Scouting the State Finals: PIAA Class 4A Championship
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Donovan Walker PA #29 DB #4 HEIGHT 6'1" WEIGHT 170 POS DB CLASS 2023 View Profile Donovan Walker Instagram Twitter State: Pennsylvania School: Aliquippa Cameron Lindsey PA #18 LB #3 HEIGHT 6'2" WEIGHT 205 POS LB CLASS 2024 View Profile…
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Highlights
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 Rico Scott Rico Scott 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR Bishop McDevitt | 2024 State PA and Tyshawn Russell Tyshawn Russell 6'2" | 185 lbs | ATH Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA , along with an underrated pass catcher in Jeffrey Penn Jeffrey Penn 6'3" | 190 lbs | WR Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA . 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. Jeffrey Penn Jeffrey Penn 6'3" | 190 lbs | WR Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA ‘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. Donovan Walker Donovan Walker 6'1" | 170 lbs | DB Aliquippa | 2023 State PA , Brandon Banks Brandon Banks 6'0" | 170 lbs | DB Aliquippa | 2024 State PA and Nate Lindsey Nate Lindsey 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Aliquippa | 2023 State PA 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.
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. Naquan Crowder Naquan Crowder 6'4" | 330 lbs | OL Aliquippa | 2023 State PA is a tackle prospect that tips the scale at almost 325 pounds. Plug in high-ranking guard/DT Neco Eberhardt Neco Eberhardt 6'3" | 285 lbs | DL Aliquippa | 2023 State PA , 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? Riley Robell Riley Robell 6'3" | 300 lbs | OL Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA 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, Kade Werner Kade Werner 5'10" | 200 lbs | LB Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA and Nick Slogik Nick Slogik 6'5" | 230 lbs | DL Bishop McDevitt | 2024 State PA should help in this cause. Slogik is a lean pass-rusher that is athletic enough to beat Quip with speed. The same goes for Kade Werner Kade Werner 5'10" | 200 lbs | LB Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA . I think McDevitt might hold up better than most. Tackling and getting Tiqwai Hayes Tiqwai Hayes 6'1" | 200 lbs | RB Aliquippa | 2025 State PA on the ground is another thing.
Star Battle, Tiqway Hayes vs. Stone Saunders Stone Saunders 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Bishop McDevitt | 2025 State PA
Seeing these two play on the same field at the same time will be worth the trip. Who is going to outperform the other? Stone Saunders Stone Saunders 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Bishop McDevitt | 2025 State PA 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 Gabriel Arena Gabriel Arena 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA is one of the best in the business, will he and the rest of the crew keep him upright? Speaking on Tiqwai Hayes Tiqwai Hayes 6'1" | 200 lbs | RB Aliquippa | 2025 State PA , 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 Jaire Rawlison Jaire Rawlison 5'10" | 180 lbs | DB Bishop McDevitt | 2024 State PA ‘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 Marquese Williams Marquese Williams 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA and Cyncir Bowers Cyncir Bowers 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA 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.
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.
Isaiah Martinez Isaiah Martinez 5'9" | 195 lbs | ATH Aliquippa | 2023 State PA – ATH – Aliquippa
Arison Walker – WR – Aliquippa
Quentine Goode – QB – Aliquippa
Isaiah Reyes Isaiah Reyes 6'0" | 280 lbs | DL Bishop McDevitt | 2023 PA – DT – Bishop McDevitt
Chase Regan Chase Regan 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Bishop McDevitt | 2024 State PA – DB – Bishop McDevitt
Kameron Zaengle Kameron Zaengle 6'2" | 280 lbs | OL Bishop McDevitt | 2023 State PA – OC – Bishop McDevitt
Jayace Williams Jr. – DL – Aliquippa