Initial Freshman Report: Sidwar, Beals, Harris
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Semaj Beals PA #4 QB #1 HEIGHT 6'1" WEIGHT 155 POS QB CLASS 2026 View Profile Semaj Beals Instagram Twitter State: Pennsylvania School: Roman Catholic I have heard nothing but praise for this young man from the Roman Catholic coaching…
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Continue ReadingI have heard nothing but praise for this young man from the Roman Catholic coaching staff. Piecing together his stellar play this past offseason, with his middle school tapes out of NJ, we couldn’t help but make Semaj Beals Semaj Beals 6’1″ | 155 lbs | QB Roman Catholic | 2026 State PA the top-rated prospect in his class. Yes, that all can change, what won’t change is the fact that this kid beat out an FBS-level quarterback. That alone should speak volumes. Plug in the Wilson tape and you’ll see what we are talking about. He’s being eased in, throwing a good amount of swings and screens to his athletes, yet a closer look shows you why he’s the top-rated quarterback.
Excellent footwork that’s beyond his years allows him to work as a rhythm passer. Rhythm and timing will be crucial when you have athletes like this on the field. Beals’ mechanical package might be the soundest in his class. Beals didn’t even flash his ability to locate downfield or his natural ability to make use of his legs. Beals will admittedly have a lot on his plate as far as pressure goes. From what I hear, he’s a dog who could care less about outside noise. Excited to watch him for the next four years.
Highlights
Happy to finally begin scouting the 2026 freshman class in Pennsylvania. There’s no better place to begin than with freshman quarterback Gavin Sidwar Gavin Sidwar 6’3″ | 185 lbs | QB LaSalle College | 2026 State PA . Sidwar’s first appearance in a high school game has been anticipated by many on the east coast, college coaches as well. I had the chance to see this kid throw in middle school, the hype was warranted. Now, this past weekend, we finally got a chance to see Sidwar throw in an HS setting. Saying he impressed doesn’t do his performance justice. I never hold freshman quarterbacks to a high standard, I am much more of a wait-and-see guy. Well I waited and I saw, Sidwar dazzled, his play seemingly lifted the weight off of the rest of the team, loosening up everyone on offense. Sidwar oozes confidence on the field.
Sidwar’s call to fame was always his poise and knowledge of accuracy. His poise in the pocket had to impress the coaching staff. As far as his accuracy is concerned, there’s a clear understanding of depth perception, a clear understanding of how to lead his receivers, as well as how to layer the football. Sidwar is even seen throwing receivers open or placing the ball where only his guy can get it. His understanding of command is through the roof, it comes with repetition, something Sidwar has had in preparation for this moment. Sidwar didn’t start the game, yet went 12-16 for 210+ yards and four scores in his debut. His first two passes went for scores, each throw being of high difficulty, with pressure bearing down. Can’t wait to see him against Malvern Prep.
What a debut for Marquez Wimberly Marquez Wimberly 5’9″ | 185 lbs | ATH Nazareth | 2026 State PA , another young man whose performance I have anticipated for some time. I heard rumblings of this kid’s potential for a while, then I got to meet him, and see him perform at camps this offseason, my intrigue grew as a result. In Wimberly’s first varsity action at Parkland HS, the freshman scored twice. One score came from 5 yards out, the other was a 64-yard run that showed off his fresh burners. This kind of output from a freshman should always be praised. Thing is, Wimberly is just scratching the surface, wait until he fills out his pads, wait until he trains for months with the track program. This is far from the best we will see this Fall.
Highlights
To place in our top five as a freshman, you have to be special. Six carries are all I needed to see to know Mickens was that. I don’t have the full tape, yet from what I could gather, Mickens scored twice on six carries and almost surpassed the 200-yard mark doing so. Mickens flashed real displacement in his cuts, something you don’t usually see in Freshman backs. Mickens cut with a purpose, showing off awesome balance and elusiveness to break two runs for scores. Both carries should have led to five yards at best, maybe less, yet Micken’s special ability to make something out of nothing acted in Trinity’s favor.
Monessen has got themselves a player in TyVaughn df f Kershaw TyVaughn df f Kershaw 5’8″ | 150 lbs | ATH PA . No way anyone can take a look at his first tape and think it’s freshman tape. This kid looks and plays the part. At running back, the young man has a low center of gravity that makes him a tough back to get to the ground on the first hit. It’s more than likely going to take two or more guys to get him down on a consistent basis. I saw him work at a 7v7 earlier this year, his attitude and seriousness were present then, and I can tell it’s still a huge part of his game. He can set the tone at RB or safety, where he came up with some huge hits and even an interception to cap it all off. Kershaw’s performance is something to build on. Excited to see if he can keep his top-ranked status this Fall.
Highlights
Much like Samir Crosby Samir Crosby 5’10” | 170 lbs | ATH Greensburg Central Catholic | 2026 State PA , I like Cobbold the quarterback when studying his early tapes. For now, stud QB Cole Meehan Cole Meehan 6’2″ | 190 lbs | QB Lansdale Catholic | 2024 State PA might prolong that opportunity, which would be in the program’s favor at this point. We all know how high Meehan’s ceiling is. It’s good to know that Cobbold can still contribute to the team in some fashion. I couldn’t dig up much tape outside of a few Twitter clips. Said clips showed Cobbold come up with an interception from his safety spot. His build looks ideal to play wideout or defensive back as well. He’s a kid I will have my eye on from here on out.
Highlights
Excited to see Samir Crosby Samir Crosby 5’10” | 170 lbs | ATH Greensburg Central Catholic | 2026 State PA the quarterback more often, but I’m more than willing to wait if he can perform the way he did at WR and DB. At quarterback, we all can come to the consensus that he’ll act as a dual-threat prospect, GCC decided to put him in space at wideout so we can all see a glimpse of that special open-field agility. We saw some of that this weekend. We also got to see him make smart, disciplined plays from his DB/S spot, something I didn’t know he was capable of. Towards the end of his tape, maybe after this game got out of hand, Crosby took snaps behind center. Much of what I’ve seen at 7v7s and off-season camps flashed for a bit. Crosby threw for a touchdown while also getting in some RPO sets to show off his athleticism. Can’t wait to see more.
Highlights
Looking around Pennsylvania for some freshman play and I stumbled upon South Fayette’s Drew Welhorsky Drew Welhorsky ATH South Fayette | 2026 State PA , someone I admittedly didn’t know would start right away. Loved what I saw out of his first start against Chartiers Valley. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought this was an upperclassman out there. Nothing particularly spectacular, which in its own right was the special part of Welhorsky’s debut. He looked calm, under control, and ran the offense the way it’s supposed to be run. Can’t ask for more out of a Freshman, excited to get him ranked.
Jalen Harris
Jalen Harris
How often do you hear of a freshman quarterback throwing for seven touchdowns in his high school debut?
How often does the first score come from 55 yards out?
Not very often, we need to show some love to the new man under center at Chester High. Jalen Harris made quick work of my alma mater, dicing up the Lancer secondary at all three levels. Harris can and will face better competition, yet he showed he can locate his open man downfield, while also showing he can be accurate in the red zone. If Harris only does those two things well this season, I’d still expect the Chester coaching staff to be pleased. I have a feeling Harris can provide more we are only scratching the surface of his physical and mental capacity. The sky is the limit.