Two Conference Titles on the Line

As we enter the last game of the regular season, we have a couple of games with conference titles on the line. One from Eastern PA and one from the WPIAL. We take a look at some of the key players from each game. &nbsp; <strong>Manheim Township (6-3) Vs. Wilson (6-3)</strong> This is a big game for both teams. If Wilson wins, they will be crowned conference champs, but if Manheim Township wins, the Blue Streaks and the Bulldogs will share the title of sections champs. A lot is riding on Manheim Township sophomore QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="222655" first="Hayden" last="Johnson"]</strong>. in his 9 games he’s completed 69.9% of his passes with a minimum of 200 attempts. He’s thrown for 1,840 yards with 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Johnson shows to make good decisions who is accurate and can make some tight-window throws. I really like this kid. He does lack arm strength which causes some balls to be underthrown. Johnson does have senior receiver and Penn State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27566" first="Anthony" last="Ivey"]</strong>. Ivey has recorded 47 receptions for 603 yards and 7 touchdowns. Manheim Township has averaged 35.4 points/game, while Wilson has given up 22.2 points/game. &nbsp; For the Bulldog. they will heavily rely on senior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="69212" first="Jadyn" last="Jones"]</strong>. In 8 of the 9 games he’s played, he’s carried the ball 116 times for 797 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wilson has averaged 33.6 points/game, while Manheim Township has given up only 19.4 points/game. These are the key players who need to excel if they want their teams to win. &nbsp; <strong>McKeesport (8-1) Vs. Belle Vernon (7-0)</strong> This is the WPIAL Game of the week right here in class 4A. Whoever wins, wins the conference. McKeesport moved down a conference last season. Belle Vernon got the best of them in their first season in the 4A Big 8. &nbsp; Key players to watch for the Leopards are dynamic playmakers with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27627" first="Devin" last="Whitlock"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="64565" first="Quinton" last="Martin"]</strong>. In the passing game Whitlock, he’s completed 68.9% of his passes with a minimum of 50 attempts. He’s thrown for 732 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In the run game, he’s carried the ball 70 times for 864 yards and 15 touchdowns.  He’s also accounted for 2 punt return touchdowns totaling 23 touchdowns. Whitlock has received a couple of Power 5 PWOs. With Martin, he got injured earlier this season and miss 2 games. Martin has rushed the ball 45 times for 531 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also recorded 6 receptions for 93 yards with another 2 touchdowns. Martin added another 2 touchdowns in the return game. Belle Vernon has another sophomore running back though to watch out for in <strong>Jake Gedekoh</strong>. He took over for Martin when he was injured, but I can see him making some kind of impact in this game as well. He’s carried the ball 49 times for 476 yards and 8 touchdowns. I do believe Gedekoh will be a slot guy or play defense when it’s all said and done. He also makes an impact on defense with 23 total tackles and 3 tackles for loss. &nbsp; For the Tigers, they are a big run team as well. Junior <strong>Bobbie Boyd Jr.</strong> has gotten the workload at running back. He’ carried the ball 107 times for 1,184 yards and 12 touchdowns. Boyd is ranked 7^th in the WPIAL for rushing yards. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="92780" first="Kanye" last="Thompson"]</strong> is the second leading rusher with 472 yards with 5 touchdowns. Expect Belle Vernon to load up the box on defense. I expect defensive end, [player_tooltip player_id="27628" first="Cole" last="Weightman"],<strong> </strong>to be a big problem as well. For McKeesport expect Boyd to spy Whitlock. If the tigers want any chance to win they will have to contain him. Also, safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="64015" first="Jahmil" last="Perryman"]</strong> is going to have to step up if Martin lines up at receiver.