Big School 6A-4A:
Dillon Wakefield, sr., FB/LB, Big Spring — A huge night for Wakefield that continued a promising season for Wakefield and the Bulldogs. The bruising runner grounded up Trinity for 264 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries in a 42-33 home victory for the likely playoff-bound ‘Dogs. Wakefield opened his scoring with a 7-yard TD to cut a 10-0 deficit to three points and a 4-yarder to cut it to 17-14. He then boosted Big Spring’s second-half lead with a 15-yard score and a 58-yarder to finish off the Shamrocks.
Jontae Morris, sr., RB, Cedar Cliff — As part of a 502-yard Colts’ offensive outburst, Morris recorded his second 200-yard night of the season with 219 stripes and three scores (covering 26, 2 and 9 yards) in a 42-14 victory over Palmyra. The senior toted the rock 26 times for the 6-2 Colts. Morris crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season as well and currently sits at 1,152 with 16 TDs.
Stone Saunders, fr., QB, Bishop McDevitt — The result (63-0 over Milton Hershey) was never in question, but Saunders sure took advantage of a team-wide mismatch to throw a career-high seven touchdowns on seven completions, going 7-of-9 for 393 yards. In order, he threw TDs of 32 yards (to Rico Scott), 79 yards (Kamil Foster), 37 yards (Scott), 51 yards (Foster), 38 yards (Jeffrey Penn), 38 yards (Marquese Williams) and 59 yards (Scott). Foster finished with 145 yards and Scott added 128.
Aiden Mencia, sr., RB, Waynesboro — Waynesboro shut down East Pennsboro 28-3 thanks to the two-headed attack of Jaylan Bean and Mencie. The latter finished with 155 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) on 23 carries. Mencia’s first score came before halftime to make it 7-3 Waynesboro on a 10-yard pass, his only reception, from Bean. Then Mencia added a 28-yard TD in the fourth.
Braden Landis, sr., QB, Lower Dauphin — The Falcons resurgence remains alive and well, with Landis leading the charge. The senior propelled LD to an entertaining 34-28 victory over Red Land to keep the Falcons’ (4-3, 3-2 Keystone) playoff chances alive as well. He finished an efficient 12-of-17 for 197 yards and four touchdowns, adding another 38 yards on 11 carries. Landis’s four touchdowns went for 5, 20, 38 and 59 yards, two each to Ty Millhimes and Charlie Fortney.
Sam Sklar, sr., WR, Red Land — Gotta give credit to this blossoming Patriots passing game for keeping the team in Friday’s 34-28 loss to Lower Dauphin. While his quarterback went for 259 passing yards (19-of-30), Sklar was on the receiving end of nearly half of the production, going for nine receptions, 157 yards and two TDs — covering 71 and 36 yards.
Marcel McDaniels Jr., sr., RB, CD East — Four runners cracked the 200-yard mark this week, with McDaniels Jr. among them. The talented back ran Chambersburg off Landis Field in a 40-7 win, finishing with 205 stripes on 23 carries to put him over the 1,000-yard plateau for the season. He scored a third-quarter TD from 4 yards out to further put the Panthers (6-2, 4-1 Commonwealth) out of reach.
Max Mosey, sr., QB, Central Dauphin — Altoona had no answer for Mosey in a 52-48 Rams (5-1, 4-0 Commonwealth) win. The senior carved up the Mountain Lions through the air (259 yards, 17-of-26 passing) and on the ground (206 yards, 26 carries), becoming the fourth Mid-Penn player this week to crack 200 ground yards. Mosey, whose lone blemish was an interception, scored all six of his touchdowns with his legs, including the game winner with 28 seconds left from 7 yards out.
Justin Cook, sr., WR/DB, Harrisburg — There have been lots of big passing and rushing performances this week, but how about a big defensive performance? Cook got his on offense — four catches, 41 yards — but he made the biggest impact in a 45-7 rout of Cumberland Valley on the other side of the ball. Cook pulled down two interceptions, including an impressive 102-yard pick-6 that ended the third quarter. It was one of three Cougars (7-1, 4-0 Commonwealth) TDs scored off turnovers in this one.
Seth Laub, so, FB/LB, Juniata — While the Indians have been getting lots and lots of props for their splendid defensive performances — and Laub’s been a part of that — just check out what this guy did last weekend with a limited number of touches. Try 135 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on nine carries. And while Laub’s 67-yard burst midway through the opening quarter provided Juniata with a 7-0 lead, he also scored from 15 yards out early in the final stanza to close out the Indians’ fourth straight victory.
Small School: 3A-1A:
Tyrone Moore, sr., WR/DB, Steel-High — Alex Erby has gotten plenty of pub this season, deservedly so, so let’s give this one to one of his favorite targets from the weekend. Moore was on the receiving end of three of Erby’s five touchdown passes — Erby finished with 391 yards — in a 67-22 shootout win over Camp Hill to push the undefeated Rollers to 7-0 (3-0 Capital).
Ian Goodling, so., WR, West Perry — It came in a 48-14 loss to unbeaten Shippensburg, but Goodling stole the show early with a pair of long touchdowns that briefly gave the Mustangs a 14-7 lead. Those scores covered 85 and 55 yards, and he added both extra points. The Greyhounds’ defense locked down after that, but Goodling still finished with five catches for 173 yards.
Nolan Baumert, so., RB/DB, Line Mountain — Although Brandon Carson’s struggling Eagles suffered even more heartbreak over the weekend — a 20-19 loss at North Penn-Mansfield that was decided by a touchdown that came on a successful fourth-and-long conversion — Baumert was charged up throughout his stay in Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier. Baumert rushed 17 times for 175 yards, pushing Carson’s bunch in front early in the third quarter on a 29-yard TD run.
Wil Laskowski, sr., QB/DB, Upper Dauphin — Back on the ballot for a second straight week, Laskowski accounted for a bunch of points as the Trojans motored past Executive Education 38-14. Laskowski rushed 16 times for 57 yards, scoring three times in the opening half as UDA opened a 30-6 advantage. Laskowski also completed three of his four pass attempts for 70 yards — including a 29-yard TD toss to Aiden Wiest. As if that wasn’t enough, Laskowski also scored three times on successful two-point conversions as UDA won its fifth straight outing.
Carson Lengle, fr., QB, Pine Grove — Forced to throw throughout the Cardinals’ 31-14 loss at Catasauqua, Lengle completed 13 of his school-record 30 attempts for a school-record 288 yards.
Although he was picked off four times in the Colonial-Schuylkill White encounter, Lengle did throw a pair of scoring passes to erstwhile Pine Grove QB Mason Kroh. Kroh hauled in seven of Lengle’s throws, totaling 155 yards on that bundle of catches.
Bryce McKee, so., RB/DB, Susquenita — Getting his first extended action at the running back position, McKee rushed 17 times for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Blackhawks overwhelmed James Buchanan 42-7. McKee’s scores covered 4 and 66 yards as ‘Nita opened a 42-0 lead at the halftime break, but he also caught two passes for 50 yards — including a 27-yard score that was part of the Blackhawks’ first-half eruption.
Jake Scheib, jr., FB/DL, Tri-Valley — Scheib provided the oomph in Tri-Valley’s potent one-two attack, rushing 10 times for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Scheib converted on rushes of 17, 44 and 2 yards as the Bulldogs muscled past Panther Valley 49-0. Last weekend’s triumph — with Williams Valley idle — lifted Tri-Valley into sole possession of the Colonial-Schuylkill Blue Division lead with two regular-season weekends remaining.
Kameron Wetzel, jr., RB, Tri-Valley — As for the flashy part of Tri-Valley’s productive running game, that distinction falls to the energetic Wetzel. He didn’t touch the football all that often in the Bulldogs’ 49-0 conquest of Panther Valley, but he made every one of them count. Wetzel, in fact, carried the ball just seven times yet piled up 154 yards. Although he didn’t lug a kickoff to the house for the third straight weekend, his lone touchdown against the outmatched Panthers came on a 77-yard scamper.
