PRZPA Team Preview, Bishop McDevitt

<p><strong>Last Season Update</strong>: Coming off a PIAA State Title most people assumed that Bishop McDevitt would make it back last year to the State Title game, but they were upset by Dallas 26-23 in double Overtime. A heartbreaking defeat for Bishop McDevitt, but still a hugely successful season. Now they return having lost a talented group of players, but still retain a core of players. They should be in the hunt for another League and District Title and could make a run for a State Title. </p>   <p><strong>Current Head Coach</strong>: Jeff Weachter (Entering 27th Year)</p>   <p><strong>Key returning players for the 2024 season:</strong></p>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='154352' first='Stone' last='Saunders'] will be entering his 4th year as a starting quarterback for Bishop McDevitt. The ultra-talented Saunders is a machine in the pocket delivering balls all over the field. He has been committed to Kentucky since last season. Below is what I wrote about him earlier this year: </p>   <p>"He has great mechanics and can make every pass from the pocket. Saunders does a great job of scanning the defense making the right read and then finding open receivers. Saunders is also good at moving in the pocket and keeping plays alive to find open receivers. Saunders has a chance to finish his career as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in the history of Pennsylvania". </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Stone_Saunders8/status/1687595021527031808 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='402457' first='Maurice' last='Barnes'] is one of the most explosive and talented players in the class of 2026. He is a dynamic linebacker who runs sideline-to-sideline chasing plays all over the field. He is a physical tackler who when he hits a player feels his blows. Barnes can also rush the passer where he shows dynamic pass-rushing skills. He will probably see the field as well at running back next season for McDevitt. His recruitment is also starting to pick up with him visiting Penn State twice so far. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_mbj08/status/1722420540516847988 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='402461' first='Nazir' last='Jones-Davis'] is an explosive athlete who can score anytime he touches the ball. He has some of the most dynamic plays you see from a running back. Below is what I wrote about him earlier this season:</p>   <p>"<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402461' first='Nazir' last='Jones-Davis']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/nazir-jones-davis/"></a> is a legit running back who can go for a big play any time he touches the ball. Jones-Davis made one of the best plays I saw last year in the playoff loss to Dallas. He caught a screen pass at the 10-yard line and Jones-Davis broke 4 tackles to score a touchdown. Jones-Davis also is a physical runner and is hard to bring down. He has legit speed and when he gets into the open field he is off the races. Jones-Davis is one of the best athletes in the 2026 class". </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='819722' first='Dominic' last='Diaz-Ellis'] had the unfortunate situation where he did not get onto the field last year because of a transfer situation until the end of the year. So this off-season has been huge for him going into his Senior year to re-establish his recruiting. When I saw him at the Prep Redzone Showcase he was the best wide receiver at the camp. He did a good job all camp running routes and catching the ball. He earned an offer from Maine at that camp, his 3rd Division One offer. This year I am excited to see his progress on the field from all his hard work in the off-season. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/domo_1of1/status/1789407020212167144 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='388180' first='Chris' last='Thompson'] is a good defensive line prospect. He does a good job, especially against the run. Below is what I wrote about him earlier this year:</p>   <p>"<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='388180' first='Chris' last='Thompson']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/chris-thompson-2/"></a> transferred over from Trinity to McDevitt in the off-season. His film from his sophomore year was impressive. He is a one-man wrecking crew from his defensive tackle position where he destroys offensive linemen by pushing them back into the backfield. He has a great stance and just explodes off the ball to create havoc for the offense. Thompson shows good strength and athleticism for a defensive tackle. I am excited to see his progress next season as a Junior".</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='386324' first='Lucas' last='Lawler'] is a good defensive player for Bishop McDevitt. He can be moved around the field, to help the defense in any match-up. He has a natural ability to rush the passer. He does a good job of exploding off the edge and using his athletic ability to put pressure on the offense. He had an eye-popping 11 sacks last year and created many other pressures on the quarterbacks. He is also good against the run by making a ton of plays in the backfield. Lawler is a highly skilled dynamic defensive lineman. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LucasLawler8/status/1767329866876424562 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='941129' first='Liam' last='Fuller'] is a huge human who is highly skilled as a tight end. Fuller can do it all from his tight-end position. He is one of the best tight-end prospects in the state. He recently visited Notre Dame in June. I expect more visits and offers to come his way soon. Below is what I wrote about him earlier this year:</p>   <p>"Fuller has great size standing 6'6″ inches tall and is built like a brick house. He is built more like an offensive tackle than a wide receiver. As a blocker, he is a good blocker who does a nice job of engaging and then blocking on the edge. As a receiver, he runs excellent routes and catches the ball well. He isn't the fastest guy, but he makes up for it with his positional and route running. Fuller is a talented player who should only play better next season". </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LiamFuller88/status/1797606616906551466 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='521111' first='Jontai' last='Quick'] is one of the best athletes in the 2027 class. Even though he was a Freshman last year Quick got on the field for McDevitt and made some plays. Quick is a legit athlete that runs well. He has good speed and elusiveness and when he gets into the open field he just runs past defenders. He has an exceptional ability to make defenders miss. Quick should be an even bigger contributor for McDevitt this season. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jontai_quick/status/1802118032258384039 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1552440' first='Jaden' last='Garnes'] played as an outside linebacker/strong safety last year. He does a nice job of playing in space in or near the line of scrimmage. He does a good job providing run support. He reads his keys well and then usually makes the proper read on the play. He is also a good blitzer and does a good job putting pressure on the offense. Garnes is a good prospect in the 2025 class. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Ja'kye Logan is a big offensive lineman who played guard for Bishop McDevitt. He is outstanding in the run game. He is good at locking on defensive players and driving them off the ball. He shows good strength by the way he can move defensive tackles off the ball. He also has excellent feet and can stay in front of defenders in pass protection. Logan has a chance to be an outstanding player for McDevitt this season. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">JJ Torres is another massive offensive lineman who played tackle for McDevitt last year. He is a mauler in the run game. He just locks in and destroys defensive players. He also does a good job in pass protection by keeping his feet moving and staying in of edge defenders. Torres also shows good strength in the way he locks on and does not let defenders past him. Torres has the tools to play at the College level. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jj_torres77/status/1804596942216872334 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='419266' first='Sebastian' last='Williams'] has all the tools to be a good quarterback but will have to wait his time behind talented quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='154352' first='Stone' last='Saunders']. Williams can still take this year to get ready because he is always one hit away from playing. Williams has the tools as a thrower of the football to be a good quarterback. He has excellent mechanics and does a nice job scrambling around to make a play as well. Williams should be in line to eventually start at quarterback. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Venny Brooks played at a high-level last year for McDevitt at linebacker. He does a nice job of reading his keys and triggering downhill. He then attacks and makes many plays in or near the line of scrimmage. He is also a good tackler, especially in the open field. He can also blitz from many different angles to put pressure on the offense. Brooks shows good instincts and is a good player at linebacker. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/VennyBrooks25/status/1810459518700069319 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='819719' first='Darius' last='Diaz-Ellis'] the twin brother of Dominic also is on the football team for McDevitt. He plays as an outside linebacker/strong safety. He has the potential to play at the next level and got an offer from Lincoln University. Just like his brother, he did not get on the field much last year, so I am excited to see how he plays this season. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DariusDiaz_2/status/1787651386865295662 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Landon Blauch played as an offensive tackle last year for McDevitt. His stance and starts are excellent off the ball. He does a nice job of moving his feet in staying in front of defenders. He is especially good in pass blocking where he moves his feet to stay in front of defenders. Blauch has great size (6'4 inches tall) and uses that size and his long reach to block defenders. Blauch has the potential to play at the college level. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='870433' first='Julius' last='Fuentes-Bream'] recently transferred from St. Frances in Martland to McDevitt. Fuentes-Beam is a legitimate receiver. He runs good routes and catches the ball well. He has a good feel for how to play wide receiver by running his routes to set up defenders. Then he catches the ball well after the catch and in traffic between defenders. Fuentes-Beam is a talented wide receiver and adds another weapon for McDevitt.</p>    <p><strong>Season Outlook: </strong>Bishop McDevitt brings back a core group of players to make another district title and state championship game run. Having a 4-year starting quarterback like [player_tooltip player_id='154352' first='Stone' last='Saunders'] back surely helps them this season. The other part of McDevitt's season is they are being moved up to a higher section in the Mid-Penn Conference. They are now playing in the Commonwealth section against bigger schools, plus they renew their rivalry against Harrisburg. It should be a more challenging conference schedule for them. I still expect McDevitt to be in the mix going forward.</p>

Last Season Update: Coming off a PIAA State Title most people assumed that Bishop McDevitt would make it back last year to the State Title game, but they were upset by Dallas 26-23 in double Overtime. A heartbreaking defeat for Bishop McDevitt, but still a hugely successful season. Now they return having lost a talented group of players, but still retain a core of players. They should be in the hunt for another League and District Title and could make a run for a State Title.