Mid-Season Prospect Guide, Philadelphia Catholic League P1

Conwell-Egan Catholic (2-3)   Wins vs. Upper Merion (48-20), Archbishop Ryan (20-0)   Losses vs. Episcopal Academy (8-34), Moore Catholic (7-20), Lansdale Catholic (10-0)   Conwell-Egan came up with decisive Week One and Week Four victories against teams I'm fond of. Upper Merion and Archbishop Ryan each have studs in the trenches, along with viable coaching staffs, so with multiple 20+ point victories against these programs under their belt, Conwell-Egan has reason to keep their heads up despite losing three of their first five. Conwell-Egan's losses, two of them I might add, have come relatively close. A loss against Moore Catholic shouldn't have the program hanging their heads too much, considering these two programs hardly participate against one another, and a ten-point loss to Lansdale Catholic will be tough to swallow despite the great effort put on by the defense. The team was admittedly outmatched by Episcopal Academy, even though I consider both to have similar talent levels.   Top Three Pre-season Ranked Prospects      Top Risers   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='118833' first='Colin' last='Majors']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='140979' first='Luke' last='Trunell']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='377548' first='Cooper' last='Lauersen']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='251458' first='Gavin' last='Pond']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='256268' first='Stephen' last='Tryon']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='248344' first='Mekhi' last='Harper']</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='140979' first='Luke' last='Trunell'], [player_tooltip player_id='248344' first='Mekhi' last='Harper'], [player_tooltip player_id='251458' first='Gavin' last='Pond'] and [player_tooltip player_id='118833' first='Colin' last='Majors'] all rank as potential high-level recruits, with Trunell and Harper grading out as FCS-ceiling players, and Pond and Majors grading out as D2 potential prospects. Our grades on Harper and Trunell are holding true, as many FCS schools have begun to reach out to the defensive studs. [player_tooltip player_id='140979' first='Luke' last='Trunell'] somehow looked even better in the latest game I attended. His previous evaluations on the site hold, yet he looks a lot more confident when shooting gaps, he's playing with even more instincts than he has shown in the past. I hope to bump him back up in the next rankings update. [player_tooltip player_id='248344' first='Mekhi' last='Harper'] is your prototypical corner who just doesn't get tested enough to necessarily wow on tape. Harper was injured for the majority of the game I attended, yet I am already well aware of his abilities. A healthy Harper and Gipli will test even the best quarterbacks in the Blue Division.   [player_tooltip player_id='251458' first='Gavin' last='Pond'] doesn't get enough love on the site if I'm being quite honest. All the kid does is show up and shut plays down on defense. He's pound for pound one of the better linebacking prospects the PCL has to offer. What's best about Pond is his legit ability to cover curl/flat zones either at his LB spot or if he is asked to play slot corner. He can legitimately play in space. There aren't too many prospects that can provide reps where Pond does, all the while leading the team in total tackles with 29 and TFLs with 12. Special player to watch, hoping recruitment takes a spike in the right direction soon.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/IMG-1329-scaled-crop-1674x1099-1664483605.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-462145" width="369" height="242"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='377548' first='Cooper' last='Lauersen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='256268' first='Stephen' last='Tryon'] are both recently ranked players who are developing each and every week. It's always tough to see individual offensive line performances when I'm out at games, yet [player_tooltip player_id='377548' first='Cooper' last='Lauersen'] recently dropped his Midseason tape and man am I impressed. The kid put in incredible work in the offseason and it's starting to show. Lauersen was a giant yet raw prospect that now looks vastly improved in all areas when working at left tackle. This should excite those that recruit the PCL. I'm excited to raise him in our ranks, he deserves it. [player_tooltip player_id='256268' first='Stephen' last='Tryon'] is in his first season as the starting quarterback for the CEC Eagles. I like what the kid brings to the table from an arm talent perspective, as well as his size. There are obvious growing pains as he is just a first-year starter, I know for a fact the kid wants to grow in the offense, his work ethic is not in question. Tryon just needs more reps, his development will come in time.   Unranked Prospects   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='256163' first='Milton' last='Polynice']</li><li>Tayshaun Thenor</li><li>Samuel Cooper</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='402429' first='Abu' last='Fofana']</li></ul>   Polynice and Thenor are two kids I want to speak on more often, I feel like they are often overshadowed by some of the talent on this team. I always struggle to find substantial tape out of Polynice, yet I'm happy with the mid-season tape out of Tayshaun Thenor. The young man is looking like a real factor in the run game, adding to [player_tooltip player_id='118833' first='Colin' last='Majors'] and Fairey's contributions. Sam Cooper isn't a new name on my radar, yet we should probably do a better job representing him on the site. This kid caught my eye after dominant 7v7 play this past Spring. Now, Cooper is showing that same athleticism all over the field for the CEC Eagles. Defensive back, running back, wideout, this kid's skillset can be valued at many different positions. Fun player to watch. [player_tooltip player_id='402429' first='Abu' last='Fofana'] is a freshman on the team that I have my eye on. I haven't seen too much, yet I'll be sure to catch up on his tape at the end of the season.   Lansdale Catholic (4-1)   Wins vs. Mastbaum (49-8), Boys Latin (48-18), New Hope-Solebury (42-6), Conwell-Egan (10-0)   Losses vs. Neumann-Goretti (6-26)   The Crusaders started this 2022 season on fire offensively. scoring no less than 42 points in each contest on their way to an early 3-0 start. Yes, the competition wasn't exactly the best, personally, that doesn't take away from what this young group has done. Mastbaum, Boys Latin, and NH-S were no match for [player_tooltip player_id='255745' first='Cole' last='Meehan'] and the Crusader offense that scored no less than six times in each matchup. The 3-0 start caught my attention, since, Lansdale Catholic suffered their first loss to a loaded Neumann-Goretti team. NG didn't exactly toy with Lansdale Catholic, which is honestly a solid sign for LC, even though they fully expect to win every game they play, as they should. The Crusaders bounced back in a hard-fought, defensive battle against Conwell-Egan last week. The win after the NG loss is big in my opinion, this young group didn't falter after suffering their first defeat. They are 4-1 with eyes set on their fifth win of the year.   Top Three Pre-season Ranked Prospects      Top Risers   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='386143' first='Jacahi' last='Streeter']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='256253' first='Bobby' last='Lombardo']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='248920' first='Joshua' last='Brown'] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='160542' first='Efrain' last='Quiles']</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='386143' first='Jacahi' last='Streeter'] might be the biggest stock riser in this entire piece. The young man is only leading the team in rushing, overall scoring, and receiving, leading all categories by a relatively wide margin. Streeter has 10 catches for 185+ yards, 2 TDs, and a standout 50 carries for 309 yards and 4 TDs. Safe to say the offense relies on the Meehan-Streeter connection. All of this without mentioning his prowess on the defensive side of the ball. His stock is shooting through the roof.   Lombardo, Brown, and Quiles are all excellent prospects that I have been following for some time now. I'm a huge fan of each. Lombardo is going to stick his nose in everything, he's a fearless kid who's willing to get dirt and plug running lanes where ever the defense needs him to. He creates a solid duo with Ulmer at LB. Lombardo is behind Ulmer for the team lead in tackles with 22 total sticks. [player_tooltip player_id='248920' first='Joshua' last='Brown'] has been making plays, even if he doesn't show up on the stat sheet. He's recorded a forced fumble in three consecutive games! Love what I've seen out of him, his stock should climb a bit if the season ended tonight. [player_tooltip player_id='160542' first='Efrain' last='Quiles'] always intrigues me. The young man has his hands in everything, either coming up big on defense to force stops, sacking the quarterback as a blitzer, or acting as the second option on offense. Quiles has scored a touchdown on the ground or through the air in four of the first five games he's participated in. He's the do-it-all man for the Crusaders.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/IMG-1355-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1664483808.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-462152" width="352" height="231"/></figure>   Unranked Standouts   <ul><li>James Webb</li><li>Jon Dang</li></ul>   Here are two new names that stood out to me when doing a deep dive on the team. James Webb, a freshman, has made some noise when he gets playing time, reeling in two receiving touchdowns earlier in the year. I'll keep my eyes peeled for his name in the future. Jon Dang is another name to watch. Dang leads the team with 3 sacks through five games, while also leading the team in TFLs with 7 thus far. I'd love to know more about him in the future.   Neumann-Goretti (2-1)   Wins vs. Lansdale Catholic (26-6), West Catholic (37-7)   Losses vs. Penn Charter (0-21)   You can almost throw away the Week One loss to Penn Charter, even though Coach Crosby wouldn't want to hear any excuses. The Saints were without their transfer quarterback opening week and struggled to move the ball against a great Penn Charter defense. You can make the case that Neumann-Goretti wasn't at full strength Week One. Since the shutout loss, the Saints have put some PCL Blue Division foes to rest relatively easily. I attended the 26-6 win over Lansdale Catholic, and am still digging for some tape out of the rout put on against West Catholic. The 2022 Neumann-Goretti team interests me. With an abundance of new faces, and a familiar and successful coaching staff, I'm excited to see just how far this team can go.   Top Three Pre-season Ranked Prospects      Top Risers   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='140931' first='Samuel' last='Hobbs']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='262271' first='Daniel' last='Adefolarin']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='164150' first='Mekhi' last='Wharton']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='142828' first='Koren' last='Robinson']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='248119' first='Yasir' last='Williams']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='358153' first='Chris' last='Bressi']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='386146' first='Kyreese' last='Bradley']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='145882' first='Samier' last='Bromfield']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='284132' first='Terrance' last='Page']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='402431' first='Amahj' last='Gowans']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='142830' first='David' last='Kpeglo']</li></ul>   You can get a glimpse at just how deep this Saints team is with one look at some of the rest of the standouts on the team. This list rivals the lists out of Roman and SJP, NG will tell you they can compete with anyone because of their depth, they're right too. [player_tooltip player_id='140931' first='Samuel' last='Hobbs']' talents are highly regarded on the site, most people know how highly I think of this young man. He's done nothing but get stronger and faster, all while leading the team in total tackles with 17, a number that I think needs updating. Same can be said about [player_tooltip player_id='262271' first='Daniel' last='Adefolarin'], he and Hobbs balled out at our combines last year, love to see them on the same squad doing things on the same front seven. Adeforlarin had a huge hand in making things easy for DBs like Williams, Reid, and Battle. The constant pressure of Meehan in the game I attended forced the QB to get rid of the ball early. This kid is on his way to being a real pass-rush specialist. Love that he's getting some tick at tight end as well, his athleticism calls for this type of usage. Excited to see his role grow each week.   Another camp attendee who only dropped in our ranks because of the lack of playing time he was seeing early on in his career. [player_tooltip player_id='164150' first='Mekhi' last='Wharton'] is well on his way back up the QB ladder, especially if he continues to show the command and arm talent he has so far in 2022. I'm more excited to finally see Wharton settle down into his role. Wharton has bounced around a ton, I hope he grows more comfortable in the Saints system that is willing to make him look like the top passer that he is. In two games starting under center, [player_tooltip player_id='164150' first='Mekhi' last='Wharton'] is 19 for 32, with 296 yards thrown and 4 TDs. This kid is just getting started. Excited to see him climb back up our ranks.   [player_tooltip player_id='142828' first='Koren' last='Robinson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='358153' first='Chris' last='Bressi'] are each recording consistent pressure as well as some TFLs and sacks throughout the past two games. I was able to pick up [player_tooltip player_id='142828' first='Koren' last='Robinson'] eating up a ton of double team blocks in the game I attended. Happy to see him moving and looking strong so far this year.   I didn't have the chance to see [player_tooltip player_id='386146' first='Kyreese' last='Bradley'] up close against LC, yet his first tape of the year against WC looked solid. He's mixing in well with the linebacking core, already helping bring down ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage.   The freshman duo of [player_tooltip player_id='284132' first='Terrance' last='Page'] and [player_tooltip player_id='402431' first='Amahj' last='Gowans'] is looking seriously impressive. The tandem is being worked in slowly, reps are hard to come by when you have so many mouths to potentially feed. That being said, the tandem is second on the team in rushing behind [player_tooltip player_id='27731' first='Shawn' last='Battle'], each toting the rock about 13-15 times, each for 50 yards in three games.   Unranked Standouts   <ul><li>Denim Smith</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='399273' first='Anthony' last='Zungolo']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='320924' first='Karmon' last='Bambara']</li><li>Jabril Nuriddin</li><li>Qassim Major</li><li>Abu Sarroh</li><li>Jaden Randall</li><li>Braheem Jefferson</li></ul>   Denim Smith and [player_tooltip player_id='399273' first='Anthony' last='Zungolo'] need to rise on our ranks. Zungolo was relatively quiet at the LC game, yet he reeled in 4 receptions for 96 yards and a score against West Catholic. Denim Smith also reeled in a Wharton pass against LC, his production has been solid all year. Every prospect on this unranked list has what it takes to make said list.   West Catholic (2-3)   Wins vs. HS of the Future (45-6), O'Hara (20-7)   Losses vs. Pottsgrove (6-20), Roman (0-31), Neumann-Goretti (7-37)   HS of the Future and Cardinal O'Hara took losses to the Burrs, winning both games by two or more scores at the least. Each win has been met with a loss, however. The win over Future in Week One was met with consecutive losses to Pottsgrove and Roman. The Burrs bounced back against O'Hara yet fell again after the win to the previously mentioned Saints of Neumann-Goretti. The Burrs have to find a sustained rhythm before the losses pile up. They are more than capable of making noise in the Blue Division.   Top Three Pre-season Ranked Prospects      Top Risers   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='178640' first='Kahir' last='Thompson']</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='281312' first='Kal-El' last='Durham']</li></ul>   Kahir Thomspon is tied for the team lead with eight receptions in a run-happy scheme. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='281312' first='Kal-El' last='Durham'] is doing everything he can to propel the offense where it needs to go. Durham can provide yards with his feet, doing so often in wins against O'Hara and Future. Durham has also displayed his ability to make throws in this offense, the Burrs are going to need the most out of Durham if they want to get far into the post-season. I'm a fan of both Thompson and Durham.   Unranked Standouts   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='386258' first='Owen' last='Suah']</li><li>Jeremiah Britford</li><li>Jiare Green</li><li>Semaj Williams</li><li>Jahlil Johnson</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='386258' first='Owen' last='Suah'] is a new name I recently discovered on Twitter. Turns out he's been making plays at wideout every so often. The passing attack has been lackluster, yet Suah still stands as the team's leading receiver with 80+ yards in five games. Not quality numbers per se, yet any kind of offensive production through the passing game stands out. Also not sure how we don't already have Jahlil Johnson ranked. Johnson is 6'2, a chiseled 200 pounds, and is an underrated pass rusher alongside Flint and Speights. He will eventually get ranked, possibly high as well.   Unranked prospects Jiare Green and Semaj Williams are showing up in the Burr box score. Green is third in total tackles while also recording an interception for WC. Semaj Williams, who I presume is a LB for the Burrs, leads the team in total tackles with 26 in five games.