Scout In Attendance: Wk 4, AB Wood @ Malvern Prep

This is the first of a new series at Prep Redzone Pennsylvania where I will break down a game each week that I personally attend. Now with football back amidst little to no COVID restrictions, it’s time to get my boots on the ground and see prospects live in action. As opposed to traditional game reporting, I will break down this star-studded game by each side of the ball, highlighting prospects who produced or excelled in their roles. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG-6318-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1632263266.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-205062" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG-6318-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1632263266-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Archbishop Wood 0 &amp; Malvern Prep 21</strong></span></em></p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Malvern Prep Offense </strong></span> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="27609" first="D’Angelo" last="Stocker"] | 5’10 | ATH/WR | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="27686" first="Isaiah" last="Wright"] | 5’8, 180 | RB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="141220" first="Jack" last="Capaldi"] | 6’2, 205 | QB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="95795" first="Coltin" last="Deery"] | 6’4, 285 | OL/DL | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="97972" first="Peter" last="Jones"] | 6’5, 290 | OL | 2024</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="66057" first="Kevin" last="Miller"] | 6’4, 285 | OL | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="27572" first="Max" last="Bowman"] | 6’7, 300 | OL | 2022</li> </ul> One of the more balanced offensive units you can find in all of Pennsylvania. The Malvern Prep attack was just that this past weekend at Franklin Field. We start off with QB1 [player_tooltip player_id="141220" first="Jack" last="Capaldi"], our 2nd ranked 2022 quarterback who was challenged early by a star-studded Wood defense. The shaky start should be a testament to how ferocious the Wood defense can be upfront. Capaldi became comfortable and relaxed in the pocket as the game progressed and was able to deal beautiful throws in rhythm to his weapons in stride. Stocker and Wright were spectacular. Wright, despite his size, can hurt you with his quick burst and lane vision in the trenches, where Stocker wants to beat you with speed in the open field. Both players showed they can create yards on their own after receiving blocks from their absolutely loaded offensive line. Malvern Prep’s offensive line, regarded as one of the best offensive lines in PA, put on one of the better performances I’ve seen live in quite some time. The impressive part is, they had to fight to win every rep against a stellar defensive line in ABW. Offers from big-time D1 programs are littered all around this O-line, as they should be. Don’t let the score fool you, ABW’s defense was stifling at times, that should tell you just how well this unit performed to overcome such measures. <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG-6337-rotated-crop-2681x1761-1632263341.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-205065" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG-6337-rotated-crop-2681x1761-1632263341-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Malvern Prep Defense</strong></span> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="162201" first="Dale" last="Law"] | 6’1, 215 | LB/DL | 2022</li> <li>Will Shallow | 6’1, 240 | DL | 2022</li> <li>Colin McHugh | 6’0, 200 | LB/DL | 2023</li> <li>Steven Hollander | 5’9, 170 | DB | 2022</li> <li>Ryan Davis | 6’1, 205 | MLB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="178637" first="Luke" last="Testa"] | 6’1, 200 | ATH/LB | 2023</li> </ul> Much is said about Malvern Prep’s offense. Every player listed in the offense is ranked or on a watchlist. That can’t be said about the MP defense which has to change. Seeing this group in person was great. My eyes opened to just how well this group plays together and to each other’s strengths. I was familiar with [player_tooltip player_id="162201" first="Dale" last="Law"] and [player_tooltip player_id="178637" first="Luke" last="Testa"] before the game and was pleased with their efforts. It was the other unranked prospects who really caught my eye along with Law and Testa. Colin McHugh was a force for MP, providing what seemed like constant pressure and disruption upfront. He came up with two crucial sacks and provided energy all afternoon. Hollander was a consistent tackler in space for Prep. I absolutely loved seeing a defense give maximum effort from start to finish. They could have easily taken a breather late in the game and gave up a score to ABW, but this championship-level defense continued to force stops on fourth down late in the game. [player_tooltip player_id="27686" first="Isaiah" last="Wright"]’s presence was also felt on defense, securing an interception in this one. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Archbishop Wood Offense</strong></span> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="137041" first="Trey" last="Holsman"] | QB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="164150" first="Mekhi" last="Wharton"] | 6’5, 205 | QB | 2024</li> <li>Ricardo Delgado | 6’0, 210 | RB/ATH | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="27570" first="Emmanuel" last="Sia"] | WR/DB | 2022</li> <li>Mark Dixon | 6’5, 230 | TE | 2023</li> </ul> Not the best outing for the Wood offensive unit. The offense is brimming with talent, so to see the offense sputter this way was a little surprising. The QB duo of Holsman and Wharton wasn’t bad as the score may suggest. The offense was limited to mainly screen plays behind the LOS, but Wood managed to move the ball into MP territory on a number of occasions. Wood had trouble executing time and time again. Holsman and Wharton provide different builds, but either QB had trouble executing. The same can be said about the offensive line, a ton of missed assignments and bad snaps stalled productive drives. RB Ricardo Delgado and ATH [player_tooltip player_id="27570" first="Emmanuel" last="Sia"] gave maximum effort and did what they could to move the ball, Delgado providing 80+ scrimmage yards and Sia providing 70 yards on six catches. Mark Dixon could have been involved a tad more, but more than anything, he needs to capitalize on each rep given as MP wasn’t going to let him have anything easy. Credit to the Prep defense. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Archbishop Wood Defense</strong></span> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="140969" first="Khadir" last="Rowe"] | 6’1, 225 | LB/DL | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="140968" first="Tyrese" last="Whitaker"] | 6’3, 225 | LB/DL | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="95283" first="Johnny" last="Pergine"] | 5’11, 215 | LB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="140861" first="Andrew" last="McHugh"] | 6’1, 175 | WR/DB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="27734" first="Semaj" last="Bridgeman"] | LB | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="140967" first="Eric" last="Gardner"] | 6’2, 240 | DL | 2023</li> </ul> We match one of my favorite offensive units (MP) with one of my favorite defensive units in ABW. Young, talented, and willing to fly around is the best way to describe Wood’s unit. Everything earned by Prep was not without a fight. [player_tooltip player_id="95283" first="Johnny" last="Pergine"] continues to impress me every time I dive into his game further and further. Effort, pursuit, and a motor. You have to have these traits to be considered one of the best linebackers in Philly, Pergine fits that mold. This was in a losing effort, however. Lapses in coverage and the occasional missed tackle did Wood in. Whitaker and Gardner made their fair share of plays against a loaded offensive line. Multiple TFL’s for the duo show they are for real. McHugh’s presence was felt from his safety spot, coming down and delivering some big blows to MP weapons in space. [player_tooltip player_id="140969" first="Khadir" last="Rowe"] did what he could to keep the game within reach, intercepting a [player_tooltip player_id="141220" first="Jack" last="Capaldi"] pass in the red zone that would have put MP up big before halftime. The catch itself was of high difficulty. I didn’t know he had hands like that! Good for him, the junior linebacker recently picked up his first D1 offer from Temple. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-205068 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG-6282-rotated-e1632263533786-300x255.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="255" />