Marquese Williams, sr., RB, Bishop McDevitt: The senior dismantled Manheim Central’s defense with surprising ease for a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal, carving out 187 yards and two touchdowns (of 5 and 42 yards) on 18 carries in a 40-0 whitewash. Williams also scored on a 64-yard reception, giving him 251 total offensive yards.
Jaire Rawlinson, jr., CB, Bishop McDevitt: Someone on the Crusaders’ defense needs to be nominated for holding Manheim Central to a paltry 64 total offensive yards. So let’s give it to the man he scored on a 67-yard pick-6 in the second quarter that turned an as-yet-close game into a laugher.
Rico Scott, jr., WR, Bishop McDevitt: The wideout had limited touches but made the most of them Friday night, scoring on a 35-yard reception in the second quarter and adding a 70-yard TD run to open the second half and effectively ice McDevitt’s win. Scott finished with six catches for 83 yards and his one touchdown-scoring carry.
Finn Furmanek, sr., QB, State College: The Little Lions did most of their damage, especially on the ground, in the first half to beat North Allegheny 28-7. And Furmanek was at the center of it, rushing 17 times for 132 yards and scoring on runs of 33 and 10 yards in the second quarter. He had 100 yards rushing by halftime. He added 52 yards on 4-of-9 passing (with an interception).
Cooper Brushwood, so., DB, State College: Brushwood made an acrobatic interception to stifle a key North Allegheny drive, one of his two picks on the night and four total for the Little Lions, in an impressive defensive effort that sends State to the PIAA Class 6A semifinals next week.
D’Antae Sheffey, fr., RB, State College: The breakout rookie star of the Little Lions didn’t find the end zone, but he did co-pilot a run game that ground North Allegheny for 269 yards. Sheffey finished with 14 touches for 104 stripes, his fifth-straight 100-yard game of the season.
Amir Way, so., DB, Trinity: The Shamrocks made history Friday, making their first PIAA semifinal. And Way put the finishing touches on the historic 35-17 victory over Executive Education. The sophomore swiped a Darmel Lopez pass in the fourth quarter and raced 99 yards to the opposite end zone to ice the game. It was the final of five Trinity interceptions and Way’s second of the night.
Messiah Mickens, fr., RB, Trinity: The defense had its fun, especially in the second half, but Mickens produced key plays for the ‘Rocks’ 35-17 win, producing 10 carries for 61 yards and hauling in a 20-yard reception for an offense that did just enough to pull off the win. Mickens scored the game’s opening points on a 48-yard sprint in the first quarter.
Ronald Burnette, jr., RB, Steel-High: Burnette helped an unusually sloppy and sluggish Rollers get the wheels turning in a 42-35 win over Northern Lehigh in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals. Burnette ripped off 212 yards and three touchdowns (10, 5 and 16 yards) on 20 carries in the win, including 142 stripes and two scores after halftime. He also caught an 8-yard pass.
Alex Erby, so., QB, Steel-High: It wasn’t his usually eye-popping numbers, but Erby did enough to guide the Rollers out of a slow start and into the PIAA state semifinals with a 12-of-15, 134-yard three-total-touchdown performance Saturday. He threw two fourth-quarter TDs (8 and 20 yards) and ran for another from 3 yards out, finishing with 19 rushing yards.
Shawn Lee Jr., so., QB, Harrisburg: Lee overcame two interceptions to finish with four total touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) to help the Cougars avenge a previous loss and beat Manheim Township 44-6 for the District 3 Class 6A title. Lee completed 9 of 13 passes for 112 yards and threw a 52-yard TD; he ran nine times for 66 yards and three scores of 4, 6 and 39 yards.
Mahkai Hopkins, sr., RB, Harrisburg: Hopkins produced two early touchdowns (and two-point conversions) to put the Cougars in the cat-bird seat that eventually led to a 44-6 state quarterfinal victory. He plowed in for a 1-yard score and hauled in a 52-yard TD reception to make it 16-0 ‘Burg after one quarter. Hopkins finished with 14 carries for 70 yards and two receptions for 61 yards.
