SIA: WK 7, West Catholic @ Conwell-Egan Catholic

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. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6533-rotated-crop-2440x1603-1634271698.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-217580" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6533-rotated-crop-2440x1603-1634271698-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> West Catholic Prep [player_tooltip player_id="140841" first="Naidir" last="Hilliard"] | 5’10 | WR/DB | 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="157113" first="Zymeen" last="Howell"] | 5’8 | WR/DB | 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="140932" first="K’Saan" last="Greene"] | 5’10, 180 | RB/DB | 2023 Ethan Brown | DE/TE | 6’4, 225 | 2022 I had trouble finding out who #56 was on West Catholic. Big man in the trenches who was moving talented interior blockers. Anyone involved with WC who knows this kid’s name, feel free to let me know. Manning up against this loaded CEC team on both sides of the ball proved to be too difficult for WC’s offensive and defensive lines. If you can’t win in the trenches, you’re already putting yourself behind the eight ball. West Catholic has got the athletes to score and make plays, however, it becomes that much more difficult to get ahead when you can’t properly protect. The offensive attack was stymied time and time again. The defense caused three turnovers in the first half but with the offense stalling, it surmounted to nothing. I’ve said it before, the trio of Howell, Greene, and Hilliard are 100% a trio of play-makers a program could win with. I like Hilliard as one of the more pure corners in the PCL. He can produce on offense but he projects to be an FCS/DII level corner. Howell and Greene both help on defense, but I love the wiggle and athleticism they bring to the table on the offensive side of the football. These three continue to impress me despite WC’s struggles A new name is Ethan Brown. A TE/DL prospect playing in his final season at WC. I am not sure if he was dealing with an injury, as he was lumbering most of the time. Nonetheless, his size stood out to me. Not just that, the way he carried his build when running down the seam. He flashed some of defense as well, coaches may be intrigued by his stature.   Conwell-Egan Catholic Mekhi Harper | 6’2, 178 | ATH/DB | 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="93008" first="Zamire" last="Cottrell"] | 6’3, 230 | DL/OL | 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="195704" first="Dante" last="Morris"] | 6’0, 200 | ATH/QB | 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="140979" first="Luke" last="Trunell"] | 6’3, 220 | LB/FB | 2023 Maximus Locke | 5’10, 235 | OL/DL | 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="142827" first="Tim" last="Gipli"] | 5’11 | ATH | 2024 Sincer Fairey | 6’0, 220 | ATH | 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="118833" first="Colin" last="Majors"] | 5’9, 165 | RB/DB | 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="142826" first="Davon" last="Willie"] | 5’10, 160 | DB/ATH | 2024 Milton Polynice | ATH | 2024 Emmanuel Nukah | 6’3, 195 | DL/OLB | 2022 A.J. Snowden | 6’1, 290 | OL/DL | 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="143198" first="Debrick" last="Johnson"] | 6’4, 250 | DL | 2022 Gavin Pond | 5’11, 185 | LB/DB | 2024 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-217582 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6538-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1634271776-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> As you can tell by this long list of names, Conwell-Egan may be one of the more underrated teams in the PCL. I’m not being generous, this list is legitimately full of prospects I can see playing at the next level. This number almost matches up with elite-level talent like that at Neumann-Goretti, Roman Catholic, LaSalle, and SJP. This group has a way to go to match up pound for pound with the PCL’s best, only because of the large majority of this group being underclassmen. The same can be said about Roman and SJP. Regardless, CEC knows they have a very bright future ahead of them. As far as the game goes, Conwell-Egan was pretty much able to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Some costly mistakes in the first half need to be cleaned up if they want to beat the best of the best. I want to start with [player_tooltip player_id="118833" first="Colin" last="Majors"], the ranked junior who was the best player on the field this night. This young man can hit a hole. Patience after the handoff and a collegiate level burst after he sees the whole open up. Breakaway speed, lateral agility, capable of catching the ball. Majors legitimately contributes on defense as well. Aggressive tackler who came away with a sack in this one. Anytime Majors was involved in a play, he seemingly produced and/or made the right play to help his side of the football execute. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-217583 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6598-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> I’m always impressed when watching Cottrell’s and Johnson’s games at home. I got a chance to see these giant prospects play some live ball. They didn’t disappoint. Cottrell came away with a stinger late in the second half, I hope he continues to stay on track, as his recruitment is set to begin heating up. [player_tooltip player_id="143198" first="Debrick" last="Johnson"] is CEC’s highest-ranked senior as of right now. A number change had me confused as to whether or not he was on the field or not, my eyes were elsewhere.   This secondary has to be one of the more exciting, young groups you can find in all of PA. Gipli and Willie are two underclassmen who are ready to make their claim as one of the best young duos in Eastern PA. Excited to see where their play will land them on our 2024 rankings update. Willie excels at staying in phase throughout his opponent’s route. Both Gipli and Willie aren’t afraid to make stops in run-support either. Mekhi Harper has a quiet game, which is what you want to see out of a corner, to be honest. That quiet game turned up when Harper intercepted a pass late in the fourth that he took back to the house to cement CEC’s blowout victory. Harper is unranked. I want to do more study on him as he is a new name to the site. I’ve been following his name for a little while on Twitter, we’ll see if he lands a spot on our updated junior rankings. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6593-rotated-crop-2440x1603-1634271952.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-217587" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6593-rotated-crop-2440x1603-1634271952-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="140979" first="Luke" last="Trunell"]’s recruitment needs to heat up ASAP. This kid is going to be someone’s steal at the next level. He may have been the most consistent player in this game, along with [player_tooltip player_id="118833" first="Colin" last="Majors"]. Like Majors, it seemed like Trunell was involved in every tackle. He always seems to be making the right play at the right time. He’s got great size, a frame that collegiate coaches drool over. He’s a tad bit old school, as his game doesn’t necessarily scream athleticism. This is far from a slight, as Trunell has some of the best read-and-react ability in the Catholic League. He’s a thumper, he brings energy. He’s a leader. There isn’t much more you can ask for when trying to find a true middle linebacker. If you want an intelligent, polished instinctual linebacker to man your middle, this young man is it. Some new names I stumbled upon were Sincer Fairey, a freshman prospect I had no idea about, Milton Polynice, and Emmanuel Nukah. All three of which we making plays. Fairey catches my eye for obvious reasons, he’s a true freshman who is making plays this early into his career. I want to get his name out there as early and as often as I can. All three of these prospects will stay on my radar. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6599-rotated-crop-2440x1603-1634272098.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-217608" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6599-rotated-crop-2440x1603-1634272098-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Can’t go without talking about QB1. [player_tooltip player_id="195704" first="Dante" last="Morris"] is a prospect whose name has been brought up since Week 1. A true dual-threat at this level. Love this kid’s vision downfield in play-action sets or when escaping the pocket. Awesome athleticism from the senior. I know a program could use this kid’s tough running style and open-field speed. He has a ton of room to grow as a passer, but strictly speaking from an athleticism standpoint, Morris can play at the next level. Not sure where he’d blossom, just know he’s capable. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-217610 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG-6602-rotated-e1634272245289-234x300.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="300" /> I look forward to catching both of these teams again later in the year.