PA Community Film Room V.1, Young, Ward, Kpeglo

Our first installment of the Community Film Room begins with numerous players out of Serra Catholic, as well as some out-of-state players who deserve some recognition. Tweet your film underneath my CFR thread each week to sue your spot. This series will be for athletes who I have not previously written on in the past. Jaelen Richardson Jaelen Richardson 5'7" | 160 lbs | ATH Northampton Area | 2023 State PA | WR/DB | Northampton | 2023 Lengthy film out of . Richardson is capable of beating you and affecting a game in multiple ways. Can line up in the slot, in either tight or wide formations. Can beat you outside the numbers going vertically but can do damage behind the line of scrimmage when Northampton decides to get creative with their play-maker. This young man has numerous outstanding catches downfield, showing off the ability to adjusts to poorly thrown balls. Excellent body control and balance when catching the ball. Locates the ball well. He runs each route as if he’s going to score each play, can see the effort. Absolutely needs the ball in space. Has some great DB reps on film, displaying he has the straight-line speed to run with most opponents. Wouldn’t necessarily consider him elusive, but certainly fast and twitchy. Does a great job making himself available to the QB when the play breaks down. Ton of INT’s and TDs on film. His tackling ability is going to catch many ball carriers off guard. Kid can hit. Elite return man in PA. 1st-Team All-Conference WR & KR.

Check out my highlight - https://t.co/ThKABCjGAU

JUNIOR YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

STATS
Receiving - 27 Receptions 398 Yards 4TDs
Rushing - 17 ATT 127 Yards 2TDs
Return - 15 ATT 287 Yards
59 Touches 812 All Purpose Yards
6TDS
Defense - 22 Tackles 4 PBUs 5 INTs 1 TD
— Jaelen Richardson (@JaelenRich23) December 6, 2021

Jesere Young Jesere Young 6'0" | 150 lbs | ATH Serra Catholic | 2024 State PA | 6’0, 150 | WR/DB | Serra Catholic | 2024 Got a chance to break down some limited film out of a kid full of promise out of Serra Catholic, a program that seemingly breeds legit defensive backs. No question that Young will have all the developmental tools necessary to grow at SC. There’s a lot to like out of the sophomore’s early tape. You can see him producing in special teams, on offense at times, but especially at outside corner. Love his early build and skillset. Love his ability to turn and run smoothly. The tape shows a ton of effort plays that lead to interceptions, deflections, fumbles, and touchdowns. You want your young player in the mix creating turnovers. Sees the ball well when targeted. If this young man can add a little bit of weight this offseason and begin to play a tad more physical outside, I could see his stock begin to trend in the right direction, not enough people know of this kid. Elijah Ward Elijah Ward 5'11" | 165 lbs | ATH Serra Catholic | 2023 State PA | 5’11, 165 | DB/WR | Serra Catholic | 2023 Junior with a 4.1 GPA. As SC went on to a WPIAL Championship this past Fall, I spoke highly of many at the program but somehow left this kid out of the equation. The highly productive was just as effective in this secondary as Chatfield and Fisher were this past Fall. That’s going to change moving forward. Two tapes, offense, and defense that displayed a TON of production. On defense, Ward comes up with timely turnovers week in and week out. He’s got the locating and tracking skills that are ideal as a single-high safety, which is often where SC plays Ward. The skills have led to 4 INTs, two of which he took back for touchdowns. That nose for the endzone shows up in his offensive tape as well. He isn’t just a coverage guy, he can diagnose the run well and speed downhill to make tackles and force fumbles. On offense, Ward surprised me with his abilities at QB. He isn’t just an athlete behind center, there are some solid arm strength throws along with throws on the run that surprised me. Elusive in the open field. Has the hands to play wideout and affect the game from that position. He’s a true weapon on both sides of the field for SC. Cavin King Cavin King 6'2" | 240 lbs | LB Executive Education | 2023 State PA | 5’11, 223 | DL | Serra Catholic | 2023 I had the pleasure of seeing ’s abilities up close at Coach Parham’s clinic earlier this month. Now I get a chance to break down his junior tape at Executive Education Academy. Might I say that I am pleasantly surprised to see just how violent of a player King is. An incredible motor that is churning at DE or OLB. I first saw King at the DL clinic, where he put his edge-rushing skills to the test against some of the best in the area. He looked raw, but carried a great frame and showed off a ton of power. Now, watching the tape, I see a player that may be more comfortable with his hand off the dirt at inside linebacker. King shows off a ton of aggressiveness and power from outside or inside linebacker spots. Instinctual once he diagnoses the run. Hardly any hesitation to plug a hole. Ton of TFLs on record. Flows with traffic well. Little bit of an old-school heavy hitter rather than a sideline to sideline ballplayer. Still a ton of value in that. Awesome and overwhelming overall strength, both upper and lower. His performance at the clinic in Allentown had him on my radar, his film has me ready to rank him sooner rather than later.

Check out this video! https://t.co/C6j3aZEfAr
— Cavin King (@CavinKing55) December 30, 2021

Antoine Smith | 5’11, 220 | DL | Serra Catholic | 2023 The secondary eats at SC often because of this young man disrupting the opposing offense upfront. Smith has a solid junior film showing he can line up and shade either A or B gap. He’s a gap clogger who likes to hand fight early in the rep. His initial quickness and hand placement alone help him win the majority of his reps. Yet Smith is still beefy and powerful in the trenches. At the very least. Smith is going to absorb his block and hold his gap against the majority of competition his conference has to offer. Love when SC lines him up at the edge spot. Not going to kill you with crazy athleticism or ankle bend, but is so tough at the point of attack, that many pulling/moving offensive linemen have trouble getting their hands on him. Heavy-handed player. David Kpeglo David Kpeglo 6'3" | 230 lbs | DL Bonner-Prendie | 2023 State PA | 6’3, 230 | DL/OLB | Monsignor Bonner | 2023 is a player I am super familiar with, so this eval won’t come as a surprise to me. If you’re looking for an interior pass rusher who can blend power and athleticism, Kpeglo is your man. As legitimate a force as any in the front-seven player in the Catholic League. If you can’t match his athleticism, quick get-off, and hands, twitchiness, you’re going to need to double or chip this young man. Kpeglo debuted high on our rankings, yet revisiting his film leaves me wondering how many interior defensive linemen are truly better than him in his class? His pursuit of the football after shedding is elite. His overall motor and pursuit is something young interior pass rushers should model their game after. His skill set is so intriguing because he can affect the game from all four spots along the Bonner defensive line if need be. Highly valuable versatility that I am hoping college coaches will pick up on.

Regular Season Highlights https://t.co/qTIwBO2pza
— David Kpeglo (@DaveKpeglo) November 2, 2021

Isiah Thomas Isiah Thomas 6'3" | 290 lbs | OL George Washington | 2023 State PA | 6’3, 287 | OL/DL | George Washington | 2023 We finish off with an All-Public-League player that I am pretty fond of. Tough to figure out where Thomas will succeed in the future, either at right tackle where he can absolutely move opponents or at defensive tackle, where he can show off some of his anger and aggressiveness. Honestly, plugging in the tape, that attitude shows up in each rep. I like to project Thomas as a future run-blocking right tackle when thinking about the next level. He’s got the explosion out of his stance and heavy mits to get displacement against most of the Pub. The coaching staff has to love his ability to locate his assignment when reaching the second level and driving them 10-15 yards downfield. I know Thomas is dealing with an injury, I hope he comes back better than ever so I can see this kid live next Fall or even at one of our camps. Would love to see Thomas compete with some of the best the Pub or Catholic League has to offer, I think he can more than hold his own. Excited for his future.