Defense and trench warfare will rule the day in the Mid-Penn Capital Division this fall. That’s the impression that we get after poring through stats and film on our way to determining the Top 10 players to watch in the division this season.
Our list includes powerful giants and relentless monsters, all with the ability to wreck a game. Just one offensive specialist, an All-State QB, cracked into the Top 10.
We’ll take a closer look at these players–two per day–as well a few Honorable Mention selections, as part of our breakdown of the Capital Division. Stick with 4th Down Magazine in the days to come as we continue to analyze the remaining three divisions in the Mid-Penn.
10. M.A. Scaringi, Camp Hill, OLB/FB
When you live in the weight room, like the 6-foot, 200-pound Scaringi does, you can do some pretty remarkable things on the football field, like Scaringi has.
Power, acceleration, and keen field awareness are the senior’s strengths when he plays the OLB position. A “play to the whistle” kind of player, Scaringi can muscle down just about any opponent when he gets his arms wrapped around them. The Capital Division took notice of Scaringi’s big 2024 season, honoring him with a Second Team selection for his 101-tackle campaign.
Offensively, Camp Hill will be counting on Scaringi to once again produce from the backfield, where he churned out more than 700 combined rushing and receiving yards with five TDs last fall. Scaringi has soft hands and make the same basket catches as a WR, and he deploys a rumbling running style that can blast right through would-be solo tacklers.
9. Isaac Jackson, Upper Dauphin, DB/WR/Returner
Lighting in a bottle. That’s what Upper Dauphin has in Jackson, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound junior who was named a Capital Division All-Star on offense, defense, and as a returner for his electric play on the field last fall.
His incendiary speed, coupled with an ability to cut on a dime, fueled a season that saw him average 26.7 yards per catch after hauling in 18 receptions for 480 yards and five TDs. Jackson has a good sense of the ball under the stadium lights and has the hops to win jump balls, whether he’s playing on offense or defense.
He is a sticky DB whose presence alone can make a QB think twice about lofting a ball toward his side of the field, where he secured 33 tackles and two interceptions last season. Jackson was also a home run threat in the return game, where he averaged 25.2 yards as a kick returner.
8. Jackson Kauwell, Line Mountain, OL
The 6-foot-1, 270-pound Kauwell got to live the lineman’s dream last fall when we pulled in an interception from his DT position and returned it more than 60 yards on his way to the end zone.
It’s flashes like these that make us wonder if the powerful and athletic Kauwell can someday live out another dream: Making a college roster.
Kauwell, entering his fourth year as a starter on Line Mountain’s OL, came into his own last season, landing a spot on the Capital Division’s First Team offense. Heavy-handed with natural power, skills honed by his service as a heavyweight on the Eagles’ wrestling squad, Kauwell is no easy assignment for any lineman in the division.
If Kauwell can unleashed his angry side in 2025, he could be in for a breakout senior season.
7. Karson Engle, Upper Dauphin, OL/DT
If you’re facing off in the trenches against Engle, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound terror of a left tackle, get used to spending the majority of the game with your back on the ground.
Engle was cooking as a sophomore last fall, with the big man simply steamrolling nearly every opposing defender put in front of him. He generates a powerful drive right from the snap of the ball, and once Engle builds momentum, he leaves bodies in his wake.
His pass blocking is effective almost to the point of hilarity, with Engle frequently taking on the appearance of an adult warding off a flailing child.
Engle also came into his own as a DT last fall, piling up 27 tackles, including six tackles for loss and two sacks.
6. Kaiden Maurer, Line Mountain, QB
Following a big junior season that saw Maurer — a 6-foot-2, 180-pound QB — set school records for single-season (29) and career (53) passing TDs, Line Mountain’s signal caller could be in for his most productive campaign yet.
Named to the Pa. Football Writers’ All-State Team and as a Second Team selection in the Capital Division, Maurer threw for more than 2,000 yards last fall, and ran for nine scores. His experience shows in the way he plays the position, with Maurer keeping his sharp eyes downfield and delivering strikes with a quick release and a nice, easy spiral.
Left with time in the pocket, Maurer can pick a defense apart, which forces the opposition to apply pressure with blitzes. That’s not a good idea, either, as Maurer can deliver strong throws from out of position when he’s under duress.
His ability to run adds another wrinkle to an offense that promises to create major headaches for defenses. Maurer ran 68 times last season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
5. Angel Luciano, Steel-High, LB/WR
Steel-High couldn’t ask for a better man to lead its defense this season than Luciano, a violent 6-foot-3, 225-pound MLB and edge-rush DE who nailed down First Team honors in the Colonial last fall.
The senior has a knack for recognizing where the ball is going, and with that ability to see a play develop, Luciano is able to put himself in a position to wreck it. He is a dangerous blitzer who, on his path to the ballcarrier, can shake off blockers or simply blow past them untouched. With the speed to stick with wideouts and the strength to manhandle them, Luciano is equally deadly at defending the pass, enforcing a toll on any receiver left hanging out to dry.
Like many players on Steel-High’s roster, Luciano plays both ways. As a receiver, was named to the Colonial’s Second Team last fall.
4. Semaj Evans, Steel-High, DL/OG
There was some concern about how Steel-High’s new-look squad would react following the 2023 season, which featured a state championship and the graduation of the greatest senior class in school history. As it turned out, the closing of one era opened the door for a new one: The reign of Semaj Evans, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound lineman who earned Capital Division First Team nods on both sides of the ball as a sophomore last fall.
With the strength to split double teams and the speed to chase down fleeing ballcarriers, coupled with a relentless style of play, Evans’ presence on the defensive line has been known to cause panic in opposing backfields. On offense Evans mans the guard position, and while he is a solid pass protector, he especially excels at obliterating unsuspecting defenders on trap plays.
With two seasons of varsity ball still remaining for Evans, look for the Rollers to stay relevant in the Mid-Penn for years to come.
3. Eoghan Savage, Upper Dauphin, DE/TE
Very few players have a surname that perfectly aligns with their play on the field, but it clicks perfectly for Savage, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound monster who has been torturing opposing high school linemen since he was a freshman.
Whether he’s lining up at DE, his primary position, or in the very middle of the trenches at nose tackle, Savage excels at wreaking havoc. Equipped with a large frame, coupled with long, strong arms, Savage can quickly disengage from blocks and scoop up nearby ballcarriers. This process often results in opponents getting tossed around like rag dolls, or being flat out pancaked. To put this all into perspective, Savage has totaled 108 tackles over his career with 39 of those being recorded for a loss, including 13 sacks.
On the other side of the ball as a TE/WR, Savage recorded 11 catches for 141 yards and a TD last season. While his ability to catch passes is a plus, his blocking is what puts fear into the hearts of opponents. We feel especially sorry for the defensive backs trying to survive the blocks from Savage, a PIAA wrestling qualifier at heavyweight.
. Jasper Shepps, Juniata, DB/WR/Returner/Punter
It’s hard for us to believe that a player like Shepps, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete who can do just about anything he wants on a football field, doesn’t have more college offers than he has.
Shepps is at his deadliest on the defensive side of the ball, where he’s pulled down 23 interceptions over his first three seasons on the high school gridiron. Shepps can match up with the top opposing receiver, if asked, or he can patrol the deep end of the field as a safety, just daring the QB to put the ball up for grabs.
Whether he’s playing defense or offense, Shepps has a good sense for the ball and the length to reach up and haul it in. As a receiver, Shepps has a knack for finding the soft spot in the defense, coupled with an ability to beat double teams and make off-balance catches in traffic. Over the course of his career, he’s registered 146 catches for 2,805 yards and 30 TDs.
Arm tackles won’t work against the shifty Shepps, also a dangerous return man who averaged 21.4 yards on kickoff returns and 8.9 yards on punt returns. Shepps can also impact the game as a punter, a position that saw him average 37 yards a pop last fall.
1. Max Johnson, Line Mountain, DL/TE
We think Maxim is a cooler first name than Max, but who are we to argue with the 6-foot-4, 200-pound beast from Herndon?
Johnson was the most terrifying man in the Capital last fall, with the rangy DE securing the nod as the division’s Defensive Player of the Year after rolling up 81 tackles, 16 sacks, 16 QB hurries, and four caused fumbles, to go along with five passes defended. This breakout season, of course, was nothing new for Johnson, who’s totaled 36.5 sacks over his first three seasons on the high school gridiron.
Johnson wields a potent combination of power and quickness, and his ability to attack from both the left and right sides make him a matchup nightmare for opponents. Johnson often finds himself in the backfield almost as soon as the ball is snapped, either running past the offensive lineman tasked with blocking him or picking up the poor soul and using him as a weapon to disrupt the QB.
Johnson’s length, which he uses to bat down passes at the line of scrimmage, made him an asset on the other side of the ball at TE. He had the best offensive season of his career last season, hauling in 27 catches for 383 yards and five TDs. It goes without saying that Johnson has the potential to put up even bigger numbers in his final season of high ball.
Honorable Mention: Bryce Harlon (Juniata, OL, 5-10, 215), Jackson Kauwell (Line Mountain, OL, 6-0, 260), Quann Padgett (Steel-High, DL/OL, 6-3, 236), Teegan Carroll (Halifax, LB/QB, 6-2, 195), Ni’Shaun Ward-McMullen (Steel-High, LB/RB, 6-2, 220), Dalton Schadel (Line Mountain, WR, 5-9, 160), Dylan Vadasz (Newport, OL, 6-0, 230), Braiden McCartney (Upper Dauphin, OL, 6-3, 240), AJ Serdar (Camp Hill, RB, 6-1, 195), Zach Bates (Newport, QB/K, 6-1, 190).
Seems odd you never mention a rural school like Juniata high school