2023 Season Preview Harrisburg High School

Harrisburg is one of the best programs in District 3 and the State of Pennsylvania. Last year Harrisburg went 11-3 and made it to the PIAA 6a Championship game until they eventually lost to St. Joseph's Prep. Coach Calvin Everett has been the head coach of Harrisburg since 2011. They have consistently been one of the best programs in the Mid-Penn Conference and District 3. Furthermore, Coach Everett has produced a ton of talent to go on to play College Football. This team in particular has several players who should play College Football in the future.   Key players returning this year:    [player_tooltip player_id='255741' first='Ryan' last='Epps']. Epps had a strong Junior year for Harrisburg when he played all over the field on their defense. He is a hybrid player that can play a ton of positions in the front 7 of a defense. Epps should have an opportunity to play College Football in the future if he has a strong Senior year. Below is what I wrote about him earlier this year:   Epps was the Swiss army knife of the Harrisburg defense. He played linebacker, defensive end, and defensive tackle for Harrisburg. Epps is super athletic and it flashes all over the field. On the defensive line, he is super quick off the ball. Once the ball is snapped he is pushing the offensive lineman back and creates havoc. He has a very good first step out of his stance. Epps is also very good at using his hands to attack offensive linemen. As linebacker, he is good at reading and reacting to the offense. He is also very good at blitzing and creating pressure.    [player_tooltip player_id='280353' first='Raytel' last='Bryant']. Bryant is one of the better defensive backs in the 2024 class. He has good coverage skills and also does a nice job in run support. He recently visited the University of Pennsylvania. I would expect College Football offers to come in at some point. Below is what I wrote about Bryant earlier this year:   At cornerback, he is a very good man-to-man cornerback. He is good in press man-to-man coverage or off-coverage. When he is covering receivers in man-to-man coverage he shows the ability to get his hands on the wide receivers and disrupt their routes. He is a good athlete and he can run with good receivers. He also has good ball skills and the ability to make plays on the ball when it is in the air. Finally, Bryant is a good tackler. He is not afraid to come up and make difficult tackles.    Trentin Moffitt. Moffitt played offensive guard and defensive tackle for Harrisburg last year. On both sides of the ball, he showed good strength and athleticism. At defensive tackle, he is good at engaging offensive linemen and then using his strength to push them into the backfield. He also shows a motor that will never stop. At guard, he shows good technique and skill at the position. He does a nice job firing out and using his strength to bully defensive linemen. He also showed good skill at pass blocking by keeping his feet in front of defensive lineman. Moffitt has some skill and with a strong Senior year should get some College Football looks.    Kymir Williams. Williams played outside linebacker and safety for Harrisburg last year. He is a true hybrid player that Harrisburg played all over the field. Below is what I wrote about Williams earlier this year:   A true hybrid player who can do a lot of different responsibilities on defense. 1st he is very good at setting the edge. He does a nice job setting the edge and forcing everything inside or making the tackle on the edge. He really excels in coverage. He drops into the flat and covers everything in his zone very well. Williams also showed the ability to pressure the quarterback. Several times on film he created pressure by attacking the quarterback off the edge. Williams can also play deep zone as a safety. Williams can do a lot of different positions on the defense and is a difference-maker who should have a good opportunity to play College Football in the future.    [player_tooltip player_id='916999' first='Quincy' last='Brannon']. Brannon played cornerback for Harrisburg last year. He showed good skills at the cornerback position. Brannon has good coverage skills in either man-to-man coverage or in-zone coverage. In man-to-man coverage, he does a nice job using his speed to cover wide receivers. When he is in zone coverage he does a nice job dropping deep to maintain the zone coverage. Brannon also does a nice job in run support by coming up and tackling or forcing the offensive player inside to his teammates. Brannon showed good skills last year and should only get better this year.    Shawn Lee. Lee is a talented quarterback and defensive back for Harrisburg. He is one of the best athletes in the 2025 class. He currently has two offers so far. One from Kent State and the other from Iowa State. He also has visited other colleges as well. Here is what I said about Lee earlier this year:   He is a dual-threat quarterback who is equally as good as a running threat as well as a passing threat. As a running threat, he is very good at the designed run game for quarterbacks. He is also good when the play breaks down and scrambles to find open wide receivers or runs for first downs. Lee has a strong arm and really shows it off when he throws a deep ball. He also does a nice job by throwing into tight windows. Lee is a good athlete that can make a lot of plays inside and outside the pocket.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Shawny_Lee8/status/1653116066636128275?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='769211' first='Sir-Kayne' last='Venable']. Venable played offensive tackle last year for Harrisburg. He has great size standing at 6'5 inches tall. He has good strength and uses it well when blocking defensive linemen. Venable is especially good at blocking down on defensive linemen on a double team and then peeling off to block linebackers. He is a good athlete that moves well. He is especially adept at pass blocking by moving his feet well. Venable is a talented player that is only scratching the surface of his playing ability. Venable currently has offers from Kent State, Howard, Temple, Monmouth, and Delaware State. I believe that Venable will get more offers to play College Football going forward.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/sirkaynev64/status/1650872253360340993?s=20 </div></figure>    Jy'Rell Britton. Britton played defensive end for Harrisburg last year. He does a nice job of using his hands when engaging with offensive linemen. He then is able to set the edge and contain anything going towards him. Britton has a good bend about him, so he can control offensive tackles trying to block him. He also does a nice job at pass rushing by bull rushing offensive lineman. Finally, he has a motor that never stops. He is constantly chasing down plays from behind. He is also a good tackler that tackles offensive players in the backfield. Britton is a talented player who I am excited to watch this season.    [player_tooltip player_id='916996' first='Nehemiah' last='Ewell']. Ewell is an intriguing prospect who played a ton of different positions for Harrisburg last year. His film shows him playing as a running back, defensive end, and linebacker. In all three positions, he shows good athleticism and toughness at all the positions. As a running back he shows good quickness and hits the hole well. He also shows good body control by breaking tackles and making people miss in the open field. At linebacker in limited reps, he showed the ability to read and react to the play and then come upfield to fill the hole. As a defensive end Ewell excelled at providing speed and a burst off the edge. He was hard to block from this position. Ewell is an interesting athlete that I am excited to check out this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='212414' first='Elias' last='Coke']. Coke is one of the best players in the state. He is a legit wide receiver who can do everything at the position. He currently has 19 Division 1 including Penn State, Florida State, Michigan, and many more. Below is what I wrote about Coke earlier this year: He stands 6'2" and definitely looks the part. At wide receiver, he has good speed and runs right by defenders. He also does a nice job catching the ball in traffic. Coke also shows the ability to make difficult catches. A 50/50 ball he dominates with his size and strength to make the catch. At safety, he shows good coverage skills and does a nice job of coming up and tackling from his safety position, especially in the open field.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/EliasCoke1/status/1672365278485938182?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='402452' first='Kevin' last='Brown']. Brown is also one of the best prospects in the state. He played offensive tackle for Harrisburg last year as a Freshman. Brown is just scratching the surface of his playing ability and I expect him to improve and get even better. He currently has offers from Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Kent State, Boston College, UNLV, Temple, and Iowa State. Here is what I wrote about Brown earlier this year:   He is 6'5", so he has the ideal height for the offensive tackle position, and he should have the ability to add weight to his frame. He is a good athlete who does a nice job against edge guys trying to rush to the quarterback. He also showed a good ability to go and block linebackers and chase them downfield to make key blocks. Brown has a ton of talent and should only get better going forward.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KevinHBrown07/status/1653418544414040065?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='646751' first='Tayvon' last='Williamson']. Williamson is a good prospect who played offensive and defensive line for Harrisburg last year. He is a lineman who shows a lot of strength and overall did a nice job playing guard for Harrisburg last year. Below is what I wrote about Williamson earlier this year:   Williamson played left guard for Harrisburg last year. He is very strong and uses that strength to bully defensive linemen. He is a good athlete who uses that athleticism to pull and block defenders. He has good feet and he excels at using those feet well when he pass blocks by staying in front of people trying to rush the passer. He has good technique and does a nice job squaring up and blocking defenders. Especially linebackers. Williamson is a good player who should only get better.    [player_tooltip player_id='943636' first='Lewis' last='Dillard']. Dillard was a Freshman last year who played on the Freshman team, but he is someone who has been gaining buzz that he should have a chance at playing Varsity this year for Harrisburg. He has shown good athleticism and he can play both wide receiver and running back for the Cougars this year. I expect him to get on the field and have an impact this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='388096' first='Hussein' last='Altharfi']. Altharfi is one of the offensive linemen for Harrisburg returning this year. The 1st part that stands out for him is his size. Standing 6'4" inches tall Altharfi is a massive person. Going into his sophomore year he is one of the returning players that Harrisburg is counting on to have a big year for them this year.   Final Thoughts: Harrisburg was one of the best teams in District 3 and Pennsylvania last year and I expect a very similar team this year. Harrisburg is a very talented team, that brings back a ton of good players. Harrisburg has talent all over the field, with a QB like Shawn Lee, a wide receiver like [player_tooltip player_id='212414' first='Elias' last='Coke'], and an offensive lineman like [player_tooltip player_id='769211' first='Sir-Kayne' last='Venable']. Plus many other players. The other key is Head Coach Cal Everett always seems to push and get the best out of his team. I expect Harrisburg to be in the mix for another District 3 and PIAA State Championship.

Harrisburg is one of the best programs in District 3 and the State of Pennsylvania. Last year Harrisburg went 11-3 and made it to the PIAA 6a Championship game until they eventually lost to St. Joseph's Prep. Coach Calvin Everett has been the head coach of Harrisburg since 2011. They have consistently been one of the best programs in the Mid-Penn Conference and District 3. Furthermore, Coach Everett has produced a ton of talent to go on to play College Football. This team in particular has several players who should play College Football in the future.