In Person Evaluations: Power House Pine Richland

I made the trip to Gibsonia for the much-anticipated matchup between North Allegheny and Pine-Richland, a game that was expected to be tight between two of Western Pennsylvania's premier programs. What unfolded wasn't close. Pine-Richland completely dominated, jumping out to a 51–0 lead by halftime and never letting up. In a loaded 5A field filled with talented rosters, this group might be the most star-studded team in the entire classification.    Watching Oobi Strader, it's not hard to understand why Pine-Richland has reached two straight WPIAL Championships with him leading the offense. He's special. Strader looked entirely in command all night, calm in the pocket, confident in his decisions, and comfortable in every situation. He's an electric runner with elite lateral quickness and sudden burst. Anytime you give him a window, he'll punish you. Whether it's a designed run like a power read or a broken play, Strader turns it into a positive gain because of his natural escapability. But what makes him rare is that he's just as dangerous throwing the football. He's a legitimate dual threat who can make any throw, inside the hashes, outside the numbers, on the move, or from a set base. The first play from scrimmage set the tone for the night. Strader looked off the safety with his eyes, came back to the middle of the field, and fired a dart to [player_tooltip player_id='489202' first='Khalil' last='Taylor'] in stride. That's advanced field manipulation, something you typically see from college quarterbacks. I've seen Strader several times in person, and he never disappoints. In last year's WPIAL Championship, he threw a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder ball up the seam and commanded the game from start to finish against a tough Peters Township defense. When I saw him again versus Pittsburgh Central Catholic, he was running around and making Power-Five defenders miss in space like it was nothing. Friday night confirmed that he now has both the mechanical polish and the mental command you look for in a next-level QB. He checks every single box, arm strength, accuracy, mobility, toughness, poise, and intelligence. In my opinion, he's the best quarterback in Western PA, and his résumé backs that up. Yet he's still sitting with mostly Group of Five offers. Every few cycles, there's a kid who has all the traits you'd want but gets overlooked because evaluators nitpick the wrong things. If I had any advice for Power Four programs, it's simple: don't overthink it. Strader is going to play high-level football somewhere, and whoever lands him will get a steal. Don't be the school that passed.       Jay Timmons defines dominance. All night long, he looked like he was playing at a different speed and strength level than everyone else. Against one of the top programs in 6A, nobody had an answer for him. One of his best plays came on a wide receiver pass trick play that was underthrown. Timmons adjusted mid-route, came back to the ball, elevated over one defender and ripped it away, and still managed to go the distance. He found the end zone two more times that night once on a deep slant where he plucked the football out of the air with strong hands, and another on a short curl that he turned into a long touchdown after the catch. Pine-Richland clearly makes a point to get the ball in his hands any way possible. They'll line him up outside, in the slot, or even in the backfield to exploit matchups. He's a complete offensive weapon, but he's also a big-time defender. From his safety spot, he triggers downhill and delivers punishing hits at the point of attack. There's a tone-setting physicality in the way he plays. He brings attitude, versatility, and toughness that defines this team.     If Penn State's staff had been watching from the stands, they would've been kicking themselves. The player they let slip away, [player_tooltip player_id='489202' first='Khalil' last='Taylor'], was sensational. He made plays all night long. My favorite moment came when he made an incredible contested catch in the end zone, only for it to get called back. On the very next snap, Pine-Richland ran the same play. Taylor went up again, climbed the ladder, and snagged it right over the same defender for six. That's the kind of confidence and dominance that separates him, he's going to win his rep, and there's nothing you can do about it. He made his presence felt in all three phases. On special teams, he ripped off a big punt return touchdown, bursting through traffic and leaving North Allegheny's coverage unit in the dust. On defense, he was physical from his corner spot, coming downhill and making multiple open-field tackles. Pine-Richland was already a consistent championship contender without him, but his addition has made them a full-blown juggernaut, not just in 5A, but statewide. It's worth remembering their lone loss earlier in the year to Central Catholic, when Taylor returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown before exiting with an injury. You can't help but wonder how differently that game might have gone if he stayed on the field. When Taylor's out there, he changes everything. He's that kind of difference-maker.     When you have star playmakers like Strader, Taylor, and Timmons, it's easy for others to get overlooked, and that's exactly what happens with running back [player_tooltip player_id='1155840' first='Maclane' last='Miller']. But he deserves more attention. Miller runs with violence. He's a physical, downhill back who doesn't hesitate. If you don't bring your pads low, he'll run you over. He's fast, decisive, and especially effective on gap-scheme concepts like counter, where he hits his landmark and accelerates with intent. His three-touchdown performance on senior night was a statement. He currently holds an offer from DII Clarion, but he looked every bit like an FCS-level back on Friday. His blend of speed, balance, and power fits what smaller college programs look for in a workhorse. You can tell he's the type of runner who sets a tone for the whole offense.     I came into this game already impressed with [player_tooltip player_id='1397837' first='Dajour' last='Webb'] from his film, and he absolutely lived up to expectations. Webb is a true trench player who impacts the game on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he projects best as an interior lineman. He's got the natural strength to bully smaller opponents with his bull rush, but what stands out is his hand usage. He combines power with violent, refined technique, his push-pull and rip moves are sharp and effective. He's quick off the ball and consistently resets the line of scrimmage. On offense, despite playing out of his natural position (he's typically a center), Webb lined up at tackle and handled himself exceptionally well. His power base and ability to anchor against the edge rush were impressive. For a junior, his maturity and consistency up front stand out. By the time he's a senior, he'll be one of the best two-way linemen in the WPIAL. He's got legitimate college potential on either side of the ball.