Big School 6A-4A:
Parker Sample, jr., RB, Mechanicsburg — It was a career night Friday for the Wildcats’ top back. Sample ran 22 times for 245 yards and four touchdowns. The mammoth performance lifted Mechanicsburg to a thrilling 37-35 win over Boiling Springs in a matchup through together in 48 hours due to COVID-19 cancelations by the teams’ previously scheduled opponents. Sample’s first TD came from 51 yards out, then he added another 23-yarder on the second play of the next drive. His final scores came from 4 and 2 yards out.
Ethan Eisenberg, jr., QB, Big Spring — The Bulldogs’ offense is potent, in case you didn’t know. Eisenberg put together a flawless performance in a 60-20 rout of Susquenita. While Logan Schmidt scored three TDs and ran for 128 yards, Eisenberg was a perfect 5-of-5 passing, connecting on three touchdown tosses. In totaling 186 yards, Eisenberg hit Grant Hall for a 27-yard scoring strike and another later in the game. Schmidt caught the other TD pass before halftime.
Sy Burgos, sr., RB, East Pennsboro — It wasn’t quite his Week 1 performance, but Burgos erupted for the second time this season with 210 yards on just 10 carries — 21 yards per pop, for you math majors — and scored twice, including a 66-yard burst with 2:14 left in the game that helped ice a 27-19 comeback win over Greencastle-Antrim.
Jontae Morris, sr., RB, Cedar Cliff — In case it wasn’t already obvious, it was a huge night for Mid-Penn running backs. Morris was one of five runners to eclipse the 200-yard mark, blitzing rival Red Land for 230 stripes and three TDs in a 35-21 victory, the Colts’ ninth straight in the series. Morris scored a 61-yard TD in the first quarter, then added a 3-yarder and a 1-yarder in the final two quarters.
Marquese Williams, jr., RB, Bishop McDevitt — The Crusaders put up basketball numbers in a 75-7 win over Palmyra. Williams also cracked 200 yards, rushing just nine times for 230 stripes (a tidy 25.6 yards per carry) while scoring three times. His longest run of the day was an 89-yard score at the end of the first half that made it 55-7.
Stone Saunders, fr., QB, Bishop McDevitt — Williams wasn’t the only Crusader putting up crooked numbers. Saunders shined in a 9-for-15 day, with two thirds (yes, six) of those completions going for a touchdown. The rookie accounted for 232 yards passing, with five completions, 95 yards and three TDs going to Old Dominion commit Mario Easterly.
Dion Bryant, sr., RB, Milton Hershey — The Cocoa Bean Bowl was back after a one-year hiatus. Bryant provided the fireworks in the 78th iteration of one of the midstate’s best rivalries, scoring three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 7:39 left in the game. Bryant scored a 1-yard TD in the first quarter, added a 36-yard TD reception in the second and then won it with a 7-yard rush in the fourth. He finished with 57 yards on 14 carries plus another 48 yards on two receptions.
Jacob Kauffman, sr., RB, Lower Dauphin — Three Keystone Division rushers broke the 200-yard mark this weekend, including Kauffman, who led the Falcons to their first two-game win streak since 2017. The 2-1 start is a significant benchmark for a program mired in a years-long rebuild. Kauffman rushed for 233 yards and three scores on 21 carries in Friday’s 21-3 win over Mifflin County, providing all but the extra points for LD. His scores came from 75, 56 and 26 yards.
Small School: 3A-1A:
Audric Bryant, sr, RB, Middletown — Bryant alone routed Newport on Friday. The senior rushed for three scores and returned a kickoff for another in the Blue Raiders’ 42-7 win over the Buffaloes. He had his hand in multiple facets, starting with a game-opening, 90-yard kick return TD. He added a 2-yard TD run later in the first plus second-quarter TD trots of 6 and 22 yards. He finished with 68 yards on three rushes plus another 38 yards on two receptions.
Alex Erby, so., QB, Steel-High — These performances are almost becoming ho-hum for the electrifying Erby. The sophomore was 19-for-28 for 289 yards and four touchdowns in the Rollers’ 53-19 win over Juniata, the latest rout for the squad from Steelton.
Daivin Pryor, sr., RB, Steel-High — Not to be outdone, Rollers back Daivin Pryor was in on five scoring plays in the 53-19 win over Juniata. It started with his 75-yard kick return touchdown, then continued with a pair of 38-yard scoring runs in the middle of the second quarter. Pryor then added a 6-yard score in the third and hauled in an 86-yard TD bomb from Erby in the fourth to finish with 167 yards on 13 carries and 89 more yards on three receptions.
Alex Hepler, jr, RB/LB, Upper Dauphin — Remarkably productive even though he didn’t touch the ball all that many times, Hepler rushed nine times for 78 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans (3-1) decked Camp Hill 42-12. Hepler also caught a 42-yard touchdown pass and added two points on a successful conversion. Hepler’s efforts weren’t limited to just his time on offense, as he tied for the team lead with seven tackles. Hepler also registered a pair of sacks while totaling four tackles for loss.
Christian Snyder, sr, RB, Upper Dauphin — Just beginning to find a groove after missing time with an offseason hand injury that required surgery, Snyder banked 119 rushing yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns as Kent Smeltz’s Trojans wheeled past Camp Hill 42-12 in a Mid-Penn crossover. Snyder’s rushing output was a mere portion of a ground-oriented UD attack that rolled up 338 yards against the host Lions.
Lane Lehman, so, RB/DB, Pine Grove — A workhorse on Homecoming Night in southern Schuylkill County, the talented Lehman carried the football 28 times for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Cardinals cracked the victory column with a 26-8 conquest of Shenandoah Valley. Lehman scored on runs of 4 and 1 yards in the opening half. Lehman also added seven tackles.
Colin Ibarra, sr, RB/LB, Pine Grove — The metronome of Pine Grove’s aggressive defensive approach, Ibarra registered 17 tackles from his inside ‘backer spot as the previously winless Cardinals belted Shenandoah Valley 26-8 in a Colonial-Schuylkill crossover. Ibarra also saw a good amount of work in the offensive backfield, rushing 12 times for 65 yards and one score. His 3-yard blast in the second half merely added to the Cards’ comfortable lead.
Isaac Whiteash, jr, QB, Williams Valley — Throwing plenty, Whiteash completed 20 of his 36 pass attempts and added one touchdown, yet it wasn’t enough as Williams Valley suffered a 47-24 loss to Minersville in a Colonial-Schuylkill crossover. Whiteash wound up with 349 passing yards, with his lone score finding Hunter Wolfgang, who finished with six catches for 170 yards.
