Tri-Valley teammates Landon Horoschack and Robert Schwartz joined Spring Grove’s Oliver Smith atop the tackle leaders, while Northern Lehigh’s Paul Porobenski and Bill Slattery created havoc in opposing backfields to highlight this week’s top defensive performances across Pennsylvania.
Horoschack, Schwartz and Smith each recorded 18 tackles, while Porobenski finished with five sacks and six tackles for loss. Slattery added four sacks and five tackles for loss.
Schwartz also provided one of the week’s biggest defensive scoring plays, returning an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.
Three Players Record 18 Tackles
Tri-Valley’s Horoschack and Schwartz and Spring Grove’s Smith shared the top spot with 18 tackles apiece.
Schwartz added a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown, while Horoschack recorded three tackles for loss.
Schuylkill Valley’s Alexander Gehret and Upper Dublin’s Tyler O’Sullivan followed with 17 tackles each. O’Sullivan added five tackles for loss and returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown.
Shenandoah Valley’s David Burrous and Upper Dublin’s Ty Greenberg each finished with 16 tackles.
Schuylkill Valley’s Hunter Durland, Saucon Valley’s Hunter Hill, Emmaus’ Mason Lenig and Bethlehem Liberty’s Xavier Ryan each recorded 15 tackles.
Shikellamy’s Corbin Stahl, Minersville’s Derek Derenzo, Shenandoah Valley’s Dylan Getz and Cedar Crest’s Garrett Starry each finished with 14.
Ten Players Reach 13 Tackles
Haverford High’s Henry Yez, Manheim Central’s Jevin Carbonneau, Milton Area teammates Michael Runkle and Schuyler Humphrey, Solanco’s Tyler Kreider and Jersey Shore’s Zeke Sechrist each recorded 13 tackles.
Tri-Valley’s Brody Lesher, Strath Haven’s Cole Haly, Nazareth Area’s Cooper Wenrich, Saucon Valley’s Eli Szlachtianshyn and Taylor Rohn, Schuylkill Valley’s Ervin Ortiz, Jim Thorpe’s Gaetano Sarnelli, Bethlehem Liberty’s Jayvion White and Allentown Central Catholic’s Nate Young each had 12 tackles.
Schuylkill Valley’s Anthony Batista, Cedar Crest’s Damyen Derr, Pocono Mountain East’s Elijah Jewell, Shenandoah Valley’s Gene Sinkus and Todd Seiger, Saucon Valley’s Jaylen Caballero, Mount Carmel Area’s Josh Blessing, Palmerton Area’s Mason Konze, Northwestern Lehigh’s Max Beck and East Pennsboro’s Nasadir Craft each recorded 11 tackles.
More Defenders Reach Double Figures
The 10-tackle group included Ephrata’s Aaden Shuman and Ben McCracken, Whitehall’s Aiden Hannis, East Stroudsburg South’s Alex Perez, Emmaus’ Anthony Attar, Spring Grove’s Ben Budd, Milton Area’s Brady O’Rourke, Cedar Crest’s CJ Hallman and Jordan Pfaff, and Shikellamy’s Chase Swartz and Jackson Kashuba.
Coventry Christian’s Christian Brown, Pocono Mountain East’s Dean McCarthy, Bangor’s Hunter Hopstetter, William Penn Charter’s Nate Givens and Soren Walker, Central Bucks East’s Owen Grotz, Palmerton Area’s Parker Davis, Southern Lehigh’s Preston DiGrazia, Wellsboro’s Reed Richardson, Northampton’s Robert Wambold, Pennridge’s Sean Leuthe and West Perry’s Trent Hockenberry also finished with 10 tackles.
Porobenski Records Five Sacks
Northern Lehigh’s Paul Porobenski delivered one of the week’s most disruptive performances.
Porobenski led the reported sack totals with five and added six tackles for loss.
Northern Lehigh teammate Bill Slattery wasn’t far behind, recording four sacks and five tackles for loss.
Together, Porobenski and Slattery combined for nine sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Mount Carmel Area’s Josh Blessing finished with 3.5 sacks. Blessing also recorded 11 total tackles and five tackles for loss.
Coventry Christian’s Nico Marasco added three sacks.
O’Sullivan Makes Impact All Over the Field
Upper Dublin’s Tyler O’Sullivan was one of the week’s top all-around defensive performers.
O’Sullivan recorded 17 tackles and five tackles for loss before making an impact in the turnover game with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
His combination of tackles, plays behind the line of scrimmage and a defensive touchdown made him a factor in multiple defensive categories.
Mount Carmel Area Creates Havoc
Mount Carmel Area had several defenders among the week’s leaders.
Blessing led the way with 11 tackles, 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.
Chance Swatski recorded four tackles for loss and recovered two fumbles, while Ken Miller and Max Karycki each had three tackles for loss.
The group helped Mount Carmel Area put multiple players among the state’s reported defensive leaders.
Three Players Pick Off Two Passes
Saucon Valley’s Parker Skoda, Whitehall’s Rocco Fonzone and John Bartram’s Stephen Green each recorded two interceptions.
Mount Carmel Area’s Swatski led the fumble recovery category with two.
Boozer and Christie Go 80 Yards
Muncy’s Chase Boozer and Renaissance Academy’s Zion Christie produced the longest reported interception returns for touchdowns, each taking one back 80 yards.
Tri-Valley’s Schwartz followed with his 75-yard pick-six.
Cardinal O’Hara’s Emilio Martinez returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown, while Notre Dame-Green Pond’s John Hull scored on a 56-yard return.
Upper Dublin’s O’Sullivan went 55 yards to the end zone.
Cardinal O’Hara’s Simon Horta and Shikellamy’s Xzavier Baker-Allen each returned interceptions 52 yards for touchdowns.
Palmerton Area’s Connor Lawless scored on a 41-yard return, while Springfield-Delco’s TJ Valetti went 38 yards.
Strath Haven’s Kasey Hudson, Shikellamy’s Maddox Hoover and East Stroudsburg South’s Mamadou Ndiaye each returned interceptions 32 yards for touchdowns.
Wilson’s Brayden Farrell scored from 29 yards, West York’s Julius Fuentes-Bream went 25 yards and Line Mountain’s Liam Troutman scored on a 21-yard return.
South Williamsport’s Colton Paulhamus, Scranton Prep’s Owen Jeffers and Dunmore’s Xavier Burke each added 15-yard interception returns for touchdowns.
Clemson Takes Fumble 68 Yards for a Touchdown
Lancaster Catholic’s Roman Clemson delivered the longest reported fumble return for a touchdown, taking one back 68 yards.
Columbia’s Kareem Nicholas followed with a 41-yard fumble-return touchdown.
Pennsbury’s Luke Beighley scored on a six-yard return.
Exeter’s Faym Pruitt-Gooch, Susquehanna Township’s Josiah Johnson, Montgomery’s Lincoln Miller and Carlisle’s Sean Smith also recovered fumbles for touchdowns.
Meskunas Blocks Punt and Scores
North Schuylkill’s Cole Meskunas made the play himself on special teams, blocking a punt and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown.
Manheim Central’s Nahshon Chioke scored on a five-yard blocked-punt return.
Whitehall’s Clifford Murray and Academy Park’s Desmon Bangura also scored touchdowns following blocked punts.
Twin Valley’s Alain Bazile blocked a punt that Jayce Oliver recovered for a touchdown.
Defensive Playmakers Fill the Stat Sheet
From tackles to sacks, turnovers and defensive touchdowns, playmakers made an impact throughout the week.
Horoschack, Smith and Schwartz led the tackle category with 18 apiece, while Schwartz added a 75-yard pick-six. O’Sullivan combined 17 tackles, five tackles for loss and a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Northern Lehigh’s Porobenski and Slattery were dominant behind the line of scrimmage, combining for nine sacks and 11 tackles for loss, while Mount Carmel Area’s Blessing produced 11 tackles, 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.
With Boozer and Christie each taking interceptions 80 yards to the house and Clemson returning a fumble 68 yards for a score, it was another week filled with game-changing defensive performances across Pennsylvania.