Ready, ready,…..here we come
Friday night the 9-1 Colonial League champion Saucon Valley Panthers will travel to Pottsville and take on the 9-1 Schuykill League champion Crimson Tide in the semifinals of the District XI championship. The top dog will advance to take on the winner of the Bethlehem Catholic and Allentown Central Catholic for District XI gold. A loss brings a good season to an end. It is going to be another exciting night of Panther football!
Things Worth Watching:
Saucon Valley Panthers
When the Panthers have the ball…
Statistically speaking Saucon Valley should leave Pottsville Friday night with a victory. The Panthers average 35 points per game while the Tide average 26. Defensively, each team allows 13. Stats are funny however, as they are an elusive mirage that often distort future reality. The comparison of stats in a game like this only reveals coincidence.
The Panthers, of course, will look to lean on their potent rushing attack against Pottsville’s base 5-2 defense. Junior Zach “Lightning” Petiet (#23) leads the way with 1,367 yards and 21 TDs. He currently averages 136 yards per game and 8 yards per touch. Petiet has quick feet and a quicker burst. He is a high performance sports car that can reach top speed in a blink. “Lightning” can strike from anywhere on the field at anytime given a little space to operate. Pottsville’s Chase Alisauckas (#52) is a hard-nosed linebacker for the Tide who will be looking to keep Petiet bottled up. Alisauckas, a senior, is 6’1″, 220 and averages 12 tackles per game.
To complement “Lightning” is a little thunder. Nate “Big Cat” Kehs (#32) is finding his groove after missing time to a significant lower body injury. His workload has increased since his first game back against Notre Dame. Kehs had 4 carries against the Crusaders and played sparingly on defense. Last week against Palisades, Kehs had 12 offensive touches and went the distance on defense leading the team in tackles. “Big Cat” averages 9 yards per carry. Kehs and Petiet together are a formidable 1-2 punch for the Panthers.
Dual-threat Saucon Valley senior quarterback Brandon Holub (#12) is also a valued tool in the Panther toolbox. Holub has rushed 79 times for 395 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is not just a threat on designed runs, but he also makes good decisions when his receivers are covered downfield. Holub will wisely tuck the ball and run if he does not like what he sees in order to gain ground for his Panther brothers.
Holub can throw as well. He only averages 8 passes per game, but he has completed 61% of them for about 10 yards each. To his credit he has 11 touchdown passes with only 3 interceptions. Holub is reliable, accurate and efficient. In passing situations Holub and the Panthers will likely see a 4-3 defense and plenty of man coverage.
Alstan Wolfe (#5) and Kory Kemmerer (#4) are Holub’s key targets. Wolfe has 25 receptions for 478 yards which comes out to 19 yards per catch. Wolfe claims 9 touchdown catches and 1 punt return for a TD. Kemmerer is coming on strong the second half of the season and is playing big in the big games. For the year, Kemmerer only has 14 receptions for 199 yards, but he has a knack for key catches.
Coming into this season the biggest advantage the Panthers had was the returning Hogs. Steven Good (#65), Ryan Meyers (#74), Trey Polak (#75) and Cody Zrinski (#76) are all back from last years battle-tested and talented team. If these seasoned vets, along with Tim Weaver (#77) and Hayden Clifford (#66) can win the lion’s share of the battles at the line of scrimmage against Pottsville, then the Panther “skilled” guys will make Panther Nation proud.
When the Crimson Tide have the ball…
Pottsville Crimson Tide
The 9-1 Crimson Tide are very good and perhaps the most balanced team the Panthers will face this year. They are similar to Notre Dame in many ways, but their running backs and receivers are much bigger and more powerful. Pottsville has many offensive weapons and average 171 yards passing along with 123 rushing yards per contest. The Crimson Tide run a multiple-look offense that puts up about 26 points every game.
Led by senior dual-threat quarterback Eric Wapinsky (#7), the Tide operate out of the I-formation and also from a spread look. Listed at 5’10”, 180, Wapinsky has rushed 94 times for 425 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wapinsky has proven he can air it out by completing 87 of 167 passes for 1,237 yards so far this season. Sixteen of his completions have gone for touchdowns while four have been picked off. He may not be the most accurate passer, but he seems to be smart and does take care of the football.
Wapinsky is a weapon with his feet, but the top running back for the Crimson Tide is Darion Jacoby (#15). Jacoby is a senior who stands 5’11”, 180. He has carried 105 times for 568 yards and 9 TDs. He has shown the ability to run with both power and finesse. Coach Sams noted, “#15 is their most dangerous player. He has not played since week 8 vs. Lehighton. We have no idea how long he is out, but he is playmaker.”
Whether Jacoby is in the lineup or not, another running back to keep your eyes on is 6’0, 190 junior, Ian Murhon (#22). Murhon has 89 totes for 400 yards with 6 TDs. Maybe he doesn’t have numbers as good as Jacoby, but he too can get the job done if the Panthers do not tackle well as a team.
There is little doubt that Pottsville has an adequate rushing attack with multiple weapons, but their passing attack is downright scary considering the rather large targets Wapinsky has available to him.
At split end the Crimson Tide have the services of senior Kory Kleckner (#11). Kleckner measures a long 6’4″, 190 and has 22 receptions for 249 yards and 7 touchdowns. He comes across as sure-handed and very athletic. He runs well after the catch and if allowed to roam in space could be a major headache for Saucon.
Pottsville also looks to 6’6″, 226 junior Ian Renninger to catch the ball for them. With his head in the clouds, Renninger has 21 catches for 398 yards and 4 TDs. Maybe he doesn’t run as well as Kleckner after the catch, but the kid has pretty good hands. Pottsville will lob the jump ball high into the air confident it is Renninger who will come down with it. Renninger has a nose for the ball as he is the top rebounder on the Tide basketball team. He is no stranger to battling hard for a loose ball. Coach Sams noted that the Panther defensive backs need to win their share of jump balls against these giants.
Sams said, “Pottsville likes to keep it simple running sweep, power, trap, blast and counter out of the I-formation.” In regard to their pass scheme he said, “They will try throwing fades and slants and also arrow the tight end out to the sideline.” All of this of course in addition to throwing the jump ball downfield to “Stretch” Renninger.
It would be nice for Saucon Valley’s defense to bring the pressure against the Pottsville quarterback, but the Panthers need to be very careful because of the dual-threat talents of Wapinsky. If Lugo, Meyers, Polak, Zrinski and Kehs can’t get the sack, then it puts a lot of pressure on Stephen Good and Dino Zaharakis to minimize the damage done by the scrambling quarterback.
Friday night is going to be another exciting time for Panther Nation. Two great teams will collide that are desperate to win and keep their season alive. It is the end of the line for the team that comes up short. The fear of losing is going to be great motivation for both sides. You better believe the atmosphere will be intense as the hard fought contest unfolds.
Saucon Source will be there, and we hope to see you there too. Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!
