PRZPA Team Preview, Ephrata

Season Outlook: Ephrata football has been building a strong program for several years, but had yet to break through and have a great season until last season they were able to do that. They went 12-2 last and won 3 PIAA Playoff games until they eventually lost in the District 3 Championship game to Cocalico. Considering they had never won a PIAA Playoff game that is a great accomplishment. They lost a good Senior class, but are bringing back a solid group of players who hope to continue the recent success.   Current Head Coach: Kris Miller   Top returning prospects for the 2024 season:    [player_tooltip player_id='1520464' first='Brayden' last='Brown'] is a legit running back in the 2025 class. He has great size (6'3 inches tall), and athleticism. He is a legit threat to score every time he touches the ball. When he gets into the field he has the speed to run by defenders. When Brown hits the hole he has the explosiveness and a physical running style to punish the defense. He also catches the ball well out of the backfield. Brown is a difference-maker on the football field and I expect he will have a good chance at playing College Football in the future.     Dominic Pugh played as a linebacker last year and was a key contributor on special teams for Ephrata. At the outside linebacker position, Pugh did a good job of reading his keys and attacking downhill. He set the edge well and either made the play or forced everything inside to his teammates. He also did a good job in pass coverage and showed solid coverage skills. On the kickoff team, he ran down well and made several tackles. I expect Pugh to also pick up tight-end responsibilities this fall as well. Pugh he a good player for Ephrata.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DomPugh14/status/1819185965727961318 </div></figure>     Landan Barton played offensive tackle for Ephrata last year. Barton shows good strength from his offensive lineman position as he can drive defenders off the ball well. He is excellent at the run game the way he explodes off the ball to block defenders. He also is a good athlete and does a good job pulling and going downhill to block defenders. Barton is a good player at the offensive tackle position.     [player_tooltip player_id='1131233' first='Caleb' last='Grant'] had limited playing time last year for Ephrata as he was stuck behind a senior at quarterback. Grant is projected to be the starting quarterback this year for Ephrata. He shows in his film he is a good athlete. He is good in the QB run game. Either on designed run plays or when the plays break down. He shows a strong arm but needs to continue to work on his mechanics and footwork in the pocket. He has the tools to be a good quarterback this year and I am excited to see him on the field.     Nick Keller is a good athlete who played as a defensive back and as a wide receiver for Ephrata last year. At defensive back, he shows solid coverage skills and when the ball is thrown in his direction he can get his hands on the ball to break it up. He also did a good job of tackling offensive players in the open field. At wide receiver, he was Ephrata's big deep ball threat. He has good speed and does a nice job of running by defenders for a deep ball. He shows the speed and the ability to track the ball well. Keller has the potential to be a breakout star for Ephrata this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1286008' first='Jackson' last='Nolt'] is someone I saw in the PIAA Playoff win over Lower Dauphin. He stood out because of his size and strength. He looked like a future star on either the offensive or defensive line. I could not track down any film from last year, but I remember with my eyes on how talented he looked. Below is what I wrote about him at the PIAA Playoff game:   "1st time I saw Nolt play and I came away very impressed with him as a prospect. Nolt has great size for the position standing 6'5 inches tall. He shows good strength from his defensive line position by constantly pushing offensive linemen back into the backfield. During the game, he had several tackles for losses and showed a motor that never quits. He caused a key offensive holding Penalty that stopped a big drive from Lower Dauphin. Finally, Nolt also blocked a field goal that would have helped Lower Dauphin extend their lead in the game. Nolt is only a Sophomore, so he is a name to keep track of in the future".     [player_tooltip player_id='1648581' first='Evan' last='Honberger'] is a talented kicker in the 2026 class. He shows a consistent approach to kicking the football. Ephrata beat Lower Dauphin 14-13 in the 1st round of the PIAA Playoffs because he made the two extra points. Below is what I said about Honberger earlier this year:   "[player_tooltip player_id='1648581' first='Evan' last='Honberger'] had a very strong season for Ephrata. He was used frequently to generate points for Ephrata. He was 46 out of 50 on extra points and 8 of 10 on field goals. He also had 16 touchbacks on kickoffs. The other thing I saw him do was he squibbed kickoff to help create a turnover. Honberger is a good kicker who had a busy leg last season".   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/EvanHonberger/status/1728540372568043714 </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='819742' first='Nate' last='Conover'] did not play last year because in the summer he tore his ACL a bad injury, but he is fully recovered and expected to be a good player for Ephrata this season. He did have a film from two years ago and in it, he showed an explosive ability to play wide receiver. He showed big play ability to score anytime he touched the ball. He also showed the ability to catch the ball in tight coverage well. If he gets on the field this year, he has a chance to be a key piece for Ephrata.     Chase Prange is someone who made an impact on Ephrata last year, but he has no film listed anywhere. Looking at the stats he had 63 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. He made an impact playing at linebacker last year for Ephrata by making a ton of tackles in or near the line of scrimmage. Going into his 2nd season as a starter he should be an even greater contributor.     Brennan Frymoyer is someone who it appears started and played a ton on both the offensive and defensive lines for Ephrata. He does not have any film as well. He is projected to be a starter on either side of the ball this season for Ephrata and possibly both sides of the ball.     Landon Pilon started at the center position last year for Ephrata. He also played as a linebacker. He was the anchor of the offensive line from his center position. He had 44 tackles last year from his linebacker position. He projects as a player who will play on both sides of the ball for Ephrata this season.    Final Thoughts: Kris Miller took over this program when they were on a long losing streak that stretched several years. He has slowly and methodically built this program. In a way, Miller and Ephrata deserve the benefit of the doubt as they have become a staple in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

Season Outlook: Ephrata football has been building a strong program for several years, but had yet to break through and have a great season until last season they were able to do that. They went 12-2 last and won 3 PIAA Playoff games until they eventually lost in the District 3 Championship game to Cocalico. Considering they had never won a PIAA Playoff game that is a great accomplishment. They lost a good Senior class, but are bringing back a solid group of players who hope to continue the recent success.