Scouting the State Finals: PIAA Class 4A Championship

There are no more complete programs battling for a State Championship than Aliquippa and Bishop McDevitt. FBS down to D3, coaches working at every level across the east coast could gain something from recruiting this football game and its prospects.   Bishop McDevitt's Wideouts vs. Aliquippa's Secondary   Bishop McDevitt will deploy SEC-courted wideouts [player_tooltip player_id='255045' first='Rico' last='Scott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='357952' first='Tyshawn' last='Russell'], along with an underrated pass catcher in [player_tooltip player_id='140018' first='Jeffrey' last='Penn']. From a pure scouting persepctive, outside of St. Joseph's Prep, there might not be a more dynamic trio of pass-catchers in the State of Pennsylvania. [player_tooltip player_id='140018' first='Jeffrey' last='Penn']'s rank might have fallen slightly, yet the trio have all spent time inside the top 100 of their classes, with Scott and Russell ranking amongst the top of their class.   Aliquippa will station elite competition to try and throttle this Bishop McDevitt attack. [player_tooltip player_id='66045' first='Donovan' last='Walker'], [player_tooltip player_id='97973' first='Brandon' last='Banks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='248748' first='Nate' last='Lindsey'] will go toe to toe with the McDevitt trio. I don't think I could pick a better secondary to match this attack in the entire state, a huge reason why this matchup is arguably the most interesting of the six.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DonovanWalkerr/status/1599116123706097664?s=20&t=WUKDPjWwGRAeDKW7PH3HSA </div></figure>   Bishop McDevitt Front Seven vs. Aliquippa's Offensive Line   An area not often highlighted, Bishop McDevitt is going to have their hands full in attempting to penetrate this offensive line. [player_tooltip player_id='248863' first='Naquan' last='Crowder'] is a tackle prospect that tips the scale at almost 325 pounds. Plug in high-ranking guard/DT [player_tooltip player_id='98581' first='Neco' last='Eberhardt'], as well as senior Jason McBride Jr., and you've got a ton of beef to account for. How will Bishop McDevitt attempt to get these giants thinking instead of playing? [player_tooltip player_id='92679' first='Riley' last='Robell'] will be able to counter anything thrown to him, as the James Madison commit is 300+ pounds in his own right. They can try to disrupt this offensive line with speed, [player_tooltip player_id='66047' first='Kade' last='Werner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='259534' first='Nick' last='Slogik'] should help in this cause. Slogik is a lean pass-rusher that is athletic enough to beat Quip with speed. The same goes for [player_tooltip player_id='66047' first='Kade' last='Werner']. I think McDevitt might hold up better than most. Tackling and getting [player_tooltip player_id='220266' first='Tiqwai' last='Hayes'] on the ground is another thing.   Star Battle, Tiqway Hayes vs. [player_tooltip player_id='154352' first='Stone' last='Saunders']   Seeing these two play on the same field at the same time will be worth the trip. Who is going to outperform the other? [player_tooltip player_id='154352' first='Stone' last='Saunders'] will have his work cut out for him, as no part of this defense provides a real weak spot that the McDevitt coaching staff can target and exploit. Yet Saunders is special enough to still win with anticipation and with downfield accuracy. There is a clear trust between he and his pass-catchers, so I don't expect Saunders to be hesitant to test this secondary anywhere on the field. Will his offensive line hold up? We know [player_tooltip player_id='27745' first='Gabriel' last='Arena'] is one of the best in the business, will he and the rest of the crew keep him upright? Speaking on [player_tooltip player_id='220266' first='Tiqwai' last='Hayes'], the young man can produce without running lanes being open, he's that incredible. That being said, how hard will Bishop McDevitt's front make things for the top-ranked running back? Bishop McDevitt's defense shines in the backend, will Hopkins, Russell, and [player_tooltip player_id='127244' first='Jaire' last='Rawlison']'s efforts be negated by the threat of Hayes on the ground? Would be a shame to see, because this secondary is awesome to watch at its peak.   I'm also intrigued as to how well the tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='27732' first='Marquese' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='140027' first='Cyncir' last='Bowers'] will run against this loaded defense. Last comparable defense was Imhotep back in week one, a defense that made things tough up front as far as run-blocking goes.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/dan_sostek/status/1598835082768224256?s=20&t=WUKDPjWwGRAeDKW7PH3HSA </div></figure>   Depth   Both team will deploy plenty of depth, here are some players that I think could swing the direction of the game with their talent.   [player_tooltip player_id='359573' first='Isaiah' last='Martinez'] - ATH - Aliquippa   Arison Walker - WR - Aliquippa   Quentine Goode - QB - Aliquippa   [player_tooltip player_id='320951' first='Isaiah' last='Reyes'] - DT - Bishop McDevitt   [player_tooltip player_id='377351' first='Chase' last='Regan'] - DB - Bishop McDevitt   [player_tooltip player_id='27750' first='Kameron' last='Zaengle'] - OC - Bishop McDevitt   Jayace Williams Jr. - DL - Aliquippa