PRZPA Team Preview, Southern Columbia

When previewing teams across the state of Pennsylvania, there is one that you cannot forget about, especially out of Central Pennsylvania in the Southern Columbia Area Tigers. There are few programs in high school football across the country who have had the run that the Tigers have had over the last decade. Last season, the Tigers defeated Westinghouse in a tightly contested state championship game in Mechanicsburg 21-20, winning their seventh straight championship and their 14th state championship overall, a state record.   While the Tigers may not be boasting the same level of talent that they have in the past, this is still a very talented Southern Columbia team and of course, a very well coached one as well. Head coach James Roth is one of the best to ever do it in the Keystone State, there is little doubt about that.   There are a few spots that there will be questions for the Tigers in 2024. One of those spots is quarterback. Blake Wise finished up his career last season with the Tigers and is continuing his career at Division III Lebanon Valley. That being said, according to the stats on MaxPrep's, Wise is the only one to record a pass last season for the Tigers.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">RUNNING BACK</h2>   The Tigers lost their top three rushers from last season in Garrett Garcia, Louden Murphy, and Carter Madden, meaning there is going to be some new faces to get used to in the Tigers backfield. Below, we highlight a trio of running backs who could be the next big three for Southern Columbia.    Andrews is a smaller running back at 5-foot-11 and 165-pounds but don't count him out. Andrews isn't afraid afraid to run through the middle of a defense. He's a good athlete with quality speed and elusiveness in close space, making him tough to bring down, not to mention good vision and anticipation. Hate to be cliche, but the word "scrappy" would also describe Andrews well. Across 21 carries in 2023, Andrews totaled 224 yards and three touchdowns. As of right now, he appears most likely to take over the lead back duties for the Tigers.   Also a standout defensive back for the Tigers recorded four interceptions last season as well as causing two fumbles.       Was unable to find any measurements on Gallagher but also a basketball player for Southern Columbia, Gallagher is a more "traditional" sized running back and athlete for Southern Columbia and could be someone to watch at running back. He only saw seven carries last season but made the most of them with 62 yards and a pair of touchdowns.         One last running back to watch for now is rising sophomore Joey Williams. The 5-foot-8 tailback had the fourth most carries last season for the Tigers in just 11 games, totaling 31 carries for 147 yards. Also plays middle linebacker for Southern Columbia. Williams doesn't have game changing speed but is a small, compact running back who uses his vision and strength to his advantage. He has enough speed to make people miss and will win some foot races but he won't necessarily win every foot race especially against equally as good or better athletes. Intriguing prospect to keep an eye on over the next several years.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">WIDE RECEIVER / TIGHT END</h2>   Southern Columbia is not going to throw the ball a ton, last season, they totaled jut 132 passing attempts, about eight passing attempts per game. Of those eight passing attempts, about a quarter of those passes will likely be targeted towards running backs coming out of the backfield. Last season, out of 72 completed passers, 18 were to running backs. All 18 of those running back receptions are now gone in Murphy, Madden, and Garcia. But notably, the Tigers will also be replacing their top two wide receivers in Jacob Hoy and Kyle Christman. Only one Tiger who recorded a reception is set to return this fall in tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1181651' first='Jace' last='Malakoski'] .    Malakoski is a tight end we're going to be keeping a close eye on going forward. He's got very good size so far at 6-foot-3 and 205-pounds and is overall a quality athlete. While he only recorded a single reception last season, he saw quite a bit of time on the field for Southern Columbia, serving as a blocker. His blocking skills are quite good for a young tight end / wide receiver which should only help him going forward. Obviously, Southern Columbia doesn't throw the ball a ton but as they showed in the past with a talent like Julian Fleming, they'll find ways to get play makers the ball. It will be interesting to see Malakoski can develop a bigger role as an offensive weapon this fall. High upside for Malakoski overall.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEFENSE</h2>    A top-250 player in the state, PRZ is very high on Fetterold including our lead man himself [player_tooltip player_id='1156407' first='Vic' last='Castillo']. Here's what Vic said last time he talked about Fetterolf this offseason.   "I might be repeating myself here, but I stand on Southern Columbia's [player_tooltip player_id='263030' first='Dominic' last='Fetterolf'] <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/dominic-fetterolf/"></a><a> </a> having one of the highest floors of any LB ranked outside of the Top Ten. What you see is what you get, it's likely what transfers over when projecting him to the next level. Speaking to coaches in the know, the threshold/window for athletic growth might be passed the young man. Even if that's the case, you're still getting a dominant A/B gap plugger, one who registered over 130 tackles through 16 total games. Fetterolf will likely float around the Top100 for the remainder of his career at SC, he's been a perennial name on these lists since he debuted as a freshman. Pursuit of the ball carrier is up there with the State's best, you can see the moment he keys and diagnoses, a switch is hit and Fetterolf turns into a hunter, a better runner to the football than his build might suggest. Coaches will likely question if he can work pass coverage sets on defense, it's a warranted question, not much is seen on tape outside of screen diagnosis. I'v heard phenomenal things about the young man's intangibles on and off the field, heard of positive leadership qualities. We'll see where Fetterolf ends up on our ranks after his senior tape."   Fetterolf recently picked up an offer from Bloomsburg. Last year, he led Southern Columbia with 136 tackles including 4.0 tackles for loss.       Makowski had a very good sophomore season for Southern Columbia with 51 total tackles, four sacks, and three tackles for loss. He also had eight quarterback hurries. Makowski has good size and a good first step off the snap. Gets quickly into the backfield. Quality athlete overall, does a great job of dinging the ball and has a strong motor. Has a chance to take a big step this year as a pass rusher, needs to play with more of a bend but overall has a really quality foundation as an edge rusher.    Overall, Southern Columbia despite not being filled with major names in our rankings is once again going to be one of the best programs in all of Central Pennsylvania and is likely going to be the favorite to once again win the Class AA championship this fall. That being said, this will be a team that lost a ton of experience from the pats few years and it will be up to those discussed above to continue the tradition and legacy of greatness at Southern Columbia.

When previewing teams across the state of Pennsylvania, there is one that you cannot forget about, especially out of Central Pennsylvania in the Southern Columbia Area Tigers. There are few programs in high school football across the country who have had the run that the Tigers have had over the last decade. Last season, the Tigers defeated Westinghouse in a tightly contested state championship game in Mechanicsburg 21-20, winning their seventh straight championship and their 14th state championship overall, a state record.