PPL/PCL Spring Season Week 2 Recap: Defenses Dominating

Week two of the PPL/PCL Spring Football season is in the books! A good amount of prospects have stood out in just two weeks, many of which were not on our radar. It’s our pleasure to help provide some exposure and spotlight to those who may not receive it, yet are deserving. Multiple teams debuted this week, providing even more excitement to this spring season. After Week One scrimmages, Washington, Vaux, Simon Gratz, Kensington, Boys Latin, Mastery Charter, Ben Franklin, Bartram, South Philly, Olney Charter, Central, and the PCL’s Neumann & Goretti all debuted this week! Let’s dive into who stood out, whose stock is rising, and what teams we expect to continue dominating. [caption id="attachment_123283" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-123283" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/IMG_4464-crop-2305x1513-1616599156-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Zaire Dean, Chubb Vision[/caption] Of eight games played this weekend in the PPL/PCL, a whopping six were shut-outs. We will highlight top performers from each game. Expect further analysis in the future.   Washington 20 Vaux 0 Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="123524" first="Kyle" last="Schumann"] was the star of this show. We’ve had our eyes on Schumann for some time and we’re finally able to highlight his growing potential. 2023 prospect, Schumann’s size sticks out immediately. He carries a compact build that has more to fill, standing at just under 6’1", weighing in at 210lbs. The versatile sophomore provides production beyond behind center. Schumann gets reps at safety and is a contributor on special teams as well. Schumann went on to register 2 tackles, one of which was a sack as well as a forced fumble on defense. He provided 100+ passing yards and 30+ rushing yards on offense as well. Looking forward to watching his growth as a prospect moving forward. Simon Gratz 42 Kensington 8 Let’s look no further than senior Gratz running back [player_tooltip player_id="27438" first="Tair" last="Bolden"] who was unstoppable against Kensington. Four total touchdowns on the day, all of which exceeded 40 yards! The 5’8, 165 pound senior showed vision, lateral agility, and serious home-run hitting speed and acceleration down the sidelines this past weekend. He’s subtle and decisive when picking which hole to exploit. Burst through the trenches doesn’t have your attention, it’s when he hits the second level where Bolden shows you that great acceleration to blow past the secondary. Bolden punts and returns punts for Gratz, returning the opening kickoff 70+ yards for his first TD. Bolden’s 300+ scrimmage yard performance cements his stock on this site and stands to be a prospect we continue to highlight going forward. One of the top performers of the weekend. [caption id="attachment_123291" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-123291" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/IMG_4462-crop-4148x2724-1616599295-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Zaire Dean, Chubb Vision[/caption] Boys Latin 16 Mastery Charter 0 No film to analyze or break down for this one. Two debuting teams. West Philadelphia 14 Ben Franklin 12 This turned out to be the only competitive game of the weekend. The same prospects showed up in back-to-back weeks for West Philly, we love consistency! Mujaheed Muhammad and Zaire Brown continue to elevate their stocks as two relatively unknown prospects. Muhammad flashed athleticism at reps at running back, but I like him at defensive back. Down-hill approach from his safety spot when attacking the run. Doesn’t wait for ball carriers to come to him, he wants to make the tackle and let you feel it too. He flashes solid ball skills too, coming up with 3 pass breakups on the day as well as 5 tackles and 40+ yards on the ground. Zaire Brown is proving to be the play-maker West Philly needs. Week 1, Zaire came up with a huge 70+ yard touchdown bomb, and this past weekend, Brown showed up again with a 35+ yard TD to help seal a close victory. The Speedboys looked good in their Week 1 scrimmage, and it translated against Ben Franklin. Lincoln 18 Overbrook 0 We rave about under-rated prospect Khavon Walker and his skills at wideout. A new name has Lincoln may have a rising star in freshman ATH Saahir Strong-Teagle. If Lincoln can solidify their offensive line and get consistent play out of their quarterbacks, they could do serious damage on offense having skills guys like Walker and Strong-Teagle to catch passes. Not too much film was found besides highlight plays here and there. Overbrook can play better than this and we expect Dechaune Jackson and Clark Edmonds to continue holding down Overbrook’s defense. [caption id="attachment_123295" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/EwdKMd-WQAQInv2-crop-544x358-1616599442.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-123295" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/EwdKMd-WQAQInv2-crop-544x358-1616599442-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Via Twitter[/caption] Olney 12 Central 0 Multiple new names have come out of Olney Charter, all of which have a ton of upside physically. Zahfir McCullough, a junior DE/OLB is part of an absolutely massive defensive line/front seven at Olney. The 12-0 victory doesn’t pop off the screen, but that shut-out should speak for itself. Here are four players on Olney’s defense who have serious talent. Zahfir McCullough | 6’3", 220lbs | LB/DE | C/O 2022 Steve Oaddams | 6’6", 250lbs | DE/TE | C/O 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="27243" first="Shawn" last="Williams"] | 6’4" 260lbs | DT | C/O 2021 Reggie McNeil | DB | C/O 2021 This defense is loaded with talent. Expecting big things from these kids! Shout out to Cyncere Hennix as well! One of the hardest open-field tackles in all of Philadelphia. [caption id="attachment_123279" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-123279 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/p8aZOuy1.jpg-small-crop-409x268-1616599054-300x196.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="196" /> Photo: Zaire Dean, Chubb Vision[/caption] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-123275 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/O3phg0nQ.jpg-small-crop-409x268-1616599013-300x196.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="196" /> Bartram 44 South Philly 0 South Philly was no match for the Braves’ offensive attack which reminded me a ton of MLK’s offensive approach. We start with Jaquan Givens, senior ATH/QB who rivals Gratz’s [player_tooltip player_id="27438" first="Tair" last="Bolden"] as a potential player of the week candidate. Givens accounted for 4 total touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) in what was a rout of South Philly. Givens was the best player on the field, showing accuracy and decisiveness in the red zone to cash in on two-point conversions, flashing good arm strength and down-field vision to attack vertically and a ton of athleticism to take matters into his own hands and use his legs to pick up yards. This dual-threat shows great understanding in zone-read runs and RPO’s, all of which are heavily run by Bartram. His game reminds me a ton of Lamir Kitchen at MLK. Both studs. That shut-out deserves love too. Markel Morgan and Safir Watford are two names to know on the Braves’ defense. Morgan sets the tone on defense, he was a turnover-creator, forcing and recovering fumbles on two separate occasions. The outside pass-rusher got up the field with ease against SP and was a constant disruptor. He even got in the endzone on offense, twice. Morgan had himself a game and made his presence felt on both sides of the ball. South Philly’s Michael Fayemi was a bright spot on defense despite the score. His motor was running all throughout the game and gave full effort on offense and defense. The super athletic senior was ready for every hit and was a sure tackler when engaged with a ball carrier. His game deserves recognition. When games go this way, it’s hard to keep a level head and continue to give effort, that’s what Fayemi did. Frankford 42 Roxborough 0 Not too much film to watch on this. Hear Nadir Mitchell continues to show out running the ball for the Pioneers. Northeast 40 Martin Luther King 0 We thought MLK would put up more of a fight, the Northeast defense wasn’t having any of that. The PPL’s leading team remains undefeated after yet another monstrous performance by 2021’s top Spring player [player_tooltip player_id="27559" first="Ken" last="Talley"]. There isn’t anything a PPL offensive line can do to stop this kid. 10 sacks in 2 games is absurd. Pajuste and Gray are as talented as they come, but to stop this star-studded defensive line, it’s going to take a five-man effort. Geo Fabian, [player_tooltip player_id="66046" first="Kion" last="Wright"], and [player_tooltip player_id="27315" first="Zaire" last="McLaurin"] showed up yet again to help Talley dismantle an otherwise electric offense in MLK. We aren’t sure there’s an offense in the PPL that can scare this defense. [player_tooltip player_id="27738" first="Ronel" last="Nukah"] was brilliant and in the backfield early and often, recording 3 TFL’s and a sack on the night. We don’t expect a year-long shut-out by any means, but whoever does score on this defense will earn a well-deserved shout-out! As for shout-outs, Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="27523" first="Di’Andre" last="Green"] accounted for 4 TD’s on the day much like Givens and Bolden. Ti’ar Young has strung together two consecutive weeks with passing touchdowns and he solidifies himself as a premier pass-catcher. Northeast continues its rampage on the PPL for two consecutive weeks. MLK is too talented to let this hold them back from having a productive season. A bounce-back is in order. [caption id="attachment_123293" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-123293" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/IMG_4463-crop-4148x2724-1616599374-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Via Twitter[/caption] Neumann-Goretti 36 West Catholic 8 West Catholic played the two toughest teams available in its opening two weeks. No excuse for the losses, but yet again West Catholic continues to show effort and make plays that leave you figuring they can handle their own against lesser competition. Naidir Hilliard continues to flash and impress as a back-end defender. [player_tooltip player_id="27583" first="Naquil" last="Betrand"] also debuted for the Burrs. The story of this game, however, was N&G’s incredible defensive performance. Solo Bambara and [player_tooltip player_id="27573" first="Raleigh" last="Collins"], two players we got a chance to see in person this past February, stood out. As did DB [player_tooltip player_id="27731" first="Shawn" last="Battle"] and LB [player_tooltip player_id="27614" first="Zaid" last="Warren"]. It was a defensive clinic as Bambara showed those coverage skills we spoke highly of, returning an interception 30+ yards for a touchdown. Battle got on the scoreboard twice, our 5th ranked 2023 prospect showing elite versatility to return kicks and take reps at running back to get in the endzone anyway he can. Top 10 2022 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="27574" first="Kevin" last="Thomas"] got in the endzone as well. N&G can compete with the likes of Imhotep and Northeast. Check out our site for a preview of N&G vs. Imhotep this Saturday!