and a solid tackler, but has now added a downhill, aggressive streak that the coaches love.

 

Neshaminy

Brody McAndrew >> The 6-2 sophomore has inherited the starting quarterback position from the highly-successful Mason Jones. “He’s primarily a thrower,” said Wilmot. “He already is showing a good understanding of our offense and throws a nice ball.”

Oleh Manczyk >> The 6-1, 210 pound junior will again be one of the top players in the league. Last year he easily led the team in solo tackles with 48. Look for more of the same as the hard-hitter Manczyk makes the switch from outside to inside linebacker. He is also dangerous on offense as a tight end/wide receiver.

 

North Penn

Steven DePaul >> The junior quarterback threw for 557 yards and five touchdowns at Norristown in 2016. “His toughness and his energy is really going to help us offensively,” said Beck.

Owen Thomas >> The 6-4, 225-pound senior, who recently made a verbal commitment to Villanova, anchors the Knights’ linebackers after earning All-SOL Continental honorable mention at the position as a junior.

 

Pennridge

Oliver Jervis >> The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder takes over the quarterback duties this fall and the Rams have a lot of confidence in the senior. Jervis got a taste under center last year as a backup and this year looks ready to step into a leadership role.

Nick Tarburton >> The Penn State commit is primed for a big final season at Pennridge. At 6-foot-4, 243 pounds, the Rams’ outstanding middle linebacker is a rare blend of power and speed, with a tremendous ability to anticipate the play. He’s intent on powering the Rams back to the district playoffs.

 

Pennsbury

Nasan Robbins >> The senior running back showed last year he is willing to pound it inside to go along with his ability to stretch the defenses with his speed. Assuming the blocking is better, he has the potential to pile up big rushing yards and find the end zone with regularity.

Davis Lee >> Although he is only a sophomore, Lee already projects as an impact player. The defensive end stands 6-0, weighs 230 and is really strong. “He’s special,” said McShane. “He really gets after it.”

 

Plymouth-Whitemarsh

Stephen Maslij >> The strong-armed senior quarterback plays with confidence and is getting more and more comfortable with PW’s ground game every day.

Kirk Bell >> Senior linebacker plays both sides of the ball as he is also a bruising fullback. The big, tough senior runs well for his size and makes plays sideline-to-sideline. He’s also capable of calling plays and putting teammates in the right position.

 

Quakertown

Matt Fugitt >> Quakertown’s new starting quarterback is a double threat for the Panthers. He has the ability to hit targets downfield — with a bevy of receivers and backs at his disposal — and can also pull the ball down and run when needed.

Nick Levinski >> Moving back to his natural position at inside linebacker, Levinski will be calling the defense and making a lot of plays for the Panthers. His athletic ability allowed the team to start him at defensive end last season when the squad was loaded at the linebacker spot. Now he’s back at linebacker, the eye of the storm for the Quakertown defense.

 

Souderton

Troy Moklok >> With the Indians having graduated its top rushers, the junior running back will get his chance to step up and contribute yards in Big Red’s Wing-T attack.

Tycier Goods >> The senior switches from being an edge rusher to manning the middle linebacker spot — a position he played in middle school and as a freshman.

 

Springfield-Montco

Max Perry >> The junior quarterback will call the shots for a Spartan team that will look for leadership. “He has enormous potential,” Shelly said. “He has a really good arm and a high football IQ.”

Eddie Goldsmith >> “He has a big-league body and we’re really counting on him to be an anchor for us — offensively and defensively,” Shelly said.

 

Upper Dublin

Mailk Bootman >> Senior running back: “The last couple of years we’ve been on a roll, so we have that winning attitude. We have a couple of starters returning, so I think we can stay on track.”

Max Winebrake >> Senior linebacker: “We have people who have started before but we have to take it game by game. I think we can win. We have a lot of good players. A lot of them could have started last year.”

 

Upper Moreland

Brendan Olexa >> After backing up Casey Decker, Olexa gets the nod at quarterback. Beach says the 6-0 senior is “like a coach on the field.”

Sterlen Barr >> The 5-foot 9 senior defensive back should cause opposing passing attacks plenty of trouble as the leader of the UM secondary after picking up all-conference honors last season.

 

William Tennent

Mitch Vierling >> The senior quarterback got time under center in 2016 and Plenski is confident having an experienced quarterback will be a boost to the Panthers’ offense

Eddie North >> North, a 5-8, 170-pound senior defensive back is also a running back but on defense he’ll help anchor a secondary Plenski feels has the speed to put a damper on the opponents’ passing games.

 

Wissahickon

Antaun Lloyd >> Antaun Lloyd is known for his ability as a cover corner, but he’ll be the one to watch when Wissahickon has the ball. His speed and agility make him a threat as both a runner and pass-catcher.

Marco Rivera >> Marco Rivera will be running the Trojans defense from the middle linebacker position. The senior led the team in tackles a season ago and has the coaching staff’s trust to make the defensive calls this fall.

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